Southeast Notes: Ball, Heat, Knueppel, Magic, Wizards

The NBA is reviewing LaMelo Ball‘s trip of Bam Adebayo, which resulted in the Heat big man suffering a lower back injury and exiting Tuesday’s play-in game early, reports Chris Haynes of NBA on Prime (Twitter link). A ruling is expected before Friday, Haynes adds.

As we detailed on Tuesday night, after having his shot blocked by Heat wing Simone Fontecchio, Ball fell to the court and grabbed Adebayo’s foot, bringing him to the floor as he grabbed the rebound and passed the ball to Fontecchio (video link via NBA.com). Ball wasn’t called for any sort of foul by the game officials, who missed the trip in real time, but Heat coach Erik Spoelstra expressed his discontent after the game, referring to it as a “dangerous play” by the Hornets guard.

Crew chief Zach Zarba confirmed to a pool reporter after the game that the league has the ability to review the play after the fact, which is exactly what the NBA will do. ESPN’s Shams Charania said during an NBA Today appearance (Twitter video link) that league officials have already reached out both teams and intend to interview Ball. For his part, the Hornets star apologized after the game, explaining, “I got hit in the head (on the play) and didn’t really know where I was,” per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

It seems likely that the NBA will ultimately decide to assess Ball with a flagrant foul 1 or flagrant foul 2, but there’s doubt that he’ll be suspended for Friday’s do-or-die play-in game against the loser of Wednesday’s Sixers/Magic matchup, according to Charania.

Here are a few more items of interest from across the Southeast:

• ESPN’s Bobby Marks and The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson preview the Heat‘s upcoming offseason, noting that the team’s decision on unrestricted free agent Norman Powell will be a major factor in what direction the summer goes. Jackson believes it’s a “toss-up” whether Powell returns, pointing out that the veteran guard was less durable and less productive in the second half, reducing the odds of Miami offering him a lucrative long-term contract.
• In a separate story for The Miami Herald, Jackson says he hopes Tuesday’s play-in loss is a wake-up call for Heat management and that team president Pat Riley is prepared to admit that – regardless of injury luck – this roster isn’t good enough to contend. Riley and the front office need to consider new ideas, Jackson writes, including perhaps being more open to selling high on Miami’s own players or buying low on stars whose value has declined.
• Media members who vote on end-of-season awards have yet to receive their ballots as the NBA weighs “extraordinary circumstances” applications, prompting Chris Mannix of SI.com to wonder if Kon Knueppel‘s 2-of-12 night on Tuesday might hurt the Hornets sharpshooter’s Rookie of the Year chances, even though voters are only supposed to consider regular season performances.
• Magic forward Jett Howard, out since April 3 with a left ankle sprain, has been upgraded to available for Wednesday’s play-in game vs. Philadelphia, while Jonathan Isaac (left knee sprain) is still considered questionable, tweets Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Isaac last suited up on March 12 and seems unlikely to see much – if any – action even if he’s active.
• Keith Smith of Spotrac examines several of the decisions facing the Wizards this offseason, including how to handle Trae Young‘s contract situation and whether to extend Anthony Davis.