Bulls Forward Torrey Craig Sidelined For Extended Period
Bulls forward Torrey Craig has been diagnosed with an acute sprain of his right plantar fascia and won’t return to action until sometime after the All-Star break, according to a team press release.
Craig will be immobilized for approximately four weeks, followed by a period of rehabilitation projected to require an additional four-to-six weeks. The injury, which he suffered in the second quarter at Miami on Saturday, was revealed following an MRI on Tuesday.
It’s a significant blow to the team’s frontcourt. Craig was signed during free agency to a two-year contract that included a player option for next season. He’s been a major part of Billy Donovan‘s rotation.
Craig, noted for his defense, is averaging 6.1 points and 4.8 rebounds in 21.2 minutes per night through 27 games, including seven starts. Craig, who turned 33 on Tuesday, played the last two-and-a-half seasons with Phoenix.
Craig had been backing up Patrick Williams at power forward. Terry Taylor, who has only appeared in six games, and second-round pick Julian Phillips could see a significant rise in playing time. The Bulls could also go with a number of smaller lineups to make up for Craig’s absence.
Atlantic Notes: Finney-Smith, Claxton, Sixers’ Bench, Batum
Dorian Finney-Smith has been replaced in the Nets’ starting lineup by high-scoring Cam Thomas but the veteran forward isn’t pouting about it, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post.
“Oh, it wasn’t difficult at all, man. If that’s what they think is going to help us be successful, then I’m with it,” Finney-Smith said. “As long as I’m on the (floor), I can get on the court and play, and play my minutes hard. That’s all I can focus on. If (the Nets) win, everybody’s happy.”
Finney-Smith, who is signed through the 2025/26 season with a player option in the final year, is considered a trade candidate who could fetch draft capital if the Nets make him available.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- When HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto asked Nets center Nic Claxton about a Spencer Dinwiddie comment that Claxton could be worth $100MM in free agency, Claxton didn’t shy away from that notion. “I think he’s definitely telling the truth, but I can’t get caught up in all that,” said Claxton, an unrestricted free agent after the season. “I’ve got to go out and continue to do what I do. I know that financially, I’ll be taken care of at the end of the day.” Claxton added that he loves it in Brooklyn and hopes he can work out a deal with the Nets.
- The Sixers have been involved in a number of blowouts in recent games and that’s given the end-of-the-bench players a chance to shed their warmups for extended action. They’ve been taking those minutes seriously, Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “Obviously, the third unit doesn’t have Joel Embiid,” Mohamed Bamba said. “But we definitely still practice the same plays. We still preach the same spacing and concepts and everything. It’s a matter of — I guess, if you want to say ‘show’ anything — showing the coaches that you know the plays, you know the coverages and you’re really dialed in.”
- Sixers forward Nicolas Batum sat out Tuesday’s practice after leaving Monday’s game against Chicago with right hamstring tightness, Mizell tweets. Coach Nick Nurse said Batum will be out for “a couple days.” Marcus Morris and Robert Covington also missed practice due to illness.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 12/18/2023
The transcript of today’s live chat can be accessed by clicking this link.
Join Luke Adams for our next chat on Thursday.
Cunningham: “Nowhere To Hide” From Losing Streak
There’s something worse than a 23-game losing streak, according to Cade Cunningham. He’d rather suffer through that ignominy than not play at all.
The Pistons are approaching the league’s all-time record for most consecutive losses in a single season. They’ve dropped a franchise-record 23 straight heading into their road game against the Hawks on Monday. The Cavaliers (2010-11) and Sixers (2013-14) each lost 26 in a row.
Detroit’s franchise player said it was even more miserable for him personally to sit in street clothes last season, he told Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press and other media members. Cunningham played just 12 games before undergoing shin surgery.
“Missing those games, I was in a way more dark spot than I am right now, playing and being able to do this,” he said. “I’m having a lot of fun. Losing the games is the worst thing ever, I hate it more than anything. But every day, in warmups, I’m like, ‘I’m blessed to do this. I have another opportunity to play and try to win.’ That’s where it comes from, is just being healthy and being able to play.”
The top overall pick in the 2021 draft is averaging 21.0 points and 7.0 assists per game, but he’s also third in the league in turnovers per night (4.0). He’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension after this season.
It seems likely Cunningham will receive a max extension, despite the Pistons’ misery. The concern right now is avoiding make NBA history. They haven’t even been competitive in recent games, losing by 32 points three separate times in their last five games and by 18 in another.
