Injury Updates: Irving, Theis, Matthews, Ingram
After leaving Sunday’s game against Indiana with knee soreness, Celtics star Kyrie Irving suggested that an extended rest period could follow, writes ESPN’s Chris Forsberg. Irving sat out last Monday’s game vs. Chicago due to knee pain, but it sounds like he’ll miss more than one game this time around.
“I think [rest] will probably be the best thing, just instead of kind of hoping it gets better over the two or three days that it usually does,” Irving said. “It’s aching a little bit more than I wanted it to now, so I’m taking the necessary time.”
Irving’s knee injury is a cause for concern, but probably not a reason to panic, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston. The Celtics now trail Toronto by four games in the loss column (3.5 overall), but remain ahead of the No. 3 Pacers by a full seven games. In other words, they’re all but locked into the No. 2 spot in the East, so they can likely afford to rest Irving and some other ailing players down the stretch without fear of compromising their seeding.
Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:
- The Celtics, already missing Irving and Jaylen Brown, will also see big man Daniel Theis – a key part of the club’s frontcourt rotation – undergo an MRI on his left knee on Monday, Blakely writes for NBC Sports Boston.
- A right knee injury may sideline Mavericks swingman Wesley Matthews for at least the next handful of games. According to Dwain Price of Mavs.com, head coach Rick Carlisle said Matthews won’t travel with the club on its upcoming four-game road trip, though Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News suggests Matthews could join the team on the trip if a Monday MRI comes back clean.
- Lakers forward Brandon Ingram, on the shelf with a left groin strain, will miss at least a couple more games before being re-evaluated on Thursday, says Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com.
- With Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Rodney Hood, and Cedi Osman all unavailable on Sunday, the Cavaliers fell in Los Angeles to the Lakers. After the game, LeBron James said those injuries are his biggest concern at the moment, adding that it’s hard to judge the roster when it’s so banged up. “We have pretty much five guys out of our top nine or top 10 of our rotation not playing because of injuries,” James said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. “It’s next man up, but sometimes you just fall short.”
NCAA Tournament Filled With Draft Prospects
The NCAA tournament bracket was unveiled on Sunday and NBA draft prospects can enhance their resumes by leading their teams on a deep run. A majority of the projected first-rounders in Jonathan Givony’s current rankings on ESPN.com will be in action during March Madness.
Here’s a look of some of those storylines:
- No player will be more closely watched than the projected top pick, Arizona freshman center DeAndre Ayton. He has remained eligible despite an FBI probe into his recruitment. The Wildcats, who won the PAC 12 tournament, were seeded No. 4 in the South region and will play Buffalo in the first round. A potential second-round matchup against Kentucky looms. The Wildcats have two players slotted as mid-first-rounders — swingman Kevin Knox (No. 12 overall) and combo guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (15).
- Duke and Michigan State were ranked 1-2 at the start of the season and faced each other in November, with the Blue Devils prevailing. They could see each again in the Sweet Sixteen, a Midwest showdown that would feature a handful of first-round prospects, Duke’s frontcourt duo of Marvin Bagley III (4) and Wendell Carter Jr. (6) and shooting guard Grayson Allen (30), and Michigan State forwards Jaren Jackson Jr. (3) and Miles Bridges (11).
- How good is Texas center Mohamed Bamba (5)? We could get a better idea if the Longhorns get past Nevada and face rugged Cincinnati, the South’s No. 2 seed which also features small forward Jacob Evans (24).
- Alabama’s Collin Sexton, currently the top-rated college point guard at No. 8, will try to build off his big SEC tournament performance in the East Region. If the Tide gets past their opener, they’ll likely face top seed Villanova and its No. 10 prospect, small forward Mikal Bridges.
- Oklahoma point guard Trae Young (9) and his team faltered down the stretch but still got in as the Midwest’s No. 10 seed. If they upset Rhode Island, the Sooners would likely face the Blue Devils in the next round.
- Texas A&M big man Robert Williams (15) could improve his stock if his team, slotted No. 7 in the West, can get by Big East tournament runner-up Providence and then upset No. 2 seed North Carolina in the next round.
