Injury Roundup: Mahinmi, Noel, Thomas, Ezeli
Wizards center Ian Mahinmi could return to practice on a limited basis next week, J. Michael of CSNMidatlantic.com reports. Mahinmi underwent left knee surgery on October 15th to repair cartilage. The initial recovery period for his return to action was 4-6 weeks, according to Michael. The former Pacers big man signed a four-year, $64MM contract with Washington over the summer despite the presence of Marcin Gortat.
In other injury-related news around the league:
- Sixers big man Nerlens Noel could return to Philadelphia this week to continue his rehabilitation from a left knee injury, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Noel underwent surgery during training camp to repair inflamed tissue above the knee after appearing in just one preseason game.
- Knicks forward Lance Thomas has a bone bruise in his left ankle and is out indefinitely, Marc Berman of the New York Post tweets. Thomas has played in eight games off the bench, averaging 3.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in 17.5 minutes. Justin Holiday will likely pick up most of his minutes.
- Bulls small forward Doug McDermott could miss the team’s entire six-game road trip because of a concussion, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com relays. McDermott entered the concussion protocol for the second time this season after a hard fall on Saturday. McDermott has appeared in nine games this season, averaging 10.6 points. Nikola Mirotic will need to be a bigger factor with McDermott sidelined.
- Trail Blazers center Festus Ezeli is receiving another medical opinion on his left knee injury, according to Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. The former Warriors reserve, who signed a two-year, $16MM contract to join Portland, hasn’t appeared in a game this season since undergoing a knee procedure this summer.
- Jazz power forward Derrick Favors will be sidelined “for a while,” coach Quin Snyder told Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link). Favors was diagnosed with a bone contusion in his left knee on Wednesday. Trey Lyles will likely take Favors’ starting spot while he mends.
Mavs Guard J.J. Barea Sidelined By Leg Injury
Mavericks veteran point guard J.J. Barea will be sidelined approximately six weeks because of a left leg injury, according to an ESPN report.
Barea pulled up lame while dribbling the ball during the team’s 90-83 loss to the Celtics on Wednesday night. He was diagnosed with tear in a muscle connecting his left calf to his Achilles tendon. A full month of rest — and a few weeks in a specially-designed walking boot — will be required, according to the report. He was averaging a career-best 16.3 points and 5.4 assists prior to the injury.
“The timing of the injury is horrible because I was playing the best basketball of my career, taking advantage of every minute,” Barea told a reporter from El Nuevo Dia, Puerto Rico’s largest newspaper. “It’s a matter of resting and trying to return as quickly as possible.”
Usual starting point guard Deron Williams has been dealing with a calf injury and Devin Harris is sidelined indefinitely with a toe injury, leaving the Mavs thin at the position. Seth Curry will likely pick up most of Barea’s minutes and the club added Jonathan Gibson on Thursday to improve its depth at that spot.
Pelicans Rumors: Davis, Moore, Holiday, Benson
In other news regarding the Pelicans:
- Shooting guard E’Twaun Moore is grateful to have some job security after playing for three other organizations during his first five years in the league, Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders writes. Moore, who left the Bulls and signed a four-year, $34MM contract as a free agent over the summer, is averaging a career-high 12.6 points. “It’s tough to stick around in this league; it’s not easy,” Moore told Taylor.
- Guard Jrue Holiday believes his experience will help the club in late-game situations, according to an Associated Press story. Holiday will make his season debut on Friday after caring for his ailing wife Lauren. “Down the stretch, I do think I could help with some directing and just tightening it up,” Holiday said. Gentry said at he might pair Holiday at times with Tim Frazier, who has started at the point in his absence. “Jrue can play off the ball or on the ball,” Gentry told the AP. “That’s what makes him so good. I think he’s a versatile player. We need his shooting also.”
- A lawsuit regarding the ownership of the team is close to being resolved, Greg LaRose of the Times-Picayune relays. The parties have asked Judge Jane Triche Milazzo for more time to complete settlement talks. The dispute surfaced when Pelicans owner Tom Benson sought to remove ownership shares of the teams from the inheritance of his daughter, Renee Benson, and his grandchildren. He wants to give control of the franchise to his wife, Gayle.
Durant Surprised Celtics Fans Have Beef With Him
Kevin Durant is baffled by the notion that Celtics fans are angry at him for not signing with their team, Chris Haynes of ESPN.com reports.
Boston was one one of six clubs that had a meeting with Durant during free agency before the All-Star forward surprised nearly everyone by signing with the Warriors. The Celtics did land one of the biggest free agents on the market, power forward Al Horford, though he’s been sidelined this month by a concussion. Horford verbally agreed with the Celtics just before their brass met with Durant, giving them a chance to create their own ‘Super Team,’ according to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe.
