Texas Notes: Curry, Mavericks, Leonard, Mbah a Moute
Mavericks guard Seth Curry is moving closer to a return, but coach Rick Carlisle tells Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News that there’s still no timetable. Carlisle confirmed that Curry, who suffered a stress reaction in his right leg during preseason, won’t be back before December, but couldn’t offer much more on his status. Curry is working on an underwater treadmill to ease the impact on his tibia.
“He’s inching closer all the time,” Carlisle said. “Again, there’s no setbacks that I’m aware of. He hasn’t participated in live practice, per se. There’s been simulated live situations — stuff with coaches where you have a defender or an offensive player. But it’s very set up so as not to create risk. But he’s working at it. He wants to be back. But it’s just got to happen at the right time.”
Curry, who is making a little more than $3MM, was hoping for a strong performance this season before heading into unrestricted free agency next summer. The 27-year-old appeared in 70 games last year, starting 42, and averaged 12.8 points per night.
There’s more NBA news from the Lone Star State:
- The Mavericks haven’t given up on the postseason despite their abysmal start, Sefko writes in a separate story. Dallas improved to 5-15 with Saturday night’s win and is just four games out of a playoff spot. “This locker room is full of winners,” said Wesley Matthews. “We got three guys who have won championships and a bunch of veterans that have been on really good teams. We’re not comprised of players who haven’t won. It’s just a matter of getting an identity and we’ve started to do that.”
- The Spurs got some good news on the injury front earlier today with Tony Parker‘s announcement that he plans to play tomorrow, but Kawhi Leonard‘s situation remains murky, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. Leonard has been out since before the start of the preseason with right quadriceps tendinopathy, and a source says the team is “perplexed” by his slow recovery.
- Luc Mbah a Moute has been a perfect addition to the Rockets, writes Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype. Signed as a defensive specialist, Mbah a Moute has contributed on offense as well, averaging 8.2 points per game, and was an incredible plus-57 in Wednesday’s win over the Nuggets.
Feud Between Mirotic, Portis Still Simmering
With Nikola Mirotic getting closer to his return to the court, there has been no progress toward resolving his feud with Bobby Portis, reports Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.
A preseason altercation between the Bulls teammates left Mirotic hospitalized with two broken facial bones. His recovery has gone well and he was able to increase his activity this week at the team facility.
The Bulls, who don’t see a strong trade market for either player, continue to hope that a truce can be worked out. VP of basketball operations John Paxson has stressed that the priority is what’s best for the organization, and the preference from the front office is that Portis and Mirotic find a way to get through the season so any trade can take place next summer.
Weekly Mailbag: 11/20/17 – 11/26/17
We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com.
What’s the latest on the potential of a Jahlil Okafor trade/release? — Dennis McDaniels, via Twitter
Okafor is in a difficult position. With the improved health of Joel Embiid and the offseason signing of Amir Johnson, the Sixers no longer need him, and as shown by their decision not to pick up his option for next season, they no longer want him. However, his trade value is very low, so that isn’t an option, and neither is a buyout because of the likelihood that he will sign with the Celtics. Boston was granted an $8.4MM disabled player exception in the wake of the Gordon Hayward injury and could easily fit Okafor on its roster. Plus, Okafor’s salary is a little less than $5MM, so the Sixers wouldn’t save enough to make a difference. Okafor isn’t an asset right now in Philadelphia, but he could be in Boston and the Sixers don’t want to take that chance. It’s a situation that probably won’t be resolved quickly and may linger through the end of the season.
If Derrick Rose retires mid-season, what should the Cavaliers do to replace him? — Dan Vachalek, via Twitter
Don’t look for any move right away. Once Isaiah Thomas returns from his hip injury, which is expected at some point next month, he will take over as the starting point guard. Dwyane Wade runs the second-unit offense, so there’s not a vital need to replace Rose. If the Cavaliers do add someone to the roster, he probably won’t last until January 10, which is the date when all salaries become fully guaranteed for the rest of the season. The Cavs already have luxury tax problems and can’t afford to add salary for a roster filler. Most likely, they will keep a spot open until after the February 8 trade deadline, so they can take advantage of buyout season.
