Bulls’ Coby White To Return From Shoulder Surgery On Monday
Bulls guard Coby White will make his long-awaited return to Chicago’s lineup on Monday night, head coach Billy Donovan said today (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago).
White has missed all of the 8-4 Bulls’ 2021/22 season to this point while recovering from an offseason surgery on a labrum injury in his left shoulder. The Bulls will face off against the Lakers on the second night of a Los Angeles back-to-back. They play the Clippers later this evening.
A return to action Monday for White had been floated as a possibility earlier this weekend, with the caveat being that he remain healthy in five-on-five contact scrimmages for consecutive days. It appears he has cleared that hurdle.
Selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2019 draft out of North Carolina, White has had an up-and-down first two seasons with the Bulls. During the offseason, front office head honchos Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley almost completely reshaped the team’s roster around All-Star shooting guard Zach LaVine. White is the only other Bull who was on the roster a year ago.
The 6’5″ combo guard is projected to bring some much-needed scoring punch to the team’s bench lineups. Through his first two NBA seasons, the 21-year-old averaged 14.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 3.8 APG, on .406/.357/.848 shooting splits.
Sixers Assistant Dave Joerger Undergoing Cancer Treatments
Dave Joerger, who serves as Doc Rivers’ top assistant with the Sixers, is undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments for Stage 1 “head and neck” cancer, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. He will be away from the team for several weeks.
The 47-year-old has been getting treated over the past two weeks and has missed just one road game. However, with the Sixers starting a five-game West Coast swing, Joerger has to remain in Philadelphia.
He broke the news to players, other assistants and staff members following tonight’s game in Indiana. Prior to that, only Rivers, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and owner Josh Harris were aware of his diagnosis.
“We have caught it early,” Joerger said. “I’m very lucky. I’ve got over a 90% chance of cure rate, but it’s very scary and it’s not enjoyable going through. …I can’t go on the road and do radiation and chemotherapy in different cities around the country. To continue my treatment, I need to step away from the team.”
During an appearance on Wojnarowski’s podcast, Joerger explained that he felt a lump in his throat 15 months ago and told his doctor in Memphis. A scan was negative, but the lump didn’t go away, so he called the doctor again last month.
“I stare at my face every morning when I shave and I’m very sensitive … that I know that (the lump’s) there,” Joerger said. “…We do another scan, and it’s one of those days that you’ll remember for the rest of your life. We were in Toronto, and he texted me and said: ‘We need to talk. Let’s just get it done right now.'”
Joerger said he’s going public with his condition to encourage other people to pursue early cancer detection. He also thanked the Sixers for supporting him and allowing him to be away from the team for as long as necessary.
Woj: Kyle Lowry, Lonzo Ball Tampering Investigations Nearing End
At the beginning of August, the NBA launched investigations into two separate sign-and-trade deals; one that sent Lonzo Ball from the Pelicans to the Bulls, and a second that sent Kyle Lowry from the Raptors to the Heat.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, those investigations into potential tampering or gun-jumping are nearing a conclusion, and rulings could be imminent.
It’s no secret that teams and agents begin discussing free agent deals prior to the officially listed starting time and date, but both of these cases are a little more blatant in that Lowry was reportedly on the move a few hours before the window opened, and Ball’s deal with Chicago was reported literally the minute free agency opened.
Sign-and-trades typically receive even more scrutiny since they’re more complex and typically require more time to complete than a typical free agent negotiation.
Last year, for instance, an alleged sign-and-trade agreement involving the Bucks, Kings, and Bogdan Bogdanovic was reported several days before free agency officially began. The league ended up taking away Milwaukee’s 2022 second-round pick after investigating that situation, while Bogdanovic – who claimed he never agreed to terms with the Bucks – landed in Atlanta instead.
Woj relays that the NBA took into consideration that Bogdanovic ultimately didn’t end up in Milwaukee in that situation, so the penalties could be steeper for these two investigations, depending on the league’s findings.
As Woj notes, the NBA increased tampering penalties a couple of years ago, giving the league the power to fine teams for up to $10MM, suspend executives, take away draft picks, or even void deals altogether if proof of tampering is found. Voiding the contracts is considered extremely unlikely, but all of the other options could be on the table.
