The NBA playoffs are well underway and we’ve already seen some unexpected plot twists and notable developments. Here’s a breakdown of the week that was, the players who will watch their squads play from the sidelines and a few rumors that may shed light on what the lottery-bound lot might do this offseason.
Transactions
- The Hornets opted to decline their team option on 21-year-old Christian Wood‘s contract. The big man was sparsely used in his first season in Charlotte.
Injuries
- For the second year in a row, Clippers forward Blake Griffin will exit the postseason before his team. In Game 3 of their first-round matchup with the Jazz, Griffin injured the plantar plate of his big toe.
- In Game 1 of their first-round series against the Clippers, Jazz center Rudy Gobert injured his knee and hasn’t played since.
- A fractured thumb will sideline Bulls guard Rajon Rondo indefinitely, he sustained the injury in Game 2 of their first-round series with the Celtics.
News
- The Kings have hired Scotty Perry to serve as their executive vice president. Perry was most recently the assistant general manager to Rob Hennigan with the Magic.
- The NBA’s draft order is coming into view following the breaking of several regular season tiebreakers.
- Tragedy struck the NBA community this week when Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas‘ younger sister, Chyna Thomas, was killed in a car accident just prior to the start of the postseason.
- A former fiancee has accused Jazz center Jeff Withey of domestic violence but Withey’s attorney emphatically denies the claim.
Rumors
- Word has it the Pistons will match any offer restricted free agent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope can scrounge up this offseason. The two-guard averaged 13.8 points per game in a down year for Detroit.
- Though he plans to opt out with his player options, Danilo Gallinari is said to prefer staying with the Nuggets through free agency.
- There were no shortage of reaction posts to Phil Jackson‘s bizarre, negative press conference earlier this month. The head of the player’s union, Michele Roberts, formally called the Knicks executive’s behavior “inappropriate.”
- The Magic are said to be eyeing Cavaliers general manager David Griffin as a possible replacement for Rob Hennigan, with whom they parted ways last week.
- The Celtics coaching staff was reportedly interested in acquiring Carmelo Anthony this season but the front office, not so much.
- If it’s up to him, Clippers head coach and president of basketball operations, Doc Rivers, said that he’d like to retain L.A.’s core, despite the looming free agencies of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and J.J. Redick.
- After a down season in New York, Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis says that he’ll spend his offseason in Latvia. It’s also been reported that Carmelo Anthony could dig in and resist a trade this summer.