Cade Cunningham Out Indefinitely, Surgery A Possibility
10:44am: Cunningham is feared to have a stress fracture in his left shin, according to James L. Edwards III and Shams Charania of The Athletic, who say the Pistons and Cunningham remain hopeful that the injury will get better with rest.
If the pain continues to linger, it’s possible surgery will be necessary, but Cunningham is trying to “turn over every stone” before deciding to take that route, per The Athletic’s duo.
Cunningham is currently considered to be out indefinitely, Edwards and Charania add.
9:59am: The Pistons and second-year guard Cade Cunningham have been trying to determine whether or not surgery will be required to address Cunningham’s injured left shin, according to veteran reporter Marc Stein (Twitter link).
Cunningham has missed Detroit’s last five games (all losses) due to what the team is referring to as “left shin soreness.” Based on Stein’s report, it sounds like it must be more than a simply a contusion if surgical treatment is under consideration.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft, Cunningham was averaging 19.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in his first 12 games (33.3 MPG), though his shooting numbers (.415/.279/.837) were a little below last season’s marks.
Cunningham was considered one of this year’s top breakout candidates, and the Pistons signaled their intent to push for a play-in spot when they acquired forward Bojan Bogdanovic from Utah in September. However, the club is off to a 3-14 start and currently ranks dead last in the NBA standings. As Stein notes, if Cunningham has to go under the knife, he’d be out for an extended period, making it even more challenging for the Pistons to be competitive this season.
It’s unclear if there’s a timeline for the franchise and its 21-year-old centerpiece to come to a decision on how his injury will be treated. For now, he remains unavailable, with no set timeline for his return.
Zach LaVine Frustrated By Late-Game Benching
Bulls star Zach LaVine was on the bench for the final three minutes and 43 seconds of the team’s 108-107 loss to Orlando on Friday and was “obviously frustrated” when he spoke to reporters after the game about the decision, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
LaVine had scored just four points on 1-of-14 shooting in his first 25 minutes and was a team-worst minus-19 on the night. When head coach Billy Donovan replaced him with Ayo Dosunmu, the Bulls were down 101-97. The team subsequently went on a 10-2 run before ultimately losing the game on a Jalen Suggs three-pointer with five seconds remaining.
“That’s Billy’s decision. He gotta lay with it,” LaVine said, per Johnson. “Do I agree with it? No. I think I can go out there and still be me even if I miss some shots. But that’s his decision. He has to stand on it.
“I’ve missed a lot of shots, man. But I’ve had a lot of games where I played terrible and in four to five minutes, I can get 15, 16 points. I just wasn’t able to shoot the next shot.”
In addition to his struggles on offense, LaVine looked “a step slow” on defense, according to Johnson. The two-time All-Star said he wasn’t sure whether he’d talk to Donovan to seek out an explanation for the decision, but the Bulls’ head coach offered one voluntarily during his own postgame media session.
“He had a tough night shooting and I thought that group really fought their way back into the game,” Donovan said, referring to the five-man unit of Dosunmu, DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, Alex Caruso, and Javonte Green. “I played DeMar the whole second half. He seemed like he was fine physically. I came back to Zach and it was one of those games for him. He just didn’t have a great game. Great players, it happens. He cares deeply about the team. He just wasn’t playing well.
“… I’m sure he’s really disappointed. He’s a really, really competitive guy. I love working with him every day. He’s about the team. I know how much he puts into it and how much it means to him,” Donovan continued, adding that he wasn’t worried about the move having any long-term ramifications.
“The ramifications of him not being out there, to me, I was trying to do what was best for our team in that moment. That’s my job and my responsibility. I thought that was the best decision at the time. To me, I don’t look at it as anything else other than a one-off game. I know he wanted to be out there. There probably aren’t very many games in his career that he hasn’t been out there in those minutes. But that group was playing well.”
LaVine is coming off an eventful summer in which he underwent left knee surgery and also signed a five-year, maximum-salary contract worth approximately $215MM. He has missed a few games already this season as the Bulls manage his recovery from that surgery and has yet to fully hit his stride — his 20.7 points per game and 41.5% shooting percentage are his lowest marks since he averaged 16.7 PPG on 38.3% shooting in an injury-shortened 2017/18 season, his first year in Chicago.
