Cavs Notes: Porter, Nance, Love, Exum
Cavaliers rookie Kevin Porter Jr. has been diagnosed with a left knee sprain and will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks, the team announced today (via Twitter). Porter’s injury occurred during the third quarter of Sunday’s home loss to Minnesota.
While Porter will be sidelined for multiple weeks, the news wasn’t as bad as it could have been for the Cavs. A source told Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com before Porter underwent an MRI that the club was “bracing for some real time off.”
As Fedor notes in a separate article at Cleveland.com, the second half of the season figures to be mostly about player development for the lottery-bound Cavaliers, and Porter had emerged this season as one of the organization’s most promising young prospects. If his knee injury had been more severe, it might have cost him most or all of the rest of his rookie season. While it appears that won’t be the case, teammates like John Henson were worried when they saw Porter go down.
“It kind of hurt my heart a little bit,” Henson said. “Young guys, this is the year for them. Especially them just learning the game and he was progressing. At this stage of the season he was looking like the steal of the draft.”
Here’s more out of Cleveland:
- The Cavaliers are also without big man Larry Nance Jr., having announced on Friday in a press release that he’d be on the shelf for about one or two weeks with left knee soreness.
- Kevin Love won’t be disciplined by the Cavaliers for his outburst during Saturday’s game vs. Oklahoma City, tweets Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. We described that on-court incident in a Sunday story.
- As a result of last month’s trade with Utah, John Beilein has the opportunity to coach Dante Exum six years after he tried to recruit the Australian guard to come to Michigan, notes Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. “It was only a couple of phone calls,” Beilein said of his recruitment efforts. “I never could get the time right, you know, calling Australia. So we kept playing voicemail tag… I don’t think he was ever thinking, ‘NBA or Michigan?’ But we were one of the people that called him. I’m sure North Carolina was recruiting him, as well.” Exum ultimately opted not to play college ball, entering the 2014 NBA draft and going fifth overall.
Blake Griffin Considering Season-Ending Knee Surgery
Pistons forward Blake Griffin will visit a specialist in Los Angeles this week in search of solutions to address his left knee issue, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. According to Haynes, one option being considered is season-ending knee surgery.
Griffin, a six-time All-Star, enjoyed one of his all-time best seasons in 2018/19, his first full year in Detroit, but has been limited by knee problems in 2019/20. The 30-year-old has only been able to play in 18 games and has put up career-worst numbers when he’s on the court, including 15.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and an abysmal .352 FG%.
The Pistons had entered the season expecting to load-manage Griffin to some extent, but his ineffectiveness when he plays and his inability to suit up at all for half the team’s games have significantly impacted Detroit’s playoff chances. The Pistons currently sit 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 13-24 record.
While it remains to be seen whether Griffin and the Pistons will actually opt for a surgical procedure that ends the big man’s season, there have been multiple signs that the franchise is considering taking a step back from its win-now efforts. Team owner Tom Gores said last week that the management group will have to “assess everything” in the coming weeks, and reports surfaced shortly thereafter suggesting the Pistons were listening to trade inquiries on Andre Drummond.
If Detroit launches a full-fledged rebuild, trading both Drummond and Griffin might make some sense, but a Griffin deal within the next month appears unlikely, especially if he goes under the knife. The former Clipper still has two seasons left on his contract after 2019/20, with a guaranteed $36.8MM cap charge for ’20/21 and a ’21/22 player option worth nearly $39MM.
Nets Sign Justin Anderson To 10-Day Contract
The Nets have officially signed free agent wing Justin Anderson to a 10-day contract, the club announced today in a press release. No corresponding roster move was required, as Brooklyn recently waived David Nwaba to open up a spot on its 15-man squad.
Anderson, the 21st overall pick in the 2015 draft, had spent this season so far with the Raptors 905, Toronto’s G League affiliate. He averaged 21.2 PPG and 6.9 RPG with a .484/.343/.762 shooting line in 13 NBAGL games (33.5 MPG), earning an NBA audition with the Nets.
Anderson, who has appeared in 216 total regular season games, last played in the NBA for Atlanta in 2018/19, recording 3.7 PPG in 48 games (9.6 MPG) for the Hawks. He signed a training camp deal with the Wizards in the fall, but didn’t make Washington’s regular-season roster.
