Larry Nance Jr. To Miss 2-4 Weeks With MCL Sprain
Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. is expected to miss two to four weeks with a sprained right MCL, the team announced today.
Nance Jr. underwent an MRI and additional evaluation on Thursday which revealed the injury’s severity. He sat out of the team’s contest against the Pelicans on Wednesday with knee pain, originally injuring himself on Tuesday against Indiana.
Nance Jr., 26, signed a four-year, $44.8MM extension with the Cavs in October. He’s averaging 8.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per contest in 39 games this season, shooting 53% from the floor. Cleveland currently holds the worst record in the NBA at 8-34.
Chandler Parsons To Leave Grizzlies Indefinitely
JANUARY 7, 7:26pm: In a statement to Wojnarowski, Parsons expressed regret that he wasn’t able to finish out the 2018/19 season with the Grizzlies. According to Wojnarowski, the veteran forward wanted to keep practicing with the team, even if he wasn’t being activated for games, but the Grizz preferred to have him leave the club until a resolution can be reached.
“I am extremely disappointed that I didn’t get to finish this season alongside my teammates and the Memphis coaching staff,” Parsons told ESPN. “Unfortunately that option wasn’t presented to me.
“The Grizzlies training staff medically cleared me to play 5-on-5 in mid-December and I have been practicing with the team ever since. I will continue to work out and train until my agent and the team reach a resolution. I am ready to play and committed to getting back on the court.”
JANUARY 6, 3:58pm: Grizzlies forward Chandler Parsons will leave the team indefinitely as the two sides work to structure a resolution on his future, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. Parsons and team management agreed to the separation on Sunday, with the 30-year-old failing to see any playing time.
The Grizzlies still owe Parsons $38MM, which includes his 2019/20 salary of $25.1MM.
According to Wojnarowski and ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, the Grizzlies and Parsons’ representation will work to find a trade for Parsons. So far, the Grizzlies have not been willing to include a first-round draft pick in such a trade, but they are willing to take on a longer contract in return for Parsons.
Reports indicate that the final disagreement between the two sides was regarding the possibility of a G League assignment for Parsons. According to Wojnarowski, Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace wanted Parsons to play in a couple of games with the Memphis Hustle before he would decide on returning the veteran to the active roster.
While Parsons was willing to play in the G League, he wanted a clearer timetable regarding his return to Memphis’ active roster.
Parsons has not played since exiting the Grizzlies’ third game of the season because of soreness in his right knee.
Cavaliers Waive Patrick McCaw
5:24pm: The Cavs have officially waived McCaw, according to a press release from the club.
3:35pm: The Cavaliers are planning to waive guard Patrick McCaw, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. McCaw signed a non-guaranteed two-year, $6MM offer sheet with the team in restricted free agency, appearing in just three games.
Several playoff contenders are expected to express interest in McCaw, according to Charania, who adds that Cleveland will also be interested once he reaches free agency. The move allows McCaw to enter unrestricted free agency once he clears waivers in 48 hours, although there’s an outside chance he gets claimed on waivers by the end of Sunday, Marc J. Spears of ESPN’s The Undefeated reports (Twitter link).
“I bet on myself and stayed positive,” McCaw said shortly after signing in Cleveland following months of failed negotiations with the Warriors, as relayed by Tom Withers of AP. “A lot of guys in my position being 22 or 23 years old probably would never take that chance because they don’t know what the outcome could possibly be. I know I had injuries and things like that last season and I’ve just been continuing to work and get better and constantly make strides within myself. That’s how I’ve always been. Just focusing on myself, getting better within myself and telling myself I can be great at this game.”
McCaw, 23, appeared in 57 contests with the Warriors last season as a reserve guard. He held per-game averages of four points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting 41% from the floor. Golden State traded for McCaw during the 2016 NBA Draft, beginning his two-season run with the team.
Southeast Notes: Winslow, Mozgov, Hornets, Gordon
Justise Winslow took a giant leap with the Heat in December, seeing most of his minutes at point guard and proving his worth by running the team’s offense during games. The sudden transformation came when All-Star guard Goran Dragic sustained a knee injury, forcing coach Erik Spoelstra to make a quick decision and give more ball-handling duties to Winslow.
Winslow has thrived in Dragic’s absence, providing multiple 20-plus point games and high assist games with Miami.
“Justise at the point guard is a lot different,” teammate Hassan Whiteside said. “He’s so big, he can just a lot of time bulldoze his way to the basket when he can’t get a pass.”