The team came into the season expecting to show significant improvement. Instead, the rebuild seems to be a colossal failure.
“We all hate where it’s gotten,” Cunningham said. “We can’t believe that it’s gotten to this point. But it is what it is. We gotta fight through it. That’s one of the main things that I’ve been trying to challenge myself with, is fight through it every day, through bumps, bruises.”
Injuries have played a major role in the streak. The Pistons are currently without starting center Jalen Duren, while Bojan Bogdanovic is still working his way into a rhythm after missing the first 19 games of the season.
Cunningham doesn’t run away from his own responsibility for being unable to carry the team to a victory.
“For everybody, we just need all hands on board,” he said. “I’ve been trying to personally take that on and just weather the storm. It’s hard, but I don’t want to hide from it. There’s nowhere to hide.”
Los Angeles Notes: Clippers’ Streak, Coffey, Davis, James
The Clippers have won seven straight, demonstrating how far they’ve come since the James Harden trade, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times writes. Kawhi Leonard has scored 30-plus points in six of the last 10 games, and Leonard, Paul George and Harden are developing into a dominating trio.
“It’s exactly what I envisioned just how we should play and how we can play,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “The biggest thing is just PG, Kawhi and James making each other better on a night-to-night basis.”
We have more on the Los Angeles teams:
- Amir Coffey played 29 minutes for the Clippers on Thursday, scoring 18 points against Golden State. He saw 17 more minutes of action against the Knicks on Saturday after playing sparingly in the first 23 games. Lue said Coffey, who is signed through next season, bulled his way into the rotation, Greif tweets. “He’s earned the right to have the opportunity to play,” Lue said.
- The Clippers’ defense will be tested in all of their games before Christmas, Law Murray of The Athletic notes. They face top-10 offenses in the Pacers, Mavericks and Thunder during their upcoming three-game road trip, then host another top-10 offense in the Celtics. “We’re a defense-first team, and we’ll watch film, see what they like to do, prepare for them and do our best,” Ivica Zubac said. “We know Indy is a great offensive team, and then you got Dallas and OKC, some great offensive teams. But we got some good defenders on this team and guys with high IQ that read very well on defense that can make plays. It’s going to be a great test for us.”
- The Lakers list Anthony Davis (left adductor, hip spasm) and LeBron James (left calf contusion) as questionable for Monday’s home game against the Knicks, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Christian Wood (non-COVID illness) is also listed as questionable.
Southwest Notes: Brooks, Lively, Irving, Rice
Dillon Brooks was determined to beat his former team. The Rockets wing got his wish as they downed the Grizzlies on Friday night, 103-96, with Brooks scoring 26 points in 40 minutes.
“He had 24 of his 26 after the half. He stepped it up offensively,” Rockets head cach Ime Udoka told Kelly Iko of The Athletic and other media members. “He hit a big shot late, but his aggressiveness and scoring was needed in the second half. It felt like the group galvanized around him.”
Brooks’ career with Memphis ended on a sour note, but Houston wanted his edgy attitude and defensive prowess enough to sign him to a four-year, $86MM contract in free agency.
“It’s a lot of emotion. A lot of things I’ve been holding in and just wanted to release for this time,” he said. “It just felt good with my people in the arena, watching me play. It just felt good.”
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Mavericks rookie center Dereck Lively sprained his left ankle against Portland on Saturday night. He’s in a walking boot and won’t play against Denver on Monday, according to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter links). Lively has started in 22 of 23 games.
- Mavericks star guard Kyrie Irving will also miss Monday’s contest, Townsend adds in another tweet. He’s been out since Dec. 8 due to a right heel contusion.
- The Spurs’ NBA G League team in Austin has acquired the rights to undrafted rookie guard Sir’Jabari Rice, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News tweets. He was on a two-way deal until being placed on waivers Thursday to make room for guard David Duke Jr. Rice didn’t appear in an NBA game before being waived.
Ex-G Leaguer Comanche Faces Open Murder Charge
Former Kings NBA G League player Chance Comanche faces an open murder charge in Las Vegas, according to a press release from the Las Vegas Metro police department, James Ham of The Kings Beat tweets.
Comanche, who had been playing for the Kings‘ G League affiliate in Stockton, was released by the team on Friday. He was arrested by the California FBI Criminal Apprehension Team in Sacramento on Friday as a person of interest in the case.
