- Rookie center Ante Zizic, acquired by the Cavaliers in the Kyrie Irving blockbuster, has been re-assigned to the G League, according to a press release from the club. Zizic will play in his third game for the Canton Charge tonight after averaging a double-double (14.0 PPG, 11.5 RPG) in his first two.
1:59pm: Shumpert underwent surgery today to repair a small meniscus tear in his left knee, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical. According to Charania, Shumpert is expected to be out for two months.
8:44am: Cavaliers swingman Iman Shumpert will be sidelined for the foreseeable future, as he’s set to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Friday, the team announced in a press release. The Cavs have not yet provided a recovery timetable for Shumpert, but league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN that the veteran could miss the next six to eight weeks.
Shumpert, 27, has been nagged by left knee issues so far this season, putting up numbers across the board that are among his career-worsts. That includes just 4.8 PPG, , a .386 FG%, and a .280 3PT% in 13 games (six starts).
The subject of trade rumors frequently throughout 2017, Shumpert is earning a $10.34MM salary this season, with a player option worth $11MM+ for 2018/19. Even when he was healthy, the former first-round pick wasn’t generating a ton of interest on the trade market, so his knee injury will further reduce the odds of Cleveland finding a suitable deal before February’s trade deadline. If Shumpert were to miss the next eight weeks, that would put him on track to return less than two weeks before this season’s deadline, which wouldn’t give him much time to rebuild his value.
With Shumpert on the shelf, J.R. Smith, Dwyane Wade, Kyle Korver, and Jae Crowder figure to continue carrying the load on the wing for the Cavs, with Cedi Osman perhaps seeing a few more opportunities too.
- While Derrick Rose‘s fate lies in his own hands, former Bulls counterparts Taj Gibson and Tom Thibodeau have faith in the Cavaliers guard. “Derrick is a good thinker,” Gibson told Nick Friedell of ESPN. “He thinks a lot. He’s a real smart guy, so if he needs to get away, let him get away, let him adjust, and he’ll come back. He’s a tough guy. He’s from Chicago, man.“
Thursday marks the four-week point since the Cavaliers announced that Tristan Thompson would be sidelined for three or four weeks with a calf injury. And while Thompson isn’t quite ready to get back on the court yet, he’s getting close.
According to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com, the Cavaliers are eyeing next week for Thompson’s return. A team source tells Vardon that the Cavs want the veteran center – who last played on November 1 – to get a few more reps at practice before he’s activated.
It will be interesting to see how the Cavs adjust their lineup to accommodate Thompson’s return. After starting all 78 games he played for the team last season, the 26-year-old started just five of eight games early this year, as the club tried to work out whether it made more sense to start him alongside Kevin Love or to start Love at center. If Thompson is re-inserted into the starting lineup, Jae Crowder figures to come off the bench, Vardon notes.
Here’s more out of Cleveland:
- With Thompson nearing a return to action, Channing Frye‘s spot in the Cavs’ rotation may be in jeopardy. However, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com argues that Frye has earned consistent minutes with his play over the last couple weeks. The veteran sharpshooter is frequently mentioned as a possible trade chip, given his $7.4MM expiring contract, but he has been a solid role player during Cleveland’s current nine-game winning streak.
- The Cavs missed out on Paul George in the offseason, but Cleveland ought to be monitoring the George situation in Oklahoma City with the Thunder still struggling, says Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net.
- In an ESPN.com piece examining the early MVP odds, Kevin Pelton writes that this looks like LeBron James‘ best shot at the award since his Heat days, particularly if he can sustain his current level of production.
- Business decisions have taken Dwyane Wade to unexpected places over the past two seasons, but he tells Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel that he’s happy to be with the Cavaliers. After 13 years in Miami, Wade signed with the Bulls in 2016, then came to Cleveland this season after to agreeing to a buyout with Chicago just before training camp. “Obviously, you don’t know what’s going to happen from day to day,” Wade said. “This career path we all chose in the NBA, you just don’t know what’s going to happen with it. For me, I’m OK and I’m content with what I’ve done for 13 years. Did I think it was gonna shake out this way? No. But I’m not sitting here crying about it neither.”
