Daniel Theis Out Indefinitely Following Right Knee Surgery
Veteran Pacers reserve center Daniel Theis will be sidelined for the indefinite future, the team has announced in a press release.
Theis, who was dealing with recurring right knee soreness, underwent surgery to address the issue. The Pacers noted in their statement that Theis’ status “will be updated as appropriate.”
This is not a major loss in terms of on-court contributions, as Theis has yet to play in a single game for Indiana this season. The 30-year-old has spent the majority of his career with the Celtics, outside of half-year stints with the Bulls and Rockets.
The 6’8″ big man inked a four-year deal worth up to $36MM with Houston in a 2021 sign-and-trade, but was subsequently flipped back to the Celtics midway through the season. In total, he appeared in 47 contests, averaging 8.2 PPG on 51.9% field goal shooting, plus 4.9 RPG, 0.9 APG and 0.7 BPG, across just 20.8 MPG.
Theis’ $8.7MM cap hit meant he was a logical piece to be included for salary matching purposes in Boston’s offseason acquisition of former Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 11/10/2022
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LeBron James Day-To-Day With Left Adductor Strain
3:58pm: An MRI revealed that James has a left adductor strain, Ham told reporters (Twitter links via McMenamin). He’s officially listed as doubtful for Friday’s contest against Sacramento and is considered day-to-day.
7:41am: Lakers star LeBron James left Wednesday’s loss to the Clippers in the fourth quarter and didn’t return due to what the team referred to as left leg soreness. As Dave McMenamin of ESPN reports, James said after the game that it was a groin issue, explaining that he felt a “little spasm or strain in my groin” while posting up Clippers forward Paul George.
According to McMenamin, James is expected to undergo additional testing and medical imaging on Thursday to determine the severity of the injury. The veteran forward had already been battling left foot soreness, having initially been listed as questionable to play on Wednesday.
James previously suffered a tear in his left groin on Christmas Day in 2018 and missed 17 games as a result of the injury. Asked to compare that injury to this one, the 37-year-old said it’s “not as bad” this time around, per McMenamin. He didn’t even rule out the possibility of returning to action on Friday when the Lakers host Sacramento.
“I’ll go around (the clock) treatment for 24 hours, and if it’s OK on Friday, I’ll be in the lineup,” James said.
With Wednesday’s loss, the Lakers dropped to 2-9 to open the season, so it seems like things couldn’t get much worse if LeBron does have to miss time. However, as Jovan Buha of The Athletic observes, the team has been 3.1 points per 100 possessions better with James on the court so far this season. He had scored 30 points in 32 minutes before exiting Wednesday’s game.
“I mean it’s just a lot of adversity,” Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said after the loss, according to McMenamin. “(James) has been trying his heart out just to be there for us and play at a high level. I thought he had it going really, really well tonight. But it just is something that it’s the NBA season, man. You got to be ready for a little bit of everything. We’ll see once he gets evaluated, and we’ll be ready to move forward.”
Heat’s Omer Yurtseven Likely Out For Extended Period
Heat second-year center Omer Yurtseven, who injured his ankle during Miami’s first preseason game and has yet to make his regular season debut in 2022/23, is facing an “extensive” recovery timeline, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
According to Winderman, there’s a chance Yurtseven might miss the entire season if he opts to undergo surgery, but even if he takes the non-surgical route, he’ll likely be out for an extended period. The Turkish big man is an impending restricted free agent, so surgery might be the safer choice to preserve his long-term health, Winderman writes.
The Heat have been listing Yurtseven as out with a left ankle impingement, but a source familiar with the injury tells Winderman that it appears to be a bone spur that’s been so problematic for the 24-year-old. Yurtseven continues to seek opinions on the exact nature of the injury, Winderman adds.
The injury wasn’t initially believed to be serious, yet it has continued to bother Yurtseven.
“They said structurally [it’s fine],” Yurtseven said last month. “I went to like five different doctors just to make sure everything was fine just to double, triple and quadruple check.”
Just a couple of weeks ago, Yurtseven was traveling with the team while rehabbing the ankle and hoped to return to action within a week. Obviously, that has not happened.
