Injury Notes: Leonard, Jerome, Murray-Boyles, Heat, Cavs
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard went through portions of Wednesday’s practice, though he didn’t do any contact drills, head coach Tyronn Lue told Law Murray of The Athletic and other media members (Twitter video link).
“He did a few things,” Lue said. ” … He’s definitely gotten better. I mean, I don’t know how long it’s gonna be (until he returns). But he’s definitely gotten better. Just seeing him on the floor yesterday was really good to see.”
Leonard, a two-time Finals MVP, was off to a strong start this fall prior to suffering right ankle and foot sprains on November 3. The Clips were 3-3 in the six games Leonard played but have gone just 1-7 without their highest-paid player. The 34-year-old missed his ninth straight game on Thursday in Orlando.
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Free agent addition Ty Jerome has yet to play for the Grizzlies in 2025/26 after suffering a high-grade right calf strain during the preseason. The seventh-year guard will be reevaluated on Friday, with a return timeline expected to come in the days after that examination, tweets Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.
- Collin Murray-Boyles, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2025 draft, will miss his second straight game on Friday due to an MCL sprain in his right knee, as Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca relays (via Twitter). The Raptors forward/center has averaged 8.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 20.0 minutes per game through 11 appearances as a rookie, with a shooting line of .500/.500/.762.
- Heat forward Andrew Wiggins has been diagnosed with a left hip flexor strain and will be sidelined for his first game of the season on Friday in Chicago, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Fourth-year forward Nikola Jovic was ruled out of Wednesday’s game with a right hip impingement and will miss at least two more, as he didn’t travel with the team on its two-game road trip, Jackson reports.
- While Cavaliers sharpshooter Sam Merrill will be out for the second straight contest on Friday with a right hand sprain, it’s possible point guard Darius Garland could return to action. The two-time All-Star is questionable against Indiana, per the NBA’s injury report, as are Jarrett Allen (right third finger strain) and Jaylon Tyson (concussion). Garland has missed the past five games after re-injuring his surgically repaired left great toe last week, but head coach Kenny Atkinson recently said the 25-year-old was “really close” to suiting up.
Cavs’ Jarrett Allen Sustains Broken Left Ring Finger
Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen sustained a broken left ring finger on Wednesday in Boston, the team announced (via Twitter). The former All-Star is considered questionable for Friday’s contest against Toronto.
According to the Cavaliers, Allen underwent an X-ray on Thursday, which revealed a non-displaced fracture of his distal phalanx. In layman’s terms, the injury — which often results in “swelling, bruising, and tenderness,” per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber link) — is a break in the tip of Allen’s finger.
Multiple sources tell Fedor that Allen suffered the injury while going through an individual pregame warmup on Wednesday evening. The 27-year-old felt discomfort, Fedor writes, but decided to play through the injury in Thursday’s loss to the Celtics.
While Allen’s specific finger injury requires surgery in some cases, the current plan is for the 6’11” big man to continue to try and play through it, according to Fedor, who hears Allen’s injured digit will be frequently reexamined and monitored. The Cavs will work to manage Allen’s pain and swelling and he will receive “other forms of treatment” as well, Fedor adds.
As Fedor notes, the Cavs are already playing without two injured starters (Darius Garland and Max Strus), though Garland reportedly might return in the first half of November.
If Allen were to miss time, Dean Wade, Larry Nance Jr. and Thomas Bryant are among the reserves who could receive more minutes for Cleveland.
Central Notes: Nembhard, Cunningham, Jones, Allen
The Pacers have been hit hard by injuries, but there’s at least one ray of hope on the horizon, reports Marc Stein of the Stein Line (subscriber link).
Andrew Nembhard left Thursday night’s game against the Thunder early after aggravating a preexisting shoulder injury. According to Stein, following an MRI, there’s optimism that Nembhard’s absence won’t be a long-term one.
Nembhard is expected to play a key role for the Pacers this season as one of the few healthy ball-handlers remaining on the roster. As Indiana has lost more and more players due to injury, it’s become harder for the team to keep itself organized, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star.