Pistons Considered Potential Suitor For Marvin Bagley III
The Pistons are considered a team to watch as a possible suitor for Kings big man Marvin Bagley III, according to Marc Stein. Within his latest Substack column, Stein cites league sources who say Detroit has been tracking Bagley since last season, before the forward fell out of favor in Sacramento.
The second overall pick in the 2018 draft, Bagley had a promising rookie year for the Kings, averaging 14.9 PPG and 7.6 RPG in 62 games. However, his production hasn’t improved at all since then and his role has been reduced. Last month, the Kings informed Bagley that he wouldn’t be part of the club’s rotation to open the season, prompting agent Jeff Schwartz to put out a statement blasting Sacramento for its handling of his client.
“It’s clear they have no plans for him in the future, and yet, passed on potential deals at last year’s deadline and this summer based on ‘value,'” Schwartz said in that statement. “Instead they chose to bring him back but not play him, a move completely contradictory to their ‘value’ argument. This is a case study in mismanagement by the Kings organization.”
Bagley has appeared in just one game so far this season, logging 10 minutes of action on October 22 in a loss to Utah. A report earlier this week suggested that the 22-year-old refused to check into Monday’s game when head coach Luke Walton called his number.
While the Kings would presumably welcome the opportunity to trade Bagley, who is in the final year of his rookie contract, Stein says a deal is unlikely to be made until sometime after December 15, when more players become trade-eligible.
It’s unclear what the Pistons would be willing to give up for Bagley. The team only has three players earning over $6MM this season — Jerami Grant, Kelly Olynyk, and Cade Cunningham. Grant and Cunningham obviously wouldn’t be in play for Bagley, and I doubt the team would want to give up Olynyk just months after making a significant commitment to him in free agency.
In order to match Bagley’s $11.3MM salary then, the Pistons may have to package a couple lesser-paid players, including perhaps Hamidou Diallo ($5.2MM), who doesn’t currently have a regular role in the club’s rotation. Diallo can’t be dealt until January 15.
Latest On Ben Simmons
Ben Simmons feels like the Sixers are trying to force his return to the court no matter how he feels mentally, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Simmons met with the team’s therapist for the first time on Monday, after the team resumed fining him last week. He was previously unwilling to discuss his mental health with any team doctors.
Simmons’ agent, Rich Paul, says the team’s actions have worsened his client’s mental health.
“I truly believe the fines, the targeting, the negative publicity shined on the issue — that’s very unnecessary and has furthered the mental health issues for Ben,” Paul said. “Either you help Ben, or come out and say he’s lying. Which one is it?”
A Sixers official told Charania that the team was “absolutely not” trying to force Simmons to play, nor are they claiming that he’s lying. The team’s stance is that Simmons should participate in all Sixers activities unless the team’s therapist or Simmons’ personal specialists report that he is incapable of playing or practicing.
The official emphasized that, as of this evening, the Sixers had not been presented with information that would prevent Simmons from fully participating with the team.
Charania relays that the Sixers sent Simmons a schedule Thursday that included tonight’s game against the Raptors, which the Sixers lost 115-109. Simmons did not play in the game. The team has fined him each time this has occurred previously, so another fine could be imminent.
Paul says Simmons is open to playing for the Sixers again, but he’s not mentally ready to return to the court yet.
“In this case, we have to get Ben help and not put finances above mental health,” Paul said. “As an agent, I understand contractual obligations and I hold myself accountable in this business. But if someone is telling you something, we can no longer turn a blind eye in today’s world.
“This is no longer about a trade. This is about finding a place where we can help Ben get back to his mental strength and get back on the floor. I want him on the floor playing the game that he loves. I want Ben on the floor whether that’s in a 76ers uniform or any other uniform, that’s not up to me, but I want him in a state where he can resume play. We want to cooperate and want to work him back on the floor.”
Team officials say they’re happy to hear that Simmons is open to playing for the Sixers again, per Charania. They welcome his return to the lineup. They also insist that they’ve shown good faith through the entire process, including offering any assistance Simmons has needed.
Simmons will continue meeting with the team’s therapist and has given permission for the therapist to confidentially discuss his treatment with Simmons’ own personal specialists.
Paul says he holds no hard feelings with Sixers ownership, management, or the city of Philadelphia, he just wants what’s best for his client.
“I don’t think the 76ers are a bad organization. Josh Harris and David Blitzer are great governors, they’ve done a great job with the organization. I have respect for (president of basketball operations) Daryl Morey,” Paul said. “Ben has a mental issue, let’s support him. I’m happy he got to a place where he realized and accepted help. I understand it’s a business, but even in business, you need humanity.
