Northwest Notes: Wolves Injuries, Blazers, Williams
The latest news and notes from the Northwest Division on Tuesday night:
- J.J. Barea and Nikola Pekovic are both expected to play for the Timberwolves on Wednesday, reports Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
- Wolves coach Rick Adleman told Ray Richardson of the Twin Cities Pioneer Press that doctors cleaned debris out of the knee of Brandon Roy.
- Joe Freeman of the Oregonian sheds some light on Blazers coach Terry Stotts' attempt to juggle the minutes of rookies Victor Claver, Joel Freeland, and Will Barton.
- Freeman also notes that so far, Nicolas Batum is living up to the four-year, $44MM contract he signed this summer.
- Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune writes that Mo Williams is proving to be a perfect fit on the Jazz' roster.
Pacers Notes: Stephenson, Granger, West
Mark Montieth of Pacers.com has a new mailbag column that addresses several topics relating to the Pacers, who are off to a disappointing start to the 2012/13 season. Here are the highlights:
- Monteith believes the hot start to the season for Lance Stephenson is sustainable because of the fundamentally sound form to his shooting stroke.
- Despite the hole that Danny Granger's injury creates in the team's lineup, Monteith writes that Donnie Walsh is not presently planning to pursue a trade or free agent as a stopgap.
- The Pacers want to keep forward David West, who is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. However, Monteith doesn't believe they will discuss an extension before summer.
- Monteith doesn't think rookies Orlando Johnson and Ben Hansbrough will see playing time anytime soon, because it would throw an already-uncertain rotation even further off.
Draft Notes: Muhammad, Porter, Maui Invitational
College basketball season is officially underway, which means that teams and fans are now starting to look ahead to the 2013 NBA Draft. Here are a few links rounding up the early action:
- Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski writes after UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad made his debut that it's too early to declare him the frontrunner to be the top pick.
- Wojnarowski also notes that teams aren't enamored with this year's crop of talent, and quotes one Western Conference executive as saying the team that receives the first pick could trade down.
- Jeremy Bauman of SheridanHoops.com was impressed with Georgetown freshman Otto Porter, saying he may be rising up draft boards after a breakout performance against UCLA.
- ESPN.com's Chad Ford has a roundup of the Maui Invitational, and writes that the talent in the draft is leaving general managers wanting more.
Anthony Davis Out With Ankle Injury
John Reid of the Times-Picayune reports that Anthony Davis has a stress reaction in his left ankle, and will sit out the Hornets' game against the Knicks tonight. He is listed as day-to-day going forward.
Davis, the top overall pick in the 2012 draft, has already missed time in his short NBA career with a concussion suffered at the beginning of November. He is averaging 16.0 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 2.2 BPG this season.
Central Notes: Bulls, Asik, Cavs
The latest news and notes from around the Central Division on Tuesday evening:
- The Bulls are now eligible to sign a free agent despite being up against the hard cap. K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune writes that their bench is currently a liability, and there's a chance they will look to the free-agent market for help.
- Bulls forward Taj Gibson tells Nick Freidell of ESPNChicago.com that the Bulls are feeling the loss of Omer Asik, but they are not using it as an excuse for their poor play.
- Bob Finnan of the News-Herald writes that the injury to Kyrie Irving will cause a significant setback for the Cavs this season.
Week In Review: 11/12/12 – 11/18/12
A look back at the news and transactions from this past week:
- The biggest story of the week was the Lakers' hiring of Mike D'Antoni to replace the fired Mike Brown. The hiring came as a surprise, as a Phil Jackson return was heavily rumored over the weekend. Jackson even went as far as to say that he was initially offered the job before the Lakers hired D'Antoni.
- The Bobcats traded Matt Carroll to the Hornets for Hakim Warrick. Carroll and New Orleans are reportedly negotiating a buyout to his contract.
- The Hornets also signed general manager Dell Demps to a three-year contract extension.
- Rockets rookie Royce White has left the team over a dispute regarding their handling of his well-publicized anxiety disorder. White is slated to meet with GM Daryl Morey on Monday, and has hinted that he would consider retirement if an agreement is not reached.
