Injury Updates: R. Jackson, Hachimura, Wagner, R. Williams
Pistons guard Reggie Jackson hopes to play tonight after being sidelined since the second game of the season with a back injury, tweets Rod Beard of The Detroit News. Jackson is officially listed as questionable for the game against the Kings. He’ll be on a minutes restriction and isn’t sure if he’ll be used as a starter or a reserve (Twitter link).
“I don’t know how well I’m going to feel. Adrenaline is a different thing so I imagine I’ll probably be winded a little early,” Jackson said (Twitter link).
There’s more injury news to pass along:
- Wizards rookie Rui Hachimura has been cleared for all basketball activities, head coach Scott Brooks told reporters, including Candace Buckner of The Washington Post (Twitter link). Hachimura hasn’t played since suffering a groin injury December 16. “It’ll be great to have him back before the All-Star break, but you never know,” Brooks said (Twitter link).
- The Wizards also got good news on Moritz Wagner, who has been cleared for non-contact activities after a check-up in New York City, Buckner tweets. Wagner has missed the past month with a sprained left ankle.
- Injured Celtics center Robert Williams was able to do some running Tuesday and is set for another scan and evaluation February 4, the team tweeted. Team doctors expect to have a more concrete idea of when he can start playing again after that session. Williams has a bone edema in his left hip and won’t return until after the All-Star break.
- Cavaliers center Ante Zizic is out indefinitely, tweets Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. He has been diagnosed with a vestibular condition that has forced him to miss the past five games.
- Nuggets coach Michael Malone told reporters that among his injured rotation players, Gary Harris is the closest to returning, relays Mike Singer of The Denver Post (Twitter link). “When I say closest, I don’t know how close that is,” Malone explained. “Paul (Millsap) and Jamal (Murray) are still a ways off.”
Amar’e Stoudemire Signs With Israeli Team
Veteran forward Amar’e Stoudemire is returning to Israel and has signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv for the rest of the season, according to Michael Bachner of The Times of Israel.
We relayed last month that Stoudemire was working out in South Florida in hopes of getting another chance at the NBA. The 37-year-old played briefly in China at the start of the season, but left after 11 games because he wasn’t happy being so far away from his family.
As Bachner explains, Stoudemire’s latest move sent shock waves throughout Israeli basketball because he is still a part-owner of his former team, Hapoel Jerusalem, which is an arch rival of Maccabi Tel Aviv. Because he has become a citizen of Israel, Stoudemire qualifies as an Israeli player. He will make roughly $55K a month.
“I am very humbled for the opportunity, happy to be in Israel, the place that I love,” Stoudemire said in a statement on Maccabi’s website. “I have a chance to play in the highest level in Europe, which is a dream come true.”
Maccabi is leading the Israeli league and has been successful in the EuroLeague, but has been hurt by injuries to several key players, including Omri Casspi.
Pelicans Ready for Zion Williamson’s Debut
The long wait for Zion Williamson is almost over as the celebrated rookie is set to make his NBA debut tonight. He was projected to miss six to eight weeks after undergoing meniscus surgery in late October, but the actual recovery time turned out to be 13 1/2 weeks as the Pelicans were extremely cautious with their franchise cornerstone. Williamson tells Andrew Lopez of ESPN that the long wait was often difficult for him to accept.
“There’s a lot of times when I wanted to punch a wall or kick chairs because it’s frustrating,” Williamson said. “To not be able to move your body the way you want to, not to make any athletic movements; I mean, it’s tough. Especially because I’m 19 and I haven’t even played my first NBA game. It was tough but I battled through it.”
The rehab process included changes to his diet and the way he moves to help reduce the stress on his knees. That includes learning a new way to land after jumping.
“I think it’s not landing straight legs, kind of don’t let all my force go into my legs,” he said. “It’s a lot of technical stuff. I really couldn’t explain it to you, to be honest. I could probably show you on a video better.”
