2021 | Hoops Rumors

Rick Carlisle Tests Positive For COVID-19, Will Miss Several Games

December 10th, 2021 at 9:54am CST by Arthur Hill

A PCR test confirmed that Pacers coach Rick Carlisle has COVID-19, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Carlisle will miss several games, starting tonight against Dallas, with lead assistant Lloyd Pierce taking over in his absence.

Carlisle was place in the league’s health and safety protocols on Thursday after returning a positive result on a rapid test. He took the PCR test later in the day, but the results weren’t available until this morning.

The 62-year-old coach is experiencing “mild symptoms” of COVID-19, according to an ESPN report. He is fully vaccinated and has received a booster shot.

With the virus now confirmed, Carlisle will be required to isolate for at least 10 days or until he has two negative PCR tests at least 24 hours apart. If he’s away from the team for 10 days, he will miss four games, including tonight’s. He could be able to return for a December 21 game in Miami.

The Pacers canceled practice Thursday, citing an “abundance of caution” relating to the protocols. After a relatively calm start to the season, COVID-19 is starting to create havoc throughout the league, with the Bulls, Sixers and Hornets among the teams most affected.

COVID-19 Updates: Ujiri, Brooks, Young

December 9th, 2021 at 9:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Raptors president Masai Ujiri has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a team press release.

Ujiri believes he contracted the virus during a “Giants of Africa” meeting.

“On Sunday, Giants of Africa held our first in-person event since 2019,” Ujiri said in a statement. “It was organized in compliance with all current public health guidance – everyone who attended had to show proof of vaccination, and to wear masks when not eating or drinking. Unfortunately, after the gala, we learned of positive COVID-19 tests among our guests – and even though I am fully vaccinated and have received a booster shot, I also subsequently tested positive.

“I am now at home, observing the safety protocols by self-isolating for 10 days, monitoring for symptoms and undergoing testing, and I encourage everyone who attended to please do the same. We don’t want to live in fear of this virus, but COVID is a persistent enemy. Together, we’ll defeat it.”

Several others around the league have tested positive over the last 24 hours. Here’s a roundup:

Grizzlies swingman Dillon Brooks missed the team’s game against the Lakers after entering the league’s health and safety protocols, the team’s PR department tweets. Brooks scored 15 points against Dallas on Wednesday before he was ejected. He’s averaging 17.1 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 2.8 APG.
Suns assistant Kevin Young has yet to return to the club after being placed under protocols, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets. Young has missed the last four games.
As we detailed earlier on Thursday, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle has tested positive, Derrick Jones Jr. became the fifth Bulls player to enter protocols, and the Hornets will still be missing a handful of players on Friday due to protocols.

Atlantic Notes: Randle, Knicks Grades, Celtics

December 9th, 2021 at 8:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Julius Randle signed a four-year extension with a base value of $106.4MM, along with numerous incentives, in August. The Knicks’ big man has struggled this season and feels responsible for the team’s disappointing play, Peter Botte of the New York Post writes.

“I have to be better,’’ Randle said. “Everybody has to be better. And I’ll take responsibility from the team. I’ll take responsibility for myself. That doesn’t bother me. At the end of the day, I just want to win. We’ve got to look ourselves in the mirror and decide what we want the season to be. I know what I want it to be. I know what the guys want it to be. But we have to commit to it.”

Randle is averaging 19.8 PPG after posting a career-high 24.1 PPG last season and his field-goal percentages have dropped noticeably.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Randle gets a C grade for the Knicks’ first trimester, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News opines in a report card. Benched point guard Kemba Walker gets an F, while fellow point man Derrick Rose is at the top of Bondy’s class with an A-minus.
The Celtics have a .500 record and their inconsistency has been maddening to players and coach Ime Udoka, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes. “I don’t know, you probably don’t know, and that’s why you’re asking me and I don’t know either,” Dennis Schröder said of the team’s inconsistency. “We’ve got to come out and do it for 48 minutes. It can’t happen that we just do it for two or three quarters.” Udoka admitted, “The effort and the inconsistency is frustrating at times.”
Detailing the same topic, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston believes changes might be forthcoming for the Celtics but there’s no clear-cut solution to all of their problems. They do need to make defense a priority after ranking 18th over the last 10 games in the points per possession category.

Blazers Notes: Cronin, Lillard, McCollum, Trade Targets, Luxury Tax

December 9th, 2021 at 7:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Blazers interim general manager Joe Cronin said the roster requires some changes and vows it will happen, Mark Medina of NBA.com tweets. “We know there’s something we need to do with the roster, and we will,” he said.

Cronin has “constant communications” with Damian Lillard about the roster. Cronin also indicated that Lillard and CJ McCollum are “happy” with head coach Chauncey Billups and his staff.

Cronin says he has the backing of the team’s ownership, Medina adds in another tweet. “They told me they believe in me,” he said. “They haven’t made many declarations other than this is a nice venue for you to do good work, you’ll be evaluated and you’ll have a chance.”