“I think I’m going to be back in less than a week, hopefully,” Yurtseven said at the time. “But I’ve got to sacrifice and I’ve just got to take the pain that comes with it, and that’s what I’m going to do. But hopefully sooner rather than later. But less than a week is my hope.”
As Winderman observes, because the Heat are so close to the luxury tax line, even if Yurtseven were to undergo surgery and be ruled out for the season, and the Heat were subsequently granted a disabled player exception, they still wouldn’t be able to add a 15th man without going into the tax.
Yurtseven was very productive when given playing time as a rookie last season. During one 10-game stretch as a starter with Bam Adebayo sidelined, he averaged 13.6 points, 13.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.0 steal in 30.9 minutes per contest. Head coach Erik Spoelstra had said he planned to experiment with lineups featuring both Adebayo and Yurtseven prior to the injury.
Precious Achiuwa Out Indefinitely With Ankle Injury
Raptors big man Precious Achiuwa has suffered partial ligament tears in his right ankle, the team announced today in a press release. According to Toronto, Achiuwa will wear a walking boot for the next 10 days and has been ruled out indefinitely.
The 23-year-old underwent an MRI last night after Toronto’s win over Houston which confirmed the injury, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link).
The 20th overall pick of the 2020 draft, Achiuwa has averaged 8.8 points and a career-high 7.0 rebounds in 12 games (20.4 minutes) for the 7-5 Raptors this season, though his three-point percentage has cratered in the early going — he shot a very solid 35.9% from deep in 2021/22 and is at 17.9% thus far.
The Raptors picked up their ’23/24 team option on the fourth year of his rookie contract last month, so he will be eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer.
Achiuwa is an important bench cog for a Toronto team that is already shorthanded in the frontcourt, with All-NBA forward Pascal Siakam (adductor strain) and center Khem Birch (right knee) currently sidelined. As Lewenberg notes (via Twitter), rookie center Christian Koloko, big man Chris Boucher, and veteran forwards Thaddeus Young and Otto Porter are likely to receive an uptick in playing time with Achiuwa out.
It’s unclear how long Achiuwa will be out of action, since indefinitely is a vague timeline (the Raptors might not know), but it sounds like he could be out for at least several weeks given the nature of his injury.
Grizzlies’ Desmond Bane Fined $15K By NBA
Third-year wing Desmond Bane has been fined $15K for kicking the ball into the stands late in the fourth quarter of the Grizzlies‘ loss to the Celtics on Monday, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).
The 30th overall pick of the 2020 draft, Bane has been one of the best bargains in the league on his rookie scale contract, which pays him $2.1MM this season. Since he makes a modest amount compared to the estimate average salary of an NBA player in 2022/23 ($10,792,000), a $15K fine is obviously a more substantial penalty to Bane than it would be to someone who makes more money.
Bane is off to an outstanding start this season for the 8-4 Grizzlies, averaging career highs of 24.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists with a sparkling .467/.463/.898 shooting line in 11 games (33.5 minutes per night).
After Memphis picked up his $3,845,083 option for ’23/24 last month, Bane became eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer, and he’s a virtual lock to land a huge payday as one of the team’s best players.
And-Ones: Clemons, Kilpatrick, NBA Owners, Super-Teams
A pair of former NBA guards will continue their playing careers in China, according to Dario Skerletic of Sportando. Sportando reports that ex-Rockets guard Chris Clemons is leaving the G League to sign with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association, while journeyman wing Sean Kilpatrick has agreed to a deal with the Fujian Sturgeons.
Clemons appeared in 33 games for Houston in 2019/20, but bad health luck prevented him from suiting up in the NBA in subsequent seasons. He tore his Achilles prior to the 2020/21 season and was subsequently waived by the Rockets, then entered the health and safety protocols shortly after signing a 10-day deal with Atlanta last December.