In addition to Nembhard, Tyrese Haliburton, TJ McConnell, Taelon Peter, Kam Jones, and Bennedict Mathurin were all on the injury report for Indiana coming into Sunday’s game, and things only got worse after tip-off, as Obi Toppin left the game against the Timberwolves early with a hamstring injury, per Dopirak (Twitter link).
We have more from around the Central Division:
- Cade Cunningham had his coming-out party for the Pistons last season, earning All-NBA honors for the first time and placing seventh in MVP voting. That has led to renewed defensive focus from opposing teams, which Cunningham says he’s still trying to learn how to deal with, writes Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). “I just don’t feel like I’ve handled it the way I want to,” Cunningham said. “I’m gonna keep watching the film and try to be better for my team. I feel like we had a lot of empty offensive possessions because I just didn’t handle the hots correctly.”
- Tre Jones has been labeled a “pure point guard” for much of his career. He’s showing how that can help a team during the start of the Bulls‘ season, writes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “The game is going positionless a little bit, but trying to keep the point guard spot alive, especially with the height that I have,” Jones said. “I don’t think point guard will ever be out of the game completely. I think there will always be a spot for a point guard and that mentality. It’s something I’ve taken pride in my whole life. How could you not take pride in being called a pure point guard?” Head coach Billy Donovan compared Jones’ ascent in Chicago to Aaron Nesmith‘s jump as a player from his time with the Celtics to his Finals run with the Pacers last season. “One thing I figured out really quickly when I was playing, the most important stat for any NBA player is minutes played per game because these guys are all really, really good, and if they get an opportunity, generally they’re going to show what they can do,” Donovan said.
- Jarrett Allen‘s season debut against the Knicks left a sour taste in Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson‘s mouth, writes Chris Fedor for Cleveland.com (subscriber link). “That wasn’t the Jarrett Allen we all know,” Atkinson said. “That was more on us not seeking him out. But conversely, he can’t get four rebounds. I was really bummed about that. Can’t be like that.” Atkinson made sure to be clear that he wasn’t singling out Allen, saying, “This is a self-criticism too. We take him for granted. I have to be better about talking to him more and talking to our leaders more about him.” The message seemed to sink in: in Cleveland’s second game against the Nets, Allen had 22 points, seven rebounds, and four assists; he followed that up with an eight-point, 11-rebound outing in Sunday’s 118-113 win over the Bucks.
Central Notes: White, Jackson, Allen, Hunter
Coby White has added motivation to return swiftly from a calf strain that’s plagued him ahead of the 2025/26 season, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. White is on track to be an unrestricted free agent next summer and will be looking to build on the best two years of his career.
According to Cowley, early indications are that both the Bulls and White are interested in getting a deal done next summer. Both sides are expected to proceed with caution when it comes to his return from his calf injury.
With White sidelined in Chicago’s preseason opener on Tuesday, Kevin Huerter took the bulk of his minutes and started in his stead. If White is to miss any regular season time, Huerter would be the prime candidate to assume a larger role.
We have more from the Central Division:
- After missing all but five games last season due to an Achilles injury, Pacers center Isaiah Jackson seems to have the inside track to the starting center role, according to Dustin Dopirak of IndyStar, who details the big man’s recovery and conditioning process. “I can use my weight,” Jackson said. “I was always physical but I couldn’t move guys how I wanted to. I couldn’t play my brand of basketball. I’d get up to the offensive rim and I’d have to go straight up. Now I can bump people and move people out the way and I don’t really affected by it. Strength wise, I can play defense a little better. I can hold my own.“
- The tandem of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley has proven to be effective, but Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated speculates that Allen could be a name to watch at the deadline depending on how the Cavaliers open the season. According to Mannix, most evaluators view Mobley as a long-term center, so there’s a sense that the team could be open to moving Allen at some point for the right return.
- De’Andre Hunter had his most successful NBA season in 2024/25 across stints with the Hawks and Cavaliers, averaging a career-high 17.0 points per game and finishing fourth in Sixth Player of the Year voting. He looks poised to carry over that momentum this fall and take another step forward, having recorded 17 points and seven rebounds in Cleveland’s preseason opener. In a subscriber-only piece, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com examines why Hunter’s teammates are expecting a “huge year” from the forward and why head coach Kenny Atkinson has referred to him as the club’s “offseason MVP.”
