Jaren Jackson Jr. Sprains Left Knee
Stellar second-year Grizzlies power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. has sprained his left knee and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, according to Chris Herrington of the Daily Memphian.
Jackson sustained the sprain after suffering a nasty fall late in the second quarter in Memphis’ 117-102 loss to the Lakers this past Friday. His loss is not insignificant for the ascendant Grizzlies, current holders of the Western Conference’s coveted No. 8 seed. Jackson ranks third on the team in minutes played per game (28), second in points per game (16.9), and fourth in average boards (4.7).
Jackson and rookie Ja Morant are the two core building block factors in a Grizzlies youth movement that has brought the team back to relevance. The Grizzlies are currently 28-28 after losing two straight contests following the extended All-Star break. That record puts them 3.5 games ahead of the 25-32 Trail Blazers (the No. 9 seed) and the 24-31 Spurs (the No. 10 seed). The Pelicans, Kings and Suns are all within 1.5 games of the Spurs’ record.
If the Grizzlies go on a sustained swoon in the standings with rookie Brandon Clarke absorbing most of Jackson’s minutes as the new starting four, one of these other playoff contenders may pounce. Memphis already had an external impediment to securing a postseason berth this year: the most competitive remaining schedule in the NBA, ranked by opponent record.
Jackson’s absence may mean more playing time for new center Gorgui Dieng and for forward Kyle Anderson.
Lakers Notes: Davis, Cousins, Morris Twins, LeBron
Anthony Davis has experienced a few injury scares during his first season with the Lakers, including one Friday night, but he’s ending concerns about his ability to stay healthy, writes Mark Medina of USA Today. Davis missed almost an entire quarter after bumping knees Friday with Jaren Jackson Jr., but returned to finish off a 28-point, 13-rebound, seven-block performance.
Davis has appeared in 47 of L.A.’s 54 games so far, with the only extended absence being caused by a hard fall in early January that resulted in lower back soreness. It’s a welcome change for Lakers’ fans after Davis’ injury-filled history in New Orleans.
“As long as they tell me it’s nothing serious, I’ll go out there and play,” Davis said. “You don’t know until you check all the boxes. But anytime they tell me I’m cleared and it’s not going to hurt me to go out there and play, I’m going to try to go out there and play.”
There’s more Lakers news to pass along:
- The Lakers plan to waive injured center DeMarcus Cousins today to open a roster spot for Markieff Morris, but Cousins will remain with the team while he rehabs his torn ACL, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (video link from Stadium). Despite not playing, Cousins has been a valuable addition to the locker room, Charania adds, and the organization enjoys having him around.
- With Markieff headed to the Lakers, twin brother Marcus Morris, now on the Clippers, envisions a scenario where they carpool to a potential playoff series, relays Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “We’re two competitive guys, that’s gonna be like really fun,” Marcus said. “Probably gonna ride to the game together. That don’t bother us, to have to go out there and compete — we’re pros, and both of us gonna go hard and both are gonna do the best we can do for our team.”
- Coach Frank Vogel is looking forward to having the playoff version of LeBron James on his side after frequently watching him from the opposing bench, relays Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Vogel’s Pacers teams suffered three playoff losses to James when he was on the Heat, including twice in the Eastern Conference finals. “He knew everything we were running before we even called it out,” Vogel recalled. “He knew stuff was coming with his anticipation, and intelligence went into that. The determination of whatever it would take to beat us, that is what he was going to do.”
Warriors Sign Dragan Bender To 10-Day Contract
FEBRUARY 23: The signing is official, the Warriors announced on Twitter.
FEBRUARY 20: The Warriors intend to sign free agent big man Dragan Bender to a 10-day contract, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who adds (via Twitter) that the deal is expected to be completed on Sunday. Emiliano Carchia of Sportando first reported that Golden State was considering bringing in Bender on a 10-day pact.
Bender, the fourth overall pick in the 2016 draft, spent three seasons in Phoenix before joining the Bucks for the 2019/20 season. The 22-year-old was on Milwaukee’s roster until earlier this month despite appearing in just seven NBA games, but was waived when the team needed to make room for Marvin Williams.
With career averages of 5.2 PPG and 3.7 RPG in 178 NBA contests (20.0 MPG), Bender hasn’t delivered on the potential that made him a top-five pick in 2016. However, the Warriors had some success developing the Suns’ other ’16 lottery pick – Marquese Chriss – this season, so perhaps the team can also make positive strides with Bender.
