Pacers Head Coach Rick Carlisle Out Next Two Games
Head coach Rick Carlisle will miss the Pacers‘ upcoming road games at Memphis on Thursday and at Toronto on Sunday due to personal reasons, the team announced. Assistant coach Lloyd Pierce will serve as acting head coach in Carlisle’s stead.
As Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files observes, this is the second time that Carlisle has been away from the team this season. He contracted COVID-19 in December and missed four games, with Indiana going 2-2 with Pierce at the helm.
“I encouraged Lloyd to follow his instincts,” Carlisle said in December. “He’s an experienced head coach — and when you’re on the sidelines and you’re making the play calls and you’re calling the timeouts and things like that, there’s a feel element to it. And you can’t have that interrupted just because you work for the guy that’s not there.”
In other Pacers news, rookie Isaiah Jackson was unable to play the second half of Wednesday’s game against Sacramento due to a headache, according to James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star.
Jackson suffered a concussion last week and missed two games. Carlisle said he didn’t know whether Jackson’s headache was related to the concussion.
“I don’t know exactly what’s gonna happen,” Carlisle said, per Boyd. “Doctors felt it was best to keep him out of the game. … The hope is that this is not anything serious, but we’ll know more (Wednesday night) or (Thursday), and whenever we can let you know where things are at, we will.”
Jackson has been ruled out of Thursday’s game, Boyd tweets.
Paul George Practices With Clippers
Clippers star Paul George practiced with the team on Thursday for the first time since he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. George hasn’t played in a game since December 22.
George is listed as out for Friday’s game against Philadelphia and there’s no official timetable for his return, but he’s clearly making progress as he recovers from the injury.
“He is doing good,” coach Tyronn Lue said prior to Thursday’s practice. “He hasn’t felt any pain so that is a positive thing. Just working on his conditioning and just making sure he can continue to go through the minimal contact without having any issue. So as of right now, it hasn’t been a problem.”
Lue also said that Norman Powell has begun shooting on the court with the team, but is still limited to non-contact work. Powell broke a bone in his left foot after just three games with his new club. He was acquired in a trade with the Blazers ahead of the February deadline.
At 36-38, the Clippers are currently the No. 8 seed in the West. Despite losing four straight games, their place in the standings is pretty secure, as they trail the No. 7 Timberwolves by six games and hold a four-and-a-half game lead on the No. 9 Lakers with only eight games remaining.
Youngmisuk states that the Clippers hope to reduce the minutes for veterans Nicolas Batum, Marcus Morris, and Reggie Jackson ahead of the play-in tournament.
Draft Notes: Hardy, Minott, Nesbitt, Benitez
In an appearance on the Posted Up podcast with Chris Haynes, G League Ignite guard Jaden Hardy sounded confident that he should be a top pick in the 2022 NBA draft (Twitter link via Yahoo Sports).
“I feel like I’m the best player in this draft, if you ask me. Playing in the NBA G League, I mean it’s the second-best league in the world. I’ve played against people that are playing in the NBA right now, like Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga. Like those guys are on the Warriors getting good minutes and they were just playing against me. So I’m playing against NBA talent,” Hardy said.
The 6’4″ guard is currently No. 26 on ESPN’s best available players list, but Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer has him No. 13 on his latest Big Board.
Here are some more draft-related notes:
- Freshman forward Josh Minott is entering the draft and will initially keep his college eligibility, but he has no intention of returning to Memphis, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Minott is No. 54 on ESPN’s best available list, but he hopes to move up draft boards in June. “I plan to be like Josh Primo [a surprise No. 12 pick in the 2021 draft] coming out of the woodwork this spring,” Minott said. “I will listen to the NBA’s feedback. If they feel I’m a first-round talent and want to invest in me, that would be the best situation.” John Hollinger of The Athletic likes Minott as a sleeper, as we previously relayed.
- Jordan Nesbitt of Saint Louis has declared for the draft (via Twitter). The 6’6″ guard averaged 8.2 points and 4.3 rebounds on .391/.337/.692 shooting as a sophomore for the Billikens. Based on the wording of his announcement, it sounds like he plans to forgo his remaining eligibility.