Cavaliers Notes: Strus, Merrill, Wade, Tyson, Hunter, Ball
In a subscriber-only mailbag for Cleveland.com, Chris Fedor states that Max Strus was slated to be the Cavaliers‘ starting small forward this fall prior to suffering a Jones fracture in his left foot last week. The injury required surgery and will sideline Strus for multiple months.
Fedor cautions that while the team gave a three-to-four month timeline for Strus to return to basketball activities, his actual absence will likely extend beyond that period. As Fedor observes, Jones fractures can be tricky and slow to heal, plus the Cavaliers typically take a cautious approach to injuries — it’s possible Strus might end up missing about half of the season.
Here’s more on the Cavaliers:
- Strus isn’t the only starter likely to be out to open 2025/26, Fedor notes, as All-Star point guard Darius Garland is still recovering from offseason toe surgery after being hobbled by the injury in the postseason. Sam Merrill, who re-signed with the Cavs on a four-year, $38MM deal this summer, is the “most obvious” player who needs to step up with Garland and Strus out, according to Fedor, who says the former second-round pick (60th overall in 2020) will likely be a replacement starter.
- It will take a team effort to cover for Strus and Garland during their absences. Veteran forward Dean Wade and second-year guard Jaylon Tyson are among the other players who should get more opportunities, Fedor writes, with Wade perhaps slotting in as the fifth starter. Head coach Kenny Atkinson may prefer to have De’Andre Hunter in a sixth man role to have more scoring punch off the bench, Fedor adds.
- According to Fedor, Tyson may be the biggest X-factor for the rotation, because the team had already planned him give him more run prior to Strus’ injury. The 2024 first-round pick (20th overall) will have a real chance to carve out minutes if he plays well, as Atkinson is high on him and is curious to see how he’ll mesh with the “core four” of Donovan Mitchell, Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen once Garland returns.
- Offseason trade acquisition Lonzo Ball is another player who will fit into the rotation, Fedor writes. However, it remains to be seen how active the 27-year-old guard will be. After missing two-plus years with a knee injury, Ball played surprisingly well in his return to action in ’24/25, but he was limited to just 35 games due to multiple wrist injuries.
Cavs More Willing To Discuss Garland, Allen Trades Than In Past?
After the Cavaliers squeaked past Orlando in the first round of the 2024 playoffs and were defeated soundly by Boston in round two, there was a good deal of offseason speculation about the idea of breaking up their “core four” of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. However, Cleveland’s front office stuck with that group and was rewarded for its faith with a 15-game winning streak to open the season and a 64-18 overall record.
Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, the major step forward they took during the regular season didn’t carry over to the playoffs. After sweeping Miami in round one, the Cavs were eliminated in five games by the Pacers in the conference semifinals earlier this month. Now, with Cleveland’s payroll set to soar past the second tax apron in 2025/26, the team is once again facing difficult roster decisions.
In the latest episode of the Wine and Gold podcast (YouTube link), Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com said he believes the Cavs are still “committed to the core four” and would like to find a way to surround those four players with the “right pieces to compete for a championship.” But Fedor acknowledged that the Cavs’ cap situation and early playoff exit mean they’ll have to keep an open mind this offseason.
“They prefer to keep the core four together and see if they can build around them and find the right pieces around them, and see if there’s a viable way to do that, given the limitations that come with being a luxury-tax team and a second-apron team,” Fedor said. “In saying that, I think the two untouchables are Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley.
“I have been getting the sense that the Cavs would be more willing to entertain and at least consider possibilities for Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland than they have in the past.
“Now, that all comes down to it’s got to be the right deal. It’s got to be the right pieces coming back that the Cavs believe would be a step forward, as opposed to just a lateral move or a step back. I don’t think they’re in a situation where they’re saying to themselves, ‘We’ve got to shed this salary. We need to find a dumping ground for Darius Garland’s contract or Jarrett Allen’s contract.'”
As Fedor points out, the conference rival Celtics decided to build around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and adjusted their core around those players in order to eventually win a title. In Cleveland, it sounds like Mitchell and Mobley are the two cornerstones, and while Garland and Allen could stick around too, their long-term future with the franchise is less certain.