The Warriors currently have three open roster spots after Jeremy Pargo‘s and Zach Norvell‘s 10-day contracts expired earlier this week. Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link) suggested the team plans to roll with 12 players for tonight’s game, at least, since not immediately filling those open roster spots will help the club remain comfortably below the tax.
Bender will make $94,851 on his 10-day contract, with Golden State taking on a $91,557 cap hit.
Bulls Notes: Boylen, Arcidiacono, Hutchison, Gafford
Frustration among Bulls players is being caused not only by eight straight losses, but by coach Jim Boylen’s unusual timeout strategy, writes Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. Boylen called a timeout last night with 30 seconds to play and his team trailing by 10 points. Television cameras seemed to capture Zach LaVine expressing bewilderment over the decision.
“He hasn’t said a word to me about it agitating him,” Boylen said of LaVine. “I don’t know if you’re reading his mind on that or if you’re just making that assumption that that’s what he’s upset about. He hasn’t said a word to me about it. He’s very respectful about me coaching the team and me trying to help the team. So you’ll have to ask him.”
Asked about Boylen’s strategy, LaVine responded, “That’s what he do, man. That’s what he do. I don’t know what to tell you. I’m not the coach. He’s told me he likes working on things that we do in practice and things like that. He’s the head coach. He can call timeout if he wants to.”
Mayberry documents four other instances this month where Boylen has used timeouts in the closing seconds with his team hopelessly behind. He notes that players have been reluctant to buy into Boylen’s coaching methods, and his 36-79 record since taking over hasn’t helped. However, he retains the support of management and was given a two-year extension after last season.
There’s more from Chicago:
- Ryan Arcidiacono has made his first two starts of the season in the two games since the All-Star break, and he’s likely to continue in that role as long as Chandler Hutchison remains injured, Boylen tells K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “(Arcidiacono starting) keeps Coby (White) in that backup role, where he’s finding his voice and he’s learning to play that (lead guard) position,” Boylen said. “And I think that’s important too. Coby has more of a voice with that second group, and we’re asking him to run that group as efficiently as he can and learn.”
- Hutchison got a cortisone shot in his injured right shoulder for the second time this season and expressed hope that he will be able to return, although he didn’t offer a target date, Johnson relays in a separate story. Hutchison also indicated offseason surgery may be necessary. “It’s something as a last resort kind of deal. With what’s going on with my shoulder, it could be used to clean it out. Or it could be something that heals on its own,” he said. “Right now, I’m hoping that with rest it’s something I can get to a point where it heals on its own. And then those talks will kind of advance if it gets to that point.”
- Daniel Gafford tells Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times that he hopes to use the final six weeks of the season to prove he’s worthy of a larger role in the rotation.
Mark Cuban Blasts Officials After Controversial Loss
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban faces a hefty fine after his tirade against NBA officiating following Saturday’s loss in Atlanta. Cuban expressed his anger in a series of tweets immediately after the game, then added more criticism while talking with reporters in the locker room, writes Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News.
Cuban was irate over a reversed goaltending call in the closing seconds where the Hawks still wound up with two points. A layup attempt by Trae Young was swatted away by Dorian Finney-Smith. John Collins scored on a putback, but goaltending was called on the original shot. When a replay showed the block was clean, referees allowed Collins’ shot, saying he was in a shooting motion before the whistle blew.
“One of the refs told one of the players it was an inadvertent whistle that came after the putback – but everybody who was watching it said it came before the putback,” Cuban said. “That’s neither here nor there because if it’s a goaltend and then it’s an inadvertent whistle, you stop play. But then they went and reviewed it. And they reviewed it for a goaltend. So either you can’t review it because it’s an inadvertent whistle, or you review it and it’s a goaltend, the play stops right there, unless there’s something I don’t know, and that’s always possible, but I’ve never seen anything like that.”
After talking about that specific play, Cuban turned his attention to the overall state of officiating in the NBA, which he says has “gotten progressively worse.” He blames the decline on a lack of proper training as well as the league’s hiring practices, which he claims have resulted in the people in charge hiring their friends.
“Because we’ve had such poor training, when some of the older refs retired, the ones that come and take their place are not ready,” Cuban said. “And why are they not ready? Because we had one guy running all the G League training, George Tolliver, I think that’s who it is. One guy running all the G League training and very little support. So by the time they get here, if they’re not good enough already, you ain’t all of a sudden going to make them better. And I’ve said that to the league a dozen times.”
