Central Notes: Bulls, Cavaliers, Mitchell, Bucks
The Bulls entered a road back-to-back on a two-game winning streak. They’re still very much in the play-in tournament hunt and coach Billy Donovan said there’s been no discussion about going into tank mode to improve their draft status, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
“I’ve never had a situation from ownership, front office, that said, ‘Listen, we’ve got an opportunity to potentially manipulate or get a higher draft pick. Let’s sit these guys. Let’s play the younger guys and give them an opportunity.’ That’s never taken place,” the Bulls head coach said. “So. I respect that and appreciate that, because I do think that when you line up and play there’s an integrity, and even to the fans, you’re out there trying to win.’’
We have more Central Division news:
- Ricky Rubio and Caris LeVert are the only Cavaliers reserves who can count on a rotation spot during the postseason, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff anticipates an eight- or nine-man rotation and those last two spots could be in flux. “Eight, nine will probably be the most,” Bickerstaff said. “It could depend on our opponent and what we need in the moment. Four of the five starters I think are going to end up playing heavy minutes.”
- Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell had 35 points as the team snapped a three-game losing streak by pounding Toronto on Sunday. Mitchell and Bickerstaff had a meeting prior to the game in which the coach implored his star shooting guard to set the tone, Fedor writes. “When a coach and you have that talk, you kind of have to go out there and get to it,” Mitchell said.
- The impending transfer of ownership in the Bucks’ franchise won’t have a financial impact on the team this season, according to Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. However, new owner Jimmy Haslam could be on the hook for part of this season’s luxury tax bill if the transfer occurs before the end of the league’s awards season.
Pistons Buy Out Nerlens Noel
FEBRUARY 28: Noel has been placed on waivers, the team’s PR department tweets.
FEBRUARY 27: Nerlens Noel and the Pistons have completed a contract buyout, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. Noel will now be placed on waivers before Wednesday’s deadline to preserve his playoff eligibility.
Acquired from the Knicks in a draft-day deal, Noel played sparingly this season as Detroit evaluated younger players. He only appeared in 14 games, averaging 2.3 PPG and 2.6 RPG in 10.9 MPG.
Noel, who has played for Philadelphia, Dallas and Oklahoma City, had a $9.24MM salary this season with a club option for $9.68MM next season. That team option will come off the Pistons’ books and this season’s cap hit also figures to be reduced slightly.
Noel reportedly wasn’t actively seeking out a buyout earlier this month but obviously changed his mind. He’s expected to have multiple contenders pursuing his services once he clears waivers.
As ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (Twitter link), Noel is the 10th player to be bought out since the trade deadline.
Detroit now has an open roster spot, though the club doesn’t necessarily have to fill it right away.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 2/28/2023
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LeBron James Expected To Be Out Multiple Weeks
FEBRUARY 28, 11:04am: James is expected to be reevaluated in two weeks to see how his injured right foot has progressed, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). However, James could be out for longer than that.
The Lakers’ place in the standings in a couple weeks may be a factor in the decision on when it makes sense for LeBron to return, Woj adds.
FEBRUARY 27, 6:41pm: LeBron James could miss an extended period of time due to a right foot injury, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports. He’ll get multiple medical opinions regarding the injury, but the Lakers are bracing for his absence to span multiple weeks, Charania adds (Twitter links).
James suffered the injury during Sunday’s game against Dallas, in which the Lakers rallied from a 27-point deficit to pull out a 111-108 win. James played through the injury on Sunday but the team has already listed him as out for its game against Memphis on Tuesday, Jovan Buha of The Athletic notes (Twitter link).
James’ absence could be a crushing blow to the Lakers’ playoff hopes. They’re currently 29-32 and 12th in the Western Conference standings.
James admitted after Sunday’s game that he was hurting, Dave McMenamin of ESPN relays.
“It’s been better,” James said. “That’s for sure. But I definitely wasn’t going to go to the locker room and not finish the game out tonight. Just understood the importance of the game, and then with the momentum that we had, I felt like we could still win after being down. We’ll monitor it the next couple days, see how it feels and go from there.”
James, who has already missed 14 games this season, is averaging 29.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists per night. He said during the All-Star break he was determined to play every game the rest of the season, eager to get back to the postseason after the Lakers failed to qualify last season.