Kilpatrick, meanwhile, has been out of the NBA for a few years, but appeared in a total of 157 games for six teams from 2014-18. Since then, he has bounced around a series of international leagues, playing in Greece, Montenegro, Turkey, Spain, and Israel.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- In an episode of his Hoop Collective podcast this week, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst speculated that we may see a handful of NBA owners consider selling their teams, with valuations up and franchises in other sports selling for record-setting numbers. “There might be some folks sitting on the sideline sort of wondering ‘Should I sell?’ and they’re going to see these numbers,” Windhorst said (hat tip to RealGM).
- With teams like the Clippers, the Nets, and especially the Lakers struggling to live up to expectations, Justin Verrier of The Ringer wonders if the NBA’s super-team era has run its course and explores what the struggles of those big-market clubs means for roster building going forward.
- Bill Shea of The Athletic takes a closer look at NBA Launchpad, a “type of tech business pitch program and an incubator” which focuses on developing technology to improve the basketball experience for both players and fans. As Shea outlines, last season’s winning applicants included a German ankle-brace maker and a British virtual-reality training service, among others.
Amick’s Latest: Tanking, Jazz, Poeltl, Gilgeous-Alexander
Entering the 2022/23 season, it looked like it could be a historic year for tanking in the NBA, with Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson headlining next year’s draft class as prospects who have the potential to transform a franchise.
So far though, many of the teams expected to be involved in that race to the bottom have performed better than expected. The Pacers (5-6) and Spurs (5-7) have been hovering around .500, while the Jazz (10-3) have the best record in the Western Conference.
Still, front office executives who spoke to Sam Amick of The Athletic believe it’s just a matter of time before we see a handful of teams bottom out.
“It’s such a long season,” one executive said. “A lot of people that run and operate teams understand the risk of not winning games, as far as what it does to the fabric of your organization or your team. They do value teaching the right habits and making sure they’re putting their best foot forward and trying to win games, so I think that’s why you’re seeing teams perform better than what we thought coming out. But I do think at some point during the season, when teams realize where they’re at, they’ll adjust and do more things to try to procure the best position they can.”
Another exec put it more succinctly: “Nobody starts 0-10. You just can’t do that. But yeah, (the tanking) will happen.”
Amick spoke to 10 NBA front office executives about a variety of topics, with a focus on possible tanking teams. Here are a few more highlights from his article, which is worth checking out in full if you’re an Athletic subscriber:
- While some executives believe the Jazz remain open for business and will look to continue selling off veterans, others aren’t convinced the team will go into fire-sale mode. “I think (CEO) Danny (Ainge) won’t break it all the way down,” an exec told Amick. “I could see him keeping a guy like (Lauri) Markkanen, and (there’s a sense) that he doesn’t have the stomach for a true rebuild. That might be one team that doesn’t make moves to go that direction because Danny doesn’t believe in it.”
- Veteran center Jakob Poeltl is considered a “floor lifter” for the Spurs, so if San Antonio wants to bottom out, he’ll likely emerge as a prime trade candidate in the coming weeks and months — especially since he’s so highly regarded around the NBA. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up back there, but I also think he’ll be very much in demand (from other teams) in February,” an exec told Amick.
- Although Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has expressed confidence in the Thunder‘s future, people around the league are curious about how long he’ll remain patient if the losses continue to pile up. Amick says “quite a few teams” are monitoring Gilgeous-Alexander’s situation in addition to the Raptors, whose interest was reported in September. “You keep hearing that Shai is frustrated with the losing, and so I think that’s the Toronto thing that we’ve all heard about with their interest in Shai this summer,” one executive said. “But how far do (the Thunder) want to push this (tanking effort)?”
Northwest Notes: Hart, Wolves, KCP, Markkanen, Conley
The Trail Blazers faced some criticism last winter for not receiving more in return when they traded CJ McCollum and Larry Nance Jr. to New Orleans, but they certainly haven’t been disappointed by what they’ve gotten from Josh Hart, one of the key pieces in that deal.
A full-time starter this season for the 7-3 Blazers, Hart is attempting just 6.8 shots per 36 minutes in the early part of this season, by far a career low. But he’s filling up the box score by averaging 8.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, all of which are career bests, and is earning praise from his teammates, as Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian details.
“His last name is the perfect last name for him,” Damian Lillard said. “He rebounds like he is seven feet, he’s always in the passing lanes, he’s physical, playing hard, passionate, cares about winning. He doesn’t care about shots.”