Although LaVine wasn’t thrilled by having to watch the deciding moments of a close loss – the Bulls’ fourth in a row – from the sidelines, he said on Friday night that he’ll try to move past it.
“Obviously, I have to do a better job at the beginning of the game. I gotta make my shots,” LaVine said. “But you play a guy like me down the stretch. That’s what I do. Do I like the decision? No. Do I gotta live with it? Yeah and be ready to put my shoes on and play the next game.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Montrezl Harrell Involved In Postgame Altercation
Having made just 4-of-15 free throw attempts in an eight-point loss in Philadelphia on Friday night, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo came back out onto the Wells Fargo Center court after the game, hoping to make 10 shots in a row from the foul line before calling it a night.
However, as detailed in reports from Tim Bontemps of ESPN, Joe Vardon of The Athletic, and Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, after Antetokounmpo had made seven consecutive free throws, Sixers big man Montrezl Harrell came and took the ball away on Giannis’ eighth attempt. Harrell and Sixers player development coach Jason Love refused to give the ball back to Antetokounmpo, who wanted to finish his shooting routine and reportedly told Harrell that there was room for both players to shoot.
“This isn’t f—ing Milwaukee,” Harrell shouted at Antetokounmpo, according to The Athletic. “Get that s–t out of there.”
Unable to get the ball back from Harrell and Love, Antetokounmpo left the court and returned with two new balls to continue shooting free throws. By that point, however, Sixers arena workers had positioned a large ladder in front of the basket Giannis had been using. When the staffers refused to move the ladder out of the way, Antetokounmpo tried to shove it aside and ended up knocking it over, as captured in a Twitter video.
Antetokounmpo ultimately did finish his foul shooting while Harrell worked out at the other end of the court and continued to shout at him. Once Giannis left the court for good, his brother Thanasis Antetokounmpo came out and spoke to Harrell, according to Vardon, who says Harrell told Thanasis, “I’ll beat your a–“ and “You better send that s–t back to the locker room.”
Harrell, believed to be upset that Giannis was preventing him from doing his own on-court postgame work on the 76ers’ home court, left without speaking to reporters. Giannis – described by both Vardon and Owczarski as “agitated” – discussed the incident at length.
“Obviously I had a very bad night from the free throw line,” Antetokounmpo said, per Owczarksi. “Now, I take pride in getting better every single day. After the game I decided to go try and make some free throws. My goal, every time I step on the line is to make 10 in a row and I was shooting free throws. I was at seven, I think. A player, I don’t want to mention names, and a coach, basically told me to leave the court, while behind me there was another space to do their routine.
“I respect every player. I know some players don’t play now, they want to get some extra work, want to work on their skills and stuff, and I said, obviously we can shoot together. They told me no, this is their court, I should leave. I was like, ‘I have three more free throws, I was at seven, I want to try to make 10 in a row.’ I shot my eighth one. Came and took the ball away from me and I was very surprised. I feel like it’s very unprofessional. I would never take the ball away from a professional athlete when he’s trying to do his job.”
Harrell did post a tweet late on Friday night, briefly explaining his side of the interaction: “Aye make sure you get the complete story I ask the man can he get off the court so I can workout they had to change the court over he ignore me so hey that’s what you get! Respect is respect! GOODNIGHT!”
As for the video that showed him pushing down the ladder that arena staffers had put in front of the basket, Giannis said he wasn’t trying to disrespect anyone.
“Did I meant to push the ladder all the way down? I totally did not. I think I pushed it and it got caught and fell,” Antetokounmpo said. “But people are going to make it look the way they want it to look. I know what happened.
“I don’t know if I should apologize because I don’t feel like I did anything wrong, except the ladder just fell. I feel like it’s my right for me to work on my skills after a horrible night from the free throw line. I think anybody in my position that had a night like me would go out and work on his free throws. And if they didn’t, they don’t really care about their game.”
It’s unclear at this point whether or not any of the players involved in the postgame incident will be fined by the NBA.
Hawks Talking John Collins Trades; Suns, Jazz Interested?
