Injury Updates: Curry, Iguodala, Embiid, Thunder
Stephen Curry has shown “steady functional progress” on his MCL sprain and remains on target for a second-round return, according to Sam Amick of USA Today.
The Warriors provided a medical update on Curry before today’s playoff opener, including the news that he “will intensify his on-court rehabilitation in the coming days.” The team’s medical staff examined Curry yesterday and plans a re-evaluation in one week. His rehab program will consist of “more running and lateral movement.”
“When he’s ready, he’s ready,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “But he’s making progress, which is a good sign.”
Curry hasn’t played since suffering a Grade 2 MCL sprain March 23. He had missed the previous six games with a right ankle injury.
“Every day has been something good, advancing the rehab process,” Curry said. “I’m looking forward to hopefully making more progress as we look towards the playoffs. It’s been an interesting two weeks so far. Just trying to get some rhythm, some strength back, some flexibility, range of motion, all that type of stuff.”
There’s more injury news involving playoff teams:
- Warriors forward Andre Iguodala appears to be OK after taking a hard hit to his leg in the first half of today’s game, tweets Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. He was diagnosed with just a charley horse, but Kerr said it’s fortunate that Iguodala wasn’t needed late in the game.
- Joel Embiid is optimistic about his chances to return for Game 2 or 3 of the Sixers‘ series with Miami, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. Embiid underwent facial surgery March 31 after breaking an orbital bone in an on-court collision. He has to prove he can handle contact before being medically cleared to play, but he took steps in that direction this week (Twitter link). “If it was my decision I would play, but I can’t get back out on the court if I don’t have the OK from them,” Embiid said. “But everything has been going well.” He spent about 30 minutes shooting before tonight’s game wearing a black protective mask that the league hasn’t approved for game use (Twitter link).
- The status of two injured Thunder players remains in question heading into Sunday’s playoff opener, according to Erik Horne of The Oklahoman. Alex Abrines, who has been in concussion protocol since Monday, participated in practice today but didn’t do any drills that involved contact. Corey Brewer, who suffered a right knee sprain Wednesday, went through some contact drills after missing Thursday’s practice. “We’ll see how they responded from it” coach Billy Donovan said. “They both seemed fine with what they were doing. Whether or not they’ll be available tomorrow, we’ll probably find that out in the morning.”
Clippers Planning Trade Offer For Kawhi Leonard
The Clippers will among the teams ready to pounce if the Spurs decide to trade Kawhi Leonard this summer, reports Sam Amick of USA Today.
Leonard would offer L.A. a chance to rebuild quickly after missing the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons. Clippers consultant Jerry West is known to be a huge fan of Leonard, who grew up in Moreno Valley near Los Angeles. Amick speculates that the team would be willing to part with both first rounders in this year’s draft (its own, plus the Pistons’ pick if it falls outside the top four), along with whatever else is necessary to land Leonard.
Speculation about Leonard’s future in San Antonio increased today when he didn’t join the team for its playoff opener at Golden State. Leonard recently made his second trip of the season to New York to consult with his personal physicians about a lingering quad injury, and Pau Gasol said Spurs players haven’t seen their teammate for several weeks.
Leonard has remained in contact with several players and texted at least one of them this morning, Amick notes, but his absence enforced the idea that his behind-the-scenes relationship with the organization isn’t good, especially when contrasted with injured Warriors’ star Stephen Curry sitting alongside his teammates and supporting them throughout the game.
Twitter was filled with comments from media members and Spurs fans blasting Leonard for his absence, relays Chris Quinn of The San Antonio Express-News.
Leonard, who played just nine games this season, will be eligible for a Designated Veteran Extension this summer that would pay him $219MM over five seasons. He can opt out of his current deal and become a free agent in 2019, so the Spurs may decide to move him if they can’t work out an extension.
Knicks Reach Out To Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson
The Knicks have contacted the agents for Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson in their search for a head coach to replace Jeff Hornacek, according to Frank Isola of The New York Daily News.
The partners on ABC/ESPN broadcasts are part of a growing list of candidates that includes David Fizdale, who confirmed that he will interview with the team next week, and Jerry Stackhouse, who could have an interview date in place by Monday. Isola couldn’t confirm whether the Knicks have spoken to Villanova coach Jay Wright, who was in Italy today for an audience with the Pope.
The Knicks contacted Fizdale more than two weeks ago, Isola adds, and some league officials consider him the early favorite to land the job. He led the Grizzlies to the playoffs last season before being fired after 19 games this year in the wake of frequent clashes with Marc Gasol.
