Jimmy Butler Back, Tyler Herro Questionable For Heat Monday
After missing two straight contests for the Heat with left hip tightness, All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler is set to suit up for Miami tomorrow night against the Trail Blazers, reports Adam Lichtenstein of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
With their best player sidelined, the Heat went 1-1. The club sports an underwhelming 4-6 record overall on the young 2022/23 NBA season.
“I think it’s good for us to be able to compete and have legitimate chances to win games while he was out,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said. “But yeah, he gives you a great emotional boost when he’s back. It was good to have him running around. He looked fully healthy to all of us. We’ll get him ready for tomorrow night.”
Butler is returning just in time, as the Trail Blazers have looked formidable thus far, with a surprising 6-3 record. Through his eight available contests for the club, the 33-year-old Butler has maintained his All-NBA output. He is averaging 21.5 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 5.5 APG and 1.5 SPG. The 6’7″ vet is also enjoying an excellent shooting season, boasting splits of .470/.391/.873.
Lichtenstein adds that Miami shooting guard Tyler Herro, diagnosed with a sprained left ankle, has been downgraded to questionable ahead of the team’s game against Portland on Monday.
Victor Oladipo remains unavailable as he continues to battle the left knee tendinosis that has restricted him thus far from the taking the court all year. Reserve big man Omer Yurtseven is also still sidelined due to a left ankle impingement.
NBA G League Affiliate Players For 2022/23
Throughout the offseason and preseason, NBA teams are permitted to carry 20 players, but that total must be cut down to 15 (plus a pair of two-way players) in advance of opening night. However, up to four players waived by teams prior to the season can be designated as “affiliate players” and assigned to their G League squads.
As we explain in our glossary entry on the subject, if a player’s NBA team has designated him as an affiliate player and he signs a G League contract, he is automatically assigned to that team’s NBAGL roster.
Of the G League’s 30 teams, 28 are directly affiliated with an NBA club. Only the Mexico City Capitanes and G League Ignite are unaffiliated, while only the Suns and Trail Blazers don’t control a G League team.
Here are the affiliate players for those 28 squads to start the 2022/23 season:
Austin Spurs (Spurs)
Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans)
Capital City Go-Go (Wizards)
Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers)
College Park Skyhawks (Hawks)
Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers)
Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Pacers)
Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets)
Greensboro Swarm (Hornets)
Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves)
Lakeland Magic (Magic)
Long Island Nets (Nets)
Maine Celtics (Celtics)
Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies)
Motor City Cruise (Pistons)
Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder)
Ontario Clippers (Clippers)
Raptors 905 (Raptors)
Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets)
Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz)
Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors)
Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat)
South Bay Lakers (Lakers)
Stockton Kings (Kings)
Texas Legends (Mavericks)
- Mouhamadou Gueye
- Grant Riller
- Note: Marcus Bingham was also with the Legends in training camp as an affiliate player, but sustained a season-ending injury and won’t be on the regular season roster.
Westchester Knicks (Knicks)
Windy City Bulls (Bulls)
Wisconsin Herd (Bucks)
In addition to these “affiliate players,” G League teams filled out their rosters with the following types of players:
- Returning rights: Players whose G League rights were already held by the team from a previous season (or were acquired in a trade from another NBAGL team).
- G League draft rights: Players who were selected in this season’s G League draft.
- NBA draft rights: Players who were drafted by an NBA team and signed a G League contract instead of an NBA contract (like Gui Santos did).
- Local tryout: Players who earned a shot via a local tryout.
- G League player pool: Players who signed G League contracts and went undrafted (or signed their contracts after the draft). Newly signed players go through a waiver process and enter the league’s free agent pool if they go unclaimed.
- Two-way contract: Players who are on a two-way contract with an NBA team and have been transferred to the G League.
- NBA assignment: Players who are on a standard contract with an NBA team and have been assigned to the G League.
Grizzlies Notes: Jackson, Bane, Brooks
Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr., who continues to recover from offseason foot surgery, began the team’s recent four-game road trip doing two-on-two workouts and has since advanced to three-on-three sessions, head coach Taylor Jenkins told reporters, including Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.
The Grizzlies and Jenkins are hopeful that Jackson will be able to take another step forward in his rehabilitation process during the current three-game homestand.
“Next week we may get into the five-on-five,” Jenkins said on Friday, adding that Jackson is making good progress and his conditioning is improving. “We’re just going to see how his body is responding.”
When Jackson underwent surgery, the Grizzlies announced he would be sidelined for approximately four-to-six months. It has been just over four months since the team set that timeline, so it appears the 23-year-old remains on track in his recovery.
