Luka Doncic’s Ankle Injury “Not Too Serious”
All-NBA guard Luka Doncic turned his left ankle on Monday and exited the Mavericks‘ win over Denver with less than a minute remaining on the clock. However, a source tells Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link) that Doncic’s ankle injury is “not too serious.”
Tests on Doncic’s left ankle and knee showed no structural damage, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), who says the club will continue to evaluate its franchise player on a daily basis. MacMahon adds that Doncic will likely miss a little time, but Dallas isn’t expecting it to be a lengthy absence.
Doncic is with the Mavs as they embark on their four-game road trip, tweets Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News, though he won’t play on Wednesday in Phoenix, notes Marc Stein (Twitter link).
While Doncic’s shooting numbers (43.4% from the field, 30.8% on threes) are below his career rates so far this season, he’s still putting up his usual eye-popping stats, averaging 24.9 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 7.9 APG in his first 13 games (34.8 MPG) and leading the Mavs to a 9-4 start.
If Dallas has to get by without Doncic for a few games, Jalen Brunson and Frank Ntilikina are among the top candidates for increased roles. Trey Burke, who has been out of the rotation so far this season, could also see some playing time.
DeRozan Thought Offseason Move To Lakers Was “Done Deal”
Before he agreed to a three-year, $81MM+ deal with the Bulls over the summer, veteran forward DeMar DeRozan believed he’d be headed to the Lakers, he told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
According to Haynes, DeRozan’s agent Aaron Goodwin was working “feverishly” behind the scenes with the Spurs in the days leading up to free agency to orchestrate a sign-and-trade deal that would send his client to Los Angeles. However, the Lakers’ talks with San Antonio tapered off as they pivoted to a trade for Russell Westbrook, forcing DeRozan to go in another direction as well.
“I felt like going to the Lakers was a done deal and that we were going to figure it out. I was going to come home,” DeRozan told Haynes after the Bulls’ victory over the Lakers on Monday. “The business side of things just didn’t work out. A couple of things didn’t align. It didn’t work out. It’s just part of the business, part of the game. My next option was definitely Chicago. So, looking back at it, it worked out well.”
Although there were multiple offseason reports linking DeRozan to his hometown Lakers, this is the first indication we’ve gotten that a potential deal gained real traction. The Lakers also reportedly seriously considered the possibility of trading for Buddy Hield before instead opting for Westbrook.
Acquiring a player via sign-and-trade would’ve hard-capped the Lakers’ team salary at $143MM in 2021/22, so it makes sense that the club preferred to trade for a player on an existing contract, avoiding that hard cap. Given how DeRozan and Westbrook have played so far this season, Los Angeles may be regretting its decision, but DeRozan told Haynes he doesn’t look at it that way.
“Nah, Russ is a Hall-of-Fame player,” DeRozan said. “It’s hard to turn down that caliber of player. I can’t speak for the Lakers, but they went with what they felt was best for them. And all due respect to them. No hard feelings. No animosity, but I just look at it as part of the game. A deal is never done until it’s done. I learned that. It just didn’t work out. I’m just happy I’m in Chicago.”
The Clippers were also considered a viable suitor for DeRozan during free agency, and the 32-year-old acknowledges L.A.’s other team was in the mix. However, he told Haynes it “didn’t get as far as the Lakers situation.”
Since the Lakers agreed to trade for Westbrook on draft day (July 29), four days before free agency opened, DeRozan’s comments and Haynes’ report suggest the Spurs and Lakers may have violated the NBA’s gun-jumping rules if they were exploring a sign-and-trade that early in the offseason. Given that the Bulls are currently being investigated for possible gun-jumping in their Lonzo Ball sign-and-trade, perhaps DeRozan’s insinuation that other teams were engaging in similar conversations wasn’t an accident.
Evan Mobley Out 2-4 Weeks With Elbow Sprain
11:45am: Mobley will miss two to four weeks, the team announced in a press release. According to the Cavs, today’s MRI confirmed the diagnosis of a right elbow sprain and Mobley will undergo treatment and rehabilitation.
8:03am: Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley left Monday’s loss to Boston in the second half due to an injury that has been diagnosed as a sprained right elbow. According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, Mobley will undergo an MRI on Tuesday morning to determine the severity of the ailment.
Mobley, 20, has been perhaps the NBA’s most impressive rookie during the first month of the season, averaging 14.6 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.5 APG, and 1.6 BPG in 15 games (33.7 MPG).
Although Jarrett Allen (illness), Kevin Love (health and safety protocols), and Lauri Markkanen (health and safety protocols) all remain day-to-day, the Cavs’ frontcourt is relatively deep overall. Still, losing Mobley for an extended period would be a major blow to a team that’s off to a surprisingly good start at 9-6.
Fedor writes that the organization is “holding its breath” and hoping that today’s MRI won’t reveal any sort of significant injury. For what it’s worth, the No. 3 overall pick was able to remain in the game after suffering the injury late in the third quarter on Monday — he didn’t exit for good until early in the fourth.
