Central Notes: Grant, Cunningham, Allen, Lopez
Pistons head coach Dwane Casey said he’s spoken with Jerami Grant about all the trade rumors surrounding him. Casey advised Grant to take them as a compliment.
“My thing to him was if your name is being mentioned, it’s a badge of honor,” Casey said. “If you don’t see your name, nobody else wants you, that should tell you something. He understands. There’s no change in his personality, no change in his approach. He’s a pro.”
We have more from the Central Division:
- Pistons rookie Cade Cunningham has missed two games with a right hip pointer, but it’s not a serious issue, according to Casey. “He’s just got to get those muscles in his behind firing the right way and the soreness out,” he said. “Those hip pointers are painful. … We’ll see how it goes (Saturday). It’s going to be a day-to-day thing to see how the soreness goes away.” The Pistons play at Minnesota on Sunday.
- The Cavaliers feel Jarrett Allen deserved a spot on the All-Star team. Allen wasn’t chosen as an All-Star reserve and he responded with a career-high 29 points and 22 rebounds against Charlotte on Friday. “I think Jarrett got snubbed,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said to Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “You look at what he’s done over the year and there’s no real way to justify him not making it. It’s difficult because there are a lot of talented players out there, but if we respect winning the way we say we respect winning, there’s no way that Jarrett Allen doesn’t make the All-Star team. I’ll speak on his behalf. We’re extremely disappointed that he didn’t make it.”
- The Bucks expect Brook Lopez to return sometime during the regular season but it won’t be in the near future, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Lopez underwent back surgery in early December. “On the most basic level, we’re going to be in L.A. and that is where his surgery was,” coach Mike Budenholzer said this week. “I think it’s time for his four-week, three-week, I don’t know, however many weeks it has been, check-up. But having said that, he’s been doing some work on the court individually. He’ll continue to do that stuff.”
Nets Notes: Irving, Losing Streak, Harris, Vanterpool, Harden
Kyrie Irving said the Nets don’t need to push the panic button despite a seven-game losing streak, according to Nick Friedell of ESPN. Brooklyn was blown out by Utah on Friday.
“It’s really just where we are, facing reality, that we’re not winning ballgames right now,” Irving said. “And we got to kind of get out of that hole with just one win and then start a new streak from that point. But no time to feel like our season is in doomsday or we need to push the panic button at all points, but we have to face reality that a lot of guys, a lot of my teammates, we’re still getting to know one another, how we play, what’s our spots, offensive and defensive tendencies.”
We have more on the Nets:
- According to a StatMuse tweet, the Nets should be in panic mode. No team that has suffered a losing streak of seven games or longer has ever won the NBA championship. Brooklyn is 2-8 since Kevin Durant was sidelined by a sprained MCL in his left knee.
- Reports surfaced this week that Joe Harris might need a second surgery on his ankle. Harris is hopeful that won’t be necessary, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “In my mind, I’m confident that I’ll be able to get back,” he said. “I’ve been optimistic through this whole thing. I haven’t really lost faith in the fact that I’m going to be able to come back and play, and that’s the same spot that I’m in right now. I’m not going to just completely give in on what’s going on.”
- David Vanterpool was passed over for the head coaching job with the Timberwolves in the middle of last season. Now a Nets assistant, Vanterpool is confident he’ll eventually get an opportunity, as he told Marc Spears of The Undefeated. “I am still going to be a head coach one day,” Vanterpool said. “I know I am. I’m qualified to do the job.”
- A group of writers from The Athletic take a look at a potential James Harden trade to the Sixers, breaking down the financial implications and potential pieces Brooklyn could acquire.
Injury Updates: Mitchell, Gobert, Green, Iguodala, Anthony, James, Birch
Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert were named as All-Star reserves on Thursday. The Jazz also got positive injury news regarding their top players.
Mitchell has cleared the NBA’s concussion protocol and will be available for the team’s game against the Nets on Friday, Tim MacMahon of ESPN tweets. Mitchell hasn’t played since January 17. Gobert won’t play on Friday but could return early next week, MacMahon adds. The big man is dealing with a calf strain and hasn’t seen action since January 23rd.
