Northwest Notes: Bazley, Nuggets, Porter, Wolves

Thunder rookie Darius Bazley, who was ruled out for four-to-six weeks on February 10 due to a bone bruise in his knee, is likely healthy now, though the team hasn’t confirmed that, writes Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman.

As Tramel notes, however, it’s not clear whether Bazley would see much action for the Thunder this summer if the season resumes, whether or not he’s healthy. The 19-year-old forward was a regular rotation player for Oklahoma City before his injury, averaging 17.2 MPG in 53 contests, but Abdel Nader and – to a lesser extent – Hamidou Diallo played well in Bazley’s absence. With OKC likely shifting into postseason mode if and when play resumes, Tramel wonders if there will be room in the rotation for Bazley.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

• Colorado Governor Jared Polis told Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic in an interview this week that he intends to give the green light to sports leagues to play games (without fans) in the state once they’re ready to do so. Polis’ comments primarily focus on MLB’s Rockies and NFL’s Broncos, since the Nuggets are extremely unlikely to play games at their home arena before 2020/21. Still, it’s a promising sign for next season for Colorado’s lone NBA franchise.
• After missing the entire 2018/19 season, Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. flashed some tantalizing potential during his de facto rookie year. With the help of former NBA team executive Seth Partnow, Nick Kosmider of The Athletic digs into Porter’s performance and explores what advanced data says about his play.
• In his latest mailbag, Chris Hine of The Star Tribune examines the job Gersson Rosas has done as the Timberwolves‘ president of basketball operations and discusses the team’s draft plans, among other topics.