Spurs’ Poeltl In Protocols, Expected To Miss Several Games
Spurs center Jakob Poeltl is the latest NBA player to enter the league’s health and safety protocols and is expected to miss several games, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Based on the adjusted NBA’s protocols for COVID-19 this season, a player who is being ruled out for a few games has generally tested positive, though that hasn’t been confirmed in Poeltl’s case.
The Spurs’ starting center, Poeltl has played well in the early going this season, averaging 13.9 PPG, 9.7 RPG, and 2.6 APG in 29.9 minutes per contest (seven games). All those numbers would be career highs.
With Poeltl unavailable for perhaps the next week or 10 days, backup centers Drew Eubanks and Jock Landale will move up the Spurs’ depth chart. The team could also play more small-ball lineups, with a forward like Thaddeus Young or Keita Bates-Diop in Poeltl’s place.
Besides Poeltl, the players currently in the NBA’s health and safety protocols include Tobias Harris, Khris Middleton, Lauri Markkanen, and Kevin Love.
Tobias Harris Tests Positive For COVID-19
NOVEMBER 3: Harris has tested positive for COVID-19, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).
As Wojnarowski notes (via Twitter), in order to return to the court, a player who tests positive has to either wait 10 days after his initial positive test (or the onset of symptoms) or register two consecutive negative PCR tests 24 hours apart. He also has to pass cardiac tests before being cleared.
NOVEMBER 1: Sixers high-scoring forward Tobias Harris is out for their game against Portland on Monday due to the league’s health and safety protocols, Tim Bontemps of ESPN tweets.
A timetable for Harris’ return should be established in the next 12-24 hours, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. Shams Charania of The Athletic adds (via Twitter) that Harris will likely miss a few games.
The Sixers have already produced plenty of drama early this season due to the ongoing Ben Simmons saga. Simmons has yet to play this season and Joel Embiid is resting a sore knee. Embiid had an MRI on Sunday which revealed no major concerns, per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN (Twitter link), and is expected to return to action on Wednesday.
Harris is averaging 19.8 PPG, 9.0 RPG and 4.2 APG through six games this season. Furkan Korkmaz will start in his place.
Harris is the second prominent player placed under the league’s health and safety protocols on Monday. Cleveland’s Kevin Love is expected to miss several games for that reason.
Lauri Markkanen Enters Protocols, Expected To Miss Several Games
Cavaliers forward Lauri Markkanen has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols and has been ruled out for Wednesday’s game against Portland, the team announced today (via Twitter).
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), Markkanen is expected to miss several games while he remains in the protocols. That could mean he has tested positive for COVID-19, though that hasn’t been confirmed.
Markkanen is the second Cavaliers player to enter the protocols this week, joining teammate Kevin Love.
After being acquired via sign-and-trade this offseason, Markkanen has started all eight of the Cavaliers’ games to open the regular season, joining Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley in a jumbo-sized frontcourt. Markkanen’s production has been below his usual level as he adjusts to his new team — his 12.9 PPG, .361 FG%, and .280 3PT% would all be career lows.
With Markkanen and Love sidelined, the Cavs figure to lean more heavily on Allen and Mobley up front. Cedi Osman, Dean Wade, and Lamar Stevens are among the club’s backup forwards who could take on increased roles.
Agent: Pascal Siakam Could Be Back Within Two Weeks
Agent Todd Ramasar, who represents Raptors forward Pascal Siakam, told Justin Termine of NBA Today on SiriusXM NBA Radio (Twitter link) that Siakam is set to re-join his teammates on the court within two weeks.
Siakam tore his left labrum in May, and went under the knife to surgically repair the injured shoulder in June. The 27-year-old recently resumed practicing with the club, as well as with its G League affiliate, Raptors 905, as he continues to rehabilitate.
Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca tweets that Siakam’s shoulder needs to be given the green light by his surgeon in Los Angeles. Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca notes (via Twitter) that Siakam’s timeline remains aligned with the Raptors’ original projection for his return following the surgery five months ago.
The 6’9″ forward was a crucial part of Toronto’s 2019 championship-winning team, and is hoping to bounce back following an underwhelming performance for the lottery-bound Raptors in 2020/21. After leading the Raptors to the second round of the NBA playoffs and being named to his first All-Star team in 2020, Siakam appeared to regress on both sides of the ball last season. Toronto finished with a 27-45 record while playing its home games in Tampa, and missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2012/13 season.
Veteran team leader Kyle Lowry was shipped to the Heat in an offseason sign-and-trade. The Raptors selected exciting forward Scottie Barnes out of Florida State with the fourth pick in the 2021 draft. In seven games, Barnes is looking like a serious Rookie of the Year contender, averaging 18.1 PPG on 55.1% shooting from the field, along with 8.9 RPG. As a 6’9″ tweener forward, Barnes could be a long-term replacement for the veteran Siakam.
