Injury Notes: G. Hill, D. Green, Suggs, Vanderbilt
While his return will likely be overshadowed by Brook Lopez‘s, another key Bucks contributor appears poised to be available on Monday night in Utah. Veteran guard George Hill no longer shows up on Milwaukee’s injury report after missing the last 17 games due to neck soreness.
[RELATED: Brook Lopez To Return On Monday]
Prior to his injury, Hill had been a regular part of the Bucks’ backcourt rotation, starting 16 of his 41 games and averaging 25.5 minutes per contest. While his shooting numbers this season (.436 FG%, .316 3PT%) are well below his career rates, the 35-year-old will give the club another ball-handling and floor-spacing option down the stretch, and he won’t shy away from the postseason spotlight this spring — Hill has appeared in 139 career playoff games.
Here are a few more injury-related updates from around the NBA:
- Warriors forward Draymond Green is officially set to return on Monday after being sidelined since early January with a back issue, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Green, who no longer appears on Golden State’s injury report, said last week that he was targeting March 14 for his return.
- After missing games on March 5 and March 8 due to a right ankle sprain, Magic rookie Jalen Suggs doesn’t appear to have put that issue fully behind him. He left Sunday’s game early, with the team again citing a sprained right ankle (Twitter link).
- Timberwolves forward Jarred Vanderbilt will be unavailable on Monday for a second straight game due to a left quad contusion, tweets Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. Discussing Vanderbilt’s status on Saturday, Wolves head coach Chris Finch called it “kind of an odd” injury. “The only way to loosen it up is by moving, but it hurts too much to move,” Finch said (Twitter link via Hine). “Just got to keep working on it. The way he plays, he needs all of his physical attributes to be highly impactful.”
Anthony Davis Talks Injury Recovery, Lakers’ Window, 2021 Playoffs
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel confirmed that Anthony Davis is taking another step forward in his rehab process this week and will begin spot shooting in Los Angeles on Monday, writes ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN had reported on Saturday that this step was anticipated, indicating that the Lakers were encouraged by Davis’ recovery from a right foot strain that he suffered nearly a month ago.
Davis, who hadn’t spoken to the media since he went down with his foot injury, made himself available to reporters on Sunday and expressed hope that he’ll be back in the Lakers’ lineup before the regular season ends on April 10.
“I’m very optimistic about it,” Davis said, per McMenamin. “I’m trying to get back on the court as soon as possible. As far as a number or something, I would love to say 100 but with only a certain amount of games yet, not 100 percent sure.”
Davis also made a few more noteworthy comments during his media session, which took place before the Suns blew out the Lakers by 29 points at Phoenix’s Footprint Center. Here are some of the highlights from Davis, via McMenamin:
On his first thoughts when he injured his foot on February 16:
“The first thing I thought was, ‘Not again.’ I just got off of [being sidelined] four-to-six [weeks]. Now I got another four-to-six. So that’s where the anger came from. … It was a little bit of relief that it wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but more so anger of, ‘Here we go again.'”
On wanting to make the most of LeBron James continuing to play at a high level at age 37:
“We don’t know how long he has left in this league. Phenomenal player, future Hall-of-Famer, and to be able to play alongside him, you want to take advantage of it. We did the first year. Last year we both were banged up, and then this year, it’s [injuries] again but moreso me. So every day [the window is] closing. That’s another frustrating part. A lot of guys don’t get to play with talent like that. I have the opportunity to do so. … I want to take advantage of that time.
“He has another year left with the Lakers … and then who knows? I don’t know what he’s going to do. So we got this year and next year to try to take advantage of that and get another ring out of it.”
On his belief that the Lakers would’ve beaten the Suns in the first round of the 2021 playoffs if he hadn’t gotten injured in Game 4:
“I think we know that, I think they know that. I just feel like they just got away with one.”
Stein’s Latest: Snyder, Popovich, Pistons, M. Robinson, More
There’s no indication that Quin Snyder, the NBA’s fourth longest-tenured head coach, is in any danger of losing his job with the Jazz. However, in his latest Substack article, Marc Stein says he has heard Snyder’s name come up more and more frequently as a potential Gregg Popovich successor with the Spurs.
