Celtics No Longer Expected To Sign Sean Kilpatrick
3:35pm: Murphy is now hearing that another, unnamed team has stepped in and provided a better offer to Kilpatrick (Twitter). Accordingly, it is unlikely that the Celtics will sign him to a 10-day deal after all.
11:38am: The Celtics are expected to sign Sean Kilpatrick to a 10-day contract later today, tweets Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald.
Keith Smith of RealGM tweeted last night that sources expected Boston to utilize the NBA’s roster hardship exception to sign another player.
The team is currently without Gordon Hayward (dislocated left ankle), Daniel Theis (torn left meniscus), Marcus Smart (right thumb), and Kyrie Irving (left knee). Irving will undergo a “minimally invasive” procedure today on his left knee and his timetable to return should be clearer post surgery.
To qualify for the exemption, at least four players must miss a minimum of three consecutive games, and later be deemed to be out for an additional two weeks.
It has been a well-traveled 2017/18 campaign for Kilpatrick, who started the season with the Nets followed by cameos with the Bucks and Clippers. Kilpatrick suited for the Clippers on a pair of 10-day contracts recently, averaging 4.8 PPG in four games. He was not signed to a deal for the rest of the season after the second contract expired.
In 43 total games this season, Kilpatrick has averaged 4.4 PPG and 1.4 RPG.
Stephen Curry Suffers MCL Sprain; Out Three Weeks
2:53pm: Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Curry suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain and will be reevaluated in three weeks.
Anthony Slater of The Athletic adds that a Grade 2 sprain is worse than the injury Curry suffered in the 2016 playoffs, forcing him to miss 15 days, and that a Grade 2 sprain generally causes a player to miss 4-6 weeks.
8:33am: Warriors point guard Stephen Curry suffered a left MCL sprain in Friday’s win over the Hawks and he is set to undergo an MRI later today, per the team’s public relations department (Twitter link).
The two-time Most Valuable Player scored 29 points and grabbed 7 boards in 25 minutes on Friday. Curry suffered the MCL injury late in the third quarter when teammate JaVale McGee — attempting a block — fell onto Curry’s left knee. He left the game and never returned.
Curry had missed Golden State’s previous six games due to a right ankle injury. The Warriors’ second-leading scorer had a minor limp but was in good spirits inside the team’s locker room after the game, tweets ESPN’s Chris Haynes.
“Well, at least it’s not my ankle,” Curry said.
In 51 games this season, Curry has averaged 26.4 PPG, 6.1 APG, and 5.1 RPG.
The Warriors have been conservative with their star players as injuries mounted with Kevin Durant (rib fracture), Draymond Green (pelvic contusion) and Klay Thompson (thumb fracture) sidelined.
Depending on the results of today’s MRI, it could put the Warriors in a precarious position with the playoffs three weeks away. Golden State is four games back of the Rockets for the top seed in the Western Conference with 10 games left. Chasing Houston for first place with a depleted roster is less of a concern than having the five-time All-Star healthy for the postseason.
“We’ll see what the MRI says tomorrow,” head coach Steve Kerr said, per ESPN. “There’s not a lot we can do or predict. Kind of a strange, cruel twist of fate, you know. He rehabs his ankle for the last couple of weeks, gets that strong, and then the knee goes. So we’ll see what happens. Keep our fingers crossed.”
Knicks Notes: Mudiay, Porzingis, Jackson, Knox
Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek pulled struggling point guard Emmanuel Mudiay from Friday night’s game against the Timberwolves, citing his performance. In Mudiay’s place, Hornacek tried an all point guard backcourt with Trey Burke and Frank Ntilikina, which worked out well.
Earlier this week, Hornacek said he was hesitant to pull Mudiay from the starting lineup, despite his struggles since the All-Star break. While no permanent decision has been made, the Hornacek liked how the Burke and Ntilikina lineup played, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes.
“We haven’t thought about that game yet,’’ Hornacek said. “I liked what those two guys [Burke and Ntilikina] did tonight. Emmanuel may not have had it tonight, but we’ll see.’’
Mudiay admitted that sitting for the most of the game was surprising but he was happy to see his teammates play well.
“Yeah [I was surprised], but at the same time I wasn’t going to be a sore loser about it,’’ Mudiay said. “I was going to cheer my teammates on. Frank, Trey and Tim had it going. We got back in the game after starting out a little slow.”