Cronin was the team’s director of player personnel before GM Neil Olshey was fired last week.

We have more on the Blazers:

HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto and Yossi Gozlan discuss trade scenarios involving McCollum — currently out with a collapsed lung — and the search for new GM in a podcast. Scotto believes the franchise should pursue trades for their backcourt stars and start a rebuild.
Gozlan explores potential trade targets for McCollum, including Ben Simmons, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner and others, in a separate HoopsHype story.
Whether they make big or small moves, the Blazers have to find a way to get under the luxury tax threshold, The Athletic’s John Hollinger writes. They’re currently $3MM over the tax line and it’s not worth paying that price, given the team’s current issues.

And-Ones: Stephenson, Popovich, Thibodeau, Africa League, Samuel

December 9th, 2021 at 5:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lance Stephenson is currently playing for the Nuggets’ G league affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold. He ultimately hopes to get another chance to play in the NBA, as he told Bob Kravitz of The Athletic.

“I want to show everybody I’m a different guy and I’ll do anything I can to contribute to a team,’” he said. “My whole mindset is getting back to the NBA. I feel like I belong there. That’s my destination. And I’ll never quit trying.”

Stephenson, who is averaging 19.5 PPG and 7.4 RPG for the Gold, hasn’t appeared in the NBA game since the 2018/19 season, when he played in 63 regular-season games for the Lakers.

We have more from around the basketball world:

A successor for Gregg Popovich as Team USA’s head coach has yet to be named. Popovich said that Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau would make an excellent choice, according to Steve Popper of Newsday. “Oh sure, there are a lot of guys up here that would be fantastic and he’s one of them,” Popovich said. “I think that experience is great and the people that they’re looking at, they’re all great candidates and I think everybody is going to be happy with the final selection for sure. He also was really helpful and supportive during my last four or five years with this, talking to him about how it all goes, giving advice.”
The Basketball Africa League will have an expanded second season, according to an NBA press release. The season will begin on March 5, 2022, in Dakar, Senegal, and will include stops in Cairo, Egypt, and Kigali, Rwanda. The BAL will once again feature the to 12 club teams from 12 African countries and will expand to a total of 38 games over three months.
Seton Hall big man Tyrese Samuel has caught the eye of NBA scouts, Adam Zagoria of NJ.com writes. According to Zagoria, 25 NBA scouts from 17 teams will be in attendance on Thursday when the Pirates play Texas. There’s a chance Samuel could enter the draft after this season, depending on the feedback he gets.

Southeast Notes: Reddish, Bogdanovic, Okongwu, Hornets, Sabonis, Martin

December 9th, 2021 at 4:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hawks forward Cam Reddish, who is recovering from a wrist injury, went through a full practice on Thursday, according to coach Nate McMillan. Reddish did some shooting and participated in drills at 75% speed. He’s listed as probable to play on Friday.

Bogdan Bogdanovic still needs more time to return from his ankle injury, Sarah Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports in a series of tweets. “Bogi’s not doing anything other than shooting. He looks better,” McMillan said. “He’s up on his feet and he’s moving around.”

Second-year big man Onyeka Okongwu is continuing his rehab assignment from shoulder surgery. He’s with the G League College Park Skyhawks and is expected to play on Thursday.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

There’s been no change regarding the Hornets‘ COVID-19 issues. LaMelo Ball, Jalen McDaniels, Mason Plumlee, Terry Rozier and Ish Smith are all listed as out for Friday’s game against Sacramento due to the league’s health and safety protocols, the team’s PR department tweets. Charlotte’s depleted roster has managed to beat Atlanta and lose two close games to Philadelphia since those players were sidelined over the weekend.
With a recent report claiming that the Pacers may shake up their roster, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington examines whether Domantas Sabonis should be a trade target for the Wizards. Hughes notes that Rui Hachimura and Thomas Bryant are expected to return soon and the front office would like to see how they fit with their revamped roster. Hughes adds that the club already has the look of a playoff team and the addition of Sabonis may not move the needle all that much.
Caleb Martin may eventually have his two-way contract converted to a standard deal by the Heat but there are luxury tax concerns, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald notes. Martin has been active for 24 of the Heat’s 26 games and can only be active for 50 games under two-way rules. If he remained on the active roster for every game, he’d be able to play until nearly the end of January. But the Heat would have to wait a couple of weeks after that to convert his contract in order to avoid surpassing the tax threshold.

Pacific Notes: Ayton, Westbrook, LeBron, Boston

December 9th, 2021 at 3:18pm CST by Rory Maher

Suns center Deandre Ayton will be a restricted free agent this summer, but he says he’s focused on working hard and winning a championship this season, according to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated.

The 20-4 Suns hold the second-best record in the league, trailing the Warriors by a half-game. Ayton says the key to the team’s success has been maximum effort.

