Anthony, Cousins, Thomas Uninterested In Taiwan League
It doesn’t appear than any other big-name veterans free agents are seriously considering signing with a Taiwanese team, Marc Stein reports in a Substack post.
Dwight Howard signed with Taoyuan Leopards earlier this month, though he’s currently sidelined with a knee injury.
However, three other former All-Stars who have reportedly drawn interest from Taiwanese teams — Carmelo Anthony, DeMarcus Cousins and Isaiah Thomas — have shown no interest in playing there. The trio continue to wait for another NBA opportunity, regardless of any overseas interest, per Stein.
In terms of Cousins, it rebukes a report that he would soon sign with a team in the Taiwan league. Another report a couple of weeks back stated the Tainan TSG GhostHawks were pursuing Anthony. Stein also wrote in a previous post that Taiwanese teams were targeting Thomas.
Among those players, Anthony would appear to have the best chance of eventually signing another NBA deal. He averaged 13.3 points per game last season for the Lakers, and Stein says the opportunity to play a 20th NBA season “holds considerable meaning” for him.
Central Notes: Turner, Pacers, Middleton, Caruso
It’s uncertain how changing agents will impact Pacers center Myles Turner this season, Marc Stein writes in his latest Substack newsletter.
Turner, who is headed to free agency, still has fans within the Pacers’ organization, according to Stein. His name has been in the trade rumor mill for quite awhile, though his initial hope was to play out this season and then head to free agency, Stein adds.
It remains to be seen whether the Pacers will hold onto Turner through the trade deadline if they’re unable to sign him to an extension. He’s averaging 18.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game this season.
We have more from the Central Division:
- Even with Turner in the lineup, the Pacers are vulnerable to getting pushed around up front, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star notes. That point was reinforced by the Clippers’ Ivica Zubac, who powered his way to 31 points and 29 rebounds on Sunday. “He had a great presence around the basket. We didn’t do a good job on him,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “I don’t know what else there is to say.”
- Bucks forward Khris Middleton was once again assigned to the G League’s Wisconsin Herd on Monday to get some practice time and then recalled, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets. When asked if Middleton might return to action on Wednesday, coach Mike Budenholzer remained vague. “We’ll just see how today goes,” he said. “We’re not going to put anything ahead of itself and just hopefully he has another great session today, see how he feels and just the old cliché take it day by day.” Middleton underwent offseason wrist surgery and has yet to make his season debut.
- The Bulls are keeping a close watch on Alex Caruso‘s minutes, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Caruso has been dealing with a right ankle sprain and hasn’t practiced in recent days. “Just trying to be conscientious of his minutes and those long stretches for him because he does play hard,’’ coach Billy Donovan said. “From my perspective, there are going to be some nights where he’s going to get over 30 minutes. For the most part, we’re just trying to manage how hard he does play and compete in relationship to the number of minutes he’s getting.’’
Karl-Anthony Towns Diagnosed With Calf Strain, Will Undergo MRI
Timberwolves star forward Karl-Anthony Towns will be further evaluated on Tuesday after an initial diagnosis of a right calf strain, Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune tweets.
Towns suffered a non-contact injury during the third quarter of Minnesota’s contest against Washington on Monday night. He grabbed at the back of his leg as tried to head down the court. Towns needed assistance to be helped back to the locker room.
“Obviously super-concerned about that. Big blow for us,” coach Chris Finch said (Twitter link via David Aldridge of The Athletic).
Towns will get an MRI but there’s some early optimism that he may have avoided a substantial injury, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
It has been a disappointing season so far for the Timberwolves, whose record dropped to 10-11 with a loss to the Wizards. They were expected to be serious contenders in the Western Conference after the blockbuster trade with Utah that brought center Rudy Gobert to Minnesota.
An extended absence for Towns would make it much more difficult for a turnaround. He’s averaging 21.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.
The Timberwolves frontcourt is already dealing with the absence of Taurean Prince, who expected to be out a couple of weeks with a shoulder injury. Jaden McDaniels missed Monday’s game due to an illness.
Suns Notes: Ayton, Paul, Payne, Landale
Deandre Ayton was named the Western Conference Player of the Week. The Suns have seen stretches of dominance from Ayton during his career but he hasn’t been able to sustain it.
The former No. 1 overall pick believes that putting up big numbers should be the “norm” at this stage of his career. Phoenix is certainly paying for that kind of production after matching Indiana’s four-year, $133MM offer sheet this summer.
“I want to be a great player, and you’ve got to be willing to put up numbers and win games night in, night out,” he told Gerald Bourguet of GoPhnx.com. “So I think I’m to that point where this should be a norm. This is how I’m supposed to play.”