While Hart admits that he wouldn’t mind a greater role on offense, he said he’s OK with taking a back seat to Lillard, Jerami Grant, and other teammates if that’s what’s best for the club.
“When you want to win, you’ve got to sacrifice,” Hart said, per Fentress. “I would love to be out there shooting 10, 12, 13 shots per game, and doing stuff like that. But at the end of the day, if you want to win, guys are going to have to sacrifice. Guys have to play different roles to help the team.”
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- It’s officially time to start worrying about the Timberwolves, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. The Wolves, who lost on Wednesday to a Suns squad missing Chris Paul and Cameron Johnson, have shown “no energy, no drive, and no heart” this season, Krawczynski writes, pointing out that the team has trailed by at least 18 points in six of its seven losses. “It’s just the sign of a team that’s lacking a little bit of confidence and purpose right now,” head coach Chris Finch said.
- Acquired in an offseason trade, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has been an ideal fit as a three-and-D piece for the Nuggets, according to Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports, who says head coach Michael Malone has given Caldwell-Pope the freedom to deviate from the team’s defensive game plan when he sees fit.
- Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, who is thriving in his new home in Utah, sat down with Shams Charania of Stadium (Twitter video link) to discuss his trade from Cleveland, his goal of making an All-Star team, and why things didn’t work out with the Bulls, among other topics.
- The presence of veteran point guard Mike Conley has been one important reason why so many of the Jazz‘s newly acquired players are fitting in seamlessly this season, writes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News. “I’ve played with some good point guards, but nothing like Mike,” Markkanen said on Wednesday. “He’s a really smart player and knows not just when to pass ball, but he delivers on target.”
Wolves Notes: Russell, Gobert, Prince, Edwards
The trade that brought D’Angelo Russell to the Timberwolves has turned into a huge mistake, contends Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune. Minnesota was looking for more size and scoring in its backcourt when it sent Andrew Wiggins and a pair of draft picks — one of which became Jonathan Kuminga — to Golden State in exchange for Russell and two other players at the 2020 trade deadline. Wiggins wound up as a vital cog in the Warriors’ title team, while Russell continues to frustrate Wolves fans, Souhan states.
The latest embarrassing incident came in the first half of tonight’s loss to the Suns when Russell didn’t realize he was supposed to be on the court. Minnesota played a four-on-five possession that resulted in a Phoenix three-pointer. Souhan notes that Russell came into the game ranked 211th overall in Player Efficiency Rating and 42nd among point guards in a 30-team league.
After being benched in the playoff series against Memphis, Russell hasn’t looked any different this season, according to Souhan. He observes that the Wolves often look uncertain on the court, which shouldn’t happen to a team with a veteran point guard.
There’s more from Minnesota:
- The Wolves are still working out a role on offense for Rudy Gobert, who returned tonight after missing two games while in the health and safety protocols, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. Gobert’s new teammates, particularly Karl-Anthony Towns, have been trying to make sure he gets enough touches. “The guys have been great looking for me, especially KAT,” Gobert said. “I can tell he’s been doing a lot of effort hitting me on the duck-ins, hitting me on the lobs. I think that’s the way we’re going to play if we want to be a great offensive team, be able to space for each other, move the ball, have the ball not stick.”
- Veteran forward Taurean Prince has become a locker room leader for the Wolves and he credits the influence of former teammate Patrick Beverley, particularly in film sessions, Hine adds. “He really taught me how to break down film and really process it quicker,” Prince said. “That’s helped me be in more of the right spots defensively. So I appreciate him for that. Now I’m also able to … put it in a way to where other guys understand it as well, and they’re maybe thinking two or three steps ahead.”
- After Monday’s loss to the Knicks, Anthony Edwards expressed concerns that the Wolves are getting a reputation for being soft, Hine states in a separate story. “It’s hard, man,” Edwards said. “I don’t know, man. We’re going to try to figure it out, because that’s what it looks like right now. That’s what teams are saying, from the looks of it. They’re coming out like, ‘We’re going to punk them.’ That’s what’s going on.”