Atlanta Hawks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southeast Notes: Bamba, Wizards, Winston, Todd, Hawks

April 23rd, 2022 at 9:57am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Magic center Mohamed Bamba, who is eligible for restricted free agency this summer, hopes to stick around in Orlando long term, writes Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel.

“I want to be here,” Bamba said of his NBA future. “I just want to make that clear. I’ll let that stuff handle itself and continue to work.”

As Price details, Bamba enjoyed his best year as a pro during the 2021/22 NBA season, averaging a career-best 10.6 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.7 BPG and 1.2 APG across a career-most 25.7 MPG as a starter alongside fellow big man Wendell Carter Jr., who was drafted one slot behind Bamba in 2018. Bamba also did a good job protecting the rim, Price notes. A career 68.5% free-throw shooter, the 7’0″ Bamba also connected on a career-best 78.1% from the charity stripe on a modest 1.0 attempts per game.

There’s more out of the Southeast Division:

After a disappointing 35-47 season, the Wizards face a fascinating summer. Bobby Marks of ESPN (Insider link) provides a thorough preview of Washington’s offseason, contending that it all starts at finding a reliable point guard to play alongside shooting guard Bradley Beal, who could decline his $36.5MM player option this summer and enter free agency. Center Thomas Bryant will also be an unrestricted free agent. Marks notes that, when it comes to assets, the team possesses 10 tradable player contracts and a lottery pick in the upcoming draft.
Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. intends to monitor the development of the team’s two most recent second-round selections, reserve point guard Cassius Winston and backup forward Isaiah Todd, writes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. “It’s a big offseason for those two,” Unseld said. “It’s a big offseason for all of our young guys. You’re going to have a season of ebbs and flows. Consistency is the thing we’re searching for and that’s one thing that young players at times have difficulty with… I thought Cash had some really good moments. Not a ton of sample size with the Wizards, but even with [Washington’s NBAGL affiliate the Capital City Go-Go]. Both he and Isaiah had big games and great opportunities to learn and grow.” Winston averagd 12.7 PPG and 4.6 APG as a reserve with the Go-Go, while Todd logged 12.1 PPG and 5.2 RPG for Washington’s G League club.
While the Hawks won Game 3 on Friday to pull to within 2-1 in their first-round series, the Heat’s performance so far is showing Atlanta what the team still needs in order to make consistently deep playoff runs, writes Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Kirschner opines that finding a great perimeter defender needs to be a top priority for the Hawks in their roster-building, as Miami All-Star small forward Jimmy Butler has largely been dominant against Atlanta wings De’Andre Hunter, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kevin Huerter.

Heat’s Kyle Lowry Suffers Left Hamstring Injury

April 22nd, 2022 at 9:36pm CST by Rory Maher

9:36: Head coach Erik Spoelstra said Lowry has a hamstring injury of unknown severity and will undergo additional testing on Saturday, per the team (Twitter link).

9:01pm: Heat point guard Kyle Lowry suffered a left leg injury in the third quarter of Game 3 against the Hawks on Friday night, which caused him to leave the game and not return, the team announced (via Twitter).

As John Hollinger of The Athletic notes (Twitter link), Atlanta forward De’Andre Hunter landed on Lowry’s foot while the two were away from the ball, causing the guard to hop off the court. It’s unclear at this time if the injury will impact his availability going forward, but the fact that he had to leave the game early isn’t a great sign.

Lowry is in his first season with Miami after a hugely successful nine-season stint with Toronto. He’s a six-time All-Star and won a championship with the Raptors in 2019.

In 63 regular season games this season (33.9 minutes), the 36-year-old averaged 13.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.1 steals with a .440/.377/.851 shooting slash line. Those numbers have dipped a bit through the first two games of the Miami/Atlanta playoff series, with Lowry averaging 9.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 5.5 APG, 1.0 SPG and 1.5 BPG on .375/.300/.800 shooting.

With Lowry potentially sidelined, Miami will likely rely on backups Tyler Herro and Gabe Vincent for additional minutes and play-making duties.

