Pelicans-Spurs Game Postponed
7:55pm: The issue with the postponement concerns a potential coronavirus exposure to a non-team member of the traveling parties for both teams in recent days, Andrew Lopez of ESPN tweets.
6:34pm: The NBA postponed Monday’s scheduled game between the Spurs and Pelicans, according to a league press release.
What made this late postponement even more noteworthy was that both teams did not have the league-required eight available players due to COVID-19 contact tracing.
The Pelicans had a January 11 postponement due to coronavirus issues surrounding the Mavericks. This is the first game for which they have not had enough players due to COVID-19 positives and contact tracing. This is the first postponement of any kind for San Antonio.
It’s the 22nd game that the league has postponed due to health and safety protocols.
Leonard, George Placed On Health And Safety Protocol List
Clippers stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will miss the team’s game in Atlanta on Tuesday after being placed on the league’s health and safety protocol list, the team’s PR department announced.
The superstar duo didn’t fly to Atlanta with the rest of the team, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN tweets.
The Clippers, who are off to a 13-4 start, carry a seven-game winning streak into their six-game road trip. They’re also schedule to face Miami (Thursday), Orlando (Friday), New York (Sunday), Brooklyn (Tuesday, Feb. 2) and Cleveland (Wednesday, Feb. 3) before returning home to face Boston on Friday, Feb. 5.
It’s possible that Leonard and/or George will join the team at some point on its journey if they clear protocols, Youngmisuk adds.
Leonard and George are the latest big-name players to miss time due to COVID-19 protocols. Jimmy Butler, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kevin Durant and Jayson Tatum are among the top-level players who have been sidelined by the protocols in recent weeks.
Jayson Tatum Returns For Celtics
Jayson Tatum, who reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this month, doesn’t appear on the latest injury report and will return to the Celtics‘ lineup on Monday night in Chicago, as Chris Mannix of SI.com tweets.
Tatum last played on January 8, when he scored 32 points vs. Washington. A day later, word broke that the 22-year-old had entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols, with a subsequent report indicating he had tested positive for COVID-19.
Tatum ultimately only missed five games for Boston, since three other contests on the schedule during his absence were postponed. The team went 2-3 without its All-NBA forward in the lineup.
In his first 10 games of 2020/21, Tatum appeared poised to enjoy a career year. His 26.9 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 3.8 APG, and .438 3PT% so far this season would all be career bests.
Although the Celtics will have Tatum back tonight, they’ll be without Kemba Walker, who will sit out the second half of a back-to-back set for injury management purposes.
Nets Reportedly Have Interest In JaVale McGee
The Nets, who are in the market for a veteran center after having traded Jarrett Allen to Cleveland, are said to be eyeing Cavaliers center JaVale McGee, according to a series of reports.
Sam Amico of FortyEightMinutes.com first tweeted that sources expected Brooklyn to pursue a trade for McGee, while Jason Dumas of KRON4 News said today (via Twitter) that the Nets are talking to Cleveland about a possible deal. Brian Lewis of The New York Post also indicated (via Twitter) that he has heard some chatter about the Nets and McGee.
The trade that sent Allen from the Nets to the Cavs left Brooklyn somewhat shorthanded at the five, while Cleveland now has an abundance of options in the middle. Besides DeAndre Jordan, the Nets’ potential fives – Nicolas Claxton, Reggie Perry, and soon-to-be-signed Norvel Pelle – are short on NBA experience. The Cavs, on the other hand, have nine-year veteran Andre Drummond starting at center, with Allen and McGee operating as backups.
As Dumas tweets, the Cavs don’t intend to flip Allen, but they could make Drummond, McGee, and/or power forward Kevin Love available before this season’s trade deadline. Dumas suggests Brooklyn has some interest in Love as well, but it’s hard to imagine how such a deal would work, given his $31MM+ salary and the makeup of the Nets’ roster.
McGee is a more realistic target for Brooklyn — his $4.2MM expiring contract could be absorbed using the Nets’ newly-granted disabled player exception if the team doesn’t want to send out any players to match his salary. The Nets still have multiple open roster spots, so making room on the 15-man squad wouldn’t be an issue either.
The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are expected to seek draft capital for any of the big men they move, per Dumas. Unless they’re willing to take on some unwanted salary, the Cavs probably shouldn’t expect more than a second-round pick for McGee or Drummond.
Bulls-Grizzlies Wednesday Game Postponed
The Bulls–Grizzlies game on Wednesday night has been postponed in accordance with the NBA’s health and safety protocols, the league announced in a press release.
The postponement is a result of contact tracing within the Grizzlies and the length of time preceding the game during which Memphis will be unable to practice, the release said. This marks the Grizzlies’ fifth straight postponed game (Wednesday and Friday against Portland, plus Sunday and Monday against Sacramento).
Although another game has been postponed, Memphis still has no new players entered into the health and safety protocols, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
As our NBA Game Postponement Tracker shows, this is the 21st game suspended by the NBA this season. The Grizzlies (7-6) currently own the sixth-best record in the Western Conference, while the Bulls (7-9) own the tenth-best record in the Eastern Conference.
Wolves Owner Says Ryan Saunders’ Job Is Safe
The Timberwolves aren’t considering a coaching change despite a frustrating start to the season, team owner Glen Taylor tells Charley Walters of The St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Minnesota is last in the Western Conference with a 3-11 record, second only to the Pistons for the worst mark in the league. However, Taylor doesn’t want to assess head coach Ryan Saunders‘ performance until the team has more time with Karl-Anthony Towns, who has missed 10 games because of a wrist injury and COVID-19. The Wolves are 1-9 without Towns.