For now, it will be interesting to see how head coach Nick Nurse opts to juggle his starting lineup. He had been starting Barnes and ascendant 6’7″ swingman OG Anunoby at the forward positions, with 6’5″ Gary Trent Jr. starting at shooting guard. One of this triumvirate could head to the bench upon a Siakam return.
Maxi Kleber To Miss At Least 7-10 Days With Oblique Strain
Mavericks power forward Maxi Kleber is set to miss at least seven-to-10 days of action with an oblique muscle strain, per Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Caplan notes that the injury had initially been considered a back strain.
The 6’10” big man has primarily backed up starting power forward Kristaps Porzingis, who will also miss tonight’s home game against the visiting Heat. This season, the 29-year-old Kleber is averaging 7.2 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 1.2 BPG in just 18.8 MPG for Dallas.
There’s more availability news coming out of Dallas before tipoff tonight.
Caplan reports that Porzingis will also not play tonight against Miami, but adds that head coach Jason Kidd sounds optimistic Porzingis will be available for tomorrow’s contest against the Spurs. Porzingis has been sidelined by a back injury for the Mavericks’ past three games. Kidd said today that Porzingis was “progressing” in his recovery from the injury, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN (via Twitter).
With Porzingis and Kleber both absent, tweener forward Dorian Finney-Smith looks to be the starter at power forward for Dallas. Reserve guard Jalen Brunson appears set to move into the starting lineup at shooting guard, while swingman Tim Hardaway Jr. would subsequently shift up a slot to starting small forward.
Reserve point guard Trey Burke did not comply with the league’s mandated COVID-19 testing window for the second time in the last four games, but is still set to travel with the club to San Antonio tonight, per Caplan. MacMahon tweets that Burke will now miss his second game of the young 2021/22 season due to not wanting to get vaccinated, and will not be compensated for this missed game.
Bobby Marks of ESPN adds (Twitter link) that Burke will miss out on $34,389 per each missed game as a result of not following COVID-19 protocols for unvaccinated players. Burke is earning $3.2MM this season and holds a $3.3MM player option for next season.
Latest On Ben Simmons
4:32pm: Simmons has met with team doctors to treat a back ailment, but hasn’t been willing to discuss his mental readiness with the club’s doctors, according to a full report from Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski at ESPN. He has also engaged with teammates and members of the coaching staff in one-on-one situations at the practice facility, but it’s unclear if or when he’ll rejoin full team activities.
Sources close to Simmons tell ESPN that they expect to provide updates to the Sixers once the 25-year-old is comfortable doing so.
4:03pm: There is “frustration mounting” within the Sixers over Ben Simmons‘ unwillingness to keep the team apprised of his status, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne told colleague Malika Andrews today during a TV appearance (video link).
When Simmons told the team on October 22 that he wasn’t mentally ready to play, the Sixers stopped fining him for missing practices and games and offered him any off-court resources he needed to work through the situation. However, according to Shelburne, Simmons hasn’t been accepting any of the help or resources the club has made available.
Shelburne hears that Simmons has been working with mental health professionals through the National Basketball Players Association, but “hasn’t really kept the team in the loop” on the work he’s doing or progress he’s making. Besides not sharing any updates with the 76ers, Simmons also hasn’t resumed practicing with the club, having only conducted individual workouts.
There’s “no timeline” for Simmons’ return to practices or games, according to Shelburne.
Given that Simmons wasn’t in contact with the Sixers for months during the offseason, Shelburne’s update doesn’t come as a major surprise. Simmons’ actions don’t mean his claim that he’s not mentally prepared to play wasn’t made in good faith, but there was never any real indication that he’d reversed course on his desire to not play another game as a Sixer.
Team president of basketball operations Daryl Morey has stated that he won’t be rushed into making a Simmons trade before he gets an offer he likes. And while Morey’s claim that it “could take four years” was certainly an exaggeration, it seems unlikely that any deal will happen until at least December 15, when more players around the league become trade-eligible. If Simmons maintains radio silence in the coming days and weeks, the Sixers will have to decide just how much space they’re willing to give him.
Lou Williams: 2021/22 May Be My Last Season
Speaking to Taylor Rooks of Bleacher Report (video link) about his NBA career, Hawks guard Lou Williams said that 2021/22 is “probably my last season.” However, Williams admitted that he thought the same thing last season and continued playing.
[RELATED: Lou Williams Considered Retirement After Trade To Hawks]
“Potentially,” Williams said when pressed by Rooks about whether he intends to retire after the current season. “I have the clarity, I’m OK with that. But I’m also OK with continuing to play if that’s where it takes me. I’m prepared for the worst.”
