Trae Young To Miss Time With Ankle Sprain
Hawks point guard Trae Young will miss Atlanta’s tilt against the Bulls on Saturday after he suffered a sprained right ankle in Friday’s loss to the Bucks, the team announced. X-rays were negative and Young will remain in Atlanta to receive treatment.
Young suffered the injury in the second quarter of Friday’s contest. He needed to be assisted off the court by Vince Carter and was not able to put much weight on the injured ankle.
“I rolled it pretty bad,” Young said, per USA TODAY. “It hurts pretty bad right now, but that’s to be expected. I’m getting treatment on it and iced it already.”
This is the second time of the year that Young has suffered an ankle injury. The first time came five games into the regular season but he ended up missing just one week before returning.
When he’s been healthy, Young has performed at an elite level during his sophomore campaign. In 31 games, the 21-year-old is averaging 28.5 PPG and 8.3 APG for the Eastern Conference-worst Hawks.
J.J. Redick On Pelicans’ Tough Start: “We Can Turn This Around”
Entering the season, the Pelicans added sharpshooting veteran J.J. Redick on a two-year pact to bolster a young, promising team that appeared to be a postseason contender. Through the season’s first 26 games, the 6-20 Pelicans are the second-worst team in the Western Conference.
The absence of heralded first overall pick Zion Williamson along with inconsistent play for young players has not helped New Orleans’ causes. Given the slow start, it’s possible that the Pelicans could explore trading some veterans but for Redick, though that is not the focus.
“I don’t pay attention to that stuff. I’m all-in on the Pelicans. I’m all-in on this group,” Redick said, per Will Guillory of The Athletic (Twitter link). “I think we can turn this around. That’s 100% my focus.”
Redick, 35, has provided the Pelicans with his trademark solid play, averaging 15.8 PPG while shooting 45.3% from beyond the arc. If New Orleans decided to shop the veteran, the team could likely command a solid return of picks. But if Redick has a say, the Pelicans will continue to fight to improve and hopefully creep back into playoff contention.
Hawks Request Waivers On Tyrone Wallace
The Hawks have requested waivers on guard Tyrone Wallace, the team announced in a press release Saturday.
Wallace, 25, was originally claimed off waivers from the Timberwolves by Atlanta on Oct. 23. Since then, the former Clippers guard appeared in 14 games for the Hawks, averaging 2.9 PPG and 1.6 RPG in 11.5 minutes per contest. In parts of three seasons, the California product has appeared in 106 games, averaging 5.2 PPG.
By waiving Wallace, the Hawks opened up a roster spot. As noted by ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), the Hawks have $4.8M in room and could direct some of that money toward filling the now-vacant roster spot.
New York Notes: Chandler, Smith, Barrett
Nets forward Wilson Chandler will be eligible to return to action for Brooklyn after Saturday’s matchup against the Raptors as his 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s drug program will conclude. However, in the months leading up to his impending return, the veteran wasn’t sure it would ever happen.
In a detailed feature, ESPN’s Malika Andrews spoke to Chandler about his time on the sidelines, serving his suspension. Chandler, 32, admitted that he considered retirement.
“You start to think about, ‘Is it really worth it?'” Chandler said. “Not because you don’t want to play, but because you’re in a dark place.”
Chandler explained the process of finding out about his suspension and immediately reaching out to management, teammates, family and friends. At times, the well-traveled veteran secluded himself. But the Nets always saw him as part of the team and waived veteran Iman Shumpert this week to open up the necessary roster spot. Now, Chandler is preparing for his season debut and that’s his focus.
“You know,” Chandler said, “I’m a little nervous. It’s been a while since I’ve played.”
Check out more notes involving New York’s basketball teams:
- Speaking of Chandler, Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson is excited to use the forward upon his return, Mollie Walker of the New York Post writes. “He has a tremendously simple game and that’s a good thing, and understands the system,” Atkinson said. “He was playing with us today, and it’s like seamless. He’s one of those 4, 3, 2s, doesn’t matter, he can play any of those positions. Last thing is defense. We talk about losing Shump, but we’re gaining a guy that is a really good defender in this league.”
- With the dismissal of Knicks head coach David Fizdale, Mike Miller‘s presence as head coach has given Dennis Smith Jr. new lease on life at point guard, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Elfrid Payton and Frank Ntilikina are also in the point guard mix, but Smith will see regular action, Miller said. “Dennis is a downhill player,” Miller said. “He’s good at it. We want guys to see that and continue playing aggressively.’’
