Kings Notes: Bagley, Fox, Harding, D. Jones
The Kings‘ decision to let Marvin Bagley III stay away from the team while he recovered from a broken bone in his left hand raises questions about his future with the organization, writes Jason Jones of The Athletic. Bagley, who hasn’t played since March 15 when he suffered a fracture of his fourth metacarpal, rejoined his teammates Thursday on their road trip.
Jones states that letting Bagley be on his own for so long with an injury that wasn’t season ending appears to be “more of the coddling and enabling of players” that the Kings have gotten a reputation for. Team officials stayed in touch with Bagley during his absence, but Jones suggests he could have benefited from taking part in game preparation and other day-to-day activities.
Bagley still has a splint on his hand and is not close to returning to action, according to coach Luke Walton (Twitter link). When he does return, his performance over the remainder of the season may help the Kings determine his future. Bagley will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer, but he has only played 50 combined games over the past two seasons. League sources tell Jones that Sacramento made Bagley available before this year’s trade deadline, but the front office didn’t receive any offers it liked.
There’s more on the Kings:
- De’Aaron Fox has been the one constant on a Sacramento team that has posted a five-game winning streak and a pair of nine-game losing streaks this season, notes Spencer Davies of Basketball News. Fox is carrying the Kings’ offense every night and averaging a career best 25.2 PPG. “Just from the hours that he puts in and watching him this summer, (we knew) that something different was about to happen — we saw how locked in he was,” teammate Richaun Holmes said. “It’s honestly been amazing to watch. … He’s so vocal on and off the floor, and just his mindset is to attack.”
- Lindsey Harding, who is in her second season as an assistant with the Kings, has been named head coach of the South Sudan Federation women’s team, Jones tweets.
- In case you missed it, the Kings have signed Damian Jones to a second 10-day contract. His first one expired Friday night. With Holmes injured, Jones has been the team’s starting center in the past two games.
Atlantic Notes: Parker, Wagner, Thibodeau, Raptors
Jabari Parker‘s new contract with the Celtics runs for two seasons and includes a pair of guarantee dates for 2021/22, according to Jared Weiss and Jason Jones of The Athletic. Parker will receive $100K if he remains on the roster through July 31 – although that date could change if the league calendar is adjusted – and another $1,041,517 if he is still with the team at the start of next season. According to The Athletic’s sources, those combined figures are half of his total $2,283,034 salary with Boston.
The Celtics represent the latest chance for Parker, who was the second player chosen in the 2014 draft. Injuries and other factors have prevented Parker from establishing himself, as Boston will be his seventh team in seven years. He played three games for the Kings this season before being waived last month.
Former Sacramento general manager Vlade Divac was intrigued enough by Parker to trade for him at last year’s deadline, Jones states, but Parker was injured and out of shape when he reported to the team. He contracted COVID-19 before the summer restart, which prevented him from making any impact in Orlando. He was in better condition when training camp began in December, but suffered a back injury and took time away from the team for personal reasons.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Celtics‘ decision to waive Moritz Wagner to make room for Parker was a matter of fit, Weiss and Jones add. Luke Kornet has established himself as the team’s third center and Grant Williams has been playing in the middle in small-ball lineups. Wagner doesn’t have a next team lined up yet, but he will try to return to the league this season, a source tells the authors. He wouldn’t be eligible for the playoffs with a new team because he was on Boston’s roster past April 9.
- The Knicks‘ path toward becoming playoff contenders began with a mini-camp last summer, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. While 22 teams were in Orlando for the restart, the other eight were given permission to have a two-week session with players and coaches. That gave newly-hired Tom Thibodeau a chance to get to know his personnel and introduce his system.
- The Raptors have been fined $25K for “failing to comply with league policies governing player rest and injury reporting,” the NBA announced (via Twitter).
L.A. Notes: Drummond, Gasol, George, Rondo
Andre Drummond is giving the Lakers a lot of what they expected, but he still hasn’t found his scoring touch, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Drummond scored just four points Tuesday in Charlotte and three points Monday at New York. He’s averaging 9.2 PPG in his five games with L.A.