7:00pm: The Jazz have also shown recent interest in Collins, Charania said in an appearance on The Rally (Twitter video link).
3:06pm: John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 disputes Charania’s claim that the Suns are a potential suitor for Collins, tweeting that Phoenix doesn’t have interest in the veteran forward.
Gambadoro adds (via Twitter) that the Suns and Kings had a discussion about Barnes over the summer, but with Sacramento playing well and Mike Brown a fan of the veteran forward, the Kings don’t intend to move Barnes.
10:09am: Hawks big man John Collins, who has been the subject of trade rumors multiple times in recent years, is considered available once again this season, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic.
According to Charania, the Hawks have opened “preliminary” trade talks involving Collins, with the Suns among the teams showing interest in the 25-year-old. Sources tell The Athletic that a Collins trade doesn’t appear imminent, and Charania cites executives who believe it could take weeks or months for the Hawks to find a deal they like — if they move him at all.
Collins was considered a trade candidate during the year leading up to his restricted free agency in 2021, but signed a five-year, $125MM contract to remain in Atlanta. That deal did little to quiet the trade rumors surrounding him though — those rumors popped up again at the 2022 trade deadline and during this past offseason, prompting Hawks general manager Landry Fields to tell reporters on Media Day in September that Collins was “still here for a reason.”
In 15 games so far this season, Collins has struggled to produce consistently. His average of 12.6 points per game is his lowest since his rookie year, and his .493 FG% is a career-worst mark, as is his .227 3PT%. Still, given his track record, the power forward should bounce back and will be an intriguing trade target for any team looking to acquire an impact frontcourt player.
As Charania notes, the Hawks have been one of the primary suitors for Suns forward Jae Crowder and have been engaged with Phoenix in trade talks in recent weeks, so it’s plausible the two teams could come together for a bigger deal involving both Crowder and Collins.
In order to match Collins’ salary, Phoenix would have to include at least one more mid-level type contract besides Crowder’s expiring deal. Dario Saric ($9.24MM expiring contract) and Landry Shamet ($9.5MM in 2022/23, plus $21.25MM across two more guaranteed years) would be the top candidates.
However, the Suns may be averse to the idea of taking on Collins’ long-term contract, according to Charania. He’s owed $23.5MM in 2022/23 and nearly $52MM in the following two seasons, with a $26.6MM player option for ’25/26. With the Suns facing a possible ownership change, it’s unclear how comfortable they are adding more big long-term financial commitments to their books.
In addition to Collins, the Suns have expressed interests in forwards such as Harrison Barnes of the Kings, Kyle Kuzma of the Wizards, and Kenyon Martin Jr. of the Rockets, sources tell Charania. Phoenix has also reportedly engaged in Crowder-related trade talks with the Bucks, with one report suggesting Milwaukee is the frontrunner to land the veteran forward.
Sixers Gauging Interest In Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle
The Sixers have begun preliminary check-ins with rival teams to discuss who may or may not be available in trades, and Tobias Harris is among the players who have been discussed, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com provides more context on Charania’s minor rumor involving Harris, writing that there have been a lot more trade talks than normal prior to December 15, when most free agents signed in the offseason become trade-eligible, and “Harris’ name has been has been discussed quite a bit already.”
Neubeck also hears that Matisse Thybulle is drawing interest from opposing teams, and expects the fourth-year swingman to be a fixture in trade rumors leading up to the February deadline.
Harris’ name has popped up multiple times in the rumor mill over the past couple years, but as Neubeck notes, his salary — which pays him $37.6MM this season and $39.3MM in 2023/24, the final year of his contract — makes him difficult to move. Harris is a solid player, but just isn’t valued at what he currently makes, and replacing his production while likely not getting equal value in return doesn’t make much sense for a contending club like the Sixers, Neubeck adds.
Harris will miss Friday’s home game against Milwaukee with left hip soreness, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
As for Thybulle, he is one of the most unique players in the NBA because he’s an elite defender — he earned All-Defensive nods each of the past two seasons — but a major negative on offense. That makes his value difficult to gauge, because he was a liability in last season’s playoffs and has struggled mightily to start ’22/23, averaging just 1.5 points on .296/.188/.333 shooting (small sample size) in 13.1 minutes per night across 13 games.
