Wiseman Out Rest Of Season After Meniscus Surgery
The rookie season of Warriors center James Wiseman, the second pick in the 2020 NBA draft, is officially over. Wiseman went under the knife for surgery today in Los Angeles to address a right meniscal tear, the team announced in a tweet.
The Warriors, who confirmed that Wiseman will miss the remainder of the 2020/21 season, will supply an update for Wiseman’s recovery timeline in September. The club expects him to return in ’21/22.
Reports emerged on Sunday (as we relayed) that the 20-year-old big man did indeed suffer a meniscus tear and could be in jeopardy of missing the rest of the season as Golden State made a push for a play-in tournament appearance. He will finish his first NBA season out of Memphis having appeared in 39 games, including 27 starts.
The seven-footer posted averages of 11.5 PPG and 5.8 RPG on 51.9% shooting from the floor across 21.4 MPG. Head coach Steve Kerr has opted to sub in veteran big man Kevon Looney as the Warriors’ starting center.
Giannis Returns From Knee Injury Thursday
Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer has revealed that All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is available for Milwaukee’s contest with the Hawks on Thursday night, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. This will be Antetokounmpo’s first appearance following a six-game absence due to left knee soreness.
Antetokounmpo has not played for the Bucks since the team’s 127-109 win over the Trail Blazers on April 2. The Bucks went 3-3 with their two-time MVP sidelined.
Milwaukee played the do-it-all superstar’s health status close to the chest, staying mum on an exact timeline for his recovery from what has been the longest-term injury of Antetokounmpo’s eight-year NBA career.
The five-time All-Star is putting together another MVP-caliber season, averaging 28.8 PPG, 11.4 RPG and 6.2 APG for the 34-20 Bucks, currently the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Central Notes: Bulls, Cavaliers, Gilbert, Joseph
The Bulls are 3-8 since adding five new players in two big trade-deadline moves. Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic assesses the players club’s new additions in an extensive piece.
Though All-Star center Nikola Vučević has produced offensively, the team is struggling to cling to the No. 10 seed (and thus a play-in tournament opportunity) in the East.
Vučević’s biggest weakness on offense is a low free throw rate, but otherwise he has been in line with expectations thus far. Daniel Theis, too, has been a helpful contributor right away. Troy Brown Jr. has shown flashes of promise, while Javonte Green and Al-Farouq Aminu have not cracked the team’s rotation, and have shown why when they have seen playing time.
There’s more out of the Central Division:
- The Cavaliers anticipate that they will add a player via their newly-opened two-way player slot “soon,” reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Lamar Stevens held that spot until he was promoted to the 15-man roster this week.
- Though Pistons point guard Cory Joseph looked like a throw-in as part of a trade deadline deal with the Kings that netted Detroit two second-round draft picks, he has turned into a helpful mentor for Detroit’s players, according to Rod Beard of The Detroit News. “Cory’s been through it,” head coach Dwane Casey said. “His style of play, his personality and his leadership, everything rubs off and he’s doing the same thing with Killian [Hayes] and Saben [Lee] and that group.” Joseph has also proven that he has something left in the tank, averaging 11.7 PPG and 6.1 APG since the deal.
- Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert has bought out former majority owner Gordon Gund‘s remaining 15% minority share in the franchise, writes The AP’s Tom Withers. “Gordon will remain part of the Cavaliers family and we thank him greatly for his leadership, dedication and long-standing support of the franchise,” the Cavaliers said in a statement.
Pacific Notes: Morris, Schneider, Ayton, Haliburton
Clippers power forward Marcus Morris has thrived across the 16 games he has played since replacing Nicolas Batum in the team’s starting lineup, as Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times details. Los Angeles is 13-3 since head coach Tyronn Lue made the change.
Ahead of tonight’s 126-115 victory over the Pacers, Morris had been connecting on 48.8% on his 6.2 three-pointers a night and 51% overall from the floor since taking over as a starter.
My production is the same, minutes (have) been the same,” Batum said of the switch. “But Marcus has been great for us. He has been even better since he has been starting.”
There’s more out of the Pacific Division:
- The Warriors have announced (Twitter link) that Brandon Schneider will replace departing Rick Welts as Golden State’s president and COO when the latter retires at the end of the 2020/21 season. Schneider has served as the Warriors’ chief revenue officer since 2018, and has spent 19 seasons with Golden State overall.
- Suns center Deandre Ayton has been a big, but subtle, contributor to the club’s newfound success this season, writes Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. Though he is known more for his scoring and rebounding, Ayton has been able to juggle his impressive skill set with a growing defensive game and improved screening.
