2020 July | Hoops Rumors

Magic’s Wesley Iwundu In Concussion Protocol

July 26th, 2020 at 11:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Magic forward Wesley Iwundu has been placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol, according to a tweet from the team. He was injured in Saturday’s scrimmage against the Lakers, suffering a cut above his left eye that required four stitches.

“I feel like we’re fortunate,” Magic coach Steve Clifford said (Twitter link from Josh Robbins of The Athletic). “That was right in front of us and it was scary. He really went down hard. And the way he fell, he didn’t have an ability to stop his fall. So I talked to him after the game, and I feel fortunate, like I said, that he wasn’t hurt more significantly.”

There is no set timetable for players to pass through the protocol. They must complete a series of tests to prove they no longer have concussion symptoms. Orlando, which enters the restart is in eighth place in the East, will have its first seeding game Friday against the seventh-place Nets.

Iwundu has been a valuable member of the Magic’s rotation throughout his three NBA seasons. He has appeared in 45 games this year, starting 18, and averages 5.3 points and 2.5 rebounds per night.

Joel Embiid Day To Day With Calf Issue

July 26th, 2020 at 10:26am CST by Arthur Hill

Sixers center Joel Embiid will be held out of today’s scrimmage due to discomfort in his right calf, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Embiid experienced discomfort in the calf area during Friday’s game with the Grizzlies, and his status is considered day-to-day (Twitter link). He will be re-evaluated tomorrow, according to Derek Bodner of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Al Horford will take Embiid’s spot in the starting lineup, adds Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link). The Sixers had been hoping to use the scrimmages to adjust to their new starting lineup, with Horford in a reserve role.

“I feel that it’s an opportunity — truly, not coach speak, not political speak, truly — to play Al more, to put him with some different groups,” coach Brett Brown said (video link from Pompey). “I think if this had happened three, four games into what we’re calling the regular season, there’s always frustration, and I know frustration at times for Joel, but initially we’re just trying to be smart with everything and move on.”

Embiid has a long injury history and had just returned from a shoulder sprain when the hiatus began. He has appeared in 44 of the Sixers’ 65 games this season and is averaging 23.4 points and 11.8 rebounds per night.

Lou Williams Must Quarantine For 10 Days

July 26th, 2020 at 9:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Lou Williams will be required to go through a 10-day quarantine after visiting a strip club during his absence from the Walt Disney World campus, according to Sam Amick, Shams Charania and Joe Vardon of The Athletic. He will miss the Clippers‘ first two seeding games against the Lakers on Thursday and the Pelicans on Saturday.

More details have emerged about Williams’ trip to Magic City in Atlanta during an excused absence to attend a funeral. Sources tell the authors that Williams was part of a group, including rapper Jack Harlow, that went to the club for dinner Thursday after the funeral viewing. They didn’t stay long, sources add, and were there mainly for the food.

“Ask any of my teammates what’s my favorite restaurant in Atlanta,” Williams tweeted Saturday night. “Ain’t nobody partying. Chill out lol #Maskon #inandout.” He later added, “Magic City is my favorite restaurant in the world.”

The funeral for Williams’ friend took place Friday and he returned to the WDW campus Saturday.

Williams’ situation is one of many for the short-handed Clippers, who are just four days away from their opening game. Ivica Zubac is in quarantine after joining the team Friday, and Landry Shamet is reportedly headed to Orlando after testing positive for COVID-19 earlier this month. Patrick Beverley and Montrezl Harrell are both away from the team on excused absences.

Asked Saturday about whether he expected a full roster for Thursday’s game, coach Doc Rivers responded, “My guess is I would doubt it.”

NBA Investigating Why Lou Williams Left Orlando

July 25th, 2020 at 6:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA is investigating what Clippers guard Lou Williams did during his absence from Orlando to determine how long he will be required to quarantine, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne tweets that pictures emerged of Williams at an Atlanta gentleman’s club Thursday night alongside rapper Jack Harlow, who later deleted the post from Instagram. Harlow claimed Friday that Williams wasn’t at the club, tweeting, “That was an old pic of me and Lou. I was just reminiscing cuz I miss him.”

Sources tell Shelburne that NBA security interviewed Williams, who admitted briefly being at the Magic City gentleman’s club on Thursday (Twitter link).

Williams received permission to leave Walt Disney World this week, making him the third Clipper in the past few days to exit the campus environment to attend to personal matters. Coach Doc Rivers confirmed that Williams returned today, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN (Twitter link).