Before he was hired by the Jazz, and before he served as an assistant for the Hawks, Lakers, and 76ers, Snyder jump-started his NBA coaching career by serving as the head coach of the G League’s Austin Toros – San Antonio’s then-affiliate – from 2007-10. According to Stein, the Spurs would “naturally relish” the opportunity to bring him back to the organization once Popovich retires.
Still, the Spurs’ decision on a successor for Popovich could be a ways off yet. Stein says, if pressed, he’d lean toward Popovich sticking with the Spurs for at least one more season rather than calling it a career later this year.
Here’s more from Stein:
- Stein is the latest reporter to state that the Pistons are believed to have strong interest in Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Several other outlets, including SNY.tv, The New York Daily News, and HoopsHype, have previously reported Detroit’s interest in Robinson.
- According to Stein, there have been “rumbles in league coaching circles” that if the Knicks want to move on from head coach Tom Thibodeau this spring, president of basketball operations Leon Rose would have to be willing to be the team’s voice “out in front” of that decision. As Stein points out, Rose has operated almost exclusively behind the scenes since taking control of the Knicks’ front office, rarely speaking to reporters, which perhaps bodes well for Thibodeau’s job security.
- Within his Substack article, Stein also explores the tough decisions facing U.S. players who had been playing for teams in Russia prior to the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Many of those players have left in recent weeks, but some are being offered six-figure bonuses to return, according to Stein, who says there’s a belief in industry circles that several may soon go back to Russia, despite the criticism they’d face.
Warriors Notes: Wiseman, Poole, Wiggins, Thompson
Warriors center James Wiseman returned to the court on Thursday for the first time in 11 months, playing for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League after recovering from a pair of procedures on his knee. As Anthony Slater of The Athletic writes, Wiseman had to shake off some rust, but had a productive outing, scoring 18 points and grabbing six rebounds in just 21 minutes.
According to Slater, the plan is for Wiseman to review film of the game on Friday, practice with Santa Cruz on Saturday, and play in another G League contest on Sunday. After that, Golden State will determine whether or not he’s ready to make his NBA return.
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- Jordan Poole‘s dagger three-pointers in the final minute of the Warriors’ Thursday win over Denver was the latest example of the 22-year-old’s ability to rise to big moments, according to Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic, who says Poole’s regular season performance bodes well for his odds of playing an important role in the team’s playoff run.
- Conversely, Andrew Wiggins‘ game has taken a “taken a precipitous decline” as of late, writes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. Wiggins has made just 34.6% of his free throw attempts since January, prompting Poole to wonder whether the All-Star forward can still be a regular part of crunch-time lineups this spring if he doesn’t turn things around soon.
- Klay Thompson‘s shooting numbers this season – including 34.5% from the floor and 28.8% on threes in his last seven games – remain well below his career rates. But head coach Steve Kerr isn’t worried about the veteran sharpshooter, who is still working his way back into top form following a two-and-a-half year absence due to ACL and Achilles tears. “The only thing that I’m stressing with Klay right now is to just get great shots,” Kerr said on Thursday, per Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Bay Area. “If he’s not open, to move it on. I think we’ve really tried to give Klay a lot of freedom in his comeback, just to be able to feel the game. Not to harp on mistakes and that sort of thing. But the bottom line is we are at our best when the ball moves, and we’re getting good shots.”
Pelicans Release Alize Johnson, Officially Sign Tyrone Wallace
The Pelicans have terminated Alize Johnson‘s 10-day contract a day early, clearing room on the roster to officially sign Tyrone Wallace to a 10-day deal, the team announced today in a press release. Both transactions are official.
Wallace, who has appeared in 106 NBA regular season games for the Clippers and Hawks, has spent this season with the Long Island Nets in the G League. He has averaged 18.2 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 4.3 APG on .483/.436/.727 shooting in 20 appearances (33.4 MPG) for Brooklyn’s NBAGL affiliate.
Word first broke on Thursday that Wallace would sign a 10-day deal with the Pelicans after CJ McCollum entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
Placing McCollum in the protocols gives New Orleans a COVID-related hardship exception, allowing them to add a 16th man. But the team chose to use the final spot on its standard 15-man roster to sign Wallace, which is why Johnson had to be released.