- French point guard Hugo Benitez will also declare for the draft, his agent Herman Manakyan told ESPN’s Givony (Twitter link). Benitez, who turned 21 in January, is averaging 7.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals on .509/.395/.875 shooting for JL Bourg of the LNB Pro A league. Givony states that Benitez is a good defensive player who displays intelligence and maturity in pick-and-rolls.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 3/24/2022
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Kyrie Irving Now Exempt From NYC’s Vaccine Mandate
MARCH 24: In a press conference at Citi Field, Adams officially announced that New York City’s vaccine mandate exemption has been expanded to include local athlete and performers, tweets Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. That clears the path for Irving to begin playing in home games.
MARCH 23: Kyrie Irving has been unable to play home games the entire season for the Nets, but that could change soon.
As ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Jeff Passan relay, there’s cautious optimism that New York City’s private-sector COVID-19 vaccine mandate may be rolled back soon — Irving is unvaccinated, which is why he’s been unable to play in Brooklyn. Sources tell Wojnarowski and Passan that talks are progressing to the point that Irving may be able to return for home games as soon as next week.
Sally Goldenberg of Politco goes a step further than ESPN’s report, writing that NYC mayor Eric Adams plans to reverse the vaccine mandate for performers and athletes on Thursday.
Shams Charania of The Athletic hears the same as Goldenberg, reporting that Irving will be cleared on Thursday. The change will give exemptions to unvaccinated performers and athletes, Charania states, which is the current protocol for visiting players (Twitter links).
Irving, who turned 30 today, is averaging 27.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 5.3 APG and 1.4 SPG on .490/.430/.901 shooting through 19 games this season. The seven-time All-Star holds a $36.5MM player option for next season and can become an unrestricted free agent this summer if he declines the option.
With a 38-34 record, Brooklyn is currently the No. 8 seed in the East. The Nets hold a one-game lead on the No. 9 Hornets and trail the No. 7 Raptors by two games. It’s worth noting that if the season ended today, Irving still wouldn’t be able to play at Toronto (for the play-in tournament) due to the vaccine requirements to enter Canada.
Here are a few more notes on the Nets:
- Seth Curry (left ankle sprain) and Goran Dragic (left knee soreness) are out for Wednesday’s game at Memphis, but coach Steve Nash is hopeful both guards will be able to play Saturday at Miami (Twitter link via Nick Friedell of ESPN).
- Unsurprisingly, Nash says he “would welcome” Irving being able to play home games soon, tweets Friedell. Brooklyn’s next home game is Sunday, March 27, against Charlotte.
- Nash also said he’d be comfortable using Ben Simmons in a playoff game for his potential season debut, although that may be in a limited role off the bench, Friedell relays (via Twitter). Simmons still isn’t doing any basketball-related activities as he deals with a herniated disc in his back.
Quin Snyder Addresses Rumors Linking Him To Spurs, Lakers
In a pair of recent stories, veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein linked Jazz head coach Quin Snyder to head coaching jobs in San Antonio and Los Angeles, writing that he has repeatedly heard Snyder’s name mentioned as a possible successor for Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and as a potential replacement for Lakers coach Frank Vogel.
Asked on Wednesday about those reports, Snyder told Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune that he feels as if he’s disrespecting the Spurs, the Lakers, and their respective coaches by even discussing the rumors.
“To be honest, having to address this type of question in any form, in my view, is disrespectful to the teams that are mentioned themselves,” Snyder said. “I think specifically, these types of discussions are also disrespectful to coaches. And I love the guys that I coach. I love these players. And frankly, my focus is on our guys and our team. And as I said, addressing hypotheticals in these types of questions in any form I feel like is disrespectful. And that’s how I would characterize that.”