Thybulle will be a restricted free agent next summer after failing to reach a rookie scale extension with Philadelphia. The former 20th overall pick will earn $4.4MM in the final season of his rookie contract.
Jimmy Butler Out At Least Three Games With Knee Soreness
After being ruled out of Friday’s game at Washington with knee soreness, Heat star Jimmy Butler is expected to return to Miami on Saturday and miss upcoming road games at Cleveland on Sunday and at Minnesota on Monday as well, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel reports (via Twitter).
The Heat are absolutely decimated by injuries at the moment. Victor Oladipo (knee tendinosis) and Omer Yurtseven (ankle surgery) have yet to play this season; Udonis Haslem is away from the team for personal reasons; Tyler Herro (ankle) and Dewayne Dedmon (non-COVID illness) are both out Friday; Gabe Vincent was initially not on the injury report but experienced swelling in his knee after today’s shootaround and has subsequently been ruled out; Duncan Robinson caught his hand in a jersey during shootaround and will miss his first career game due to injury; and finally, Bam Adebayo is out Friday after previously being listed as questionable (All Twitter links via Winderman).
That leaves just Kyle Lowry, Max Strus, Caleb Martin, Haywood Highsmith and Nikola Jovic available out of the 14-man standard roster, plus two-way rookies Jamal Cain and Orlando Robinson for a total of seven healthy players. According to Winderman (Twitter link), the Heat plan to list Vincent as active despite being ruled out to meet the minimum requirement of eight players in uniform.
On a positive note, there’s a chance Herro could return Sunday against the Cavs, Winderman tweets. Friday will market his sixth straight absence due to a left ankle sprain.
The Heat are currently 7-8, the No. 10 seed in the East.
Gary Payton II Still At Least Two Weeks Away From Blazers Debut
Trail Blazers guard Gary Payton II has been experiencing “intermittent soreness” during his rehab from core muscle surgery as he ramps up for a return to play, the team announced today in a press release.
According to the Blazers, Payton will continue his rehab work in anticipation of returning to full practice. He’ll be reevaluated in two weeks, meaning he won’t make his Portland debut until at least December.
The Blazers’ statement doesn’t use the term “setback,” and their wording doesn’t suggest that Payton has suffered a new injury or aggravated a core muscle issue.
Still, when the surgery was first announced in September, the team indicated the veteran guard was expected to be ready for the start of the season, and there was a sense at the start of the month that he could be ready to play as soon as November 15, so his rehab process is taking a little longer than anticipated.
The Blazers haven’t missed a beat with Payton unavailable. Their 10-5 record puts them atop the Western Conference, and their 109.9 defensive rating is the seventh-best mark in the NBA. Given Payton’s lock-down ability as a perimeter defender, that unit should only improve once he’s ready to play.
With Payton out until at least December, the Blazers will continue to lean heavily on Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons in the backcourt, with Josh Hart and rookie Shaedon Sharpe also playing regular roles.
Knicks Open To Discussing Immanuel Quickley, Derrick Rose
The Knicks have exhibited a willingness to discuss guards Immanuel Quickley and Derrick Rose in trade talks in the early part of the 2022/23 season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who says the team is considering ways to clear a logjam in its backcourt.
Ian Begley of SNY.tv reported last week that the Knicks had received some inquiries on Quickley, with teams around the NBA viewing New York’s crowded rotation as something the club will want to address sooner or later. Following up on The Athletic’s report today, Begley confirms that there have been some “cursory” trade conversations involving Rose as well (Twitter links).
Sources tell Begley that the Knicks have sought draft compensation as part of the return in some of their trade discussions involving the two guards.
Following Jalen Brunson‘s arrival, both Quickley and Rose are averaging fewer minutes per game than they did last season. Rose’s drop-off has been far more substantial — after averaging 25.8 minutes per game in his first 61 appearances with New York, he has logged just 13.5 MPG this season through 15 contests. Quickley is averaging 22.1 MPG, a slight dip from last season’s 23.1 MPG.
Besides having fewer minutes available for Quickley and Rose, the Knicks have also removed shooting guards Quentin Grimes and Evan Fournier from their rotation entirely within the last week.