- Miami (Fla.) shooting guard Lonnie Walker IV (13) might move into the Top 10 if he carries his team, seeded sixth in the South, into the Sweet Sixteen and beyond.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/11/18
Here are Sunday’s G League moves from around the NBA:
- The Bucks recalled rookie forward D.J. Wilson from the Wisconsin Herd, according to the Bucks’ Twitter feed. Wilson scored 19 points for the Herd against the Westchester Knicks Saturday night. He’s appeared in 10 G League games, averaging 15.6 PPG and 5.6 RPG. Wilson, the 17th overall pick last June out of Michigan, has played in 20 games for the Bucks but is only averaging 3.4 MPG.
Eastern Notes: Van Gundy, Bullock, Nets, Wizards, Brown
Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy won’t coach anywhere next season if he’s fired at the end of the season. Van Gundy said he’s set financially and would simply take time off, enjoying the summer at his Michigan home and winter at his Florida home. “I have all the security I need,” he said during a press conference. “If I’m not here next year, I’m not chasing jobs anywhere else.” Van Gundy is on the hot seat with the Pistons on the verge of falling out of the playoff chase.
In other news around the Eastern Conference:
- Pistons shooting guard Reggie Bullock deserves consideration for the Most Improved Player award, Van Gundy told Hoops Rumors and other media outlets Sunday. In 41 starts this season, he’s averaged 12.6 points on 49.6 percent shooting overall and 45.4 percent from long range. Bullock, who was involved in a minor traffic accident Sunday, started just seven games in his first four seasons and never averaged more than 4.5 points per game. “You’re talking about a guy who never played over 500 minutes,” Van Gundy said. “Now he’s developed into a solid and efficient starter. That’s a hell of a big jump in a year and he should definitely be in the mix for that [award].”
- The Nets have won just three of their last 19 games but most of them have been competitive. Coach Kenny Atkinson says his players haven’t quit on the season, mainly because many of them lack long-term security. “For the most part with our guys there’s no relax in those type of guys,” he told Tom Dowd of NBA.com. “None of us have done anything in this league, except for [Timofey Mozgov] won a championship, DeMarre [Carroll] has been to a conference final, then the rest of us, me included, we’re trying to make it.”
- The Wizards, who have lost four of their last six, need to finish strong in their last 15 games to gain home-court advantage in the opening playoff round. They could finish anywhere from third to eighth and shooting guard Bradley Beal told the Washington’s Post Candace Buckner that they can’t afford to take nights off. “It’s not a situation where we can just sit here and say, ‘Oh okay, we can just coast into the playoffs.’ That’s not it,” he said. “We’re not even playing our best basketball either. So that’s definitely not how we want to approach going into the playoffs.”
- Celtics forward Jaylen Brown will miss Sunday’s game against the Pacers after entering the league’s concussion protocol and could miss several more, according to ESPN’s Chris Forsberg. Brown was injured during a fall against the Timberwolves on Thursday. “I guess at some point, he becomes day-to-day, but I don’t see that happening anytime in the next couple days or week even,” coach Brad Stevens told reporters.
Pacific Notes: Harrell, Kings, Daniels, Temple
The Clippers are 11-4 since the beginning of February, have moved into the eight place spot in the Western Conference, and are only 2.0 games back of fourth place New Orleans and a first-round home playoff series. Part of the improved play for the Clippers has been the emergence of pleasant surprise Montrezl Harrell, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.
“You just learn more and more about him as you coach him,” Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said. “You never know a guy until you coach a guy. When we got him, we looked at him as an energy guy, a guy that can play defense. That’s what he did everywhere he’s been. And then every practice he gets in, he keeps scoring. And scoring. And then we started thinking, ‘Maybe he can score a little bit.’ He’s been better than that. He’s been great.”
Harrell is averaging a career-high 10.3 points and shooting 63.1% from the field for the Clippers while only playing 16.2 minutes per game, and has improved upon those numbers lately, averaging 17.8 PPG in his last five games.
There is more news out of the Pacific Division:
- The Kings have officially been eliminated from playoff contention, leading Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee to analyze the team’s plan of attack in free agency this summer. Jones opines that while certain restricted free agents like Aaron Gordon, Rodney Hood, Julius Randle, and Clint Capela may be appealing, their current teams will all but assuredly match any reasonable offers the Kings may put on the table.
- Despite the season the Suns are battling through, veteran guard Troy Daniels believes that it’s still important to put in the work and stay professional, writes Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic. Daniels also hopes to rub off on some of the younger guys on the team, saying, “It’s hard to stay motivated for games sometimes going through a season like this. (But) I think it’s something these young guys will learn. To survive in this league, even if you’re a lottery pick, you always have to be working on your game, tuning it up.”