We have more on the Suns:
- Chris Paul missed his 10th straight game on Monday due to right heel soreness, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes. The Suns have gone 6-3 entering the game with Sacramento since Paul has been sidelined. Cameron Payne is averaging 17.7 points and 6.8 assists since he became a starter in place of Paul.
- Backup big man Jock Landale has played sparingly but he provided a spark in a one-point win over Utah on Sunday, Rankin notes. Landale had four points, an offensive rebound and an assist in a five-minute cameo. “I think that’s the benefit of being on this team is we have three guys pretty much at every position that can hold it down,” Landale said. “They call on me to come in and help out and I just went in there and played hard and that’s the stuff I can control is going in and playing hard and helping the team out.”
- In case you missed it, general manager James Jones was promoted to president of basketball operations. Get the details here.
Pistons Notes: Bogdanovic, Cunningham, Burks, Bey
The Pistons were relieved that Bojan Bogdanovic‘s injuries weren’t more severe, according to Mike Curtis of the Detroit News. Bogdanovic was injured late in Friday’s game against Phoenix when Torrey Craig stepped on his ankle.
Bogdanovic, who leads the Pistons in scoring, missed Sunday’s game against Cleveland due to right knee and ankle soreness.
“It was a torque action where he stepped on his ankle and it went to his knee,” Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. “… It’s not as bad as it seemed, but it’s still sore and still hurting. Bogey’s a tough kid, a tough guy. He’ll fight through it and come back from it.”
We have more on the Pistons:
- Casey says there’s no update on Cade Cunningham, who is out indefinitely due to a shin injury that could require season-ending surgery, Curtis relays in the same story. “I have no clue,” Casey said of the Pistons star guard. “It’s up to the medical group and to Cade. Whatever’s best for his health, I’m all for it. One way or the other, whatever he decides to do, I’m 100% behind him, his family, his people,”
- While many NBA observers believe the Pistons may look to trade Alec Burks for an asset, there’s a good chance they’ll retain the second-unit guard, James Edwards III of The Athletic writes. The Pistons, who hold a $10.49MM option on Burks’ contract next season, want to become a legitimate playoff contender next season and they’d have a tough time finding another productive player like Burks at that price tag.
- Forward Saddiq Bey was the only Pistons opening-night starter to answer the bell against Cleveland. Bey, who missed the previous four games with a right ankle sprain, scored 15 points. “I thought he came back with a focus,” Casey said, according to Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press. “I was concerned about his game conditioning, but he came in and gave us what he had. I thought he was sharp in the first part of the game, and as the game went on he wore down a little bit.”
Raptors’ Siakam To Play Monday After 10-Game Absence
Raptors star forward Pascal Siakam will return to action on Monday, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets.
Siakam was sidelined early this month with a right adductor strain. Siakam was off to a powerful start prior to suffering the injury on Nov. 4 in Dallas. In his first nine games (35.7 MPG), the 28-year-old was averaging 24.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 7.7 assists.
Siakam was cleared for contact last week and fully participated in a team practice on Friday, He missed 10 games and the Raptors went 5-5 during that span.
The star forward will be under a minutes restriction, according to coach Nick Nurse (Twitter link via Michael Grange of Sportsnet).
There’s more good news for the Raptors, according to Fedor. Scottie Barnes will also play after a two-game absence due to a left knee sprain.
Northwest Notes: Markkanen, Porter, Cancar, Pokusevski, Dort
Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen hasn’t missed a game during his breakout season. That could change on Monday. Markkanen is listed as questionable to play against Chicago due to a right knee contusion.
Markkanen has been a find for the Jazz, averaging 21.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game after being acquired in the Donovan Mitchell blockbuster with Cleveland.
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. is listed as doubtful to play on Monday due to a left heel contusion, the team tweets. “Right now it’s just real painful for Michael, so he’ll come back and he’ll play when he feels like he’s able to go out there and do his job effectively,” coach Michael Malone told Mike Singer of the Denver Post. Porter has already missed the last two games.
- Vlatko Cancar is making a case for a Nuggets rotation spot with his play at both ends of the floor, Singer writes in a separate story. Cancar is averaging 11.8 points in 18.5 minutes over the past four games. “Sometimes I can score 20 points, sometimes I can score two points,” he said. “As long as I’m doing the right things on the court to help my team win, I think that’s most important.”
- Starters Aleksej Pokusevski and Luguentz Dort felt the wrath of Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault in the team’s loss to Houston on Saturday. Pokusevski played just nine minutes and Dort saw a season-low 14 minutes of action, Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman notes. “I just thought our overall team energy wasn’t where it needed to be, especially to start the game,” Daigneault said. “When that happens, we have a lot of guys that we want to play. I use those opportunities to try to get different guys out there.”