The Heat ultimately lost a nail-biter to the Hawks in Game 3, 111-110. Miami now leads the series 2-1, with Game 4 set for Sunday in Atlanta.

Capela Will Miss Game 3 Vs. Heat

April 21st, 2022 at 6:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hawks center Clint Capela won’t play in Game 3 of the team’s first-round series against the Heat on Friday, according to coach Nate McMillan, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic tweets. Capela suffered a knee injury in the play-in tournament against Cleveland.

Injury Notes: Doncic, Trent, Barnes, Capela

April 20th, 2022 at 2:20pm CST by Luke Adams

After Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on Tuesday that there was optimism about Luka Doncic returning from his left calf strain as early as Game 3, the Mavericks star increased his activity at Wednesday’s practice, as veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein tweets.

Following that practice, Doncic spoke to the media for the first time during the playoffs and said he’s “feeling good,” per Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link). However, he wasn’t prepared to say he’ll be active for Game 3 in Utah on Thursday.

Doncic told reporters that a risk of aggravating the injury will be something he and the Mavs have to consider as they map out his return (Twitter links via MacMahon).

“I don’t know if I’m going to be 100 percent. I think that’s tough right now,” Doncic said. “But if I’m ready and there’s no risk of (aggravating the) injury, I’ll be out there.”

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

Raptors swingman Gary Trent Jr. (non-COVID illness) was initially listed as questionable for Game 3 on Wednesday vs. Philadelphia, but he’ll play and start, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. The team will see how Trent feels in the first quarter before making a decision on how much he’ll play tonight, says Lewenberg.
Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, meanwhile, continues to be listed as doubtful for Game 3 due to a left ankle sprain, but the rookie is out of his walking boot, and head coach Nick Nurse didn’t rule out the possibility that he could play on Wednesday, per Lewenberg (Twitter links).
Providing an update on Clint Capela on Tuesday, Hawks head coach Nate McMillan said the injured big man remains limited to physical rehab work for now, per Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). As Spencer relays, Capela – who is recovering from a hyperextended right knee – was seen doing some light on-court work prior to Tuesday’s game (all video links).
In case you missed it, we passed along the latest news on Devin Booker (hamstring) and Ben Simmons (back) earlier today.

Injury Updates: Simmons, Barnes, Trent, Collins

April 19th, 2022 at 4:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Nets guard Ben Simmons, who continues to recover from a back issue, took contact for the first time on Monday and participated in a 4-on-4 scrimmage, head coach Steve Nash told reporters on Tuesday (link via Steve Popper of Newsday).

“Yesterday was his first day of contact, played with some teammates yesterday,” Nash said. “He’s making progress, but there’s no real update. We’ll just see how he responds and see if he’s able to do more contact tomorrow.”

It’s another positive update for Simmons after ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Shams Charania of The Athletic both referred to him on Monday as “pain-free,” per NetsDaily. The three-time All-Star has been ruled out for Game 2, but it remains possible that he could make his Nets debut later in the first round. A pair of reports last week indicated that Simmons was targeting a return between Games 4 and 6.

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

The Raptors have listed forward Scottie Barnes (ankle) as doubtful for Game 3 on Wednesday, while swingman Gary Trent Jr. (non-COVID illness) has been deemed questionable, tweets Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca.
Hawks big man John Collins is still experiencing pain in his finger and acknowledges he isn’t “at peak physical conditioning,” but he’s hoping to take on a bigger role in Game 2 after playing 21 minutes in his return on Sunday in Game 1, writes Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I feel like I’m as good as I can be right now,” Collins said. “Trying to take all the precautions and all the treatments. Only thing I can do. Obviously, I’m still in some pain. But I feel like everybody’s in some type of pain this time of year, at some point. Mine might be a little bit more than normal, but I’m still trying to do what I can.”
In case you missed it, there’s optimism that Mavericks star Luka Doncic will be able to return in Game 3 or Game 4 vs. Utah.

