Ja Morant Expected To Miss 3-5 Weeks With Ankle Sprain
Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant is expected to miss the next three to five weeks recovering from a left ankle injury, the team announced today (via Twitter). According to the Grizzlies, Morant was diagnosed with a Grade 2 sprain after undergoing tests today.
The 21-year-old suffered the injury on Monday night in the second quarter of Memphis’ game vs. the Nets, when he landed on Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot‘s foot while trying to contest a shot. He left the court area on a wheelchair.
While the injury could have been worse, it’s still an unfortunate setback for Morant, who was looking to build off his Rookie of the Year campaign and was off to a strong start this season. In his two full games before suffering the injury on Monday, he averaged 36.0 PPG and 8.0 APG on .583/.333/.813 shooting.
With Morant sidelined, the Grizzlies will have to lean more heavily on Tyus Jones in the short term. De’Anthony Melton also should see an uptick in minutes once he clears the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
Kevin Love To Miss At Least 3-4 Weeks With Calf Injury
Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love has reaggravated a right calf strain that he initially suffered during the preseason, the team announced today in a press release.
According to the Cavs, Love will undergo treatment and rehabilitation for his calf injury, and will be reassessed in about three or four weeks. His status will be updated as appropriate, per the club.
It’s a tough break for a Cavaliers squad that is off to an unexpectedly strong start in 2020/21, having already picked up wins over the Hornets, Pistons, and Sixers. Cleveland is one of just four NBA teams that remains undefeated at 3-0, but will be without its starting power forward for at least the next three or four weeks.
With Love on the shelf, the Cavs figure to lean more heavily on big man Larry Nance Jr., who will presumably take over as the team’s starting four. Reserve power forward Dean Wade should also be a more regular part of the rotation with Love sidelined.
The Cavaliers have a busy schedule in the coming weeks, so even if Love’s recovery progresses quickly, he’ll miss a good chunk of games. A three-week absence would result in 12 missed contests.
Dion Waiters Has Contemplated Retirement
After winning a title earlier this year as a member of the Lakers, Dion Waiters has yet to find a new home for the 2020/21 season, either in the NBA or in another league. During a recent Instagram Live session (video link), Waiters admitted that he considered the possibility of retiring (hat tip to Complex.com).
“They think I’m playing. I’ve been contemplating it though—about retiring,” Waiters said. “It’s the politics for me. Game-wise, we know what’s up. I just can’t do the politics, man. We ain’t going over that water. I’ll retire before that.”
Waiters is coming off an up-and-down year in which he was suspended multiple times by the Heat for off-court behavior and experienced a medical episode on a team flight after he consumed a “gummy,” an edible form of marijuana. Waiters was sent away from the Heat and then was traded at the 2020 deadline to the Grizzlies, who quickly waived him.
Although he caught on with the Lakers for the end of the season, Waiters didn’t play much for the eventful champions, appearing in seven regular season games and just five playoff contests. As a result of his health problems and off-court issues, the former No. 4 overall pick hasn’t played more than 46 games in a season since 2015/16, when he was a member of the Thunder.
Waiters just turned 29 years old earlier this month, so it would be a surprise if he decided to call it a career already. His comments on Instagram Live suggest that retirement is just one option he has considered — I’d expect him to remain on the lookout for new opportunities.
Sixers’ Daryl Morey Fined By NBA For Tampering Violation
The NBA has fined Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey $50K for a violation of the league’s anti-tampering rules, according to a press release.
As the league explained in its announcement, the fine is a response to a December 20 Twitter post about James Harden that Morey has since deleted.
As captured by Bleacher Report, Morey tweeted last Sunday about the one-year anniversary of Harden breaking the Rockets‘ franchise record for total assists. He shared an “On This Day” memory of a post from December 20, 2019 celebrating the achievement before removing it several minutes later.
Morey told the NBA that the tweet was an inadvertent post from an automated app, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). However, he’ll still be responsible for paying a $50K fine, a strong signal that the league isn’t letting anything slide when it comes to its efforts to crack down on tampering.
The fact that the Sixers are reportedly one of Harden’s preferred trade destinations likely played a part in the NBA’s decision.
Spencer Dinwiddie Suffers Partially Torn ACL
Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie has sustained a partially torn ACL in his right knee, the team announced in a press release. He’ll undergo surgery to repair the injury next week.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), Dinwiddie is expected to make a full recovery by the start of the 2021/22 season. The team said in its press release that further updates on the 27-year-old’s recovery timeline would be issued after surgery, but it seems likely that he’ll miss the rest of the ’20/21 season.
It’s a brutal blow for the Nets and for Dinwiddie, who suffered the injury during Sunday’s loss to Charlotte when he planted his right leg awkwardly during a drive. It was originally diagnosed as a knee strain, but the Nets cautioned that further testing would be conducted today. Those tests apparently showed the partial tear in his ACL.
Dinwiddie enjoyed a career-best season with the Nets last year, averaging 20.6 points and 6.8 assists per game. He could enter unrestricted free agency by declining a player option worth $12.3MM for ’20/21.
Dinwiddie emerged as a starter this season and was expected to be a third ball-handler alongside the likes of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. The team remains one of the deepest in the East, with Caris LeVert, Jeff Green and Taurean Prince as candidates to take Dinwiddie’s place in the starting lineup.
Assuming the Nets expect Dinwiddie to be out for the season, they can apply for a disabled player exception worth roughly $5.72MM. As we noted over the weekend, the final day to apply for this exception falls on March 3 this season, and teams have until mid-April to use their DPEs.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. JD Shaw contributed to this story.
