Former NBA Player, Coach Paul Silas Dies At 79
Longtime NBA player and coach Paul Silas has died, tweets Bob Ryan of The Boston Globe.
Silas, 79, was a rugged rebounder and defender during his 16 NBA seasons. He was a two-time All-Star, a five-time All-Defensive selection and was part of three title-winning teams: the Celtics in 1974 and 1976 and the SuperSonics in 1979.
After leading the NCAA in rebounding at Creighton, Silas was a second-round pick by the St. Louis Hawks in 1964. He was traded to the Suns in 1969 and the Celtics in 1972 before finishing his career with the Nuggets and Sonics. Silas appeared in 1,254 career games, averaging 9.4 points and 9.9 rebounds per night.
He moved into coaching after his playing career ended, starting as head coach of the San Diego Clippers from 1980-83 and later serving in the same role with the Hornets, Cavaliers and Bobcats before his coaching career ended in 2012. Silas is the father of Rockets head coach Stephen Silas.
We at Hoops Rumors send our condolences to Silas’ family and friends.
Bob Myers Nearing End Of His Contract With Warriors
Warriors executive Bob Myers could become one of the NBA’s most sought-after free agents next summer, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The president of basketball operations, who constructed the team that has captured four NBA titles in the last eight years, is moving into the final months of his current contract, Wojnarowski writes. Myers has talked to the organization about a new deal, but those negotiations are currently “on hiatus,” sources tell Woj.
“My entire focus is on the season and the team,” Myers said. The two-time NBA Executive of the Year declined to go into further detail about his contract status.
Owner and CEO Joe Lacob said the team intends to keep Myers, stating, “We love Bob and hope he is here for a long time.”
Myers has strong relationships with all the established members of the Warriors, including Lacob and coach Steve Kerr, along with players Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, according to Wojnarowski. Myers joined the organization in 2011 and has handled the general manager’s duties since 2012.
Golden State is already facing a future payroll that could reach $500MM, which may lead to some difficult personnel decisions. A new contract for Myers is also expected to come at a high price.
The Warriors have engaged in discussions about an extension for Kerr as well, Wojnarowski adds. Kerr has two years remaining on his current contract, so there’s less urgency to get a deal finalized.
Greg Monroe Resumes Career In China
Veteran center Greg Monroe has signed with the Shanxi Loongs in the Chinese Basketball Association, tweets international writer Christos Harpidis.
Monroe played with four NBA teams last season, mostly on 10-day contracts as the league was dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak. Monroe signed with the Timberwolves in late December, then spent time with the Wizards, Bucks and Jazz before rejoining Minnesota in April. He appeared in 14 total games, averaging 5.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in 13.9 minutes per night.
The 32-year-old was selected by the Pistons with the seventh pick in the 2010 draft. He signed with the Bucks as a free agent after five years in Detroit and later spent time with the Suns, Celtics, Raptors and Sixers.
Monroe is no stranger to international basketball. He signed with Bayern Munich in Germany in 2019 and Khimki in Russia in 2020 before returning to the NBA the following season.
NBA, NBPA Will Push Back CBA Opt-Out Deadline
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have agreed to extend the deadline to opt out of the league’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links).
The NBA and NBPA have been engaged in negotiations on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, but will need more time to find common ground on all the issues being discussed.
The current CBA, which went into effect in 2017, runs through the 2023/24 season. However, the league and the players’ union hold a mutual option to terminate that agreement at the end of the ’22/23 league year. The deadline for either side to exercise that opt-out clause had been next Thursday (December 15), but it will be pushed into the new year, according to Wojnarowski.
Sources tell ESPN that the new opt-out deadline is expected to land sometime in February. The exact date will be finalized at next Wednesday’s Board of Governors meeting, Woj adds.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), when the two sides negotiated the current CBA back in 2016, they postponed the opt-out deadline by nearly a month – to January 13, 2017 – despite reaching an agreement in mid-December, since it took some time to ratify the new deal. So if negotiations continue into February, it’s possible another extension would be necessary.