Cuban wants to see referees spend more time in G League to get them ready for the NBA. He said the situation may be worse than it was in 2002, when he was fined $500K for claiming that director of officiating Ed Rush wasn’t qualified to run a Dairy Queen.
“It would be one thing if we were making positive progress. But we’re not,” Cuban said. “Out of the 70 refs, give or take, I think I counted 17 that have five years or less experience. That’s a lot. And you can’t expect new refs to be any good. And that’s because we do such a horrific job of training in the G League. Not a poor job. Not a marginal job. We apply literally no resources. The Joey Crawfords and Bennette Salvatores, I’m so glad I can call those guys out, because they’re awful at their jobs.”
Ben Simmons To Have MRI On Back
Sixers star Ben Simmons left Saturday’s game after five minutes with a sore back and will undergo an MRI today to determine the nature of the problem, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. League sources tell Woj there is “some level of concern” about the situation.
Simmons sat out Thursday with lower back pain, then aggravated the injury midway through the first quarter last night. He had an X-ray after leaving the game, and sources said he was “emotional” as he walked out of the X-ray room.
Losing Simmons for an extended stretch would be a huge setback for the Sixers as they fight for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Philadelphia is 35-22 after Saturday’s loss in Milwaukee, a game-and-a-half behind fourth-place Miami.
Simmons is averaging 16.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 8.3 assists through 54 games. He also leads the NBA in steals at 2.1 per night.
Texas Notes: J. Green, Carroll, Cousins, Doncic
Jeff Green looked right at home in his debut with the Rockets, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. In his first game since being waived by the Jazz on December 24, Green scored 17 points in 24 minutes as Houston won big Thursday night at Golden State.
“I just came ready to play,” he said. “I mean, I’m in shape, so I just tried to do whatever I needed to do to help the team win. I have a beautiful wife who allowed me to do what I needed to do and that’s all I need to say about that. I have great trainers at home and when I was home for this time, my wife allowed to me to really focus on what I needed to do.”
The Rockets are Green’s ninth NBA team since entering the league in 2007, making him one of seven active players to be with that many organizations, Feigen adds. Ish Smith is the active leader with 11 teams.
There’s more NBA news from the Lone Star State:
- DeMarre Carroll, another new Rocket, had a disappointing stay with the Spurs, but his presence on the team will be missed, relays Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express News (Twitter link). “I’ve known DeMarre since college, we came in together, played with him in Toronto,” DeMar DeRozan said. “Just a great guy. It’s part of the league. Everyone comes and goes, but friendships and memories last forever.” Carroll appeared in just 15 games after signing with the Spurs last summer.
- The Mavericks might have been willing to gamble on DeMarcus Cousins, but they don’t want to part with anyone on their current roster, owner Mark Cuban tells Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). The veteran center has missed the entire season with a torn ACL in his left knee, but recently offered hope that he might be ready for the playoffs. The Lakers plan to waive Cousins and add Markieff Morris once he clears waivers tomorrow. “We don’t have any roster spots,” Cuban said. “If we had a roster spot, we would probably do something, but we don’t. And there’s nobody we want to release.”
- Mavericks star Luka Doncic sat out tonight’s game with a sore ankle, but coach Rick Carlisle doesn’t expect it to be a long-term issue, Townsend tweets.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/22/20
Here are Saturday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Timberwolves assigned Jacob Evans to their G League affiliate in Iowa (Twitter link). He has played just one minute for Minnesota since being acquired from Golden State in a February 6 trade.
- The Warriors assigned forward Alen Smailagic to their Santa Cruz affiliate (Twitter link). He’s averaging 16.3 points and 6.1 rebounds in 17 G League games.
Five Key Stories: 2/16/20 – 2/22/20
If you missed any of this past week’s biggest headlines from around the NBA, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Here are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days:
Nets guard Kyrie Irving will undergo a procedure on his right shoulder and miss the rest of the season. Irving, who has played just 20 games since signing with Brooklyn last summer, saw a specialist this week to get an evaluation of the shoulder. He got a cortisone shot earlier this season to try to relieve the pain.
Kevin Durant, the Nets’ other free agent prize from last summer, confirmed that he won’t try to make a comeback this season. Brooklyn knew the chances were slim that Durant would take the court during his first season with the team. “The best thing for me is to continue to rehab, get as strong as I can and focus on next season,” he said.
