Christian Wood

Details On Power Struggle Between Mavs’ Cuban, Harrison

November 19th, 2025 at 3:19pm CST by Luke Adams

After speaking to more than a dozen sources within the Mavericks‘ organization, Tim MacMahon of ESPN took a deep dive today into the events that led up to Nico Harrison‘s dismissal as the team’s head of basketball operations last week, painting a detailed picture of a long-running power struggle between Harrison and minority owner Mark Cuban.

As MacMahon outlines, Cuban hired Harrison as Dallas’ president of basketball operations and general manager back in 2021, when Cuban was still the team’s majority owner and had the final say on basketball decisions. After Cuban sold control of the franchise to Miriam Adelson and Patrick Dumont in late 2023, he maintained a 27% stake in the team and hoped to continue running the basketball operations department too, but quickly found himself pushed out of the inner circle.

“Mark is a friend. I will consult him from time to time,” Dumont said during a basketball operations meeting after taking over as the Mavericks’ governor, according to MacMahon’s sources. “But make no mistake about this: I’m the governor of the team and I am making decisions.”

Sources inside the organization tell MacMahon that Dumont’s announcement was a welcome one to many people in the organization, including Harrison and head coach Jason Kidd, who were “often frustrated by what they perceived as Cuban’s frequently unproductive meddling in personnel decisions.”

However, sources familiar with Cuban’s thinking tell ESPN that he never meant for Harrison to have full autonomy on basketball decisions and that he didn’t believe the former Nike executive was qualified to be making those decisions, having hired him due to his relationships with players and agents. During Harrison’s first couple years with the team, Cuban still had to sign off on any personnel moves the Mavs made, while veteran executive Dennis Lindsey was brought in to “help mask Harrison’s perceived shortcomings as an inexperienced NBA executive,” MacMahon writes.

After Harrison became the Mavericks’ primary basketball decision-maker and Lindsey left for a job in Detroit, Cuban sought to regain some of the control he had lost. He now once again has Dumont’s ear in the wake of Harrison’s ouster.

“Mark’s been trying a palace coup for months,” a team source told ESPN.

Here are more highlights from MacMahon’s report:

After Dumont took over as the Mavs’ governor, Harrison began reporting directly to him instead of going through Cuban, as he sought to “ice out” the former majority owner. “Nico basically said, ‘Dude, I don’t want to deal with Mark anymore. He’s too much,” a team source told ESPN.
According to MacMahon, Harrison blamed Cuban for some of the Mavs’ biggest roster-related missteps in recent years, including losing Jalen Brunson and trading for Christian Wood, a player Kidd “didn’t want to coach.” Other members of the coaching staff and front office also blamed Cuban for those moves, MacMahon writes, adding that Harrison made the case to the new ownership group that the front office would function better without Cuban’s involvement.
Harrison strengthened that case by making savvy deals for P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford at the 2024 trade deadline and getting the Mavs to the NBA Finals, according to MacMahon, who notes that those deals only materialized after a trade sending two first-round picks to Washington for Kyle Kuzma fell through. “Nico did a hell of a sales job,” a Mavs official told ESPN. “He took credit for everything that was done. When Patrick asked questions — asked how we got Kyrie (Irving), how the draft happened, etc. — (Harrison) said he was the guy. We got on a roll and went to the Finals. Fool’s gold.”
While Dumont asked Harrison to keep Cuban in the fold, Harrison didn’t always do so — he and Cuban were communicating less and less after the sale, according to MacMahon. “Nico built the moat and put up the fence and said, ‘I got this!'” one source familiar with the situation told ESPN. Sources also said that Harrison was telling Dumont what he wanted the team governor to know, rather than everything Dumont needed to know. “The one guy in basketball ops who had a pipeline to Dumont wasn’t giving him the straight scoop,” a source said.
Having fully gained Dumont’s trust, Harrison sold him on February’s Luka Doncic blockbuster, making the case that committing to the star guard on a super-max contract worth a projected $345MM would be a bad investment due to conditioning concerns and recurring calf injuries, per MacMahon. At the time, Harrison and Doncic’s camp weren’t seeing eye-to-eye on the recovery process for his latest calf strain, which Harrison portrayed to Dumont as evidence that the perennial MVP candidate wasn’t fully committed to the Mavs. As MacMahon writes, Harrison also convinced Dumont not to loop Cuban in on those trade talks, contending doing so would likely result in a leak.
Cuban, who blamed Harrison rather than Dumont for the way in which his role in the organization was minimized, spoke out against the Doncic trade after the fact, and once the Mavs won the draft lottery in May he began pushing more aggressively for Dumont to make a front office change, MacMahon reports. Cuban’s case gained credibility because his criticisms of Harrison’s roster construction proved true — for instance, Cuban warned Dumont that a lack of ball-handling and play-making would result in Dallas having a poor offense, concerns which Harrison dismissed. The Mavs currently have the second-worst offense in the NBA.
Cuban’s relationship with Dumont never became contentious and he’s now once again part of the small group of team officials that has the governor’s ear, along with Kidd and co-interim GMs Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi. One source who spoke to MacMahon made it clear that Cuban is more of a consultant than a decision-maker, but the former majority Mavs owner is nonetheless thrilled to be back in the inner circle. “He’s walking around on air right now,” another team source told ESPN. “Cuban’s floating in his Skechers.”

