Paul George Has Torn Elbow Ligament, Will Miss At Least 3-4 Weeks
Clippers star Paul George suffered a torn ligament in his right elbow, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who adds that George’s condition will be re-evaluated in three to four weeks.
George returned to action Monday after missing more than two weeks with elbow pain. He reported a “couple stingers” in the elbow, but remained productive, scoring 25 and 17 points in the two games that he played.
Testing revealed a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter link). The Clippers plan to see how the injury responds to rest before determining how to proceed with treatment.
George has been asked to take on a larger role this season with Kawhi Leonard sidelined, and he has responded by averaging 24.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists, which are all the highest totals in his three seasons with L.A.
The Clippers are currently fourth in the West at 17-15, but they are just two games ahead of the ninth-place Timberwolves, so the next month or so should be challenging without their on-court leader. Marcus Morris and Reggie Jackson both entered the league’s health and safety protocols in the past week.
Kyle Lowry Enters Health And Safety Protocols
The short-handed Heat will have to survive for a while without point guard Kyle Lowry, who has been placed in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Lowry, 35, was Miami’s major offseason acquisition and has helped the team rise to fourth in the East despite injuries to Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. Lowry is averaging 13.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists through 31 games and remains a feared defender in the backcourt.
Butler, who hasn’t played since December 6 because of an injured tailbone, is hoping to return soon and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game with the Magic. P.J. Tucker is also questionable, while Adebayo, Dewayne Dedmon and Markieff Morris are all sidelined with injuries. However, with Caleb Martin returning this week, Lowry will be the only Heat player in protocols.
If Lowry tested positive for COVID-19, he will miss 10 days unless he can submit consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart. Counting tomorrow’s game, Miami plays six times in the next 10 days.
COVID-19 Updates: Celtics, Lakers, Raptors
Celtics reserve point guard Dennis Schröder has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols and will not play in today’s Christmas game against the Bucks, the team has announced (Twitter link). He joins eight other Celtics in the protocols.
In a more positive twist, Juancho Hernangómez, Jabari Parker, and Brodric Thomas have exited the league’s COVID-19 protocols and are available for today’s game, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic (via Twitter). Guards Marcus Smart, who has been dealing with a hip injury, and Romeo Langford, who has missed time due to an Achilles injury, are also available. Boston center Al Horford is out of the league’s coronavirus protocols but is still working on his conditioning and has been ruled out for the contest.
Here are more COVID-19 protocol updates from around the NBA:
- Lakers guards Avery Bradley and Malik Monk have left the league’s COVID-19 protocols and will be able to suit up today for Los Angeles against the Nets, per Bill Oram of The Athletic (Twitter link).
- Raptors players Khem Birch, Isaac Bonga, and Justin Champagnie have entered the league’s COVID-19 protocols, though Dalano Banton has apparently exited, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN (Twitter link). A total of 10 Toronto players are now in the protocols. Toronto’s previously-scheduled game on Wednesday, against the Bulls, was canceled as a result of the Raptors not having enough players available. The team’s next game is scheduled for tomorrow against the Cavaliers. Lewenberg adds (via Twitter) that Raptors rookie shooting guard David Johnson (calf) and veteran point guard Goran Dragic (personal) also continue to be unavailable.
- Keep track of all the NBA players within the league’s health and safety protocols on our tracker here.
Celtics Sign Al-Farouq Aminu, Norvel Pelle
DECEMBER 25: The Celtics have officially signed Aminu and Pelle to 10-day contracts, the team announced today in a press release. Both deals will run through January 3.
DECEMBER 24: The Celtics have agreed to sign forward Al-Farouq Aminu and big man Norvel Pelle to 10-day contracts via hardship exceptions, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Boston currently has eight players in the health and safety protocols. The team has signed Justin Jackson, C.J. Miles, and Joe Johnson to 10-day deals, but remains eligible to sign a few more replacement players and will take advantage of that allowance to add Aminu and Pelle.
An 11-year veteran, Aminu has averaged 7.5 PPG and 6.0 RPG across 711 total regular season games for six teams. The 31-year-old, who has long been considered a strong defender, has battled health issues in recent years and has only played in 41 total games since signing a three-year, $29MM+ deal with the Magic during the 2019 offseason. He was traded from Orlando to Chicago in last season’s Nikola Vucevic blockbuster, then was rerouted to San Antonio in the DeMar DeRozan sign-and-trade in August before being waived by the Spurs in October.