Sixers Fining Ben Simmons For Not Accompanying Team On Road Trip
The Sixers continue to penalize Ben Simmons for a failure to participate in team-related activities, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (video link), who reports that Philadelphia is fining the three-time All-Star for not joining the team on its current six-game road trip.
Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, confirming Charania’s report, notes that Simmons will lose $2.16MM in game checks alone, assuming the Sixers fine him for missing all six games on the road trip. That number would increase if he receives additional fines for missing practices, meetings, and other team activities.
Simmons and the Sixers remain at odds over his status. He has told the club he’s not mentally ready to play and reportedly believes Philadelphia is trying to force him back onto the court. The 76ers have maintained that, even if he’s not yet ready to play, the 25-year-old should be preparing to return to action by participating in practices, shootarounds, and other team activities, unless mental health experts say he’s unable to do so.
Simmons’ maximum-salary contract would typically pay him $33MM+ this season, but he has already lost a chunk of that salary — each time the Sixers have fined him for missing a game, it has cost him 1/91.6th of his salary, or about $360K. Given the mental health factor, I’d expect Simmons and his camp to eventually try to recoup some of that lost money via an arbitration process.
For the time being, there’s no end to the standoff in sight.
Timberwolves Fined $250K For Violating NBA Rules On Offseason Workouts
The Timberwolves have been hit with a $250K fine by the NBA, the league announced on Monday (Twitter link).
According to the NBA, the Wolves violated league rules prohibiting teams from arranging or paying for offseason practices or group workout sessions outside the team’s home market.
New incoming Timberwolves owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez reportedly hosted the club’s players for scrimmages and practices in Miami for a week in early September, culminating in a dinner at Rodriguez’s house. Those team activities came in the final days of Gersson Rosas‘ tenure as president of basketball operations.
[RELATED: A-Rod, Lore Approved By Board Of Governors, Join Wolves Ownership Group]
As Bobby Marks of ESPN observes (via Twitter), the NBA’s rule prohibiting teams from arranging and/or financing out-of-market offseason workouts is actually the very first one listed in the NBA’s 786-page operations manual.
Given that Lore and Rodriguez are reportedly paying $1.5 billion to take over the Timberwolves from Glen Taylor, a $250K fine will be a drop in the bucket for them.
Still, the penalty may compel the duo to pay closer attention to the NBA’s rule book going forward, or at least to be more discreet about arranging offseason workouts — Minnesota probably isn’t the only team to violate that rule in recent years, but the fact that management and ownership were in attendance and photos were all over social media meant the NBA couldn’t ignore it, as Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
Jordan Bell, Shaq Harrison Among Team USA Players For World Cup Qualifiers
USA Basketball has announced its roster for a pair of upcoming qualifying games for the 2023 FIBA World Cup. The squad, which will be coached by former Bulls head coach Jim Boylen, is comprised of G-Leaguers, nearly all of whom have prior NBA experience. Here’s the list:
- Jordan Bell, C (Santa Cruz Warriors)
- Brian Bowen II, F (Iowa Wolves)
- Josh Gray, G (Long Island Nets)
- Shaquille Harrison, G (Delaware Blue Coats)
- DaQuan Jeffries, G/F (College Park Skyhawks)
- B.J. Johnson, F (Lakeland Magic)
- Orlando Johnson, G (free agent)
- Luke Kornet, C (Maine Celtics)
- Frank Mason, G (South Bay Lakers)
- Chasson Randle, G (free agent)
- Zavier Simpson, G (Oklahoma City Blue)
- Emanuel Terry, F (Stockton Kings)
Of the 12 players on the roster, 11 have appeared in at least one NBA regular season game, led by Harrison (173 career games) and Bell (160 games). Simpson is the only player without any NBA experience under his belt.
The 2023 World Cup will take place in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia two years from now, while the first qualifying matches will take place later this month. The U.S. team will face Cuba on November 28 and Mexico on November 29. After November’s games, the next round of qualifiers will take place in February.
Although NBA players make up Team USA’s roster in the World Cup itself, the qualifiers take place during the NBA season, so USA Basketball generally opts to build a roster made up of G League veterans. A group led by Jeff Van Gundy put up a 10-2 record in qualifying games for the 2019 World Cup from 2017-19. Mason and Randle participated in a handful of those contests.
Stanley Johnson Joins South Bay Lakers
Former NBA lottery pick Stanley Johnson will resume his playing career in the NBA G League, having joined the South Bay Lakers, according to the team (Twitter link). South Bay is, of course, the Los Angeles Lakers‘ G League affiliate.
Johnson, the eighth overall pick in the 2015 draft, began his NBA career in Detroit before being traded to New Orleans in 2019. He then played for the Raptors for two years from 2019-21, earning a spot in the team’s regular rotation last season.