And-Ones: First-Time All-Stars, Adubato, BAL, Wood, More

November 7th, 2025 at 5:33pm CST by Rory Maher

As ESPN’s Kevin Pelton writes, there has been an average of between five and six first-time All-Stars over the past five years, including six first-time honorees last season. Pelton lists 10 players who have a shot at making their first mid-season exhibition game in 2025/26 based on their strong starts.

The All-Star format will be different again this year, Pelton notes, with two eight-player teams from the United States and one eight-player international group competing in a round-robin tournament. Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija (Israel) and Bulls guard Josh Giddey (Australia) are among the international candidates on Pelton’s list, with Lakers guard Austin Reaves and Hawks forward Jalen Johnson among the first-time American candidates.

Reaves will miss his third straight game on Saturday in Atlanta due to a right groin strain, tweets Dan Woike of The Athletic.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Former NBA assistant and head coach Richie Adubato has passed away at age 87, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Adubato’s NBA coaching career spanned two decades, spending time with Detroit, New York, Dallas, Cleveland and Orlando. The New Jersey native also coached the WNBA’s New York Liberty and Washington Mystics, Beede adds, and was a radio analyst for the Magic from 2005-20. Our condolences go out to Adubato’s friends and family.
The Basketball Africa League has largely been run as a tournament over the past several years, but NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape that the BAL will eventually have 12 teams and permanent franchises, though when that will happen is still to be determined. Spears hears there will likely be 10 permanent franchises down the line, with the other two spots going to annual at-large qualifying teams.
Former NBA big man Christian Wood reportedly fired three gunshots at the ground to scare away three men who broke into a Los Angeles home he was inside on Wednesday, according to Alex Valdes of The Athletic. The LAPD told The Athletic that no property was taken in the incident, and the suspects fled the scene after being confronted. Wood, a 30-year-old forward/center, was waived by the Lakers in February 2025, but hasn’t played in a game since February 2024 due to a knee injury.
A variety of former NBA figures have migrated to the college basketball scene over the past year because of the introduction of NIL deals and the transfer portal. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link) takes a deep dive on the topic, writing that universities have pursued NBA talent due to their skills and expertise in navigating a variety of different job responsibilities that previously weren’t needed at the college level. “The trend will only continue to accelerate,” said Wes Wilcox, who left his post as assistant GM for the Kings late last season to become GM of the Utah Utes. “The number of colleges looking toward the NBA to help in this space is only going to rise.”