Williams will be required to quarantine for four days if he maintained negative test results over each of the past seven days. However, a longer quarantine could be imposed, depending on the results of the league investigation. The Clippers will begin their seeding games Thursday against the Lakers.

“I can’t share much with his journey (since leaving Orlando), I wasn’t on that journey with him,” Rivers told reporters (Twitter link). “But he’s back here, I can tell you that much. Those (pictures) got out and that’s something that we obviously didn’t enjoy seeing or like.”

If Williams’ quarantine is extended to 10 days, he will miss two seeding games and would forfeit up to $150K in salary, notes Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link).

Central Notes: T. Young, Bledsoe, Karnisovas, Boylen

July 25th, 2020 at 5:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

While there has been quite a bit of speculation that high-scoring Zach LaVine could wind up on the trading block, the Chicago player considered most readily available is actually veteran forward Thaddeus Young, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

Young averaged 10.3 PPG and 4.9 RPG in 24.9 MPG in his first year with the Bulls, all career lows aside from his rookie season, and he was unhappy with his role. Young is guaranteed $13.545MM next season, but the final year of his contract in 2021/22 is only partially guaranteed.

We have more from the Central Division:

Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe returned to practice Thursday. However, while coach Mike Budenholzer said Bledsoe “looked great,” he didn’t play in today’s scrimmage against the Kings. Bledsoe tested positive for the coronavirus prior to the team’s arrival in Orlando and flew to the campus on Wednesday.
New Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas hasn’t pushed ownership for a coaching change and that seems like a wise move, Johnson opines. Jim Boylen seems open to tweaking his offensive system and management has sought his input on player development strategies, Johnson continues. Karnisovas has a good working relationship with Boylen’s staff, Johnson adds.
The Athletic’s John Hollinger takes an opposing viewpoint. He sees the lack of progress in the Bulls’ head coaching search as a head-scratcher, believing that Boylen isn’t Karnisovas’ first choice. It’s possible that Chicago’s owners simply doesn’t want to pay off Boylen and then dole out more money for a new head coach, or that the delayed start of next season has made them procrastinate. But the franchise is isn’t giving the next coach a chance to hit the ground running this winter, Hollinger adds.

Pacific Notes: Rubio, A. Davis, Waiters, Fox

July 25th, 2020 at 4:32pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns plan to have starting point guard Ricky Rubio active for their second scrimmage Sunday night, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Rubio sat out Thursday’s opener after a positive COVID-19 test delayed his arrival to the Walt Disney World campus.

“He should play,” coach Monty Williams said of Rubio. “He had a good practice (today). It was probably smart to hold him out. We don’t want guys playing when they’re not comfortable, we’re not comfortable. We’ve been going unbelievably hard in our practice. I’m looking forward to seeing him on the floor.”

Phoenix has been short-handed since teams began reporting to Orlando earlier this month. Center Aron Baynes also tested positive for the coronavirus, while Elie Okobo and Jalen Lecque are listed out for “personal reasons.” The Suns expect all those players to eventually join the team.

“You always want your full team out here,” said rookie Ty Jerome, who made his first start at point guard in Thursday’s scrimmage. “All the uncertainty that’s going on right now, the fact that we’re one of the healthier and more full teams out here, it gives us a chance. Gives us a fighting chance.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Anthony Davis is considered day-to-day after being poked in the right eye during today’s scrimmage, Lakers coach Frank Vogel tells Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). L.A. has one more scrimmage Monday before starting its seeding games Thursday against the Clippers.
Lakers guard Dion Waiters discussed the difference between playing alongside LeBron James now compared to when they were teammates in Cleveland six years ago, McMenamin tweets. “When you’re young, you’re still trying to find yourself coming into the league,” Waiters said. “I think Bron was trying to help me with that, but I was so stubborn back then. But I understand now. I’m 28. I’ve been through a lot. I’m at peace with myself, though.”
Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox declared himself to be completely recovered from an ankle sprain he suffered last week (video link).
Clippers center Ivica Zubac reported to Orlando Friday night and is being quarantined for two days, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

Rockets’ Austin Rivers Returns To Campus

July 25th, 2020 at 3:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

Rockets guard Austin Rivers is back on the Walt Disney World campus, two days after leaving for an “urgent family matter,” writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Rivers posted the news today on his Instagram account.

Players are permitted to leave the campus, but they must quarantine for four to 10 days once they return. Feigen notes that the four-day wait takes effect only if players test negative for the coronavirus for seven straight days before returning. Those tests can include the ones taken at the WDW complex if they’re away for fewer than seven days.

