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Injury Notes: Lillard, Durant, Fox, Hornets

April 21st, 2021 at 9:35am CST by Luke Adams

Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, who has missed the team’s last three games due to right hamstring tendiopathy, intends to return on Wednesday night vs. Denver, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

The Trail Blazers will welcome Lillard’s return — after squeaking out a one-point win in San Antonio, the club lost its next two games without him. Portland remains in the No. 6 seed in the West, but now has just a 1.5-game cushion over the seventh-place Mavs.

Here are a few more injury-related notes and updates:

  • A pair of sources confirmed to Brian Lewis of The New York Post that Kevin Durant‘s thigh injury is considered minor. Durant remains with the Nets on their current road trip rather than having returned to Brooklyn, and head coach Steve Nash said the star forward is “day-to-day.” The latest update from the team on James Harden wasn’t quite so positive, as we relayed last night.
  • Kings head coach Luke Walton said after Tuesday’s game that point guard De’Aaron Fox tweaked his ankle on Sunday, per Sean Cunningham of ABC10 Sacramento (Twitter link). It doesn’t appear the injury will sideline Fox for now, but it explains why he was limited to 28 minutes in the club’s loss last night — those 28 minutes were the fewest he has played in a game since January 15.
  • There’s still no set timetable for LaMelo Ball, Malik Monk, or Gordon Hayward to return to the Hornets, writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Although Monk’s return isn’t imminent, he’s believed to be closer than Hayward, says Bonnell. As for Ball, while a Monday report suggested he could be back as soon as early next week, head coach James Borrego wouldn’t confirm that, but he did say it seems that Ball wouldn’t be at risk of worsening his wrist injury if he returns this season, which is good news for Charlotte.
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LaMelo Ball Cleared For Basketball Activity, Could Return Soon

April 19th, 2021 at 7:18pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Standout Hornets rookie point guard LaMelo Ball has been permitted to resume individual basketball activity after doctors discovered that his surgically-repaired right wrist has healed, according to a team press release.

Ball was the clear frontrunner for Rookie of the Year honors before he fractured his right wrist on March 20 against the Clippers. He won Rookie of the Month honors in January, February and March. After his cast was removed, a CT scan by Dr. Michelle Carlson of The Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City indicated that Ball’s wrist has fully healed.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets that a source tells him Ball could be back on the floor for Charlotte as early as seven-to-10 days from now. Across 41 games (21 starts) for the eighth-seeded Hornets, the 19-year-old is averaging 15.9 PPG (second among rookies), plus 6.1 APG and 5.9 RPG (both first among rookies). He boasts a solid shooting line of .451/.375/.789.

If Ball can return, it would be a major salve for the Hornets, who are currently missing several key players due to various injuries. The club is 8-7 since Ball was sidelined.

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Kupchak: Hornets Not Yet Ruling LaMelo Ball Out For Season

March 26th, 2021 at 10:44am CST by Luke Adams

After suffering a broken wrist last week, Hornets guard LaMelo Ball underwent surgery to repair the fracture. Initial reports suggested Ball was expected to miss the rest of the season, but the team’s press release following the surgery didn’t close the door on the possibility of a return, indicating that the standout rookie would be reevaluated in four weeks.

Addressing Ball’s injury publicly for the first time today, Hornets president of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak acknowledged that the team isn’t ruling out the 19-year-old for the rest of 2020/21, as Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes.

“We don’t know if LaMelo is out for the season or not,” Kupchak said during a conference call. “There is a possibility (of Ball playing again), just based on other players who have had this injury, that maybe he does come back for some portion of the year.”

As I noted at the time of Ball’s surgery, the idea of getting him back for the end of the season, including possibly for a play-in tournament appearance or a postseason series, is a tantalizing one. The 22-21 Hornets are currently the No. 4 seed in the East, so it’s safe to assume they’ll be in the hunt for a playoff berth all the way down to the wire, if they haven’t clinched a spot by the end of the regular season.

Still, I also cautioned that the Hornets won’t be in any rush to get their potential franchise player back on the court unless they’re absolutely confident that he’s 100% healthy. Kupchak confirmed that point in his conversation with the media today.

“The one thing we know we’re not going to do in any event is put his health in jeopardy,” Kupchak said, per Bonnell. “If we get to the end of the (regular season), and we’re in a playoff hunt, and he’s not quite ready — (where) we feel we could get him back on the court and push it — we won’t do that.”