Without James, the Lakers will have to rely more on newcomer Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura, as well as Troy Brown Jr. and Lonnie Walker.
LaMelo Ball Fractures Right Ankle, Out For Season
FEBRUARY 28: Ball will miss the rest of the season after fracturing his right ankle, confirms Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
FEBRUARY 27: Hornets star guard LaMelo Ball suffered a fractured right ankle against Detroit on Monday night, the team’s PR department tweets.
Though no recovery timeline has been formally announced, it’s safe to say it’s a season-ending injury. The non-contact injury occurred when Ball fell awkwardly after a behind-the-back dribble during the third quarter.
Ball has been snakebit by ankle injuries this season. He sprained his left ankle multiple times.
His first ankle injury occurred during a preseason game on October 10 and he was diagnosed with a Grade 2 sprain the following day.
Ball missed the first 13 games of the regular season with the injury, then re-injured his ankle in his third game back on November 16. He missed an additional 11 games while recovering from the second sprain before returning to action in December. Ball sprained the ankle once more in mid-January.
Ball has appeared in just 36 games this season. He was averaging 23.4 points, 8.5 assists and 6.4 rebounds per contest entering Monday’s game. Charlotte is on a five-game winning streak after defeating the Pistons but will have to finish out most or all of the schedule without its top player.
Ball is still on his rookie contract through next season. He’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension of up to five years this offseason.
Los Angeles Notes: Jackson, Hyland, Westbrook, Vanderbilt, Russell
Reggie Jackson anticipated he’d get traded by the Clippers, he told Law Murray of The Athletic. Jackson was dealt to the Hornets, who waived him. He then signed with another Western Conference contender, the Nuggets.
“I’ve been in the game for 12 years,” Jackson said. “I was the only expiring contract (the Clippers had). Got to get better. Can’t really move anything. … So, the writing was on the wall for me. Being a pretty smart guy, I kind of knew. Either we were going to stay put, play small-ball, or, if anything was going to happen, I was ready to be the one that would probably be moved.”
We have more on the Los Angeles teams:
- In the same story, Bones Hyland told Murray that he’s glad Russell Westbrook signed with the Clippers, even though his playing time might be cut. “I always was a fan of Russ’ game,” Hyland said. “Fan of Russ off the court as well. Great human being, great to be around. Great to talk to. Was the MVP of this league. Going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. … So, I’m glad we got him. He brings a lot to the team.”
- Jarred Vanderbilt lifted the Lakers during their comeback from a 27-point deficit against Dallas with 15 points. 17 rebounds and four steals. The deadline addition from Utah has already impacted the team’s season, Anthony Davis told Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times. “His value for our team, you can’t even put it into words what he brings and does for us,” Davis said. Vanderbilt looks like a steal in the three-way trade with Minnesota and the Jazz, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, because he addresses the Lakers’ need for a long, athletic, dirty-work forward.
- D’Angelo Russell (right ankle sprain) is listed as doubtful for the Lakers’ game against Memphis on Tuesday, according to Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register (Twitter link).
- In case you missed it, LeBron James is expected to miss multiple weeks due to a foot injury. Get the details here.
Pacers’ Kendall Brown Undergoes Tibia Surgery
Pacers rookie forward Kendall Brown underwent a surgical procedure to address a right tibia stress fracture on Monday, according to a team press release.
Brown will be out indefinitely and is expected to make a full recovery, the team adds.
Brown missed six weeks of action earlier this season due to the injury, but he continued to experience discomfort.
A second-round pick, Brown is one of the team’s two-way players. He’s appeared in six games with the Pacers. He also played 10 games for the G League Fort Wayne Ants, averaging 9.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 23.8 minutes.
The 19-year-old spent his first and only college season at Baylor in 2021/22, averaging 9.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 1.9 APG on .584/.341/.689 shooting in 34 games (27.0 MPG) for the Bears.
Pistons Notes: Wiseman, Draft, Bagley, Ivey, Duren
The Pistons gambled on James Wiseman‘s potential, trading away steady forward Saddiq Bey in the process, and they’re confident he’ll be part of their future, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes.
Coach Dwane Casey said the staff is working on the “little things” to maximize Wiseman’s growth.
