David Griffin On Zion Williamson: “Getting Better Every Day”
The Pelicans have been without 2019 first overall draft pick Zion Williamson for the entire regular season thus far as he recovers from meniscus surgery. As New Orleans awaits Williamson’s debut, president of basketball operations David Griffin told ESPN New Orleans 100.3 that the 19-year-old is progressing as expected.
“We’re really optimistic, and most importantly, Zion is really excited and that’s where we want him to be,” Griffin said.
Before undergoing surgery on October 20, Williamson showed the talent that made him this year’s top pick during preseason play. He averaged 23.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG and 2.3 APG while shooting 71.4% from the field. Thus far, without Williamson, the Pelicans have gone 6-9 but have won their last three games.
With a healthy Williamson, the Pelicans would likely expect a strong push for a postseason spot. According to Griffin, the Duke product is physically recovering well and the next step will be mentally preparing the phenom for his regular-season debut.
“The physical part is easy for him,” Griffin said. “He has an incredibly high basketball IQ. He loves being a teammate and getting better. He’s really rare among truly elite young players in that he enjoys the process of getting better. He loves the process of learning the game.”
The original six-to-eight week timeline had Williamson returning anywhere from the end of November to mid-December. Griffin noted that New Orleans would “err on the side of caution” with their potential superstar. A recent report from TNT’s Reggie Miller noted that Williamson is on track for a mid-December return.
“Right now, I think we’re on target for eight weeks,” Griffin said. “Probably not to the day, but in and around that.”
NBA In Talks To Alter Seeding, Schedule And Playoff Play-In
Serious discussions between the NBA, National Basketball Players Association and broadcast partners could see an altered league with changes to the league’s schedule, reseeding of four conference finalists, a postseason play-in and a 30-team in-season tournament, ESPN’s Zach Lowe and Adrian Wojnarowski report.
As the discussions progress, the hope is to bring a vote to the annual April meeting of the NBA’s Board of Governors which could include most, if not all, of the proposals, per ESPN’s report. The goal would be for these changes to take effect for the 2021/22 season, the NBA’s 75th anniversary.
For starters, the proposal would include a reduction in the schedule from 82 games to a minimum of 78 games, Lowe and Wojnarowski report. There would exist a remote possibility of teams possibly playing a maximum of 83 games given various tournament and play-in scenarios, sources told ESPN.
In regards to the in-season tournament, the league is looking at 30-team participation that begins with a divisional group stage of already scheduled regular-season contests. Coming out of the tournament would be six divisional winners based on the best home and away records in the group stage, according the report. Teams with the next best two records advance to a single-elimination knockout round under the current proposal.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has been a major proponent of the in-season tournament, modeling it after European soccer. Silver explained to the New York Times’ Marc Stein in late May that he was examining various scenarios to alter the league.
“It’s incumbent on me to constantly be looking at other organizations and seeing what it is we can do better and learn from them,” Silver told Stein. “In the case of European soccer, I think there is something we can learn from them.
“I also recognize I’m up against some of the traditionalists who say no one will care about that other competition, that other trophy, you create. And my response to that is, ‘Organizations have the ability to create new traditions.’ It won’t happen overnight.”
As far as the postseason play-in, Wojnarowski and Lowe write that two four-team tournaments would transpire with the seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th seeds in each respective conference. The seventh would host the eighth seed with the victor taking seventh seed honors. The same would apply for the ninth and 10th seed, with the winner in each respective conference earning the final playoff spots.
While the baseline ideas are being discussed, other things that will need to be ironed out. How players and coaches are compensated for the changed schedule, how television partners would be impacted with changed schedules and more. However, there’s some traction to potentially change the landscape of the NBA for the 2021/22 campaign.
Kyrie Irving To Miss Nets’ Upcoming Road Trip
Nets point guard Kyrie Irving will miss Brooklyn’s upcoming three-game road trip that will include matchups against the Knicks, Cavaliers and Celtics, the team announced on Friday (via ESPN). Brooklyn noted that Irving will be reassessed once the trip concludes.
Irving, 27, has already missed the Nets’ past four contests due to a shoulder impingement. Before the injury, the six-time All-Star had been a force, averaging career-highs with 28.5 PPG and 7.2 APG across 11 games. The upcoming absence will force Irving to miss his first matchup against his former team, the Celtics, after departing from Boston in free agency over the summer.
“I don’t think it’s something he can play through right now,” Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson said after practice Thursday. “The shoulder is a sensitive spot, especially for a point guard — you’re like a quarterback.”
The recent absence of Irving, Caris LeVert being sidelined due to thumb surgery, and Kevin Durant likely out for 2019/20 due to a torn Achilles has contributed to Brooklyn’s 7-8 record. The Nets occupy the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.