The Warriors make their annual trip to Boston on Friday.
“What can they be mad about?” Durant told Haynes and other members of the media. “I never played there. I never said I was going there. … No matter who goes in there, they’re going to boo them. But I have no attachment to Boston at all.”
Himmelsbach declares that Celtics fans felt abandoned by Durant, despite his lack of history with the club.
Durant said he has no beef with Celtics forward Jae Crowder, one of the players who tried to recruit him. Crowder criticized Durant this summer for selecting the Warriors.
“Why am I going to be mad about a guy who has an opinion? I respect all these players,” Durant told Haynes. “If they don’t respect what I did, I can’t control that.”
Boston point guard Isaiah Thomas, who was part of the team’s meeting with Durant, said he exchanged text messages with Durant last season and into the summer until he chose the Warriors, Himmselbach continues. But Thomas holds no animosity toward Durant, Himmelsbach adds.
“For whatever reason, he picked the Warriors,” Thomas told Himmelsbach and other media members. “I know one thing: He wanted to have fun playing basketball, and he thought the style of play and the coaching staff we had, it was fun playing here. He loves the style of play that we played at, and we just came up short.”
Brandan Wright Undergoes Ankle Surgery
1:23pm: Wright will be out of action for about two months, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
9:48am: Grizzlies power forward Brandan Wright underwent an arthroscopic debridement of his left ankle Tuesday afternoon, the team announced in a press release. The procedure was deemed necessary after non-surgical interventions failed to eliminate his posterior tibialis tendinopathy, the release added, and there is no timetable for his return.
This is just the latest in setbacks for Wright, who has been plagued by injuries since he inked a three-year, $18MM contract with the Grizzlies in the summer of 2015. He was limited to just 12 games last season, mainly due to a sprained right MCL. Wright has not played this season because of the ankle issue.
Fortunately, Memphis is deep at the position with JaMychal Green, Zach Randolph and Jarell Martin on the roster. Wright, 29, has also played for the Warriors, Nets, Mavericks, Celtics and Suns in 372 career games, in which he has averaged 7.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 16.5 minutes.
Eastern Notes: Baynes, Heat, Sixers, Humphries
Aron Baynes is a “starting-caliber center” and Pistons coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy knows it will be difficult to retain him beyond this season, he acknowledged to the assembled media. Baynes, who can opt out of the final year of his three-year, $20MM contract after the season, racked up 20 points and eight rebounds against the Thunder on Monday with Andre Drummond sidelined by ankle injury. “As the president, I’m not supposed to say this because the guy can be a free agent,” Van Gundy said. “You’re not supposed to promote him but he’s a starting center in the NBA. He’s just playing behind an All-Star. You look around at all the starting centers and Aron’s a starting-caliber center in the league, so it’s not surprising he played as well as he did.” The Pistons signed restricted free agent Boban Marjanovic this summer to a three-year contract in part to protect themselves if they’re unable to re-sign Baynes.
In other news around the Eastern Conference:
- Heat second-year forward Justise Winslow is out indefinitely with a left wrist injury, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Winslow, who is shooting 33.1% from the field, has been nagged by the injury for a few weeks, though X-rays were negative, Jackson adds. “I don’t want to come back too soon and then I take three steps forward and 10 steps backward,” Winslow told Jackson. “I want to get it to where it’s feeling 100 percent, where if I do hit against something, it doesn’t hurt. … I was doing my best to play through it. I could play through it, but it’s a long season.”
- Gerald Henderson says the Sixers cannot use injuries as a crutch for another poor start, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Ben Simmons, Nerlens Noel and Jerryd Bayless have been sidelined but the veteran shooting guard is alarmed by the team’s lack of energy. “We do have some good, talented guys and good young guys, and we have enough to be able to compete better than we are,” Henderson told Pompey. “So, we just need to give better effort.” Henderson joined the Sixers on a two-year, $18MM contract this summer, though the second year is not guaranteed.
- Hawks power forward Kris Humphries has re-signed with veteran agent Dan Fegan, Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal tweets. Humphries, who signed a one-year, $4MM contract with Atlanta this offseason, was being represented by Jason Renne and Josh Ketroser. Humphries fired Fegan, who works under the agency Independent Sports & Entertainment, in 2011. Fegan represents a number of NBA players, including DeMarcus Cousins and Chandler Parsons.