“He has all the athletic skills,” Casey said. “The length, the size and that’s something that’s helped our defense, having that deterrent at the rim, that 7-footer at the rim to block shots. He’s done a good job of that. Just now learning all the little things, footwork in the post, not letting them push him off his sweet spot in the post. Command your spot. That’s what the coaches now are working on him with that.”
Wiseman had 23 points and seven rebounds in a loss to Charlotte on Monday.
We have more on the Pistons:
- So what will the Pistons do if they don’t win the lottery and the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes? James Edwards III of The Athletic explores that scenario, predicting which players the team would select in the 2-6 range. Edwards still sees Detroit taking Scoot Henderson at No. 2 despite drafting guards Killian Hayes, Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey in the lottery the past three years. However, other teams would make significant trade offers to the Pistons if they get the No. 2 pick, Edwards notes.
- Marvin Bagley III erupted for season highs of 21 points and 18 rebounds against Toronto on Saturday after he missed nearly two months due to a fractured right hand. After re-signing Bagley last summer, the Pistons want to see more of that on a consistent basis, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press writes. “He told on himself when he got 18 rebounds,” Casey said. “So now we’re looking for 18 rebounds (Monday) night, the next night, the next night, or close to it. Let’s be consistent.”
- Ivey missed Monday’s game due to personal reasons,, Sankofa tweets. Fellow rookie Jalen Duren missed his second straight game with ankle soreness. Bojan Bogdanovic (Achilles soreness) and Isaiah Stewart (hip) also sat out.
Heat Notes: Lowry, Love, Haslem, Cain
Heat guard Kyle Lowry missed his ninth consecutive game on Monday night due to left knee soreness but coach Erik Spoelstra provided an encouraging update, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. Lowry had been listed as questionable to play before being ruled out.
“I didn’t need that. I didn’t even see that he got upgraded,” Spoelstra said. “That’s more training staff and league-related just to cover yourself. I’m more encouraged just by the work he has been able to do the last 10 days. He’s definitely making progress. I don’t have a timetable for his return. But he’s certainly doing a lot more.”
We have more from the Heat:
- By using their bi-annual exception to secure Kevin Love‘s services as a free agent, the Heat have put themselves in a slightly better position to re-sign him this summer, John Hollinger of The Athletic notes. They can now give him a 20% raise on that amount (up to $3.7MM) to re-sign him as a non-Bird free agent without using any other exception money.
- When he finally retires, Udonis Haslem will explore becoming a minority owner of the Heat and remaining active in the team’s daily doings, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. “My commitment, even though I’ll be retired, is to be here just as much as the players and the staff and be committed to the process of the future and winning,” he said. “I look to take a path of ownership, but to be a working owner, not a guy who crosses his legs and sits on the sideline. I want to be a guy that connects the dots between the locker room and front office, connects the dots between the front office and the owners. Sometimes, you can miss things in those area.”
- Two-way player Jamal Cain returned to the G League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce prior to Monday’s game, according to Chiang. Cain played five minutes against the Bucks on Friday in his first NBA appearance since mid-January.
Injury Notes: Green, Nance Jr., VanVleet, Dedmon, Gordon
Warriors forward Draymond Green missed his second consecutive game on Sunday due to a right knee contusion, according to Kendra Andrews of ESPN. Green suffered the injury on Thursday when he bumped knees with the Lakers’ Jarred Vanderbilt. Green’s knee unexpectedly flared up Sunday afternoon, something coach Steve Kerr categorized as a “setback.” He may undergo an MRI.
We have more injury-related news:
- Pelicans forward Larry Nance Jr. will miss Monday’s game against Orlando due to a left ankle sprain, the team’s PR department tweets.
- Raptors guard Fred VanVleet missed both of the team’s games this weekend for personal reasons, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet tweets. VanVleet is away from the club due to the birth of his third child.
- Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said before Saturday’s contest that backup center Dewayne Dedmon is expected to miss a couple more games but doesn’t have a long-term injury, Kyle Neubeck of ThePhillyVoice.com tweets. Dedmon has yet to make his Philadelphia debut due to a hip issue.
- Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon returned to the lineup on Sunday night after missing the previous five games due to a left rib contusion, Mike Singer of the Denver Post writes.