Fedor added that he has been kicking around the idea of hypothetical trades involving Garland rather than Allen in his own work because he believes the market would be hotter for Garland and the Cavs could get more in a deal for him than they could for Allen.
“I’m not saying that the Cavs are going to go down this road,” Fedor continued. “But they’re going to get to a point where they’re going to have to balance out the roster a little bit more than what it is, and they’re going to have to balance the checkbook a little bit more than what it is.
“Nobody that you’re going to get back is going to be Darius in terms of pedigree, in terms of talent. He’s a two-time All-Star for a reason. He’s a max-contract player for a reason. He’s one of the best young point guards in the Eastern Conference for a reason. So are you going to get that back? No. But can you reconfigure your roster? Can you restructure your salary cap by using Darius and find multiple players?”
If the Cavaliers were to trade Garland, Fedor notes, it could mean a bigger ball-handling role for Mitchell and possibly running the offense through Mobley more often. If a deal sheds some salary and creates more spending flexibility to bring back Ty Jerome, he’s another player who could see his ball-handling responsibilities increase.
Fedor repeatedly acknowledges that a trade involving Garland or Allen this offseason is far from a given, but points out that the NBA’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement doesn’t make it viable to operate over the second apron for long unless you’re winning titles.
“When you’re at a point that the Cavs are at with their roster, with the way the season ended earlier than anybody expected, and with their salary cap situation, you have to start considering some of these alternatives,” Fedor said. “And you have to start having very difficult conversations, conversations that are going to be painful. Maybe even subtractions for the roster that are going to be painful.”
Cavaliers’ Koby Altman On Roster: ‘I Love Our Foundation’
The Cavaliers had the second-best regular season in franchise history in 2024/25, winning 64 games en route to the No. 1 seed in the East. But injuries — including a toe sprain to Darius Garland — limited the team to some extent in the postseason, and Cleveland lost its second-round series against Indiana in five games.
At his end-of-season media session on Monday, president of basketball operations Koby Altman said that while the Cavaliers were frustrated by their playoff showing, there’s still an “internal belief” that the current roster — particularly the “core four” of Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen — has an opportunity to contend for championships going forward, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
“Obviously, we feel it. It’s raw for us. We’re disappointed how it ended. But it was a remarkable year on so many fronts and you guys were all invested in this. We’re not going to go anywhere. We’re going to keep fighting for that championship and this window is wide open, we believe.”
Here are a few more highlights from Altman’s presser, courtesy of Fedor.
On his confidence in the roster:
“I love our foundation. I love our core. Our starting lineup, the average age is 26.8. We have two All-Stars that are 25 (Garland) and 23 (Mobley), respectively, and they’re going through it, they’re going through these experiences, they’re going through these battles and we’re sustainable in a lot of ways, not just because guys are under contract, but our youth.
“Our belief in this group in a lot of ways, there’s a newness to this group as well in terms of our new head coach that’s been with us for one year. Us figuring out our offensive identity happened this year and so I’m really high on and optimistic about our future. That being said, it can’t just be 82 games. We have to figure out this next 16, we have to figure out how to get over the hump. But this group has shown they can play some of the best basketball in the world. It’s how do we do it on the highest stage and continue to keep pushing to get over that hump?”
On not overreacting to the playoff loss:
“If we were going to be reactionary, it would have been last year after everything that was written about that group, and all the rumors and all this and that and we stood pat and look what happened, right? I think the same thing now as you lean in even more to what we’re building, the culture that we have here, the internal growth, the youth, the sustainability of that.
“I think there’s a championship window that we have here that’s wide open and that’s one that we’re going to try to pursue next year and the year after and the year after and so forth. We’re not done by any stretch. But I would say if there was a time that we were going to crumble it potentially would’ve been last year, certainly not after what we’ve seen from this group this year is something where were we are going to break up a group that’s been together for three years and has accomplished what they’ve accomplished and is ready to take that next step. As disappointing as this ending was.”