- Kings rookie shooting guard Tyrese Haliburton acknowledged his frustration over his team’s current seven-game losing streak, according to James Ham of NBC Sports California. “We know we’re better than this, we’ve proven we’re better than this throughout the year,” Haliburton said. “But obviously, consistency has plagued us our whole season.” With a 22-32 record, the Kings are currently four games behind the tenth-seeded Warriors for a chance at a play-in tournament berth.
Allen, Nance Back For Cavaliers Wednesday
Cavaliers big men Jarrett Allen and Larry Nance Jr. are expected to return to the floor for the club tomorrow against the Hornets, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reports.
After incurring a concussion in a March 26 bout vs the Lakers, starting center Allen has been working through the NBA’s concussion protocols. A “mystery illness” befell forward Nance, who lost nearly 20 pounds during his absence, which began after his March 27 appearance vs. the Kings.
“We’re gonna have to make some tough decisions,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of balancing his healthy frontcourt. Dean Wade and Kevin Love have been the starters with Allen and Nance out, and Isaiah Hartenstein has been played alongside the other two in ultra-big lineups.
“We’ve got to make some decisions that are best for the short term, and then some decisions that are best for the long term,” Bickerstaff continued. “Obviously we’ve got to find ways to get Larry and Jarrett back on the floor.”
Southeast Notes: McMillan, Hornets, Dragic, Capela
Hawks interim head coach Nate McMillan has been a major success with Atlanta since taking over for Lloyd Pierce earlier this season, prompting Chris Kirschner of The Athletic to wonder if McMillan could get the club’s permanent head coaching gig.
Atlanta, playing against the Raptors tonight, is 15-5 since Pierce was fired on March 1. The team boasts a plus-16.2 net rating in the fourth quarter in its 20 games with McMillan at the helm, the second-best mark in the league. The Hawks had a minus-8.2 net rating in the fourth quarter during Pierce’s stewardship this season.
Kirschner notes that McMillan has thrived during his head coaching stint despite having to deal with injury issues. Rotation players Cam Reddish, Kris Dunn, De’Andre Hunter and John Collins have each missed seven or more games for Atlanta during McMillan’s tenure. At 29-25, the Hawks are currently the No. 4 seed in the East.
There’s more out of the Southeast Division:
- After losing four starters and roughly 80 points of offense per game to injury, the Hornets have had to get creative to find scoring, details Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Starting center P.J. Washington, starting guards LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier, and starting small forward Gordon Hayward are all currently absent with various maladies, as is core bench player Malik Monk. Washington and Rozier are expected back soon, though the timelines for the other three are murkier. “There are going to be a number of guys who get opportunities tonight who may not have expected it,” head coach James Borrego conceded. “At the start of the week, we never anticipated this type of rotation. But this is where we’re at.”
- Veteran Heat reserve point guard Goran Dragic has struggled through an injury-plagued 2020/21 season thus far. He’s not thinking about the possibility of returning to his role as as a starter come playoff time, as he did for the Heat’s 2020 Finals run, Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes.
- Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution details how Hawks starting center Clint Capela could be inching his way into the 2020/21 Defensive Player of the Year mix after helping vastly improve the club’s defense. Capela acknowledged that he would like to be considered as a DPOY and All-Defensive Team candidate this season. “I’m a guy who definitely thinks about that, because this is what I do and this is how I help my team win,” Capela said. “And this is how I also get to have a huge impact on the game, that’s defensively, and I think I’m definitely one of the best at doing it. … I feel that I’m playing the best defense of my career this season, yes, simply because I feel the guys give me the confidence to do so.”
Nick Young To Play In BIG3
12-year NBA veteran shooting guard Nick Young is returning to the hardwood. He has inked a contract with the Enemies for the 2021 BIG3 season, tweets Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated.
Young will serve as the new team captain for the Enemies, per a BIG3 league press release. The club will be coached by Young’s former Wizards teammate, Gilbert Arenas.
Just last week, the BIG3 formally announced it would officially resume operations for its fourth season this summer, after canceling what would have been its fourth season in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 12-team league, founded by Ice Cube and Jeff Kwatinetz in 2017, has generally served as a platform for longtime NBA veterans. The 2021 season will be broadcast by CBS and its affiliate platform Paramount+, and is set to kick off on July 10 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Scheduled to last for eight weeks, the BIG3 season will also log time at Xavier University of Louisiana. A two-week playoff will culminate in a September 4 title game.
Young was drafted by Washington with the No. 16 pick in 2007 out of USC. The 6’7″ swingman enjoyed eventful stops on the Wizards, Clippers, Sixers, and Lakers. He became a bench contributor for a 2017/8 title-winning Warriors team. His last NBA appearance was a four-game cameo for the Nuggets during the 2018/19 season.
The 35-year-old holds career averages of 11.4 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 1.0 RPG, along with a shooting line of .418/.376/.836.
