Cade Cunningham Out At Least Four Games With Left Shin Issue
Cade Cunningham will miss the next four games due to soreness in his left shin, the Pistons announced in a press release. Cunningham’s condition will be reevaluated in a week.
The second-year guard won’t play in tonight’s game against Boston, Monday’s contest against Toronto, or the first two games of Detroit’s upcoming road trip against the Clippers and Lakers. If the pain subsides, he could be activated for a November 20 game at Sacramento.
The pain in his shin also forced Cunningham to sit out Friday’s loss to the Knicks as the Pistons fell to 3-10, putting them in a tie for the worst record in the Eastern Conference.
Cory Joseph took Cunningham’s place in the starting lineup against New York, but he got into early foul trouble and played just six total minutes. Killian Hayes and Alec Burks may also see more playing time while Cunningham is sidelined.
Coach Dwane Casey said Cunningham started experiencing the soreness in training camp, tweets James L. Edwards III of The Athletic.
“The medical team is working with it and treating it,” Casey said. “They felt those days off would take away the pain, soreness.”
After finishing third in the Rookie of the Year voting last season, Cunningham’s numbers have improved across the board. Through 12 games, he is averaging 19.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists per night.
LaMelo Ball May Make Season Debut On Saturday
Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball, who has been sidelined for the entire regular season so far due to a left ankle sprain, is being upgraded to questionable for Saturday’s game in Miami, league sources tell Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). The Hornets have since confirmed Ball’s new designation (Twitter link).
While that doesn’t mean Ball is a lock to play tonight, Boone says there’s a possibility the point guard will be able to make his season debut vs. the Heat. If Ball is ultimately ruled out for Saturday’s game, his next opportunity to make his return would come on Monday in Orlando.
A first-time All-Star in 2021/22, Ball averaged 20.1 points, 7.6 assists, and 6.7 rebounds per game in 75 starts (32.3 MPG) for the Hornets, with a shooting line of .429/.389/.872. He sustained his ankle injury during a preseason game on October 10 and was diagnosed with a Grade 2 sprain the following day.
In Ball’s absence, Terry Rozier has taken on more ball-handling responsibilities and Dennis Smith Jr. has become a key part of Charlotte’s rotation. Smith, who came to training camp on a non-guaranteed deal, was expected to provide some depth behind Ball at the point, but has instead started 11 of 13 games and averaged nearly 30 minutes per night, putting up 10.2 PPG, 6.2 APG, and 3.6 RPG.
The Hornets have lost their last seven games and are now 3-10 on the season, so getting Ball back in the lineup will be crucial if they want to turn things around and vie for a playoff or play-in spot.
Magic’s Markelle Fultz Hopes To Return In 3-4 Weeks
Former No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz has yet to play in the 2022/23 season after fracturing his left big toe just before training camp started in late September. The Magic guard still has some hurdles to clear before returning to action, but he’s pain-free and hopes to return to action in the next three-to-four weeks, reports Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel (subscriber link).
Fultz says feels “ready to play” right now, but his last scan revealed that his toe wasn’t fully healed, according to Price.
“I haven’t felt anything for a minute so it’s kind of weird because I didn’t feel anything before my last scan and then it came back it healed some but not to their liking,” Fultz said. “So hopefully this next scan is fully healed and I’m able to get the green light to get a few practices under my belt and go out there and play.”
Fultz has been doing light on-court work after being cleared to stop using his walking boot last week.
“I just don’t do a lot of contact play,” Fultz said, per Price. “I’m doing a little contact in my drills but not full. That’s pretty much it. I can pretty much do everything except I’m not doing 1-on-1 or 4-on-4 or stuff like that yet.
“I still [am] cutting, dribbling, shooting, jumping — I just haven’t done it against another player, full-on bumping and stuff like that.”
As Price notes, injuries have been a major factor in Fultz’s career, limiting him to just 131 games over five-plus seasons, including 18 in ’21/22 after recovering from a torn ACL. He averaged 10.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.1 steals in 20.0 minutes last season. His lengthy injury history has given him some perspective on not rushing the recovery process.
“Of course, I want to play but I don’t want to go out there, break it and then have to get surgery and sit out longer than now,” Fultz said. “My biggest thing now is being smart about and healing all the way so I can play a full season without any more hiccups. And not have any lingering pain.”
Cody Martin Out Approximately Six Weeks Following Knee Procedure
4:13pm: The Hornets confirmed in a press release that Martin underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a “cartilage issue.” He will be reevaluated in four weeks.
1:41pm: Hornets forward Cody Martin has undergone an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee and is expected to be sidelined for approximately the next six weeks, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Martin had been on the shelf since the team’s regular season opener, having played just a single minute in that game. Although his injury was being referred to as left quad soreness, Martin missed all but one preseason game while recovering from left knee tendinopathy and head coach Steve Clifford mentioned that knee after the veteran went down in the opener.