On potentially re-signing backup guard Ty Jerome, who finished third in Sixth Man of the Year voting:
“Love to keep him. I mean, listen, we’re hopeful. I would say that I got to be careful ‘cause he’s going to be an unrestricted free agent, and he is ours, so we can talk about Ty in that vein. Part of (head coach Kenny Atkinson‘s) system, which is, again, we’re always going to be rooted in player development, which is great. And so when guys find that confidence in this system, their value gets driven up. Same thing with Sam Merrill. You want to call these guys end-of-bench players before that have become real rotational players and valuable within the ecosystem, not just us.
“I think the good news is those guys are going to be, they’re going to do really well for themselves. And the good news also is that we know because of our program, we’re going to be able to continue to develop our end-of-bench guys to become rotational guys. That’s going to be part of our evolution and also how we navigate some stiff penalty taxes. We have to continue to develop from within. And those two stories are incredible success stories from the development programs and putting them in a position to be successful. And so, yes, we’d love to keep Ty, but we’ll see what the marketplace holds.”
Altman said owner Dan Gilbert has given the front office “no restrictions in terms of going into the tax.” He added that Cleveland was willing to be a taxpayer and will operate over the second apron “if we need to go there” — the Cavs project to be over the second apron in 2025/26.
Altman also discussed how the Cavaliers can improve their individual and collective mental toughness, Gilbert’s “support” and “positivity,” why they’re likely to “run it back,” and defended Allen from the criticism he has faced for his poor showing at the end of the Pacers series.
Cavaliers Notes: Early Exit, Mitchell, Allen, Jerome, Garland, Atkinson
Donovan Mitchell was in a state of disbelief after the Cavaliers’ second-round flameout.
“I love playing in that (bleeping) arena,” Mitchell said of Cleveland’s Rocket Arena after the team’s Game 5 elimination by the Pacers on Tuesday, per ESPN’s Jamal Collier. “That energy, that crowd. We were 0-3 at home, let the city down. This place is special. This place is really special and we didn’t get it done.”
Mitchell said the early exit will provide extra motivation heading into the offseason.
“We’ve had a lot of positives,” Mitchell said. “But we didn’t capitalize. Now we’ve got to use this motivation. Everybody’s going to write us off.”
The Cavs became the fourth team in NBA history to win at least 64 regular season contests and check out in the first or second round.
“I do feel like we got better,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “From the team aspect and then we had a lot of individuals make a step, so I just want to make that clear. But the truth of the matter is we didn’t get to the level we wanted to get to. So, I’m not pleased with that. And we’re not celebrating the season, if that all makes sense. But I do think we made strides. I think we took a jump. Now we got to figure out this last piece, how to get over this hump. And I was quite honestly expecting more, especially coming off the [first-round] Miami series.”
We have more on the Cavaliers:
- The Cavs’ lack of toughness was evident in the postseason, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic opines. They were pushed around physically, and overmatched and overwhelmed by what was supposed to be an inferior opponent. Jarrett Allen, in particular, has failed to provide a nasty streak in the interior during recent postseasons, Lloyd writes.
- Cleveland is deep into the luxury tax and projects to operate over both tax aprons next season, ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes. Re-signing second unit star Ty Jerome is a priority — they hold his Early Bird rights. However, Jerome’s salary would cost exponentially more due to luxury tax penalties. Adding a reserve big capable of playing rotational minutes and turning Jaylon Tyson into a rotational player are some other priorities, in Marks’ view.
- Trading Darius Garland, who has three years left on his deal and is eligible for a two-year extension this offseason, might be the Cavaliers’ best option in a summer filled with hard choices, John Hollinger of The Athletic writes. That could potentially reinvent the team, ease some of their financial burden and keep the Mitchell-Evan Mobley core in title contention.
- Atkinson won the 2024-25 Rudy Tomjanovich Award, which honors an NBA coach for his cooperation with the media and fans, as well as his excellence on the court, the Professional Basketball Writers Association announced in a press release. “Kenny has always brought great candor, humility and a sense of humor to the job, and to his regular sessions with the media,” PBWA president Howard Beck said. “He’s always eager to explain the nuances of the game and to discuss the bigger issues across the league.”
Central Notes: Portis, Pistons, Bulls, Allen
Bucks big man Bobby Portis returned from his 25-game suspension on Tuesday and made a statement. He recorded 18 points and 10 rebounds in 29 minutes off the bench, helping lift Milwaukee to a win over the Timberwolves.