Check out more Knicks notes below:
- In a separate story, Berman caught up with Dr. Carlon Colker, who is working with injured big man Kristaps Porzingis, said the 7’3″ Latvian will be better than ever once he returns. “He’ll be better than ever. He’s going to blow people away,” Colker said. “If you’re around people who know what they’re doing, it’s not the end of the world. It’s the end of the world if you have the wrong people around you.”
- Berman also caught up with Knicks veteran Jarrett Jack, who feels that his former coach with the Warriors, Mark Jackson, deserves to be considered for any head coaching role. Jackson’s name has come up as a possibility for the Knicks if the team decides to move on from Hornacek. “I do believe and I am surprised he hasn’t been back in the league,’’ Jack said. “I think one thing you judge people on is the body of work in front of them. If you look at the body of work — what he did three years there — I think he matches up with any coach anywhere. I’m not saying you should hire him here, but he should be considered for any job. I think he’s got the wherewithal to execute no matter what the situation.”
- Hornacek told reporters earlier this week that small forward is a position of need for the Knicks this offseason. With that said, sources within the organization view Kentucky’s Kevin Knox as a potential draft target, ESPN’s Ian Begley tweets.
Lakers Sign Travis Wear For Remainder Of Season
MARCH 23: The Lakers have made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve signed Wear for the rest of the season. The team now has 14 players on guaranteed contracts, with one open roster spot available.
MARCH 22: The Lakers are signing forward Travis Wear for the remainder of the season, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. Wear inked a pair of 10-day deals with the Lakers and the second one expired on Thursday night.
In nine games with the Lakers, Wear has averaged 4.7 PPG and 2.2 RPG while shooting 38.5% from beyond the arc.
Wear, 27, previously suited up for the Knicks, appearing in 51 games for the team during the 2014/15 season. He spent time in camp with the Lakers in 2016 and played for the team’s G League affiliate for the past two seasons.
In 33 G League games for the South Bay Lakers this season, the 6’9″ forward averaged 16.7 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 2.0 APG.
Central Notes: Collison, Big Three, Horst, Blakeney
In a young man’s league, Pacers point guard Darren Collison, 30, is the definition of a veteran, but doesn’t want his ability to reflect it. In his ninth NBA season, Collison wanted to make some adjustments and improvements, which led him to a phone conversation with one of the all-time greats.
Mark Monteith of NBA.com writes that Collision set up a call with future Hall-of-Famer Steve Nash. Collison wanted to pick Nash’s brain on how to adapt to playing against younger guards, implementing new moves, and improving his diet. Collison said he has long admired Nash and wanted to learn as much as he can.
“He was one of my favorite players to watch, because he’s not athletic, he’s not big, he’s not strong,” Collison said. “But when you guard him, it’s the hardest thing to do because he just knows how to keep the defense honest in the pick-and-roll. He doesn’t go fast, he doesn’t go slow. He makes every read precisely. I’ve watched a lot of film on him, so I figured why not just call him and pick his brain?”
Collison is averaging his usually solid numbers this season with 12.7 PPG and 5.3 APG in 59 games. If he ever needs it, he now has one of the greatest point guards in league history just a phone call away.
Check out more Central Division notes below:
- With Reggie Jackson back on the court, the Pistons finally have their three best players healthy simultaneously. Midseason acquisition Blake Griffin, prolific rebounder Andre Drummond, and Jackson are a strong trio that can do a lot of damage if healthy, NBA.com’s Keith Langlois writes. “If we can get Reggie healthy and keep him healthy,” head coach Stan Van Gundy said, “with those three guys, that’s going to be a formidable group to play against for anybody.”
- After recent reports suggested that the Bucks nearly traded Jabari Parker at the deadline and have a list of potential replacements for interim head coach Joe Prunty, general manager Jon Horst rejected those stories during a radio appearance in Milwaukee. Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays Horst’s comments, in which the Bucks GM denied the reports and indicated they came from erroneous sources.
- As we relayed earlier today, Bulls two-way guard Antonio Blakeney suffered a fractured left wrist and he will miss the rest of the season.
Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Postseason, McCarty, Mudiay
Joel Embiid‘s extensive injury history forced the Sixers to get creative with his playing schedule, which included not playing in back-to-backs for much of this season. But as the 76ers gear up for the postseason, Embiid wants no part of resting and wants to play in every game, Jessica Camerato of NBC Sports Philadelphia relays.
“We didn’t come this far to rest me,” Embiid said. “I mean, I was always complaining about playing every game and playing back-to-backs. I’m sure the fans were, too. Now that we’re here, I can understand maybe the last game before we get ready for the playoffs, but other than that, I want to play every game because that’s my first time I get the chance to do that.”
Embiid is averaging over 31 minutes per contest as the Sixers occupy the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. A healthy Embiid is imperative if Philadelphia wants a deep postseason run. Head coach Brett Brown indicated that the team will look to give its young center rest whenever possible, despite his competitive nature.
Check out more Atlantic Division notes:
- The Sixers have played well down the stretch and are in a prime spot entering the postseason. In Brett Brown‘s own words, the Sixers hope to maintain this pace for the 11 games the team has left after Thursday, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “We respect the journey,” Brown said, “and we don’t intend on letting what we built so far go easily. We are of where we’re at. We want to hold on to where we’re at. And we want to play good basketball.”
- Celtics assistant coach Walter McCarty will assume the role as head coach of the NCAA’s Evansville Purple Aces, sources tell Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports. McCarty spent most of his NBA career as a player with the Celtics but he is an Evansville, Indiana native. Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe tweets that the Celtics will not look to immediately replace McCarty.
- Emmanuel Mudiay has been the Knicks‘ starting point guard since the All-Star break but he has struggled with all facets of the game. A visibly frustrated Jeff Hornacek said the team needs to see what Mudiay is capable of over a prolonged stretch, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News writes. “We’re not just going to have (13 games with Mudiay starting) and make a judgment call on a guy,” Hornacek said. “We’ve seen the other guys. The other guys are coming off the bench. Trey continues to prove that he’s a guy that can really give us something. We’re trying to see and see if he can get used to our guys and we just go that way.”
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/22/18
Here are Thursday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Thunder assigned rookie big man Dakari Johnson to their G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, the team announced in a press release. Johnson has appeared in 29 games with the Thunder, averaging 1.9 PPG and 1.2 RPG.
Antonio Blakeney Out For Season With Wrist Fracture
Bulls guard Antonio Blakeney will miss the rest of the season after an MRI revealed a non-displaced scaphoid fracture in his left wrist, the team announced in a press release.
Blakeney, 21, sustained the injury in Monday’s loss to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. He was initially diagnosed with a left wrist sprain before Thursday’s MRI revealed the severity of the injury.
The LSU product went undrafted and eventually signed a two-way deal with the Bulls. In 19 games with the Bulls, Blakeney averaged 7.9 PPG, 1.7 RPG, and 1.1 APG in 16.5 minutes. Blakeney was impressive with the G League’s Windy City Bulls, averaging 32.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG, and 3.9 APG in 32 contests.
Damion Lee’s Resilience Paid Off With NBA Opportunity
Damion Lee has twice suffered an injury that is known to shorten – or even end – careers.
While at Drexel University, Lee missed most of his junior season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee in December 2013. Just 16 games into his professional career in January 2017, Lee tore the ACL in his left knee and was released by the G League’s Maine Red Claws.
Successfully returning from one ACL tear is difficult enough, as the recovery process can last upwards of one year – Lee had to endure that process twice. Despite the long odds, Lee said he was never deterred from his goal of playing in the NBA.
“Retirement has never crossed my mind,” Lee said in an interview with Hoops Rumors via email earlier this month. “After the second injury in 2016, it actually made me stronger and motivated me, because I knew that I have returned from the same injury. My belief during the entire rehab process was that I could return to the court the second time around stronger than ever.”
Lee, 25, said his first ACL injury was the more challenging of the two tears. Lee’s first bout with the injury included a meniscus tear, which kept him off his feet for two months. The second injury was a partial tear of the ACL, which enabled Lee to do weight-bearing exercises the day after surgery and be off crutches in two weeks.
“The second time I tore my ACL it was a freak accident,” Lee said. “I actually thought it was a meniscus injury. I received an MRI the following morning, and the doctors told me it was partially torn; there are two bundles (of ligaments), and only one bundle was torn. I sort of knew what to expect from the recovery process that time around, so I attacked the recovery process better because I had expectations on how to approach it.”