We have more injury-related news:
- Warriors forward Draymond Green is skipping the All-Star Game due to a back injury. Green said on Thursday he won’t need surgery but estimates it will be at least three-to-four weeks before he can play again, Marc Stein tweets.
- Another Warriors forward, Andre Iguodala, says he’s close to returning from a left hip injury, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. Iguodala hasn’t played since logging 31 minutes on January 20. Iguodala indicated that persistent knee swelling created a “chain reaction” that has led to other ailments.
- Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony exited the team’s game against the Clippers on Thursday due to a right hamstring strain, McMenamin tweets. LeBron James missed his fifth straight game due to swelling in his left knee, McMenamin adds in another tweet.
- Raptors big man Khem Birch played on Thursday for the first time since January 14. He only saw five minutes of action. Birch required plastic surgery after his nose was fractured. He’ll have to wear a mask for approximately six weeks, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca tweets.
Central Notes: Taylor, Stephenson, Cunningham, Bucks
Pacers rookie swingman Terry Taylor recorded career highs of 24 points and 16 rebounds in 37 minutes of action on Wednesday. Taylor, a two-way player who earned a spot on the roster after going undrafted, may be forcing his way into the team’s future plans, according to James Boyd of the Indianapolis Star. Taylor played out of position against the Magic as a very undersized center with Indiana’s frontcourt depleted by injuries.
“He was tremendous,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “He’s got a real good feel for the game. He knows who he is. He knows his strengths, he plays to them. He’s a very unique player. He’s worked extremely hard to get this opportunity to be in the NBA and have a chance to get minutes and he’s making the most of it.”
We have more from the Central Division:
- The cap hit that the Pacers will take by signing Lance Stephenson to a rest-of-the-season contract is $642,729, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. Stephenson will make $924,730. The signing leaves Indiana $1.4MM below the luxury tax threshold but the team could get $1.3MM in tax relief if Domantas Sabonis is not selected as an All-Star replacement. He wasn’t among the initial group of Eastern Conference reserves announced on Thursday.
- Top pick Cade Cunningham missed the Pistons’ home game against Minnesota on Thursday, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com tweets. Cunningham suffered a hip pointer in a loss to New Orleans on Tuesday. He’s questionable to play against Boston on Friday.
- The Athletic’s Eric Nehm takes a look at potential trades for the Bucks before next week’s deadline and possible buyout acquisitions after the deadline passes.
Southeast Notes: Hayward, Lowry, Bryant, Wizards
Hornets forward Gordon Hayward cleared the league’s health and safety protocols on Tuesday, according to the team’s PR department (Twitter link). He didn’t travel with the team to Boston on Wednesday due to reconditioning and is listed as questionable to play against Cleveland on Friday.
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- Kyle Lowry has rejoined the Heat, as Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald noted on Wednesday. Lowry had missed the last nine games due to personal reasons. He returned to the starting lineup on Thursday against San Antonio but had a rough night. He had two points and six turnovers, though Miami prevailed by 17 points.
- Wizards center Thomas Bryant sprained his right ankle against Milwaukee on Tuesday and didn’t play against Philadelphia on Wednesday, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington tweets. His status for the team’s upcoming five-game homestand has yet to be determined.
- In a story regarding the trade deadline, Hughes confirms the Wizards have shown interest in acquiring the Pacers’ Domantas Sabonis and Pistons’ Jerami Grant. Hughes explores how they might fit in the lineup with Bradley Beal. He also hears that Montrezl Harrell and Davis Bertans are the two Washington players most likely to be dealt.
Nets’ Joe Harris May Need Another Ankle Surgery
There’s growing concern that Nets forward Joe Harris may not return this season, ESPN’s Zach Lowe said on the latest episode of The Lowe Post podcast.
“The Joe Harris situation has become really worrisome,” Lowe said (hat tip to Chris Milholen of NetsDaily). “I don’t think it’s a given that he’s coming back this year, and definitely don’t think it’s a given he’s coming back at 100 percent.”