Comanche’s girlfriend, Sakari Harnden, was arrested in Las Vegas on Wednesday on kidnapping charges. Comanche was also charged with kidnapping and is pending extradition to Nevada.
The case involved the Dec. 5 disappearance of Marayna Rodgers. Her remains were discovered in a desert area in Henderson, Nevada “based on information obtained after the arrest of Harnden and Comanche,” according to the release.
Detectives determined that Harnden and Comanche “were responsible for the murder of Rodgers,” per today’s announcement. Charges against them will be amended to open murder.
Comanche played in one game for the Trail Blazers last season, which was his lone NBA appearance. He signed with Sacramento this summer on an Exhibit 10 contract before being waived ahead of the season. He joined the Stockton Kings after clearing waivers.
Suns Claim Theo Maledon Off Waivers
The Suns have claimed guard Theo Maledon off waivers, according to the NBA transactions log.
Maledon was waived on Thursday by Charlotte, where he was playing on a two-way contract. Maledon appeared in 13 games with the Hornets this season, including one start. He was averaging 4.2 points and 2.2 assists in 15.4 minutes per game and shooting just 28.8 percent from the field.
Maledon also played last season with the Hornets after two years with Oklahoma City. Overall, he has averaged 7.9 points, 3.0 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 21.6 minutes over 173 regular season games. Maledon was an early second-round pick in 2020.
The Suns have a full 15-man roster but there was an open two-way spot to slot in Maledon, who will give the team more backcourt depth. Bradley Beal is expected to miss multiple weeks with an ankle injury.
Atlantic Notes: Bridges, Johnson, Grimes, Quickley, Winslow
Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson, two of the players the Nets acquired in the Kevin Durant blockbuster with the Suns last season, will play in Phoenix against their former team on Wednesday.
Bridges is looking forward to it.
“Yeah, excited. Just a lot of years there, a lot of friends there. A lot of fans through the whole journey. It’s going to be exciting,” Bridges told Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “Obviously I’m not excited right now to talk about it, but when it comes, I will. But just get ready, main focus is to go out there and get a win.”
Johnson echoed those comments.
“I’m excited. It’s appreciation you gain for a city and for the fans when you play there for a while,” he said. “And as crazy as it is, you don’t know. That last game I played there, I didn’t know it’d be my last game in a Suns uniform. So it’ll be fun.”
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Knicks guard Quentin Grimes was moved to the second unit and he’s thriving off the bench. In the last two games, he has averaged 16 points on 10.5 shot attempts. “I’m just out there playing free, really,” he told Zach Braziller of the New York Post. “Everybody sees it, just from me going out there, playing with guys trying to get me open shots. It’s easy and fun playing out with the second unit for sure.”
- Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley is listed as questionable with knee inflammation for Wednesday’s game vs. Utah, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post tweets. He didn’t play against Toronto on Monday.
- Justise Winslow, who is trying to work his way back into the league, debuted for the Raptors’ G League affiliate, Raptors 905, on Tuesday, NBA G League tweets. He scored 13 points in 16 minutes. Winslow was waived by Toronto during training camp.
Jazz’s Jordan Clarkson To Miss At Least Two Weeks
Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson will be out at least two weeks due to a leg injury, Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets via a team release.
According to the team, Clarkston suffered a thigh injury in late November, which led to more issues.
The statement read, “During Utah’s game versus New Orleans on Nov. 27, Jordan Clarkson sustained a right thigh contusion after falling into the stands. Following last night’s game against Oklahoma City, he experienced continued hamstring discomfort. Upon further magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Clarkson was diagnosed with a right bicep femoris strain. He will be reevaluated in two weeks.”
Clarkson is averaging a career-best 4.9 assists in 19 games played but his overall offensive numbers have dipped compared to last season, when he averaged a career-high 20.8 points per game while shooting 44.4%. He’s down to 16.6 PPG on 39.9% shooting so far this fall.
Clarkson renegotiated and extended his contract in July. He’s making $23.49MM this season, though his salary drops to $14.1MM next season and $14.3MM in 2025/26.
Collin Sexton, Talen Horton-Tucker and Kris Dunn could all get more playing time with Clarkson sidelined.
Utah’s frontcourt of Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, John Collins are all listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game against the Knicks. That trio didn’t play against the Thunder.