Community Shootaround: Injuries
Scan the headlines on our website and most of them involve injuries to star players.
Ankle sprains. Toe sprains. Calf strains. Knee soreness. Shin problems. Back problems. You name it, somebody in the trainer’s room has got it.
There are always going to be injuries during the course of a season but it seems as if today’s players are more susceptible, despite supposed advancements in training methods and dietary practices.
Coaches are more than willing to give their regulars an occasional game off, something that commissioner Adam Silver recently addressed concern about, considering that many fans buy tickets to see the best players in action. Early this week, Warriors coach Steve Kerr rested his Big Three and Andrew Wiggins and it wasn’t the only time during the first six weeks of the season he’s done that.
Yet the extra rest doesn’t seem to have any impact on keeping players healthy.
Look back 20 seasons ago and you may be surprised to see how rare it was for top players to sit out a game. Among the top 50 scorers in the 2002/03 season, 32 of them missed five or fewer games during the regular season.
Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Kevin Garnett, Allan Houston, Antawn Jamison, Jalen Rose and Jamal Mashburn – all among the top 15 in scoring – appeared in every game. Tim Duncan and Stephon Marbury missed only one game apiece, and Dirk Nowitzki sat out just two games.
The schedule back then was more difficult than it is now. There were more back-to-backs and occasions when teams played four games in five nights. Yet players across the league regularly answered the bell and suited up.
Now, it’s very rare for any player to appear in all 82 games, let alone the stars of the team.
That brings us to today’s question: Why do think so many players are getting injured and nursing ailments? Do you believe current training methods and practices are flawed, or are there other factors at play?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.
Southeast Notes: Butler, Morris, Wizards, Vaillancourt
Jimmy Butler could rejoin the Heat during their current road trip, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel tweets. Coach Erik Spoeltra left that possibility open, indicating that Butler is working out in Miami. Butler, who has been dealing with right knee soreness, has only appeared in 13 games this season and has been sidelined since Nov. 16.
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- Monte Morris was back in action for the Wizards on Sunday after the point guard missed the last three games because of right ankle soreness, Josh Robbins of The Athletic tweets. However, lottery pick Johnny Davis (right groin soreness), Rui Hachimura (right ankle soreness) and Kyle Kuzma (lower back pain) were inactive.
- Injuries have created havoc for the Wizards’ rotation and weakened their bench, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington writes. The Wizards’ second unit is 20th in net rating (-1.2) and 26th in plus/minus (-3.3). The reserves rank 25th offensively (108.6), compared to ninth defensively (109.8).
- Former Hornets broadcaster Gerry Vaillancourt has passed away, according to a team statement tweeted by the P.R. department. He was a radio and TV broadcaster for the team from 1990-2002. The cause of death was a heart condition that Vaillancourt, 72, was diagnosed with 25 years ago, according to Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer.
Atlantic Notes: Brunson, Tucker, Anunoby, Nets
Knicks fans can breathe a sign of relief. There was concern that a right quad contusion could force Jalen Brunson to miss his first game since signing with the club. However, Brunson was in the lineup for their game against Memphis on Sunday, Ian Begley of SNY TV tweets.
The high-priced free agent entered the game leading the Knicks in scoring (21.8 points per game) and assists (6.5).
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- P.J. Tucker is noted for his defensive prowess, but he can’t be a total non-factor on offense for the Sixers, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Tucker, who signed a three-year, $33.2MM deal after opting out of the final year of his contract with the Heat, is averaging just 3.7 points and 3.3 shot attempts in 19 starts. “I don’t come down and start the game, thinking about scoring,” he said. “I start the game out thinking about winning, making plays to win and help everybody else get shot in their spots. That’s how I play.”
- Mavericks star Luka Doncic is impressed with the hounding defense that Raptors forward OG Anunoby plays, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. Doncic had to work hard to score 26 points in 43 minutes with Anunoby shadowing him. “He’s an amazing player, and I would say on both ends,” Doncic said. “I think he is the steals leader in the NBA, but offensively he got so much better. I’m impressed with his game; he’s an amazing player.”
- Nets guard Kyrie Irving hopes the team can get hot during a seven-game homestand that began with a win over Portland on Sunday, Mark Sanchez of the New York Post writes. “I think this is essential for our season,” Irving said. “Just to be able to establish some great habits at home like we’ve been doing, but now we’ll be tested on a seven-game home stretch. I’m looking forward to just being in front of our fans. But more important, being in front of our home environment and being able to flourish out there.”