Grizzlies Notes: Morant, Jackson, Coward, Vibes
The Grizzlies are off to a 3-6 start to the season and have already suspended Ja Morant for one game for conduct detrimental to the team.
While rumors have started to circulate about teams keeping an eye on the situation, there’s still no indication that Memphis would consider moving Morant, reports Jake Fischer of The Stein Line — at least, no indication yet.
“Nobody’s doing seismic, monumental things before 20, 25 games have been played,” an agent told Fischer, who notes that the team is still in the evaluation stage after a significant offseason roster shakeup that included trading Desmond Bane to Orlando for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and four first-round picks.
According to Fischer, indications are that leadership wants to see what head coach Tuomas Iisalo can do with the roster when it’s closer to full strength before making any decisions. Brandon Clarke, Zach Edey, Ty Jerome, and Scotty Pippen Jr. have all missed time to open the season.
We have more from the Grizzlies:
- While the Morant situation has been the subject of the most scrutiny, Jaren Jackson Jr.‘s struggles to find his place in the offense have been an important part of the story too, writes Damichael Cole for Memphis Commercial Appeal. Jackson finished with just nine points on six shots in Wednesday’s loss to the Rockets after entering the game averaging the second-lowest field goal attempts since his rookie year. “He got this little trail three he used to get a lot,” said teammate Vince Williams Jr. “He hasn’t been shooting that as much. I think he’s just being over passive, but we need him to score if we want to win, so he’s got to score.”
- Iisalo has made it clear that getting Jackson more involved is a priority moving forward, though Cole writes that Morant told the head coach the team’s ability to spread the defense out is also an issue. “It’s not enough space,” Morant said. “We got to make more shots and open up the floor for him.” Jackson, for his part, said that he’s “very confident” that he will return to form soon. “You just got to be aggressive,” Jackson said. “You just got to be in attack mode.”
- One of the few bright spots in Memphis so far this season has been the play of rookie Cedric Coward, who was selected with the No. 11 pick in this year’s draft after the Grizzlies traded two of the first-rounders acquired in the Bane deal — including the 16th overall pick that became Yang Hansen — to get him. Coward currently ranks third on the team in scoring, rebounding, and steals, and is second in made three-pointers. However, it doesn’t appear that a promotion to the starting lineup is in the immediate future. “We think about that with all of our players,” Iisalo said when asked about the idea (Twitter link via Cole). “… A lot of times it doesn’t make sense to have, for example, all of your best on-ball creators in the same lineup. His minutes have been steadily going up because of his overall impact. I think that’s the more important thing than like who is starting and who is not.“
- There are palpable bad vibes surrounding the team, according to Kelly Iko of Yahoo! Sports, and not just related to Morant. Iko writes that after years of boasting an energetic, fun-loving style of play, the team is missing the edge and confidence it once wore on its sleeve. Iisalo is aware of the change. ” It’s very hard to build confidence if you’re consistently losing,” he says. “It’s great to be around other guys when you’re winning, and when it’s losing, it tests you and reveals a lot of that character. We’re losing and it’s being tested and there’s only one way out from there.”
- Iko points to a different style of attack after years of playing in Taylor Jenkins‘ scheme as part of the cause. Morant’s attempts at the rim are down and his perimeter shots are up, and the team seems more stagnant at times than it used to. Jackson echoed the sentiment. “The longer you’ve done [something different], it’ll take a little longer than the average person to snap back into something new,” the former Defensive Player of the Year said. “You have to have full belief in it and have to give yourself up for it, full belief that it will work every single time. Otherwise, you’re going to be hesitant. Any little bit of hesitation in professional sports will get you a loss.”
Damon Jones Pleads Not Guilty To Gambling Charges
Former NBA player and coach Damon Jones has pleaded not guilty to charges relating to his alleged involvement in a rigged poker game as well as a sports gambling scheme, according to Michael R. Sisak of The Associated Press.
Jones was arrested in late October and was charged in both cases with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. While 30 people were charged as a result of one of the two indictments, Jones was one of three people who faced charges in both cases.