Harris hasn’t played since November 14 and underwent left ankle surgery later that month. The original prognosis was that Harris would miss four-to-eight weeks after the surgery but his recovery has extended well past that point.
Harris may require another surgical procedure, Brian Lewis of the New York Post reports. The forward’s agent told Lewis they’re mulling that option.
“We’re just evaluating. He’s working his way back, he’s rehabbing. But we’re just trying to figure out what’s going to be the best course of action. We have to come to that decision,” Priority Sports’ Mark Bartelstein said. “So I can’t really give you a definitive answer, because we just don’t have it yet of what we’re going to do.
“So it’s possible that there could be one more procedure he could do that would fix the ankle once and for good. But we’re not sure if we need that or not. So the long-term prognosis is great, it’s not going to be a problem; but it’s just, ‘Do we need to do something additional right now or not?’ And we’re just trying to figure that out.”
Harris sustained the injury against Oklahoma City. Heading into that game, the 30-year-old had been averaging 11.9 PPG and 4.1 RPG. Last season, Harris averaged 14.1 PPG, shooting 47.5% from 3-point range in 69 regular season games.
He re-signed with Brooklyn on a four-year, $75MM contract in November 2020.
Garland, VanVleet Make All-Star Team For First Time
Cavaliers guard Darius Garland and Raptors guard Fred VanVleet were chosen for the All-Star Game for the first time in their respective careers. They were named, along with a handful of other players, to the Eastern Conference All-Star reserve pool on Thursday, per the NBA (Twitter link).
Garland is averaging 19.8 PPG and 8.2 APG for the surprising Cavaliers. VanVleet has posted averages of 21.5 PPG and 7.0 APG this season.
The list of Eastern Conference reserves also includes the Nets’ James Harden, the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, the Bulls’ Zach LaVine, the Bucks’ Khris Middleton and the Heat‘s Jimmy Butler. The reserves were chosen by the league’s coaches.
Garland will be playing in front of his home fans in Cleveland on February 20.
The pool of Eastern Conference starters was announced a week ago. Sixers center Joel Embiid, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nets forward Kevin Durant are the frontcourt starters, while the backcourt players in the starter pool are DeMar DeRozan (Bulls) and Trae Young (Hawks).
Booker, Paul Head List Of Western Conference All-Star Reserves
Suns guards Devin Booker and Chris Paul were among seven players named to the Western Conference All-Star reserve pool, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).
The Jazz duo of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert also made the list, along with the Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns, the Warriors’ Draymond Green and the Mavericks’ Luka Doncic.
Green announced he will not play in the All-Star game due to back and calf injuries, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. NBA commissioner Adam Silver will select his replacement.
The Western Conference starter pool was announced last week.
Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins was chosen along with Lakers forward LeBron James and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic among Western Conference frontcourt candidates. The Grizzlies’ Ja Morant joined the Warriors’ Stephen Curry as the backcourt duo in the starter pool.
Zach Collins Could Make Spurs Debut On Friday
Zach Collins could make his long-awaited Spurs debut on Friday. Head coach Gregg Popovich said there’s a “good chance” that the oft-injured power forward would be active against Houston in the second game of a back-to-back set, Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News tweets.
As Orsborn notes, Collins hasn’t played in an NBA game since he logged 17 minutes for Portland against Brooklyn in the Orlando bubble on August 13, 2020. The big man has only appeared in 11 NBA games the last two seasons due to shoulder, foot and ankle injuries.
Collins prepped for his return with a stint in the G League. He played four games for the Austin Spurs and averaged 15.3 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.8 APG and 1.8 BPG in 25.7 MPG.
Collins was signed to a three-year, $22MM contract last summer, which includes a partial guarantee for next season. The third year is non-guaranteed.
The 10th pick of the 2017 draft, Collins became an unrestricted free agent when the Trail Blazers decided not to extend him a $7MM qualifying offer.
Collins had a major setback in late June when another fracture was discovered in his left foot. He underwent a second revision surgery to repair a left medial malleolus stress fracture.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 2/3/2022
Our weekly Thursday chat took place this afternoon. Click here for the transcript.
Our next live chat, with Luke Adams, will take place on Tuesday at noon Central time.