The rapid increase of production from Winslow, the Heat’s 2015 first-round pick, has earned the confidence of Spoelstra and the Heat’s coaching staff. Spoelstra outlined his perfect hypothetical stat line for Winslow in the coming years, giving him a high benchmark to set.
“I think the perfect stat lines for him would be 14, 15 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, five steals,” Spoelstra said, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. “There’s very few guys in this league that can have that kind of balance and effect on a basketball game and he’s one of those kind of guys.”
Winslow has averaged 14.7 points, 5.1 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game over his last 13 contests, with the Heat holding a 9-4 record during that span.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Magic center Timofey Mozgov underwent a successful arthroscopic procedure in his right knee, the team announced on social media. Mozgov had the surgery on Friday in Miami, with his return to basketball activity dictated on how he responds to treatment. Mosgov has yet to play a single game with Orlando this season.
- Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer examines the situation between Kemba Walker and the Hornets, with Walker set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Charlotte has failed to build a successful team around Walker during his time with the team, Fowler writes, but could offer him a five-year maximum extension worth $190MM in free agency. Walker has averaged a career-high 25.3 points, 5.9 assists and 1.3 steals this season with the Hornets.
- Magic coach Steve Clifford praised Aaron Gordon for his solid play in recent games, as relayed by Chris Hays of the Orlando Sentinel.“I think he’s playing at an incredibly high level and some nights he’s not getting as many shots, but I think it’s because he’s really locked in on just making the right play and making plays for his teammates and things like that,” Clifford said of Gordon. “I think his defense and his rebounding have been terrific and I think he’s in a stretch of games here where he’s just playing really well.”
Bulls Notes: Portis, Dunn, Selden Jr.
Bulls forward Bobby Portis will return to the lineup on Sunday against the Nets, making the team the healthiest it has been since originally starting its rebuild, writes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Portis had missed the past seven games with a sprained right ankle and is expected to be on a minutes restriction against Brooklyn.
Chicago coped with several key injuries to start the season, beginning the campaign with a 5-19 record and ultimately ending the run of Fred Hoiberg as head coach. The team currently holds the third-worst record in the East at 10-29, with Kris Dunn (knee), Lauri Markkanen (elbow), and Portis (knee/ankle) all missing more than 20 games.
The next step for the Bulls, who now have one young player sidelined in Denzel Valentine, is putting forth a stronger effort to create better results as a unit.
“We’ve talked about [the offense], and the issue right now is we’ve got to get a little more pace to our game,’’ Bulls VP John Paxson said, relaying a discussion between him and coach Jim Boylen. “Jim, [special adviser] Doug Collins, we all talk about it together. I don’t think you can necessarily pay attention to everything all at once. You make a change in-season, it’s very hard for the coach. You didn’t have a training camp to establish things. Practice time is limited. This will be a good time for us to improve in that area. We’ve got a lot of games left.”
There’s more today out of Chicago:
- Kris Dunn is making a strong impact with the Bulls so far this season, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes. Dunn added 16 points, five rebounds and 17 assists in a losing effort to the Pacers on Friday night. “I think I can do a little bit of everything,” Dunn said. “If my team needs me to be aggressive, I can be aggressive. If my team needs me to pass, I can pass. I play defense. That’s what I do. I can rebound. I just try to do what the team needs from me.”
- Wayne Selden Jr. thanked the city of Memphis and the Grizzlies on social media, writing that “blessings await” with the Bulls: “Memphis, thank you to the organization for given me the opportunity after going undrafted. Thank you to my teammates, I learned a lot & we had great times. Thanks to BT! & special thanks to the the city & the fans for embracing me. But now new blessings await #BullsNation.” Selden Jr. was acquired in a multi-player trade between the Bulls and Grizzlies last week and could make his debut on Sunday.
- An entertaining second half of the season awaits the Bulls, with the organization continuing to work through the kinks of being a young, inexperienced group, Johnson writes in a separate story for the Chicago Tribune. The team is expected to explore trade scenarios for Jabari Parker and Robin Lopez as the Feb. 7 deadline nears, keeping a strong focus on the future while growing as a unit. “We need to see growth. We need to see how they play,” Paxson said of the young core. “We’ve got to find a way offensively to get some easier shots and get guys to find some comfort zone. That’s what the rest of this season is about.”
