Paul George Suffers Bone Bruise, Will Miss At Least Two Games
NOVEMBER 21: George was diagnosed with a bone bruise in his left knee and an MRI showed no structural damage, the team announced Thursday according to Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link). The nine-time All-Star will miss at least Friday’s game against the Nets and Sunday’s game versus the Clippers. He’ll be reevaluated on Monday.
NOVEMBER 20: Sixers All-Star forward Paul George departed Philadelphia’s matchup against the Grizzlies on Wednesday after hyperextending his left knee, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
It’s the same knee that caused George to miss time to start the season. He hyperextended it in a preseason game on October 14 and didn’t make his regular season debut until November 4.
There are no updates yet on whether the latest setback will force George to the sidelines again or how much time he might miss. The 6’8″ vet will presumably undergo further testing and imaging to determine the severity of the injury.
If George is forced to miss time again, it will further delay the efforts of Philadelphia’s new big three of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and George to establish chemistry with their teammates and with each other. The three All-Stars hadn’t all been active for the same game until Wednesday; the trio has still yet to make it through a full contest together.
Across his seven healthy games prior to Wednesday, George had been averaging 16.7 points per game on .396/.288/.815 shooting splits, his lowest scoring output since an injury-shortened six-game stint in 2014/15. The 34-year-old had also been logging 5.6 boards, 5.1 assists, and 2.4 steals per night.
Embiid has only appeared in four of Philadelphia’s 14 contests this year, while Maxey has been available for eight.
The Sixers ultimately fell to Memphis on Wednesday, 117-111. The loss puts Philadelphia in the NBA’s cellar with a league-worst 2-12 record.
Rodney Hood Announces Retirement
Veteran NBA swingman Rodney Hood has decided to call it a career, telling ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that he’s retiring as a player (Twitter link).
“It was tough to retire,” Hood said within a longer statement detailing the various stages of his career. “But I’m at peace with it. I tried really hard to hold on. I had an Achilles tear and I was kind of a shell of myself. When I got a chance to get healthy again, I tried to play in the G League this past spring and got hurt again. It was just my body telling me that I needed to move on.”
After playing his college ball for Mississippi State and Duke, Hood was selected with the 23rd pick in the 2014 draft and began his NBA career with the Jazz. In addition to playing for Utah, he spent time with the Cavaliers, Trail Blazers, Raptors, Bucks, and Clippers over the course of eight years in the league.
Hood, 32, appeared in a total of 448 regular season games from 2014-22, averaging 10.4 points per game on .420/.366/.841 shooting. The Mississippi native also chipped in 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 24.5 minutes per night during the regular season and saw action in the playoffs with the Jazz, Cavs, and Blazers from 2017-19.
His best season came in 2017/18, when he averaged a career-high 14.7 PPG with a .381 3PT% in 60 games for Utah and Cleveland, earning a spot on one Sixth Man of the Year ballot at season’s end.
Hood indicated in his announcement that he envisions himself as a coaching role in the next phase of his career.
“I always felt like after my playing career is when I will make my big mark with helping younger guys get to the next level,” he said. “So I’m looking forward to that. I want to coach.
“It reminds me of the famous Roosevelt speech, ‘The man in the arena.’ I was in the arena. I wasn’t the best player, but I got a chance to be around and play against some of the best players that ever played. I think that gives me an insight. And I’ve also been through the mud. I dealt with injuries. I went through trades. Sometimes I was the No. 2 option, sometimes I was the last guy off the bench. I’ve been through it all. I plan to use my experiences to pour into others and help a lot of guys coming up in the game in his next phase of my life.”
Nuggets’ Cancar Out For ‘Foreseeable Future’ With Knee Injury
Nuggets forward Vlatko Cancar, who exited Tuesday’s game in the second quarter due to what the team referred to as a left knee sprain, will be out “for the foreseeable future,” head coach Michael Malone said on Thursday, per Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette (Twitter link).
Cancar and the Nuggets are weighing potential treatment options for the knee injury, according to Malone, who said the ailment is “not necessarily” season-ending, according to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post (Twitter link).
“It could go a couple different ways. We’re still gathering information, letting the knee calm down a little bit,” Malone said. “So I don’t want to get doom and gloom. But he’s out for the foreseeable future.”
Asked if the decision will come down to a surgical vs. non-surgical approach, Malone replied, “I’m not gonna go into all the details, but some different options will be on the table for Vlatko, and we’ll try to educate him.” He added that the next steps for the 27-year-old will likely be determined within the next week.