There was speculation at the time of Jones’ arrest that his involvement could be the most problematic for the league, given his connection to both cases, as well as his alleged use of privileged information involving Lakers star LeBron James.
Jones never held a formal coaching position with the Lakers, but as a longtime friend of James who played with and coached the four-time MVP in Cleveland, he was often around the team and would occasionally fly with the players to road games.
Federal prosecutors have accused Jones of using his access to sell non-public information to sports gamblers, most notably in relation to a game on February 9, 2023 between the Lakers and Bucks, which James sat out. Jones allegedly sent a text message to an unnamed co-conspirator that read, “Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out.”
Jones was released on a $200K bond, as was sports bettor Marves Fairley, who also pleaded not guilty to his charges of alleged involvement in the sports gambling scheme. According to prosecutors, Fairley paid Jones around $2,500 for a tip involving the playing status of then-Laker Anthony Davis, which turned out to be incorrect, causing Fairley to demand a refund from Jones.
As part of his bail agreement, Jones’ travel is restricted to parts of Texas and New York City.
Tony Allen Arrested On Drug Charges
Former Grizzlies guard Tony Allen was arrested on drug charges in Poinsett County, Arkansas on Wednesday, according to Clay Bailey of The Associated Press.
The Poinsett County Sheriff’s Office alleges that following a traffic stop about 50 miles outside of Memphis, Allen was found to have a package of a leafy substance later identified as marijuana on his person.
A subsequent search of the car, which was driven by a man named William Hatton, revealed marijuana-related paraphernalia, which Hatton claimed belonged to him, according to Action News 5, as well as a cigarette box with a substance later identified as cocaine.
Allen pleaded guilty to his involvement in a federal case of health insurance fraud in 2023 and received three years of supervised probation, in addition to community service.
Allen was a key leader of the Grit and Grind Grizzlies from 2010-17 and had his No. 9 jersey retired last March. During his seven seasons in Memphis, he made six All-Defense teams and missed the playoffs just once.
Blake Wesley Undergoes Foot Surgery, Out 8-12 Weeks
Blake Wesley underwent successful surgery on Wednesday to address a fractured fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot, the Trail Blazers announced in a press release. He will begin rehabbing right away and is expected to miss eight-to-12 weeks.
Wesley had initially been ruled out “indefinitely” following the announcement of his broken bone. This timeline would put his earliest return date somewhere around the end of 2025, with his absence more likely to extend into 2026.
Wesley had been playing some of the best basketball of his career in his first six games with the Blazers, serving as one of the team’s primary backcourt options off the bench with Scoot Henderson sidelined due to a hamstring injury.
Wesley signed a one-year, fully guaranteed deal with Portland this summer after averaging 4.3 points and 2.4 assists in 14.3 minutes per game across three seasons with the Spurs. He was traded from San Antonio to Washington and then bought out with the Wizards before joining the Blazers.
With Wesley and Henderson sidelined and Damian Lillard out for the season, the Blazers turned to a pair of two-way players in Sidy Cissoko and rookie Caleb Love to provide backcourt depth in their last game against the Lakers.
LeBron James Preparing For Five-On-Five Play
LeBron James has missed the first eight games of the Lakers‘ season and will remain on the shelf for at least a few more, but he’s making progress toward his return to the court, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter video link).
“LeBron James has been working out individually, and I’ve been told that the next step for him is five-on-five live play,” Charania explained.
Charania adds that James will not be traveling with the team on its five-game road trip that starts in Atlanta this weekend, following Wednesday’s game against the Spurs. It’s not certain if that live action would occur with the team’s G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, who will be practicing in El Segundo, California, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, or if James will rejoin the team once it returns from the road trip on November 15.
As ESPN’s Malika Andrews notes in her conversation with Charania, this would indicate that the earliest James would return is November 18 against the Jazz.
The Lakers have started the season 6-2 entering Wednesday’s game against the Spurs, despite playing without not only James but also Luka Doncic, who has missed four of the team’s eight games.