Pelle, meanwhile, has played for a handful of international teams and has bounced back and forth between the NBA and the G League over the last two seasons. The 28-year-old appeared in a total of 37 games from 2019-21 for the Sixers, Nets, Kings, and Knicks. A talented rim protector, Pelle has averaged 2.2 blocks per game in 95 career G League contests and put up 8.9 PPG and 8.3 RPG in his first nine games (22.1 MPG) with the Cleveland Charge this season.
Assuming they clear the COVID-19 testing process in time, Aminu and Pelle could join the Celtics for their Christmas Day game in Milwaukee on Saturday.
NBA, NBPA Making Progress Toward In-Season Tournament?
There’s “renewed traction” in discussions between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association about a future in-season tournament, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
An in-season tournament is a concept that has been reported for years as a possibility, but Wojnarowski’s latest report suggests the two sides are making some progress toward bringing the idea to life.
As Woj outlines, the league and the players’ union are having conversations about a structure that would include December pool play, with a quarterfinal, semifinal, and final taking place prior to Christmas. The two sides continue to discuss the possibility of a $1MM payout per player on the winning team, as Shams Charania of The Athletic reported in September.
Creating the necessary incentives to get both players and fans invested in the results of a play-in tournament has been a challenge for the NBA as it attempts to get the idea of a midseason tournament off the ground.
A $1MM-per-player prize would likely do the trick for players — especially for younger guys. Some rookies are earning less than $1MM in salary this season, so a $1MM bonus would more than double their earnings. Plus, as Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), 73% of the NBA’s players are earning less than the league’s average salary.
It remains to be seen what the league has up its sleeve to get fans on board, but I suspect that – regardless of what’s at stake – an in-season tournament would likely generate more interest than an average slate of regular season games in December.
Cavaliers Extend J.B. Bickerstaff Through 2026/27
10:11am: Bickerstaff’s extension is now official, the Cavaliers confirmed in a press release. The team didn’t announce the terms of the deal, simply referring to it as a “multiyear” extension.
9:53am: The Cavaliers and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff have agreed to a long-term contract extension, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports that the new deal will keep Bickerstaff under team control through the 2026/27 season.
Bickerstaff took over as the Cavaliers’ head coach near the end of the 2019/20 campaign, replacing John Beilein. Since then, he has led the team to a 46-69 (.400) record.
That overall record since Bickerstaff took the reins is somewhat misleading. After going 22-50 last season, the Cavs are off to a 19-13 start in 2021/22, looking as dangerous as they have since LeBron James left the franchise in 2018.
The new-look Cavaliers, led by youngsters Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley and veteran point guard Ricky Rubio have the Eastern Conference’s best defensive rating so far this season. Bickerstaff, who has previous head coaching experience in Houston and Memphis, is being rewarded for the team’s turnaround.
Donte DiVincenzo Cleared To Make Season Debut
Bucks wing Donte DiVincenzo has exited the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols and has been cleared to make his season debut on Christmas Day, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
DiVincenzo suffered a torn ligament in his left ankle during the Bucks’ championship run this spring and underwent surgery in June. The recovery process sidelined him to start the 2021/22 campaign.
Just when it appeared two weeks ago that DiVincenzo was on the verge of getting back on the court, he entered the health and safety protocols, further delaying his return. However, it seems he finally has the green light and will be active when Milwaukee hosts the Celtics this afternoon.
The third-year swingman out of Villanova had his best season as a pro in 2020/21, his first as a full-time starter. DiVincenzo, who will be a restricted free agent in 2022, averaged 10.4 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.1 APG, and 1.1 SPG across 66 games, with shooting percentages of .420/.379/.718.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis out of the protocols too, the Bucks no longer have any players affected by COVID-19, at least for the time being.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Exits Protocols, Expected To Play Saturday
DECEMBER 25, 8:53am: Antetokounmpo is expected to return to action for the Bucks on Saturday after missing the team’s last five games, Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter).
