Vlatko Cancar Out At Least 12 Weeks With Foot Injury
JANUARY 7: Cancar underwent surgery to repair a right fifth metatarsal fracture, according to the Nuggets, who stated today in a press release that the forward will be reevaluated in 12 weeks.
JANUARY 4: The hits keep coming in Denver. Nuggets reserve forward Vlatko Cancar has suffered a right foot fracture and will be unavailable for an extended period of time, per Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports (via Twitter). Wind notes that a surgery is possible to treat the break, incurred during the team’s 103-89 loss to the Mavericks on Monday night.
Cancar is just the latest Nugget with a long-term injury. Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., PJ Dozier and Markus Howard have all missed significant time due to severe ailments, with Porter and Dozier not expected to return this season.
Cancar was selected with the No. 49 pick in the 2017 NBA draft by the Nuggets. The 24-year-old finally joined the club ahead of the 2019/20 NBA season, but he has thus far seen limited action at the NBA level. He has suited up for 69 games in since the start of the 2019 NBA season, and 11 NBA G League contests with the Erie BayHawks and Grand Rapids Gold.
He appeared in 41 games during the 2020/21 season, averaging 6.9 MPG. This year, across just 14 contests, he is averaging 4.3 PPG and 1.6 RPG during 10.9 MPG.
In addition to the injury absences of Murray, Porter, Dozier, Howard and now Cancar, the Nuggets will continue to miss Jeff Green, Monte Morris, and Zeke Nnaji, all still within the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols, Wind adds (Twitter link).
Nets Notes: Bembry, Irving, Aldridge
The Nets intend to keep DeAndre’ Bembry on their roster, fully guaranteeing his minimum-salary contract for 2021/22, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Bembry’s salary was already partially guaranteed for $1,250,000 and his overall cap hit is just $1,669,178, so the cost of guaranteeing the remainder of his salary is modest, making it a relatively easy decision for the Nets. The swingman’s performance this season helped seal the deal — he has averaged 6.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 1.0 SPG with a .599 FG% and .462 3PT% in a part-time role (20.3 MPG) across 32 games.
Here’s more out of Brooklyn:
- After scoring 22 points in his season debut on Wednesday, Kyrie Irving sidestepped questions about whether he might get the COVID-19 vaccine and said he was just happy to be back on the court, as Nick Friedell of ESPN relays. Irving’s teammates were also thrilled to have him back. “I just missed his presence around the locker room, his energy, his vibe around the team,” Kevin Durant said. “And then his game is just so beautiful. It makes the game so much easier for everybody out there. It was amazing to see him out on the floor again.”
- With a two-game home stand on tap this weekend, the Nets won’t have Irving on the floor again until Monday, when they travel to Portland to make up one of the games that was postponed in December. James Harden said the team is still adjusting to the on-again, off-again nature of Irving’s availability. “It’s going to take some time [to get used to],” Harden said, per Zach Braziller of The New York Post. “… But we’ve been a resilient group all year and [we’ll] eventually figure it out. Hopefully he’s able to play every single game. Home games and away games. But until then we’ll figure it out, we’ll keep pushing and find ways to come up with wins.”
- LaMarcus Aldridge has played in three games since exiting the NBA’s health and safety protocols, but he admitted this week that he’s still dealing with the aftereffects of his case of COVID-19. “It was my first time getting it, so I think it definitely hit me harder than most,” Aldridge said, adding that he experienced “all the symptoms,” as Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes. “I’m still trying to get my legs back, get my wind back, and just feel normal again.” Aldridge acknowledged that his history of cardiac issues put him at greater risk when he contracted the virus.
Bucks Sign Langston Galloway To 10-Day Hardship Deal
JANUARY 7: Galloway’s 10-day contract with the Bucks is now official, the team announced in a press release. It’ll run through January 16, covering Milwaukee’s next five games.