LeBron James is headed for free agency again in the summer of 2018, and executives around the NBA believe that the Sixers and president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo will make a play for the four-time MVP, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
As Zillgitt lays out, James and young Philadelphia star Ben Simmons share an agent in Rich Paul of Klutch Sports; LeBron has spoken highly of Sixers head coach Brett Brown; and the 76ers figure to be one of the few teams in the NBA that have a clear path to creating a maximum-salary slot. Those factors – along with the presence of standout center Joel Embiid, versatile swingman Robert Covington, and 2017’s first overall pick Markelle Fultz – should allow the Sixers to craft a compelling pitch.
[RELATED: 2018 Salary Cap Outlook: Atlantic Division]
While it’s never too early to start speculating about the next career move for one of the best players in NBA history, James has revealed next to nothing about his 2018 plans so far. The 32-year-old has publicly said he’s happy with the Cavaliers and has talked about finishing his career in Cleveland, but hasn’t committed long-term to the franchise, fueling speculation that he’ll head elsewhere.
The Lakers have been frequently mentioned as a possible landing spot for James, but the team still has work to do if it wants to open up two maximum-salary slots to land LeBron and another star. Other possible suitors like the Rockets and Spurs would face salary-cap roadblocks if they attempt to sign James. That could open the door for a club like the Sixers, since Philadelphia is further along in its rebuild than L.A. and has the kind of cap flexibility that’s rare among contenders.
With more than seven months to go until James can become a free agent, plenty can change between now and then. However, as Zillgitt writes, if the future Hall-of-Famer takes meetings with teams when he reaches free agency next July, it would make sense for him to consider the Sixers.
Although Marc Gasol expressed displeasure with his fourth-quarter benching on Sunday, there was no “him-or-me” mandate from Gasol to Grizzlies management that led to David Fizdale‘s ouster on Monday, league sources tell Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link).
The Grizzlies’ decision to fire Fizdale did create the impression that the team was choosing Gasol over its head coach, but it may not be that simple, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Prior to Fizdale’s dismissal, speculation about a possible Gasol trade was beginning to gain steam. If the club had retained Fizdale and Gasol’s frustration led to a trade demand, it would have become more difficult for Memphis to move him. By avoiding that scenario, the Grizzlies can ensure that the veteran’s center trade value remains high, if they decide to consider that possibility.
“I don’t think [the Grizzlies] are done making changes,” one league executive told Deveney on Monday. “They could still move Gasol, they could still go into a rebuilding situation, but it would be harder if Gasol was saying he wants out. They have had plenty of offers for Gasol, and they have a couple of months to sort out whether they pull the trigger. But don’t be surprised if they do, even after this.”
Here’s more on the Grizzlies:
- The Celtics and Raptors are among the clubs that could be suitors for Gasol if the Grizzlies entertain offers, according to both Deveney and Forbes’ Mitch Lawrence. Lawrence identifies the Cavaliers and Trail Blazers as other teams that would have interest in the three-time All-Star. It would be tricky for some of those teams to put together viable packages for Gasol and his $22.6MM+ salary.
- Fizdale had the support of many of the Grizzlies’ younger players, so his firing may widen a divide between the youngsters and the veterans on Memphis’ roster, says Deveney. The Sporting News scribe also observes that Fizdale is exactly the kind of positive coach and teacher a team would want during a rebuild, meaning the Grizzlies may miss him if they go in that direction.
- Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer lays out the case for why a full-fledged rebuild might make the most sense for the Grizzlies at this point.
- While much has been made of Gasol’s role in Fizdale’s firing, former NBA swingman and current ESPN analyst Stephen Jackson set his sights on Chandler Parsons. As AJ Neuharth-Keusch of USA Today details, Jackson suggested that the lack of production the Grizzlies have received from a max-salary player like Parsons put Fizdale at a major disadvantage.
