2019 March | Hoops Rumors

Al Jefferson Confirms Retirement

March 23rd, 2019 at 10:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

Al Jefferson, who announced last week that he plans to play in the BIG3 this summer, told Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe his NBA career is over (Twitter link).

“I was able to be home for Thanksgiving and Christmas for the first time since high school,” Jefferson said.

The 34-year-old center played for five teams in 14 NBA seasons, ending his career with the Pacers. Indiana waived him in July to save $6MM on his $10MM contract for the current season. The Pacers offered him a chance to re-sign, but Jefferson opted to play in China, saying he had a chance for a “nice payday.”

The Celtics selected Jefferson with the 15th pick in the 2004 draft. He also spent time with the Timberwolves, Jazz and Hornets, averaging 15.7 PPG and 8.4 RPG in 915 games.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/23/19

March 23rd, 2019 at 9:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

Here are Saturday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:

The Kings have assigned Cody Demps, who signed a 10-day contract yesterday, back to their Stockton affiliate, tweets Jason Jones of The Athletic. He’s posting an 11.8/4.8/3.2 line in 49 G League games.
The Spurs assigned Lonnie Walker to Austin for tonight’s regular season finale, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link).

Five Key Stories: 3/16/19 – 3/23/19

March 23rd, 2019 at 9:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

If you missed any of this past week’s biggest headlines from around the NBA, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Here are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days:

After nearly three years away from the NBA, Jimmer Fredette has returned with the Phoenix Suns. Fredette developed into a star in China, leading the CBA in scoring this season at 36.9 PPG. He will be trying to revive his NBA career after being the 10th player taken in the 2011 draft.

The Suns’ search for a new GM heated up this week with a couple of prominent names rumored to be candidates. Phoenix has reportedly spoken to TNT analyst Kevin McHale and has interest in Bulls consultant Jim Paxson. The Suns have been operating without a full-fledged GM since firing Ryan McDonough in October.

Clippers coach Doc Rivers pledged his loyalty to the franchise, saying he plans to remain in his position for a “long time.” Rivers shot down rumors that he might consider joining the Lakers, saying he still has work left to do with the Clippers.

The Bucks were hit with three significant injuries this week as they try to hold on to the top spot in the East. Malcolm Brogdon is expected to be sidelined through at least the first round of the playoffs with a minor plantar fascia tear in his right foot, Nikola Mirotic will miss 2-4 weeks with a fractured thumb and Pau Gasol is out for about a month with an injured ankle.

The Trail Blazers may have sidestepped a major injury when C.J. McCollum was diagnosed with a popliteus strain in his left knee. McCollum will be re-evaluated this week to determine how much time he will miss.

Here are 10 more headlines from the past week:

The Lakers got good news about Brandon Ingram, who underwent surgery on his right arm for a blood clot condition. Surgeons removed the clot and he is expected to recover within 3-4 months.
Timberwolves guard Derrick Rose had arthroscopic surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow. Rose stayed healthy for most of this season and averaged 18.0 PPG, putting him in the race for Sixth Man of the Year.
In addition to Rose, the Timberwolves declared Robert Covington and Jeff Teague out for the season. Covington hasn’t played since December 31 due to a right knee bone bruise, while Teague is dealing with an injured left foot.
Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. will miss the rest of the season because of a stress reaction in his left tibia. He played just 19 games for Dallas after being acquired from the Knicks.
The Grizzlies will finish the season without C.J. Miles, who has a stress reaction in his left foot. Miles appeared in 13 games for Memphis after being acquired from the Raptors in the Marc Gasol trade last month.
The Pelicans claimed Christian Wood off waivers and parted ways with veteran forward Jason Smith. The Bucks waived Wood to make room for Tim Frazier, who was cut by New Orleans last month.
A report suggested that the Jazz and Grizzlies may revisit trade talks this summer involving Mike Conley. Utah was considered among the front-runners to land Conley, but the teams couldn’t work out a deal before the deadline.
The Spurs are close to bringing Donatas Motiejunas back to the NBA after two seasons in China. The 28-year-old is reportedly nearing a deal with San Antonio.
Sophomore center Daniel Gafford of Arkansas will enter the NBA draft and hire an agent. He was considered a possible first-round pick last year, but now projects at the top of the second round.
Jason Terry is the latest former NBA star to join the BIG3. The 41-year-old had hoped to play another NBA season, but never received an offer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Hoops Rumors Originals: 3/16/19 – 3/23/19