Thunder Sign Gabriel Deck To Multiyear Contract
APRIL 12: The Thunder’s deal with Deck was officially completed on Saturday, per NBA.com’s transactions log.
According to Schlecht (Twitter link), Deck’s new contract is actually a four-year deal worth a total of $14.5MM. However, the second and third years are non-guaranteed, and the fourth year is a team option. Only this year’s $3.87MM salary is guaranteed.
In addition to being a nice payday for Deck (he now has the third-highest ’20/21 salary among current Thunder players), that $3.87MM rest-of-season commitment helps the Thunder reach the salary floor.
As John Hollinger of The Athletic explains, it remains to be seen whether Deck will actually show enough to be a keeper beyond this season for the Thunder. But even if Oklahoma City decides to move on at season’s end, his 2021/22 salary could be partially or fully guaranteed to help accommodate a trade.
APRIL 8: Argentinian forward Gabriel Deck is expected to join the Thunder on a three-year contract, a source tells Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Chema de Lucas first reported (via Twitter) that Deck was finalizing an agreement with Oklahoma City.
Deck, who went undrafted in 2017, would be departing top EuroLeague squad Real Madrid two weeks before the EuroLeague’s playoffs are scheduled to kick off. Oklahoma City would be his first NBA club.
Deck played for a string of Argentinian clubs before suiting up for Real Madrid in 2018. He was voted the Argentine League MVP and was named a two-time Argentine League Finals MVP.
He averaged 8.5 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 1.0 APG and 0.7 SPG in 30 games for Real Madrid this season, with a shooting line of .481/.412/.846.
Deck could help shore up an injury-ravaged Oklahoma City club. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Hall, Luguentz Dort, Darius Miller, Isaiah Roby, Darius Bazley, and Mike Muscala have all been listed as absent ahead of the team’s latest contest against the Hornets.
The Thunder don’t currently have an opening on their roster, but 15th man Justin Robinson is on a 10-day deal, and it’s possible one or two other players on the roster may be expendable.
Norvel Pelle Signs Second 10-Day Deal With Knicks
APRIL 12: Pelle has officially signed a second 10-day contract with the Knicks, the team confirmed today in a press release.
APRIL 11: The Knicks are set to sign center Norvel Pelle to his second 10-day deal with the club this season, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.
Pelle’s current 10-day contract with New York will expire overnight. He has appeared in one game with the Knicks this season on his current deal.
The Knicks are Pelle’s third team of the 2020/21 season. He initially signed with the Nets this season in January. When Brooklyn moved on, Pelle inked a 10-day contract with the Kings in February.
In five games with his three teams thus far this year, Pelle is averaging 6.9 MPG, 2.0 PPG, 2.2 RPG and a robust 1.0 BPG.
The 6’10” 27-year-old went undrafted out of Iona in 2014. He then played overseas, in Taiwan, Lebanon, Italy, and Beirut, in addition to occasional stints in the then-Developmental League, now the G League. He made his first appearance in the NBA with the Sixers for the 2019/20 season.
Atlantic Notes: Birch, Barrett, Raptors, Sixers
Nick Nurse expects the Raptors‘ new buyout addition, center Khem Birch, to join the club tonight against the Knicks, tweets Josh Lewenberg of The Athletic.
“I think he’s a guy that could become a quality backup big man in this league,” the Raptors’ head coach said. “He’s got some length, athleticism, shot blocking and rebounding. I’m excited to have him and hope we can help him develop.”
Birch joins the Raptors after having cleared waivers following his buyout from the Magic, where he was a solid contributor.
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Standout second-year Knicks forward RJ Barrett has greatly improved his shooting stroke, thanks in large part to the efforts of skills trainer Drew Hanlen, as Michael Grange of Sportsnet details. “Not pointing fingers, but there was a level of frustration that he played with because he felt like he had made the shot change that he needed to make during the pre-draft and after putting three months of hard work to lock in those mechanics, they instantly go tweaked and changed to a place where he felt really uncomfortable and he lacked the confidence and consistency he needed,” Hanlen said of Barrett’s rookie Knicks season.
- Many Raptors players are more concerned about their future contracts than helping contribute to a potential team tank during a strange season for Toronto-by-way-of-Tampa, writes Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports.
- Sixers All-Star center Joel Embiid is learning to adjust to playing with a left knee brace, according to Rich Hoffman of The Athletic. “It just feels like every shot that I take, I just have a hitch. Like it’s not a full motion,” Embiid said. In the same piece, head coach Doc Rivers noted that new addition Anthony Tolliver could help the club, though he may not receive much playing time. “He’s a veteran, can shoot the ball, been around the block, which I think this team needs,” Rivers said. “So I think he can help.”