It’s possible that the Pelicans will now use their hardship exception to re-sign Johnson to a new 10-day deal. Since COVID-related hardship signings don’t count toward a player’s limit of two 10-day contracts with the same team, it makes sense that the team would use that hardship exception on a player who has already signed a standard 10-day deal, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks observed (via Twitter).
Johnson has appeared in three games since signing last Wednesday, averaging 3.0 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 8.0 minutes per contest. He’ll be a free agent immediately, without having to pass through waivers.
Hoops Rumors’ 10-Day Contract Tracker
Due primarily to the league-wide COVID-19 outbreak in December and January – and all the replacement players required during that outbreak – the 2021/22 NBA season has been a record-setting one for 10-day contracts.
By our count, the number of 10-day contracts signed this season has reached a staggering 196, and will increase to 197 once the Pelicans‘ reported deal with Tyrone Wallace is officially finalized. We’ve tracked every single one of those signings using our 10-day contract tracker. The full list of this season’s 10-day pacts can be found right here.
Besides featuring all of this year’s 10-day deals, our 10-day contract tracker includes information on all 10-day contracts signed since the 2006/07 season. The search filters in the database make it easy to sort by team, player and year. For instance, if you want to see all the 10-day contracts that the Lakers have signed in recent years, you can do so here.
You can also use the tracker to identify which 10-day deals remain active. That list, which can be found right here, is as follows:
- Charlotte Hornets: Isaiah Thomas (runs through 3/11)
- New Orleans Pelicans: Alize Johnson (runs through 3/11)
- Portland Trail Blazers: Drew Eubanks (runs through 3/13)
- Boston Celtics: Malik Fitts (runs through 3/14)
- Boston Celtics: Kelan Martin (runs through 3/14)
- Toronto Raptors: Armoni Brooks (runs through 3/15)
- Cleveland Cavaliers: Moses Brown (runs through 3/19)
Players are typically prohibited from signing more than two 10-day contracts with the same team in a given league year. Since Thomas, Johnson, Brooks, and Brown are on their first 10-day contracts with their respective clubs, they’ll be eligible to sign at least one more.
Eubanks would also be eligible to continue signing 10-day deals with the Trail Blazers, since his first two have been completed using an injury-related hardship exception — those hardship deals don’t count toward the limit.
Fitts and Martin are on their second standard 10-day deals with Boston, so they won’t be eligible to sign a third unless Boston qualifies for a hardship exception. The Celtics will either have to sign them to rest-of-season contracts or let them go after their current deals expire on Monday night.
Community Shootaround: Most Improved Player
The NBA’s Most Improved Player award is often the one that generates the most crowded field of candidates. While there are only so many legitimate contenders in a given season for awards like Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year, there could be dozens of players who have decent cases for MIP consideration.
This season, however, oddsmakers believe there’s a clear-cut frontrunner for Most Improved Player honors — betting sites like Bovada.lv and BetOnline.ag have made Grizzlies guard Ja Morant the overwhelming favorite. If you want to place a wager at BetOnline on Morant to win the award, you have to risk $2,000 just to potentially win $100.
Morant has certainly taken a leap in his third NBA season. His scoring average has increased from 19.1 PPG to 27.5 PPG, and his shooting percentages have improved too, from .449/.303/.728 a year ago to .495/.346/.763 in 2021/22. The ascendant point guard has led the Grizzlies to a 45-22 record, the second-best mark in the NBA.
As ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Tim Bontemps observed this week on The Hoop Collective podcast (video link), Morant has gone from missing the All-Star team in his first two seasons to becoming an All-NBA lock and a viable MVP candidate, which Bontemps calls “the hardest leap to make.” That’s why he looks like the safe bet to take home the Most Improved Player award this spring.
But is Morant a lock? Hornets forward Miles Bridges, Cavaliers guard Darius Garland, Spurs guard Dejounte Murray, Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons, and Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey are among the next-best candidates listed at Bovada and BetOnline.
Bridges’ shooting numbers have dipped a little this year with his increased usage rate, but he has increased his scoring average from 12.7 PPG to 19.8 PPG and is putting up career highs in almost every other key category.
Garland has put up 21.0 PPG and 8.2 APG with a .480 FG% (all career highs) while playing a crucial role in the Cavaliers’ unexpected turnaround, but he had already established a pretty impressive baseline (17.4 PPG, 6.1 APG, .451 FG%) in his sophomore season in 2020/21.