March 23rd, 2019 at 8:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

Every week, the Hoops Rumors writing team creates original content to complement our news feed. Listed below are our original segments and features from the past seven days:

Luke Adams examined how two-way players are affected by the end of the G League season.
He also looked at which contracts could be altered by All-NBA team selections.
Chris Crouse previewed The NBA 2K League.
We offered an update on 10-day contracts.
Our Stock Watch series focused on the Southeast and Central divisions.
We conducted polls on:
- Will anybody receive aDesignated Veteran Extension this summer?
- Will Kemba Walker re-sign with the Hornets?
In this week’s Community Shootaround, we asked:
- Which teams and players are you watching in March Madness?
- Who should be Defensive Player of the Year?
We dipped into our Glossary for explanations of:

Categories:
Hoops Rumors Originals

Pau Gasol To Miss About A Month With Ankle Injury

March 23rd, 2019 at 7:26pm CST by Arthur Hill

The injury news keeps getting worse for the Bucks, who will be without center Pau Gasol for roughly a month because of an injured left ankle, tweets ESPN’s Malika Andrews.

With the playoffs set to start in three weeks, Gasol should be considered questionable for the entire first round. The 38-year-old center has played just three games — and 10 total minutes — for Milwaukee after reaching a buyout agreement with the Spurs three weeks ago.

Gasol told Matt Velasquez of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel yesterday that the ankle had been bothering him, but he was getting it treated and was following the team’s recovery plan (Twitter link).

The news caps off a nightmarish week of injuries for the Bucks, who lost Malcolm Brogdon probably through at least the first round of the playoffs with a minor plantar fascia tear in his right foot and then saw Nikola Mirotic sidelined for 2-4 weeks with a fractured thumb.

Jontay Porter Suffers Another Torn ACL

March 23rd, 2019 at 6:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

Missouri’s Jontay Porter, who was projected as a possible first-round pick despite missing the season with torn ligaments in his right knee, recently re-tore his ACL, writes Alex Schiffer of The Kansas City Star.

The 6’11” sophomore tested the draft waters a year ago before deciding to return to the Tigers. He was projected as the 13th pick in a mock draft that ESPN’s Jonathan Givony compiled in August, but suffered a tear to his ACL and MCL in a preseason scrimmage. Despite the injuries, Porter was 25th in a mock draft put together by Givony and Mike Schmitz this week.

Porter was rehabbing the knee in Denver when the latest setback took place, according to Schiffer. Sources said the tear happened while Porter was on the court working out, rather than through rehab. Schiffer states that it’s not clear if Porter has been approved for on-court activities.

Porter was named co-Sixth Man of the Year in the Southeastern Conference as a freshman, averaging 9.9 PPG. He reclassified and skipped his senior season of high school to play alongside his brother, Michael Porter, who wound up missing almost the entire season after hurting his back. His health was a major topic of discussion leading up to last year’s draft and he wound up slipping to the Nuggets with the 14th pick.

Jontay Porter hadn’t announced whether he intended to try his luck in the draft again, but this week’s setback could affect his plans.

“I think this latest injury creates a major red flag around his re-torn ACL as far as the health of the knee going forward and his medical status in general,” an NBA scout told Schiffer. “While he had a real chance to be a first-round pick, a lot of teams will have to revisit their needs and priorities. Established playoff contenders may want to really look at him as he can rehab and won’t have to rush back versus a team looking for an immediate impact player.”

Bulls Declare Hutchison, Carter Out For The Season

March 23rd, 2019 at 5:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

Chandler Hutchison and Wendell Carter Jr., who both had their rookie year cut short by injuries, have officially been ruled out for the rest of the season, the Bulls announced on Twitter.