Knicks Notes: Roster Candidates, Anunoby, Bridges, Hukporti

February 27th, 2025 at 9:39am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Knicks can add a free agent via a prorated veteran’s minimum contract while remaining below their hard cap as early as Friday. They have an open roster spot, though as a first-apron team, they can’t sign a player who made more than $12.8MM before being bought out.

Noting that there are few notable options on the buyout market this winter, The Athletic’s James Edwards III takes a closer look at the players who fit the bill, plus several other free agents who might make sense for New York. He identifies T.J. Warren, Chuma Okeke, Chris Duarte, Christian Wood and Josh Richardson as potential targets, with Warren and Okeke topping the list since both are playing for the Westchester Knicks, the team’s NBA G League affiliate.

We have more on the Knicks:

The Knicks made two major trades to acquire forwards OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, then gave Anunoby a huge contract in free agency. However, those investments are not paying off against the league’s elite, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post notes. In a combined seven losses to Cleveland, Boston and Oklahoma City, Anunoby is averaging 9.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in 35.3 minutes per game while shooting 39% overall and 24% on three-point tries. In those same games, Bridges is averaging 14 points and two rebounds in 34 minutes while shooting 44% overall and 28% on threes.
Ariel Hukporti made his first start on Wednesday with Karl-Anthony Towns sidelined. Hukporti didn’t finish the game, exiting in the second half with a sprained left knee, according to Peter Botte of the New York Post. The rookie big man had eight points and two rebounds in 16 minutes. “I thought Ariel gave us good minutes,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He’s a young guy who’s learning and getting better.” Hukporti was promoted to a standard contract in early November after originally being signed to a two-way deal.
In case you missed it, there’s reportedly optimism that center Mitchell Robinson will make his season debut as soon as this weekend. Get the details here.

Lakers Sign Alex Len, Waive Christian Wood

February 11th, 2025 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

4:56 pm: The Lakers have officially signed Len and waived Wood, the team confirmed in a press release.

4:13 pm: Free agent center Alex Len will sign with the Lakers, agent Mike Lelchitski tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

As we wrote earlier today, Len, who was cut by Washington on Saturday, initially planned to sign with the Pacers once he cleared waivers. However, he pivoted to an opportunity in Los Angeles after the Lakers rescinded their trade-deadline deal for Hornets center Mark Williams.

As Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star notes (via Twitter), Len would have slotted in as the third center in Indiana behind Myles Turner and Thomas Bryant, but he should have an opportunity with the Lakers to earn the primary backup role behind Jaxson Hayes on a roster that’s thin on frontcourt depth after sending Anthony Davis to Dallas in last week’s Luka Doncic blockbuster.

Len, 31, has been a little-used reserve center over the past three-and-a-half seasons in Sacramento, averaging 3.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks in 10.0 minutes per game across 149 total outings (15 starts). The former No. 5 overall pick was traded from the Kings to the Wizards ahead of last Thursday’s deadline.

The Lakers have a full 15-man roster and will have to waive a player in order to make room for Len. According to Charania (Twitter link), that roster casualty will be Christian Wood, who has yet to play this season following offseason surgery on his left knee. That procedure was the second one Wood underwent on his knee in 2024.

In his first season in Los Angeles in 2023/24, Wood averaged 6.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 0.7 BPG in 50 games (17.4 MPG) with a .466/.307/.702 shooting line. He’s on an expiring minimum-salary contract, so the Lakers won’t carry any dead money on their cap for him beyond this season.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, the Lakers entered the day with about $1.6MM in room below their second-apron hard cap. Len’s new deal will nearly trim that margin in half, but the team would still have enough flexibility to add a second player on the buyout market in the coming days or weeks if another opportunity arises. Another player on the current roster would have to be waived in that scenario, with Cam Reddish viewed as the most likely odd man out.

