Week In Review: 12/18/16 – 12/24/16

Here’s a look back at all the notable news items from around the NBA this past week, including several prominent injuries and the announcement of a new basketball league for retired NBAers:

News

• The ongoing saga in Philadelphia continues as the Sixers deliberate over what to do with their frontcourt logjam.  General manager Bryan Colangelo has said that he’s content finishing the season without trading one of the team’s young centers but it’s unclear whether that will work out for the rest of the parties involved. The club drew criticism when they publicly elected to remove Nerlens Noel from the rotation, a decision that they appear to have since backed off from.
• The Pistons have plummeted below .500 on the heels of five consecutive losses. Not surprisingly, head coach Stan Van Gundy has vowed to shake things up. Since then, drama in the team’s locker room has escalated considerably, though a trade is not necessarily expected.
• DeMarcus Cousins was fined substantially by the Kings for his actions and behavior regarding the media. A video showcasing the All-Star’s past incidents with the media was published by the Sacramento Bee.
• Pat Riley has decided that it’s finally time for the Heat to rebuild. Riley lauds the team’s collection of promising young assets and promises to rebuild fast.

Business

• The NBA’s salary cap rose dramatically over the summer and could continue to rise over the next few years. According to The Vertical, the official figure could rise from the $94MM it sits at now to as much as $120MM by 2020. In 2015/16, the salary cap was just $70MM.
• NBA owners and NBA players have all ratified the new collective bargaining agreement, making the new deal official.
• The new CBA will significantly change how teams are able to sign and extend their own free agents. For James Harden and Russell Westbrook, two players that signed contract extensions last summer, some these changes will be grandfathered in allowing them to be eligible for extensions this summer as well.
• A new independent medical panel will be established to handle potential life and death cases like the one facing Chris Bosh who has been prohibited from playing for the Heat due to blood clots.
• The wheels are in motion for a new basketball league that will allow retired NBA players to compete in half-court, three-on-three tournaments. Stephen Jackson and Jason Williams are said to be among the earliest batch of players on board.

Rumors

• The injury-depleted Rockets are gauging the trade market, searching for big men to possibly add to their lineup.
• Teams have called the Grizzlies inquiring about Tony Allen and the club is open to hearing offers.
• The Nuggets have been receiving offers for 25-year-old Will Barton, but the swingman is content staying in Denver.
• He’s since denied it, but Goran Dragic was rumored to be “open to a trade” from the Heat.

Injuries

• Blake Griffin will undergo a procedure to clean up “loose bodies” in his right knee, keeping him out of action for the Clippers until the New Year.
• The Rockets will be without center Clint Capela for six weeks as the big man recovers from a left fibula fracture.
• Trail Blazers big man Festus Ezeli has elected for season-ending knee surgery. The center rushed back from an injury prematurely last season and now has his long-term health to consider.
• J.R. Smith is the latest Cavaliers rotation player to go down with an injury, the swingman’s broken thumb could keep him sidelined for 12 to 14 weeks.
• Ian Mahinmi will miss six additional weeks battling back from knee procedures. The newly inked Wizards center will now under go platelet-rich plasma treatment.