Nets Fined $50K For Allowing Kyrie Irving In Locker Room
The NBA has fined the Nets $50K for allowing Kyrie Irving to enter the locker room during the team’s victory against the Knicks on Sunday, NBA Communications tweets.
Irving was in attendance at Barclays Center, which was not a violation. However, his presence as an unvaccinated player in the team’s locker room violated New York City laws.
Irving was not wearing a mask at the game. Afterward, Kevin Durant urged the city’s new mayor, Eric Adams, to change the law and allow Irving to play home games.
“Eric, you got to figure something out, man, because it’s looking crazy,” Durant said. “Especially on national TV, and he can come to the game, but not play, come on, man.”
Durant backtracked on his comments in a statement released by the team Monday afternoon, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets.
“I do appreciate the task the Mayor has in front of him with all the city has been through,” the statement read in part. “My frustration with the situation doesn’t change the fact that I will always be committed to helping the communities and cities I live in, and play in.”
Unless the rule is changed, Irving will only be allowed to play in four more regular-season games. The Nets have only five road games remaining, one of which will be at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks.
Blazers Officially Complete 10-Day Hardship Deals For Eubanks, Dunn
The Trail Blazers have officially signed big man Drew Eubanks and guard Kris Dunn to 10-day contracts, the team announced today in a press release. Both deals, which were previously reported, were completed using hardship exceptions.
It’s Eubanks’ third 10-day deal with the Blazers. He has started seven games at center for the team, averaging 9.6 PPG and 8.1 RPG in 26.0 minutes per contest.
Dunn is a new addition, having been called up from the G League’s Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario. The former No. 5 overall pick spent last season with the Hawks, but was limited to four games due to an ankle injury. He was traded from Atlanta to Memphis in the offseason and was subsequently waived.
Most of this year’s 10-day hardship contracts have been completed using the COVID-related hardship exception, but Eubanks and Dunn were signed using injury-related hardship exceptions. A team qualifies for an injury-related hardship exception if it has at least four players who have missed three or more consecutive games, as long as those players project to remain sidelined for at least the next couple weeks.
Portland has at least six such players – Damian Lillard, Nassir Little, Jusuf Nurkic, Didi Louzada, Joe Ingles, and Eric Bledsoe – and possibly as many as eight, if Anfernee Simons and Justise Winslow aren’t expected to return soon. That’s why the club is eligible for multiple hardship exceptions.
The new deals for Eubanks and Dunn will run through March 23, covering the Blazers’ next six games. Eubanks’ 10-day contract will pay him $99,380, while Dunn earns $111,457.
Portland’s roster count now temporarily stands at 19 players — 15 on standard contracts, two on 10-day hardship deals, and a pair on two-way pacts.
DeAndre’ Bembry Out For Season With Knee Injury
8:44pm: Milwaukee has confirmed (via Twitter) that Bembry will miss the rest of the season due to a torn right ACL and MCL. An injury that significant will likely keep him sidelined for a significant chunk of the 2022/23 season as well.
12:30pm: Bucks wing DeAndre’ Bembry may be finished for the 2021/22 season after sustaining a right knee injury during Milwaukee’s 122-109 loss to the Warriors last night, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Wojnarowski’s sources expressed concern about the severity of the injury. Woj tweets that Bembry will undergo MRI imaging on his knee today, and it’s expected to confirm that the injury is significant.
The Nets waived Bembry last month to open a roster spot in the deal that netted Brooklyn Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two future first-round draft picks. Bembry subsequently inked a rest-of-season deal with the Bucks.
In eight games with Milwaukee, Bembry is averaging 9.6 MPG, but has not been much of a scorer. The 6’5″ vet is averaging more rebounds (1.4 RPG) than points (0.8 PPG) for the reigning champs, providing energy and defensive versatility off the bench.
The 27-year-old was selected with the No. 21 pick out of Saint Joseph’s by the Hawks in the 2016 NBA draft. He played with Atlanta for four years before spending the 2020/21 season with the Raptors. He holds career averages of 5.9 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 1.8 SPG and 1.0 SPG across 296 contests.
Brook Lopez To Return On Monday
Bucks center Brook Lopez will return to action on Monday after missing more than four months due to a back injury, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Lopez, who underwent back surgery on December 2, last played on opening night. He’ll make his return as Milwaukee gears up to defend its first title since 1971.
The Bucks have 14 games left on their schedule and have gone 42-26 despite missing Lopez, good for the second-best record in the East. Lopez played an integral part of the team’s run last season, averaging 12.3 points, five rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 70 starts.