Lakers Rumors: Williams, Knecht, Sims, Len, Reddish, Wood, LeBron

February 10th, 2025 at 10:46am CST by Luke Adams

After acquiring Luka Doncic from Dallas at the start of trade deadline week, the Lakers targeted Hornets center Mark Williams in large part because he was “handpicked” by Doncic as the sort of big man Los Angeles’ new franchise player would thrive next to, reports Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

Team sources tell McMenamin that the Lakers viewed the 23-year-old Williams as the sort of player who could grow alongside Doncic in the long term while also fortifying L.A.’s frontcourt against Western rivals like Houston, Memphis, Denver, and Oklahoma City in the short term.

Before agreeing to trade for Williams on Wednesday night, the Lakers weighed whether he was worth the steep price it would take to acquire him, given his injury history, McMenamin writes. Head of basketball operations Rob Pelinka opted to pull the trigger, deciding on an “all in” approach to the deadline and agreeing to send Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 first-round pick, and a 2030 pick swap to the Hornets for Williams.

As one Lakers source tells ESPN, Williams’ fit was viewed as a necessity on a roster lacking a starting-caliber center, while Knecht’s was considered a luxury, and the club wanted to establish “goodwill” with Doncic to get the relationship on the right foot. There was also some internal debate on how valuable the Lakers’ 2031 pick would end up actually being.

After making the deal with Charlotte, Pelinka expressed confidence when he talked about the deal on Thursday that Williams’ health wouldn’t be an issue going forward: “We fully vetted [Williams’] health stuff. He’s had no surgeries. So these are just parts of, he’s still growing into his body. We vetted the injuries he’s had, and we’re not concerned about those.”

However, after getting him into the building and conducting a physical, the Lakers identified additional concerns with Williams’ health and ultimately decided to pull out of the trade.

As McMenamin writes, there are some people within the Lakers who expressed relief that the deal didn’t end up going through — one team source said the package was “a lot” to give up for Williams and suggested the club “kind of dodged a bullet.” But the voiding of the trade meant that the Lakers failed in their first attempt to satisfy Doncic and will need to repair their relationship with Knecht, according to McMenamin, who adds that there’s a “perception of fumbled execution” based on how the process played out.

“Nobody did the research prior?” one league source said to ESPN. “Why would [Williams] be available that young?”

Here’s more on the Lakers:

The Lakers considered a trade for Knicks big man Jericho Sims before he was sent to Milwaukee and might have had interest in Alex Len, who has agreed to sign with Indiana after being waived by Washington, sources tell McMenamin. Neither big man would’ve been a clear upgrade on the club’s current options, but they’re two more depth options who are now off the board.
Although the Lakers have a full 15-man roster, they still have enough room below their second-apron hard cap to waive a player to bring in another big man. In that scenario, Reddish and Christian Wood would likely be the top candidates to be cut, Lakers sources tell ESPN. “We will find another center path,” a team source told McMenamin. “The path is always there. We just got to put in the work to find it.”
With Williams not coming to Los Angeles, Jaxson Hayes figures to continue starting at center for the Lakers. LeBron James had “privately wondered” whether the 24-year-old was experienced enough to take on that role down the stretch and in the playoffs, sources tell McMenamin. Hayes is off to a solid start — the Lakers have won each of his last seven starts, including all five games since Jan. 30. He also should have Doncic’s support. According to McMenamin, Hayes – who shares an agent, Bill Duffy, with the former Mavs star – was the first Laker to go out for dinner with Doncic after he arrived in L.A.
“When (Doncic) was in Dallas and I was in New Orleans my first few years, they kept trying to trade for me,” Hayes told McMenamin. “New Orleans never allowed it. He was like, ‘Do you remember when we couldn’t trade for you?’ I was like, ‘Do you remember what I told you after every game I played against you?’ After every game I would be like, ‘If you ever need a big, I would love to play with you.’ Just because of the way he moves the ball.”
It “wasn’t lost on James’ camp,” sources tell ESPN, that Pelinka sought Doncic’s input and pursued a trade target he wanted immediately after his arrival. For years, LeBron has wanted the Lakers’ to trade future draft picks to upgrade their roster, McMenamin notes.

