Wiseman Out Rest Of Season After Meniscus Surgery
The rookie season of Warriors center James Wiseman, the second pick in the 2020 NBA draft, is officially over. Wiseman went under the knife for surgery today in Los Angeles to address a right meniscal tear, the team announced in a tweet.
The Warriors, who confirmed that Wiseman will miss the remainder of the 2020/21 season, will supply an update for Wiseman’s recovery timeline in September. The club expects him to return in ’21/22.
Reports emerged on Sunday (as we relayed) that the 20-year-old big man did indeed suffer a meniscus tear and could be in jeopardy of missing the rest of the season as Golden State made a push for a play-in tournament appearance. He will finish his first NBA season out of Memphis having appeared in 39 games, including 27 starts.
The seven-footer posted averages of 11.5 PPG and 5.8 RPG on 51.9% shooting from the floor across 21.4 MPG. Head coach Steve Kerr has opted to sub in veteran big man Kevon Looney as the Warriors’ starting center.
Thunder Sign Justin Robinson To Second 10-Day Deal
Second-year guard Justin Robinson, whose initial 10-day contract with the Thunder expired overnight, has inked a second 10-day deal with Oklahoma City, the team announced today in a press release.
Having initially joined Oklahoma City’s roster on April 5, Robinson appeared in all six games the team played over the next 10 days, averaging 3.5 PPG and 1.3 APG on .389/.308/.600 shooting in 12.0 minutes per contest. While those numbers are pretty modest, the Thunder apparently liked what they saw from Robinson enough to keep him around for at least 10 more days.
Before arriving in OKC, Robinson played this season for the Delaware Blue Coats in the G League bubble, recording 15.5 PPG and 5.9 APG on .389/.376/.629 shooting in 13 games (31.1 MPG). The 23-year-old was a full-time starter for a Delaware squad that made it to the NBAGL Finals.
Robinson, who will earn $99,020 on his second 10-day deal with the Thunder, will fill the lone open spot on the team’s roster. So, barring any further roster moves, Oklahoma City will have a full 17-man squad for at least the next 10 days.
Once Robinson’s second 10-day contract expires, OKC will have to either let him walk or sign him for the rest of the season.
LaMarcus Aldridge Announces Retirement Following Health Scare
Nets big man LaMarcus Aldridge has retired as an NBA player, announcing his decision in a statement on Twitter. As Aldridge explains, he made the decision after experiencing an irregular heartbeat during his most recent game.
“Though I’m better now, what I felt with my heart that night was still one of the scariest things I’ve experienced,” Aldridge said in his statement. “With that being said, I’ve made the difficult decision to retire from the NBA. For 15 years, I’ve put basketball first, and now, it is time to put my health and family first.”
Aldridge’s irregular heartbeat last Saturday wasn’t the first time he has dealt with a heart-related health issue. He was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome as a rookie in 2007 and missed time in 2017 due to a hearth arrhythmia. Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News wrote more in ’17 about Aldridge’s heart history.
Aldridge, who gave up a significant chunk of his remaining 2020/21 salary in a buyout agreement with the Spurs last month, joined the Nets as a free agent in the hopes of earning his first championship ring. However, the 35-year-old was only able to appear in five games for Brooklyn before making the decision to call it a career.
Nets general manager Sean Marks said in a statement of his own today that the franchise fully supports Aldridge’s decision, as Ian Begley of SNY.tv relays (via Twitter).
“While we value what he has brought to our team during his short time in Brooklyn, his health and well-being are far more important than the game of basketball,” Marks said. “We know this was not an easy decision for him, but after careful consideration and consultation with numerous medical experts, he made the best decision for him, his family, and his life after basketball.”
Aldridge, the second overall pick in the 2006 draft out of Texas, averaged 19.4 points and 8.2 rebounds in 1,029 career NBA regular season games for the Trail Blazers, Spurs, and Nets. He contributed 20.8 PPG and 8.5 RPG in another 72 postseason contests.
Aldridge was named to the NBA All-Star team seven times over the course of his 15-year career, earning All-NBA honors five times — twice as a member of the Second Team and three times as part of the Third Team.
While Aldridge’s health is the Nets’ primary concern for now, it’s worth noting that his retirement will have a significant impact on Brooklyn’s frontcourt rotation as the team pursues a title. Aldridge had started all five games he played for the club. Nicolas Claxton and DeAndre Jordan will handle the majority of the minutes at center with Aldridge no longer in the mix.
Whether or not Aldridge remains on Brooklyn’s roster for the rest of the season, he’ll earn his remaining salary, so the team will likely release him in a procedural move in order to sign a 15th man for the postseason.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Concerns Growing Over Injury Risks With Compressed Schedule
The tightened schedule the NBA adopted to squeeze 72 games into five months is being criticized amid an increase in injuries, writes Baxter Holmes of ESPN. Holmes talked to several general managers and training staff officials who believe players are more at risk than ever.