In his most recent story, Stein said it’s unclear when exactly Snyder’s deal with the Jazz expires. While the belief is that Snyder is under contract at least through 2022/23, Stein indicated that Utah’s efforts to extend him beyond his current agreement have been unsuccessful. Speaking to Larsen, Snyder declined to offer any clarity on his contract.
“I’ve never talked about my contract from day one, and I’m not going to,” he said. “That’s not something that I’m going to comment on now, nor at any point in the future. That’s not something that the Jazz have done. I personally don’t want to or believe in getting into public contract discussions.”
While Snyder didn’t outright dismiss the rumors about his eventual exit, he did heap plenty of praise on the Jazz for how the organization has treated him since he arrived in 2014, suggesting that he’s happy in his current position.
“I think the fact that I’ve been here eight years speaks in and of itself. And I’ve been lucky to have been a part of an organization that has been supportive of coaches, generally and of me in particular,” Snyder told The Salt Lake Tribune, adding that he has felt “embraced and supported” by the community. “And I’m grateful for [new Jazz owner Ryan Smith]. He’s doing some terrific things with the franchise and has a vision for how it can continue to grow.”
Enes Freedom Not Considering Retirement
Veteran NBA center Enes Freedom believes his public comments criticizing China’s human rights record – and the NBA for doing business with the country – led to his lack of playing time and his release, writes Sopan Deb of The New York Times.
“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize why I got little playing time and was released,” Freedom said. “But it does take people with a conscience to speak out and say it’s not right.”
While Freedom likened his recent experience in the NBA to Colin Kaepernick’s in the NFL, commissioner Adam Silver called that comparison “completely unfounded and unfair,” disputing the idea that the NBA has blackballed the player formerly known as Enes Kanter.
“We spoke directly about his activities this season,” Silver told The New York Times. “And I made it absolutely clear to him that it was completely within his right to speak out on issues that he was passionate about.”
Freedom claimed that Silver is mischaracterizing their conversation, but didn’t offer specifics, according to Deb.
Freedom, who stated earlier this season that league officials attempted to stop him from wearing shoes that read “Free Tibet” during a Celtics game, has since said those officials were actually with the C’s, Deb adds. Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said staff members merely asked Freedom if his shoes violated the league’s dress code.
“Even the next day, I just walked up to him and said, ‘Hey, you always have our support to freely express yourself and say what you want,'” Stevens told The New York Times. According to Deb, Freedom confirmed that exchange.
As Deb observes, it would be difficult to prove Freedom’s blackball allegations one way or the other, since the veteran center’s role had already been declining before he began speaking out about China.
The 29-year-old is a talented inside scorer and rebounder, but doesn’t have an outside shot and has long been considered a defensive liability (Billy Donovan‘s infamous in-game “can’t play Kanter” quote occurred all the way back in 2017). Other former lottery picks with similar skill sets, such as Greg Monroe and Jahlil Okafor, are also currently out of the NBA.
Freedom has been out of work since he was traded from Boston to Houston on February 10 and officially waived by the Rockets four days later, but he won’t give up his efforts to get back into the league, as Deb relays.
“I don’t want to retire at the age of 29,” Freedom said.
Braxton Key Signs 10-Day Deal With Pistons
MARCH 24: The Pistons have officially signed Key to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. The deal will run through April 2 and will be worth $53,176.
MARCH 22: Free agent forward Braxton Key is set to sign a 10-day deal with the Pistons, his agent Billy Davis informs JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link). Key was most recently with the Sixers’ NBAGL affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.
The 19-53 Pistons are locked into the NBA lottery at this point. It makes sense for them to check out intriguing young prospects during this stretch of the season. Detroit will now get a first-hand look at the 6’8″ Key, who has enjoyed a promising season in the G League.
In 31 games with Delaware this season, including 21 starts, Key has averaged 18.9 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 3.6 APG, 2.1 SPG and 1.5 BPG. He also sports shooting splits of .475/.388/.670.
The 24-year-old signed a 10-day hardship exception contract with Philadelphia earlier this season, though he appeared in just two games for the club in limited minutes. He went undrafted out of Virginia in 2020, and latched on with the Delaware Blue Coats during the NBAGL’s Orlando “bubble” season in 2020/21.