“My only goal is to get to June,” Portis said, per ESPN. “How can we get to June? We haven’t been there in so long.”
Minnesota led Milwaukee by 24 points in the fourth quarter, but behind a key steal, block and three, Portis helped spark the comeback. Bucks fans were chanting his name by the end of the game.
“My first year playing for the Bucks in the 2020/21 season, when I first started getting the chants, it was like chills, right?” Portis said. “I ain’t had the chills since that moment, but now tonight, I felt it all over again. It was a very surreal moment for me.”
The Bucks are fifth in the Eastern Conference standings, and Portis’s contributions helped get the team to five straight wins.
“Sometimes when you’re suspended, you might not feel you’re a part of it,” Portis said. “There wasn’t one day I was suspended that I didn’t feel like I was part of the team. I felt like I was still here. I just couldn’t play.”
We have more from the Central Division:
- Thursday’s game between Detroit and New York might be a preview of a first-round playoff series involving the two teams, Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press notes. Two iconic Pistons victories this season game against New York — in December, Cade Cunningham became the first Piston to record a triple-double in Madison Square Garden since the current arena opened in 1968, and in January, he scored 36 points against the Knicks. “I think it’s fun,” Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “I think it’s an opportunity for both teams to go out and send a message.“
- The Bulls bolstered their chances of hosting a play-in game when they defeated Miami on Wednesday, Brian Sandalow of the Chicago Sun-Times notes. The win put the Bulls a game ahead of the Heat for ninth in the Eastern Conference standings and Chicago owns the tiebreaker between the two teams. If Chicago defeats the Wizards on Friday or Sixers on Sunday, the club would clinch home-court advantage for the No. 9 vs. 10 play-in game (assuming the Bulls don’t move up to No. 8). “We knew coming into the game the implications that a win or a loss had,” Josh Giddey said.
- Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson said Jarrett Allen made it a goal to play 82 games, which would be the first time that’s occurred in his career. According to Dustin Dopirak of IndyStar (Twitter link), the Cavaliers plan to respect that goal while managing the center’s minutes accordingly. Allen is the only Cavs starter who suited up on Thursday.
And-Ones: Luka Trade Offers, Coaches, Lithuania, Howard
In an article for ESPN.com (Insider link), Bobby Marks examines what the other 28 NBA teams could hypothetically have offered the Mavericks for Luka Doncic, who was sent to the Lakers in February in arguably the most stunning trade in NBA history.
Marks’ exercise comes with a couple of caveats. The first is that a Doncic trade may have fallen apart had every team been able to make a bid for the superstar guard, which is why Dallas was so determined to keep its talks with Los Angeles quiet. The second is that the hypothetical offers are based on each team’s financial restrictions as of February 1, the day before the trade.
Which teams could have offered the Mavericks the most compelling combinations of win-now players and draft assets? According to Marks, the Cavaliers (Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland, 2031 unprotected first-round pick) and Rockets (Dillon Brooks, Jabari Smith, Reed Sheppard, unprotected first-round picks in 2025 and 2027 via Phoenix) could have put the best packages together for Doncic (Cleveland would have been required to take back Maxi Kleber as well for salary-matching purposes, Marks notes).
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- In a story that was released before the Nuggets fired Michael Malone, Zach Harper of The Athletic listed four other head coaches who could be on the hot seat, with Mike Budenholzer of the Suns considered the most likely to be dismissed.
- Confirming a report from BasketNews.com, Linas Kleiza said on his podcast (YouTube link) that Domantas Sabonis is unlikely to compete in this summer’s EuroBasket due to personal reasons (hat tip to EuroHoops.net). Kleiza, a former NBA player who is now general manager of the Lithuanian national team, also said that Jonas Valaniunas and Matas Buzelis are expected to compete in this year’s tournament.
- Georgia businessman Calvin Darden Jr. was recently sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for cheating former NBA star Dwight Howard out of $7MM in a phony scheme to purchase the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream, reports Philip Marcelo of The Associated Press. Darden was also convicted of stealing $1MM from former NBA forward Chandler Parsons in a separate scam. Darden was found guilty in October of wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering charges.