Van Gundy is the only one of the current candidates who has a coaching history in New York. He guided the Knicks for five full seasons and parts of two others, including a trip to the 1999 NBA Finals. He hasn’t coached at the NBA level for more than a decade after being fired by the Rockets in 2007, but has worked with USA Basketball and won a gold medal at the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup.
Jackson is also popular in New York, where he played for seven seasons. He coached the Warriors to back-to-back playoff appearances before being let go in 2014. Knicks president Steve Mills recently talked to Warriors GM Bob Myers about coaching attributes, Isola adds, and Jackson’s name probably came up.
Atlantic Notes: Porzingis, Noah, Raptors, Celtics
Kristaps Porzingis won’t have an active role in the Knicks‘ search for a new coach, relays Ian Begley of ESPN. The injured Latvian star made that clear before meeting today with team president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry, telling reporters, “That’s [management’s] job.” The next coach will be the fourth for Porzingis in his four years with the franchise.
“The situation is what it is. I’m sure the front office, they will make the right decisions and build something that can go a long way,” Porzingis said. “I think they will make the right decisions, so we have to trust them.”
Despite the dysfunction, Porzingis added that he wants his long-term future to be in New York. He is eligible for five-year extension worth about $157MM, although the Knicks may wait until next summer to maximize cap room and see how he recovers from the torn ACL he suffered in February. Porzingis said he is focused on rehabbing the injury, which is expected to keep him sidelined until at least December, and his contract situation won’t affect when he plans to return.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Whether Joakim Noah returns to the Knicks next season remains uncertain, but Perry might have dropped a clue this week, according to Chris Iseman of NorthJersey.com. The GM didn’t include the veteran center when he broke the news to players about Jeff Hornacek‘s firing. Noah, who finished the season on an extended leave of absence, still has two years and $37.8MM remaining on the huge contract he signed in 2016. If the team decides to use the stretch provision on September 1 or later, it could open up an additional $12MM in cap space for next summer. Perry said the issue will be examined this offseason.
- The Raptors are reaping the benefits of remaining patient three seasons ago, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet. After being swept by the Wizards in a 2015 playoff series, team president Masai Ujiri elected to keep the core of the team — Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and Jonas Valanciunas — and to retain coach Dwane Casey. The Raptors have remained among the best teams in the East and enter this year’s playoffs as a No. 1 seed. “Everybody is trying to flip the switch on everything,” Casey said. “But Masai had patience, saw what’s coming and stuck with it.”
- Celtics coach Brad Stevens is planning a tighter rotation for the playoffs, relays Tom Westerholm of MassLive. That means reduced playing time for Abdel Nader and Guerschon Yabusele, but Westerholm expects Semi Ojeleye to get minutes because he can match up defensively with Bucks’ star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Richardson, Fizdale, Morris
Injured Sixers center Joel Embiid must pass through the NBA’s concussion protocol, but he has been free of concussion symptoms since March 29, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. That was the day after Embiid suffered an orbital bone fracture in a collision with teammate Markelle Fultz.
The team is hoping Embiid can be ready sometime during the first round of the playoffs. There are steps that Embiid has to meet before he can be cleared for full activity, but Pompey reports that the Sixers are confident he’ll be able to (Twitter link). Philadelphia has gone 5-0 without Embiid, but his 22.9 and 11.0 rebounds per night and his presence on defense will be important in the postseason.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Malachi Richardson envisions a long-term role with the Raptors, but for now he’s trying to prove himself in the G League, writes David Yapkowitz of Basketball Insiders. Richardson is averaging 7.2 points per game while helping Raptors 905 reach the championship series, which starts tonight. He has played just one NBA game since being acquired from the Kings in a deal at the deadline. He has one year left on his contract and is counting on a strong summer league performance to convince the organization he can be a rotation player. “I just have to keep getting better,” Richardson said. “From defending, making shots, fitting into a role, just finding my niche and getting good. Fitting in with the guys and getting better.”
- When the Heat came to New York Friday, Dwyane Wade offered a suggestion if the Knicks plan to replace coach Jeff Hornacek once the season ends, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. Wade advocated for David Fizdale, a longtime assistant in Miami, who fired earlier this season in Memphis. “He’s a phenomenal coach — everyone has seen that in the job he was able to do in Memphis [last season],’’ Wade said. “I definitely think his name will be in the running for a lot of jobs. He’s going to bring to a team his work ethic, a great offensive-minded coach, but has defensive principles from Miami [president] Pat Riley has installed in every coach that’s come here.”
- Technicals have been an issue recently for Celtics forward Marcus Morris, who has been tossed from two games in the past week, but he promises to tone down his approach in the playoffs, according to Taylor Snow of NBA.com. “I promise I won’t get any techs unless we’re just getting blatantly cheated,” he said. “I want my team to win, so I won’t put my team in jeopardy or anything like that. But I’ll still be passionate about the game.”
