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Zach Edey Returns For Grizzlies; Cedric Coward Moves Into Starting Lineup

November 15th, 2025 at 5:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Grizzlies unveiled a new-look lineup for Saturday’s game in Cleveland, with Zach Edey making his season debut and rookie Cedric Coward joining him as a starter.

Edey missed the first 13 games of the season as he recovered from offseason surgery on his left ankle. The 7’4″ center took over the starting job as a rookie, averaging 9.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 66 games while shooting 58% from the field. He finished fifth in the Rookie of the Year voting.

Coward is off to a strong start after being selected with the 11th pick in this year’s draft, putting up 14.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists through 13 games while playing 26.8 minutes per night. He was listed as doubtful earlier today due to soreness in his right foot, but he was later upgraded to questionable and then given clearance to play.

The lineup changes mean Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jock Landale are coming off the bench after beginning the season as starters.

For Caldwell-Pope, who was acquired from Orlando this summer as part of the Desmond Bane trade, it’s his first game as a reserve since he was with the Lakers during the 2019/2020 season, notes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). The 32-year-old shooting guard has gotten off to a rough start, averaging 8.1 PPG while shooting career lows from the field (35.1%) and three-point range (29.8%).

Caldwell-Pope has been experiencing elbow soreness, which was aggravated during Wednesday’s game, but he’s able to play today, according to Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com (Twitter link).

Landale is a career backup who was signed as a free agent this summer to provide depth at center and handle the starting duties until Edey was healthy. He has taken advantage of the opportunity by averaging career highs of 10.7 points and 5.5 rebounds through 13 games while shooting 56.8% from the floor and 48.5% from long distance.

Edey’s return is welcome news for the Grizzlies, who are off to a 4-9 start that included an early-season blowup between head coach Tuomas Iisalo and star guard Ja Morant. Memphis has lost three straight games, including a 131-95 embarrassment Wednesday night in Boston.

The Grizzlies are still short-handed, as Brandon Clarke and Scotty Pippen Jr. are recovering from surgery, Ty Jerome has a right calf strain, Olivier-Maxence Prosper has a left quad contusion and Javon Small will miss multiple weeks with turf toe.

Pelicans Notes: Ollie, Borrego, Head Coaching Job, Dumars

November 15th, 2025 at 3:51pm CST by Rory Maher

Former UConn head coach Kevin Ollie, who was interim coach of the Nets at the end of the 2023/24 season, is among the candidates for the Pelicans‘ head coaching job, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link).

A journeyman guard who played for 11 different teams in his 13 NBA seasons, Ollie began his coaching career after retiring as a player in 2010. He was the head coach at UConn from 2012-18 and won a national title with the Huskies in 2014 but lost his job after the NCAA opened an investigation into UConn and its coaches for recruiting violations.

Ollie was also the head coach of the Overtime Elite program from 2021-23 and was a finalist for the Pistons’ top coaching job in the 2023 offseason.

James Borrego, who is expected to remain interim coach of the Pelicans for the rest of the season in the wake of Willie Green‘s dismissal, will also be considered for the full-time role, Begley adds.

Here’s more on the Pelicans:

While Borrego is respected by the new front office led by executive VP of basketball operations Joe Dumars, Chris Dodson of ClutchPoints hears there’s skepticism the former Hornets coach will replace Green on a permanent basis. Citing a source, Dodson says Dumars is “quietly” looking for a new head coach who could “completely shake up the organization and reset the culture.” Dodson lists the six external candidates he views as the best fits for the position, including Michael Malone and Taylor Jenkins.
On a conference call with the media, Dumars explained his rationale for firing Green, as Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com relays. “I was looking for the team to compete hard every night,” Dumars said Saturday, reiterating a message he delivered at his introductory press conference in April. “If we start losing the same way over and over again, that’s not improvement. That was really the one thing I talked to the coaching staff about, ‘Guys, we have to establish that we’re going to play hard every night.’ Before you can become anything in this league, you have to establish that first as a team. It was that judgment (that led to a change) more than identity, more than the offense or defense, or the won-loss record.”
When asked if he was concerned about trading the team’s 2026 first-round pick in a draft-day deal with Atlanta (to acquire Derik Queen), Dumars said he hasn’t been thinking about it, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN (Twitter link). “I’m not sitting here worried about the pick that we don’t have,” Dumars said.