JANUARY 6: The Bucks intend to sign Langston Galloway to a 10-day hardship contract, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Galloway recently spent time with the Nets, appearing in four games (14.5 MPG) over the course of a couple of 10-day hardship deals, averaging 3.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in a limited role.
Galloway played a role off the bench for Phoenix last season, averaging 4.8 points in 40 games while shooting 44.9% from the field and 42.4% from three-point range. However, he was unhappy about playing just 11.0 minutes per night and elected to seek a new team in free agency. He signed a non-guaranteed training camp contract with the Warriors in late September, but was waived before the season started.
Galloway, who turned 30 last month, went undrafted out of St. Joseph’s in 2014, but has put together an eight-year career with the Knicks, Pelicans, Kings, Pistons, Suns, and Nets. He has appeared in 449 NBA games with career averages of 8.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists.
The Bucks currently have three players in the league’s health and safety protocols, making Galloway’s addition possible.
Stein’s Latest: Simmons, Hawks, Ingles, Cavs, Blazers
Although it’s possible the Sixers will trade Ben Simmons before the February 10 deadline, their preferred scenario would be to convince him to rejoin the team and play as much of the rest of the season as possible, a source familiar with Philadelphia’s thinking tells veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein.
Trading Simmons in the next month for the best available package would improve the Sixers’ chances of competing in the short term, but the team fears that taking that route may mean squandering an opportunity to land a true complementary star for Joel Embiid, says Stein. Convincing Simmons to play the rest of this season would improve the club’s short-term outlook while also leaving the door open for Philadelphia to make an offseason play for a star, should someone like Damian Lillard or Bradley Beal become available.
One league source who spoke to Stein suggested keeping an eye on the Hawks as a potential suitor for Simmons. Atlanta badly needs to upgrade its defense and president of basketball operations Travis Schlenk said this week that he plans to be active at the trade deadline in an effort to improve his struggling squad (Twitter link via Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution).
The Hawks don’t have the sort of trade candidate who would appeal to the 76ers as the centerpiece of a Simmons trade, but have several young players and draft picks they could put on the table, as Stein observes.
Here’s more from Stein:
- The Jazz considered the idea of trading Joe Ingles during the offseason, but decided against it due to concerns about how it would affect the team’s culture, says Stein. However, Danny Ainge has been hired by Utah since then and may be less reluctant to move Ingles if his expiring contract is necessary to land a defensive-minded wing.
- The Cavaliers continue to seek more play-making after acquiring Rajon Rondo from the Lakers, per Stein. Cleveland has lost two key guards – Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio – to season-ending injuries.
- According to Stein, teams are keeping a close eye on how the Trail Blazers handle Damian Lillard‘s abdominal injury, since an extended absence for the star point guard would likely impact Portland’s approach at the trade deadline.
- There has been an “undeniable uptick” in trade discussions around the NBA since the holidays, according to Stein, who identifies Myles Turner, Jerami Grant, Dennis Schröder, Eric Gordon, Terrence Ross, Buddy Hield, Marvin Bagley III, Robert Covington, and Jusuf Nurkic as some of the players considered league-wide to be this year’s most likely trade candidates.
Raptors Sign D.J. Wilson To Second 10-Day Deal
Veteran forward D.J. Wilson is back under contract with the Raptors, according to the team. Toronto stated in a press release that Wilson has signed a second 10-day deal using a hardship exception.
Wilson, who first signed with the Raptors on December 22, played well in two games with the club, averaging 12.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 2.5 SPG in 23.5 minutes per contest and making 8-of-11 shots from the floor. However, he entered the health and safety protocols before his deal expired.
Having presumably been cleared in recent days, Wilson is back with the team as the apparent hardship replacement for Yuta Watanabe, who is the only Raptor currently in the health and safety protocols.
A former first-round pick, Wilson will earn $102,831 during his second 10-day stint with Toronto. That money won’t count toward team salary for cap or tax purposes, since it’s a hardship signing. His contract will run through January 16, covering the team’s next five games.