Trae Young Will See Multiple Coverages From Heat

April 17th, 2022 at 11:02am CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat’s biggest challenge in the first round will be finding a way to control Hawks star Trae Young, Chiang adds. Miami typically uses a variety of defenders against Young and mixes up its coverages to make him less comfortable. “He’s one of the most dynamic point guards we have in our league now,” Lowry said. “You just have to know that he’s going to do some spectacular things. But we do have to wear on him, make things a little bit tougher, however that is.”

John Collins Cleared For Playoff Opener

April 17th, 2022 at 9:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Hawks forward John Collins will play in today’s Game 1 against the Heat as long as he doesn’t have any issues during warmups, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Collins has been out of action since March 11 with injuries to his right foot and right ring finger.

Collins is still bothered by the pain in his finger, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. It’s difficult for him to grip the ball, sources tell Kirschner, and the injury is affecting his shot.

Collins, who also has been dealing with a sprained right foot and a plantar fascia tear, was upgraded to questionable on Saturday. Atlanta was able to win two play-in games without Collins, but will likely need him on the court to be competitive with top-seeded Miami.

Clint Capela‘s injury in Friday’s game makes Collins’ return even more important. Capela had to be helped to the locker room in the second quarter with a hyperextended right knee and will be sidelined for at least a week. Onyeka Okongwu is among the league’s best backup centers, Kirschner notes, but he’s not in Capela’s class as a rebounder and doesn’t have the same chemistry with Trae Young on the pick-and-roll.

John Collins Will Try To Play In Game 1

April 16th, 2022 at 4:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

Hawks forward John Collins will attempt to play in the series opener against the Heat, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Collins, who has been sidelined since March 11 with foot and finger injuries, has been upgraded to questionable for Sunday’s game.

Collins is still dealing with a sprained right foot and plantar fascia tear, along with a sprain to his right ring finger. He was able to participate in some 4-on-4 drills at Thursday’s practice, coach Nate McMillan told Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Injuries have limited Collins to 54 games this season. He is Atlanta’s second-leading scorer at 16.2 PPG and second-leading rebounder at 7.8 RPG.

If Collins can’t return for Game 1, the teams will have just one night off before Tuesday’s Game 2. The series will shift to Atlanta for Game 3 on Friday.

Clint Capela To Miss At Least One Week

April 16th, 2022 at 3:25pm CST by JD Shaw

Hawks center Clint Capela underwent an MRI on his knee that revealed no structural damage, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Capela is expected to be re-evaluated in a week.

The 27-year-old injured his knee against the Cavaliers on Friday and has avoided a significant injury. He exited the contest with seven points and eight rebounds, logging just over 13 minutes to that point.

Capela will miss at least the first three games of the team’s first-round series against Miami. Game 4 will be held on Sunday, April 24, though it’s still unclear whether he’ll be able to return by that point. He averaged 11.1 points and 11.9 rebounds per contest as a starter this season.

Former No. 6 pick Onyeka Okongwu will likely receive more playing time in his absence, especially with John Collins‘ availability still up in the air. Okongwu grabbed nine rebounds and finished with a +21 net rating against Cleveland.

Bam Adebayo Exits Protocols, Available For Playoff Opener

April 16th, 2022 at 10:40am CST by Dana Gauruder

Heat center Bam Adebayo has officially exited the league’s health and safety protocols and is expected to be available against the Hawks in Miami’s playoff opener on Sunday, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald tweets.

Adebayo entered the COVID-19 protocols on April 10 and coach Erik Spoelstra indicated on Friday that he expected his starting center to clear them this weekend.

This is obviously a major development in the series, particularly since the Hawks could be without center Clint Capela, who suffered a knee injury during the play-in victory over Cleveland on Friday. Adebayo averaged 22.5 PPG, 6.o RPG and 4.5 APG in two games against Atlanta this season.

For the season, Adebayo averaged a career-best 19.1 PPG, 10.1 RPG and 3.4 APG in 56 games. He hasn’t played since April 8, when Miami defeated Atlanta by four points.