Lonzo Ball To Stop Running For 10 Days
The news regarding Lonzo Ball‘s potential return from left knee surgery this season is increasingly gloomy. Ball will not run for the next 10 days. Instead, he’ll focus on strengthening the knee, Bulls coach Billy Donovan told K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link) and other media members on Monday.
Ball has been sidelined since January 14. He was expected to return in six-to-eight weeks after undergoing a procedure to repair torn meniscus in his left knee. It’s a near certainty now he won’t be back in the regular season and his postseason status is also in jeopardy due to the slow recovery.
Asked about Ball’s ability to return this season, Donovan said, “I think we’ll have a better feel of that once they get through this next 10 days,” according to NBC Sports Chicago’s Rob Schaefer (Twitter link).
Donovan indicated last week that Ball’s recovery wasn’t going smoothly.
“He has not been able to do anything full speed. And anytime we get him close to that, there’s discomfort,” the coach said.
Prior to the injury, Ball averaged 13.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 5.1 APG as the Bulls got off to a hot start. Ball received a four-year, $85MM contract in a sign-and-trade between Chicago and New Orleans in August.
Without him, the Bulls will continue to rely on rookie Ayo Dosunmu, Coby White and Alex Caruso at the point.
Damian Lillard Out For Rest Of Season
2:51pm: The Trail Blazers have confirmed that Lillard’s season is over, announcing the news in a press release.
“(Lillard) has met several key performance benchmarks to date and will continue end-stage rehab over the next few weeks,” the team said in a statement.
8:57am: Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard will miss the remainder of the season as he continues to recover from abdominal surgery, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Sources tell Charania that Lillard is “making tremendous progress” and looks good in workouts, but Portland has decided to have him sit out the remaining 12 games on the team’s regular season schedule.
The news comes as no surprise. If the Blazers were in the playoff picture, it might be a different story, but the club pivoted to retooling mode when it traded CJ McCollum, Norman Powell, and Robert Covington away prior to last month’s deadline and is prioritizing lottery positioning rather than pushing for a play-in spot.
The club hasn’t issued a recent update on Jusuf Nurkic, who is sidelined due to plantar fasciitis, but it won’t be a shock if he is also ruled out for the rest of 2021/22.
The Blazers, who will continue to take an extended look at some of their young players down the stretch, are currently 26-44 and have lost 10 of 11 games since shutting down Nurkic at the All-Star break. As our reverse standings show, they’d be seventh in the draft lottery standings if the season ended today.
Blazers Expected To Pursue Jerami Grant In Offseason
The Trail Blazers are expected to seriously pursue Pistons forward Jerami Grant during the 2022 offseason, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Even after moving CJ McCollum, Norman Powell, and Robert Covington prior to last month’s trade deadline, Portland continued to be linked to Grant in the days and hours leading up to the deadline. Reports at the time indicated that, while they may have been throwing in the towel on this season, the Blazers weren’t necessarily prepared to embark on a lengthy rebuild and hoped to add pieces capable of helping them return to the playoffs in 2022/23.
Grant, who is under contract through next season before becoming eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2023, would be one such piece. The 28-year-old forward is a talented, versatile defender who has expanded his offensive game during his two seasons in Detroit, averaging 21.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 2.6 APG on .427/.352/.842 shooting in 99 total games as a Piston.
Grant will also become eligible for an extension this offseason, and reports prior to the trade deadline suggested he’d want a new team to be willing to offer a new contract, which could be worth up to about $112MM over four years.
Grant will earn a $20,955,000 salary next season. Portland created a $20,864,198 trade exception in the McCollum deal which would theoretically allow them to acquire Grant without sending back any salary, since trade exceptions include $100K in extra wiggle room.
Also as a result of the McCollum trade, the Blazers will receive the Pelicans’ 2022 first-round pick if it falls between No. 5 and No. 14. They’d consider putting that pick into an offer for Grant, Charania reports.
Without the Pelicans’ first-round pick, Portland’s package likely wouldn’t be as strong as what other Grant suitors could offer, according to Charania, whose wording hints that the Blazers may not want to make their own first-rounder available if it’s the only one they have (there would also be complications related to the Stepien rule in that scenario, though the club could work around those issues if necessary).
Cavs Re-Sign Moses Brown; Dean Wade To Miss Several Weeks
The Cavaliers have brought back big man Moses Brown on a second 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. Brown’s first 10-day deal expired on Saturday night.