If the Raptors don’t have any players left in the protocols by the time Wilson’s current deal expires, they could still re-sign him, since they have an open spot on their 15-man roster. In that scenario though, his new salary would count toward the cap and tax.
Cavs’ Stevens, Mavs’ Brown To Have Salaries Guaranteed
Second-year forward Lamar Stevens will have his full-season salary guaranteed by the Cavaliers, sources tell our JD Shaw (Twitter link).
Players without fully guaranteed salaries will have their contracts for 2021/22 become guaranteed on January 10. However, today is decision day for their teams, since they must clear waivers before January 10 in order to avoid having their salaries become guaranteed. So Cleveland has decided not to waive Stevens today, ensuring he’ll receive his full $1,517,981 salary.
A former Penn State forward, Stevens signed with Cleveland as an undrafted free agent during the 2020 offseason. He had his two-way contract turned into a standard multiyear deal in April and is still on that same deal, which runs through 2023/24. It includes a non-guaranteed minimum salary in ’22/23 and a minimum-salary team option in ’23/24.
Stevens’ per-game averages this season – including 3.8 PPG and 2.0 RPG – are relatively modest, but he hasn’t played big minutes (12.8 MPG in 24 games). The 24-year-old a solid defender who is knocking down three-pointers at a higher rate this season (32.3%) than he did as a rookie (4-for-25) and is seeing more action lately with forwards Isaac Okoro and Cedi Osman sidelined.
Meanwhile, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link), the Mavericks have decided to hang onto big man Moses Brown, another player whose salary isn’t fully guaranteed. The decision will lock in Brown’s $1,701,593 cap hit for the season.
Brown has played a very limited role in Dallas so far this season, averaging just 6.7 minutes per contest in 22 games. However, he has put up solid numbers on a per-minute basis, and apparently has showed the Mavs enough to warrant keeping his spot on the 15-man roster.
Knicks Notes: Randle, Rose, Robinson
Perhaps taking a cue from Mets players who directed thumbs-down gestures toward home fans who booed them in 2021, Knicks forward Julius Randle gave a thumbs-down signal following a basket in the second half of Thursday’s comeback win over Boston, as Marc Berman writes for The New York Post.
Asked after the game what message he was hoping to convey, Randle didn’t mince words: “To shut the f–k up.”
The veteran forward hinted that it may have been a response to Knicks fans booing the team earlier the game, when the Celtics built a big lead.
“You saw that,” Randle said. “You saw what was going on with that. Forget. Forget.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Derrick Rose had been on crutches and away from the Knicks since undergoing ankle surgery on December 22, but he’s set to return the club’s practice facility to begin his rehab process, head coach Tom Thibodeau said on Thursday. “Rehab is his game right now,” Thibodeau said (link via Berman). “He just got cleared to start his physical therapy. Everything is going well. Put everything you have into that. Once it’s good for him to get out there, he’ll get out.”
- Asked in a mailbag about Mitchell Robinson‘s potential future in New York, Ian Begley of SNY.tv said there are decision-makers in the organization who “don’t love what they’ve seen” from the young center this season. As Begley notes, Thibodeau recently stated that Robinson is still “behind” in his conditioning, suggesting the team believes he could be in better shape. The 23-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
- In case you missed it, we passed along a few more Knicks notes on Thursday.
Jazz Sign Norvel Pelle To 10-Day Contract
10:32am: The Jazz have officially signed Pelle to a 10-day deal using the hardship exception, the team announced today in a press release.
8:35am: The Jazz intend to sign center Norvel Pelle to a 10-day contract using the hardship exception, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). According to Wojnarowski, Pelle is expected to be available for Utah’s game vs. Toronto on Friday night.
Pelle recently finished up a 10-day deal with the Celtics, though he didn’t play at all for Boston during those 10 days. Previously, the big man played for a handful of international teams and bounced back and forth between the NBA and the G League over the last two seasons.