Grizzlies center Marc Gasol and former coach David Fizdale had such a strained relationship that they rarely spoke to one another, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal’s Geoff Calkins. Fizdale was fired on Monday, one day after he benched his leading scorer, rebounder and shotblocker in the fourth quarter against the Nets. The benching served as the breaking point and Gasol, who has a tight relationship with owner Robert Pera, had expressed major concerns about the team’s direction under Fizdale, Calkins continues.
Commercial Appeal beat writer Ronald Tillery confirms the longterm disconnect between coach and star player. A team source told Tillery that the tension between them and Sunday’s benching weren’t the only reasons that Fizdale was axed. That source said the team was “trending down in several categories.” However, Tillery tweets that as recently as Saturday, a source close to the owner said that Fizdale’s job was safe because of the team’s injury issues. That’s an indication that Sunday’s incident swiftly changed Pera’s thinking.
In other reactions to Fizdale’s dismissal:
- Cavaliers stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade both expressed their dismay on social media, demanding answers regarding the firing, as Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com relays. Both played under Fizdale when he was an assistant with the Heat.
- Interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff is one of the potential long-term replacements for Fizdale but Sean Deveney of the Sporting News lists several other intriguing names. Former head coaches Mark Jackson, David Blatt and Monty Williams, former player Shane Battier, and several current college coaches such as Tony Bennett, Patrick Ewing and John Calipari are some of the candidates Memphis could look at, according to Deveney.
Derrick Rose continues to stay in communication with the Cavaliers’ front office during his absence from the team, but his future in Cleveland “remains unclear,” sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Rose, who left the Cavs last Wednesday, isn’t healthy enough to play right now anyway, so the team has been patient with the point guard’s needs and hasn’t shown any indication of considering a fine or suspension for him, per Wojnarowski. Still, the situation will likely need to be addressed by the time Rose has recovered from his ankle injury.
As the Cavs wait for Rose to make a decision on his future, here are a few more notes out of Cleveland:
- While Rose’s return is unclear, the Cavaliers remain hopeful that their other injured point guard, Isaiah Thomas, will be able to return to the court at some point in December, Wojnarowski notes in the piece linked above. Although Thomas published a tweet on Sunday hinting that his return is imminent, he’s still a few steps away from making his Cavs debut, says Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.
- Dwyane Wade will face the Heat on Tuesday for the first time as a Cavalier, and Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra says that seeing Wade in a Cavs uniform is “like the Twilight Zone,” per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “It will never seem right,” Spoelstra said. “For me, I hate it. But I’m happy for Dwyane. I’m happy for his family. I think he’s in a good spot. … I think the role that he’s in is going to be one of the most impactful roles in the league.”
- Much has been made of Kyrie Irving‘s emergence in Boston after the offseason’s blockbuster Cavs/Celtics trade, but LeBron James is playing some of the best ball of his career in the wake of that deal too. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst takes a closer look at James’ dominance this season, including his tremendous fourth-quarter numbers.
Here are the G League moves from around the NBA today:
- The Grizzlies recalled forwards Jarell Martin and Ivan Rabb from their Memphis Hustle affiliate, the team announced on its website. Martin, who was sent down Saturday, has played 17 games for the Grizzlies and two for the Hustle. Rabb has appeared in six G League games this season and just one in the NBA.
- The Cavaliers have recalled Cedi Osman and Ante Zizic from the Canton Charge one day after they were assigned to the G League team. Both played in Saturday’s game against Long Island, with Osman posting 21 points and eight rebounds and Zizic adding 14 points and seven boards.
- The Hawks assigned rookie guard Tyler Dorsey to their Erie affiliate, tweets Michael Cunningham of The Journal Constitution. Dorsey has played seven games for Atlanta and is averaging 2.3 points per night.