With Larry Nance Jr. ready to return from his broken hand, should we expect a Julius Randle trade soon? — Lakers Lover, via Twitter
There have been rumors for months that Randle is on the way out, and those intensified when his contract wasn’t extended before the October 16 deadline. Randle is a very skilled, if somewhat undersized, big man, but his contract gets in the way for a team hoping to offer two max deals next summer. Randle is heading into restricted free agency and carries a $12.4MM cap hit, and the Lakers need all the cap room they can get to chase LeBron James, Paul George and other stars. Randle has been playing well of late, but Kyle Kuzma‘s emergence makes him more expendable than ever. L.A. would jump on a chance to trade him for expiring contracts.
Tony Parker Plans To Return Monday
Spurs point guard Tony Parker, who hasn’t played since the Western Conference semifinals, plans to make his season debut Monday against the Mavericks, tweets Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated.
Parker ruptured a left quadriceps tendon in last year’s playoffs and was projected to be out of action until January. He has been ahead of schedule with his rehab and recently made a couple of trips to the G League to help with the process.
The 35-year-old is in his 17th NBA season after coming to San Antonio as a second-round pick in 2001. He has remained a productive player late in his career, averaging 10.1 points and 4.5 assists in 63 games last season.
Patty Mills and Dejounte Murray have been sharing point guard duties for the Spurs while Parker was sidelined.
Central Notes: Bell, Valentine, R. Jackson, Rose
Jordan Bell‘s jab at the Bulls after Friday’s game was a reminder of how many mistakes Chicago’s front office has made in recent years, writes K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. The dynamic Warriors rookie made a money gesture during pre-game introductions and later said, “I wanted to see how cash considerations was playing over there.” Bell was drafted by the Bulls with the 38th pick and traded to Golden State for $3.5MM.
Chicago was focused on wing players at that spot, Johnson explains, and didn’t mind selling the rights to the pick once its prime targets were off the board. At the time, it was an indication that the team planned to re-sign free agents Cristiano Felicio and Nikola Mirotic and had faith in Bobby Portis and first-rounder Lauri Markkanen.
Johnson says the Bulls have to hope that Bell won’t be the latest successful young player they’ve let get away, a list that includes Gary Harris, Jusuf Nurkic and Tony Snell.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- One young player who is offering hope for the future in Chicago is Denzel Valentine, who has started the past six games, notes Sam Smith of NBA.com. Valentine has improved his numbers to 11.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per night in that new role and is getting used to small forward, where he is expected to battle for playing time with Justin Holiday once Zach LaVine returns from injury. “[You] come to an NBA team and the second year basically is like the first year until you gain that trust and prove yourself a little bit in the league,” Valentine said. “I haven’t proved myself yet, but I think I am inching my way to trusting, the coaches trusting me and me trusting the coaches.”
- Friday’s win at Oklahoma City was important to Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson, who spent the first three-and-a-half seasons of his career with the Thunder before a 2015 trade to Detroit. “It was definitely special because I haven’t won in this building – except for playing here and being on this team, but I hadn’t won in this building with this team,” Jackson told Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. “It’s good to get a team win like that and have these guys’ backs and find a way to get one is special.”
- The Cavaliers knew physical problems were a concern with Derrick Rose when they signed him this summer, notes Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com. However, he worked out with LeBron James during part of the offseason and seemed worth the risk on a veterans’ minimum contract.
L.A. Notes: Nance, Ball, Gallinari, Jordan
Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. has beaten the timetable for recovering from a broken bone in his left hand and is expected to return to the court Monday, according to Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times. Nance was originally projected to be out four to six weeks after the November 2 injury, which affected his second metacarpal. Coach Luke Walton plans to insert him in the starting lineup right away.
“I think our rebounding’s gone down,” Walton said. “Just the versatility at that four spot, the way we like to play, him being able to defend multiple positions. Obviously he’s got some years in the league. For a young team that’s pretty valuable. Larry’s great at doing all the little things that help teams win that don’t get a lot of credit. And he’s got the ability and the skill to do the fancy things too.”