Brown, initially signed earlier this month to provide some frontcourt depth with Jarrett Allen sidelined due to a finger injury, appeared in four games during his first 10 days with Cleveland. He averaged 2.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in 6.3 minutes per contest.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Allen – who is taking a non-surgical approach as he recovers from his broken finger – is hopeful of getting back into the lineup within the next three weeks. However, it doesn’t sound like his return is imminent.
Additionally, Charania reports that forward Dean Wade has sustained a partial meniscus tear in his right knee and will be out for several weeks, creating another hole in the Cavaliers’ frontcourt. Wade had been a regular part of Cleveland’s rotation this season, averaging 19.2 MPG in 51 appearances. The hope is that he’ll be able to make it back by the end of the regular season or the start of the postseason, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
The Cavs will play five games in the next 10 days, starting with a matchup vs. the Lakers on Monday night. Their games on Thursday in Toronto and on Saturday vs. Chicago will be crucial in the race for a top-six seed in the East.
Zion Williamson Not Expected To Play This Season
Pelicans forward Zion Williamson is not expected to return from his right foot injury before the end of the 2021/22 season, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Williamson, who underwent surgery on his foot during the 2021 offseason, has gone through a stop-and-start recovery process that included multiple setbacks. He hasn’t played in an NBA game since May 4, 2021.
According to Charania, the former No. 1 overall pick is able to bear weight on his foot and is making progress toward on-court work. However, with just 11 games left on the Pelicans’ regular season schedule, it’s an “improbably tight window” for Williamson to go through all the necessary remaining stages of his rehab, starting with one-on-zero work, Charania observes.
It’s possible the odds of a Williamson return would increase if the Pelicans were able to make a deep postseason run. But as things stand, New Orleans will have to win two play-in games to even earn a spot in the playoffs — and in that scenario, the club would be a massive first-round underdog against the No. 1 Suns.
Assuming Williamson doesn’t play this spring, he and the Pelicans will enter a hugely important summer with a ton of questions that remain unanswered. Williamson, whose commitment to New Orleans has been questioned since he entered the NBA in 2019, will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason.
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The Pelicans will need to decide whether they’re comfortable putting a maximum-salary offer – or something very close to it – on the table for an extremely talented player who has had trouble staying healthy since entering the NBA and may prefer to play elsewhere. Williamson will have to decide whether he wants to try to work out a new deal with New Orleans, take his chances in a contract year in 2022/23, or perhaps even push to be traded.
Chris Paul Nearing Return For Suns
When word first broke on February 20 that Suns point guard Chris Paul had fractured his right thumb, the timeline provided for his potential return was six-to-eight weeks. The six-week mark from that date would be April 3, but Paul appears likely to be back even sooner than that, reports Sam Amick of The Athletic.
According to Amick, some sources close to the situation wouldn’t even rule out the possibility that Paul could play as soon as this Wednesday in Minnesota. Amick cautions that the exact timing for Paul’s return will be determined in the coming days.
The Suns guard has recently ramped up his activity and was seen taking part in a “rigorous” workout prior to Sunday’s game vs. Sacramento, according to Amick, who suggests that getting Paul’s conditioning back up to speed and deciding on a reintegration plan appear to be the last steps in his comeback process.
Of course, while a Wednesday return is apparently still in play, the Suns should be in no rush to get the 36-year-old back on the court. The team is 10-4 since Paul went down and holds a nine-game lead on the No. 2 Grizzlies in the Western Conference standings with just 10 games left to play.
In other words, Phoenix won’t need any help from CP3 to officially secure the West’s No. 1 seed. His return will be more about getting him enough regular season reps to ensure he’s ready to roll when the playoffs begin next month.
After visiting the Timberwolves on Wednesday, the Suns will play in Denver on Thursday and will host the Sixers on Sunday before traveling to Golden State to face the Warriors next Wednesday.
Jamal Crawford Announces Retirement
Veteran guard Jamal Crawford published a tweet early on Monday morning announcing his retirement as a professional basketball player.
“‘Goodbye to the game, all the spoils the adrenaline rush,'” Crawford wrote, quoting a Jay-Z song. “Thank you basketball, I owe you everything …..✌🏾”
While Crawford’s tweet doesn’t explicitly state that he’s retiring, it seems pretty safe to assume that’s his intent.