The Pistons have an open spot on their 15-man roster, so no corresponding move will be required to officially sign Key.
Knicks Notes: Toppin, Point Guards, Jokubaitis, Barrett
With Julius Randle out for a second consecutive game on Wednesday in Charlotte due to a quad injury, forward Obi Toppin got another start for the Knicks and enjoyed perhaps his best game of the season. Toppin put up 18 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists on 8-of-11 shooting in 40 minutes, helping to lead the club to a 15-point win over the Hornets.
Toppin has made some strides in his second NBA season, but the former lottery pick has still had a fairly limited role, averaging 15.3 MPG in 63 games. However, head coach Tom Thibodeau liked what he saw from the 24-year-old on Wednesday.
“He made a number of good plays,” Thibodeau said, per Steve Popper of Newsday. “Running the floor, moving it side to side. Shot when he was open, drove it, made the extra pass. He had a great floor game and I think that helped us a ton.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Examining the Knicks’ options to address the point guard spot this offseason, Marc Berman of The New York Post makes a case for Tyus Jones as a potential target and suggests that a sign-and-trade deal with the Mavericks involving Jalen Brunson and Mitchell Robinson “isn’t far-fetched.”
- Berman also reports that a couple members of the Knicks’ front office flew to Europe in February to visit with Rokas Jokubaitis, a draft-and-stash Lithuanian point guard who was selected 34th overall in the 2021 draft. The Knicks control Jokubaitis’ NBA rights and could explore bringing him stateside for the 2022/23 season.
- In a separate story for The New York Post, Berman explains why the Knicks giving RJ Barrett a maximum-salary rookie scale extension this offseason shouldn’t be a lock, observing that the forward’s scoring efficiency has dipped this season. “A max extension is a tough call because physically he is gifted and has the capability of being extremely good on the defensive end,” one NBA coach said of Barrett. “The two things that matter most now is who is he playing with and his attitude towards making the right play. But if your volume shooter isn’t efficient, it doesn’t bode well for the team as a whole.”
- Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post contends that there are no quick fixes for the Knicks and suggests the team still faces a “profound rebuild” in order to become a contender.
Kings’ Richaun Holmes Accused Of Domestic Violence
Kings big man Richaun Holmes, engaged in a lengthy custody battle with his ex-wife over their six-year-old son, has been accused of domestic violence and of physically abusing his son, reports Robin Epley of The Sacramento Bee.
As Epley details, court documents show that Allexis Holmes – who has been divorced from Richaun Holmes since September 2019 – accused her ex-husband of “taking out his frustration” on their son and causing him to bleed from a blow to the head during a visitation last month.
While The Bee’s report gives no indication that Allexis Holmes has pressed criminal charges, it states that she recently filed a restraining order against Richaun Holmes in Sacramento County on behalf of their son.
Richaun Holmes’ lawyer, Ann Moder, tells The Sacramento Bee that her client, who has been ordered by a judge to remain away from his son until a court date later this month, denies all the allegations. Moder referred to the accusations as “baseless claims” aimed at subverting the court’s custody decision, adding that Richaun Holmes has been an “exemplary parent.”
As Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee relays, Holmes publishes a series of tweets in which he vehemently disputed the allegations and said he “never would” and “never COULD” harm his son. Those tweets were later deleted.
The Kings shut down Holmes for the season last week, citing personal reasons. Presumably, the decision to end his season early was related to these accusations and his custody battle, which has been ongoing in private court for two years, according to The Bee.
The team put out a statement on Wednesday night addressing the allegations, per Anderson (Twitter link):
“The entire Sacramento Kings organization would like to express our strong stance against any form of assault and domestic violence,” the Kings said in their statement. “We respect the legal process and will continue to monitor the situation closely.”
Holmes, whose playing time declined significantly following Sacramento’s deadline acquisition of Domantas Sabonis, is under contract with the club for three more years and $36MM+ after this season.