“I have a great level of respect and love for the city of Philadelphia, as someone who loves the game, but this isn’t about that. This is about Ben getting back to a place mentally where he can be back on the floor — and only Ben can tell us when that is. We have to allow him to do that.”
Kelly Olynyk To Miss At Least Six Weeks With MCL Sprain
The Pistons announced that big man Kelly Olynyk suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee Wednesday night against the Rockets. Olynyk will be re-evaluated in six weeks (Twitter link).
The Pistons signed Olynyk to a three-year, $37MM contract during free agency. The third year is a team option. He was signed to provide floor spacing for the Pistons, who have struggled with outside shooting the past two seasons (they’re currently dead last in team three-point percentage at 28.5%).
Through 10 games, Olynyk is averaging 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals in 23.0 minutes per contest.
It’s a tough blow for the 2-8 Pistons, who are already thin in frontcourt depth. Although he has come off the bench for all but one game, Olynyk has played virtually the same amount of minutes as second-year starting center Isaiah Stewart (23.0 versus 22.9). Stewart’s minutes should increase with Olynyk sidelined.
Rookie center Luka Garza, who’s currently assigned to the team’s G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise, figures to see some rotational minutes in Olynyk’s stead. Trey Lyles, another free agent acquisition, should also see an uptick in minutes as a small-ball center.
Nikola Vucevic Enters Protocols Following Positive COVID Test
Bulls center Nikola Vucevic has become the latest player to enter the NBA’s health and safety protocols, a source tells K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link). According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), Vucevic has tested positive for COVID-19.
Based on the league’s protocols, Vucevic is expected to be sidelined for at least 10 days. According to Johnson (via Twitter), the big man won’t travel with the Bulls when they leave for their five-game road trip today.
Several players around the NBA are currently in the league’s health and safety protocols after reportedly testing positive for the coronavirus. The Sixers have experienced the biggest outbreak and faced the Bulls twice last week. Joel Embiid, who played in those games vs. Chicago on Wednesday and Saturday, tested positive for COVID-19 and entered the NBA’s protocols on Monday.
Vucevic, 31, is off to a slow start this season, averaging just 13.6 PPG on 39.5% shooting in 11 games (34.2 MPG). However, he has contributed 10.9 RPG and a career-best 4.3 APG, and his offensive struggles certainly haven’t slowed down the Bulls so far. The team is tied for the top seed in the Eastern Conference with an 8-3 record.
With Vucevic on the shelf, backup bigs Tony Bradley and Alize Johnson will slide up the depth chart, and Chicago may lean more heavily on small-ball lineups.
Pelicans’ David Griffin Reportedly On Hot Seat
There has been more and more chatter around the NBA in recent weeks about David Griffin‘s job security, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, who says that Griffin’s hold on his position as Pelicans executive VP of basketball operations appears increasingly tenuous.
The Pelicans came into the season with playoff aspirations, but have lost eight consecutive games and own a league-worst 1-11 record. The team has been without Zion Williamson so far, and Griffin has faced criticism for making misleading comments on Media Day about when the former No. 1 pick would be ready to return from his offseason foot surgery.
[RELATED: Williamson Out Until At Least Mid-To-Late November]
When Griffin took the reins in New Orleans in 2019, the Pelicans were in position to draft Williamson and cash in on trades involving stars Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday, giving them a massive leg up in the rebuilding process.
Although Griffin did well to stock up on draft picks in the Davis and Holiday blockbusters, he has made a handful of other questionable moves, including extending Steven Adams and then dumping him a year later before the extension even took effect. Additionally, besides Williamson, Griffin’s first-round picks in 2019 and 2020 – Jaxson Hayes, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Kira Lewis – have yet to make a major impact at the NBA level.
According to Fischer, another recent incident raised eyebrows around the league. A NOLA.com report in September claimed that Griffin blamed the Pelicans’ poor start in 2019/20 on former head coach Alvin Gentry, telling one person, “I give Alvin all the answers to the test, and he still fails.” After Sacramento beat the Pelicans in New Orleans on October 29, Griffin approached Gentry – now a Kings assistant – to say hello, but Gentry viewed Griffin’s friendliness as inauthentic, per Fischer.