It doesn’t sound like Williams has made any decisions yet, but the fact that he’s even discussing retirement is noteworthy. The three-time Sixth Man of the Year just turned 35 last Wednesday, and some of his contemporaries have talked about wanting to play into their 40s. It doesn’t sound like the 17th-year guard expects his playing career to last anywhere near that long.
Williams, who entered the NBA as a second-round pick in 2005, has averaged double-digit points per game for 14 straight seasons, but has gotten off to a slow start this fall, averaging 6.3 PPG and 0.5 APG on .381/.333/1.000 shooting in four games for Atlanta.
While there’s plenty of time to increase those numbers, Williams’ limited playing time so far (12.3 MPG, two DNP-CDs) suggests he likely won’t have a major role for the Hawks this season. He’ll be a free agent in 2022 when his one-year, $5MM deal with the club expires.
Rudy Gobert, Jimmy Butler Named Players Of The Week
Jazz center Rudy Gobert and Heat swingman Jimmy Butler have been named the NBA’s Players of the Week in the Western Conference and Eastern Conference, respectively, the league announced today (Twitter links).
During the week of October 25-31, Gobert helped lead the Jazz to a 3-1 record, averaging 16.3 PPG, 15.5 RPG, and 2.3 BPG with a .778 FG% in his four games (31.1 MPG).
Butler’s Heat won all four of their games during the last week, beating the Magic, Nets, Hornets, and Grizzlies by an average of 17.8 points. Butler led the way with 28.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 5.3 APG, and 3.3 SPG on .586/.400/.933 shooting in 34.2 MPG.
Gobert’s teammate Donovan Mitchell was among the other Western Conference nominees, along with Anthony Davis (Lakers), Russell Westbrook, and Luka Doncic (Mavericks). Butler beat out fellow Eastern Conference nominees RJ Barrett (Knicks), DeMar DeRozan (Bulls), Kevin Durant (Nets), Darius Garland (Cavaliers), Montrezl Harrell (Wizards), and teammate Bam Adebayo.
Zion Williamson Out At Least 2-3 More Weeks
Pelicans head coach Willie Green provided a health update on Zion Williamson today, telling reporters that doctors are encouraged by the latest scans on the forward’s foot (Twitter link via Andrew Lopez of ESPN).
According to Green, Williamson is participating in 5-on-0 workouts and has shown the ability to cut, but hasn’t yet been cleared for 5-on-5 work. The plan is for the former No. 1 overall pick to undergo more scans in about two or three weeks in the hopes of clearing him to participate fully in practice and determine a timeline for his return (Twitter link via William Guillory of The Athletic).
When Pelicans head of basketball operations David Griffin first revealed on Media Day last month that Williamson had undergone surgery on his foot in the offseason, he conveyed optimism that the 21-year-old would be ready to go by the regular season. However, prior to opening night, Griffin walked those comments back, suggesting that he hadn’t meant the start of the regular season.
Even if Williamson is cleared to return to action in three weeks, which is an optimistic timeline, he’d miss about 12 more games for a Pelicans team that has started the season with a 1-6 record. New Orleans has playoff aspirations this season, but the club hasn’t looked good on either end of the court with the former No. 1 overall pick out of the lineup and risks digging a deeper hole for itself in the coming weeks.
Green also said today that Brandon Ingram, who is dealing with a right hip contusion, is still sore and is considered day-to-day (Twitter link via Guillory).
Suns Declining 2022/23 Option On Jalen Smith
The Suns won’t exercise the 2022/23 option on 2020 lottery pick Jalen Smith, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Suns Exercise Cameron Johnson’s 2022/23 Option]
As a result, Smith will become an unrestricted free agent during the summer of 2022, two years before his rookie contract normally would have expired and two years after being drafted 10th overall. Phoenix – or whichever team finishes the season with Smith on its roster – won’t be able to offer him a starting salary that exceeds $4,670,160, the amount of his declined option.
Smith, 21, appeared in just 27 games as a rookie last season, averaging 2.0 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 5.8 minutes per contest. The big man flashed some promise in recent months with his play in Summer League (16.3 PPG, 12.5 RPG) and during the preseason (9.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG).
It’s rare for teams to decline options (especially third-year options) on rookie scale contracts, since it’s still so early in the player’s career and the price is typically pretty reasonable. As our tracker shows, Smith is the first player still on a rookie contract whose third-year option is being turned down this year. Jarrett Culver‘s fourth-year option is reportedly being declined by Memphis.
Passing on Smith’s ’22/23 option should allow the Suns, who project to be a taxpayer, to replace him with a minimum-salary player next season.
Reports during the offseason indicated that Smith was a potential trade chip. It’s safe to assume Phoenix will continue shopping him leading up to this year’s trade deadline, though the fact that the team turned down his option signals that he doesn’t have a ton of value.