Assuming Charlotte sticks its timeline of a four-week reevaluation, we should get a formal update from the team on Ball’s status on or around April 20.

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LaMelo Ball Undergoes Wrist Surgery

March 23rd, 2021 at 2:51pm CST by Luke Adams

After fracturing his right wrist on Saturday, Hornets guard LaMelo Ball underwent surgery this morning in New York to repair the injury, per Ashley Stroehlein of NBC Charlotte (Twitter link).

Ball will require about four weeks to recover from the surgery, then will begin rehabbing his wrist, says Stroehlein. Shams Charania of The Athletic, who tweets that Ball will be reevaluated at the four-week mark, notes that the team still hasn’t closed the door entirely on the possibility of the star rookie returning this season.

At 21-21, the Hornets currently hold the No. 6 seed in the East, putting them right in the thick of the playoff race. Getting Ball back down the stretch, perhaps for a play-in tournament or a first-round postseason series, would be a huge boost, but it seems like a long shot at this point.

Reports at the time of Ball’s injury indicated it was expected to be a season-ender, and the Hornets certainly won’t want to risk rushing back their franchise player, who is still just 19 years old.

In 41 games (28.6 MPG) this season, Ball averaged 15.9 PPG, 6.1 APG, 5.9 RPG, and 1.6 SPG on .451/.375/.789 shooting.

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Hornets Notes: Batum, Ball, Graham, Turner, Washington

March 22nd, 2021 at 5:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nicolas Batum found out the Hornets had released him in November on social media, according to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. “I found out on Twitter, like everybody else,” Batum said. The veteran forward was let go to clear cap space for Gordon Hayward. Charlotte elected to use the stretch provision, spreading Batum’s $27.1MM cap hit over three seasons. The Hornets declined to comment on how they handled Batum’s departure.

We have more on the Hornets:

  • LaMelo Ball played 57 percent of the season before he injured his wrist, so he’s still likely to win the Rookie of the Year award, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic writes. Only strong finishes by either Anthony Edwards or Tyrese Haliburton would jeopardize his hold on the award.
  • The Hornets have a tricky decision on Devonte’ Graham in the aftermath of Ball’s injury, but they would still be wise to deal the restricted free agent, Vecenie opines in the same piece. Graham will never have more value than he has now, due to his $1.6MM salary, which makes him an option for any team interested in him. He could be an impact player for a contender, which would gain control over him this summer due to his RFA status.
  • Charlotte has long been interested in the Pacers’ Myles Turner and Indiana asked for P.J. Washington as part of a potential package prior to the season, J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star tweets.
  • With an open roster spot and up to $4.1MM in cap space, GM Mitch Kupchak needs to add a big man to the roster, Bonnell tweets. Charlotte has left a roster spot open throughout the season.
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LaMelo Ball Expected To Miss Rest Of Season With Fractured Wrist

March 21st, 2021 at 7:59pm CST by JD Shaw

Hornets guard LaMelo Ball has suffered a fractured bone in his right wrist and is expected to miss the rest of the season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The team confirmed the injury and stated that Ball will be out indefinitely.

Ball was dealing with wrist soreness and underwent an MRI in San Antonio today which revealed the injury. He’ll seek a second opinion to confirm the diagnosis, with the fracture being located around the area of his thumb, Wojnarowski notes.

Ball has averaged 15.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game in his first NBA season, making a strong case to be named Rookie of the Year. Now that he’ll miss the final two months of the season, it could open the door for Anthony Edwards or Tyrese Haliburton to make a run for that award.

The Hornets are 20-21 and have lost three straight contests. Ball’s injury could affect how the team approaches the trade deadline this week, perhaps reducing the odds of a Devonte’ Graham trade or a major splash for a big man.

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Eastern Notes: Ball, Pacers, Graham, Harden, Brown

March 14th, 2021 at 5:28pm CST by JD Shaw

Hornets guard LaMelo Ball is cementing his case to be the favorite for Rookie of the Year this season, Eric Koreen of The Athletic writes. Most recently, Ball finished with 23 points, nine rebounds, and six assists over the Raptors on Saturday, leading his team to a 114-104 win.

“The biggest thing is he made a couple of plays — I’m not saying we were threatening to cut the game down, but in the 15-to-17-point range — that were not looking good for them and all of a sudden, he zings a no-look pass for a layup or something,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said of Ball. “You think you’ve just about got them all bottled up and you’re heading the other way, and he would make a really spectacular pass for an assisted bucket.”