D’Angelo Russell Out At Least Two Weeks With Thumb Injury
1:55pm: The Warriors‘ PR department announced that an MRI on Russell’s right thumb injury last night confirmed a sprain (via Twitter). He will be re-evaluated in two weeks. In the meantime, Russell will not be joining Golden State on an upcoming four-game road swing.
11:39am: Golden State’s tough start to the season continued in a loss to the Celtics Friday and their injury woes have not slowed. Point guard D’Angelo Russell sprained his right thumb in Friday’s game, per ESPN’s Nick Friedell.
While X-rays were negative, Russell is set to undergo an MRI on Saturday. If Russell were to miss an extended stretch, it would further deplete an already compromised Golden State roster.
Stephen Curry, who suffered a broken hand, is expected to be sidelined until at least February. Klay Thompson is likely to miss all season due to a torn ACL he suffered during the NBA Finals last season. Even Draymond Green has had some injury problems and likely to see a minutes restriction this year.
At this juncture, Russell is averaging a career-best 24.3 PPG and 6.7 APG through 10 contests. The Warriors could explore trading the 23-year-old at some point this season, which early on has all the makings of a rebuilding year.
Kyrie Irving To Miss Game Due To Shoulder Injury
After losing Caris LeVert for several weeks, the Nets are now dealing with injury issues to their lone healthy superstar. Kyrie Irving will miss Saturday’s contest against the Bulls with a right shoulder impingement, the team announced.
Irving has been a force this season, averaging 28.5 PPG and 7.2 APG across 11 games, both career-highs. However, the Nets have struggled out of the gate and Irving’s right shoulder impingement further complicates matters.
A specialist who recently spoke to Brian Lewis of the New York Post regarding Irving’s ailment recommended that the star point guard be treated carefully with time off rather than pushed.
“The only question here is there’s advanced imaging done to make sure there is no further damage to the rotator cuff or bursa,” Dr. Stephen Hunt said. “If not, it can be anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks. Usually it’s something that responds well to non-operative management.”
Brooklyn is currently 4-7, good for ninth in the Eastern Conference. It remains to be seen how Irving’s injury is handled, but given the team’s struggles and already depleted backcourt, it’s fair to wonder whether or not Kyrie should get more than just one night off.
Dion Waiters Suffers Medical Episode On Team Flight
In the latest chapter of what’s been a troubling season for Dion Waiters, the Heat swingman reportedly suffered a seizure after the team plane landed in Los Angeles on Thursday night.
As first reported by South Florida Fox Sports Radio host Andy Slater (Twitter links), Waiters suffered a “medical emergency” on the flight. Slater noted that Waiters overdosed on “gummies,” a term for an edible form of marijuana. Waiters was passed out when the plane landed and suffered the seizure once he was awoken, Slater added.
Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel confirmed that Waiters fell ill on that Thursday night flight. Winderman mentioned that its unclear whether or not Slater’s report of “gummies” was referencing marijuana but they are easily accessible in Denver, where the Heat began a three-game road trip against the Nuggets.
The Heat have not confirmed any of these reports outside of listing Waiters as unavailable for Friday’s loss to the Lakers due to “illness,” without further specification.
Waiters, 27, was expected to be a key contributor for Miami this season but instead has yet to suit up. It all started with a one-game suspension ahead of the club’s season opener in late October.
“There were a number of unacceptable incidents this week, culminating with his unprofessional conduct on the bench last night,” team president Pat Riley said at the time. “As a consequence, I feel we had to suspend him.”
The issue proved to be a heated conversation with head coach Erik Spoelstra over Waiters’ playing time. He played for just 10 minutes during the Heat’s final preseason game, which led to the blowup. Following the suspension, Waiters was critical of the team and Spoelstra on social media, commenting on one Instagram post, “I would win if I had Bron & Wade plus Bosh.”
Since then, Waiters has been active for a few of the Heat’s games and been a regular at shootaround, However, he has yet to play in a regular-season game and has not been on the bench for a single game. On Friday, we relayed uncertainty around Waiters’ status with the team.
After this latest development, Waiters’ personal health and well being will be at the forefront of the team’s concerns. However, it’s fair to wonder if Waiters — who has two years and $25MM left on his deal — will ever play for the Heat again.
Rajon Rondo Close To Season Debut
The Lakers should get another injured player back this week as veteran point guard Rajon Rondo is aiming to make his season debut against the Raptors on Sunday, according to Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes.
Rondo, 33, has missed L.A.’s first eight games this season due to a calf injury. Once he returns, the Lakers will be at full strength as Kyle Kuzma returned to the lineup one week ago. The thing to watch will be how Rondo is integrated back into the regular rotation.