There’s more today out of Los Angeles:
- The Lakers remain committed to keeping Lonzo Ball as their starting point guard despite the ups and downs of his rookie season, Ganguli writes in a separate story. Ball has notched two triple-doubles, but he hasn’t solved his shooting problems. At 31.5% from the field, his shooting percentage is the lowest among rookies playing at least 10 minutes per game. “The benefit is he gets the game experience,” Walton said of his decision to keep Ball in the starting lineup. “Whether it’s close games, it’s blowouts, it’s playing against top elite point guards that do different things.”
- Injuries have decimated the Clippers during the first six weeks of the season, but coach Doc Rivers refuses to let any of his players return to the court until they’re fully ready, relays Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Starting forward Danilo Gallinari missed his ninth straight game Saturday with a strained glute. He has been traveling with the team on its five-game road trip, but still is not able to play. “Gallo is not coming back until he’s right,” Rivers said. “We’re not going to rush anybody back. I don’t care what situation you’re in. Not only is it going to make it worse, because then he’ll come back and get injured, or any of our guys. That’s one thing we’ll never do.” Patrick Beverley is already lost for the season after knee surgery and Milos Teodosic is expected to be out until after Christmas with a plantar fascia injury in his left foot.
- The Clippers shouldn’t consider a maximum offer for center DeAndre Jordan if he opts out of his nearly $24.12MM salary for next season, writes ESPN’s Kevin Pelton. Jordan, 29, will be in the 35% max category and will be eligible for a deal worth about $205MM over five years. The Clippers could be aided by the market as few teams will be in position to offer a max deal and not many of them need centers.
Bucks Notes: Brogdon, Monroe, Parker, Bolomboy
Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon is adjusting to a new role since the trade for Eric Bledsoe, writes Matt Velazquez of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Formerly the starting point guard and third scoring option, Brogdon now comes off the bench and plays in a variety of lineups.
The changes have taken a toll on Brogdon’s production. He was averaging 16.2 points and 4.9 assists while shooting 50.5% from the field in nine games before Bledsoe was acquired. In the first seven games since the deal, those numbers have fallen to 9.3/2.0/37.9% “Confidence for me has fluctuated a little bit, just being out of rhythm,” Brogdon admitted. “Playing a different role on this team is a total adjustment for me.”
There’s more this morning out of Milwaukee:
- Another adjustment for Brogdon has been the loss of Greg Monroe, who was shipped to Phoenix in the Bledsoe deal. Monroe and Brogdon developed on-court chemistry, and the veteran big man served as a valuable confidant during Brogdon’s rookie season. Now that role has fallen to other players, who are helping Brogdon deal with his current situation. “I’ve been leaning on John Henson a lot, Khris [Middleton] has talked to me a lot,” he said. “Their advice is just to continue to play my game, regardless of my circumstance, regardless of my situation, because the team needs me to be aggressive, to play my game and be who I am.”
- Jabari Parker is still a long way from his projected February return from a second ACL tear, but he is becoming more active with the team, relays Eric Woodyard of The Deseret News. Parker has been participating in practices, shootarounds and three-on-three games, as well as traveling with the team. A committed Mormon, he looks forward to the yearly trip to Utah that happened Saturday and relies on faith as he works his way back from the injury. “It’s the biggest thing that helps me every day and regardless of if I was hurt or not,” Parker said.
- Joel Bolomboy wasn’t out of work very long after being waived by the Jazz before the start of the season, writes Mike Sorenson of The Deseret News. He joined the Bucks on a two-way contract and is trying to make the most of his second shot at the NBA. “I don’t think it was a disappointment at all,” he said of Utah’s decision. “It was just business. The way I see it, you just got to go with it, you can’t do anything about it. They let me go and I still get to play basketball and I was fortunate the Bucks signed me to a deal. It’s a real good opportunity over here and I like it a lot.”
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/25/17
Here are the G League moves from around the NBA today:
- The Cavaliers sent forward Cedi Osman and center Ante Zizic to their affiliate in Canton, the team announced on its website. This is Osman’s first trip to the G League, while Zizic has played one game for the Charge. Osman is averaging 1.5 points in 11 games with Cleveland, while Zizic is scoring 1.2 points in six games.