The 19-year-old Ball has averaged 15.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.4 assists this year, shooting 45% from the field and 39% from three-point range. Charlotte currently sits at sixth place in the East with a 19-18 record.

There’s more from the Eastern Conference tonight:

  • The Pacers‘ flight to Denver on Sunday afternoon has been delayed due to a major snowstorm, according to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. The storm has produced more than 19 inches of snow in Denver, causing the Pacers to remain in Phoenix. The team plays the Nuggets on Monday after a 122-111 win over the Suns on Saturday.
  • Although he’s in a contract year, Hornets guard Devonte’ Graham isn’t complaining about losing his starting spot, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes. In addition to LaMelo Ball‘s impressive play, fellow guard Terry Rozier is in the midst of a career season, averaging 20.3 points per game on 49% shooting.
  • Alec Sturm of NetsDaily examines how James Harden has helped Bruce Brown become a valuable contributor for the Nets this season. Brown, who is in his third NBA season, has started 22 of his 35 contests for Brooklyn this year.
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Michael Jordan Praises LaMelo Ball’s Development

March 6th, 2021 at 11:54am CST by marksuleymanov

In his first NBA season, Hornets‘ point guard LaMelo Ball has put on a clinic of dazzling passes and moves, putting himself at the forefront of 2020/21 NBA Rookie of the Year talks.

Ball’s performance and early development has not gone unnoticed by Hornets chairman and NBA legend Michael Jordan. The former six-time NBA champion told Steve Reed of The Associated Press that the young point guard has surpassed the team’s expectations through the first half of his inaugural season.

“I think ‘Melo has adjusted to the NBA game better than any of us ever thought this early in his career,” Jordan said. “He has exceeded our expectations so far this season.”

In 35 games (15 starts), Ball is averaging 15.8 PPG, 6.3 APG and 6.0 RPG while shooting nearly 45% from the field. The 20-year-old began the year on the bench but a mixture of injuries and his own performance has catapulted him into the starting lineup, where he figures to remain for the foreseeable future.

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NBA Announces 2020/21 Rising Stars Rosters

March 3rd, 2021 at 1:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the pared-down nature of the NBA’s 2021 All-Star weekend, a Rising Stars Game showcasing the league’s top rookies and sophomores won’t be played this year.

However, the league has still announced the rosters for the event, via NBA Top Shot, naming the 20 players who would have been selected to participate if the game was taking place. Here are those rosters:

U.S. Team:

World Team:

The 20-man group includes eight rookies and 11 sophomores. The 20th player, Porter, made the cut as a sophomore since he missed his entire rookie season in 2018/19 due to an injury — this is technically his third year of NBA service.

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And-Ones: Vaccines, Ball, Trade Candidates, Defenders, All-Star Voting

February 5th, 2021 at 6:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

In an effort to alleviate players’ – and some coaches’ – fears and skepticism about receiving COVID-19 vaccines, the NBA is arranging mandatory meetings over the next two weeks between its top medical expert and all 30 teams, Sam Amick, Joe Vardon and David Aldridge of The Athletic report. Teams felt there was a need to provide information and insight on this issue to its players.

The NBA wants everyone associated with the game — players, coaches, referees and chief front office personnel — to get the shots, not only for safety reasons but also as part of a national volunteering-public relations campaign.

We have more from around the basketball world:

  • LaMelo Ball ranks as the leading candidate for the Rookie of the Year award, according to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report. The Hornets guard ranks first in assists and steals, second in rebounding and third in scoring among all rookies despite coming off the bench in all but two games. Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton sits in second place for Wasserman, who ranks the rookies from 10-1.
  • With Wizards guard Bradley Beal apparently off the market, there won’t be another blockbuster trade this season to rival the James Harden deal, Tim Bontemps of ESPN opines. Some of the players who could be moved by March’s trade deadline are Lonzo Ball, J.J. Redick, P.J. Tucker, George Hill, Evan Fournier and Aaron Gordon, though Hill and Gordon are currently injured.
  • Rudy Gobert‘s contract with the Jazz is a rare case in which a defensive stalwart is compensated like a elite scorer, Aldridge notes in a separate Athletic story. Aldridge takes a closer look at why top defenders are generally not as valued as scorers.
  • Kevin Durant has received the most All-Star votes in the early returns, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets. Beal is the top vote-getter among Eastern Conference guards. LeBron James has the most votes among Western Conference forwards and Stephen Curry leads all Western Conference guards by a wide margin.
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