It’s a disappointing turn of events for Martin, who enjoyed a mini-breakout season in 2021/22 as a key reserve in Charlotte, averaging 7.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 2.5 APG on .482/.384/.701 shooting in 71 games (26.3 MPG). His contributions earned him a four-year, $31MM+ commitment from the Hornets when he became a restricted free agent this past summer.
The Hornets have been hit hard by the injury bug so far this fall. Starting point guard LaMelo Ball hasn’t seen the floor since the season began due to an ankle sprain, while Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward have also missed time due to injuries.
Rozier is back in the lineup now and there’s hope that Ball and Hayward won’t be out much longer, but it appears the team will have to get by without Martin until sometime around Christmas. As long as he’s unavailable, the Hornets figure to lean heavily on starting forwards P.J. Washington and Kelly Oubre, with Jalen McDaniels also seeing significant minutes off the bench.
Daniel Theis Out Indefinitely Following Right Knee Surgery
Veteran Pacers reserve center Daniel Theis will be sidelined for the indefinite future, the team has announced in a press release.
Theis, who was dealing with recurring right knee soreness, underwent surgery to address the issue. The Pacers noted in their statement that Theis’ status “will be updated as appropriate.”
This is not a major loss in terms of on-court contributions, as Theis has yet to play in a single game for Indiana this season. The 30-year-old has spent the majority of his career with the Celtics, outside of half-year stints with the Bulls and Rockets.
The 6’8″ big man inked a four-year deal worth up to $36MM with Houston in a 2021 sign-and-trade, but was subsequently flipped back to the Celtics midway through the season. In total, he appeared in 47 contests, averaging 8.2 PPG on 51.9% field goal shooting, plus 4.9 RPG, 0.9 APG and 0.7 BPG, across just 20.8 MPG.
Theis’ $8.7MM cap hit meant he was a logical piece to be included for salary matching purposes in Boston’s offseason acquisition of former Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon.
LeBron James Day-To-Day With Left Adductor Strain
3:58pm: An MRI revealed that James has a left adductor strain, Ham told reporters (Twitter links via McMenamin). He’s officially listed as doubtful for Friday’s contest against Sacramento and is considered day-to-day.
7:41am: Lakers star LeBron James left Wednesday’s loss to the Clippers in the fourth quarter and didn’t return due to what the team referred to as left leg soreness. As Dave McMenamin of ESPN reports, James said after the game that it was a groin issue, explaining that he felt a “little spasm or strain in my groin” while posting up Clippers forward Paul George.
According to McMenamin, James is expected to undergo additional testing and medical imaging on Thursday to determine the severity of the injury. The veteran forward had already been battling left foot soreness, having initially been listed as questionable to play on Wednesday.
James previously suffered a tear in his left groin on Christmas Day in 2018 and missed 17 games as a result of the injury. Asked to compare that injury to this one, the 37-year-old said it’s “not as bad” this time around, per McMenamin. He didn’t even rule out the possibility of returning to action on Friday when the Lakers host Sacramento.
“I’ll go around (the clock) treatment for 24 hours, and if it’s OK on Friday, I’ll be in the lineup,” James said.
With Wednesday’s loss, the Lakers dropped to 2-9 to open the season, so it seems like things couldn’t get much worse if LeBron does have to miss time. However, as Jovan Buha of The Athletic observes, the team has been 3.1 points per 100 possessions better with James on the court so far this season. He had scored 30 points in 32 minutes before exiting Wednesday’s game.
“I mean it’s just a lot of adversity,” Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said after the loss, according to McMenamin. “(James) has been trying his heart out just to be there for us and play at a high level. I thought he had it going really, really well tonight. But it just is something that it’s the NBA season, man. You got to be ready for a little bit of everything. We’ll see once he gets evaluated, and we’ll be ready to move forward.”
Precious Achiuwa Out Indefinitely With Ankle Injury
Raptors big man Precious Achiuwa has suffered partial ligament tears in his right ankle, the team announced today in a press release. According to Toronto, Achiuwa will wear a walking boot for the next 10 days and has been ruled out indefinitely.
The 23-year-old underwent an MRI last night after Toronto’s win over Houston which confirmed the injury, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link).
The 20th overall pick of the 2020 draft, Achiuwa has averaged 8.8 points and a career-high 7.0 rebounds in 12 games (20.4 minutes) for the 7-5 Raptors this season, though his three-point percentage has cratered in the early going — he shot a very solid 35.9% from deep in 2021/22 and is at 17.9% thus far.
The Raptors picked up their ’23/24 team option on the fourth year of his rookie contract last month, so he will be eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer.