Although he joined the Bulls for training camp this fall, Johnson didn’t end up earning a spot on the team’s 15-man regular season roster, as Chicago opted to hang onto Alize Johnson and Matt Thomas instead.
Johnson 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.
As a member of the South Bay Lakers, Johnson will continue to be an NBA free agent, giving him the ability to sign outright with any NBA team at any time.
Pressure Mounting On Kings’ Luke Walton
Kings head coach Luke Walton finds himself on the hot seat once again, according to Sam Amick and Shams Charania of The Athletic, who say the pressure is mounting on Walton amidst Sacramento’s current four-game losing streak.
Sources tell Amick and Charania that Walton’s job will likely be “in peril” soon if the Kings’ slump continues.
Walton faced some pressure last season as well, but ultimately held onto his job for a variety of reasons, including his approval rating in the locker room, his strong relationship with general manager Monte McNair, and the fact that he still had multiple guaranteed years left on his contract, per Amick and Charania.
According to The Athletic’s duo, Walton isn’t expected to given as much leeway this time around, since there’s increasing urgency for the Kings to snap their 15-year playoff drought. Amick and Charania add that the current roster is viewed internally as one capable of making the postseason.
The Kings’ current losing streak includes a home game vs. Indiana and road games in San Antonio and Oklahoma City, which are the types of contests that management and ownership would expect the team to win. Sacramento will play in Detroit on Monday night, and Amick and Charania note that a loss to the 3-9 Pistons certainly “would not aid Walton’s cause.”
Walton, who was hired by former Kings general manager Vlade Divac in 2019, led the team to consecutive 31-41 (.431) finishes in his first two seasons, and is off to a 5-8 start in 2021/22. He’s under contract for one more year beyond this season.
Billups Expresses Frustration With Blazers’ Compete Level
The up-and-down Trail Blazers had perhaps their worst game of the season on Sunday in Denver, losing by 29 points to the Nuggets and falling to 6-8. While Portland was playing without star point guard Damian Lillard, Denver was missing Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., and Will Barton.
Following the loss, Blazers coach Chauncey Billups expressed displeasure with his club’s compete level, as detailed in stories from Jason Quick of The Athletic and Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian.
“I’m confused,” Billups said. “I don’t think we came to compete in this game. I mean, this is a team that beat us in the playoffs last year. And we come out and don’t even compete in the first quarter. Kind of … a little disappointed in that. The effort. Just no fight. No fight.”
Asked about the possibility of making lineup or rotation adjustments to shake things up for the Blazers, Billups suggested that changes could be around the corner.
“It’s coming. That point is coming soon,” Billups said. “If we continue to play like that … because if you think about it, you keep playing that way, at some point I have to look at it and say something isn’t quite working. And then maybe think about shifting some things around.”
In Quick’s view, changes seem most likely to come at power forward and/or center, since Robert Covington and Jusuf Nurkic have been inconsistent so far this season, while bench players like Nassir Little, Larry Nance Jr., and Cody Zeller have provided more stability. Billups, who said earlier this month that Covington “could be better defensively,” stated on Sunday that he’s been happy with the effort he’s seeing from his reserves, including Anfernee Simons, Dennis Smith Jr., Little, and Nance.
“All of the second unit played as hard as we need them to play,” Billups said. “The first unit, they didn’t have it.”
The first-year head coach acknowledged that Portland had a busy schedule during the last week, playing four road games in six days. However, Billups didn’t view fatigue as a viable excuse for the team’s lack of effort.
“I just think there is no real reason to not have effort,” Billups said. “We’ve had a lot of games, so I can see being tired. … I can see if we come out and play our behinds off, but we just run out of gas. I can live with that. I don’t like losing like this. That game was over.”
De’Andre Hunter Injures Right Wrist, Will Need Surgery
Starting Hawks small forward De’Andre Hunter has injured a tendon in his right wrist that will require surgery, per a team press release. The 6’8″ wing will undergo a procedure on Monday. Hunter will be sidelined for at least eight weeks while he recuperates, according to the team.
Hunter suffered the injury in a November 8 loss to the Warriors and a subsequent MRI determined the severity. Sarah K. Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution adds (Twitter link) that this means Hunter will now be available, at the earliest, during the second week of January. The 5-9 Hawks need all the help they can get.
In the absence of Hunter today against the Bucks, the Hawks elevated recently-extended swingman Kevin Huerter to the starting small forward slot. Atlanta beat Milwaukee 120-100. Wing Cam Reddish and forward Danilo Gallinari should also play increased roles with Hunter on the shelf.
As our JD Shaw notes (via Twitter), the injury-prone Hunter was also limited to just 23 of 72 contests during the 2020/21 season, and missed most of the Hawks’ Eastern Conference Finals playoff run.
The fourth pick in the 2019 draft out of Virginia, Hunter is averaging 10.8 PPG and 2.7 RPG through 11 games this season, on .450/.395/.400 shooting. That free throw percentage is not a typo.