Five Key Stories: 11/25/17 – 12/2/17
Hoops Rumors has you covered in the event you missed any of this past week’s headlines from around the NBA. Below are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last 7 days.
The Grizzlies fired head coach David Fizdale a day after All-Star center Marc Gasol decried Fizdale’s decision to bench Gasol in the fourth quarter of the team’s home loss to the Nets. The loss extended the Grizzlies’ losing streak to eight games, and while the team downplayed Gasol’s comments as reason for the firing, rumors coming out of Memphis suggested that Gasol and Fizdale were already on poor terms before this latest incident.
While there hasn’t been any corroboration from the Spurs, point guard Tony Parker believes that perennial MVP candidate and All-Star Kawhi Leonard could return to the team from injury in as little as two to three weeks. Leonard, who continues to recover from quadriceps tendinopathy, had (see below) been working out with Parker while they were both out from injury.
Clippers‘ forward Blake Griffin suffered a sprained MCL in his left knee during Monday night’s game against the Lakers. While Griffin did not sustain any structural damage to the knee and the Clippers were apparently relieved after believing the injury could have been worse, his recovery time has still been estimated at around two months.
The Sixers are expected to be in the market for LeBron James this offseason, with several factors making the marriage a possible reality: James and rookie phenom Ben Simmons share an agent, the Sixers will be one of a small number of teams with the requisite cap space, and James’ previous endorsement of head coach Brett Brown.
The Grizzlies‘ ownership situation took an interesting turn this week, with minority owners Steve Kaplan and Daniel Straus activating a clause in the ownership agreement that will afford them the opportunity to buy out majority owner Robert Pera. The Grizzlies were last sold and purchased for $377MM back in 2012.
The Bucks are seriously interested in acquiring DeAndre Jordan from the Clippers. In return, however, the Clippers are looking to acquire at least two of the following three players from the Bucks: John Henson, Malcolm Brogdon, and/or Khris Middleton. Both Henson and Middleton currently start for Milwaukee and Brogdon plays a significant role off the bench.
Here are 10 more headlines from around the NBA last week.
- In the midst of playing doctor, Parker also found time to return to the court from his own injury. Parker returned to the line-up for the Spurs on Monday after missing the first nineteen games of the 2017/18 season with a ruptured left quadriceps tendon.
- The feud between the Bulls‘ Nikola Mirotic and Bobby Portis continues to simmer, but Mirotic has finally accepted Portis’ apology, presumably allowing the two to coexist moving forward.
- The Cavaliers‘ Iman Shumpert underwent surgery to repair the meniscus on his left knee. Shumpert will out of commission for approximately two months.
- The Wizards unveiled the name of their new G League affiliate – the Capital City Go-Go.
- Heat center Hassan Whiteside is expected to be out for a couple of weeks in order to rehab, and recover from, a bone bruise in his left knee.
- Magic guard Terrence Ross will miss “a significant amount of time” after being diagnosed with a sprained right MCL and a non-displaced fracture of his right tibial plateau.
- Jahlil Okafor is still pushing the Sixers to buy out his contract while president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo remains focused on finding a trade partner(s).
- Former NBA big man Lavoy Allen has found a new home in China, agreeing to terms on a contract with the CBA’s Zhejiang Golden Bulls.
- The Hawks‘ starting center Dewayne Dedmon will be sidelined for 3-6 weeks after suffering a stress reaction in his left tibia.
- Despite being in the midst of a 10-game losing streak, the Grizzlies have no plans to go into rebuilding mode this season.
Southwest Notes: Leonard, Davis, Mavericks, Grizzlies
Kawhi Leonard has yet to suit up for the Spurs this season as he’s battled a quadriceps injury but he is close to making his season debut. Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News writes that head coach Gregg Popovich sees Leonard rehab in its “last steps.”
Leonard played two sessions of five-on-five before San Antonio’s game against the Grizzlies on Friday. Tony Parker, who recently returned from injury, underwent the same process before completing his rehab. While Popovich gets the okay from Leonard, he sees the team’s All-Star small forward back in the lineup.
“When he says, ‘I feel I can go,’ then he’s got to convince me,” Popovich said. “Because I’m going to err on the conservative side. We’ll see. He’s too valuable to bring back early.”
Leonard, 26, finished third in NBA Most Valuable Player voting last season as he averaged 25.6 PPG and 5.8 RPG while also frustrating opposition on defense. Despite Leonard’s absence, the Spurs have still played well, currently occupying the third seed in the Western Conference with a 15-7 record.
Check out other news from the Southwest Division below:
- Pelicans‘ star Anthony Davis received a $25,000 fine along with his ejection for not leaving the court in a timely manner during Wednesday loss to the Timberwolves, the NBA announced.
- Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News examined the Mavericks’ possibilities at the center. Of the team’s possible choices, Sefko discussed trading for Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, utilizing in-house options such as Nerlens Noel more frequently, or waiting until 2018 and using the draft to upgrade at the position.
- After David Fizdale’s firing, the Grizzlies are in a weird position where the team is not out of contention but a lot of controversy surrounds the current core. Chris Herrington of the Commercial Appeal examined the team’s three choices moving forward: blowing up the current roster and starting over, trying to play through the tough times and ride it out, or make certain changes without going into full rebuild mode.
Atlantic Notes: Kanter, Rozier, Lin, LeVert
Two months into the Carmelo Anthony trade, Enes Kanter has shown himself to be a positive influence on a Knicks team that has overachieved early in the season, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. In 18 games this season, the 25-year-old is averaging a double-double with 14.1 PPG and 10.4 RPG while using his positive mentality to the team’s advantage.
Kanter spent the entire offseason cutting weight and increasing his mobility. Before the Turkish big man even knew he was destined for New York City, he spent most of the offseason working out with one of Anthony’s trainers, and former Knicks assistant trainer, Chris Brickley.
“Mentally [Enes] is on another level,’’ Brickley said to The Post. “He pushed himself to the limit daily. As the summer progressed, I would have to sit down on my couch prior to the workout and think of different ways to get him tired because he would never get tired. It was actually kind of funny. He really has a special work ethic and nothing he has done this year has surprised me.’’
Not only has Kanter been impactful on the court, he has been vocal in his support of his new teammates. Kanter even got into a war of words with LeBron James after the Cavaliers superstar said the Knicks missed out by not drafting Dennis Smith Jr. — which some perceived as a slight against Frank Ntilikina.
Check out other news from the Atlantic Division below:
- Celtics point guard Terry Rozier joined NBC Sports Boston to discuss his career. The third-year guard promised he would eventually be a starter in the NBA but that will be complicated in Boston with Kyrie Irving occupying that slot.
- Nets point guard Jeremy Lin is expected to miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on a ruptured patella tendon — which he suffered on opening night. As Net Income of NetsDaily writes, Lin will rehab his injury in Canada at Fortius Sport and Health.
- Despite his early-season shooting woes, Nets’ second-year forward Caris LeVert is finally taking strides and building off a solid rookie campaign, Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily writes.
Community Shootaround: Anthony Davis
The Pelicans may be without superstar big man Anthony Davis for the foreseeable future, a painful realization that’s become all too familiar for the New Orleans franchise.
Although no details about Davis’ latest set back – an apparent groin injury – have been announced, he appeared to be in considerable pain in the fourth quarter of the team’s loss to the Jazz Friday night and allegedly left the locker room on crutches.
While Davis was jostling to box out Jazz center Derrick Favors at the time of the injury, it didn’t look as though the pain was related directly to the contact, although that’s merely a non-medical observation.
For the first five seasons of his career, Davis struggled to stay consistently healthy, suffering a series of unrelated injuries that suggest a general fragility more than any one particular troublesome area. Last year, however, he managed to stick it out through a career high 75 contests.
Our question for readers is a simple one, will Davis – unbelievably still just 24 years old – ever shed the injury prone level that has dogged him throughout his career? If you were at the helm of an NBA franchise, could you ever trust investing substantially in a player with Davis’ track record?
It won’t be long before the details as to the extent of the injury are made public and hopefully it’ll have simply looked worse than it actually was.
Unfortunately in Davis’ case, it’s only natural to expect bad news.
Pacific Notes: Chriss, Bodganovic, Griffin
After gaining an undisclosed but noticeable amount of weight over the summer, Suns sophomore Marquese Chriss is intent on getting back into the same impressive shape he was in last year as a rookie, Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic writes.
The 20-year-old, averaging just 6.3 points per game in what could have been a breakout campaign with the Suns, said that he felt invincible coming out of college, giving little to no thought about his diet. Chriss realizes now that things change.
“You’re on a limited budget in college but all of a sudden I had nothing but free time and money,” Chriss said, now eager to get to a point where he can play 35 minutes a night if the Suns need it. “I needed to learn how to manage. I needed to grow up in that aspect of my life so I’m grateful that it happened sooner rather than later.”
There’s more out of the Pacific Division:
- The knee injury that Clippers forward Blake Griffin sustained is more commonly seen in football players (think linemen falling into running backs), Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register writes. Fortunately, a doctor that the scribe consulted says things could have been a lot worse than they ended up being. MCL tears, Teaford writes, tend to require less rehabilitation than ACL tears, which control front and back movement.
