Timofey Mozgov Signs With Russian Team
Longtime NBA center Timofey Mozgov has inked a deal with Russian Super League team Runa Basket Moscow, per Dario Skerletic of Sportando.
After spending the 2017/18 NBA season on the Nets, the 7’1″, 275-pound center traveled overseas. He rejoined Russian club Khmiki from 2019-21. He also suited up for Khmiki from 2006-2010 and again during the 2011 NBA lockout. Last year, Mozgov averaged 8.3 PPG and 4.2 RPG across six contests.
The 35-year-old big man logged eight seasons in the NBA after initially going undrafted in 2008. He played with the Knicks, Nuggets, Cavaliers, Lakers, and finally the Nets. Mozgov won a title as a key role player for the 2016 championship Cleveland team.
After winning in Cleveland, Mozgov signed a lucrative four-year, $64MM deal with the Lakers, which immediately became an albatross. Los Angeles traded him to Brooklyn the next summer. It would be his final NBA on-court action, and he essentially became a contract used to match salaries in deals.
Mozgov was then sent to the Hornets in the summer of 2018, who promptly traded his contract to the Magic. Mozgov never played a game for Orlando during the 2018/19 season after being felled by a knee injury that required surgery. Orlando waived him in the 2019 offseason.
Mozgov holds career averages of 6.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 0.8 BPG across 454 games.
COVID-19 Updates: Hawks, Blazers, Celtics, Bucks, Nets
Wesley Iwundu, who just signed a 10-day contract with the Hawks on Thursday, has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Iwundu played 23 minutes in the Hawks’ 98-96 victory over the Sixers Thursday night, scoring two points and grabbing five rebounds. ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets that the Hawks will need to sign another replacement player to replace Iwundu — himself a replacement player.
Hawks big man Onyeka Okongwu, who made his season debut last week, has entered the protocols as well, Sarah K. Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. In three games this season (22.3 MPG), Okongwu is averaging 10.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 2.0 BPG. The Hawks now have nine players in the protocols.
Here are a few more COVID-related updates:
- Backup point guard Dennis Smith Jr. and two-way rookie Trendon Watford have entered the protocols for the Trail Blazers and the rest of the team will now be re-tested, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter). DSJ and Watford are the only players currently in the protocols for the Blazers.
- The Celtics have four new players entering the protocols: C.J. Miles, Justin Jackson, Aaron Nesmith, and Bruno Fernando, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic. However, Al Horford, Juan Hernangomez, Jabari Parker, and Brodric Thomas, who’ve all been in the protocols, are listed as questionable for Saturday’s game against Milwaukee, so they could be exiting the protocols soon. Until those four are cleared, the Celtics will have 12 players in the COVID-19 protocols — the largest outbreak in the NBA.
- In addition to Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis has exited the protocols for the Bucks, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press tweets. Like Horford and the other Celtics, Donte DiVincenzo, who’s also been in the protocols, is listed as questionable to make his season debut Saturday.
- Meanwhile, Bruce Brown and James Johnson have exited the protocols for the Nets, but seven others, including star Kevin Durant, remain in the protocols for their game Saturday against the Lakers, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).
- Warriors rookie Moses Moody has entered the protocols, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link). Golden State now has four players in the protocols.
Nets Notes: Harden, Bembry, Durant, Claxton, Irving
Nets guard James Harden, who exited the NBA’s health and safety protocols on Thursday, will be available to play on Christmas Day in Los Angeles vs. the Lakers, head coach Steve Nash said today (Twitter link via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN).
The NBA’s slate of December 25 games will still be lacking some star power – Luka Doncic has been formally ruled out for the Mavericks vs. Utah, tweets Marc Stein – but Harden’s return is welcome news for both the league and the Nets, who played with a skeleton crew during their most recent game last Saturday.
Here’s more news out of Brooklyn:
- DeAndre’ Bembry is no longer in the health and safety protocols, Nash said today (Twitter link via Youngmisuk). A total of nine Nets players remain in the protocols, including Kevin Durant, who won’t be available on Christmas Day.
- Nicolas Claxton, who had been battling a wrist injury, is good to go for Saturday’s game vs. the Lakers, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. LaMarcus Aldridge is still in the protocols, so Claxton should get plenty of run at the five.
- While most Nets players who exit the COVID-19 protocols should be cleared to play pretty quickly, Kyrie Irving – who has been away from the team all season – will require some extra time once his quarantine period ends, Nash said on Thursday. “I think he has to do some sort of ramp-up, some sort of playing, not just [go right in],” Nash said, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “When you’re at home working out by yourself, it’s a lot different.” Since Irving is only eligible to play in the Nets’ road games, he won’t make his season debut before January 5 in Indiana. January 12 in Chicago would be his next opportunity to play if he’s not ready for the Pacers game.