- While there have been flashes of brilliance, RJ Barrett‘s rookie season with the Knicks has been something of a roller coaster. But as interim coach Miller put it, if Barrett is going, so are the Knicks, Steve Popper of Newsday writes. “I’m feeling good,” he said. “As long as RJ is RJ we can compete.”
Knicks Players Held Meeting Supporting Fizdale Hours Before Firing
Hours before the firing of fired head coach David Fizdale, Knicks players — led by veteran Marcus Morris — held a players-only meeting in support of their now former coach, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reports.
Morris stressed accountability and unselfishness to the roster and singled out Julius Randle and RJ Barrett, sources told Bondy. The meeting occurred prior to Fizdale running practice on Friday, hours before his dismissal.
New York was coming off back-to-back blowout losses at the hands of the Bucks and Nuggets. The Knicks became the seventh team in NBA history to suffer losses of 35 points or more in back-to-back contests. Questions surrounding Fizdale’s job security lingered ever since team president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry‘s impromptu press conference in mid-November.
At 4-18, the Knicks have the worst record in the NBA and appear headed for another 50-loss season. The team named former G League coach Mike Miller the interim head coach. Now, questions surround not only who will be the Knicks’ next coach but also, Mills’ tenure as team president appears to be winding down.
All told, after missing out on marquee free agents this summer, the Knicks pivoted to signing several role players to fill out the roster. Thus far, it has resulted in the NBA’s worst record and the firing of their head coach 22 games into the season.
Warriors Notes: Kerr, Ellis, Robinson
After dominating the NBA for half the decade, the Warriors are enduring a trying season in 2019/20. At 5-19, Golden State has the worst record in the Western Conference and is mere percentage points away from the Knicks (4-18) for the worst record in the league.
Key departures in free agency (Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala) and injuries to their superstars (Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson) dampened the Warriors’ hopes to reach a sixth straight NBA Finals. For head coach Steve Kerr, who has presided over that success, the challenge of developing the younger stars on the roster has been invigorating.
“I’m enjoying coaching the young guys and going through the details of what they need to learn and helping them develop,” Kerr said in an interview with NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson. “I basically survived my whole career. I was never really in a position where I felt like, ‘OK, I’ve made it.’ From year to year, it was just survival. So I can relate to a lot of these young guys and I can relate a lot of experiences to them. That’s a satisfying process when you see them do well.”
Check out more Warriors notes below:
- Among the standout parts of the Warriors’ reshaped roster has been the performance of Glenn Robinson III. Anthony Slater of The Athletic examined Robinson’s play, specifically him reprising elements from Iguodala’s play and how he’s trying to incorporate it into the current system.
- In a lengthy, in-depth feature, Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic writes that Monta Ellis is proud of his tenure with the Warriors. Ellis spent six-and-a-half seasons with the Warriors and was part of the team’s unexpected success in the late 2000s. “Everything, even through my bad times, I still enjoyed it,” Ellis said. “Because at the end of the day, they gave me my shot.”
- As we relayed earlier, the Warriors are in no rush to trade D’Angelo Russell, who is considered a candidate to be dealt at some point this season.
Knicks President Steve Mills On ‘Hot Seat’
After the firing of head coach David Fizdale on Friday, Knicks team president Steve Mills‘ days in his current role appear to be numbered, Frank Isola of The Athletic writes.
The Knicks’ recent whiffs, which include trading Kristaps Porzingis, failing to land a top tier free agent in the summer, and the dismissal of Fizdale — which came at Mills’ recommendation — falls squarely on the president, Isola writes. New York is currently undergoing an overhaul and that likely means Mills will be reassigned within the organization or let go altogether, sources tell the longtime Knicks scribe.
Should Mills be relieved of his duties as team president, the Knicks are likely to pursue current Raptors president Masai Ujiri. We relayed earlier this week that New York intends to pursue Ujiri, with a report suggesting there is real belief he may accept the role.
New York currently wields a 4-18 record, the worst in the NBA. Interim head coach Mike Miller is likely to finish the season as Knicks coach since any major hire would likely be made over the summer. However, given the team’s standing, most of the roster and front office are essentially auditioning for roles elsewhere for the remainder of 2019/20.
Wizards’ C.J. Miles Could Miss Rest Of Season With Wrist Injury
The Wizards could be without forward C.J. Miles for the rest of the season as he heads to see a specialist about damaged ligaments in his left wrist, Candace Buckner of The Washington Post reports (Twitter link).
Miles, 32, will see a specialist on Monday and if he needs to undergo surgery, he would miss the remainder of the season. He was recently ruled out for Washington’s upcoming road trip due to the wrist injury before the severity was known.
In 10 games this season, Miles has averaged 6.4 PPG while shooting 32.2% from the field. The veteran was seeing just over 16 minutes per contest.