“Offensively, this is probably the worst I’ve played in my career,” he said. “I’m still trying to figure it out here. I’m not allowing it to take me out of my game. I know why I’m here, which is to help this team defensively. Offensively, it will come for me.”
Part of the problem is the absence of Anthony Davis and LeBron James, who have been injured since Drummond signed with the team late last month. Drummond believes he’ll settle into a more natural role once the two stars return.
“We’re going to find a way to get it done when guys come back healthy,” he said. “Because you got to think, we’re playing with a different five every night when we’re stepping on the court. So you can’t expect us to have much chemistry when we don’t know who we’re playing with each and every night. So we’re hanging our hat on defense and allowing that to project us to a win.”
There’s more from Los Angeles:
- Marc Gasol became the Lakers‘ third center after Drummond was signed, but Jovan Buha of The Athletic contends there are games where he should play ahead of Montrezl Harrell. Gasol has outplayed Harrell lately, Buha notes, and is a better fit in certain matchups.
- Clippers forward Paul George is determined to not let his injured toe affect him mentally, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. George knows the pain may last for the rest of the season, but he has learned to accept it, scoring at least 30 points in each of his last four games. “The injury allowed me to kind of make an excuse for myself,” he said. “But then I put it in perspective … if I’m gonna play, then don’t let it limit me. I feel like I’ve had a breakthrough because of that mindset.”
- By playing in 33 games this season, Rajon Rondo is in line for a $750K bonus if and when the Clippers reach the first round of the playoffs, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. The bonus was switched from unlikely to likely when Rondo was traded to L.A. last month.
Injury Notes: Holmes, Bagley, Butler, Augustin, Hayward, SGA
Kings center Richaun Holmes will miss at least three games with a strained right hamstring, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. After suffering the injury in Monday’s game, Holmes underwent an MRI that revealed the extent of the damage.
He will be held out of tonight’s game against the Wizards and won’t accompany the team on a two-game road trip to face the Suns and Mavericks. Holmes is averaging 14.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game this season.
“We’ll see how he’s doing as we get back into town,” coach Luke Walton said. “Clearly, we’ll miss him. He’s had an incredible year for us so far and he’s a big part of what we’re trying to do.”
There are more injury updates from around the league:
- The Kings got good news about Marvin Bagley III, who will rejoin the team Thursday in Phoenix, according to Jason Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). Bagley has been away from his teammates while rehabbing a fracture in his left hand, and there were plans for him to return to the club when he was close to being able to play again.
- Heat forward Jimmy Butler had an injury scare involving his ankle in Tuesday’s game, but he will be in the starting lineup tonight in Denver, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. “There’s no doubt about it, that Jimmy will always want to go,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “But we evaluated him today and he passed all the tests with the trainers and that allowed him to where we all feel comfortable, him going tonight.”
- Rockets guard D.J. Augustin had an MRI today on his sprained left ankle, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston. Coach Stephen Silas said Augustin is using crutches and a walking boot and has been ruled out at least through Monday. Danuel House, who hasn’t played since April 4 due to a sprained ankle, and Eric Gordon, who has been sidelined since March 11 with a groin strain, are also both expected to miss another week or so.
- Hornets forward Gordon Hayward still has a protective boot on his strained right foot, according to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). He is expected to be re-evaluated early next month.
- Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was projected to be out through at least mid-April with plantar fasciitis, but his condition hasn’t been re-evaluated yet, coach Mark Daigneault told Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (Twitter link).
Bulls Notes: Roster Turnover, LaVine, Markkanen, Ball
The Bulls were among the most active teams at the trade deadline, adding five new players to their roster, but so far the changes haven’t worked out the way they hoped, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports. Chicago has gone just 3-7 since then while playing a difficult schedule that featured nine road games and seven against playoff contenders.