Grizzlies’ Javon Small Out Multiple Weeks With Toe Injury

November 15th, 2025 at 2:26pm CST by Rory Maher

Rookie guard Javon Small has been diagnosed with a turf toe injury in his left foot and will miss at least three weeks, which is when he’ll be reevaluated, the Grizzlies announced on Saturday (via Twitter).

Small, 22, opened his debut NBA season playing rotation minutes for the shorthanded Grizzlies, but his playing time has dwindled over the past couple weeks. He sustained the injury on November 8 during a G League game with the Memphis Hustle.

The 48th overall pick in the 2025 draft, Small played for three different colleges (East Carolina, Oklahoma State and West Virginia) prior to being selected in June. The Indiana native is on a two-way deal with the Grizzlies.

Through eight NBA games, Small has averaged 4.3 points and 2.8 assists in 12.4 minutes per contest.

While Small’s absence likely won’t have a major impact on the rotation, it’s still an unfortunate setback for both the 6’2″ point guard and the Grizzlies, who have been plagued by injuries once again this fall. Ty Jerome (calf strain), Scotty Pippen Jr. (toe surgery), Brandon Clarke (knee surgery) and Zach Edey (offseason ankle surgery) have yet to play in 2025/26, though second-year center Edey could make his season debut today in Cleveland.

Mavs Notes: Dirk, Harrison, Luka, AD, Turnovers, Flagg

November 15th, 2025 at 2:10pm CST by Rory Maher

Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, now an analyst for Amazon Prime, recently weighed in on the team’s dismissal of head of basketball operations Nico Harrison (Twitter video link).

“Well, I think there’s just too many distractions, too much going on to keep going this way. This move should have probably happened this summer honestly,” Nowitzki said (hat tip to NBA insider Marc Stein). “I didn’t want this negative energy and this black cloud over the Cooper Flagg era, but here we are now.

“I just knew … I figured this fan base is a passionate and loyal fan base. I was lucky enough to experience it for 21 years. And I knew they weren’t (going to) just get over it, as people say, or forget about it. They’re extremely passionate.

“And this (Luka Doncic) trade just made no sense. It made no sense to (the fans). And, really, there was no explanation for it, either. You go to the (NBA) Finals the year before. You gave up all these assets to build, really, the team around Luka with some 6-9 wings that all can switch and guard. You had two lob threats with (Daniel) Gafford and (Dereck) Lively II and the team was built around him.

“You added Klay (Thompson) (when) the shooting was a little bit of an issue in the Finals against Boston. So you did all this. … Going into (the) Christmas Day game, they were 14-3 out of the last 17 games, so they’re just starting to hit their stride and then Luka gets hurt. And unfortunately that’s the last game he’s ever played in a Mavs uniform.

“It was very sad. It was very sad how that ended and it felt like … the fans feel like they got robbed of actually seeing the end, seeing this through, seeing Luka develop into hopefully a champion one day and it feels like they never got to see the end to this. So this was very heartbreaking.

“But now it’s time to move on. … Focus on this team, on this franchise. (The trade) definitely set the franchise back. But now it’s about building it back up. Obviously this team is struggling a bit, it needs the support all they can get. Hopefully we can have a good year here from now on and cheer the team up.”

Here’s more from Dallas:

After the Lakers lost to the Thunder on Wednesday, Doncic was asked for his reaction to the firing of Harrison, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN relays. “The city of Dallas, the fans, the players, they’ll always have a special place in my heart,” Doncic said. “I thought I was going to stay there forever, but I didn’t. So that will always be a special place for me. I will always call it home. But right now, I’m focused on the Lakers and trying to move on. But obviously, always there will be a part of me there. But just trying to move on and focus on what I’m doing here.”
Star big man Anthony Davis has been listed as questionable for each of the past four games, but he has yet to make his return from a left calf strain. League sources confirm to Stein that Davis won’t suit up again until the team’s medical staff informs governor Patrick Dumont that the 10-time All-Star has been fully cleared (Twitter link). Davis’ health status was reportedly a point of contention in the days leading up to Harrison’s dismissal.
Although the Mavs were able to claw their way back into Friday’s double-overtime loss to the Clippers, excessive turnovers — they committed 25 in the game — proved too difficult to overcome, particularly in crunch time, writes Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. “It’s something we’ve talked about,” head coach Jason Kidd said. “We have to address it. We have to do better if we want to win — being able to get a shot, and then you want to get a quality shot. The turnovers hurt us. In overtime we had turnovers where we didn’t get a shot.”
After Friday’s game, Flagg admitted he feels more comfortable at his natural position of forward rather than running the point, which the No. 1 overall pick was asked to do to open the season. “Being a point guard comes with a lot of responsibility,” Flagg said, per Afseth. “I don’t know if I was ready for that right away. It doesn’t mean I can’t go back to it or improve… but lately it’s been better having someone else help with pressure.”