Williamson is aware of the immense expectations surrounding his first regular season game. A sell-out crowd is anticipated, and teammate Brandon Ingram said this week he expects every home game to be sold out for the rest of the season. The Pelicans have played their way back into the playoff race after a 6-22 start, and fans believe Williamson will push them over the top.
He doesn’t mind sharing that enthusiasm.
“We did go through a bad stretch, but things have turned around,” Williamson said. “Everybody’s been playing better. I’m just looking to go join in and have some fun.”
There’s more surrounding the star rookie’s first game:
- The Pelicans have “really pulled back in trade talks among all their players” in hopes of making a playoff push, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said Tuesday on SportsCenter (video link from Tommy Beer of Forbes). The New Orleans front office wants to see how the team does in the seven games before the February 6 trade deadline before making a decision on the availability of Jrue Holiday and J.J. Redick, Woj adds.
- Williamson’s debut comes with a few concerns, notes Dan Devine of The Ringer. Playing alongside Derrick Favors gives the Pelicans two frontcourt players with limited shooting range, and Zion’s presence might take away shots from Ingram, who is making a bid for the All-Star team. Also there are questions about whether New Orleans’ best small-ball lineup — Williamson, Ingram, Holiday, Redick and Lonzo Ball — can defend well enough to be effective.
- Williamson has half a season to try to pass Grizzlies guard Ja Morant in the Rookie of the Year race, writes Preston Ellis of Bleacher Report, who observes that nobody has ever won the award while playing fewer than 50 games.
Magic Granted Disabled Player Excpetion
The Magic have received a disabled player exception for Al-Farouq Aminu, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic, citing reporting from Shams Charania.
The DPE is worth $4,629,000, which is half of Aminu’s salary for this season. It can only be used to sign a player for the rest of the season or to trade or make a waiver claim for a player with an expiring contract. Orlando is safely below the tax line and may try to take advantage of the DPE before the March 10 deadline.
Unlike the hardship provision, the DPE also doesn’t give the team an extra roster spot. The Magic currently have a full roster, but Gary Clark is on a 10-day contract that will expire tomorrow. Orlando also applied for a $2,903,220 DPE for Jonathan Isaac and is still awaiting a decision from the league.
Aminu had surgery earlier this month to fix a torn meniscus in his right knee. The team said he would be re-evaluated in 12 weeks, but he wasn’t expected back before April. The NBA only grants DPEs when players are expected to be sidelined through at least June 15, so it appears likely that Aminu’s season is over. He has two seasons left on the three-year deal he signed with Orlando over the summer.
With the Pistons receiving a DPE for Blake Griffin earlier today, that brings the total to seven for the season, which ties a record set in 2017/18, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. The Wizards ($4.36MM), Pelicans ($3.62MM), Trail Blazers ($2.85MM), Lakers ($1.75MM) and Nets ($839K) have already been granted DPEs, as our tracker shows.
Mason Plumlee Out 2-To-4 Weeks With Foot Injury
The Nuggets expect center Mason Plumlee to miss two weeks to a month because of an injured right foot, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Plumlee has been diagnosed with a cuboid injury, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post. He rolled the right foot after landing on a Timberwolves player during the first half of Monday’s game, but later returned to action. He said after the game that he received treatment from the training staff and X-rays didn’t reveal any damage.
“I just came down on someone’s foot,” he said. “X-rays were good.”
Through 43 games, Plumlee is averaging 7.4 points and 5.6 rebounds in about 17 minutes per night.
Pistons Awarded Disabled Player Exception
The Pistons have been granted the $9.2MM disabled player exception they requested in the wake of an injury to Blake Griffin, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
As we noted two weeks ago, Detroit isn’t expected to use the exception to add a free agent because the team is so close to the tax line. However, it could prove useful on the trade market, allowing the team to move possibly Derrick Rose or Langston Galloway and take back a player with an expiring contract that fits into the DPE. That would create a $7.3MM trade exception (the amount of Rose’s or Galloway’s cap hit) that could be used this summer or next season.