While Miles has not been a focal point of the offense, he provides scoring punch and floor spacing off the bench that the Wizards would need to replace.
Pacific Notes: Booker, Ayton, Doncic, Bagley, Joseph
With the Suns playing above expectations to start the season, the development of Devin Booker has been a focal point of the team’s season. A recent three-game skid has put Phoenix two games under .500 but Booker’s play has been generally solid this season.
The 23-year-old is averaging 24.5 PPG and 6.3 APG while shooting from the field (51%) and from three (41.9%) at career-best rates. As the season has progressed, new head coach Monty Williams has taken a proactive approach in trying to get his young star to the next level, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes.
Whether it’s late-night text sessions, extra work after practice or going over film and studying, Williams has been impressed with the work Booker has dedicated to improvement. While Williams feels he drives Booker nuts, the guard says he’s thankful for his new head coach.
“I understand most of it, I mean, all of it,” Booker said. “It’s just the way I am. I’ve said since the beginning, I trust him.”
Check out more Pacific Division notes:
- Deandre Ayton is nearing a return from his 25-game suspension and the young center’s role is still unclear, Rankin writes in a separate story. The Suns’ big man has appeared in just one game this season but given Phoenix’s recent struggles, some scoring punch from the 21-year-old could help the team.
- Mavericks‘ guard Luka Doncic has started off his sophomore season with a bang, becoming a daily triple-double threat and an early MVP candidate. Rankin writes once again how Doncic’s development makes Suns fans think about how different things would have been if Phoenix took Doncic in lieu of Ayton in last year’s draft.
- Kings‘ forward Marvin Bagley III has only played in one game this season after breaking his thumb. Five weeks after the injury, Bagley is still not cleared to return but is getting closer, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee writes. “Marvin is much closer than De’Aaron [Fox] is, but it’s one of those things that he hasn’t been cleared to go contact yet without (a brace) on,” head coach Luke Walton said. “So will he play tomorrow or Monday? No, but is he getting closer? Yes.”
- While the personal stats may not be outstanding, the play of Cory Joseph, given the absence of Bagley and De’Aaron Fox has helped the Kings maintain pace in the Western Conference, James Patrick of the Sacramento Bee writes.
- Jovan Buha of The Athletic answered several Clippers questions in the latest mailbag. Buha covered the possibility of the team pursuing Andre Iguodala, Landry Shamet‘s return, and more.
Carmelo Anthony’s Trainer Talks Adjustment To Current NBA
After the Trail Blazers inked Carmelo Anthony to a non-guaranteed deal, his year-long absence from the NBA ended but it remained to be seen what he had left. The early results have been positive as Anthony has shown flashes of the ability that made him a likely Hall-of-Famer.
Anthony, 35, is averaging 17.7 PPG and 6.0 RPG through six games for Portland with the team going 3-3 during that stretch. The 10-time All-Star has had some strong performances, including a 25-point outing against the Bulls on Monday and 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting versus the Thunder on Wednesday.
It was a tumultuous journey for Anthony before his return, as his trainer Alex Bazzell detailed to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. Bazzell spoke to Anthony’s in-game adjustments on both sides of the ball and the perception higher-ups had of his value versus the distraction he might be.
Check out some highlights:
Bazzell on Anthony changing his playing style:
“He’s gone 95% of his career where he’s been able to catch the ball, turn, face, have time. He’s never really been the guy that’s setting a ton of ball screens and popping and making quick decisions. So it’s new for him. But it’s something he worked extremely hard on. He understands. He’s not the type of guy who is bullheaded the way people want to portray him. He understands he has to adjust his game for the new style and he’s got to make some sacrifices to be on a team and contribute the way a team wants him to and he wants to.”
On his conversations with higher-ups about Anthony’s value:
“I had talked to a couple assistant GMs and GMs and the whole thing was that it wasn’t about his play. It wasn’t even about him personally. But it was about the media attention that was going to follow him, like the questions that were going to come every day: Is he happy? Is he getting enough shots? Is he good in the role he’s in? So a lot of teams that, not to his fault, they just thought it was too much of a media distraction to have to deal with early in the season. I think the whole mystique of ‘Melo hurt him.”
On how Anthony felt after his return to the NBA:
“We talked a little bit after the game. He’s actually pretty happy with how it went. There’s obviously a lot of emotion involved, a lot of expectations when you have so many people vouch on your behalf on social media and what’s been going on for the last year. You almost feel a need to live up to those expectations right off the bat. It’s just like anything else. All these dudes are human. They need time to really get acclimated, get comfortable.”