We first heard last Thursday that Anderson would receive a 10-day deal from Brooklyn, but NBA teams weren’t permitted to begin signing those contracts until Sunday. The Nets waited one additional day in order to maximize their 10-day window with Anderson — the team will play six times during his 10-day stint, which ends on January 15.
The Nets now have a full roster, with 15 standard contracts and a pair of players on two-way contracts. The club has made a series of roster moves in recent days, releasing Nwaba and two-way player Henry Ellenson and replacing them with Anderson and new two-way player Chris Chiozza.
John Jenkins To Play In China
Veteran NBA guard John Jenkins will continue his professional career in China, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, who hears from a source that Jenkins has reached an agreement with the Jiangsu Dragons.
Jenkins, who will turn 29 in March, was the 23rd overall pick in the 2012 draft and has played for five NBA teams since then, logging a total of 171 regular season games. Most recently, he appeared in 22 games for the Knicks last season, averaging 5.2 PPG with a .357 3PT%. However, New York declined its team option on Jenkins for 2019/20.
While Jenkins’ strong G League play last season ultimately earned him an NBA contract, he opted not to return to the NBAGL this season, instead waiting for an international opportunity. He’ll join a Jiangsu roster that also includes former NBA guards Antonio Blakeney and Jonathan Gibson.
This will be Jenkins’ first stint in the Chinese Basketball Association, but he does have some overseas experience. The former Vanderbilt standout played for San Pablo Burgos in Spain during the 2017/18 season.
Hawks Sign Paul Watson To 10-Day Contract
JANUARY 6: Watson’s 10-day contract with the Hawks is now official, the team announced today in a press release. The deal makes Watson the first player to sign a 10-day contract in 2020 and will keep him locked up through January 15.
JANUARY 4: The Hawks will sign G League swingman Paul Watson to a 10-day contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Watson has spent this season with Raptors 905, where he is averaging 18.4 points and 7.4 rebounds in 13 games while shooting 46.7% from 3-point range. Undrafted out of Fresno State in 2017, Watson had a brief stop in Germany before joining the G League later that year.
Tomorrow is the first day this season that 10-day contracts can be extended. Teams can sign players to a pair of 10-day deals, then they must either be waived or signed for the rest of the season.
Atlanta only has 14 players on its active roster, so Watson can be added with no corresponding move. The Hawks have been carrying an open roster spot since waiving Tyrone Wallace on December 14.
Pacific Notes: Baynes, Ayton, LeBron, Poole, Holmes
The Suns started both Deandre Ayton and Aron Baynes together for the first time when the team hosted New York on Friday, testing a larger lineup which resulted in a 120-112 win, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes.
Suns general manager James Jones and head coach Monty Williams discussed the possibility on Thursday, Rankin notes, with the team sporting the same frontcourt against Memphis on Sunday.
“We’ve been having discussions about it,” Williams said. “James and I had a long talk (Thursday). I had been thinking about it, but James kind of pushed me in the corner on the phone and started talking about DA (Ayton) and his ability to not just dive, but pick-and-pop and do some things a lot of fours can do.”
Baynes finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes of work against the Knicks, with Ayton recording 15 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in 37 minutes. The coaching adjustment has drawn praise from many within the organization, including other players.
“I love it,” Suns wing Kelly Oubre Jr. said. “A lot of size. A lot of length, athleticism. You got athletes. You got strong, physical specimens like Aron Baynes. It’s just amazing we can switch up the lineups and still play the right way.”
After hosting Memphis on Sunday, Phoenix (14-21) will wrap up its five-game homestand with games against Sacramento on Tuesday, Orlando on Friday and Charlotte the following Sunday.
There’s more from the Pacific Division tonight:
- LeBron James has remained at the center of the Lakers‘ revamped roster this season, Rod Beard of The Detroit News writes. The Lakers overhauled its roster by upgrading James’ supporting cast, pairing him with All-Star forward Anthony Davis and adding veterans such as Danny Green and Dwight Howard. “First and foremost, you have to be able to control the game from the mental aspect,” coach Frank Vogel said of James. “He was always able to do that as a young player — and particularly in his prime — but I think that’s boding well for him later in his career. Also, it’s the around-the-clock attention that he gives to his body just to make sure that he’s doing everything the right way to put his body in the best position to have success.”