Executive VP of basketball operations John Paxson relayed the information to reporters before tonight’s game, adding that the same fate may apply to Otto Porter, who is sidelined with a shoulder injury, tweets K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. He and Zach LaVine are both being monitored daily, but Paxson speculated that “We may run out of time” with Porter.

Hutchison has been out since late January with an “acute injury” to a sesamoid bone in his right foot. The 22nd player taken in last year’s draft, Hutchison established himself as a part-time starter and averaged 5.2 PPG and 4.2 RPG in 44 games.

“He’s going to have to spend time in the gym shooting the ball this summer to become a better shooter. We know that’s an important component,” Paxson said of Hutchison after complimenting his defense, ballhandling and versatility. Hutchison shot .459 from the field, but just .280 from 3-point range and .605 from the foul line.

Carter hasn’t played since suffering a thumb injury in mid-January that required surgery. He was projected to be out 8 to 12 weeks, so it’s not surprising that he won’t play again this season. The seventh pick last year, Carter also played 44 games, all as a starter, and averaged 10.3 PPG and 7.0 RPG.

Suns Waive Jawun Evans; Rockets Expected To Make Claim

March 23rd, 2019 at 4:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

4:57pm: Phoenix has waived Evans, tweets Gina Mizell of The Athletic.

4:17pm: The Suns will waive two-way player Jawun Evans, who already has interest from the Rockets, tweets Michael Scotto of The Athletic.

Evans signed a two-way deal with the Suns in December, but has only appeared in seven games for Phoenix, playing about nine minutes per night and averaging less than a point per game. He was much more productive with Northern Arizona, posting a 15.1/3.8/5.8 line in 32 games.

The second-year point guard had a promising rookie season with the Clippers, but couldn’t earn a spot on this year’s roster. He was waived in October just before the start of the regular season, although he had a guaranteed $1.378MM deal.

The Suns won’t be able to replace Evans because the deadline for signing two-way players has already passed. The G League season ends this weekend, and Northern Arizona won’t be in the playoffs.

Houston has a two-way slot open after promoting Danuel House to the 15-man roster. No move would be necessary before adding Evans, but the Rockets’ record puts them toward the back of the line for waiver claims, so it’s possible another organization could seize Evans. Teams will have 48 hours to submit claims once Evans is officially waived.

Celtics May Not Sign Greg Monroe

March 23rd, 2019 at 4:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

Despite a report that surfaced last night, the Celtics may be having second thoughts about signing veteran center Greg Monroe to a 10-day contract, tweets Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports.

Aron Baynes‘ ankle injury may not be as serious as originally believed, which would reduce the need to add another center. Coach Brad Stevens said Baynes, who was diagnosed with a Grade 2 sprain on Wednesday, may be available for tomorrow’s game with San Antonio (Twitter link from A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston).

Thomas Robinson, who joined the Celtics’ G League affiliate in Maine this week, is also being considered for the open roster spot, Smith adds (Twitter link). Robinson has averaged 14 PPG and 14 RPG in his first three games for the Red Claws, who will end their season tonight. Smith describes the competition to fill the 15th spot in Boston as “fluid” and says some believe Robinson has the inside track.

The fifth player selected in the 2012 draft, Robinson spent the season in China before coming to the G League. The 28-year-old joined the Hawks for training camp last fall, but hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2016/17 season.

DeAndre Liggins Headed To Greece

March 23rd, 2019 at 2:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

After spending this season in the G League, DeAndre Liggins has signed with Kolossos Rhodes of the Greek A1 league, according to Nicola Lupo of Sportando.

Liggins, 30, was in training camp with the Heat, but was waived before the start of the season in Ocotober. He went to Miami’s G League affiliate in Sioux Falls and averaged 10.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 25 games.

Liggins had brief stays with seven NBA teams dating back to the 2011/12 season, but was never able to turn any into a long-term arrangement. He played a combined 58 games last year for the Bucks and Pelicans. He has previous international experience in Russia and Germany.

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