- The Rockets also assigned rookies Scott Machado and Donatas Motiejunas to the D-League. White was originally intended to be assigned as well, but league rules limit teams to assigning two players at once.
- Former Bucks forward Jon Brockman signed in France.
- Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard is expected to be out for 10-14 days with left knee tendinitis.
- In response to their many injuries, the Timberwolves signed free-agent forward Josh Howard. In order to clear a roster spot for Howard, the Wolves waived Will Conroy.
- The Wizards signed free-agent point guard Shaun Livingston and cut Jannero Pargo.
- The Spurs assigned Cory Joseph to the D-League.
- Journeyman guard Sundiata Gaines signed a deal to play in China.
- The Nuggets assigned rookie Quincy Miller to the D-League.
HoopsWorld On Biggest Disappointments
HoopsWorld.com has a new roundtable feature in which several of the site's writers weigh in on who they believe is the biggest disappointment thus far in the 2012/13 season. Here are the highlights:
- Lang Greene pinpoints Roy Hibbert, signed to a four-year, $58MM contract this summer, as a major reason why the Pacers are underperforming early in the season.
- Alex Kennedy believes that the Raptors' strategy of targeting Landry Fields to make it harder for the Knicks to land Steve Nash backfired. He points to Fields' disappointing start to the season as a reason why the signing is a failure for Toronto.
- Stephen Brotherston writes that Ersan Ilyasova has regressed following what appeared to be a breakout season last year with the Bucks.
- Bill Ingram is frustrated by the continued inconsistent play of JaVale McGee following his re-signing with the Nuggets this summer.
- Derek Page points out that Pau Gasol's offensive efficiency has dropped this season, even more so than expected following the Lakers' addition of Dwight Howard.
- While there is still time for him to mature, Joel Brigham writes that Jeremy Lin has been a disappointment since signing with the Rockets.
Knicks Notes: Melo, Lin, Sheed
In one of the biggest surprises of the early season, the New York Knicks have the best record in the Eastern Conference at 7-1. Needless to say, there is a lot of chatter throughout the media about the causes of this surprising start. Here are the latest news and notes around the team:
- Indiana Pacers president Donnie Walsh, who spearheaded the Knicks' 2011 trade for Carmelo Anthony when he served as their general manager, tells ESPNNewYork.com's Ian Begley that he is not surprised by Anthony's increased effort on defense this season.
- Jeremy Lin believes there would have been a higher chance the Knicks retained him this summer if Mike D'Antoni was still in New York, writes Fred Kerber of the New York Post.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com writes that Rasheed Wallace was motivated in part to end his two-year retirement and sign with the Knicks by what he sees as a lack of great post play in the league.
Latest On Timberwolves’ Injuries
The Minnesota Timberwolves have been plagued by injuries to their key players in recent weeks, which has forced them to play shorthanded and turn to free agents such as Josh Howard to shore up the rotation. However, Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune has some good news for Wolves fans on the injury front involving several players.
Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio, neither of whom have played this season, are starting to participate in light offensive workouts, and are both still scheduled to return to the court sometime in December. Center Nikola Pekovic, who injured his ankle last week, is participating fully in practice and is on track to return on Wednesday.
Two Timberwolves players who have yet to participate in basketball-related activities since being sidelined are guards Brandon Roy and J.J. Barea. There is no timeframe for either one to return to action.
HoopsRumors Originals: 11/12/12 – 11/18/12
A look back at the original content created by the HoopsRumors writing staff this week:
- A list of players on minimum-salary contracts for this season.
- A breakdown of players with the ability to veto trades, either via a no-trade clause in their contracts or because they signed offer sheets that were matched.
- HoopsRumors' Offseason in Review series continued this week with entries on the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Toronto Raptors.
- A look at the early-season performances of a few high-profile free agents signed this summer.
- A list of trades made during the 2012/13 season thus far.
- A timeline of dates when certain players' contracts become guaranteed.
- A list of D-League assignees and recalls thus far in the 2012/13 season.
- The return of HoopsRumors' Tentative Draft Order feature.
- A guide to using HoopsRumors to track news on your favorite player.
- A transcript of HoopsRumors' weekly reader chat.