Rockets’ Tari Eason Suffers Oblique Strain, Out 4-6 Weeks

November 15th, 2025 at 1:04pm CST by Rory Maher

Rockets forward Tari Eason has been diagnosed with a strained oblique and will miss four-to-six weeks, according to head coach Ime Udoka (Twitter link via Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle).

The 24-year-old sustained the injury in the first half of Friday’s win over Portland, with Houston initially describing it as a right hip contusion. Upon further evaluation, it turns out he suffered an oblique strain.

It’s a tough blow for Eason, who has battled multiple injuries the past few years. After appearing in all 82 regular season games as a rookie, Eason played just 22 games in 2023/24 and 57 last season.

The 17th overall pick of the 2022 draft, Eason has been a valuable contributor for the Rockets when healthy. He holds career averages of 10.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 22.8 minutes per game and was off to a solid start to the season prior to the injury, averaging 12.3 PPG and 5.3 RPG on .517/.531/.714 shooting through 10 games (24.5 MPG).

Until Dorian Finney-Smith returns from offseason ankle surgery, the Rockets won’t necessarily have a direct positional replacement for Eason. Udoka could give Reed Sheppard, who has been playing the best basketball of his young career of late, more minutes, perhaps sliding Amen Thompson up to the wing at times instead of playing point guard.

Veteran guard Aaron Holiday played a season-high 13 minutes — all in the second half — with Eason out and responded with 10 points.

Eason will be a restricted free agent in the summer if Houston gives him a qualifying offer.

Central Notes: Nesmith, Pistons, Mitchell, Bucks

November 15th, 2025 at 11:52am CST by Dana Gauruder

The injury-riddled Pacers suffered another one on Thursday as forward Aaron Nesmith suffered a left knee sprain. He won’t play in Saturday’s home game against the Raptors but head coach Rick Carlisle believes the team may have “dodged a bullet” regarding his injury, The Indianapolis Star’s Dustin Dopirak reports.

The Pacers think Nesmith avoided a “very serious” injury, according to Carlisle. Nesmith is averaging a career-high 15.5 points per game.

We have more from the Central Division:

The injury-depleted Pistons made it nine in a row with a win over Philadelphia on Friday. They rallied from a 12-point, third-quarter deficit despite Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson and Tobias Harris watching in street clothes from the bench. “They’ve just got a nastiness to them, and that’s the fun part about our group,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, per Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. “They like it when it gets thick. They like it when it gets messy and it gets ugly. That’s where they thrive. We like to take people there; we like to push people’s buttons and see how they respond. We’ve just got a bunch of nasty dogs in that locker room, and they love it.”
The Cavaliers didn’t reach the Finals last season despite being a top seed. That’s why Donovan Mitchell isn’t concerned about regaining the No. 1 seed this season. “Playing well at the right time (is what’s important),” Mitchell told D.J. Siddiqi of VideoGamer.com. “Would we love to do both? 1,000%. I’m not going to sit here and say we wouldn’t want to be the No. 1 seed. At the same token, we saw last year that you can do all the things, but if you’re not ready when that time goes and if you’re not necessarily healthy, it doesn’t really matter what you’ve done during the regular season. Would I love to be the No. 1 seed? Sure. But if we’re not, am I going to be panicking? No. As long as we’re playing our best basketball at the right time, that’s all that really matters.”
The Bucks are off to an 8-5 start and The Athletic’s Eric Nehm shares his thoughts on what he’s seen from the team this season.

Pelicans Dismiss Head Coach Willie Green

November 15th, 2025 at 10:55am CST by Dana Gauruder

10:55 am: Borrego will remain the interim coach for the remainder of the season, Will Guillory of The Athletic tweets.