- The Lakers may have lost to Golden State in their Wednesday night tilt this week but Sam Amick of USA Today writes that the young team did an excellent job showcasing their appeal to future free agents.
- Draft-and-stash rookie Bogdan Bogdanovic is getting accustomed to life with the Kings and settling into life in the U.S. The 25-year-old tells Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee that he thinks he can be a better player in the NBA than he was in Europe.
Bucks Make Concerted Push For DeAndre Jordan
The Bucks are making a concerted push to acquire DeAndre Jordan from the Clippers, Gery Woelfel of the Woelfel’s Press Box writes.
According to the scribe’s sources, the Clips seek a partial or even full complement of John Henson, Malcolm Brogdon and Khris Middleton in return.
While there hasn’t been any direct indication that the Clippers are shopping Jordan, he’s eligible for free agency this summer, making him the most logical trade chip if the team does decide to become a seller ahead of the trade deadline.
Considering that trading Jordan would at least appear to be the opening salvo in a rebuild, it makes sense that the squad would pursue the reigning Rookie of the Year and, if possible, shed salary while they were at it.
While the Bucks had long sought to organically develop their young talent, they’re eager to more aggressively compete for a title now, as evidenced by their acquisition of Eric Bledsoe from the Suns earlier in the season.
Slotting Jordan into the starting lineup ahead of (or in place of) Henson would give the team an imposing starting five as they continue on their quest to usurp the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference.
In addition to the Bucks, Woelfel writes, the Raptors, Wizards and Timberwolves are said to have shown the most interest in Jordan.
Wizards Unveil ‘Capital City Go Go’ As G League Affiliate
We’ve known that the Wizards would be the 27th team to add a G League affiliate since June but the organization revealed the name of the minor league squad – the Capital City Go Go – in the middle of their Friday night contest.
At the time of the initial announcement we learned that the new club will play in southeast Washington, D.C. and that the team’s stadium will also serve as the home arena for the city’s WNBA squad. The building will also include a practice facility for the Wizards.
As the Wizards’ official site touches on in their press release for the occasion, having an affiliate so close to the big league squad makes assigning and recalling players on short notice more feasible. In the last few seasons we’ve seen clubs fully utilize their affiliates to get young, developing players extra reps while also keeping them involved with the NBA franchise.
On top of that, NBA squads have started to use their G League affiliates to rehabilitate injured players as the Bulls and Spurs have done with Nikola Mirotic, Zach LaVine and Tony Parker as recently as this week.
With the addition of the Go Go to the G League’s stable of affiliates, only the Trail Blazers and Nuggets are left without one. Technically the Pelicans lack one, too, but they’re looking to rectify that.
Central Notes: Bulls, Wade, Parker
The draft day trade that sent Jimmy Butler from Chicago to Minnesota is starting to pay dividends for the Bulls, Steve Aschburner of NBA.com writes. With Zach LaVine‘s return nearing, the overall haul the franchise got in return for its outgoing star is starting to round in to shape.
Both Lauri Markkanen and Kris Dunn have shown that they could be long-term Bulls building blocks in their own right, the former stepping up with 13.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game as a rookie and the latter showing the sheer, raw promise that made him such a highly touted lottery pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
Markkanen’s emergence has come quicker than expected thanks largely in part to the double-whammy that hit the Bulls prior to the regular season. When Bobby Portis decked Nikola Mirotic in practice before the season opener, the 20-year-old Finn was thrust into the starting lineup. To this point, he hasn’t looked back.
There’s more out of the Central Division tonight:
- While it may have taken slightly longer than planned, the G League affiliate of the Bucks‘ will see their new arena open in Oshkosh, Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times writes. The Wisconsin Herd played their first three home games in the big league club’s stadium.
- The Bucks brought in special assistance to help develop Jabari Parker while the 22-year-old recovers from an ACL injury, Matt Velasquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. Former NBA head coach Frank Johnson impressed Jason Kidd during his tenure with the Suns back in the nineties and now works closely with the injured forward.
- There was apprehension in the Cavaliers‘ locker room that the addition of Dwyane Wade would disrupt team chemistry, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic writes. In his own question-and-answer feature, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com sheds some light on which players, specifically, may have initially resisted the addition.
Grizzlies’ Ownership Clause Activated
A critical clause in Memphis’ franchise ownership agreement has been activated this week, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic writes. As we’ve written in the past, the second-largest Grizzlies shareholders will now have an opportunity to possibly buy out majority owner Robert Pera.
In short, Steve Kaplan and Daniel Straus will be presented a chance to purchase Pera’s stake (25-26%) at a price point of their choosing, a caveat being that when they submit their offer, Pera will have the option to instead buy their shares (13.5% each) at the same rate.