Here’s more on the Grizzlies:
- Desmond Bane appears to be developing into a legitimate play-maker and a star in his own right alongside Ja Morant, according to Mark Giannotto of The Memphis Commercial Appeal, who notes that the third-year swingman has been more productive so far (24.1 PPG) than a number of players who signed nine-figure rookie scale extensions during the offseason. Bane will be eligible for a new extension of his own during the 2023 offseason and appears likely to become Memphis’ second highest-paid player behind Morant, says Giannotto.
- Dillon Brooks‘ presence in the Grizzlies’ lineup helps takes the pressure off players like Bane, who would otherwise have to deal with a more difficult defensive assignment, Cole writes for The Commercial Appeal. “Him being back really helps, for sure,” Bane said. “My game is predicated on me running around on offense, too. If I’m chasing the best player on defense, that means I’m running all night, and regardless of what type of shape you’re in, that’s going to wear on you.” Brooks is eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer.
- In case you missed it, the Grizzlies will be facing a shorthanded Wizards team on Sunday, as Bradley Beal has been ruled out after entering the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
Suns’ Cameron Johnson Suffers Torn Meniscus
NOVEMBER 6, 11:03am: Johnson has indeed suffered a torn meniscus, tweets Rankin. According to Rankin, the fourth-year wing will undergo surgery and will be out indefinitely.
NOVEMBER 5, 7:01pm: There are concerns that Suns forward Cameron Johnson may have torn the meniscus in his right knee, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Tests have indicated that the meniscus is injured and Johnson is undergoing further evaluation, Charania adds.
Johnson has been ruled out for tonight’s game after injuring his knee in the first quarter of Friday’s loss to Portland. He was able to walk to the locker room under his own power, but he left the arena on crutches, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.
Johnson appeared to suffer the injury while turning to get back on defense, Rankin adds. He is coming off a productive week, averaging 21.3 PPG in his previous three games, including a 29-point outburst on Tuesday.
Johnson, who moved into the starting lineup on a full-time basis this season, will be a restricted free agent next summer after not reaching an agreement on a rookie scale contract extension before the October 31 deadline.
Pascal Siakam Out At Least Two Weeks With Adductor Strain
Raptors star forward Pascal Siakam has been ruled out indefinitely due to a right adductor strain, the team announced today (Twitter link via Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca). Siakam will be reevaluated in two weeks, according to the Raptors.
It’s a tough blow for the Raptors and for Siakam, who had been playing some of the best basketball of his career before getting injured in Friday’s loss in Dallas. In his first nine games (35.7 MPG) this season, the 28-year-old was averaging 24.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 7.7 assists — all of those marks would be career highs.
Although having Siakam on the shelf will hurt, the Raptors’ depth at forward means they’re well equipped to replace him in the lineup. Scottie Barnes, OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, Chris Boucher, and Otto Porter Jr. are all candidates to see expanded roles.
Additionally, it’s possible that a veteran reserve like Thaddeus Young or Juancho Hernangomez could get a shot at frontcourt rotation minutes in Siakam’s absence.
Toronto has also been missing Fred VanVleet for the last three games due to lower back soreness, though head coach Nick Nurse suggested on Friday that the All-Star point guard is close to returning. VanVleet is listed as questionable to play in Sunday’s game vs. Chicago.
Timberwolves Notes: Outside Shooting, Nowell, Prince
Having traded away solid three-point shooters like Malik Beasley and Patrick Beverley in the blockbuster Rudy Gobert deal, the Timberwolves have seen their outside shooting take a step back in the early part of this season, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
In 2021/22, Minnesota ranked first in the NBA in three-point attempts per game and 12th in three-point percentage. So far in ’22/23, those marks have slipped to 12th and 24th, respectively, even after a solid showing vs. Houston on Saturday, when the team made 15-of-33 (45.5%) tries from beyond the arc.
While the personnel changes are one reason why the Wolves aren’t attempting or making as many three-pointers, several players on the roster are shooting below their previous rates, so some positive regression could be coming. Still, head coach Chris Finch said last week that he doesn’t necessarily expect this year’s team to shoot as much from outside as last year’s, stressing that good ball movement and quick decisions are more important for unlocking the offense.
“Too much thinking, I think, as a group, including myself,” D’Angelo Russell said of the offensive issues. “It’s part of the process. Everybody’s in positions that they’ve never been before.”