“All of it is from experience from the Finals and playing hard,” Ayton said. “We play super hard. We don’t know how to stop playing hard. Ever since I went to the Finals, I don’t know how to stop competing more than 100%. We have to stay at this high level of camaraderie and I have to make sure we win the game.”

In 18 games this season (30.9 MPG), Ayton is averaging 16.3 PPG and 11.1 RPG. He says he has his eye on some individual awards as well.

“I want All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year,” Ayton said, per Spears. “I really want that. I want to be on that talk of First-Team Defense.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific Division:

Russell Westbrook has been steadily improving throughout the season for the Lakers, prompting Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report to wonder whether people jumped the gun on judging the team’s trade to acquire him.
The Lakers‘ season may hinge on whether LeBron James and Westbrook can form a winning partnership, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. McMenamin takes an in-depth look at the dynamic between the two players, noting that defensive lapses and turnovers have plagued the team. The duo’s chemistry has been slow to form with James sidelined for 12 games, but they’ve looked much better together recently.
Rookie Brandon Boston Jr. had a breakout performance for the Clippers in their 114-111 victory over the Celtics Wednesday night, dropping 27 points and four steals in only 25 minutes and making 9-of-13 shots, including 5-of-8 threes. Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times writes that Boston is one of the keys to the Clippers’ present and future.

Pelicans’ Kira Lewis Jr. Out For Season With Torn ACL

December 9th, 2021 at 1:21pm CST by Rory Maher

Second-year Pelicans guard Kira Lewis Jr. is out indefinitely after suffering a torn ACL and a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his right knee, the team announced (Twitter link). The injury occurred in Wednesday’s game against Denver and a subsequent MRI confirmed it. A surgery date has not been set.

A torn ACL typically has a recovery timeline of 12 months or more, and considering Lewis suffered a MCL sprain as well, it could be a bit longer than that. The team didn’t say it outright, but Lewis will miss the rest of the 2021/22 season.

The 13th overall pick of the 2020 draft, Lewis is a small, athletic point guard. He was considered a bit of a project coming out of Alabama and he has struggled to translate his athleticism at the NBA level early in his career. In 24 games this season (14.2 MPG), he averaged 5.9 PPG, 1.5 RPG, and 2.0 APG with a .404/.224/.805 shooting line.

It’s a very unfortunate setback for the 20-year-old, who’d been playing better recently. Executive VP of basketball operations David Griffin is known to be high on Lewis and has reportedly pushed for more playing time for him in the past.

The Pelicans exercised their third-year option on Lewis prior to the season, so his salary will be guaranteed through next season.

Backup point guard Tomas Satoransky figures to see more minutes in Lewis’ absence for the Pelicans, who hold a 7-20 record thus far, last in the Western Conference.

Derrick Jones Jr. Fifth Bulls Player To Enter Protocols

December 9th, 2021 at 12:32pm CST by Rory Maher

Forward Derrick Jones Jr. has become the fifth Bulls player to enter the league’s health and safety protocols, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

If it wasn’t evident already, the Bulls have an outbreak on their hands. Jones joins Coby White, Javonte Green, DeMar DeRozan, and Matt Thomas in the protocols.

It hasn’t been officially confirmed, but based on this tweet from Wojnarowski, it sounds like Jones tested positive for COVID-19 as well. If so, he will be out for at least 10 days or until he returns two consecutive negative PCR tests a minimum of 24 hours apart.

If Jones did test positive, the Bulls would be eligible to sign another player via a hardship exception, per Bobby Marks of ESPN (via Twitter). The Bulls already used the exception to sign Stanley Johnson in a move that became official today.

The high-flying Jones was the 2020 Slam Dunk Contest winner. Through 22 games this season (18.6 MPG), he’s averaging 7.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 1.0 BPG.

Pacers Coach Rick Carlisle Enters Protocols

December 9th, 2021 at 12:20pm CST by Rory Maher

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols, sources tell Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link).

It was reported earlier today that the Pacers canceled their practice on Thursday out of “an abundance of caution” related to the protocols — now we know why.

MacMahon also tweets that Carlisle returned a positive result for COVID-19 after a rapid test Wednesday night. Carlisle took a PCR test Thursday in order to confirm the diagnosis, but the results aren’t expected back until Friday.

If the PCR comes back positive as well, Carlisle will need to isolate for at least 10 days or until he returns two consecutive negative PCR tests a minimum of 24 hours apart.

Carlisle is unlikely to coach Friday vs. Dallas, which will be the first game against his former team this season, per James Boyd of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter link). According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter), lead assistant coach Lloyd Pierce will serve as head coach for the Pacers while Carlisle is out.

The Pacers have three games next week that Carlisle could miss: Dec. 13 against Golden State, Dec. 15 at Milwaukee and Dec. 16 vs. Detroit. Assuming he has to isolate for 10 days, which isn’t a given, he could be eligible to return for the Dec. 21 contest at Miami.

Year: 2024