8:41 am: The Pelicans have fired head coach Willie Green, NBA insider Chris Haynes reports (via Twitter). James Borrego will take over as the team’s interim coach, per Marc J. Spears of ESPN (Twitter link).

The change comes as no surprise. New Orleans has lost four straight and sits at the bottom of the Western Conference standings with a 2-10 record.

It was reported last month that they were having “serious” internal discussions about Green’s future. Team owner Gayle Benson told NOLA.com this week that any decision on Green’s job status would be made by executive VP of basketball operations Joe Dumars.

The Pelicans released a statement confirming Green’s dismissal and Borrego’s promotion.

“After careful evaluation, we have made the difficult decision to make a change at head coach,” Dumars said in the statement. “I have the utmost respect for Willie Green, and I’m sincerely appreciative of his contributions to the Pelicans organization and the New Orleans community. We wish him and his family all the best in the future.”

Benson also confirmed that Dumars made the decision to relieve Green of his duties.

“As I have stated, Joe Dumars is in charge of basketball operations decisions, and as one of the best basketball minds in the business, I trust him to make the right decisions for our franchise,” she said. “I have tremendous admiration and respect for Willie Green, and I truly appreciate all he has done for our organization over the last few years. This is a tough business and these are difficult decisions. My expectation is to be a winning team that competes for championships, and I remain steadfast in our commitment to building a championship-caliber organization for our players, partners, and above all, our fans.”

Green was named New Orleans’ head coach prior to the 2021/22 season and the team’s record steadily improved during his first three seasons. The Pelicans posted 36 wins in his first year, 42 the next and 49 in 2023/24. They made the playoffs in two of those seasons, falling in the first round both times.

Everything fell apart last season with injuries to multiple rotation players greasing the skids for a 21-61 season. Dumars was hired afterward and chose to stick with Green in the short term, but the club’s disastrous start led to his dismissal.

Pivoting to Borrego is also not a surprise.

Earlier this month, Marc Stein reported that Borrego was retained as New Orleans’ lead assistant in anticipation of a possible head coaching change. Stein noted that the Pelicans denied a request from the Knicks to interview Borrego to become the lead assistant on Mike Brown‘s staff.

Borrego, of course, has plenty of head coaching experience. He was Orlando’s interim coach in 2014/15, then had a four-year stint as Charlotte’s head coach from 2018-22. He has compiled a 148-183 record during his head coaching career.

Community Shootaround: Pistons’ Hot Start

November 15th, 2025 at 10:38am CST by Dana Gauruder

Are the Pistons for real?

They were two seasons ago – really, really bad. Historically bad, in fact, in terms of franchise history.

They made a stunning turnaround last season under a new regime headed by president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. They qualified for the playoffs without having to go through the play-in round, then gave the Knicks a tough battle before falling the first round.

During the preseason, the Cavaliers and Knicks were considered the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. Through the first four weeks of the season, the Pistons have a better record than both of those teams, though one of their two defeats came at the hands of the Cavaliers.

The Pistons possess plenty of good young talent with a sprinkling of veterans to help them along. Cade Cunningham reached All-Star status last season and has entered the early conversation for the league’s Most Valuable Player award.

Not only has Cunningham posted big numbers, but he has usually saved his best for last. Cunningham is among the league leaders in fourth-quarter output.

Center Jalen Duren, a restricted free agent next summer, has stepped up his production at both ends of the floor.

Ausar Thompson’s offensive game still needs work but he’s a stat stuffer and defensive stopper who has served as the team’s secondary ball-handler this season. Second-year player Ron Holland remains a steady contributor off the bench. Backup big man Isaiah Stewart is one of the league’s elite rim protectors and interior defenders.

Tobias Harris and offseason additions Duncan Robinson and Caris LeVert provide shooting, poise and leadership.

Even the end of the bench guys have played big roles. With the entire starting lineup in street clothes on Wednesday, the Pistons defeated the Bulls behind veteran big man Paul Reed and two-way player Daniss Jenkins. Under-the-radar free agent addition Javonte Green and Jenkins led them to an NBA Cup win over the Sixers on Friday, the team’s ninth consecutive victory.

The Pistons should get Cunningham’s projected backcourt partner – Jaden Ivey – back from a knee injury sometime next month. He’ll provide another element to the team’s offense with his quickness and play-making.