Lakers Notes: Vincent, Finney-Smith, Vanderbilt, Wildfire

January 8th, 2025 at 9:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

Even though the Lakers lost by 21 points at Dallas Tuesday night, the return of Gabe Vincent provided some good news, writes Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Vincent sat out the previous four games with a strained left oblique he suffered December 28. He went scoreless in 24 minutes, but coach J.J. Redick was happy to have Vincent back on the court.

“Have missed his toughness first of all,” Redick told reporters before the game. “He’s someone that has, as the season (goes on), it seems like he’s got increasingly tougher on the defensive end. His screening takes care of the basketball. Another handler. And then he’s shot the ball really well for a sustained stretch starting with that Utah game (on December 1) when he was in the starting lineup. So we’ve missed him. He’s a pro. It’d be good to get a look at the group with him back.”

Price notes that before the injury, Vincent had been playing his best basketball since joining the Lakers in the summer of 2023. He averaged 7.3 points on 43.9% shooting in his previous 11 games.

Shake Milton replaced Vincent while he was sidelined, and Price points out that L.A.’s rotation is the healthiest it has been since acquiring Milton and Dorian Finney-Smith in a December 29 trade with Brooklyn.

There’s more on the Lakers:

Finney-Smith has only played five games since the deal, but he’s noticed that the Lakers aren’t communicating enough on defense, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. They gave up 119 and 118 points in two road games this week. “We got to do a better job of talking behind guys, giving them confidence so defenders can crawl up in ball handlers and force them to the rim,” Finney-Smith said. “And we got (Anthony Davis) down there, so we got to use it.”
Mismatches have been a problem for the Lakers on defense, as Dallas repeatedly targeted Austin Reaves and Dalton Knecht with isolations, observes Johan Buha of The Athletic. The recent return of backup center Jaxson Hayes was supposed to provide another rim protector, but Buha states that Hayes hasn’t been good in that role since he was cleared to play. Jarred Vanderbilt will be reevaluated in a week and Christian Wood is expected to be back soon, but they might not make an impact right away. Redick said Tuesday that Vanderbilt will be eased back into the rotation, probably starting at around 10 minutes per game.
Redick said his family was among the many who had to evacuate Tuesday night due to a wildfire that swept through Southern California, per Stefan Stevenson of The Associated Press. The NBA released a statement regarding the status of Thursday’s scheduled game against Charlotte at Crypto.com Arena, relays Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). “We are in communication with the Lakers and Hornets and continue to closely monitor the situation to determine if any scheduling adjustments are necessary related to tomorrow night’s game,” league spokesman Mike Bass said.

Pacific Notes: Brown, Christie, Kings, Fox, Schröder, Lakers

December 28th, 2024 at 11:49am CST by Earnest Marshall

Former Kings head coach Mike Brown tore into his team after another blown lead led to a loss against the Pistons on Thursday. However, Anthony Slater and Sam Amick of The Athletic write that Brown’s stern post-game news conferences began to wear on players, and that was part of the Kings’ decision to part with him.

Slater and Amick report that there was no malice or specific purpose intended with the timing of the firing, which came as Brown was getting ready for the team’s flight for their game in Los Angeles. Owner Vivek Ranadive was particularly upset with the Kings’ poor play and noted their fall from first in offense in 2022/23 to the middle of the pack last season, but the decision to let go of Brown was general manager Monte McNair‘s, according to Slater and Amick.