Although the NBA and the players’ union have been widely expected to work out a new agreement without any sort of work stoppage, the league has reportedly been pushing harder this time around for the implementation of an “upper spending limit,” which would function like a hard cap. The players’ side has been adamantly opposed to the idea.
Hawks’ Dejounte Murray Out Two Weeks With Left Ankle Sprain
5:41pm: The Hawks have officially announced Murray’s injury, confirming that he will miss at least two weeks (Twitter link).
2:13pm: Murray is expected to miss two weeks due to the injury, sources tell Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link).
12:40pm: Hawks guard Dejounte Murray will undergo an MRI on Thursday to determine the severity of the left ankle sprain (Twitter link) that caused him to exit yesterday’s loss in New York after only four minutes of action, tweets Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Fellow starting guard Trae Young missed Thursday’s practice with an illness, per Williams. The Hawks are waiting to see if he recovers in time to play in tomorrow’s game at Brooklyn.
Atlanta is already down two starters at the moment. Power forward John Collins out at least one more week with his own left ankle sprain, while small forward De’Andre Hunter is dealing with a right hip flexor strain.
Hunter was set to be reevaluated today and was a partial participant in practice, according to Williams (Twitter link). His status for Friday’s game is unclear.
The Hawks traded two unprotected first-round picks (2025 and 2027), an unprotected pick swap (2026), and Charlotte’s 2023 top-16 protected first-rounder to acquire Murray, a first-time All-Star last season with the Spurs. Through 25 games in 2022/23 (35.6 minutes), he’s averaging 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.8 steals on .452/.366/.836 shooting for the 13-12 Hawks.
Jazz’s Collin Sexton Strains Hamstring, Out At Least One Week
Imaging has revealed that Jazz combo guard Collin Sexton suffered a mild right hamstring strain, the team has announced in a press release. Sexton will miss at least a week before the ailment is reassessed, according to the Jazz.
During his first season with Utah, Sexton has been averaging 14.3 PPG on .493/.362/.831 shooting splits across 27 games, mostly coming off the bench. The 24-year-old out of Alabama has also been chipping in 3.0 APG and 2.4 RPG.
Utah acquired Sexton in a sign-and-trade deal with the Cavaliers during the offseason, and has appeared reinvigorated with his new squad.
After a red-hot start to the season, Utah has cooled off lately due in part to the absence of another key backcourt player, starting point guard Mike Conley.
Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link) reported earlier today that Conley, battling a left knee strain, is set to take the floor for the first time in nine games on Friday, barring any setbacks. With the 6’1″ vet sidelined, the Jazz have gone 3-6. For the season, the club still boasts a surprisingly solid 15-12 record.
Knicks’ Obi Toppin Out At Least 2-3 Weeks With Fibula Injury
Forward Obi Toppin will be sidelined at least two-to-three weeks after sustaining a non-displaced fracture in his right fibula head, the Knicks announced (via Twitter).
Toppin suffered the injury in Wednesday’s victory over the Hawks, which led to an MRI earlier today. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report (Twitter link) that the 24-year-old would be reevaluated in two-to-three weeks.
Now in his third season, Toppin is averaging 7.7 points and 3.8 rebounds on .421/.351/.824 shooting through 25 games (17.1 minutes per night). The Knicks are currently 12-13, the No. 9 seed in the East.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters, including Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), that RJ Barrett might be in line for minutes at power forward with Toppin out.
“I like the idea of RJ being there some. I think he showed us last year how effective he can be at the four, so I think that can be a possibility,” Thibodeau said.
Another possibility could be a double center pairing. Thibodeau experimented with using Jericho Sims and Isaiah Hartenstein together at times earlier in the 2022/23 season.
Timberwolves Sign Matt Ryan To Two-Way Deal, Waive Lawson
DECEMBER 8: The Timberwolves have put out a press release officially announcing that they’ve signed Ryan to a two-way contract and waived Lawson.