Here’s more on the Wolves:
- Having lost tone-setters like Beverley and Jarred Vanderbilt, the Timberwolves need to commit to playing with the edge and intensity that championship-caliber teams do on a night-to-night basis, according to Karl-Anthony Towns. “I think just more for us to have a mindset that I think when I watch those teams play, they play as if everything is Game 7 of the Finals,” Towns said, per Krawczynski. “They treat everything with that kind of level of execution and discipline and seriousness. I just think that’s something we gotta reach, and it’s not going to come overnight.”
- Jaylen Nowell, who is extension-eligible and can be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, has a new agency, though he hasn’t technically changed representatives. As Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News relays (via Twitter), Nowell’s agent Ryan Davis has moved to LIFT Sports Management, which was founded by former NBA forward Mike Miller.
- After signing a two-year extension with the Timberwolves over the summer, Taurean Prince is off to a hot start (.542/.459/.857 shooting) on the court, and his presence off the court has been just as impactful. Prince’s teammates refer to him as “the leader in the film room,” according to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune.“He’s just calling everybody out,” Nowell said. “Whoever it is, whether it’s the No. 1 guy or the No. 15 guy. He’s calling everybody out, and that’s where you get the respect from everybody.” Naz Reid also had praise for Prince: “He’s a great teammate, great vet. Nobody like him.”
- In case you missed it, center Rudy Gobert entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols on Saturday.
Bradley Beal Enters Health And Safety Protocols
Wizards guard Bradley Beal has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols, the team announced today in a press release. He has been ruled out for Sunday’s game in Memphis and will have to receive clearance based on the league’s COVID-19 guidelines before returning to action.
Beal is the second star to enter the protocols this weekend, joining three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.
The league revised its COVID-related protocols over the summer and now requires testing for vaccinated players only when they show symptoms of the virus. Unvaccinated players still must be tested once per week, and players are subject to isolation measures after a positive test.
Beal is vaccinated, per Ava Wallace of The Washington Post (Twitter link). However, he has had some bad health luck so far this season, having also entered the protocols during the preseason due to what turned out to be a false positive test for a case of strep throat, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic.
After visiting the Grizzlies tonight, the Wizards head to Charlotte on Monday, then won’t play again until they host Dallas on Thursday.
Pacific Notes: Davis, LeBron, Irving, Wall, Suns
Lakers stars Anthony Davis and LeBron James were told to skip Friday morning’s shootaround, but the health issues for both players appear to be easing up, writes Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. Coach Darvin Ham plans to have Davis and James in the lineup for both games of the back-to-back Sunday and Monday against the Cavaliers and Jazz.
Davis played nearly 35 minutes Friday despite a lingering back issue that has already caused him to miss a game. He said it felt “pretty good,” and the Lakers believe he’s not risking further damage by playing. James saw 34 minutes of action Friday despite a stomach virus that has been bothering him all week.
“I lost my rhythm when I kinda got this bug,” he said. “Not only the threes, but a couple of layups have been short around the rim. Just feel like my rhythm has been off. Haven’t had an opportunity to get on the practice floor because I’ve been kinda told – not just told to stay away but advised to stay away to save my energy for the games.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Kyrie Irving‘s latest controversy is a reminder that the Lakers were fortunate not to get him when they were shopping Russell Westbrook, contends Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. She points out that Westbrook is doing everything the coaches have asked, including adapting to a bench role, while Irving continues to destroy the Nets‘ culture.
- Clippers guard John Wall bounced back strong on Friday night after his revenge game in Houston fizzled out, per Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. Wall admits to being angry that he only played a season-low 15 minutes against the Rockets, who kept him sidelined for all of last season, but he recognizes that it’s bad for the team if he decides to be selfish. “I knew I had to get back to being myself, being the guy this team needs if I’m playing 15 or 24 minutes,” Wall said. “It is what it is. You have to accept that and come with the sacrifice of what this team with different guys got to take and make it on this team.”
- In the wake of Cameron Johnson‘s possible meniscus tear and Jae Crowder‘s continued absence, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports identifies some possible trade targets for the Suns to consider. He points to the Wizards’ Kyle Kuzma, the Bucks’ Grayson Allen, the Celtics’ Derrick White, the Raptors’ Thaddeus Young, the Clippers’ Nicolas Batum, the Spurs’ Josh Richardson and Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen as players who might be available in a Crowder deal.
Nets Notes: Simmons, Clifford, Irving, NBPA, Durant
Ben Simmons missed the Nets‘ last four games with a knee problem, but the mental health issues that contributed to his 16-month absence appear to be under control. In an interview with Konrad Marshall of The Sydney Morning Herald in Australia, Simmons said being traded to Brooklyn in February gave him a much-needed fresh start.