The Kings will have a chance to right the ship under interim replacement Doug Christie, with the team boasting the eighth-best offense in the league despite falling to 13-18.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

There is no immediate head coaching search planned for the Kings, Slater and Amick write in the same story. After being named interim coach, Christie will have an opportunity to make a case for the permanent position. Christie’s promotion was a long time coming. Ranadive once saw Christie as a viable alternative to Alvin Gentry (who was eventually named interim coach) after Luke Walton was fired in 2021. Christie has a strong relationship with players and staff and made a lasting impression in Sacramento during his time as a player, commentator and assistant, per The Athletic.
Choosing a starting lineup will be one of Christie’s first tasks as coach, Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee writes. The starting shooting guard position will likely come down to Malik Monk, Kevin Huerter or Keon Ellis.
De’Aaron Fox took accountability for his defensive mistake at the end of Thursday’s loss to the Pistons, Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 Sacramento reports (Twitter link). Fox spoke in front of his teammates and took ownership during the tough slide, teammate Keegan Murray relayed.
Warriors guard Dennis Schröder struggled through his first five games with Golden State after starting off the year hot with Brooklyn. In his last five games, Schröder averaged 8.2 points on 28.0% shooting as opposed to the 18.4 points on 45.2% shooting he posted with the Nets. However, coach Steve Kerr said he’s not worried about Schröder’s play, according to Slater (Twitter link). “You trust who the player has been. It’s a tiny sample size,” Kerr said. “He came to us at a time when we were ice cold. He needs shooting around him. He’s a pick-and-roll player. We were 7-for-38 tonight from three.”
The Lakers are getting healthier, providing Los Angeles a reason for optimism, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times writes. Jaxson Hayes is now day-to-day and close to returning while head coach JJ Redick said there’s hope both Christian Wood and Jarred Vanderbilt will be able to make their season debuts during an upcoming stretch that includes nine of 11 games at home.

Lakers Notes: Ham, James, Christie, Wood

December 19th, 2024 at 10:58am CST by Dana Gauruder

Darvin Ham, now back with the Bucks as an assistant, admitted to Marc J. Spears of Andscape that he was stunned in May when the Lakers fired him after two seasons.

“To do as well as I did, I swear to God, anywhere else I’m probably looking at an extension with what I did,” Ham said. “I’m not talking about feelings. I’m talking actual facts. They go from not making it to the playoffs to the final four in the NBA, the conference finals. And then you win the in-season tournament, navigate through all the injuries and win both of your play-in games to get to the playoffs. People always talk about us losing to Denver, but they never talk about how we got to Denver.”

Ham received criticism for his coaching methods and in-game strategy and there were reports the team’s stars felt the same way. Ham was blindsided by the negativity.

“I’m not a mudslinger and I’m not going to wait until I’m 51 to become one,” Ham said. “You feel like you did enough to sustain in one spot. I felt like I did that. I get it. The franchise I’m working for, the expectations can be unrealistic at certain points in time.

“To be 33-49 when I was hired, with an unbalanced roster, turn that around, make it to the Western Conference Finals. The very next year we were a plus-10 in wins, going from 33-49 to 43-39. And guys got paid on my watch. It went from a lot of unknown scenarios to I think we have a little bit of a core. And then we got hit with the injury bug like crazy last [season]. We might have been top five in games lost to injury.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

LeBron James is listed as questionable to play against Sacramento tonight due to left foot injury management, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin tweets. James has only missed two games this season, but both of those absences have come in the last 11 days.
Max Christie has suddenly become a key member of the rotation, averaging 25.1 minutes per game since November 15 and getting an audition as a starter as of late. He didn’t contribute much offensively on Sunday against Memphis but did an excellent job guarding Ja Morant, Khobi Price of the Orange County Register writes. “It’s a lot of confidence,” Christie said. “I’ve been thrown in the fire guarding a lot of really good players. Trae Young, Ja Morant, to name a few. So it’s definitely a big confidence booster for me.”
Christian Wood has yet to make his season debut but he will take a significant step in his rehab from knee surgery during the team’s road trip, according to Price. Wood will remain in Southern California and do live drills against the team’s coaching associates. “He’s doing more on the court with obviously just individual work,” coach JJ Redick said. “His Alter-G (anti-gravity treadmill) stuff, getting to 95%, 100% on the Alter-G. He’s had progress and it’s looking like it’ll be soon. Barring a setback, he’ll be back.”