Achiuwa is an important bench cog for a Toronto team that is already shorthanded in the frontcourt, with All-NBA forward Pascal Siakam (adductor strain) and center Khem Birch (right knee) currently sidelined. As Lewenberg notes (via Twitter), rookie center Christian Koloko, big man Chris Boucher, and veteran forwards Thaddeus Young and Otto Porter are likely to receive an uptick in playing time with Achiuwa out.
It’s unclear how long Achiuwa will be out of action, since indefinitely is a vague timeline (the Raptors might not know), but it sounds like he could be out for at least several weeks given the nature of his injury.
Nets Will Retain Jacque Vaughn As Head Coach
11:53am: Vaughn’s promotion to permanent head coach comes with a deal through the 2023/24 season, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
11:15am: The Nets have named Jacque Vaughn as their head coach, the team announced today in an official press release. Vaughn had been the team’s acting head coach since Steve Nash‘s exit from the franchise, so today’s announcement essentially removes the interim tag from his title.
“Jacque’s basketball acumen, competitiveness and intimate knowledge of our team and organization make him the clear-cut best person to lead our group moving forward,” general manager Sean Marks said in a statement. “He has a proven ability to get the best out of our players, hold them accountable and play a cohesive, team-first style of basketball.”
The news is particularly notable because it signals that Brooklyn isn’t moving forward with its rumored plan to hire Ime Udoka away from the Celtics. Udoka, who is serving a one-year suspension in Boston for sending crude messages and engaging in a relationship with a female subordinate, emerged as the frontrunner to replace Nash last week.
However, the Nets were said to still be going through the vetting process on Udoka and reportedly received push-back from some “strong voices,” including from some of the female staffers within the organization.
It’s unclear if Udoka could still reemerge a candidate for Brooklyn at some point down the road or if the vetting process removed him from the team’s radar entirely — either way, it sounds as if Vaughn will coach the Nets for at least the rest of the 2022/23 season, and potentially beyond that.
A former NBA guard, Vaughn transitioned into coaching following his retirement as a player, initially serving as an assistant on Gregg Popovich‘s staff in San Antonio. He was hired as the Magic’s head coach in 2012, but posted a dismal 58-158 (.269) record during two-and-a-half seasons in that role.
Vaughn was an assistant for the Nets from 2016-22, briefly serving as the team’s interim coach after Kenny Atkinson was let go in 2020. He guided the Nets to a 7-3 record at that time and has led the club to a 2-2 mark since replacing Nash last week.
Naming Vaughn the full-time head coach should smooth out one area of instability in Brooklyn, but there are other issues to resolve. Vaughn will be tasked with trying to help turn things around for Ben Simmons, who has looked like a shadow of his former self since returning from a season-long absence, and the Nets will still have to determine whether to reinstate Kyrie Irving following his suspension.
Jake Layman Signs With Spanish Team
Free agent forward Jake Layman is headed to Europe to resume his playing career, with Spanish club Basquet Manresa announcing in a press release that it has signed Layman to a one-year deal. Jordi Valle Simó first reported (via Twitter) that Layman had reached an agreement with Basquet Manresa.
A Massachusetts native, Layman was in camp with the Celtics this fall competing for a spot on the regular season roster, but was beaten out by Noah Vonleh and Justin Jackson. Boston cut him at the end of the preseason and he went unclaimed on waivers.
A second-round pick in 2016, Layman has appeared in 243 regular season games across six NBA seasons in Portland and Minnesota. In total, the former Maryland forward has averaged 4.8 PPG and 1.7 RPG on .460/.300/.719 shooting in 12.8 minutes per contest over the course of his NBA career.
Layman, who reportedly drew some interest from Greek team Panathinaikos as well, will play overseas for the first time in his professional career. His new team competes in Liga ACB (Spain’s top league) as well as FIBA’s Basketball Champions League.
Basquet Manresa is at the bottom of the Liga ACB standings early in the 2022/23 season, having gotten off to a 1-6 start with a league-worst minus-96 point differential, so Layman will be looking to help turn things around.
Zach Collins Has Non-Displaced Leg Fracture
An MRI on Zach Collins‘ lower left leg has revealed a non-displaced fracture of his fibula, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express News tweets.
The Spurs center is expected to be sidelined up to a month, according to McDonald.
Collins logged 21 minutes on Friday against the Clippers when the injury occurred, and hasn’t played in San Antonio’s last two games. He has appeared in nine games off the bench this season, averaging 8.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 blocks.
The Spurs guaranteed his $7.35MM salary for this season in June. He has a non-guaranteed $7.7MM salary next season, the third and final year of his contract.
Collins’ career, which began with Portland in 2017 as a lottery pick, has been marred by foot injuries. He was limited to just 39 games the last three seasons, though 28 of those came for the Spurs in the second half of ’21/22.