“I had a terrible year,” he said, “so I know how to handle my emotions and what I need to be doing to get on track. If I’m worried or sad or frustrated or angry, I feel like I’m better able to deal with that now. It took time, but I’m at peace with who I am and what’s going on around me. I know what my priorities are, and what I need to do every day. Besides that, I just want to be me.”
Simmons admits a degree of responsibility for everything that went wrong when he was with the Sixers, but he feels like he didn’t have the support of team leaders. He refers to coach Doc Rivers and Joel Embiid and their failure to defend him after losing a series to the Hawks in 2021.
“I definitely didn’t handle it the right way after the season, but there’s two sides,” Simmons said. “Your teammates are supposed to have your back. Your coaches are supposed to have your back. And I didn’t have that at all.”
There’s more on the Nets:
- Hornets head coach Steve Clifford, who spent last season as a consultant with the Nets, defended Steve Nash‘s performance in the face of difficult circumstances, tweets Nick Friedell of ESPN. Clifford pointed to the high number of missed games by key players last season and said he hopes Nash will visit Charlotte later this season to offer advice. “There’s always things you can do better as a coach, but the problem there was not coaching,” Clifford said. “Nor receptiveness to the way we did things. I totally disagree with any of that and sometimes it’s just health.” (Twitter link)
- The players’ union plans to meet with Kyrie Irving to address his latest controversy, the Celtics’ Grant Williams, an NBPA vice president like Irving, told Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Lewis also talked to Wizards forward Deni Avdija, who’s believed to be the league’s only Jewish player, about Irving’s decision to promote an antisemitic film. “I think he [made] a mistake. But you need to understand that he gives [an] example to people. People look up to him,” Avdija said. “You can think whatever you want, you can do whatever you want. I don’t think it’s right to go out in public and publish it, and let little kids that follow you see it, and the generation to come after to think like that.”
- The Nets have back-to-back road wins since Irving’s suspension was announced, and Kevin Durant suggested that sometimes the games can be a relief from other distractions, Lewis tweets. “Everybody was just waiting to get back to playing,” Durant said. “We also lost three or four games before that, so we just felt some pride and wanted to come out here and get some W’s. So it’s good for our character.”
Knicks Notes: Roster, Robinson, Hartenstein, Toppin, Grimes
The Knicks‘ reluctance to gamble on a big move this summer has left them with an imperfect roster and no star power to lean on, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. New York is off to a 4-5 start, but the wins came against three rebuilding teams and the shorthanded Sixers, while the losses were to probable playoff teams built around All-Stars.
The offseason was defined by an unwillingness to meet Utah’s price for Donovan Mitchell, who was subsequently traded to Cleveland. Coach Tom Thibodeau was a strong advocate for making the Mitchell trade, according to Popper, who hears from an NBA source that the Knicks had bad intel and believed the Cavs weren’t willing to give the Jazz everything they wanted. Knicks executive Brock Aller argued against giving up three unprotected first-round picks for Mitchell, Popper adds.
The Knicks were also in position to outbid Atlanta for Dejounte Murray, Popper contends. He cites recent mistakes such as signing Evan Fournier in 2021 when Thibodeau preferred to keep Reggie Bullock and taking Obi Toppin ahead of Tyrese Haliburton in the 2020 draft.
There’s more on the Knicks:
- Thibodeau described the right knee sprain that center Mitchell Robinson suffered on Friday night as “mild,” per Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Robinson will be reevaluated in seven-to-10 days to determine when he can resume playing. The injury increases the value of offseason addition Isaiah Hartenstein, who is expected to be the starting center while Robinson is out. “He’s done everything that we were hopeful of, and we obviously studied him quite a bit,” Thibodeau said of Hartenstein. “The rim protection obviously has been very, very good. Pick-and-roll defense, very good. And then offensively, just to pull people away from the basket, play-make, very good passer. Good in the paint. And so I think as he gets more comfortable, you’ll see more and more from him.”
- The Knicks are downplaying an argument during the fourth quarter of Friday’s game between Toppin and assistant coach Rick Brunson, Bondy states in the same story. They reportedly resolved their differences, and they have a solid relationship as Brunson trained Toppin while he was preparing for the draft. “Just normal NBA stuff,” Thibodeau said. “Heat of the battle.”
- Quentin Grimes was held out of tonight’s game because of soreness in his left foot, the same issue that caused him to miss the season’s first six games, Bondy adds.