Because the league only grants DPEs for players who are considered highly likely to be out of action until June 15, it’s safe to assume that Griffin’s season is now over, adds Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). Griffin was declared to be out indefinitely after undergoing an arthroscopic debridement of his left knee on January 7.
According to Marks, the Pistons are just $3,669 under the luxury tax and just $5.8MM below the hard cap.
After a 16-28 start, Detroit is expected to be active on the trade market before the February 6 deadline. Andre Drummond has been prominently mentioned as a trade possibility, although interest around the league seems to have declined recently, with both the Hawks and Knicks pulling back.
Larry Fitzgerald Now Part Owner Of Suns
NFL star Larry Fitzgerald has purchased an undisclosed share of the Suns, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Adam Schefter of ESPN.
A longtime receiver with the Arizona Cardinals, Fitzgerald has forged a strong working relationship with Suns managing partner Robert Sarver and has been serving as an ambassador for the team.
Fitzgerald was part of the interview process when the organization hired Jeff Bower as senior vice president of basketball operations in April. He also helped to canvass for a public arena vote, but he won’t become more active with the NBA team until he retires from football, according to the authors. Fitzgerald signed a one-year extension with the Cardinals last week.
He becomes the second prominent NFL player to invest in the NBA, joining Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who bought part of the Bucks in 2018.
Wojnarowski and Schefter point out that Fitzgerald is well respected in the Phoenix community and should bring more credibility to the Suns and to Sarver, who has frequently been a target of fan anger amidst a string of losing seasons. Fitzgerald does extensive charitable work and was selected as the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2016.
“It’s an investment in something I have supported since I’ve been in Arizona,” Fitzgerald told Jim Trotter of NFL.com. “It gives me another connection in the community I love and always will live in. It’s a long-term commitment I wanted to make for life after football.”
Sarver and Fitzgerald have a friendship that dates back to 2005, a year after the wide receiver was drafted into the NFL, Trotter adds. Sarver brought up the idea of investing in the team two years ago when Fitzgerald was thinking of retiring.
“I had never really given it any thought before then,” Fitzgerald said. “I asked him to give me a little bit of time to think about it and wrap my mind around it. I thought it was a unique opportunity because I hadn’t heard of many other [athletes] doing it, but I wanted to really think about it because it’s a substantial capital commitment. It’s not something small.”
Wizards Notes: Beal, Wall, McRae, Sheppard
The Wizards need to figure out the source of Bradley Beal‘s frustration and address it right away, writes David Aldridge of The Athletic. Beal lashed out at the team’s “culture” after a tough loss Wednesday in Chicago and said he was frustrated to keep seeing “winnable games” slip away. A source tells Aldridge it was the angriest he has seen Beal since he came to Washington in 2012.
Aldridge notes that the organization went through a major culture change during the offseason, possibly sparked by a similar tirade from Beal last year. Tommy Sheppard replaced Ernie Grunfeld as general manager and upgraded the Wizards’ development staff and pro personnel office. The team now values analytics and second-round draft picks and has a direct relationship with its G League affiliate.
With those changes in place, Aldridge suggests that Beal is now upset about the culture inside the locker room, specifically a lax approach to defense. Whatever the issue is, Aldridge notes that Beal has plenty of close friends around the league who would love to play alongside him. He signed a two-year extension in October, but could start looking for a way out if things don’t improve next season.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- John Wall participated in a “controlled” four-on-four scrimmage with teammates at today’s practice, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic. It’s a step up for Wall, who had been playing four-on-four with the player development staff. He has also taken part in three-on-two and two-on-one drills with other Wizards players, said coach Scott Brooks (Twitter link), who added that he still isn’t sure if Wall will try to return this season.