Three Nets Rookies Enter Protocols; Harden, Two Others Exit
The Nets announced some good news and some bad news on Thursday morning. Three players – James Harden, Paul Millsap, and Jevon Carter – have exited the health and safety protocols, but three others – rookies Cameron Thomas, David Duke, and Kessler Edwards – have entered the protocols, tweets Adam Zagoria of Forbes.
You could make a strong case that no team has been hit harder in the last couple weeks by COVID-19 than Brooklyn, which still has 10 players in the league’s protocols after today’s updates. Of the 17 players the team had been carrying on its standard roster, 13 have been in the protocols this month, while Joe Harris (ankle) and Nicolas Claxton (wrist) have dealt with injuries.
Patty Mills and Blake Griffin have been the only players unaffected, and even Griffin is playing through knee pain. The Nets have also signed four replacement players – Langston Galloway, James Ennis, Shaquille Harrison, and Wenyen Gabriel – via hardship exceptions to help fill out the roster.
Brooklyn’s game in Portland on Thursday has been postponed, but the NBA will certainly want to avoid having the team’s Christmas Day game vs. the Lakers endure a similar fate. Head coach Steve Nash said today that Harris won’t play on the Nets’ current road trip, but the team hopes to have Claxton return on either Saturday vs. the Lakers or Monday vs. the Clippers (Twitter link via Brain Lewis of The New York Post).
If Harden, Millsap, and Carter are all cleared to return and Mills, Griffin, and the four replacement players are good to go, Brooklyn would have at least nine players available, even without Claxton. The Nets remain eligible to complete more hardship signings before Saturday too, if they so choose.
Blake Griffin Gets Second Chance With Short-Handed Nets
- The COVID-19 outbreak that has strained the Nets‘ roster gave Blake Griffin a chance to revive his season, per Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post. Griffin was out of the rotation when the virus hit, but with only eight active players he logged a season-high 32 minutes Saturday night. He has played better since returning to the lineup five games ago and could see regular minutes once the roster is back to normal. “Blake’s played great,” coach Steve Nash said. “Like I’ve said to him, we know there’s always something around the corner, so although he was out of the rotation for a little while, we knew something would happen and he’d get his opportunity again, and he’s a pro. Worked his butt off, stayed in shape, found a rhythm. He’s playing good basketball.”
COVID-19 Notes: Trade Market, G League, Postponements
NBA teams have been so busy dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks and scrambling to find available replacement players that the trade talks which typically occur at this time of year have been put on the back burner, writes Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. Given how many teams are shorthanded, it has also been hard to get a clear sense of whether certain clubs will end up as buyers or sellers, a high-ranking Western Conference executive told Fischer.
“There have been so many injuries, so many players in health and safety protocols, and there are so many teams that are holding out hope they can make a run to that next goal, whether it be making the play-in, making the playoffs, or competing for a championship,” the executive said. “I don’t expect there to be any trade action anytime soon.”
Here are a few more COVID-related notes:
- Within his look at the recent impact of the health and safety protocols, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report notes that the exodus of G League talent to the NBA has opened the door for more former NBA players to sign NBAGL contracts in the hopes of getting back into the league. Thon Maker, Marcus Thornton, and Jordan Crawford are among the players who have recently been offered G League deals, says Fischer.
- Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link) offers some additional details on why the Raptors‘ Wednesday game and the Nets‘ Thursday contest were postponed. As Grange explains, while the minimum number of players required for a team to play a game is eight, the NBA’s new rules say that at least five of those players must be from the club’s initial 17-man roster. It sounds as if Toronto and Brooklyn both may have dipped below five available players, not counting hardship signees.
- Vaccinated players signed via hardship exceptions can play for their new teams immediately after testing negative for COVID-19, but must continue to return negative tests during each of their first five days with the club in order to enter facilities and remain active, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Bobby Marks (Twitter links).
NBA Postpones Thursday’s Nets/Blazers Game
This week’s game between the Nets and Trail Blazers, scheduled to be played on Thursday in Portland, has been postponed, the NBA announced today in a press release. According to the league, Brooklyn doesn’t have the required minimum of eight players available.
It’s the third straight postponement for the Nets, who were also unable to play on Sunday vs. Denver and Tuesday vs. Washington. Brooklyn has a league-high 10 players in the health and safety protocols, and Joe Harris (ankle) and Nicolas Claxton (wrist) were also out of action when the team last played on Saturday.
Patty Mills, Blake Griffin, Cameron Thomas, David Duke, and Kessler Edwards were active for the Nets on Saturday and the team has added four replacement players (James Ennis, Shaquille Harrison, Langston Galloway, and Wenyen Gabriel).
That’s a total of nine players, but it’s certainly possible that at least a couple of them are dealing with injuries or have been placed in the protocols in recent days — the Nets haven’t had to publicly update their injury report since their last game.
The next game on Brooklyn’s schedule is a December 25 showdown with the Lakers in Los Angeles. While both teams have been decimated by injuries and COVID-19, the NBA will presumably do all it can to avoid postponing what was supposed to be one of its marquee Christmas Day matchups.