Atlantic Notes: Butler, Graham, Knicks, Crabbe
The Sixers don’t have long-term concerns about signing Jimmy Butler to a possible five-year contract, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Butler is set to turn 30 in September, currently playing in his eighth NBA season.
“No concern, because of the way he takes care of his body,” Sixers GM Elton Brand said, according to Pompey. “But, of course, there’s other things that would have to happen before you discuss those kind of things… like he has to opt out of his contract. So I don’t want to talk about that yet.”
For most NBA players, production levels begin to decrease as they turn the corner and reach age 30. There have been some outliers in this case during recent years, such as four-time MVP LeBron James, but teams usually give added thought before offering lucrative, long-term deals to players who are on the wrong side of 30.
Butler, who was acquired by the Sixers in a trade last November, is holding per-game averages of 18 points, 4.7 rebounds and one steal with the team this season. He can turn down a $19.8MM player option for the 2019/20 season to enter free agency this summer and seek a new deal.
The Sixers’ offer to Butler could be a five-year, $190MM maximum contract, which would help solidify the team’s “Big 3” of Butler, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons for several seasons to come.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division tonight:
- Nets swingman Treveon Graham will be available to play in the team’s game against the Grizzlies on Friday, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post (Twitter link). Graham last played for the Nets on Oct. 19, taking the last 11 weeks to rehab from a hamstring injury. He signed a contract to join the team this past summer in free agency.
- Enes Kanter and Courtney Lee aren’t the only players who have seen their roles diminish on the Knicks in recent weeks, Marc Berman writes for The Post. Mario Hezonja, Trey Burke and Lance Thomas have also been given reduced time, with all five players becoming trade candidates for the Feb. 7 deadline, according to Berman. Knicks coach David Fizdale has prioritized playing younger talent this season, making the futures of some veterans uncertain.
- Nets guard Allen Crabbe is set to miss more time than expected with his knee injury, Lewis writes in a different story for The Post. Crabbe last played on Dec. 12 due to general soreness and will be re-evaluated in 1-2 weeks, with surgery an unlikely option. “No, we haven’t gotten to that point yet,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “I haven’t gotten to that point. It will be a re-evaluation in a week to 10 days and then go from there.”
Bulls Trade Holiday To Grizzlies For Selden, Brooks, Picks
10:43pm: The trade between the Bulls and Grizzlies is now official, with both teams announcing the agreement in press releases. As expected, Chicago waived Payne to reduce its roster count to 15 players.
6:43pm: The Bulls are trading Justin Holiday to the Grizzlies in exchange for Wayne Selden, MarShon Brooks and two second-round picks, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports. Memphis will send its own 2019 and 2020 second-round selections.
Chicago is likely to waive guard Cameron Payne following the trade, Wojnarowski reports.
The trade comes less than 24 hours after the Grizzlies held a postgame meeting that lasted roughly 30 minutes, a conversation which also reportedly included a physical altercation between veterans Omri Casspi and Garrett Temple. Memphis holds just a 18-19 record and is 6-14 since November 22, struggling to gain a strong rhythm on both ends of the floor.
Holiday, 29, has averaged 11.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 38 starts with the Bulls this season. He’ll provide the Grizzlies with backcourt depth as they seek to turnaround an underwhelming last month of action, capable of playing both shooting guard and small forward.
Brooks, 30, earned a spot on the Grizzlies’ roster this season after averaging 20.1 PPG in seven games down the stretch in 2017/18. However, he didn’t play a major role in Memphis in 2018/19, posting 6.6 PPG in 13.3 MPG (29 games). The Bulls are expected to work with his agent and find a new destination for him after the trade, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Selden, an intriguing third-year player who has also seen his production slip a little in a part-time role for the Grizzlies this season, will report to Chicago as a young asset off the bench.
Interestingly, the package of Brooks, Selden, and a pair of second-round picks is exactly what the Grizzlies believed they were giving up for Kelly Oubre in a failed three-team trade with the Suns and Wizards last month. That deal fell apart because the Suns were under the impression they was getting Dillon Brooks rather than MarShon.
The Bulls received interest from multiple teams on Holiday, according to Charania (Twitter link), but ultimately settled on this trade with the Grizzlies. Chicago has the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference at 10-28 and has lost six of its past 10 games.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bulls Waive Cameron Payne
10:39pm: The Bulls have officially waived Payne, according to a press release from the team.
8:05pm: The Bulls are likely to waive Cameron Payne once their multi-player trade with the Grizzlies is official, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Payne is a former first-round pick and holds four years of NBA experience.