The Pistons are a middle-of-the-road shooting team but they make up for it by ranking high in many defensive statistical categories, including field-goal percentage, turnovers forced, and blocks.

That brings us to today’s topic: What is the Pistons’ ceiling this season? Are they at the level of the Cavaliers and Knicks, who are considered the co-favorites in the Eastern Conference? If not, what type of player should Detroit acquire to reach that level?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.

Sixers Notes: Maxey, Oubre, Barlow, Edgecombe

November 15th, 2025 at 8:27am CST by Dana Gauruder

Tyrese Maxey felt the Sixers lacked mental toughness against a depleted Pistons team on Friday. Philadelphia led by 12 in the third quarter but fell apart down the stretch in a 114-105 loss.

“You’ve got to be physical back,” Maxey told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “You got to be extremely physical. You got to be mentally tougher than them. I don’t think we were mentally tough. Early on we did a good job, but once they were on a couple of runs you got to stay with it. Got to stay mentally tough.”

Sixers forward Dominick Barlow looked at the outcome as a missed opportunity.

“They outworked us,” Barlow said. “They made shots, credit to them. But we got to win that game.”

Here’s more on the Sixers:

Kelly Oubre Jr. didn’t play in the second half due to a left knee injury. He’s scheduled to undergo an MRI on Saturday, Pompey reports. Oubre came into the contest averaging 18.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in 11 games.
Barlow returned after missing nine games due to a right elbow laceration. He racked up 10 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. “It was fun,” Barlow said. “Obviously, disappointed with the outcome. We’ve got to be better as a group. But it’s great playing. I love playing.”
VJ Edgecombe scored 18 points in the loss. The third overall pick in the draft is averaging 15.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists along with 1.3 steals in his first season. “He’s the first player I’ve had that, at this age, has this much poise,” president of basketball operations Daryl Morey told James Herbert of CBS Sports. “He sort of plays like a guy who’s been in the league for a bit, which is pretty remarkable, given it’s very, very hard to be good early in the NBA.”

Nets Notes: Friday’s Loss, Claxton, Demin, Wolf

November 14th, 2025 at 10:55pm CST by Rory Maher

The Nets suffered their most disappointing loss of the season on Friday in Orlando, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Brooklyn was up 16 points in the second quarter — the team’s largest lead of the season — and held a 98-94 edge in late in the fourth, only to give up 11 unanswered points to lose by seven.

The upside of the team’s latest loss is that the Nets remain tied with Indiana and Washington for the worst record in the league (1-11), giving all three clubs the current best odds ahead of the 2026 draft lottery, Lewis notes.

Here’s more on the Nets:

While rebounding has been an issue, starting center Nic Claxton entered Friday’s contest averaging career highs in points (15.3) and assists (3.7) per game and is also shooting a career-best 73.6% from the free throw line, observes C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News. “I’m very happy with what I’m seeing from Nic,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “Efficiency, true shooting, however you want to call it… He’s got to sustain it for 82 [games], but all his work is paying off. There’s going to be some ups, there’s going to be some downs, but we will support him, and we believe in him because we see the day-to-day work… I’m happy when he plays with energy, he affects everybody else, all his teammates.”
Fernandez has also been pleased with the performance of lottery pick Egor Demin early on this season, per Bridget Reilly of The New York Post, though the coach readily acknowledges there’s still plenty of room for improvement. “Obviously, you need to learn, he needs to grow on the defensive end be more react proactive instead of reactive,” Fernandez said of the Russian teenager. “I think right there is where he can catch some of the drives and communicate better and learn the schemes. He’s a smart kid. We’re going to keep challenging him to do those things. And he will. But I’m very happy where he’s at right now and what he’s shown.”
Late first-rounder Danny Wolf has had some solid games in the G League with the Nets’ affiliate in Long Island, but has only played six total minutes in two brief NBA appearances. Fernandez says the Nets will continue to develop their young players at their own pace and the team isn’t interested in rushing the process, as Holmes relays. “It’s not just about one player; it’s about all the players,” Fernandez said. “And if all the players accomplish what their plan is, we’re going to get a competitive team. Because at the end of the day it’s not about you, it’s about us. But I believe in the proper steps, and right now we have or we understand what wins are for us.”

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