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:
Carmelo Anthony is back in the NBA after agreeing to a non-guaranteed deal with the Trail Blazers. Anthony will try to turn around the fortunes in Portland, which has gotten off to a slow start and is dealing with a string of injuries to its big men. The 10-time All-Star has been out of the league for about 12 months.
Paul George made his Clippers debut this week after missing nearly a month while recovering from offseason surgery on both shoulders. George looked as good as ever with 33 points and nine rebounds.
Reports out of New York suggest the Knicks are making plans to fire coach David Fizdale if the season doesn’t turn around soon. Owner James Dolan held a meeting during halftime of an embarrassing loss Sunday with president of basketball operations Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry, who followed with an unusual post-game press conference to address the team’s poor performance.
The NBA sent a memo to all 30 teams telling them to avoid using “load management” when talking about injuries. The newly accepted phrase appears to be “injury management” with the specific injury listed on the inactive report.
The Magic have expressed interest to the Spurs about acquiring guard DeMar Derozan. DeRozan has a $27.7MM player option for next season and may not fit into San Antonio’s long-term plans. Orlando needs scoring help and may view a DeRozan deal as a way to spark the team after a slow start.
Here are 10 more noteworthy headlines from around the basketball world this week:
- Nets guard Caris LeVert will be sidelined four to six weeks after undergoing surgery to fix ligaments in his right thumb. LeVert was averaging 16.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists through his first nine games of the season.
- The Kings will re-evaluate De’Aaron Fox in three to four weeks after he suffered a sprained left ankle in practice this week. It was diagnosed as a a Grade 3 sprain, which is a full tear of the ankle ligament.
- Celtics forward Gordon Hayward opted for surgery to fix a broken bone in his right hand, which is expected to sideline him for about six weeks. Hayward seemed to be fully recovered from a severe ankle injury two years ago, averaging 20.3 PPG, 7.9 RPG and 4.6 APG though seven games.
- A left leg injury will keep Bucks guard Khris Middleton out of action for several weeks. An All-Star last season, Middleton was hurt during Sunday’s game with the Thunder.
- Rockets guard Eric Gordon will miss six weeks after undergoing knee surgery. Gordon has been bothered by knee issues and decided to have the surgery to get some debris removed.
- Veteran swingman Iman Shumpert signed a minimum-salary contract with the Nets. Brooklyn is permitted to carry a 16th player on its roster while Wilson Chandler serves out the remainder of his suspension.
- LeBron James told reporters he has no plans for retirement as he nears age 35. The Lakers star already ranks in the top 50 for most career games.
- Stephen Curry hasn’t given up hope of playing again this season. The Warriors guard will need another operation on his broken hand, but he is still targeting a return in the spring.
- The Heat suspended Dion Waiters for 10 games for “conduct detrimental to the team.” Waiters, who hasn’t played this season, had a medical incident on the team plane last week related to an edible form of marijuana.
- The Nets parted ways with CEO David Levy after less than two months on the job.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Why does Curry think that he has any chance of playing again this season? By the time he can come back after the AS break the Warriors will be out of the playoff picture and looking to secure a top-4 lottery spot.