While a sprained knee ligament typically results in at least a multi-week absence on its own, Cancar’s injury caused additional concern on Tuesday because it affected the same knee in which he tore an ACL last summer. That ACL tear caused him to miss the entire 2023/24 season.
Cancar re-signed with the Nuggets on a one-year, minimum-salary deal this past offseason. The Slovenian forward had appeared in just four games so far this season, having sat out six due to a sprained ankle and three as a DNP-CD. However, he logged double-digit minutes on Sunday for the first time this season and did so again on Tuesday before injuring his knee. Malone referred to Cancar’s play in those games with the second unit as “really, really effective.”
The Nuggets are already missing one frontcourt piece as a result of a significant injury. First-round pick DaRon Holmes sustained a season-ending Achilles tear during his Summer League debut in July.
Doncic Has Wrist Injury, Out At Least One Week
10:06am: Doncic underwent an MRI which revealed a right wrist sprain, the team’s PR department tweets.
9:37am: Add Luka Doncic to the list of superstar players missing multiple games this season due to an injury.
Doncic is dealing with a right wrist injury and will be reevaluated in a week, Marc Stein reports (Twitter link).
The Mavericks guard was wearing a wrap around his wrist when he met the media after Tuesday’s game against New Orleans, Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal notes (Twitter link). Doncic scored 26 points in 30 minutes during that victory over New Orleans.
“I started feeling it in the first quarter, but then it just got worse, but nothing serious,” Doncic said when asked about his wrist injury.
Doncic didn’t practice on Wednesday. He is averaging 28.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game this season.
Dallas had just started to hit its stride, winning three straight contests heading into a three-game road trip. The Mavericks’ next game is at Denver on Friday. They also have games on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday, so Doncic will miss at least four contests.
Jaden Hardy, Quentin Grimes and Spencer Dinwiddie could all see increased playing time in his absence.
Sixers’ Embiid Unhappy About Post-Meeting Leak
The Sixers held a team meeting on Monday night following a loss to Miami. About 12 hours later, details of that meeting – including the fact that Tyrese Maxey called out teammate and friend Joel Embiid – had been published by ESPN. Embiid wasn’t happy about the fact that someone in the team’s locker room turned around and immediately leaked details of those discussions to the media.
“Whoever leaked that is a real piece of s–t,” Embiid said on Wednesday, per Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“We talked about a lot of things (during the meeting),” Embiid continued. “I don’t want to get into the details, but that whole thing (with Maxey) probably took 30 seconds. But then again, it’s Joel Embiid, so we’ve got to make everything blown out of proportion. It’s whatever. I’ll take it all. I’m the reason for everything, so I’ll take the blame for everything.”
Maxey reportedly challenged Embiid to be on time for team activities and functions, suggesting that the star center’s tendency to be late “for everything” set a bad example for the rest of the club. Embiid’s comments on Wednesday were a response to a reporter’s question about his friendship with Maxey and their willingness to hold each other accountable.
“That’s the relationship we have — nothing malicious,” Embiid said, according to Mizell. “I like when people are telling me what I’m not doing good, what I need to do better. Even though that part (the tardiness) maybe happened once or twice, when I wasn’t playing. … So I need to be better. I need to be perfect. I need to be on point, which I’m going to do. Which I’ve always done.”
After their 2-11 start, the Sixers had their full “big three” – Embiid, Maxey, and Paul George – available for Wednesday’s game vs. Memphis. Embiid also had his best outing of the season so far, pouring in 35 points and grabbing 11 rebounds as he continues to round into his usual All-NBA form following an early-season injury absence.
However, Philadelphia lost for a fifth time in a row and the 10th time in its last 11 games to fall to 2-12. To make matters worse, George exited early due to a knee injury. According to Embiid, the Sixers were able to implement some of the on-court adjustments they discussed in Monday’s meeting, but still aren’t playing like they want to be.
“We talked about a bunch of stuff (in the meeting),” Embiid said. “At times, we executed what we talked about, and at times, we didn’t. Right now, we don’t have a lot of margin for error, so we need to be perfect in everything we do on both ends of the floor.”
De’Anthony Melton To Undergo Season-Ending ACL Surgery
After completing further testing on his injured left ACL, the Warriors have determined that guard De’Anthony Melton will require season-ending surgery, the team has announced (Twitter link).
The ailment had previously been diagnosed as a sprain, though the fact that it requires surgical treatment suggests it may be more significant.