Cavaliers Notes: Lue, Rotation, White, Blatt
Tyronn Lue is the latest example of a coach who expects his players to keep themselves in top shape, but doesn’t do the same for himself, writes Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com. Lue returned to the Cavaliers’ sideline Thursday after missing nine games with health-related issues. Twice this season, he hasn’t been able to come out of the locker room for the second half because of his health.
Lue had been experiencing severe anxiety and sleep deprivation. He admitted having a poor diet and not working out to stay fit. Doctors wouldn’t have let Lue start coaching again if they weren’t convinced his physical problems were under control, Pluto adds, but he says Lue and other coaches with access to trainers and healthy meals shouldn’t let themselves get in such bad condition.
There’s more today out of Cleveland:
- The Cavs’ playoff rotation is virtually set, with George Hill and Rodney Hood projected to start in the backcourt, alongside LeBron James, Jeff Green and Kevin Love, Pluto adds in the same story. That assumes Hill, who is sidelined with a sprained ankle, can be ready for the start of the playoffs. If not, Jose Calderon will take over. Tristan Thompson and Larry Nance will likely be competing for the final rotation spot.
- Okaro White‘s new contract includes a non-guaranteed $1.5MM for next season, according to a post from Bobby Marks on ESPN Now. The 25-year-old forward will get a partial guarantee if he is still with the team in early August and a full guarantee if he is on the roster for the season opener. He will earn a little more than $37K for the rest of this season, plus any playoff bonuses the team collects. In addition to reaching the NBA-mandated roster minimum, the main purpose of the deal is to give the Cavs a chance to evaluate White during summer league play.
- Former Cavaliers coach David Blatt wants to be considered for an NBA job next season, relays Nicola Lupo of Sportando. “I want to get a position in the NBA again when this season ends,” Blatt said in an interview with TV channel Tivibu Sport in Turkey. “I want to get another chance in the NBA. If it happens, I’ll be thrilled. If it does not, I’ll still be thrilled because I’ll still be in Europe where I am comfortable and happy.” Blatt has been coaching Darussafaka in the Turkish Super League and the Euroleague since Cleveland fired him midway through the 2015/16 season.
Knicks Notes: Porzingis, Hornacek, Perry, Dotson
Kristaps Porzingis‘ brief appearance at Saturday’s game for Lavtian Heritage Night provided a reminder of how valuable he is to the Knicks, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. New York is 6-26 without Porzingis, who isn’t expected to return from a torn ACL until November or December. The Knicks are a different team without his ability to space the floor on offense and protect the rim on defense
The organization faces a difficult decision this summer about whether to offer Porzingis a $150MM extension or to wait another year and deal with him as a restricted free agent. Bondy writes that there are advantages to delaying the offer and seeing how Porzingis heals while maximizing 2019 cap space, but securing a long-term commitment as quickly as possibly would provide peace of mind and fend off any resentment that Porzingis might have left over after skipping his exit interview last year.
There’s more this morning out of New York:
- The Knicks’ intentions with coach Jeff Hornacek should be clear in a few days, Bondy tweets. This year’s exit interviews with players are set for Thursday, but he notes that coaches who are going to be fired typically don’t get to participate.
- Resolving the coaching situation is just part of the agenda for Scott Perry in his first full offseason as Knicks GM, states Al Iannazzone of Newsday. Perry also needs to find a small forward, resolve the situations at point guard and center, improve the team’s athleticism and find ways to develop younger players. Iannazzone suggests that Troy Williams might be a long-term answer at small forward, or the Knicks may try to get Villanova’s Mikal Bridges in the draft.
- Damyean Dotson set a few team milestones with his 30-point, 11-rebound performance Friday night, writes Fred Kerber of The New York Post. He was the first Knicks rookie guard to reach those numbers in the same game in 54 years and the first rookie in the organization to do so off the bench since the league began keeping track of starts in 1970/71. A second-round pick, Dotson has spent much of his first season in the G League. “We had a lot of guys at that position. That makes it tough. He’s done a good job of bouncing back and forth from the G- League. He gets good reps there and that’s what we use that for,” Hornacek said. “He practices every day with the guys and that’s going to make him a better player. I think that it has.”
Warriors Waive Omri Casspi; Quinn Cook Signing Imminent
In a long-anticipated move, the Warriors have waived veteran forward Omri Casspi to create a roster opening for Quinn Cook, writes Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News.