The Cavaliers made a long-rumored coaching change, as John Beilein resigned midway through his first season behind the bench. Beilein, who signed a five-year contract last spring, will be assigned to a different role in the organization.
The West-leading Lakers are poised to add depth to their roster with the expected signing of Markieff Morris, who agreed to a buyout with the Pistons. L.A. plans to open a roster spot by waiving injured center DeMarcus Cousins.
The new target score ending for the All-Star Game received rave reviews after it produced a close finish that brought back some of the intensity that recent games have been missing. A league official expects the format to be retained for next season.
Here are 10 more noteworthy headlines from around the basketball world this week:
- All-Star Weekend featured controversy as Orlando’s Aaron Gordon strung together five straight 50s, but still lost the dunk contest to Miami’s Derrick Jones Jr. Gordon and many observers were unhappy with the 47 he received in the final round after jumping over 7’5″ Celtics rookie Tacko Fall.
- Also last weekend, commissioner Adam Silver announced that the All-Star MVP award would be renamed in honor of Kobe Bryant.
- The Warriors ended speculation about a possible Klay Thompson comeback by declaring him out for the rest of the season. Thompson is still recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in last year’s Finals.
- Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns will miss at least two more weeks with a fractured wrist. It marks Towns’ second extended absence of the season.
- The Bulls may have lost Kris Dunn for the rest of the season with a sprained right MCL. He’s scheduled to continue his current rehab program through mid to late March.
- Reggie Jackson signed with the Clippers after reaching a buyout agreement with the Pistons.
- The Rockets added a pair of veterans by signing DeMarre Carroll, who completed a buyout with the Spurs, and inking Jeff Green to a 10-day contract.
- After being traded from the Clippers to the Knicks at the deadline, Maurice Harkless won’t seek a buyout with New York.
- After winning MVP honors last season, Joe Johnson will return to the BIG3. The 38-year-old earned a training camp invitation from the Pistons after his impressive showing last summer.
- The NBA released 2020/21 projections for its mid-level and bi-annual exceptions.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Curry Scrimmages, Confirms March 1 As Target Date To Return
Stephen Curry has cleared another hurdle in his quest to return to action March 1, relays Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Team doctors cleared Curry for full contact and he participated in his first scrimmage today since breaking his left hand in late October.
Speaking with reporters afterward, the Warriors guard confirmed that he has set next Sunday as his target date to return to action. Although he will need another positive week of rehab to make that happen, all indications are that the healing process is nearly complete.
Curry explained the details of the injury, which involved nerve damage in addition to the break. That’s why his recovery time will be about four months, rather than the usual two when a clean break happens.
“This was a serious one that had a lot of nuances to it with the two surgeries and the nerve damage and stuff I’m still dealing with,” he said. “Everything is new. If it was an ankle thing, I’d tell you everything every step of the way.”
Curry also shared his memories of the play, which happened when Suns center Aron Baynes tried to take a charge on a drive to the basket. Both players fell to the court and Baynes landed directly on top of Curry’s hand, causing the damage. Because Curry is right-handed, the injury shouldn’t affect his shooting, but Slater notes that much of his game is based on the ability to dribble, pass and make layups with either hand.
“I’m getting used to what the new normal is,” Curry said of the recovery process. “It definitely feels different than the right (hand). But you try to get to the point when you’re playing basketball, you don’t think about it — whether it feels all the way same or not, it doesn’t really matter, as long as I’m not worried about the things I’m trying to do, the strength part of it and how it bounces back the next day after pushing it in contact stuff. … Anybody who has had surgery knows it takes a long time to get back to true normal. Functionally speaking, where I’m not out there on the court thinking about it, that’s where I’m trying to get it to.”
With Klay Thompson already sidelined with a torn ACL, Curry’s injury eliminated any chance the Warriors may have had to reach the playoffs. Golden State is focused on returning to title contention next season, and Curry believes the team added an important piece in the deadline deal that brought Andrew Wiggins from the Timberwolves.
“I’ve been watching and seeing what he’s capable of on a nightly basis,” Curry said. “He’s a walking 20 points. The intangibles he can bring, in terms of speed, cutting, length on defense, all those things, will be a fun process to build that chemistry. This is a 15-month journey to spring next year.”