Melton signed a one-year contract worth the Warriors’ full $12.8MM mid-level exception this past offseason. He will be a free agent again in the summer of 2025, having played all of six games for a surging Golden State squad.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link) notes, Golden State can apply for a disabled player exception, which would be worth half of Melton’s salary (approximately $6.4MM). But because the Warriors are just $534K below their hard cap at the first tax apron, they would have to move off some salary to actually use a potential DPE.
The 6’2″ USC alum could potentially also be used as an expiring matching contract on the trade market, should the Warriors look to acquire a win-now roster addition to capitalize on their strong start to the season.
Melton averaged 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 20.2 minutes per game across those six matchups, posting a shooting line of .407/.371/.625.
At 10-3, the Warriors are currently the No. 1 seed in a crowded Western Conference. Melton, when healthy, had served as a core component of that early success. As The Athletic’s Anthony Slater notes (via Twitter), Golden State head coach Steve Kerr had anointed Melton as his preferred starting shooting guard next to All-NBA point guard Stephen Curry.
Lindy Waters III earned the starting two guard nod in Golden State’s most recent game, a 102-99 loss to the Clippers. Kerr could also explore elevating another recent free agent acquisition, microwave scorer Buddy Hield, or 2024 All-Rookie guard Brandin Podziemski.
Khris Middleton Medically Cleared To Return For Bucks
Three-time Bucks All-Star forward Khris Middleton has been given the medical green light to return to action for Milwaukee, sources inform Shams Charania of ESPN.
The 6’7″ Texas A&M product has missed all of the 5-9 Bucks’ games this season while recuperating from offseason surgeries to both ankles. Charania reports that the 33-year-old continues to work his way towards a return, but does not yet feel physically ready to make his season debut.
Middleton’s extended recovery was not expected to last this long into Milwaukee’s season. Taurean Prince, who signed a minimum-salary contract as a free agent in July, has started for Middleton this year, though he is not a willing scorer at Middleton’s level. Across his 14 healthy games for his new team, Prince is averaging 8.9 points on .484/.527/1.000 shooting splits, along with 5.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.
“He’s looked good,” said Bucks head coach Doc Rivers of Middleton. “He’s working his butt off. Listen, I think he’s close. And he’s just going to keep working. This is the best I’ve seen him, I will say that.”
According to Charania, Milwaukee wants Middleton to take part in 5-on-5 scrimmages with teammates prior to his on-court comeback in a game setting. The Bucks are reportedly waiting on Middleton to let them know when he feels ready.
Middleton was a critical component to the team’s 2021 NBA championship run. His perimeter defense and jump shooting fit perfectly alongside All-NBA Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and then-All-Defensive teammates Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez. In addition to his NBA title, Middleton subsequently won an Olympic gold medal alongside Holiday that same summer.
Middleton has not quite been the same since the 2021/22 season. He has missed an average of 44 games across the past two seasons due to various ailments. When he has played, he has lacked the same lateral quickness that made him such a tenacious defender. His minutes have also been more limited in the interest of maintaining his health.
In his last two seasons, Middleton has averaged 15.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 0.8 steals per game — all far cries from his numbers during his final All-Star season, 2021/22. He logged averages of 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.2 steals per night that season, with .443/.373/.890 shooting splits.
Milwaukee next hosts the 6-9 Bulls on Wednesday.
Pelicans Sign Elfrid Payton, Waive Jaylen Nowell
12:34pm: The Pelicans have officially signed Payton and waived Nowell, the team confirmed in a press release. As expected, Payton’s deal is non-guaranteed, tweets Christian Clark of NOLA.com.
7:19am: The Pelicans and free agent guard Elfrid Payton have agreed to a deal, agent Darrell Comer tells Shams Charania of ESPN.
As Charania notes, the agreement will reunite Payton and Pelicans head coach Willie Green, who were teammates on the Magic during the 2014/15 season, Green’s last as a player — and Payton’s first.
The 10th overall pick in the 2014 draft, Payton has 500 regular season appearances under his belt across eight NBA seasons with the Magic, Suns, Pelicans, and Knicks. However, he hasn’t been on a regular season roster since suiting up for Phoenix during the 2021/22 season. The 30-year-old played in Puerto Rico in 2023 and then spent last season with the Indiana Mad Ants, the Pacers’ G League affiliate.
A Louisiana native who played college ball for the Ragin’ Cajuns in Lafayette, Payton has never been a great shooter, with career averages of 44.7% from the floor and 28.7% from beyond the arc. However, he’s a talented ball-handler and play-maker who averaged 10.1 points, 5.7 assists, and 4.0 rebounds in 26.8 minutes per game over the course of his NBA career.