DECEMBER 24, 12:17pm: Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has exited the NBA’s health and safety protocols, sources tell ESPN’s Zach Lowe and Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
According to Lowe and Wojnarowski, Antetokounmpo is expected to get on the court today and make a decision tomorrow about whether he’ll be able to suit up for the Bucks in their Christmas Day game vs. Boston. The two-time MVP will have to pass cardiac tests before he’s cleared to return following his stint in the health and safety protocols.
Although Giannis still has a chance to play on Saturday, it appears the same can’t be said for Hawks star Trae Young. League sources tell Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) that Young isn’t expected to be cleared in time to be activated for Atlanta’s Christmas Day contest in New York.
It’s an unfortunate turn of events, given the burgeoning rivalry that Young and the Hawks have established with the Knicks and the fans in New York. However, it doesn’t come as a surprise — Young just entered the COVID-19 protocols five days ago, so the odds of him testing out this quickly were low unless his initial test was a false positive.
In addition to not having to face Young on Saturday, the Knicks also may get some additional reinforcements, as guard Immanuel Quickley has exited the protocols, per the team (Twitter link). New York now has just three players still in the protocols — Kevin Knox, Nerlens Noel, and Miles McBride.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau did caution today that Quickley may not be ready to play on Christmas, but said RJ Barrett, who also exited the protocols this week, has a better chance to be active (Twitter link via Tim Bontemps of ESPN).
Lakers Sign Darren Collison, Stanley Johnson To 10-Day Deals
4:45 PM: The 10-day contracts for Collison and Johnson are now official, per Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group (via Twitter).
12:28 PM: The Lakers intend to sign guard Darren Collison and forward Stanley Johnson to 10-day contracts via hardship exceptions, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that the team hopes both players can be available for Saturday’s Christmas Day contest vs. Brooklyn.
Collison made a surprise retirement announcement just ahead of free agency in the summer of 2019, citing family and religious reasons. In his final NBA season in 2018/19, he averaged 11.2 PPG and 6.0 APG with a .467/.407/.832 shooting line in 76 games (28.2 MPG) for the Pacers.
There were reports that Collison might return with the Lakers or Clippers during the ’19/20 season, but nothing came of those rumors and he later said they were overblown. However, the 34-year-old reportedly worked out for the Lakers and Warriors this summer, signaling that he remained open to the idea of a comeback. Now, for at least 10 days, it’s happening.
Johnson, 25, signed a 10-day hardship deal with the Bulls earlier this month, but entered the health and safety protocols before appearing in a game with the team. Assuming he tested positive for COVID-19, it appears he’s now fully recovered.
The No. 8 overall pick in the 2015 draft, Johnson has played for the Pistons, Pelicans, and Raptors since entering the NBA. He has proven capable of providing energy and defensive versatility off the bench, but his offensive game has always been limited. In 371 career regular season games, he has averaged 6.2 PPG on .375/.298/.761 shooting in 19.7 minutes per contest.
Collison and Johnson will be the Lakers’ third and fourth hardship signings, joining Isaiah Thomas and Jemerrio Jones. The team currently has five players in the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
NBA Makes Minor Adjustment To Hardship Rules
The NBA has made a minor adjustment to its new hardship rules, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter links).
As Marks outlines, a player who is signed to a 10-day hardship deal can now be moved to the inactive list if the player he was replacing comes out of the health and safety protocols and is cleared to return before that 10-day deal expires.
Under the previous hardship rules, the player on the 10-day contract would have to be waived once the player he replaced has been cleared.
For instance, the Bulls had several players exit the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols this week and no longer have any players affected. But the team still has three players signed to 10-day hardship contracts — Alfonzo McKinnie‘s deal runs through December 29, while Ersan Ilyasova and Mac McClung are under contract through December 31.
Under the new rules, if all the Chicago players who were in the protocols are cleared to return, the team could move McKinnie, Ilyasova, and/or McClung to the inactive list rather than immediately terminating their contracts. That would allow the Bulls to avoid having to sign a new replacement player if they have another player test positive for COVID-19 in the next week — in that scenario, they could simply reactivate one of their current replacements, as long as that player’s 10-day deal has yet to expire.
The Heat are another team that could be impacted by this rule in the short term, since they no longer have any players in the protocols and Zylan Cheatham is on a 10-day contract that runs through next Friday. However, many teams besides Chicago and Miami could find themselves in similar situations in the coming days as more players exit the protocols.