Pacific Notes: Leonard, Lakers, Beal, Dunn

December 7th, 2024 at 11:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kawhi Leonard was able to work out and do some shooting at the Clippers‘ practice facility on Saturday, but there’s still no word on when he might be able to start playing, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Bill Simmons of The Ringer recently stated that Leonard is expected to be available by Christmas, but coach Tyronn Lue refused to offer a specific timeframe.

“(He’s) just doing all the things he’s supposed to. … He’s got to check all the boxes and do all the right things, not skip any steps,” Lue said. “So, when he completes that, then we’ll move on. … He’s getting better. He’s on the floor, he’s doing stuff, but he’s not ready to play.”

Leonard has been plagued by inflammation in his right knee dating back to spring. He was limited to two games in last season’s playoffs, then was sent home from the U.S. Olympic team because of concerns about his ability to play. The Clippers have managed to remain competitive without him — getting off to a 14-10 start that has them sixth in the West — but Leonard’s teammates are as eager as anyone else to see him playing again.

“I know everybody is excited for him to be back,” Amir Coffey said. “We see him getting on the court, going through drills, it’s a good sign.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

The Lakers could use some reinforcements after ending a road trip with three straight losses, but help may not be coming for a while, notes Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Austin Reaves missed the last four games with a bruised left pelvis and is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s contest against Portland. Jaxson Hayes has only played in one of the last 13 games due to right ankle injuries, and he’s expected to be reevaluated this week. Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood are still recovering from offseason surgery — Vanderbilt is expected to return sometime in early January, while Wood’s timeline is less clear. “There’s no cavalry. No one [feels] sorry for us,” Anthony Davis said. “We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. Just gotta continue to put our head down and grind and work.”
Suns guard Bradley Beal believes he has overcome the left calf strain that has caused him to be in and out of the lineup recently, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Beal played his second straight game tonight and logged more than 34 minutes. “Feel good, really good,” he said. “Progressing the right way. Minutes have been fine. Body is reacting fine postgame. Feel great.”
Suns rookie Ryan Dunn missed his second straight game with soreness in his left ankle, but coach Mike Budenholzer doesn’t believe it’s a long-term issue (Twitter video link from Rankin).

Lakers’ Wood Experiences Setback, Out At Least Four More Weeks

November 12th, 2024 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Lakers big man Christian Wood has experienced a setback in his recovery from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link), head coach J.J. Redick told reporters on Tuesday that Wood developed soreness in the knee during his ramp-up process and will be reevaluated in four weeks.

Wood underwent an arthroscopic surgical procedure on his knee in early September. At the time, the team said he’d be re-examined in approximately eight weeks. That was a little over nine weeks ago.

The procedure was the second one Wood has had on that troublesome knee this year. His 2023/24 season came to an early end when he was sidelined by a left knee injury in February that forced him to undergo arthroscopic surgery in March. The veteran forward/center was technically cleared to play in the final two games of the Lakers’ first-round series vs. Denver, but the club opted not to use him after such a long layoff.

Wood played a rotation role for the Lakers when he was healthy last season, averaging 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per contest during the regular season (50 games). However, his shooting percentages – 46.6% from the floor and 30.7% on three-pointers – were well below his career rates.

While a healthy version of Wood would likely be in the frontcourt mix for Los Angeles this season, it sounds like the 29-year-old won’t be back on the court until mid-December at the earliest. Even if he’s able to return at that time, which is hardly a lock, it will be about 10 months since he has last played in an NBA game, so it may take him some time to round into his usual form.

With Wood out, Anthony Davis and Jaxson Hayes have handled the majority of the center minutes for L.A. this fall.

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