- Warriors rookie Jordan Poole rediscovered his shot during a recent stretch in the NBA G League, Marcus White of NBC Sports writes. Poole scored 24 points to help lead Santa Cruz to a 110-106 win over Salt Lake City on Friday, getting recalled by the team the following day. Poole has averaged seven points per game in 30 contests with Golden State this season, shooting just 26% from the floor and 24% from 3-point range.
- Kings big man Richaun Holmes has acted as a much-needed anchor for the team this year, head coach Luke Walton said, as relayed by Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. “He plays with that passion and fire that I think the Sacramento fan base really gets behind because he just leaves it all out there every time he plays,” Walton said, praising the 26-year-old. “He’s made a lot of winning plays for us. He’s having a heck of a year so far.” Holmes has averaged a career-high 13.3 points, 8.6 rebounds and 29.6 minutes per game on the season.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/5/20
Here are Sunday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Clippers have recalled guard Terance Mann and center Mfiondu Kabengele from their G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, according to the team’s public relations department. Los Angeles hosted New York at Staples Center on Sunday night.
- The Wizards assigned forward Admiral Schofield to the Capital City Go-Go, announcing the news on social media. The Go-Go hosted the Oklahoma City Blue earlier today, with Schofield recording 19 points and 10 rebounds in a win.
- The Nuggets assigned Jarred Vanderbilt to the Windy City Bulls, the team announced on social media. Vanderbilt was drafted with the No. 41 overall pick back in 2018.
- The Thunder have recalled center Justin Patton from the Oklahoma City Blue, general manager Sam Presti announced today. Patton is averaging 10.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 21 games with the Blue this season.
Atlantic Notes: LeVert, Irving, Siakam, Gasol, Leonard
Nets guard Caris LeVert made his highly-anticipated return against the Raptors on Saturday night, seeing his first in-game action with the team since November 10.
LeVert, who had missed the last 24 games after undergoing surgery to address ligament damage in his thumb, finished with 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting off the bench despite being on a minutes restriction.
“I felt pretty good out there. Obviously we wanted to get a win, but just me personally, I felt pretty good,” LeVert said, as relayed by Brian Lewis of the New York Post.
LeVert is widely considered as one of the most talented players on the Nets when healthy, and it’s possible he’ll rejoin the team’s starting lineup in the coming weeks. He averaged 13.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game in 40 contests last season.
“Just adds one of our best players to the lineup quite honestly,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said of LeVert’s return. “A dynamic player, athleticism, quickness, speed. A guy that knows our system too. It’s not like some guy we signed out of the blue. I feel comfortable once he gets his rhythm. He knows what we’re doing on both sides of the ball so that’s a big comfort level.”
The Nets have been plagued with injuries to start the season, playing without Kevin Durant (torn Achilles’ rehab), Kyrie Irving (right shoulder; 11 games played), LeVert and others. Brooklyn owns the seventh-best record in the East at 16-18.
Here are some other notes from the Atlantic Division tonight:
- Alex Schiffer of The Athletic details what we know about Kyrie Irving‘s lingering right shoulder injury, which has forced the six-time All-Star to miss the past 23 games. Irving recently received a cortisone shot for the shoulder impingement, opting to go this route instead of having arthroscopic surgery — for now. “I’m in a better place now that it’s been some significant time,” Irving said. “I tried to go without any anti-inflammatories, which is why it took so long. Now I’m at a place where the next step was to either get a cortisone shot or get surgery. So that was the ultimatum I was fixed with. So now I’m just doing the best I can to live off this cortisone and move forward if I need surgery in the future.”
- Raptors big men Pascal Siakam (groin) and Marc Gasol (hamstring) still aren’t close to returning to action, head coach Nick Nurse said, as relayed by Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link). “I would still say, if I was guessing, the order of comeback would probably be Matt [Thomas] and Norm [Powell], Marc and then lastly Pascal if that’s the case,” Nurse said. “But I think we’re still, I mean, we’re still a ways away with Marc and Pascal. I think Norm and Matt are in the front-view mirror, let’s put it that way.”