“Every night we have one category I would say we don’t perform well,” said center Daniel Theis, who was one of the new additions. “One night it’s turnovers that cost us a game. (Sunday), we didn’t get to the line a lot. (Monday), we didn’t shoot the ball well from 3. Now we’ve got to put together a complete game. If we play defense like (Monday) and we make our shots, we’re gonna win games.”
There’s more from Chicago:
- Before the Bulls hosted Orlando tonight, Magic coach Steve Clifford talked to his former center, Nikola Vucevic, about the adjustment to a new team, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic. “He’s getting comfortable here (with Chicago),” Clifford said. “I think it’ll be a great place for him. He’s very upbeat, very excited about his teammates … loves (Bulls coach) Billy (Donovan).”
- The decision to trade for Vucevic was a way for the Bulls’ front office to show Zach LaVine that they’re serious about winning, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of Bleacher Report. LaVine is widely expected to turn down an extension offer from Chicago in order to sign a more lucrative deal as a free agent, Blakely says.
- The addition of Vucevic has cut into Lauri Markkanen‘s playing time and there’s reason to question whether he’ll return next season, Blakely adds. Vucevic and Markkanen both excel as scorers, but haven’t been effective as a defensive combo. “In the right kind of system, Markkanen could be a really good player,” an Eastern Conference executive told Blakely. “I don’t know if Chicago is it; it’s certainly not it if they think him and Vucevic can play together.” The Spurs may make a strong effort to sign Markkanen this summer, according to Blakely.
- The Knicks are eyeing Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball in free agency and their main competition could come from the Bulls, sources tell Marc Berman of The New York Post. Chicago was involved in trade talks regarding Ball at last month’s deadline.
Concerns Growing Over Injury Risks With Compressed Schedule
The tightened schedule the NBA adopted to squeeze 72 games into five months is being criticized amid an increase in injuries, writes Baxter Holmes of ESPN. Holmes talked to several general managers and training staff officials who believe players are more at risk than ever.
The torn ACL suffered this week by Nuggets guard Jamal Murray is the latest example of a high-profile injury that could alter the course of a team’s season.
“Hands down, it’s the worst schedule I’ve seen in 25 years in the league,” a veteran assistant coach said. “It’s utterly insane.”
Another called it “brutal,” while a head athletic trainer said the situation is worse than what teams experienced during the restart in Orlando last summer.
“Going into the bubble, we had all these different anxieties about the games, but without travel,” the trainer said. “This is literally exponentially more difficult. It’s such a cumulative effect.”
Data from the Elias Sports Bureau indicates that 2021 All-Stars have missed 15% of games this season, which would be the second-highest rate in league history. Several executives told Holmes that prior to the season, general managers voiced concerns over the schedule to the NBA office, including to commissioner Adam Silver, but the league was determined to complete the season in time to give players the chance to compete in the Summer Olympics, which will begin on July 23.
An NBA spokesperson contends that through 50 games, the number of injuries is actually down from last season and is within the normal range for the past five years. The league took steps this year to cut down on travel, such as having teams play a two-game series at some stops and reducing the number of one-game road trips.
Complicating the schedule was the high number of games that were postponed during the first half of the season because of COVID-19 outbreaks. Most of those games are being made up in the second half, forcing some teams to play far more often than normal.
The Grizzlies, for example, play three games in four nights 22 times over the second half, although some of those overlap. Memphis also has eight instances of five games in seven days, which is the most in the league, followed by the Spurs with seven and the Pistons, Rockets and Mavericks with five each. The Heat went 51 games without more than one day of rest between games, which is the longest stretch since the lockout season in 2011/12.
The NBA is coming off a shortened offseason as some playoff teams played into October last year, then started the new season in December. Silver has expressed optimism that next season will start on time, so players will again have limited time to recover this summer. The NBA Finals could go last late as July 22, and Summer League in Las Vegas is expected to be held in August.