Pelle appeared in a total of 37 games from 2019-21 for the Sixers, Nets, Kings, and Knicks. A talented rim protector, The 28-year-old has averaged 2.2 blocks per game in 95 career G League contests and put up 8.9 PPG and 8.3 RPG in nine games (22.1 MPG) with the Cleveland Charge this season.
Utah enjoyed some great COVID-related luck for much of this season, having not placed a player in the health and safety protocols until earlier this week. Joe Ingles and Rudy Gobert are now both in the protocols for the Jazz, meaning the team is eligible to sign Pelle to a hardship deal, which won’t count against team salary for cap or tax purposes.
Pelle, who will earn $95,930 during his 10 days with the Jazz, has a chance to play a rotation role immediately, with Gobert out and backup center Hassan Whiteside listed as questionable as he goes through the concussion protocol.
Injury Notes: Nance, Zion, P. Williams, Z. Collins
An MRI on the injured right knee of Trail Blazers forward Larry Nance Jr. showed no significant damage, the team announced in a press release. While that’s good news for the Blazers and for Nance, who sustained the injury on Wednesday, the 29-year-old remains unavailable for the short term. According to the club, Nance will be reevaluated in one week.
Here are a few more injury updates from across the NBA:
- Zion Williamson will continue his rehab from offseason foot surgery away from the Pelicans, the team announced in a press release. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Williamson has moved his rehab to Portland, Oregon. The former No. 1 overall pick, who called the recovery process a “difficult” one, continues to only participate in partial weight-bearing activities, according to the club.
- The Bulls still aren’t ruling out the possibility of Patrick Williams returning from his left wrist injury by the end of the season, as Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago writes. Reports at the time of Williams’ injury indicated he would likely miss the rest of the regular season — the Bulls provided a four-to-six month timeline. “Patrick is coming back slowly, the schedule is to be determined,” president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said during an appearance on the Mully & Haugh Show on 670 The Score. “We’re not going to put any pressure for him to come back. We’re just going to go from week to week, we’ll see how he improves. We’ll see in terms of a date. I don’t want to put any timeline on it, but it would be great to have Patrick back by end of season.”
- Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said this week that big man Zach Collins is nearing a return from offseason ankle surgery, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. “He was (doing basketball activities) until the new (COVID) restrictions came in,” Popovich said. “But he’s cleared to play once he gets a rhythm, and if he gets a chance to play some 3-on-3 or 5-on-5 or 4-on-4. … It’s kind of difficult now, but he’s almost ready to go.”
COVID-19 Updates: Grizzlies, Harrell, Thybulle, Bolmaro, More
All the Grizzlies players who were recently placed in the NBA’s health and safety protocols have now been cleared, head coach Taylor Jenkins said on Thursday evening (Twitter link via Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal). After three Memphis players exited the protocols on Wednesday, John Konchar and Xavier Tillman were the only players still affected — they’re apparently out of the protocols now too.
Here are more updates on COVID-19 and the health and safety protocols:
- Wizards big man Montrezl Harrell has cleared the protocols and is questionable to play on Friday in Chicago, tweets Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington.
- Matisse Thybulle is no longer on the Sixers‘ injury report, as Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer tweets, which is a good indication he’s out of the protocols.
- Timberwolves rookie Leandro Bolmaro has entered the COVID-19 protocols, according to the team (Twitter link). He’s the only Minnesota player in the protocols for now.
- The NBA’s latest injury report lists Mavericks guard Isaiah Thomas as simply “not with team” and Cavaliers forward Cedi Osman as probable to play on Friday in Portland as he takes part in return to competition reconditioning, so it sounds like both players have exited the protocols. However, Thomas has been ruled out for tonight’s game and his 10-day contract will expire overnight.
- Hawks guard Chris Clemons has entered the protocols, per Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). Clemons’ 10-day deal expires tonight, so his time in Atlanta could be over.
- The NBA will continue daily COVID-19 testing of players who haven’t received a booster shot through the All-Star break, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. All players and coaches, regardless of vaccination status, will also continue to be tested daily through January 15, Wojnarowski adds.