- In another piece for The Sacramento Bee, Jones notes that he doubts a scenario where Garrett Temple leaves the Kings this offseason. Temple, who has an $8MM player option for next season, is unlikely to find more money on the open market, and has become an important locker room voice for a young Sacramento team.
Southeast Notes: Walker, Hawks, Isaac, Wall
The Hornets have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NBA this year. Expected to make the playoffs and owing a payroll nearing $120MM, a seldom few could have foreseen a 29-38 record through the first week and a half of March and the word “rebuild” come into the picture.
And according to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer, team leader and All-Star point guard Kemba Walker isn’t sure he’s prepared to undergo another rebuilding effort in Charlotte. “I’m not sure. Nobody wants to lose. Especially not me,” Walker said at practice Friday, following the Hornets’ fifth consecutive loss.
Walker, who was part of a Bobcats team (before becoming the Hornets) that went 7-59 in his rookie season, has one season left on his contract, which will pay him a team-friendly $12MM, making him a hot commodity on the trade market this summer. When asked about what the offseason may have in store, he added, “I haven’t thought about any of that. It’s something I’ve got to deal with whenever it happens. It’s just not something that has come up to me.”
There’s more out of the Southeast Division:
- Spencer Davies of Basketball Insiders takes a look at how the bottom-dwelling Hawks can go about their rebuilding efforts in a positive way. Davies opines that Atlanta is already ahead of the curve due to focusing on giving their young core of Taurean Prince and rookie big man John Collins valuable playing time and experience at the expense of veterans. The next step is bringing in a young, talented front court player such as Mohamed Bamba or DeAndre Ayton to pair with Collins.
- Magic rookie Jonathan Isaac is trying to stay patient through the rustiness associated with returning from an injury, writes John Denton of the team’s official website. Isaac, who missed four months with an ankle injury, still has the confidence of head coach Frank Vogel, who said, “(Isaac) is a 20-year-old young man who is still finding his way on the offensive end. I encouraged him to be more aggressive than he’s been. To his credit, he plays within himself, but there’s going to be some growing pains that come along with that. I was just happy with the spirit that he played with (on Friday).”
- The Wizards still don’t know when to expect All-Star point guard John Wall back from injury, but per an AP report (via USA Today), Wall is looking to closer to form after working out on the floor in Miami about a half-hour before the Wizards visited the Heat on Saturday night.
Central Notes: Bullock, Griffin, Van Gundy, Cavs
Pistons‘ starting swingman Reggie Bullock suffered minor injuries after being involved in a two-car motor vehicle accident this morning on his way to practice, reports Rod Beard of The Detroit News. He wasn’t seriously injured but was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Bullock, who was on his way to the Pistons’ practice facility in Auburn Hills, was also apparently the victim of a hit-and-run, as head coach Stan Van Gundy tells Beard that “the other driver took off” after the collision. Bullock did not practice, but will travel with the team on their upcoming six-game road trip.
Bullock, 26, has had somewhat of a breakthrough season for the underachieving Pistons, averaging 10.7 points per game and shooting 43% from long range in 41 starts.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Kevin Pelton of ESPN worries that the Pistons‘ newly-acquired Blake Griffin may be the league’s new version of Carmelo Anthony – a player paid like a superstar but not producing at a level high enough to build a consistently successful team around. And as Pelton points out, paying a player who is not quite a superstar like one of the league’s best players makes it difficult to win because it takes away the financial flexibility necessary to build a team around the overpaid player.
- In more Pistons‘ news, team owner Tom Gores ambiguously hinted that Van Gundy make not be back next season, reports Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News. Speaking at halftime of Detroit’s win over Chicago on Friday, Gores said, “Stan and I have not discussed (whether he will be the coach next season). I believe in Stan, but he’s a team player, so we’re gonna see. He’ll do exactly the right thing for this franchise. But right now he’s busy coaching this team. We’ll go from there.”
- In a wide-ranging piece on the Cavaliers, Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer discusses the rumored timetable for the return of Kevin Love from injury, the importance of a starting role for newly-acquired swingman Rodney Hood, and more details on the trade that brought Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. from Los Angeles to Cleveland.