Murray has taken his game to another level in his sixth season, with 20.6 PPG, 9.4 APG, and 8.4 RPG (all career highs) to go along with an NBA-best 2.1 SPG. The Spurs’ 25-41 record may hurt his case, however.
None of these candidates has improved his scoring numbers more than Simons, who averaged 7.8 PPG last season and is up to 17.3 PPG in 2021/22, without a drop in efficiency. Simons has benefited from an increased role, but his per-minute numbers are also the best of his career.
Maxey, meanwhile, helped the Sixers remain in the playoff mix this season with Ben Simmons absent, with 17.4 PPG and 4.4 APG on .481/.419/.864 shooting after playing a limited role as a rookie. It’s worth noting though that some voters shy away from second-year players, since it’s considered a given that most will take a significant step forward.
What do you think? Is Morant a lock to win this year’s Most Improved Player award? Do you think Bridges, Garland, Murray, Simons, Maxey, or someone else has a stronger case?
Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!
Pelicans Notes: Zion, Ingram, Alvarado, Roster
Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has officially rejoined the team, having been spotted today at New Orleans’ shootaround, as Andrew Lopez of ESPN tweets.
Reports last week indicated that Williamson would be returning to New Orleans after spending much of the winter rehabbing his foot injury on the West Coast. The former No. 1 overall pick moved his rehab to Portland in early January.
Williamson’s return to the Pelicans doesn’t necessarily mean his return his imminent, but his recovery from foot surgery is believed to be trending in a positive direction again following a couple setbacks earlier in the season. If he’s able to play before the regular season ends, it would make the Pels all the more dangerous entering next month’s play-in tournament.
“It’s good. It’s good for him,” Pelicans guard Devonte’ Graham said on Friday (Twitter link via Christian Clark of NOLA.com). “I know he missed being here. Just being around your family, your brothers. It was a warm welcome when he came back. Just want to see him healthy. That’s all.”
Here’s more on the Pelicans:
- In a Hoop Collective segment (video link), ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Tim Bontemps, and Tim MacMahon debate whether the Pelicans are more likely to extend, trade, or stay the course with Williamson during the 2022 offseason.
- With Williamson sidelined for the entire season, Brandon Ingram has taken on more responsibilities in 2021/22, making an effort to be more of a leader despite having a quieter, more reserved personality, writes Will Guillory of The Athletic. “We just have a really good group of guys, and we all care for each other. We all want to see each other at our best,” Ingram said. “I just try to share my experiences to help those guys and let them know I’m there for them when they need me. It’s also good for me when I go up to those guys and tell them what I see, because it helps me get out of my own head. Once I do that, it’s easier to focus on the moment and play the game the right way.”
- Ingram’s teammates have been impressed by what they’ve seen from him this season, as Guillory details in the same story. “He’s just growing up in this role. He’s more locked in,” Naji Marshall told The Athletic. “Not saying that he wasn’t last year, but I feel like this year, he’s taking it personal. Whether it’s not getting the recognition from people or not making All-Star, he’s taking it all personal. It’s showing on and off the court. You can’t question how special that dude is.”
- As an undrafted free agent on a two-way contract, rookie guard Jose Alvarado wasn’t expected to play a major role for the Pelicans this season, but he has exceeded all expectations and leads first-year players in plus-minus, says Christian Clark of NOLA.com. The Pelicans have a +12.4 net rating when Alvarado plays, compared to -4.6 when he sits.
- In case you missed it, the Pelicans are set to sign Tyrone Wallace to a 10-day contract after placing CJ McCollum in the health and safety protocols. Alize Johnson currently occupies the club’s 15th roster spot on a 10-day deal that will expire tonight — New Orleans could re-sign him and add Wallace by completing one of the signings using the COVID-related hardship allowance, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets.
Heat Rumors: Herro, Robinson, Oladipo, Martin, Offseason
Heat guard Tyler Herro is the frontrunner to win the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award in 2022, having averaged 20.7 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 3.9 APG in 32.7 MPG this season while coming off the bench in 44 of his 54 appearances. Herro is having his breakout year at the right time — he’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason.