DECEMBER 6: The Timberwolves are signing forward Matt Ryan to a two-way contract, Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic tweet. Minnesota will waive A.J. Lawson to make room for Ryan, Krawczynski adds in another tweet.
Ryan was waived by the Lakers last week.
Minnesota ranks 28th in 3-point shooting at 32.6% and hopes that Ryan can help in that area. He joined the Lakers on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract in September and earned a spot on the regular season roster.
Ryan made 13-of-35 attempts 3-point attempts (37.1%) for L.A. this season but only converted 2-of-14 two-pointers. In total, he averaged 3.9 PPG in 12 appearances (10.8 MPG).
Ryan went undrafted out of Chattanooga in 2020 and eventually landed with the Grand Rapids Gold in the G League in 2021/22. He made his NBA debut with the Celtics this past spring.
Lawson appeared in just one game for the Timberwolves after signing a two-way contract in mid-November. He was playing for the Hawks’ G League affiliate prior to inking that contract.
It’s the second time Minnesota has waived Lawson. He was previously signed on a two-way deal in July. The Wolves initially waived him to add Luka Garza in mid-October.
Mavs, Pistons Have Reportedly Discussed Nerlens Noel
The Mavericks and Pistons recently “touched base” on trade talks in which Nerlens Noel was among the players discussed, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Begley adds that Noel has drawn interest from multiple playoff teams in need of rim protection.
Noel was traded from the Knicks to the Pistons over the summer in a salary-dump deal and isn’t part of Detroit’s regular rotation in a crowded frontcourt that features Isaiah Stewart, Marvin Bagley III, and rookie Jalen Duren. Noel has appeared in just six contests this season and hasn’t played more than six minutes in a game since November 4.
Still, the former lottery pick is only 28 years old and has some solid seasons on his NBA résumé, including his first year in New York in 2020/21. He averaged 5.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 2.2 BPG in 64 appearances (24.2 MPG) that season, providing energy and athleticism in the middle.
Since Noel has a team option for 2023/24, he’s essentially on an expiring contract, but his $9.24MM cap hit is sizable enough not to make him a positive asset. So if the Pistons hope to move him for anything of value, they may have to either attach another trade chip or take back some unwanted multiyear salary.
Dallas would be an interesting trade partner for the Pistons given that offseason signee JaVale McGee hasn’t gotten off to a great start as a Maverick, falling first out of the starting lineup, then out of the rotation entirely.
A report earlier this week suggested that the Mavs could explore the trade market for another center, with a preference for a defensive specialist who is a contrast to Christian Wood — Noel fits that bill. Plus, even though he earns more this season than McGee ($5.46MM), Noel’s expiring deal looks more team-friendly than McGee’s three-year contract, which will pay him $5.73MM next season with a $6MM+ player option for 2024/25 (he’ll turn 37 that season).
Noel had a previous stint in Dallas that began in February 2017 when he arrived in a trade from Philadelphia. That experience may have left a sour taste in his mouth, given that he turned down a $70MM offer from the Mavs as a free agent that summer, played on a $4.1MM qualifying offer during the 2017/18 season, and left Dallas in 2018 to sign a minimum-salary contract with Oklahoma City. Noel later filed a lawsuit against Rich Paul for the advice he received during that 2017 offseason; the case has since been redirected to NBA arbitration.
Desmond Bane Out At Least 3-4 More Weeks
Desmond Bane will miss at least three to four more weeks with a toe injury he suffered last month, the Grizzlies announced.
A press release from the team stated that Bane is making progress as he rehabs a right big toe sprain and sesamoid injury. He has been cleared to begin “a gradual re-loading protocol,” and if that goes well he could resume playing by late December or early January.
The third-year shooting guard was off to a strong start, averaging career highs with 24.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists while shooting 45.1% from the field. Memphis has a +9.2 net rating in the minutes that he has played.
The Grizzlies were 9-4 when Bane was injured in a Nov. 11 game against the Timberwolves. They have gone 6-5 since then and are currently third in the Western Conference standings.