Hawks Sign Jaylen Morris To Second 10-Day Deal
MARCH 11: The Hawks have officially signed Morris to his second 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. The contract will run through next Tuesday, covering five games.
MARCH 8: According to Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated, the Hawks plan to sign rookie guard Jaylen Morris to a second 10-day contract after his first 10-day deal expires tomorrow. Assuming the second contract is signed on Saturday, it will run through March 19, covering four games.
As previously touched upon, Morris went undrafted out of Division II Molloy College in last summer’s draft and had spent this season with the Erie BayHawks, Atlanta’s G League affiliate, before signing with the Hawks.
Morris has played in all four games since signing his first 10-day deal, averaging 3.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 17.0 minutes per contest. As a rookie, Morris’ deal with once again count as $46,080 towards the Hawks’ salary cap.
Mavericks Sign Jameel Warney To 10-Day Deal
MARCH 11, 1:06pm: The signing is official, the Mavericks announced in a press release.
MARCH 7, 3:16pm: The Mavericks will soon sign G League forward Jameel Warney to a 10-day contract, league sources tell Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link).
Warney, 24, joined the Mavericks for training camp in 2016 after going undrafted out of Stony Brook. Cut by Dallas before the 2016/17 season got underway, he landed with the team’s G League affiliate, and has spent the last two seasons with the Texas Legends. This season, he has averaged 20.3 PPG, 9.6 RPG, and 2.8 APG in 37 G League games.
Warney has also represented USA Basketball during qualifiers for the 2019 World Cup. Playing for Team USA in last summer’s AmeriCup, the young forward was named MVP of the FIBA event en route to a gold medal. Warney averaged 12.8 PPG and 8.6 RPG to go along with a .649 FG% in AmeriCup play.
Before the Mavs officially sign Warney, they’ll need to open up the 15th slot on their roster. Scotty Hopson is currently holding that spot with a 10-day contract of his own, but that deal will expire overnight tonight, creating an opening for Warney. Unless the Mavs plan to waive someone with a guaranteed contract, that means Hopson won’t get a second 10-day deal — at least not right away.
Weekly Mailbag: 3/5/18 – 3/11/18
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.
LeBron James becomes a free agent this summer and listed four teams — Cavs, Rockets, Lakers and Sixers. Do you think he would consider the basketball Mecca, New York, with Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Emmanuel Mudiay? — Jonathan Joyner, via Twitter
As much as LeBron might enjoy the benefits of being a star in New York, the Knicks aren’t in position to be a serious bidder right now. James is focused on winning championships and New York is a long way from that level, especially with Porzingis expected to be sidelined until at least December. Cap space is also a concern for the Knicks, who will be on the edge of the cap if Enes Kanter, Ron Baker and Kyle O’Quinn all exercise their options for next season. But be patient because New York will have a much better chance to chase elite free agents in the summer of 2019.
The way Mikal Bridges is playing I feel his stock is rising. Will he still be available when the Knicks make their first pick in the 2018 NBA draft? — Loose Joint, via Twitter
The draft order remains unpredictable, with the Knicks holding the ninth spot in our current Reverse Standings. They are two wins behind the Bulls and at least three wins behind the other seven teams, which is a lot of ground to make up now that tanking season is in full effect. Bridges checks in at No. 10 in ESPN’s latest mock draft, which is nearly three weeks old, but it’s hard to see him rising much higher with all the elite talent at the top. Bridges is a versatile forward who can play defense, and he looks like an effective long-term running mate for Porzingis. If the Knicks are interested, he should still be on the board when they are on the clock.
Do you see Nerlens Noel staying long term in Dallas? I think it didn’t work good enough and he could try to sign with another team this offseason. If it happens, how much do you think he can sign for and what team do you think will pursue him? Very few teams will have cap space this summer. — Ralph Brandao
Noel will be one of this summer’s wild cards and could wind up being a huge bargain or could be vastly overpaid. He turns 24 next month and has the size and athleticism to become a productive center, especially on defense. However, he hasn’t produced much in Philadelphia or Dallas, so whoever signs him will be taking a chance. It’s hard to imagine a team giving him a full mid-level exception, which now tops $8MM, but you never know once prime free agents start coming off the board. The most likely scenario for Noel is a modest short-term contract where he gets a chance to prove himself — maybe one year with a player option for a second — and plenty of teams will have the cap flexibility to make such an offer.