Southwest Rumors: Carter, Barnes, Rockets
Vince Carter is turning back the clock with his recent performances, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com writes. Carter, 39, the oldest player in the league, has averaged 17 points over the Grizzlies’ last four games and is shooting 47.4% from the field this season. The former perennial All-Star is in the final year of a three-year contract. His $4.264MM salary this season becomes fully guaranteed if Memphis retains him through New Year’s Day. Carter undergoes extensive treatment on his right ankle to stay on the court, MacMahon details, but he might have some options next summer if he continues to perform at this level. “The way he’s still playing, retire for what?” Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph told MacMahon. “Give him a two- or three-year deal! That’s what I’d do.”
In other news around the Southwest Division:
- Mavericks forward Harrison Barnes is still adjusting to being a go-to guy, The Vertical’s Michael Lee reports. Barnes is averaging 22.3 points and shooting 49.1% in his first nine games with Dallas after signing a four-year max contract this summer. He never averaged more than 11.7 points in his four seasons with the Warriors. “Coming into this situation, in my four years of being in the NBA, I’ve never been a focal point. So, it’s going to take some time,” Barnes told Lee. “I have to embrace that process.”
- No progress has been made between the Rockets and power forward Donatas Motiejunas, the only unsigned restricted free agent in the league, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Houston reportedly offered Motiejunas is a multiyear contract that started at a fully guaranteed $7MM in year one. Motiejunas’ $4.4MM qualifying offer expired last month. He was traded to the Pistons in February, but Detroit rescinded the deal because of long-range concerns over his surgically-repaired back.
- Dirk Nowitzki must be fully recovered from his right Achilles tendon injury before he returns to action, Mavs coach Rick Carlisle told Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. Nowitzki has missed four games with soreness in his Achilles. “He wants to get back, that’s for sure,” Carlisle told Sefko. “But he understands and we understand that he’s got to be right before he comes back. We don’t want him coming back for a game or two, then sitting another week. We’ve got to be vigilant about making sure he’s fully recovered before coming back, even if it takes awhile.”
Jrue Holiday Set To Return Friday
Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday will make his season debut against the Trail Blazers on Friday, GM Dell Demps told Justin Verrier of ESPN com (Twitter link). This confirms a report from The Vertical last week that Holiday’s return was imminent.
That’s a dose of good news for a team that has muddled through the first few weeks of the season. The Pelicans have the Western Conference’s worst record at 2-9 despite the efforts of superstar forward Anthony Davis, who is averaging 30.5 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks while posting a PER of 29.57.
Holiday, who is making approximately $11.3MM this season, has battled a variety of injuries in recent seasons but his absence this time was for personal reasons. He has been taking care of his wife Lauren, who underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor last month, and his newborn daughter.
Holiday, 26, has spent the last three seasons with the Pelicans, though he’ll be an unrestricted free agent in July. Last season, he averaged 16.8 PPG and 6.0 APG in 65 games. He appeared in a total of just 74 games in his first two years with New Orleans.
New Orleans has been shorthanded all season, with Tyreke Evans and Quincy Pondexter sidelined by health issues. Tim Frazier has handled the bulk of the ballhandling duties in Holiday’s absence, averaging 11.4 points, 7.9 assists and 3.5 rebounds.
Nuggets Guard Gary Harris Could Miss Four Weeks
Nuggets starting shooting guard Gary Harris could be sidelined up to four weeks with a foot injury, Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post tweets.
Harris apparently suffered the injury in a loss to the Pistons on Saturday night. He had 13 points and four assists in 28 minutes against Detroit but missed the 112-105 loss to the Trail Blazers the following evening. The Michigan State product sat out the first four games this season while recovering from a groin injury.
He was averaging 10.8 points and 2.4 assists over five games. Harris started all 76 games he played last season, averaging 12.3 points and 1.9 assists while shooting a healthy 46.9% from the field and 35.4% on 3-point attempts.
Denver’s backcourt is already depleted with Will Barton missing the last seven games because of an ankle injury. Jameer Nelson started against Portland, while rookie Jamal Murray played 28 minutes off the bench.
The Nuggets waived power forward Jarnell Stokes on Tuesday, an indication that they may sign another guard to get them through Harris’ absence.
Nuggets Waive Forward Jarnell Stokes
The Nuggets have waived forward Jarnell Stokes, league sources informed Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post (Twitter link). Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com confirms the transaction in a tweet.
Stokes, who missed the last two games with a foot injury, appeared in just two games this season and played a total of seven minutes. The 6’9” power forward appeared in 21 games with the Grizzlies over the last two seasons and another handful with the Heat. He has averaged 2.4 points and 1.4 rebounds in 5.4 minutes in 28 career games.
He was signed by Denver in September to a two-year contract and received $150K in guarantee money. His $980K salary for this season would have been fully guaranteed if he had remained on the roster through January 10th.
The University of Tennessee product was originally drafted by the Jazz with the No. 35 overall pick in 2014.