Payton was briefly in camp with the Pelicans last month and joined their G League affiliate, the Birmingham Squadron, to start the season.
While it appears that New Orleans could qualify for a hardship exception as a result of injuries to Dejounte Murray (hand), Herbert Jones (shoulder), Zion Williamson (hamstring), CJ McCollum (thigh), Jose Alvarado (hamstring), and Jordan Hawkins (back), Charania reports that the team is waiving Jaylen Nowell in order to create a spot on the 15-man roster for Payton.
That suggests that the Pelicans either expect some of their injured players to return within the next couple weeks or want to avoid pushing their payroll into luxury tax territory.
Nowell averaged 8.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 21.0 minutes per game during eight outings with the Pelicans, posting a shooting line of just .356/.296/.636. He had been on a non-guaranteed contract, so the Pelicans will take on a modest cap hit for the time he spent on the roster. If he’s officially waived on Wednesday, Nowell’s cap charge will work out to $278,782.
The details of Payton’s deal have yet to be reported, but it will likely be a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract like Nowell’s.
Pacers Sign Center Moses Brown
NOVEMBER 20: The Pacers have officially signed Brown, per NBA.com’s transaction log. The expectation is that he’ll be active in Houston vs. the Rockets on Wednesday, tweets Dopirak.
NOVEMBER 18: The Pacers are filling their roster opening by signing center Moses Brown, Shams Charania of ESPN tweets.
Indiana has essentially been going with a 12-man roster, not including two-way players, after centers James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson suffered season-ending Achilles tears. Brown will provide much-needed depth in that area. Starting center Myles Turner is currently dealing with calf soreness.
Brown is expected to join Indiana on Wednesday, Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star tweets. The big man’s contract will be non-guaranteed, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, meaning he’ll make $13,939 every day he’s on the roster.
Brown had been on the roster of the Westchester Knicks, New York’s G League affiliate. Brown was signed and waived by the Knicks in October on an Exhibit 10 deal.
Brown hasn’t stuck with an NBA team for more than a single season since making his debut in 2019, but he has racked up 150 regular season appearances in stints with the Trail Blazers (twice), Thunder, Mavericks, Cavaliers, Clippers, and Nets. He holds career averages of 5.2 points and 5.0 rebounds in 11.9 minutes per game.
Brown spent the 2023/24 campaign under contract with the Trail Blazers, appearing in 22 games and posting averages of 3.4 PPG and 3.9 RPG in 9.1 MPG.
Sixers Not Considering Replacing Nick Nurse, Daryl Morey
Despite their NBA-worst 2-11 record, the Sixers haven’t had any internal discussions about the possibility of replacing head coach Nick Nurse or president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, multiple sources tell Sam Amick, David Aldridge, and Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
Nurse, who won a title with the Raptors in 2019, was hired by Philadelphia during the 2023 offseason to replace Doc Rivers. He led the team to a 47-35 regular season record last season, which was only good for a play-in spot. The 76ers ultimately secured the No. 7 seed and fell in the first round of the playoffs to the No. 2 Knicks.
The slow start this fall has dropped Nurse’s overall regular season record with the team to 49-46 (.516).
Morey was named the Sixers’ president of basketball operations in November 2020. The club has won at least 47 games in every season since then, but has never advanced beyond the second round of the postseason.
Morey essentially reset the roster this past offseason around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, but injuries have limited the availability of Philadelphia’s stars – Embiid, Maxey, and Paul George – and the new-look supporting cast has struggled.
The expectation going forward, Amick, Aldridge, and Weiss say, is that everyone in the organization, including Nurse and Morey, will “take a look in the mirror and see what role they have in making the team better.”
The Athletic’s story also corroborates many of the details about Monday’s team meeting reported earlier today by Shams Charania of ESPN, including Maxey calling out Embiid for being consistently late to team activities.
Team and league sources tell The Athletic that Maxey stressed the need for Embiid to set a better example as the Sixers’ leader, given his importance to the program, essentially telling the former MVP, “Joel, you know I love you. But it starts with you, and your habits.” Embiid “mostly agreed” with Maxey’s message, per Amick, Aldridge, and Weiss.
While that discussion between Maxey and Embiid was an important aspect of the meeting, there was also a focus on holding the rest of the roster accountable, according to The Athletic’s trio. The contributions from rookie Jared McCain have been a pleasant surprise during the season’s first month, but many of the team’s other role players – including offseason veteran additions like Eric Gordon and Reggie Jackson – have been ineffective.