Cook, Golden State’s starting point guard with Stephen Curry sidelined by injury, must have his two-way deal converted to a standard NBA contract by Tuesday to be eligible for the postseason. The Warriors have discussed a two-year arrangement that will run through the 2019/20 season, but don’t plan to officially sign Cook until Tuesday, when playoff rosters must be finalized.
The Warriors were facing a deadline of 5pm Eastern today to waive Casspi because he has a guaranteed contract, tweets Chris Haynes of ESPN. The deadline allows 48 hours for Casspi to pass through waivers and is set for today because some teams wrap up the season on Tuesday, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).
Golden State’s front office was hoping to keep Casspi, but decided the team needed all of its centers — Zaza Pachulia, David West, JaVale McGee, Kevon Looney and Damian Jones — to provide more flexibility for playoff matchups, adds Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link). It’s an unfortunate outcome for Casspi, who bypassed a potentially better deal with the Nets last summer to sign for the veteran’s minimum with the Warriors in hopes of winning a title, Stein adds (Twitter link). Even if another team were to claim him, Casspi wouldn’t be eligible for the playoffs because he was on Golden State’s roster past March 1 (Twitter link).
The decision on Casspi was influenced by a sprained right ankle that has kept him out of the past 10 games, Medina notes. A recent MRI showed inflammation in the ankle and he had discomfort when making hard cuts. Casspi appeared in 53 games this season, averaging 5.7 points and 3.8 rebounds and shooting .455 from 3-point range.
Injury Updates: Thomas, Ball, Irving, Curry
Isaiah Thomas is declaring his right hip to be “fixed” after season-ending surgery, relays Bill Oram of The Orange County Register. Thomas played just 17 games for the Lakers before opting for the March 28 procedure to address lingering problems in the hip. He talked to reporters at Friday’s game and proclaimed his time with in L.A. to be successful.
“I came in here with … nothing on my agenda and nothing in my plans,” Thomas said. “I just wanted to play basketball and get that joy back and being on the Lakers brought that joy back from having a tough couple of months in Cleveland.”
Thomas added that the pain in his hip never went away, even as he sat out for seven months in an attempt to rehab the joint. He expressed confidence that the situation won’t affect his offers in free agency, believing that teams will understand he was trying to play through an injury.
There’s plenty of news tonight on the injury front:
- The season may not be over for rookie guard Lonzo Ball, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Ball, who has missed the past five games with a left knee contusion, participated in some drills today and the Lakers have upgraded him to questionable for Sunday’s contest. Teammate Kyle Kuzma is also questionable after suffering a mild sprain to his left ankle Friday night.
- The Celtics expect Kyrie Irving to be ready for training camp after having knee surgery today, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPN. Irving had two screws removed from his left knee and has a projected recovery time of four to five months. “The surgery went exactly as planned, and we expect Kyrie to be fully healthy for training camp in the fall,” president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said in a prepared statement.
- Celtics center Daniel Theis, who had season-ending surgery on his left knee, said he hopes to be able to get off his crutches in two to three weeks, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston.
- Celtics forward Guerschon Yabusele will have an MRI on his knee after sitting out practice today, according to Tom Westerholm of MassLive. “They don’t think it’s anything,” coach Brad Stevens said of team doctors, “but they’re going to get some imaging just to make sure.”
- Warriors coach Steve Kerr declined to offer an update on Stephen Curry before tonight’s game, tweets Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. The star guard will miss at least the first round of the playoffs with an MCL sprain. “There’s nothing there,” Kerr said. “[Check back] next week.”
- The Nuggets are preparing to finish the season without guard Gary Harris, who is recovering from a knee injury, relays Gina Mizell of The Denver Post (Twitter link). “Right now, I’m not expecting Gary Harris back [in the regular season],” coach Michael Malone said before today’s game. “We have to continue to find ways to win games and compete at a high level with the players that are available, and Gary’s not on that list right now.”
- The Bucks had hoped that Malcolm Brogdon could play tonight, but decided to hold him out for another game, writes Matt Velazquez of The Journal Sentinel. Brogdon hasn’t been available since since partially tearing his left quadriceps tendon more than two months ago. “Honestly there hasn’t been many setbacks,” Brogdon said. “I’ve had maybe two or three sore days in the whole rehab process and that’s not many at all. Very few setbacks. I’ve made progress, progress, taken big steps almost every day so it’s been a very smooth rehab so far.”
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 4/7/18
Here are Saturday’s G League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:
- The Lakers recalled center Thomas Bryant and forward Travis Wear from their South Bay affiliate, the G League team tweeted. The South Bay season is over following a loss to Austin in the Western Conference Finals.
- The Hawks announced the recall of forwards Tyler Cavanaugh and Jeremy Evans from their Erie affiliate, which lost to Raptors 905 in the Eastern Conference Finals.