Karl-Anthony Towns Suffers Dislocated Wrist
Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns has suffered a dislocated wrist (left perilunate subluxation), the team announced in a medical update. The injury was revealed during further examination with a hand specialist on Sunday.
Towns, who sustained the injury in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s contest against Utah, will be examined on a week-by-week basis going forward. There’s optimism that it won’t be a long-term absence for the 25-year-old, but he’s expected to miss several games, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Towns is averaging 22.6 points and 11.5 rebounds through the team’s first two contests of the season. He originally left Saturday’s game after falling hard on his wrist, but later returned to help Minnesota secure a 116-111 victory.
“I didn’t want to just quit the game and go get X-rays and stuff,” Towns said, as relayed by Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “I wanted to be available in case my team needed me, and just be out there cheering them on. I did what I had to do.”
Towns fractured the same wrist last season, though he won’t need surgery on this injury, according to the team. He played 35 games in 2019/20, averaging 26.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per contest. This includes a 51% shooting mark from the floor and 41% mark from deep.
Pistons Sign Frank Jackson To Two-Way Deal
December 27: Detroit has officially inked Jackson to his two-way contract, the team announced in a press release.
December 25: The Pistons are signing guard Frank Jackson to a two-way contract, Eric Woodyard of ESPN tweets.
The Pistons are one of just three teams with an open two-way slot. Rookie guard Saben Lee holds the other two-way contract with Detroit.
Jackson was waived by the Thunder earlier this week and was not claimed. Jackson was the last cut from the Oklahoma City training camp roster.
Jackson was the victim of a numbers game, as OKC already had 15 players on fully guaranteed contracts and he had a partially guaranteed deal. He signed a two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Thunder in the offseason but only $250K was guaranteed.
Jackson, the 31st overall pick in the 2017 draft out of Duke, missed his entire rookie season with a foot injury, but appeared in 120 games for the Pelicans over the last two years, averaging 7.2 PPG, 1.8 RPG, and 1.1 APG on .422/.319/.743 shooting during that time.
The 22-year-old was eligible for restricted free agency this fall, but the Pelicans opted not to tender him a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Obi Toppin Out 7-10 Days With Strained Calf
Knicks rookie forward Obi Toppin has a strained right calf and will be re-evaluated in seven to 10 days, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Toppin suffered the injury in the team’s first game Wednesday at Indiana, according to Steve Popper of Newsday. Toppin was held out of practice Thursday and didn’t play in tonight’s home opener.
The Knicks were thrilled that Toppin, the reigning Naismith Award winner, was still available with the eighth pick. However, he wasn’t effective in his first regular season game, shooting just 3-of-12 before the injury.
“Yeah, he’s a work in progress,” coach Tom Thibodeau said afterward. “There’s some things he’s doing really well. I think each game he’ll get better and better, each day he’ll get better and better. He’s nicked up a little bit right now, so missing practice. You can’t really do anything in practice, but study and learn and that’s what he’s doing.”
Rockets’ Wall, Gordon, Cousins, Jones Quarantining Until Wednesday
Four Rockets players – John Wall, Eric Gordon, DeMarcus Cousins, and Mason Jones – will be required by the NBA to quarantine for seven days for COVID-19 contact tracing purposes, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Their quarantine periods began on Wednesday.
Wall, Gordon, Cousins, and Jones will miss Houston’s games on Saturday (at Portland) and Monday (at Denver). As Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle tweets, all four players expected to receive clearance to practice with the team on Wednesday, barring any setbacks, and should be available to suit up on Thursday for the Rockets’ home opener vs. Sacramento.
The Rockets will also be without Ben McLemore and KJ Martin for the immediate future, since both players are self-isolating after returning positive coronavirus tests, as Feigen writes.
However, the expectation is that James Harden will be cleared to play today following a four-day quarantine for violating COVID-19 health and safety protocols, and the Rockets will have enough players available for their game vs. the Blazers.
In addition to the six players who are missing for COVID-19 reasons, the Rockets will also be without Chris Clemons, who is out for the season with a torn Achilles. That leaves nine players – Harden, P.J. Tucker, Danuel House, Christian Wood, Sterling Brown, David Nwaba, Bruno Caboclo, Jae’Sean Tate, and Brodric Thomas – presumed to be available for now. The NBA requires teams to have at least eight players active for games.
Reports earlier this week indicated that Tate was among the players who were sent home for contact tracing, but he’s not on Houston’s latest injury report and isn’t among the list of players said to be in the midst of their seven-day quarantines.
Lakers Hope To Extend Schröder Later This Season
The Lakers already like what they see from their new point guard and want to lock him up long-term.
They have begun discussions with point guard Dennis Schröder on a contract extension, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Schroder, who is making $16MM this season, will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer if he doesn’t sign an extension.
However, Schröder has a major incentive to wait until after mid-February to finalize an extension and that’s when discussions are expected to pick up again, Wojnarowski adds.
This isn’t the first time the Lakers have engaged Schröder’s representative, Alex Saratsis, regarding an extension. Schröder turned down an initial offer for an additional two years and $33.4MM, the maximum allowable offer the Lakers could make prior to February 16. That’s because Schröder was traded by the Thunder during the offseason, making him only eligible for a two-year extension with a five percent raise in salary.
He could be extended for four years and as much as $83MM after February 16, up to the time he’d become a free agent.
Schröder had 14 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds in the team’s opener against the Clippers.
Even if an extension agreement isn’t reached during the season, the Lakers hold Schröder’s Bird Rights and he can thus go over the salary cap to re-sign him during the 2021 offseason.
In the deal with OKC, the Lakers gave up Danny Green and the draft rights to No. 28 pick Jaden McDaniels, who was flipped to Minnesota in a separate trade.