The longtime NBA guard turned 42 years old on Sunday and hasn’t played in the league since he appeared in a single game for the Nets during the 2020 bubble at Walt Disney World.
Selected out of Michigan with the eighth overall pick in the 2000 NBA draft, Crawford played in 1,327 regular season games and another 74 playoff contests across 20 seasons for the Bulls, Knicks, Warriors, Hawks, Trail Blazers, Clippers, Timberwolves, Suns, and Nets.
Crawford averaged 14.6 PPG and 3.4 APG on .410/.348/.862 shooting in 29.4 minutes per game over the course of his career.
In his final non-bubble game, playing for the Suns in Dallas on the last day of the 2018/19 season, Crawford went off for 51 points. It was the most points he had scored in a game since 2007 and the second-highest mark of his career.
The Seattle native was a three-time Sixth Man of the Year, earning the honor in 2010, 2014, and 2016. He also won the league’s Teammate of the Year award in 2018.
Patrick Williams Cleared To Play Monday
Bulls forward Patrick Williams will return Monday after missing most of the season with torn ligaments in his left wrist, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Williams, who underwent surgery in late October, may play in both ends of a back-to-back against the Raptors and Bucks, adds K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link). The Bulls are eager to get playing time for Williams over the final three weeks of the regular season.
He was cleared for full contact earlier this week and has been practicing with the team’s Windy City G League affiliate. There were originally plans for him to play in today’s G League game, according to Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link), but the Bulls opted to recall him instead and use him on Monday.
Williams hasn’t played since he suffered the injury in an October 28 game when he was hit by Knicks center Mitchell Robinson on a drive to the basket. There were originally fears that Williams might be sidelined for the entire season, but he was able to return in less than five months.
The No. 4 pick in the 2020 draft, Williams became an instant starter in Chicago, providing a steady defensive presence at power forward. Javonte Green and Derrick Jones Jr. have played well in his absence, and coach Billy Donovan indicated recently that he won’t rush Williams back into the starting lineup.
James Wiseman Suffers Another Setback
Warriors center James Wiseman has suffered another setback in his return from a right knee injury, Marcus Thompson II and Anthony Slater of The Athletic report.
Wiseman is experiencing swelling in his knee and won’t play for the team’s G League affiliate on Sunday. He has been “temporarily shut down.”
Thompson and Slater caution that Golden State hasn’t determined Wiseman’s status for the rest of the season, but time is running out in the campaign. The Warriors are 47-23 and have just 12 games left before the playoffs begin.
Wiseman underwent surgery for a torn meniscus last April. He had a second procedure in December after dealing with some swelling, then returned to play in the G League last week. He logged 62 minutes across three games.
Wiseman was selected No. 2 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. He has yet to play in a game this season and appeared in 39 contests last year, averaging 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per outing.
Richaun Holmes Done For Season Due To Personal Reasons
Kings big man Richaun Holmes will miss the remainder of the season due to personal reasons, the team announced (Twitter link via James Ham of ESPN 1320).
“Richaun is a core member of our team, who is very important to our success,” general manager Monte McNair said. “We fully support Rich and look forward to seeing him back on the court for the 2022-23 NBA season.”
“I would like to thank everyone for their support during these difficult times,” Holmes said. “I love this team, I love my teammates and I look forward to returning next year.”
Holmes, 28, is in his third season with Sacramento. He has developed into a quality starting center with the Kings after spending the majority of his first four seasons coming off the bench for the Sixers and Suns, respectively.
Through 45 games this season, including 37 starts, Holmes is averaging 10.4 points and 7.0 rebounds on 66% shooting from the field and 77.8% from the charity stripe. His minutes have decreased drastically since the Kings dealt for Domantas Sabonis last month — Holmes is averaging just 15.3 minutes, 3.9 points and 2.9 rebounds per game in a reserve role since the trade.
After a breakout season in 2020/21 when he posted averages of 14.2 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.7 APG, and 1.6 BPG, Holmes re-signed with the Kings on a four-year, $46.5MM deal as a free agent last August. The fourth year is a player option.
The timing of the announcement is interesting, as ESPN’s Zach Lowe just wrote this morning (Insider link) that Holmes “might be the good player on a long-term contract most likely to be traded this summer.” While this isn’t exactly surprising, considering Holmes is too good of a player for the limited role he’s had since the Sabonis trade, it’s still noteworthy.