The torn ACL suffered this week by Nuggets guard Jamal Murray is the latest example of a high-profile injury that could alter the course of a team’s season.
“Hands down, it’s the worst schedule I’ve seen in 25 years in the league,” a veteran assistant coach said. “It’s utterly insane.”
Another called it “brutal,” while a head athletic trainer said the situation is worse than what teams experienced during the restart in Orlando last summer.
“Going into the bubble, we had all these different anxieties about the games, but without travel,” the trainer said. “This is literally exponentially more difficult. It’s such a cumulative effect.”
Data from the Elias Sports Bureau indicates that 2021 All-Stars have missed 15% of games this season, which would be the second-highest rate in league history. Several executives told Holmes that prior to the season, general managers voiced concerns over the schedule to the NBA office, including to commissioner Adam Silver, but the league was determined to complete the season in time to give players the chance to compete in the Summer Olympics, which will begin on July 23.
An NBA spokesperson contends that through 50 games, the number of injuries is actually down from last season and is within the normal range for the past five years. The league took steps this year to cut down on travel, such as having teams play a two-game series at some stops and reducing the number of one-game road trips.
Complicating the schedule was the high number of games that were postponed during the first half of the season because of COVID-19 outbreaks. Most of those games are being made up in the second half, forcing some teams to play far more often than normal.
The Grizzlies, for example, play three games in four nights 22 times over the second half, although some of those overlap. Memphis also has eight instances of five games in seven days, which is the most in the league, followed by the Spurs with seven and the Pistons, Rockets and Mavericks with five each. The Heat went 51 games without more than one day of rest between games, which is the longest stretch since the lockout season in 2011/12.
The NBA is coming off a shortened offseason as some playoff teams played into October last year, then started the new season in December. Silver has expressed optimism that next season will start on time, so players will again have limited time to recover this summer. The NBA Finals could go last late as July 22, and Summer League in Las Vegas is expected to be held in August.
“This whole two-year period will have a marked long-term effect on players many years down the line,” a general manager said. “It’s like if your power goes out. You have to burn candles if you want light. If you burn them, you won’t have them the next time your power goes out. We are burning through the players right now at an alarming rate. But again, what’s the alternative? Twenty-five-man rosters? Fewer games? It’s not just a ‘league thing.’ It all required collaboration with the NBPA. It’s a shared responsibility, driven almost exclusively by the seduction of (money).”
Warriors’ Wiseman To Undergo Right Knee Surgery
Warriors center James Wiseman will undergo surgery on his right knee later this week, league sources tell Anthony Slater of The Athletic. The procedure is expected to take place as soon as Thursday, Slater adds.
Wiseman, who injured his right knee on Saturday, reportedly suffered a torn meniscus. The Warriors, who have spent the last few days getting multiple opinions on the injury and assessing the potential options, have decided that surgery is the way to go.
Although Wiseman will go under the knife, the exact nature of the procedure and his possible recovery timeline remain up in the air. As Slater explains, the surgeon likely won’t determine the best course of action until getting a clearer look at the tear during the procedure.
Trimming the meniscus is one option, which would result in about a four-to-six week recovery timetable. A full repair of the meniscus is also being considered and would mean several months of recovery time. The Warriors are comfortable with either approach, according to Slater, who says the rookie’s season is likely over either way, since the club wants to be cautious with the No. 2 overall pick.
In 39 games (21.4 MPG) this season, Wiseman averaged 11.5 PPG and 5.8 RPG on 51.9% shooting. In his absence, Kevon Looney has taken over as Golden State’s starting center. The team is also said to be mulling another frontcourt addition.
Wizards Sign Jordan Bell To 10-Day Contract
As expected, the Wizards have officially re-signed big man Jordan Bell to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release.
Washington opened up a spot on its 15-man roster last week by releasing Jerome Robinson. At the time, reports indicated that the Wizards would fill that opening by bringing back Bell — nearly a week later, the deal is done.
Bell, 26, inked a 10-day contract with the Wizards in January, then played for the team’s temporary NBA G League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks, at the Walt Disney World bubble. He averaged 17.6 PPG, 9.1 RPG, and 2.1 BPG in seven NBAGL contests (27.4 MPG).
A report last month suggested the Wizards were eyeing Bell for a possible two-way deal if Garrison Mathews was promoted to the 15-man roster. But for now at least, it’ll be Bell who ends up on the 15-man squad, at least for the next 10 days.
Bell will earn $114,990 on his 10-day contract with Washington. The team will take on a $110,998 cap hit.
Grizzlies Sign Tim Frazier To 10-Day Contract
APRIL 14: The Grizzlies have officially signed Frazier to his 10-day deal, the team confirmed today in a press release.