During that interaction, Fischer says, Griffin denied multiple details from that NOLA.com report, while Gentry pointed out that the Pelicans had essentially the same record under Stan Van Gundy (31-41) in 2020/21 as they did under Gentry in ’19/20. “You must not have given Stan the answers to the test, either,” Gentry shouted at Griffin, per Fischer’s sources, who say the two men had to be separated.
Meanwhile, Willie Green, the third coach of Griffin’s tenure with the Pelicans, expressed frustration following the club’s loss to Oklahoma City on Wednesday night, as Andrew Lopez of ESPN details. Four New Orleans players combined for five technical fouls in the game, prompting Green to call out his players after the game for complaining about foul calls they “haven’t earned.” The first-year head coach also wasn’t happy with his players’ compete level.
“It’s not the losing streak. It’s not one quarter. It’s our approach to this game,” Green said. “There were moments in the game where we just didn’t have guys who didn’t compete hard enough for me. Hard enough for our team. That’s a non-negotiable for me. That’s the deal. That’s who we are. As the leader of this team, I can’t have that. I can’t have guys on the floor if they aren’t going to give 110%.”
Getting Williamson and Brandon Ingram (hip) back on the court will go a long way toward making the Pelicans competitive again, but the club’s early-season slump is creating an increasingly difficult path to playoff contention. If New Orleans doesn’t bounce back in a major way, significant changes could be coming, and the head coach is unlikely to be the fall guy for a third straight year — that means Griffin finds himself firmly on the hot seat.
Woj: John Wall May Sit Out Entire Season
John Wall isn’t expected to play for the Rockets this season and it doesn’t appear any teams are willing to gamble on his contract, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on tonight’s “NBA Countdown” (hat tip to Doric Sam of Bleacher Report).
“There are no plans for John Wall to play for the Rockets, and it’s becoming increasingly likely that John Wall may not play anywhere in the NBA this season because the cost of his contract right now is just too prohibitive,” Wojnarowski said.
The 31-year-old point guard is owed nearly $91.7MM over the next two seasons, which breaks down to a $44,310,840 salary this year with a $47,366,760 player option for 2022/23. Wojnarowski suggested that the only way for Wall to engineer a trade to another team would be to turn down that option in advance.
“Any team that would potentially trade for him would want him to decline that option,” Woj said. “Well, he’s not doing that, he’s not giving that money back.”
Wall reached an agreement with the Rockets in September that he would sit out games while the team explored trade possibilities. Since that time, he has served as a de facto assistant coach, working with the team’s young players but with no intent to actually see any playing time.
Houston acquired Wall before the start of last season, sending Russell Westbrook to the Wizards and picking up a lottery-protected first-round pick in 2023. Wall was able to revive his career somewhat after missing a year and a half because of injuries. He appeared in 40 games for the Rockets and averaged 20.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists per night.
It appears a buyout is the only way for Wall to join another team, but the amount of money he would have to give up may be too high for that to be realistic.
Nikola Jokić Suspended; Markieff Morris, Jimmy Butler Fined
As anticipated, the reigning NBA MVP, Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, has been suspended by the NBA following an on-court altercation with Heat forward Markieff Morris in last night’s 113-96 blowout Denver win.
The league announced (Twitter link) that Jokić will miss one game after shoving Morris from behind and giving him whiplash, though Morris had initially instigated contact with a mild shoulder check seconds prior. Both players were instantly ejected with Flagrant 2 foul calls.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, Jokić, a three-time All-Star, will lose $210,417 in salary as a result of his single-game suspension.
The NBA has also opted to fine Morris $50K for his role in the dispute. A bit more surprisingly, All-Star Heat small forward (and current 2022 MVP candidate) Jimmy Butler was dinged to the tune of $30K for “attempting to escalate” the conflict between the two players and “failing to comply with an NBA Security interview” about the incident, per the league’s statement. Though players from both the Nuggets and Heat rushed to the aid of their respective comrades, the league opted to single Butler out.
Jokić will thus miss the Nuggets’ next contest, a home matchup against the Pacers tomorrow night. Denver head coach Michael Malone said earlier today that, provided Jokić indeed was suspended, Denver would look to feature forwards Jeff Green, JaMychal Green, and Aaron Gordon more in the paint. Malone also floated the possibility that little-used young centers Bol Bol and Zeke Nnaji would get some run.