“This whole two-year period will have a marked long-term effect on players many years down the line,” a general manager said. “It’s like if your power goes out. You have to burn candles if you want light. If you burn them, you won’t have them the next time your power goes out. We are burning through the players right now at an alarming rate. But again, what’s the alternative? Twenty-five-man rosters? Fewer games? It’s not just a ‘league thing.’ It all required collaboration with the NBPA. It’s a shared responsibility, driven almost exclusively by the seduction of (money).”
No New COVID-19 Cases Among Players Since April 7
There were no confirmed positives in the latest round of COVID-19 testing, the NBA announced on Twitter. This marks the first time since Feb. 3 with no positive results in the weekly tests. The league reported that 488 players have been undergone testing since April 7.
The NBA appears to gotten its COVID-19 situation under control, having announced just one positive test in each of the previous three weeks. After a slew of postponements in January and February, no games have been affected by the virus since March 2.
With a little more than four weeks remaining in the regular season, today’s news offers hope that the playoffs can be held without any virus-related disruption.
Joe Johnson Will Work Out For Bucks
Joe Johnson will make another attempt at an NBA comeback, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. The 39-year-old swingman has a workout scheduled with the Bucks this week, sources tell Scotto.
Johnson has been out of the league since the 2017/18 season, when he played a combined 55 games for the Jazz and Rockets. He was part of the Team USA squad at the AmericaCup qualifying event in February, averaging 11 points, nine rebounds and 6.5 assists in two games.
He’s also known for his time in the BIG3 League, where he captured MVP honors in 2019 and earned a training camp invitation from the Pistons. He survived until the end of camp, but lost a battle for the final roster spot to Christian Wood.
Johnson played 17 NBA seasons and appeared in seven All-Star Games. Scotto suggests the Bucks are intrigued by his extensive playoff experience, as well as his ability to stretch the floor and score in isolation.
Milwaukee has an open roster spot, so Johnson could be added without making another move.
Pelicans Won’t Re-Sign Isaiah Thomas Immediately
The 10-day contract that Isaiah Thomas signed with the Pelicans has expired, and the team doesn’t plan to re-sign him to another deal right away, tweets Andrew Lopez of ESPN.
No decision has been made on the long-term future for Thomas, Lopez adds, but the team has luxury tax concerns and may use the entire two weeks the league allows to re-add a 14th man (Twitter link). Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link) provides some additional details on how the Pelicans could eventually fill their two open roster spots before the end of the season while avoiding the tax.
Thomas made a positive impression on the Pelicans during his 10 days with the club, bringing veteran leadership and mentoring young players. However, recent injuries to Josh Hart and Nickeil Alexander-Walker could affect what New Orleans decides to do with its roster (Twitter link).
Playing for the first time in more than a year, Thomas appeared in three games, averaging 7.7 points and 1.7 assists in 16 minutes per night. If the Pelicans decide to re-sign him, they can offer one more 10-day contract before having to decide whether to keep him for the rest of the season.
Donta Hall Signs 10-Day Contract With Magic
APRIL 13: The Magic have officially signed Hall to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. In order to create room for Hall on the 15-man roster, Orlando released Devin Cannady from his 10-day deal, which had been set to expire on Thursday night.
The Magic are also reportedly planning to waive two-way player Karim Mané, so we’ll wait to see if Cannady ends up returning to the team on a two-way contract of his own.
APRIL 9: The Magic will add big man Donta Hall to their roster on a 10-day deal, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Hall also signed a 10-day contract with the Raptors in February, but didn’t appear in any games for Toronto. He played three games for the Raptors’ G League affiliate in the Orlando “bubble,” along with nine games for G League Ignite, averaging a combined 10.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per night.
The 23-year-old had brief NBA stays last season with the Pistons, who signed him to a pair of 10-day contracts, and the Nets, who added him as a replacement player for the summer restart. Hall played nine total games as a rookie, averaging 4.3 PPG and 4.2 RPG.
Orlando has a roster opening, so it won’t have to make a move before adding Hall. He will earn $99,020 on the 10-day contract.