After the Lakers’ opening night loss to the Clippers, head coach Frank Vogel indicated that Rondo would see 25-30 minutes as the starting point guard upon his return. However, the Lakers have gone undefeated since then and LeBron James, the team’s primary point guard in Rondo’s absence, is leading the league with 11.1 APG.
Additionally, Rondo — once considered an elite defender — has regressed in that department and was a major weakness on that end for the Lakers last season. Rondo has also never been considered a great shooter, which does not bode well given the Lakers’ lack of strong perimeter shooting in the starting lineup.
The 2008 NBA champion with the Celtics will likely need to prove he can hold up his end defensively before L.A. trusts him with the workload Vogel mentioned weeks ago. For his career, the four-time All-Star has averages of 10.4 PPG and 8.5 APG.
LeBron James Has No Plans To Sit For Load Management
With the Lakers off to a league-best 7-1 start, led by the performance of LeBron James, the team’s superstar has no plans to miss games if he’s healthy, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin writes.
“If I’m hurt, I don’t play. If not, I’m playing,” James said to ESPN after L.A.’s Lakers’ 95-80 victory against the Heat Friday night. “That’s what has always been my motto.”
James, who will turn 35 in December, is in the midst of another characteristically strong season. He’s averaging 26.1 PPG and an NBA-best 11.1 APG for the Western Conference-leading Lakers. However, he is also coming off a season in which he suffered his first major injury, a torn groin that sidelined him for several months.
With fellow California superstar Kawhi Leonard regularly missing games for “load management,” there has been a lot of talk this fall about players sitting games despite being healthy enough to play. The Clippers were, however, fined $50K for providing conflicting statements on Leonard’s health status.
James refused to address Leonard or any other player and their plans to stay healthy for the duration of a season.
“I’m healthy, I play,” he said. “I probably got a good 45 years to not play basketball.”
Irving On Reports Of Nets Issues: “I Don’t Have To Be Perfect”
A recent ESPN profile on Nets point guard Kyrie Irving suggested that the point guard’s “mood swings” have already been a cause for internal concern in Brooklyn.
After unceremonious exits from Cleveland and Boston, any chatter about Irving being frustrated adds to the narrative of his mercurial nature. However, Irving’s teammates and coaches were quick to dismiss ESPN’s report, and Irving himself addressed it after a recent Nets loss.
“I don’t have to be perfect for anyone here, nor do I have to be perfect for the public,” Irving said (via ESPN). “I am not here to dispel any perception, I am here to be myself.”
While the Nets’ up-and-down start has raised a lot of questions, Irving’s performance has been stellar. The NBA champion is averaging 32.6 PPG, 7.0 APG and 5.6 RPG for Brooklyn. As the team tries to establish its identity, especially with fellow free agent signee Kevin Durant not expected to play this season, Irving is focused on being himself.
“Who cares what ESPN or anyone says?” Irving said. “I love myself. I love my family. I love my friends. I love playing basketball.
Lakers Notes: Howard, Davis, Kuzma
Years after a disappointing first tour of duty with the Lakers, Dwight Howard is back in Hollywood. While he’s no longer a superstar, Howard has excelled in his role off the bench, providing L.A. with solid defense and rebounding.
Unexpectedly, one of his biggest supporters is Kobe Bryant. The former teammates’ bad blood from their lone season together has been well documented from both sides. Bryant labeled Howard “soft” and the big man has said he hated the former NBA MVP “for years” for making that comment. However, watching from afar this time, Bryant is thrilled for Howard’s success.
“I’m happy for him because sometimes we don’t realize how much we love the game and miss the game until that window starts closing or its closed,” Bryant said to The Los Angeles Times’ Arash Markazi. “Then you’re like, ‘Oh damn, I really miss playing the game. I want another opportunity to show what I can do.’ Sometimes you don’t know if that opportunity will ever come again. For him, I really believe he’s appreciative of the opportunity and I think he’s going to make a hell of an impact because of the new appreciation he has for playing the game.”
Check out more Lakers notes below:
- The acquisition of Anthony Davis has helped make the Lakers a legitimate Finals contender, but the All-Star is content doing less in Los Angeles so that both he and LeBron James can impact the game, Brett Dawson of The Athletic writes.
- There has been a lot of chatter about Davis and whether or not he’s more effective playing the power forward or center positions. Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register opines that L.A.’s best lineup may include Davis at center and that the return of Kyle Kuzma only further accentuates that point.
- Speaking of Kuzma, the forward made his season debut on Friday night, totaling nine points and three rebounds in nearly 19 minutes. Head coach Frank Vogel has noted that the team will patient with Kuzma as he reintegrates with the team. “It’ll be a little bit of a learning curve for him, but hopefully it doesn’t take too long,” Vogel said.