- The Grizzlies assigned forward Jarell Martin to their Memphis Hustle affiliate, according to an email from the team. Martin has played 17 games for the Grizzlies, starting 12, and is averaging 4.4 points and 3.7 rebounds in 18.4 minutes.
Kings Notes: Jackson, Kuzma, Papagiannis, Mason
First-round pick Justin Jackson is falling out of the Kings’ rotation with DNPs in two straight games, and Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee explains why in a mailbag column. Sacramento has opted for a smaller starting lineup with two point guards, free agent addition George Hill and rookie De’Aaron Fox. Garrett Temple has moved to small forward, where he shares time with Bogdan Bogdanovic and Buddy Hield.
- The Kings could have solved their small forward problems by taking rookie sensation Kyle Kuzma in the draft, Jones states in the same piece. Sacramento brought Kuzma in for a pre-draft workout and saw his performance at the combine, but opted for Jackson with the 15th pick and Harry Giles at No. 20. Jones says fans should watch Giles in action before criticizing the pick. Giles is being held out until at least January because of his injury history with both knees.
- Second-year center Georgios Papagiannis can expect to spend most of this season in the G League, Jones adds. Joerger wants the 20-year-old to get plenty of playing time, which won’t happen with the NBA squad, where he is behind Kosta Koufos and Zach Randolph. Jones thinks Papagiannis will get a chance to show the Kings what he can do once the G League season ends. He was the 13th pick in the 2016 draft, but played just 22 games for Sacramento last season and four so far this year.
- Before earning his way into the Kings’ rotation four games ago, rookie point guard Frank Mason endured a lot of slights in his basketball career, Jones writes in a separate story. A second-round pick out of Kansas, Mason provides a defensive tenacity the team has lacked. “Even if they didn’t need a tough guy to come off the bench, that’s still who I am,” Mason said. “That’s what I bring to the team and I’ll continue to be that way and play that way forever.”
Knicks Notes: Noah, Porzingis, Jack, Hernangomez
For the second straight night, illness prevented Joakim Noah from making his season debut, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. Kristaps Porzingis and Enes Kanter were both held out of tonight’s game in Houston because of back spasms, leaving the Knicks short-handed in the frontcourt. Noah, who was suspended for the first 12 games of the season and hasn’t been used since returning because of a logjam at center, didn’t travel with the team because he has the flu. The Knicks thought about flying him to the game, but he wasn’t well enough to make the trip.
There’s more tonight from New York:
- The Knicks appear to be shielding Porzingis from playing in back-to-back games, Berman writes in the same piece. The NBA no longer allows teams to hold star players out of games for rest, but this is the second time Porzingis hasn’t played in that situation because of an injury. He claims his back tightened up after Friday’s contest in Atlanta. “After the game, once I cooled down, that’s when I really was feeling tightness in my back and knew it wasn’t getting better but worse,” Porzingis said. “[After] the flight, I woke up this morning, sleeping in a different bed, it didn’t help. It just got tighter.”
- The loss to the Hawks displayed some of New York’s glaring weaknesses, Berman notes in a separate story. Jarrett Jack, who signed with the Knicks shortly before the start of camp, had 14 assists Friday but couldn’t control Atlanta point guard Dennis Schroder, who finished with 26 points. Jack wasn’t aggressive on pick-and-roll defense, according to Berman, and backup Frank Ntilikina was a non-factor. Interior defense was also a problem, Berman observes, as Willy Hernangomez and Kyle O’Quinn were slow on rotations.
- Hernangomez, who has been limited mostly to “garbage time” this season, said he wasn’t familiar with that phrase before the year began, Berman relays in another story. Playing time remains an issue for the second-year center, who has appeared in just 10 games and is averaging nine minutes per night. “If I get those minutes, I will use it,’’ Hernangomez said. “I think I can play more minutes than garbage minutes. Every time I go on the court, whether starting or the last two minutes, I enjoy playing basketball.’’