Chicago agreed to send Justin Holiday to Memphis in exchange for Wayne Selden, MarShon Brooks, a 2019 second-round pick and a 2020 second-round pick on Thursday, Wojnarowski reported. The Bulls already have a full 15-man roster, so they don’t have the room necessary to acquire two players for one without releasing someone else.
The Bulls are expected to remain active in trade discussions as the February 7 deadline nears, with the team already shopping players such as Jabari Parker and Robin Lopez, Wojnarowski adds. Chicago holds a 10-28 record through their first 38 games this season.
Payne, 24, was traded from the Thunder to the Bulls at the trade deadline in February of 2017. He’s struggled to establish himself as a consistent contributor since entering the league, dealing with a series of foot injuries in recent years.
Payne spent one full season and two half-seasons with Chicago, though he appeared in just 67 total games for the Bulls during that time. He has averaged 5.7 points, 2.7 assists and 17.3 minutes in 31 games this season, shooting 41% from the floor and 27% from 3-point range.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/3/19
Here are Thursday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Hornets assigned Dwayne Bacon to the Greensboro Swarm, announcing the news in a press release today. Bacon has averaged 5.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 18 games with Charlotte this season.
- The Grizzlies assigned Jevon Carter and Ivan Rabb to the Memphis Hustle, G League affiliate of the team, according to a tweet from the club’s PR department. Rabb played in the Hustle’s loss against Stockton on Thursday, adding 19 points and seven rebounds.
- The Clippers recalled then later assigned guard Jerome Robinson to the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, the team announced on Thursday. Robinson was drafted by the Clippers with the No. 13 pick in 2018.
Celtics’ Grousbeck Talks Roster, Draft Picks, Spending
Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck discussed a variety of topics with Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe this week, touching on subjects such as his team’s spending, draft picks, and the state of the roster.
With lofty expectations around the franchise and its talented roster entering the season, Boston has compiled just a 22-15 record through the campaign’s first 37 games. Asked whether the team could consider making roster changes as the February 7 trade deadline approaches, Grousbeck took an honest approach.
“What we’ll do over the next month is determine if there’s anything we can do in February [prior to the trade deadline] to advance the team to a new level,” Grousbeck said. “But when I look at the team right now, I feel really good about their character, really good about their skill, really good about the upside over the next 5-6 years, with young players and the draft.
“I feel overall confident and excited we can make some noise over the next 5-6 years with this core group, adding on when we can. But this season still does feel like a work in progress, and it feels like we’ve got a long way to go if we want to make some noise in May again, or even in June.”
The Celtics have several young players on their roster today, including the likes of Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown. The team also has veterans such as Kyrie Irving, Al Horford and Gordon Hayward to round out its roster, sporting a group of talent capable of competing in the Eastern Conference.
Here are some other noteworthy quotes from Grousbeck in the Globe’s story:
On going after a superstar player:
“Well, this team is stacked with a lot of talented players on reasonable contracts, and a ton of draft picks. So that’s why our phone is already ringing. Our history is that we try to make the big deal and have gone for it. We try to put banners in the rafters. There’s only one so far [from our ownership group]. We’d like to have another one up there, and that may require another move, or just continued growth with these guys. We’ll have to see.”
On his role in looking for possible trades:
“We’ll just leave that in the mystery category. But what happens with trades is that they’re proposed by the basketball side and I’m kept up to date all along as the phone calls develop and as we think about what assets we might include and what the team might look like after a trade. And so I approve them or disapprove them, or try to change them, and that’s gone on for 16 years.”
On being in luxury tax territory, this season and beyond:
“We have a 16-year record of spending and putting the best possible team out on the court and I’ll just leave it at that. Everybody can see what we’ve done, knows what we’ve done and knows that we’ve put the Celtics first in every aspect.”
On the team’s stash of draft picks:
“I’m excited about all the draft picks we have now and in future years. It’s one of the reasons I’m so excited about the next six years as opposed to the next six games. The next six games we might go 0-6, but the next six years I feel pretty good about. I know both February and June will be very active. Because we have all these draft picks and young players, we get a lot of calls. And so Danny [Ainge], Mike Zarren, Austin Ainge, they get a ton of calls and try to figure out if there’s anything to recommend to me to make the team better. My view of this draft right now is it’s going to be as many phone calls as we’ve ever had. I don’t worry much about what players we end up drafting, because that’s completely on the basketball side.”