McMenamin notes that once James appears in his first game, he will officially become the first player to play 23 seasons in the NBA.
Jalen Green Probable To Make Suns Debut Thursday
Suns guard Jalen Green has been upgraded to probable for Thursday’s matchup against the Clippers, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link). If he is able to suit up, it would mark both Green’s season and Suns debut.
Green came over to Phoenix in the trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Rockets and was expected to be a major part of the Suns’ new-look offense, but a right hamstring strain has kept him on the sidelines since early in training camp.
He missed all of camp as well as the first eight games of the season — the Suns are off to a 3-5 start without him. First-year head coach Jordan Ott has experimented with different starting lineups while Green and fellow former Rocket Dillon Brooks have been out with injuries, but Green’s return should help provide stability to the team’s backcourt rotation.
The fifth-year shooting guard holds career averages of 20.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 307 career regular-season games, but he struggled with consistency in terms of shot selection and defensive focus. He expressed excitement this summer about playing off of Devin Booker, with whom he believes he can form a two-headed scoring and play-making attack.
The Suns will still have to wait to see their team at full strength, as Brooks continues to be listed as out due to the core muscle strain that has caused him to miss the last five games.
Congressional Committee, NBA Meet To Discuss League Gambling
NBA staffers were in Washington, D.C. today to meet with lawyers and aides for the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee in a discussion about the recent gambling scandals connected to the league, writes Joe Vardon for The Athletic.
The NBA representatives, including league lawyers and a gambling consultant, spent less than an hour answering questions about the charges facing Heat guard Terry Rozier, Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, and former player and coach Damon Jones, among others, Vardon reports, though he adds that requests for additional documents are likely to follow.
The topics in question were the actions the league intends to take to curb bad actors from being able to act on non-public information for their own gain, what the NBA’s Code of Conduct does and doesn’t restrict in terms of such disclosures and acting upon information not yet public, and whether the recent troubles have caused the NBA to reconsider any of its profitable partnerships with gambling companies.
Vardon writes that a separate bipartisan Senate committee has asked for a briefing in writing that covers many of the same topics, while also questioning why Rozier was cleared by the league when the federal investigation was still ongoing and, in fact, resulted in Rozier facing criminal charges.
For what it’s worth, a source in the league office recently told Pablo Torre that while the NBA didn’t find any wrongdoing when it looked into Rozier, it also never formally closed that investigation.
“This is a matter of Congressional concern. The integrity of NBA games must be trustworthy and free from the influence of organized crime or gambling-related activity,” wrote Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell in a statement. “Sports betting scandals like this one may lead the American public to assume that all sports are corrupt. As Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over professional sports, and as dedicated basketball fans, we want to ensure the NBA is protecting the integrity of the sport.”
Vardon notes that the House committee also previously sent a letter to the NCAA about the recent announcement that collegiate athletes and coaches could bet on pro sports.
Neither NBA commissioner Adam Silver nor deputy commissioner Mark Tatum were in attendance at today’s meeting, according to Marc Stein of the Stein Line (Twitter link).
Anthony Edwards To Return To Action On Wednesday
Anthony Edwards is available to play for the Timberwolves‘ game against the Knicks on Wednesday after missing his previous four games, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). Stefan Bondy of the New York Post adds (via Twitter) that Edwards will not be on a minutes restriction.
Edwards was diagnosed with a right hamstring strain on October 27 after exiting the previous night’s game against the Pacers after just three minutes of play.
In his first two games of the season, Edwards was averaging 36.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per night while carrying over his prolific three-point shooting from the previous season by going 8-for-16 from beyond the arc.
The Wolves managed to beat the Pacers by a score of 114-110 and split their next four games, with wins against the Hornets and Nets and losses to the Nuggets and Lakers. They face a Knicks team coming off back-to-back wins against the Bulls and Wizards.
“He’s itching to play,” head coach Chris Finch said of Edwards, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link). Missing these four games marked the second-longest absence of the guard’s career, Krawczynski writes, behind only a six-game stretch he missed due to COVID-19 in his sophomore season.