All eyes will be on how Pera handles the forced decision. As Krawczynski writes, Pera has been a notoriously absent owner and the franchise appears to be trending in the wrong direction.
The clause, then, marks an opportunity for Pera to cash out on what could prove to be a very successful investment considering that Kaplan and Straus will naturally look to dissuade him from matching and, of course, the rise in franchise valuations across the entire NBA in general.
While the Grizzlies were purchased for $377MM back in 2012, the recent sales of the Clippers and Rockets for north of $2B has obliterated the former precedent.
Pera will have 60-90 days from the day that the clause was activated which means that, barring any complications, we could see a resolution here by the end of January or February at the latest. The exact date that the clause was triggered is not presently known.
If nothing else, the activation of the clause could bring an end to a chapter of uncertainty for the franchise. This year especially, with a lack of familiar faces on the roster, a plethora of injuries and now a coaching change, any semblance of stability could bode well.
Whether that means Pera assumes a larger ownership stake or Straus and Kaplan unseat him altogether, however, remains to be seen.
Fantasy Hoops: November Notes & Trends
The Rockets had the NBA’s best record during the month of November, going 12-1 behind the play of James Harden, who is my early favorite for MVP this season.
Harden was the team’s top scorer in 12 of those 13 contests. He also led the team in assists in all seven games Chris Paul missed, and was the leader in dishes during half the games Paul played. Harden led the league in scoring (34.9 points per game) during the month, and sits second in the assists column with 10.1 per game (Paul had 10.3).
Paul only played six games during the month and while some may worry about the former Clippers point guard cannibalizing Harden’s stats going forward, I wouldn’t buy into that notion. Houston’s high-powered offense can support both stars and that, combined with Harden’s top-level play, makes The Beard fantasy’s No. 1 player going forward.
Here’s more notes and analysis from the month of November:
- Paul George, who led all players in minutes per contest (39.2) during the month, got off to a slow start with the Thunder. However, he has proven he’s still a top-20 option in fantasy despite the abundance of scoring options around him. George averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game during the month while leading the NBA in steals per game with 2.9 per night.
- Many criticized the Pacers for “only” landing Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis when they traded away PG13, but both players look like potential long-term starters. Oladipo has been particularly impressive, as he’s putting up All-Star numbers, fueled by opportunity and efficiency. Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Bradley Beal, and Harden are the only players who had at least 18 shot attempts per game in the month and posted a higher field goal percentage than Oladipo.
- If you trade George for Oladipo in fantasy, I’m not sure who’s getting the better end of the deal. If you net Oladipo and Sabonis, who shot 50% from the field on nearly nine attempts per game during the month, you win the trade.
- LBJ had an amazing November for the Cavaliers, shooting 58.1% (best among non-bigs) from the field on a whopping 19.7 attempts per game (fourth-highest among all players). He was second in the NBA in points per game (29.6), fourth in assists (8.5) and was one of just 11 players who averaged at least a steal and block per game (min 10 games played) during the month.
- The Pistons went 9-3 during November and Tobias Harris is a major reason why. The 25-year-old shot an eye-popping 48.6% from behind the arc (an NBA-best among those with at least five attempts per contest), despite making fewer than 35% of his attempts in four of out the last six games. Harris is slightly behind Avery Bradley for the team lead in overall attempts per game (14.3 vs. 14.2) and his role in the offense makes him a locked-in top-60 play going forward.
- Joel Embiid continues to dominate, but one of the flaws in his game this month has been his three-point shot. He made just 26.7% of his 2.5 attempts per game from behind the arc and it’s possible that teams may start to sag further off of him and dare him to shoot from outside as an approach to mitigate the damage he can do. If he doesn’t improve his stroke, the Sixers big man could see a slight decline in his stats and therefore, in his fantasy value. That risk, along with his injury history, may make him a sell-high candidate, especially if you can nab a top-10 player for him.
- Only George has more steals per game than Ben Simmons during the month. Simmons’ defensive prowess and ability to fill up the stat sheet (18.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game during the month) make him a top-10 play going forward.
- Nikola Mirotic hasn’t played in November (or yet this season) after being on the wrong end of a physical altercation with teammate Bobby Portis. He could be back as soon as Monday, but it’s unclear what his role will be with Portis and Lauri Markkanen soaking up frontcourt minutes. The Bulls may look to give him minutes in order to showcase him for potential trades, similar to what the Suns may be doing with Greg Monroe. If you have a spare bench spot, Mirotic is worth scooping up.
Fantasy questions? Take to the comment section below or tweet me at @CW_Crouse.
Statistics are current through Friday morning. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.