APRIL 11: The Grizzlies are bringing back point guard Tim Frazier on a 10-day contract, his second of the 2020/21 season, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
Memphis previously signed Frazier to a 10-day deal in January, opting not to bring the 30-year-old back on a second contract at the time. He appeared in three games during that span and logged a total of 33 minutes.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), Frazier will be allowed to sign a third 10-day contract with Memphis if the team so chooses. The first 10-day deal he signed was completed using the team’s hardship exception and didn’t count toward the usual limit, making this a rare possibility for each side.
[RELATED: NBA Tweaks Rules For Hardship Provision, 10-Day Contracts]
The deal itself is pending health and safety protocols, according to Wojnarowski, who adds that it’ll likely be finalized this week. Frazier holds past experience with the Sixers, Blazers, Pelicans, Wizards, Bucks and Pistons. He went unselected in the 2014 draft.
Memphis currently holds the eighth-best record in the West at 26-24. The franchise is looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2017 and doesn’t have any other vacant roster spots.
Cuban: Implementing Play-In Tournament During Compressed Season A “Mistake”
Within the last 24 hours, Mavericks star Luka Doncic and team owner Mark Cuban have each criticized the concept of the NBA’s play-in tournament, as Tim MacMahon details in a pair of stories for ESPN.com.
Cuban is part of the NBA’s Board of Governors, which unanimously approved the proposal to implement a play-in tournament for the final two playoff spots in each conference. However, it sounds like the Mavericks owner is having second thoughts about the concept, calling it an “enormous mistake” to introduce the play-in games during a compressed season.
“The worst part of this approach is that it doubles the stress of the compressed schedule,” Cuban told ESPN. “Rather than playing for a playoff spot and being able to rest players as the standings become clearer, teams have to approach every game as a playoff game to either get into or stay in the top six since the consequences, as Luka said, are enormous. So players are playing more games and more minutes in fewer days.”
Cuban’s comments came the day after his franchise player offered his own criticism of the play-in idea.
“I don’t understand the idea of a play-in,” Doncic said on Monday. “You play 72 games to get into the playoffs, then maybe you lose two in a row and you’re out of the playoffs. So I don’t see the point of that.”
The play-in tournament will pit the seventh and eighth teams in each conference against one another, with the winner securing the No. 7 seed. The loser of that game will then face the winner of a game between the ninth and 10th seeds for the final playoff spot.
Cuban’s complaint about implementing the play-in tournament during a compressed schedule is valid, since teams are more concerned than ever about keeping players healthy while playing 72 games in 146 days (instead of the usual 82 in 177) following a shortened offseason.
Still, it’s hard to separate Cuban’s and Doncic’s critiques of the play-in tournament from Dallas’ place in the standings. The Mavericks currently have a 29-24 record, putting them seventh in the West and two games back of the sixth-seeded Trail Blazers. It’s perhaps no coincidence that Cuban offered an alternate solution that would allow the Mavs to avoid a play-in game.
“I get why the NBA is doing it,” Cuban said of the play-in tournament. “But if we are going to be creative because of COVID, we should go straight up 1-20 and let the bottom four (seeds) play in.”
If the league were to seed teams regardless of conference, allowing the top 12 to secure automatic postseason berths while the next eight participated in a play-in, the Mavs would be in better shape — they hold the NBA’s 10th-best record.
Joe Johnson Will Work Out For Bucks
Joe Johnson will make another attempt at an NBA comeback, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. The 39-year-old swingman has a workout scheduled with the Bucks this week, sources tell Scotto.
Johnson has been out of the league since the 2017/18 season, when he played a combined 55 games for the Jazz and Rockets. He was part of the Team USA squad at the AmericaCup qualifying event in February, averaging 11 points, nine rebounds and 6.5 assists in two games.
He’s also known for his time in the BIG3 League, where he captured MVP honors in 2019 and earned a training camp invitation from the Pistons. He survived until the end of camp, but lost a battle for the final roster spot to Christian Wood.
Johnson played 17 NBA seasons and appeared in seven All-Star Games. Scotto suggests the Bucks are intrigued by his extensive playoff experience, as well as his ability to stretch the floor and score in isolation.
Milwaukee has an open roster spot, so Johnson could be added without making another move.
Blazers Add T.J. Leaf On Two-Way Contract
APRIL 13: The signing is official, the Blazers announced in a press release.
APRIL 5: The Trail Blazers are signing forward T.J. Leaf to a two-way contract, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
Portland had an open two-way slot. Keljin Blevins is the other player signed to a two-way deal.
Leaf was waived by the Thunder prior to the season. He was acquired by Oklahoma City in an offseason trade, with the club receiving Leaf and a future second-round pick in a deal with the Pacers for Jalen Lecque.
Leaf, the 18th overall pick in the 2017 draft, failed to carve out a steady role as a rotation player during three seasons in Indiana. The former UCLA standout averaged just 3.0 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 28 games (7.9 MPG) for the Pacers in 2019/20.
Leaf had a guaranteed $4.33MM salary this season when he was waived. The 6’10” power forward is unlikely to see much action behind Robert Covington and Carmelo Anthony.