- Jordan McRae‘s ankle injury appears less serious than the Wizards originally feared, Katz adds (Twitter link). McRae was in a walking boot after Friday’s game, but he was able to practice today as a limited participant.
- Sheppard is restoring fans’ faith in the front office with a series of successful moves, observes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. First-round pick Rui Hachimura looked like a solid NBA player before his injury, while Davis Bertans, Moritz Wagner and Isaac Bonga were all acquired for virtually nothing in return. Sheppard also opted to sign Ish Smith instead of giving a big contract to Tomas Satoransky, and has gotten good production from Garrison Mathews, Anzejs Pasecniks and Gary Payton II.
Royce O’Neale Signs Four-Year Extension With Jazz
12:32pm: The extension is official, the Jazz announced on Twitter.
11:43am: Royce O’Neale has agreed to a four-year, $36MM extension with the Jazz, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The news was confirmed by O’Neale’s agents, Ty Sullivan and Steven Heumann of CAA Sports, who say their client plans to sign the deal today.
The third-year forward is making $1.6MM this season and was headed for restricted free agency this summer. He became a full-time starter this season and is averaging career highs with 6.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 44.3% from 3-point range. He’s also a defensive specialist who often takes on the opponent’s toughest matchup.
O’Neale went undrafted out of Baylor and played two seasons in Europe before signing with the Jazz in 2017. Wojnarowski notes that he’s the latest success story for a Utah franchise that puts heavy emphasis on player development.
The extension gives the Jazz 14 players under contract for the 2020/21 season, including their first-round pick, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. The team is $18MM under the projected tax line and still has a $9.8MM mid-level and a $3.9MM biannual exception to work with. Upcoming free agents are Jordan Clarkson, whom the team has Bird rights on, and Emmanuel Mudiay.
Pacers Notes: Brogdon, Sabonis, Oladipo, Warren
Malcolm Brogdon has taken on the closer’s role in his first season with the Pacers, at least until Victor Oladipo returns, writes Scott Agness of The Athletic. In training camp, it wasn’t clear who might get that designation with nine new players on the roster, but Brogdon, who was acquired from the Bucks in a sign-and-trade, feels comfortable making decisions that will win or lose games.
“It’s a privilege,” he said. “Being the closer, sometimes it’s about making the last shot, but sometimes it’s about making the right play, making the right pass. My teammates, this organization, my coach — they trust me with the ball, and I’m going to continue to make good decisions.”
Indiana is using Brogdon as a full-time point guard, Agness adds, instead of a floor spacer like he was in Milwaukee. As a result, he has eight double-doubles this season after just three in his first three years in the NBA.
“I was hoping for it,” he said of the point guard duties. “Especially with Vic being out, I was hoping I could be that guy, but I knew I had to prove myself. And now that I’ve proven myself, Coach and my teammates allow me to do that and empower me to do that.”
There’s more from Indiana:
- Doctors don’t believe Domantas Sabonis is risking further injury by playing with a bone bruise in his left knee, Agness relays in a separate story. After he was checked by the team doctor, his representatives had two other specialists examine the knee before any decision was made. “There’s swelling in the bone that all doctors say can’t get worse unless you get hit in that same spot,” he said. “It’s the same thing if I get hit in my healthy knee. There’s the same chance. It’s not a muscle or anything, so by doing more stuff, you can’t technically get it worse.”
- Oladipo remained in Indiana as the team left for a nine-day road trip, Agness adds in the same piece. He plans to practice with the team’s G League affiliate as he prepares for his season debut January 29.
- Picking up T.J. Warren in an offseason trade with the Suns has provided a boost for the Pacers’ offense, observes Mark Montieth of NBA.com. Warren is averaging 18.1 PPG and his versatility has made the team more difficult to defend. “He can score any way possible,” Jeremy Lamb said. “Off the dribble. Catch and shoot. Floaters. Threes. Pull-ups. Post-ups. However you want it, he’ll give it to you.”