“I haven’t even talked to (president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas) about that — he hasn’t brought it up,” Taylor said of a possible coaching change, “but you’re asking me, and it’s probably hard to tell a guy that you aren’t doing the job when your best guy isn’t playing.”
Taylor admits being disappointed with the way his team has played so far. Minnesota was expecting to be more competitive with Towns and D’Angelo Russell leading the franchise. The addition of top draft pick Anthony Edwards and an offseason deal for Ricky Rubio sparked hopes that the Wolves might be able to contend for at least a play-in spot.
“The team hasn’t done as well as I think anybody anticipated,” Taylor said. “We lost some games we thought we could win. Probably a couple of the young guys are doing better than we anticipated, and that’s good. But overall, you’ve got to win. Karl being out really hurts, because we just have no flow going yet.”
Taylor also commented on the lack of movement on a potential sale of the Wolves and the Lynx of the WNBA. He is reportedly seeking $1.5 billion for both teams.
“I haven’t found anything that for sure says I should move ahead,” Taylor said. “… The other question: Is now a good time to sell when you don’t have fans? And it’s not a good time.”
Payton Pritchard Out At Least Two Weeks With MCL Sprain
Payton Pritchard has been sidelined by a Grade 1 MCL sprain in his right knee, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The Celtics guard is expected to resume on-court activities in two weeks.
The injury occurred in the first quarter of Friday’s game against the Sixers when Jaylen Brown landed on Pritchard’s foot while chasing a rebound. Pritchard’s knee bent awkwardly and he had to be helped off the court.
The rookie out of Oregon has been a pleasant early-season surprise in Boston. He is averaging 7.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists through 14 games and has moved ahead of veteran guard Jeff Teague in the rotation.
The Celtics’ backcourt will be short-handed while Pritchard is out of action, notes Matt Vautour of MassLive. Kemba Walker, who returned from left knee soreness last weekend, is on a minutes restriction, while Carsen Edwards and Aaron Nesmith are already out of action.
Kings Exploring Trade Market For Nemanja Bjelica
The Kings explored the trade market for Nemanja Bjelica around the time of the draft and will likely to continue to find a way to move the veteran forward, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee reports.
Bjelica’s playing time has dropped dramatically — he hasn’t seen court time since January 9 — due to the organization’s decision to develop its younger players and find core pieces to fit around the team’s star, De’Aaron Fox, Anderson adds.
Sacramento could have shed Bjelica’s $7.15MM salary in November but instead opted to guarantee the contract. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Bjelica, 32, had his best season as a pro in 2019/20, starting 67 of 72 games at power forward for the Kings. The veteran stretch four established new career highs in PPG (11.5), RPG (6.4), APG (2.8) and 3PT% (.419).
Coach Luke Walton said he has discussed the situation with Bjelica.
“It is a balancing act,” Walton said. “… You look at where the future of this team is going … We need them (the younger players) out there. We need them getting better, but at the same time we’re trying to win. There’s not an easy answer to that. It is a balancing act of getting the experience and that exposure.”
Marvin Bagley III, who missed a good chunk of last season due to injuries, has started regularly at the four. Chimezie Metu has received some backup minutes at the position and Walton has also used some smaller lineups.
J.J. Barea Signs With Team In Spain
Former Mavericks guard and NBA champion J.J. Barea has signed a deal to play for Estudiantes in Spain’s Liga ACB, tweets Marc Stein of the New York Times (Twitter link).
Dallas had signed Barea to a veteran’s minimum deal in November before waiving their longtime guard due to a roster crunch. Owner Mark Cuban indicated the offer was extended to Barea as a reward for his 11 years of service to the club.
Last season with the Mavericks, Barea averaged 7.7 PPG and 3.9 APG in 15.5 MPG across 29 regular-season contests. The 2019/20 campaign was Barea’s return from a torn Achilles tendon, which he suffered back in January 2019.
As Stein notes (via Twitter), Barea still hopes to return to the NBA and could use his time in Spain as a showcase to NBA teams ahead of the May 18 start date for the playoffs, since Estudiantes’ season might end before that.
Wizards Sign Alex Len To One-Year Deal
JANUARY 23: The Wizards have made it official, announcing in a press release that they’ve signed Len.
JANUARY 22: Free agent center Alex Len, who cleared waivers on Thursday after being released by the Raptors on Tuesday, has agreed to sign a one-year contract with the Wizards, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
According to Charania, Len had multiple suitors and chose the Wizards in part because of the clear path to playing time in D.C. — starting center Thomas Bryant tore his ACL earlier this month and will miss the rest of the season, while Anzejs Pasecniks was released this past weekend, leaving Robin Lopez as the only true center on the active roster.
The fifth overall pick in the 2013 draft, Len signed a one-year, $2.26MM contract with the Raptors in November, but didn’t see much action in his brief stint with the team. The 2.3 points and 10.9 minutes per game he averaged in seven contests with Toronto would’ve been his lowest marks since his rookie season.
Len has been more productive in recent years. He averaged a career-best 11.1 PPG in 77 games (20.1 MPG) with Atlanta in 2018/19, then posted 8.0 PPG and 5.8 RPG in 55 games (17.6 MPG) in part-time roles for the Hawks and Kings last season.
Having waived Pasecniks a few days ago, the Wizards had an open spot on their 15-man roster, so no corresponding move will be required to make room for Len.
The big man will earn a prorated portion of the veteran’s minimum on his new deal with Washington, notes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington (Twitter link). If the signing is officially completed today, Len would earn a $1,712,648 salary and the Wizards would take on a $1,276,472 cap hit.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.