Atlantic Notes: Galloway, Walker, Sixers, Stauskas
New Nets guard Langston Galloway is viewing his 10-day contract with the top team in the East as an audition for a longer-term return to the NBA, writes Shlomo Sprung of Boardroom.tv. Galloway – who was most recently playing with the Hawks’ NBAGL affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks – is averaging 16 MPG across his first two contests with Brooklyn.
Galloway, 30, went undrafted out of Saint Joseph’s in 2014, but eventually latched on with the Knicks in the middle of the 2014/15 season. The 6’1″ combo guard suited up for five NBA teams across seven NBA seasons before landing with Brooklyn this year. In 447 total games played with the Knicks, Pelicans, Kings, Pistons, Suns, and now Nets, he holds averages of 8.2 PPG, 2.5 RPG, and 1.5 SPG.
Galloway played in just one game with the Skyhawks this year before being scooped up by Brooklyn. He notched 12 points, seven assists, three boards, and one steal.
“It gives guys an opportunity for another look,” Galloway said of his G League experience prior to joining the Nets. “Playing in G League games is great, but it’s nothing like having eyeballs on you at the NBA level and being able to show that I could really still do this. It’s a huge opportunity.“
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau offered measured praise for point guard Kemba Walker, who poured in a season-best 29 points in a 114-107 loss to the Celtics this weekend, Walker’s first game back in the rotation since his unceremonious benching nine games prior, writes Greg Joyce of the New York Post. “Well, that’s who he is,” Thibodeau acknowledged about Walker’s solid offensive game. “He’s an accomplished player. I have to do what I think is best for the team. And that’s how I’m gonna make my decisions.” The Knicks went 2-7 in their nine games without Walker. Though Thibodeau was noncommittal after a Monday practice about whether or not Walker would play in further games, it appears fate is forcing his hand. Fred Katz of The Athletic reported (via Twitter) that point guard Derrick Rose would be unavailable for New York’s next game, Tuesday night against the league-worst Pistons, with an ankle injury. With six other Knicks still in the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols, Walker will officially start for New York again this evening, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
- Sixers head coach Doc Rivers reflected this week on just how deeply Philadelphia is feeling the absence of embattled point guard Ben Simmons, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The team was the top seed in the East last year, but at 16-15 is currently the sixth seed in the conference as Simmons continues to sit out. “You see the glaring holes that he leaves us,” Rivers said of the club’s missing All-Defensive First Teamer. “And you know, he may or may not play. If he does, great. If he doesn’t, then whoever we get can help us.”
- New Raptors shooting guard Nik Stauskas, a former lottery pick most recently with the Grand Rapids Gold, is delighted to be joining his hometown Toronto team, per Mike Singer of the Denver Post (Twitter link). The 28-year-old Michigan alum has logged time with the Kings, Sixers, Nets, Trail Blazers, and Cavaliers, but has not appeared in an NBA game since the 2018/19 NBA season.
Nets Sign Wenyen Gabriel To 10-Day Contract
DECEMBER 21: Gabriel has officially signed his 10-day contract, the Nets announced today in a press release.
DECEMBER 18: The Nets are planning to sign big man Wenyen Gabriel to a 10-day contract, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Brooklyn will be using a hardship exception to sign him.
The Nets have already signed Langston Galloway, James Ennis and Shaquille Harrison to 10-day contracts using hardship exceptions this week. The team currently has nine players in the league’s health and safety protocols, including Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.
Gabriel, 24, went undrafted in 2018 after spending three seasons at Kentucky. He holds past NBA experience with the Kings, Blazers and Pelicans. In 12 games with the Wisconsin Herd this season, he’s averaged 13.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 25.6 minutes per game.
Despite being shorthanded, Brooklyn most recently won a 114-105 contest over the Sixers, led by Durant’s 34 points and 11 rebounds. The team will host the Magic (5-25) on Saturday night.
Magic-Raptors Off Monday, Nets-Wizards Postponed Tuesday
In addition to the three games postponed on Sunday, the league also announced two more postponements: Magic vs. Raptors on Monday, and Nets vs. Wizards on Tuesday (via Twitter).
The Magic are decimated by injuries and COVID-19 at the moment, hence the postponement. The Nets currently have 10 players in the health and safety protocols, although they did play Saturday night against Orlando, a 100-93 loss. The Nets started three rookies against the Magic, and their bench was comprised entirely of players on 10-day contracts.
As our JD Shaw tweets, part of their reason for the postponements is that many of the players who would receive 10-day contracts via hardship exceptions are participating in the G League showcase event, which makes it difficult to find immediate replacements.
ESPN’s Baxter Holmes tweets that 64 players and two head coaches have entered the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols over the past six days, which is approximately 13% of players signed to standard and two-way contracts, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (via Twitter).