Rivers wasn’t present for last night’s scrimmage and will sit out Sunday’s contest with the Grizzlies, Feigen adds. His status for the final scrimmage on Tuesday and Houston’s first seeding game on Friday has yet to be determined.

Rivers was a valuable contributor off the bench in his first full season with the Rockets, averaging 8.5 points in 60 games while playing 23.4 minutes per night. He has a $2.4MM player option for 2020/21.

Abdel Nader Placed In Concussion Protocol

July 25th, 2020 at 2:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

Thunder forward Abdel Nader has entered the NBA’s concussion protocol, the team announced today in a press release. He suffered the concussion during Friday night’s scrimmage against the Celtics.

Under the league’s concussion policy, Nader must pass through a series of steps to prove he is free of symptoms before being permitted to resume basketball activities. There is no set timetable for a player to complete the protocol. Oklahoma City has one more scrimmage remaining before starting its seeding games next Saturday against the Jazz.

Nader has appeared in 48 games this season, making five starts, and is averaging 6.0 points and 1.9 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per night.

Knicks To Hire Tom Thibodeau As Head Coach

July 25th, 2020 at 12:19pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Knicks and Tom Thibodeau are finalizing a five-year contract to make him their head coach, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.

Thibodeau has been considered the favorite to land the job for months. However, Lakers assistant Jason Kidd reportedly emerged as a frontrunner after negotiations with Thibodeau appeared to hit a snag. Those differences have obviously been ironed out.

Thibodeau has strong ties to the new front office regime, as team president Leon Rose is his former agent. Thibodeau has a .589 winning percentage (352-246) as a head coach with the Bulls and Timberwolves, though his tenure with Minnesota ended midway through the 2018/19 season when the team was floundering below .500 at 19-21.

The Knicks conducted an extensive search for the position. Ex-Nets coach Kenny Atkinson, interim Knicks coach Mike Miller, former NBA coaches Mike Brown and Mike Woodson, and a handful of current assistants from around the NBA were considered for the job. Thibodeau was interviewed twice, including a three-hour session in his second interview. Overall, Rose and his front office team met with 11 candidates.

The team that Thibodeau inherits is in flux. The Knicks have a number of veteran players on non-guaranteed contracts for next season after striking out in their quest for a superstar player last offseason. They’re expected to be one of a handful of teams with significant salary-cap space this offseason and also have some interesting young pieces, including center Mitchell Robinson and last year’s lottery pick, RJ Barrett.

The Knicks are counting on Thibodeau to develop those young players and instill a winning culture. New York was 21-45 this season and missed the playoffs for the sixth straight season.

Thibodeau has long-standing ties to the organization as an assistant under Jeff Van Gundy from 1996-2004.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Atlantic Notes: Kurucs, Atkinson, Vaughn, Walker

July 25th, 2020 at 10:58am CST by Dana Gauruder

Rodions Kurucs came to the NBA as a small forward but is now being used as a backup center by the depleted Nets, Brian Lewis of the New York Post notes. DeAndre Jordan skipped the Orlando restart after testing positive for the coronavirus, leaving Jarrett Allen as the lone true center on the roster.

“I don’t think it’s going to be my position going forward, but I’m definitely making the best out of it,” said Kurucs, whose rookie contract is guaranteed through next season. Substitute player Donta Hall could also see some work as a backup for the Nets.

We have more from Atlantic Division:

Kenny Atkinson isn’t considered the frontrunner for the Knicks coaching job, but Jarrett Allen gives the former Nets head man a ringing endorsement, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News writes. “I came into the Nets and we weren’t making our mark in the NBA and you could see every year I was with him, and every year he coached us we kept getting better and better,” Allen said. “And the players under him kept developing and developing, and bringing us more confidence. So whatever team he goes to, they’re going to get a hell of a coach.”
The Nets’ Jacques Vaughn is in a tricky spot as an interim coach hoping he’ll get the full-time gig. He’s focused on getting the most of his shorthanded team but says he’s learned a lot since flopping as Magic coach during a 2-1/2 year stint, according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. “I’ve definitely transitioned and understand and have a better grasp of today’s player, today surroundings,” he said. “It’s just the maturation of being a young coach.”
Celtics point guard Kemba Walker indicated that he’s “trending upwards” while working out with the team as he recovers from left knee soreness, the team’s PR department tweets. “It was really fun to get out there with my teammates,” he said. “The knee feels good. I’m trending upwards.”

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