Lee was rewarded for his persistence last week when the Hawks signed the combo guard to a 10-day contract. It was the payoff to a successful G League campaign in which Lee averaged 15.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG and 2.6 APG in 38 games with the Santa Cruz Warriors.
Four games into his NBA career, Lee has shown flashes of the skills that earned him a look in Atlanta.
Lee recorded 13 points and 14 points in his first two contests, becoming the first Hawks rookie to score double-digit points in his first two games since Paul Graham in 1992, per Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). On Tuesday, he played 32 minutes against the Jazz in his first career start.
Lee said he made it a point to not let his past injuries impact his ability to contribute to his team.
“My playing style actually hasn’t changed at all. I’ve always been a land-loving, slashing, high basketball IQ player since I started playing the game,” Lee said. “I may not be the flashiest, but I try to be the most efficient, effective player I can be. I try to do the little things on the court that contribute to the success of my team.”
That mentality was noticed by Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer, who spoke highly of Lee after his second NBA appearance in a 129-117 loss to the Hornets.
“There’s a confidence. He has the ability to shoot the 3 but also slashing behind shifts,” Budenholzer said, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Just a good feel for the game. Sticking his nose in there on rebounds and loose balls. Great first impression for him this week.”
The Hawks have brought in several guards on 10-day contracts recently, including Antonius Cleveland and Jaylen Morris, who have both since signed multiyear deals with the team. Atlanta now has 14 players on guaranteed contracts, with Lee’s 10-day deal – which is set to expire – occupying the 15th and final spot on the roster.
While it remains to be seen if the Hawks will sign him to a second 10-day contract, Lee said his long journey to the NBA has taught him to persevere.
“Tearing an ACL is devastating, but the reality is that everyone in life experiences devastating and tragic events,” Lee said. “One thing that I took away from going through these injuries is a confidence that one day I will return to the court and play this game, and it will be a safe haven for me.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rockets Notes: Harden, D’Antoni, Anderson, James
In the midst of another MVP-worthy season, James Harden continues to impress people around the league, including his head coach, Mike D’Antoni. As Sam Amick of USA TODAY Sports writes, after the Rockets defeated the Trail Blazers on Tuesday, D’Antoni labeled Harden as “the best offensive player I’ve ever seen.”
Harden posted 42 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in the win, just the latest standout performance in a season filled with them. For D’Antoni, who has coached the likes of Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, and Carmelo Anthony, Harden offers an all-around skill set that is unmatched.
“He’s a hell of a player, first off,” D’Antoni said. “It’s a combination of everything. There are other players who might be better at this, or a little bit better at that. But when you put everything together, and the way he passes, the way he sees teammates, the way he can lob, the way he can fight through a foul. I mean even on an off night, he’s probably getting 30, 40 points, and I mean efficiently. And he doesn’t even have anything going. But he’s so efficient, and he gets other guys involved. … He’s got one flaw. He does get tired some. He’s mortal. And that’s it. Other than that …”
Harden is averaging 31.2 PPG, 8.7 APG, and 5.2 RPG for the Rockets. After finishing as the runner-up to Russell Westbrook in MVP voting one season ago, Harden looks like the clear-cut favorite this year’s award.
Check out more news and notes out of the Rockets organization:
- Tyronn Lue took a leave from his coaching post with the Cavaliers due to health concerns, and D’Antoni understands how the rigors of the job can require someone to take a needed step back, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes. “Especially if you lose, you wonder what you could do differently. My first 20 years in coaching, even more, I couldn’t read books, for sure,” D’Antoni said. “I could read short articles, but I had a hard time escaping. I think I’ve gotten to a point I can read books and escape more than I used to. I try not to drive myself crazy.”
- Ryan Anderson has seen a lot of time at center since he returned from injury and the Rockets anticipate him continuing to play the position going forward, Feigen writes in a separate story. “We’ll look at all possibilities, but he’ll play some five for sure,” D’Antoni said. “Then, we’ll see. Matchups, maybe in the playoffs, will be different here and there, but right now we’re going to look at this.”
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LeBron James will be a free agent this offseason and his decision figures to be the NBA’s story of the summer. The Rockets are one of several teams that have been linked to James, prompting Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report to examine how the Rockets can add the four-time MVP without sacrificing Chris Paul and other assets.