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Injury Notes: Bazemore, Smart, A. Williams, MCW

March 13th, 2018 at 2:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Although Kent Bazemore‘s season has ended early due to a bone bruise in his right knee, the Hawks swingman still felt like 2017/18 was a better overall year for him than the 2016/17 campaign, writes Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“I’m in a great place,” Bazemore said on Tuesday. “Solid bounce-back season after last year’s efforts. I grew as a player and a leader. I’ve learned a new train of thought for an NBA season. Now it’s up to me to take it to the next level and be able to play all season. … I felt great all year. The injury was kind of a freak accident, in my opinion. I was available every night up to that point. It was a good year overall.”

According to Bazemore, the injury will take him about six to eight weeks to fully recover from, which is why the Hawks are shutting him down for the season — there are only about four weeks left in the regular season, and Atlanta obviously isn’t playoff-bound. Bazemore, who will look to enter the 2018/19 season fully healthy, will be entering the third season of his lucrative four-year contract with the Hawks.

Here are a few more injury notes from around the NBA:

A league source tells Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald (Twitter link) that the Celtics sure aren’t sure what the odds are that Marcus Smart returns to the court this season. Smart, officially diagnosed with a sprained thumb, reportedly tore a tendon in that thumb. “(They’re) waiting for that second opinion,” the source told Murphy. “Don’t know if it’s a 50% chance or a 30% chance (that he can get back on the court this season). Just don’t know.”
Although it initially looked like he might play for the Suns tonight, Alan Williams is now targeting Thursday or Saturday for his 2017/18 debut, tweets Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic. Williams has been sidelined all season with a right knee injury.
The Hornets confirmed today in a press release that Michael Carter-Williams underwent successful surgery to address the torn labrum in his left shoulder. As initially reported last week, the former Rookie of the Year will miss the rest of the season before reaching unrestricted free agency this summer.

Hawks Sign Damion Lee To 10-Day Contract

March 13th, 2018 at 8:49am CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 13: The Hawks have officially signed Lee to a 10-day deal, the team announced today in a press release. It will run through next Thursday (March 22).

MARCH 12: The Hawks are expected to add yet another player on a 10-day contract. G League guard Damion Lee will become the latest player to ink a deal with Atlanta, according to Chris Haynes of ESPN (Twitter link).

Lee, who played his college ball at the University of Louisville, went undrafted in 2016 and signed a camp contract with the Celtics. He spent most of his rookie season playing for the Maine Red Claws (Boston’s G League affiliate) before joining the Santa Cruz Warriors (Golden State’s affiliate) for the 2017/18 season.

In 38 games this season for Santa Cruz, Lee has averaged 15.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 2.6 APG. He has struggled a little with his outside shot, seeing his 3PT% dip to .305 after posting a .466 mark in 16 G League contests last season.

The Hawks currently have one open roster spot, so they can sign Lee without waiving anyone. Atlanta was already the only NBA team with multiple players currently on 10-day deals, with Antonius Cleveland and Jaylen Morris both on those short-term contracts. Morris will reportedly miss the next two to four weeks with an ankle injury though, so it’s not clear if the Hawks will keep him on the roster throughout his recovery, or if they’ll move on.

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/12/18

March 12th, 2018 at 7:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Here are Monday’s G League moves from around the NBA:

The Spurs recalled guard Derrick White from the Austin Spurs, according to a team press release. White, the team’s first-round pick last June, has played 19 games with Austin, averaging 18.2 PPG, 4.8 RPG and 3.1 APG in 27.0 MPG.
The Lakers recalled rookie center Thomas Bryant from their South Bay affiliate, the G League team tweets. The second-round pick has appeared in 10 NBA games. In his last two games with South Bay, he averaged 18.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG and 6.0 APG.
The Celtics recalled forward Guerschon Yabusele from the Maine Red Claws, the team tweets. Yabusele will add depth in the wake of Daniel Theis‘ season-ending injury. A 2016 first-round pick, Yabusele has appeared in 14 games with the Red Claws, averaging 20.3 PPG and 7.9 RPG.
The Hawks recalled rookie forward Tyler Cavanaugh from a rehab assignment with the Erie Bayhawks, the team announced in a release. Cavanaugh, who hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since January 8th, has been working his way back from an ankle injury.

Hawks’ Kent Bazemore Out For Season

March 12th, 2018 at 2:46pm CST by Luke Adams

2:46pm: The Hawks have issued a press release confirming the injuries to Bazemore and Morris. According to the team, Bazemore will miss the rest of the season and Morris will be out for approximately two to four weeks.

2:20pm: After leaving Sunday’s game with a knee injury, Hawks swingman Kent Bazemore isn’t expected to return to action anytime soon. A source tells Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Bazemore will likely miss “several weeks” due to a right knee bone bruise.

A three-and-D wing, Bazemore has started 65 of the Hawks’ 67 games this year, averaging 12.9 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 3.5 APG with a career-best .394 3PT%. He still has two seasons left on the lucrative four-year deal he signed back in 2016, and is owed an $18MM+ guaranteed salary for 2018/19, plus a $19MM+ player option for 2019/20.

The tanking Hawks are currently tied for the third-worst record in the NBA at 20-47, so the club likely won’t be too devastated to lose one of its more productive rotation players. While the recovery timeline on Bazemore suggests he could be back before season’s end, it’s very possible that Atlanta will play it safe and hold him out for the club’s final 15 games.

Meanwhile, the Hawks will also be without rookie Jaylen Morris, who suffered a left ankle sprain and is expected to be out for two weeks, according to Cunningham. Morris just signed his second 10-day contract with the club on Sunday, but it sounds like he won’t be healthy before that deal expires on March 20.