Lopez’s return also fortifies the club’s bench. Assuming he reclaims his starting role, big man Bobby Portis will likely play off the bench, allowing Milwaukee to have a 15.5 PPG scorer for insurance.
As Wojnarowski notes, the Bucks have fallen outside of the league’s top 10 teams in defensive efficiency. Lopez’s absence is a major reason for this, as Milwaukee is known to play a drop coverage and utilize his rim-protecting skills.
The Bucks visit the Jazz on Monday, the Kings on Wednesday and the Timberwolves on Saturday. After that, the team returns to Milwaukee for a two-game homestand.
Lakers Encouraged By Anthony Davis’ Progress
The Lakers still hope to have Anthony Davis back before the playoffs begin, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said Saturday on “NBA Countdown” (hat tip to RealGM).
Davis hasn’t played since injuring his right foot in a February 16 game, but he’s reportedly progressing through rehab and has a chance to return before the regular season wraps up in four weeks.
“His walking boot is off, and I’m told this week the next step for him is he’ll get on the court and start to do some stationary shooting,” Wojnarowski said. “And they still, with 16 games left for the Lakers and the toughest schedule left in the league, the expectation is that they can still hang onto the play-in and get in the postseason and they can have Anthony Davis back.”
It’s been another injury-plagued season for Davis, who has played in just 37 games after appearing in 36 last year. He’s averaging 23.1 points and 9.7 rebounds per night, and the Lakers will need him to have any hope of advancing through the playoffs.
That’s what the team is planning, according to Woj, who indicates that the focus is on getting Davis healthy for a postseason run. Despite a recent slump, the ninth-place Lakers hold a three-game lead over the No. 11 Trail Blazers for a play-in spot.
“They’re not punting on this season. Anthony Davis wants to be back, this team wants him back,” Wojnarowski said. “He’ll make more progress this week they hope, and he’ll have another MRI which will be about four weeks out from the injury, and the hope is that he can then start progressing towards returning before the postseason begins.”
Ben Simmons “Not Ready For Even One-On-One”
More than a month after trading for Ben Simmons, the Nets still have no idea when he’ll be ready to play, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
Simmons hasn’t participated in a full practice since coming to Brooklyn, and coach Steve Nash told reporters today that he has a long way to go to reach that point. General manager Sean Marks recently expressed hope that Simmons would be ready to practice by the end of this week, but today’s workout passed without any more clarity on the situation.
“He’s not ready for even one-on-one, let alone three-on-three, five-on-five,” Nash said. “So he’s got to get to a place where he can go full speed unopposed, one-on-oh, and then we’ll talk about and hopefully quickly he can go to one-on-one, three-on-three, five-on-five.”
Nash didn’t speculate on how long those steps might take, but Simmons is running short on time with just four weeks left in the regular season. Lewis notes that the Nets’ performance team typically requires players to go through three high-intensity workouts with no physical issues before clearing them to play.
Lewis adds that the March 18 game against Portland or the March 21 contest against Utah once seemed like realistic dates for Simmons to make his debut, but now it’s not certain that he’ll even be practicing by then.
Simmons’ infamous performance in Game 7 of the Hawks series in June is the last time he played in an NBA game. He was involved in a months-long standoff with the Sixers over mental health issues before Brooklyn acquired him in a blockbuster deal at the deadline.
Shortly afterward, Simmons suffered back tightness, which has prevented him from being cleared to practice by the Nets’ performance team.
“Yeah, a little setback, whatever that was,” Nash said. “So now we’re just trying to make sure we get that in the bag before we rush him out there and suffer a longer setback.”
Simmons did some shooting, ball-handling and light cutting during today’s practice session, but Lewis states that he was undergoing treatment from the training staff during the portion of the practice that the media watched.
Simmons had back issues during the 2019/20 season and suffered a nerve impingement in his lower back in February of 2021. He also had a flare-up while he was out of action this year, prompting questions about whether the back might be a long-term concern.
“I don’t want to classify it the wrong way, but he’s had back issues at times. So I don’t want to say he’s got a bad back, I don’t know if that’s fair,” Nash said. “He’s had a flare-up of something, but was really healthy for the last six months until the flare-up. So I don’t want it to be … I’m not sure that it’s fair for me to say he has a back problem. It’s just right now he has a flared-up back.”
Suns Sign Gabriel Lundberg To Two-Way Contract
2:43pm: Phoenix has officially signed Lundberg, the club announced in a press release.