Mavs Notes: Flagg, Veterans, Irving, Approach
Cooper Flagg‘s start to his NBA career with the Mavericks has been an exercise in steady progress and managing expectations, writes Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal.
It hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing so far for the 6’9″ rookie forward, who joined a team with aspirations of contending and has unexpectedly taken on the role of starting point guard. The No. 1 overall pick is shooting just 37.3% from the floor and 28.6% on three-pointers as he learns a new role.
Flagg, for his part, is not satisfied with his performance so far, but neither is he losing confidence.
“It’s a tough league. It’s a transition,” Flagg said. “Honestly, I haven’t made a lot of shots or been as efficient as I would’ve wanted to, but I’m gonna just keep trusting the work. It’s nothing I think they should be worried about. I’m not worried about anything.”
The Mavericks share Flagg’s faith in his ability to figure things out.
“Cooper’s not the kind of player who gets rattled,” a Mavericks staffer said. “He wants to understand why something didn’t work, then figure out how to fix it. That’s rare for someone his age.”
We have more from around the Mavs:
- One way that the Mavs are helping to ease Flagg’s burden as he transitions to being the new face of the franchise is through their veteran stars, writes Tim MacMahon for ESPN. Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis both have the perspective of being former No. 1 overall picks who entered the NBA with big expectations, and they’re using their experiences to help Flagg. “Being a No. 1 pick is still going to come with the pressure, still going to come with a lot of the inner thoughts that you want to impose on the team,” Irving said. “You want to let everybody know who you are, and you want to earn everybody’s respect. And that’s what it takes to be in this league. There’s no boys allowed. For me, it’s just making sure he doesn’t get overwhelmed or it’s not too much for him.” MacMahon describes Flagg as a 6’9″ shadow to Irving when the point guard goes through his post-practice routine, whether shooting sessions or one-on-one work.
- Head coach Jason Kidd is tantalized by the potential combination of Irving playing alongside Flagg and is hopeful that fans will get to see that duo sooner rather than later, Afseth writes. “[Irving] is going to be a perfect fit with Cooper Flagg, when you talk about his skill set of being able to dribble and score,” Kidd said. “He also creates space on the floor for Cooper, and vice versa. We just can’t wait to get Kai back, at some point. Hopefully it’s in the year of ’25 — not ’26.” Afseth notes that the optimistic timeline stands in clear contrast to the cautious approach Kidd and the Mavs have taken when previously discussing Irving’s rehabilitation schedule.
- Until Irving does return, Mavs fans shouldn’t expect a change in approach, despite the team’s early struggles to score, according to Christian Clark for The Athletic. Dallas’ offense went bone-dry in the fourth quarter against the Pistons in Mexico on Saturday, Clark writes, a trend largely indicative of the greater struggles the team has faced en route to a 2-4 start to the season. Entering Sunday, the Mavs were averaging 104.2 points per 100 possessions while every other team in the league was scoring at least 106, Clark notes. However, Kidd seems content to focus on the bigger picture rather than getting weighed down by the offense’s current struggles. “We are playing for something greater,” Kidd said about the ongoing Point Flagg experiment. “Just to have that experience early on is a blessing.”
Serge Ibaka Teases NBA Comeback
Serge Ibaka recently teased a potential return to the NBA, tweeting a black and white picture of himself practicing in an open University of Miami gym with the caption “@nba Comeback.”
The 14-year veteran’s most recent NBA action came in the 2022/23 season, when he appeared in 16 regular season games for the Bucks and averaged 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in 11.6 minutes per contest.
Ibaka played the following season overseas with Bayern Munich, with whom he averaged 12.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks while shooting 48.0% from three. He spent last season with Real Madrid, averaging 6.5 PPG and 3.3 RPG during EuroLeague play.
The 36-year-old Ibaka led the league in blocks three times during his NBA career and won the 2019 NBA championship as a key contributor for the Raptors. He rose to prominence as an important member of the Thunder team that, along with Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook, lost the 2012 NBA Finals to the LeBron James-led Heat.