According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, some rival executives and agents believe Herro’s next deal could approach the maximum salary. Others believe it’ll be a step below that and have used Jaylen Brown‘s four-year extension with Boston – which had a base value of $103MM, plus $12MM in incentives – as a point of comparison. Recent four-year, $85MM contracts for the likes of Fred VanVleet and Lonzo Ball have also set a potential baseline for Herro, Fischer observes.
There are still people around the NBA who believe Herro could be the “odd man out” if the Heat try to land another star, Fischer writes. “We all know Miami goes big-fish hunting,” one general manager told Bleacher Report. Still, until an obvious big-name target emerges, it seems likely that Herro’s future will be in Miami, where he’s highly valued.
Here’s more on the Heat from Fischer:
- Assuming Miami is unable to add a star player this offseason, the team’s biggest summer move could involve sharpshooter Duncan Robinson. Fischer says league personnel view Robinson as the Heat’s most logical trade chip, and sources tell Bleacher Report that the club gauged his value prior to February’s trade deadline, though no discussions ever got serious. The Heat would love to add another impact player in the frontcourt and have shown interest in Rockets big man Christian Wood and Hornets forward P.J. Washington, among others, Fischer adds.
- Victor Oladipo and Caleb Martin, both of whom will be free agents after the season, have strong interest in remaining with the Heat, sources tell Fischer.
- People around the NBA believe last month’s KZ Okpala trade that freed up Miami’s 2023 first-round pick to be dealt could be a precursor to a potential offseason move, says Fischer. “They are the best in the league at lining up for a big move,” a Western Conference executive said. Another source suggested to Fischer that Miami always has “plans for every actuality,” so the team isn’t necessarily zeroed in one specific target.
Nets Notes: Simmons, Curry, Irving
As expected, Ben Simmons faced plenty of invective from the Philadelphia faithful in his return to Wells Fargo Center, but it was the Nets who had the last laugh on Thursday night, blowing out the Sixers by a score of 129-100 in their first matchup since February’s blockbuster Simmons/James Harden trade.
Simmons, who has yet to make his Nets debut, was on the bench for the game and had no tangible impact on the outcome, but his teammates said they used the boos and insults aimed in his direction as motivation, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
“Most definitely,” star forward Kevin Durant said. “We look at Ben as our brother, so we knew that this was a hostile environment and we knew he didn’t have an opportunity to play, so we wanted to come out there and have them focus on the court more so than just always focusing on him. So they focused on the court tonight, and it’s hard for you chant at Ben Simmons when you’re losing by that much.”
It’s a safe bet that Simmons will face more vitriol during future visits to Wells Fargo Center, especially once he’s actually on the court. But head coach Steve Nash said it was good for the three-time All-Star to get through his first experience as a visitor in Philadelphia.
“He looked good to me. He looked happy to be here,” Nash said, per Lewis. “I think he was happy to get it out of the way.”
Here are a few more Nets-related notes:
- Nash said on Thursday night that Simmons won’t be a full participant or play any 5-on-5 during Saturday’s practice (Twitter link via Alex Schiffer of The Athletic). There has been speculation that Simmons will return to action before the end of the month, but there’s still no set timeline for his Nets debut.
- Although Simmons was the focus on Thursday, another player who came along with him in last month’s trade played a key role in Brooklyn’s victory over Philadelphia. As Peter Botte of The New York Post details, Seth Curry‘s 24 points (on 10-of-14 shooting) against his former team were the most he had scored in a game since becoming a Net. “You could tell that he was really up for the game and up for the environment in returning to (face) his old team,” Nash said.
- The Nets’ home-heavy schedule in the season’s final month means that Kyrie Irving is now eligible to play in just four more regular season games due to his COVID-19 vaccination status, Adam Zagoria of NJ.com observes. Irving also wouldn’t be able to participate in a play-in game if it takes place in Toronto or Brooklyn. If the season ended today, the Nets would visit the Raptors to battle for the No. 7 seed — if they lost that play-in game, they’d host Charlotte or Atlanta for the No. 8 seed.
- While that outlook for Irving may sound ominous, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN said on Wednesday that the team still believes the point guard’s status will change in the not-too-distant future (hat tip to NetsDaily). “I think around the Nets there’s still a confidence – maybe even more than an optimism – that they’re going to get Kyrie Irving on a full-time basis at some point,” Wojnarowski said.