Rose is on a de facto expiring contract, earning approximately $14.5MM this season with a $15.6MM team option for 2023/24. Quickley, meanwhile, is in the third season of his four-year rookie deal and has a modest cap hit of just $2.3MM. He’ll become extension-eligible in the 2023 offseason and will earn $4.2MM next season.
Kyrie Irving Expected To Return To Action Sunday
NOVEMBER 17: Irving is expected to suit up on Sunday against the Grizzlies, sources inform Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Charania’s sources add that both Irving and the Nets feel he has done positive work throughout his suspension to learn and grow, including having met with several community leaders. One source added that the seven-time All-Star went “above and beyond” the Nets’ guidance for what was required in his return.
NOVEMBER 16: Nets guard Kyrie Irving, who is currently serving a suspension without pay for promoting an antisemitic film on Twitter and failing to apologize or condemn the material multiple times afterward, could rejoin the team as soon as Sunday’s game versus Memphis, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Thursday’s contest at Portland will mark Irving’s eighth straight missed game, but the end of his suspension appears to be imminent, per Wojnarowski.
“Kyrie is continuing his journey of dialogue and education,” NBPA executive director Tamika Tremaglio told ESPN on Wednesday night. “He has been grappling with the full weight of the impact of his voice and actions, particularly in the Jewish community. Kyrie rejects antisemitism in any form, and he’s dedicated to bettering himself and increasing his level of understanding. He plans to continue this journey well into the future to ensure that his words and actions align with his pursuit of truth and knowledge.”
According to Wojnarowski, Tremaglio and the players’ union worked in tandem with Irving, the Nets, and the NBA to help the seven-time All-Star through the suspension process. While the Nets initially gave Irving a list of six requirements in order for the suspension to be lifted, the situation “evolved into Irving himself taking ownership of the process, which is what the Nets and league hoped would be the case,” Wojnarowski writes.
Irving, who eventually apologized via Instagram after being suspended, had constructive meetings with NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Nets owners Joe and Clara Wu Tsai last week. Both Silver and the Tsais said they didn’t believe Irving to be antisemitic, but Silver said that was “not relevant to the damage caused by the posting of hateful content.”
The Nets have dropped back-to-back games, including Tuesday’s blowout loss at Sacramento in which they gave up a season-high 153 points, and currently sit with a 6-9 record in 2022/23. Still, they’ve played decently overall without Irving, going 4-3 in his absence.
Irving is in the final year of contract, so he’ll be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Through eight games (38.6 minutes per night), he holds averages of 26.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks on .453/.280/.927 shooting.
Psychologist Settles Lawsuit With Spurs, Primo
Dr. Hillary Cauthen, a former consulting psychologist for the Spurs, has settled her lawsuit against the team and Joshua Primo, according to TMZ Sports.
Cauthen’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, confirmed TMZ’s report to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News.
“The parties have agreed to resolve this matter,” Buzbee said in a text to the Express-News.
The Spurs unexpectedly waived Primo a few weeks ago, and word broke shortly thereafter that he had been accused of exposing himself to multiple women, including a former Spurs employee.
That employee, Cauthen, became the first accuser to go public, alleging that Primo exposed himself to her on nine separate occasions and that the Spurs did nothing about it after she informed team management. The lawsuit stated the earliest incident occurred during a counseling session with Primo in December 2021.
Primo remains a free agent after going unclaimed on waivers.
While CEO RC Buford and longtime head coach Gregg Popovich initially defended the Spurs in the wake of the lawsuit, Buford released a statement on Thursday after the news of the settlement broke saying the team plans to work with Cauthen to improve the organization going forward (Twitter link via Orsborn):
“The situation regarding Joshua Primo is a matter we take seriously. Since learning of the allegations, we have taken, and are taking, measures to ensure that all parties involved are treated with dignity and respect. We know we owe that to Dr. Cauthen, our players, our staff and our community.
“As an organization, we are continuously evaluating and refining our processes so they ultimately reflect the values and culture of who we aspire to be every day. To that end, we have decided to collaborate with Dr. Cauthen and other experts to review and improve our workplace processes and procedures.
“This is a learning opportunity for us, and one that we are certain will make us better moving forward.”