If Morris remains a part of Atlanta’s plans, the team figures to keep him around during his recovery and then sign him to a rest-of-season contract later this month. If not, the Hawks could end up terminating his 10-day deal early.

Best Way To Rebuild?

March 11th, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by clarkcrum

Spencer Davies of Basketball Insiders takes a look at how the bottom-dwelling Hawks can go about their rebuilding efforts in a positive way. Davies opines that Atlanta is already ahead of the curve due to focusing on giving their young core of Taurean Prince and rookie big man John Collins valuable playing time and experience at the expense of veterans. The next step is bringing in a young, talented front court player such as Mohamed Bamba or DeAndre Ayton to pair with Collins.

Hawks Sign Jaylen Morris To Second 10-Day Deal

March 11th, 2018 at 1:37pm CST by clarkcrum

MARCH 11: The Hawks have officially signed Morris to his second 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. The contract will run through next Tuesday, covering five games.

MARCH 8: According to Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated, the Hawks plan to sign rookie guard Jaylen Morris to a second 10-day contract after his first 10-day deal expires tomorrow. Assuming the second contract is signed on Saturday, it will run through March 19, covering four games.

As previously touched upon, Morris went undrafted out of Division II Molloy College in last summer’s draft and had spent this season with the Erie BayHawks, Atlanta’s G League affiliate, before signing with the Hawks.

Morris has played in all four games since signing his first 10-day deal, averaging 3.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 17.0 minutes per contest. As a rookie, Morris’ deal with once again count as $46,080 towards the Hawks’ salary cap.

2018 NBA Free Agent Stock Watch: Atlanta Hawks

March 9th, 2018 at 8:47pm CST by Austin Kent

The Hawks are in the early stages of a rebuild after years as a modest contender in the Eastern Conference. Given new general manager Travis Schlenk‘s desire to preserve cap flexibility, you can imagine the franchise will be particularly prudent when free agency resumes in July.

As things stand, the club has just $70.5MM on the books for next season, a figure that drops to $60.2MM if you subtract a pair of player options that we’ll discuss below.

The Hawks will have little incentive to keep their payroll that tight given the salary floor projected in the $85MM range but they’ll be dead-set against committing to inconsequential long-term deals unless it comes in the form of a trade for a significant asset.

Dewayne Dedmon, C, 28 (Up) – Signed to a two-year, $12.3MM deal in 2017
After years as a journeyman, Dedmon began to make a name for himself as a surprisingly productive reserve for a legitimate contender in San Antonio. While he never played enough minutes to make it onto the mainstream radar, he’s a value add that landed in an ideal environment in Atlanta. Though Dedmon has stepped up in the biggest opportunity of his career thus far, he doesn’t have much of a role with the Hawks long term given the fact that, at 28 years of age, he doesn’t really fit their timeline. Expect him to turn down his player option and hit the open market in search of a raise from his current $6MM salary. Dedmon could be a double-double talent for any team that really wanted him to be but it’s more likely that he settles in as a go-to frontcourt bench option with his stellar career per-36 rates.

Malcolm Delaney, PG, 29 (Down) – Signed to a two-year, $5MM deal in 2016
It’s hard to imagine that Delaney will generate much interested as a restricted free agent considering his age and 5.7 career point-per-game average but that doesn’t mean the franchise won’t look to bring him back on a short-term deal if they simply need bodies that the coaching staff is familiar with. If he’s not back in Atlanta, however, he may have a hard time landing a gig.

Mike Muscala, 27, C (Up) – Signed to a two-year, $10MM deal in 2017
Having carved out a role for himself as a decent defensive big man with a plus three-point shot, Muscala could conceivably draw interest from other teams if he turned down his player option for 2018/19. In reality, however, it’s hard to imagine Muscala definitively emerging from a crowded center market to land a deal better than his current one. Muscala isn’t a spring chicken by NBA standards but prolonging a free agency decision until 2019, when he’s 28 years old, wouldn’t be an awful idea.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Update On Hawks' Two-Way Players

March 6th, 2018 at 11:11am CST by Luke Adams

Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution provides an update on the Hawks‘ two-way players, tweeting that – as of Monday – Josh Magette had 25 days of NBA service left, while Andrew White had 13 days left. Given Atlanta’s place in the standings, the team won’t have to worry about making either player postseason-eligible via an NBA contract.

Hawks Sign Antonius Cleveland To Second Ten-Day Deal

March 4th, 2018 at 12:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Hawks have signed Antonius Cleveland to a second 10-day contract and are planning a longer relationship with the 24-year-old shooting guard, tweets Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

When the latest 10-day deal expires, Atlanta plans to sign Cleveland through the rest of this season and 2018/19, Cunningham adds.

Cleveland, a former two-way player with the Mavericks, didn’t see any game action during his first 10 days with the Hawks. He went undrafted out of Southeast Missouri State last summer and inked a training camp deal with the Warriors before getting the offer from Dallas.

The deal with Cleveland brings Atlanta’s roster back to 14 players.

10-Day Deals Expire For Cleveland, Thornton

March 4th, 2018 at 11:40am CST by Arthur Hill

Two players are free agents again after their 10-day contracts expired overnight, according to the Real GM Transactions Log.

Shooting guard Antonius Cleveland didn’t see any action for the Hawks during his 10 days with the team. The 24-year-old shooting guard appeared in 13 games with the Mavericks as a two-way player earlier this season before being waived in January. He also played in seven G League games this year.

Marcus Thornton also wasn’t used during his 10-day stay with Cleveland. Although he signed with the Cavaliers, he never left the G League, where he is averaging 18.9 points per game with the Canton Charge.

The Hawks and Cavs made the signings to comply with an NBA requirement that teams have at least 14 players on their rosters, and both clubs will need to find replacements.