- Kawhi Leonard said he never considered joining the Knicks in free agency and denied scheduling a meeting with the team, Ian Begley of SNY.tv writes. “I never said I was considering going to the Knicks. Everybody knew where I wanted to go once I requested the trade so I don’t know where that came from,” Leonard said. New York lost out on Kawhi, who signed with the Clippers, as well as Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, who signed with the Nets. The Knicks claimed they pulled out of a scheduled meeting with Leonard.
Andre Drummond Hopes To Stay In Detroit
Pistons star center Andre Drummond reiterated his desire to stay in Detroit past the February 6 trade deadline, with rumors swirling about whether he could soon be dealt to another team, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com writes.
The Pistons have engaged in trade discussions on a deal centered around Drummond with several teams, including the Hawks, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Saturday. However, no deal is imminent as of now.
“I’m not a quitter, for one,” Drummond said, as relayed by Friedell. “I was never brought up to be a quitter. If I start somewhere, I try to finish there, try to complete the mission, which is to win a championship here [in Detroit]. It will never be me that wants to go anywhere … I love being here. I would love to play here the rest of my career.”
There’s an increasing belief inside and outside the Pistons’ organization that Drummond will be dealt before the trade deadline, according to Wojnarowski. The team is planning for Drummond to decline his $29MM player option for the 2020/21 season and become a free agent on July 1.
“I’ve been dealing with this since the year I signed my contract so the trade rumors will always come around, so this is another year for me,” Drummond said. “It’s always that time of year around January where trade talks come. Nothing’s happened. Obviously, the talks have started, so these questions will start to come. I’ve been looking forward to them coming, but for me, I’m just going to continue to play the game I play, play here in Detroit where I love to be, and whatever happens, happens.”
The Pistons have been derailed by injuries this season, currently owning the fifth-worst record in the Eastern Conference at 13-23.
Drummond, 26, was drafted No. 9 overall in 2012 and is in his eighth campaign with the team. He’s averaged 17.5 points, 15.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 34 games so far this year.
Atlantic Notes: RHJ, TLC, R. Williams, Sixers
Due to the continued injury absences of Norman Powell, Marc Gasol and Pascal Siakam, defensive-oriented forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has been used more frequently as a big-man passing alternative to the Raptors’ point guard stable, notes Michael Grange of Rogers SportsNet.
“I love doing it,” Hollis-Jefferson said of his expanded role as a passer once defenses key in on Raptors guards Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet. “Growing up in high school and college, even some in Brooklyn, just made plays with the ball whether that was bringing it up or whether that was catching it at the high post.”
When Toronto signed Hollis-Jefferson to a one-year, $2.5MM contract this summer, he was not anticipating being used extensively on offense. Laura Armstrong of the Toronto Star notes that Raptors coach Nick Nurse has been tactical about shifting around his rotation to adjust to opposing teams. This has forced players like Hollis-Jefferson and OG Anunoby to remain primed for starter minutes, though Nurse sometimes favors one over the other.
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Nets wing Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot is getting close to reaching the 45-day limit two-way players can spend with an NBA team, the New York Post’s Brian Lewis hears from YES Network and Fox Sports television analyst Sarah Kustok (Twitter link). The Nets will have to make a determination on whether or not they convert Luwawu-Cabarrot to a standard NBA contract. In 12 games with Brooklyn, Luwawu-Cabarrot has averaged 4.9 PPG and 2.2 RPG, while shooting 76.5% from the free-throw line and 37% from deep.
- Celtics head coach Brad Stevens noted that doctors are encouraged by the latest MRI scanning the injured hip of center Robert Williams, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald reports (Twitter link). Stevens says that Williams will meet with a specialist after Boston’s road trip concludes tomorrow against the Wizards. “Tuesday I’m going to see somebody to get the final word,” Williams said, “but that was good news for me” (Twitter link).
- The reeling Sixers, losers of four straight games, will look for perimeter help at the trade deadline, sources tell ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. The team will prioritize shooting wings with ball-handling skills. Philadelphia, currently 23-14 in the East, made just six of their three-point 27 attempts in a loss to the Rockets Friday night.