7:44am: European star Gabriel Lundberg is signing a contract with the Suns, Johnny Askounis of EuroHoops.net relays. The news was first reported on Danish TV 2.
It’s a two-way deal, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Lundberg, 27, left CSKA Moscow recently amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He’s considered the best international free agent available in the market, Wojnarowski adds. Phoenix had a two-way spot available and won’t have to make a corresponding move.
In 24 Euroleague games, Lundberg averaged 9.1 PPG and 2.0 APG in 21.1 MPG. He also averaged 12.6 PPG and 3.2 APG in VTB United League games.
Lundberg averaged 11.3 PPG and 2.2 APG in 15 Euroleague contests last season. He’s shot 33.6% on 3-point attempts in his international career.
Lundberg finalized his separation from CSKA Moscow by paying the contract buyout himself, according to Eurohoops’ sources. Lundberg will likely see little playing time for the leaders of the Western Conference but they’ll get an up close look at the 6’4” guard. They can then decide if they want to retain him beyond this season.
Alize Johnson Signs Another 10-Day With Pelicans
12:51pm: New Orleans has officially signed Johnson to a new 10-day deal using the hardship exception, the team announced in a press release.
11:23am: The Pelicans are signing forward Alize Johnson to a second 10-day contact via the hardship exception, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
Johnson’s standard 10-day contract was terminated a day early on Friday, as New Orleans added Tyrone Wallace on a standard 10-day deal. However, the hardship exception was made available due to CJ McCollum being placed in the league’s health and safety protocols this week.
New Orleans thus has the option of offering Johnson another standard 10-day before deciding whether to offer him a rest-of-the-season contract.
Johnson appeared in three games on his first 10-day with New Orleans, averaging 3.0 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 8.0 minutes per contest. He didn’t have to pass through waivers, so he’s eligible to be signed immediately.
Johnson, 25, has also played 16 games with Chicago and three with Washington this season.
Isaiah Thomas Signs Second 10-Day Deal With Hornets
10:53am: The Hornets have officially re-signed Thomas, according to a team press release.
8:10am: Veteran guard Isaiah Thomas will sign another 10-day contract with the Hornets, Rod Boone of the Charlotte Observer reports.
Thomas’ first 10-day with Charlotte expired overnight on Friday. He appeared in three games with the Hornets during those 10 days, averaging 9.7 PPG and 1.7 APG in 13.7 MPG on .435/.429/1.000 shooting.
Head coach James Borrego likes the way Thomas gives LaMelo Ball a break from ball-handing duties when they’re paired up.
“It makes them think and it adds to their scouting focus,” Borrego said. “I’d like to get Melo off the ball more. They are so loaded up on him, so physical with him on pick-and-rolls that if I can move him off the ball it’s just going to add another dimension to our offense. And the way I.T. can see the gym, he understands matchups. “He’s an extension of me out there on the floor. He sees the matchups, he sees he plays we need to go to, and he’s going to make that happen out there on the floor. So it just adds more depth to this offense.”
Thomas says that he enjoys mentoring the young Hornets guards and wings. The 33-year-old also played for the Lakers and Mavericks this season under the hardship exception.
“I’m comfortable here,” Thomas said. “These guys welcomed me with open arms. The coaching staff welcomed me with open arms and they are allowing me to be myself. They are allowing me to lead, they are allowing me to be vocal and help the young guys out. And that’s what I’m here to do, is put an imprint on those younger guys, because like I’ve said earlier, I’ve seen everything.”
As an 11-year veteran, he will earn another $151,821 over the 10-day deal.
Jamal Murray’s Return This Season “50-50” Proposition
Nuggets fans have been hoping that Jamal Murray will make a strong comeback this season and lift the team to another deep postseason run.
However, it’s not even certain Murray will play in 2021/22, Mike Singer of the Denver Post reports. Citing two league sources, Singer writes that it’s a 50-50 proposition Murray will take the court this season and that the decision might ultimately be made by the point guard himself.
Murray tore the ACL in his left knee last April and he’s continued to get treatment, test his knee and see how it reacts. The next steps include playing 3-on-3 and 4-on-4, improving his conditioning and getting his heart rate up.
Murray and Michael Porter Jr., who is recovering from another back surgery, could be assigned as soon as this coming week to Denver’s G League affiliate in Grand Rapids, Mich. Porter has been through lengthy rehabs before but this is new territory for Murray and the Nuggets are not sure if he’s mentally ready to play at this juncture, Singer adds.