Memphis Grizzlies Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Police Investigating Ja Morant

March 6th, 2023 at 3:28pm CST by Rory Maher

The Glendale, Colorado Police Department is investigating Grizzlies star Ja Morant to determine whether he may have broken any gun laws following an incident over the weekend, according to Ramona Shelburne and Liz Merrill of ESPN.

Morant’s latest controversy began with an Instagram Live video that appears to show him waiving a firearm around while shirtless at a nightclub at 4:19 am CT on Saturday. It’s the latest in a string of incidents that have caused many to question Morant’s off-the-court behavior.

The department confirmed the incident occurred in Glendale, a small enclave surrounded by Denver, per Shelburne and Merrill. Colorado is an open-carry state, but there are exceptions to the law. In Colorado, it is illegal to possess a gun while drinking alcohol, ESPN’s duo notes.

It is unclear if Morant was under the influence of alcohol when he streamed the video, but it did occur at a bar and other people near him were spotted drinking.

The fourth-year guard is away from the team after the NBA announced that it was investigating the incident. League rules prohibit players from possessing a firearm when they’re on team property or traveling on team business, as ESPN notes.

The 23-year-old issued an apology following the Grizzlies’ announcement that he would be away from the team for at least two games (one has already been played). Head coach Taylor Jenkins suggested his absence could extend far beyond that, with no timetable for Morant’s return.

Grizzlies Coach Says There’s No Timetable For Ja Morant To Return

March 6th, 2023 at 7:56am CST by Arthur Hill

The Grizzlies announced Saturday that Ja Morant will be away from the team for at least two games, but his absence could last much longer than that, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.

Speaking to reporters before Sunday night’s contest in Los Angeles, coach Taylor Jenkins said there’s no set length for how long the embattled point guard will be out of action.

“We have said that it’s going to be at least these two games,” Jenkins said. “I mean, this is going be an ongoing healing process. … It’s really not a timetable situation.”

Morant’s latest controversy began with an Instagram Live video that appears to show him waiving a gun around while shirtless at a strip club at 5:19 am Saturday. It’s the latest in a string of incidents that have caused many to question Morant’s off-the-court behavior.

Morant issued an apology for the video Saturday afternoon while announcing that he was going to “take some time away to get help.” He also deactivated his Instagram and Twitter accounts, which he had been using frequently to promote his business interests and interact with fans.

“We’re taking this very seriously,” Jenkins said. “There’s a supportive element for someone that’s got to get better and needs some help. But then there’s also accountability to the team that we’ve got to stand for.

“Obviously nationwide, leaguewide, there’s been a lot of attention on gun violence, and so for us, that’s the stance that we’ve taken about how we can support Ja throughout this growth opportunity. It’s a learning opportunity, and hopefully we can be better from it.”

On Sunday, the Grizzlies played their first game since Morant stepped away, squandering a big fourth quarter lead in a loss to the Clippers. Afterward, players expressed support for their teammate, per Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.

“We’re wrapping our arms around him and showing him our love,” said Desmond Bane, who scored 30 points Sunday and took over more ball-handling responsibilities with Morant not in the lineup. “Whenever he is ready to come back, we’ll welcome him with open arms.”

Jenkins is also counting on Jaren Jackson Jr. to help make up for Morant’s lost production, Cole adds. The All-Star big man took 18 shots Sunday and finished with 24 points.

“I’m happy for whatever he decides to do,” Jackson said. “I trust his judgment. He’s doing what’s best for him. He’s going to come back and take over the league again.”

Southwest Notes: Morant, Brooks, Valanciunas, Mavericks

March 5th, 2023 at 10:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Ja Morant‘s decision to step away from the Grizzlies for at least two games amounts to a “de facto suspension,” according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (video link). Although the incident with Morant apparently waiving a gun at a strip club late Friday night is concerning, Wojnarowski said there’s some optimism among team officials because Morant appears to be serious about taking responsibility for his actions and seeking assistance.

“What everybody involved really wants is for Ja Morant to get whatever help he might need, whatever time and space he needs away to handle what he described as trying to get essentially a better handle on his mental well-being,” Wojnarowski said. “And I think for everybody involved who had seen over the last several months and year a pattern of behavior with Ja Morant that had worried many in Memphis, around the league, in the league office, what they have seen and heard from Ja Morant since (Saturday) morning, is contrition, is an understanding that he needs to address this.”

Wojnarowski didn’t indicate how long a league investigation into Morant’s Instagram video of Friday’s incident could take, but he points out that the NBA has been looking into matters involving Morant since an alleged assault during a pickup game at his home last July.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Morant’s statement, a suspension for Dillon Brooks and confirmation of a season-ending Achilles injury to Brandon Clarke marked a flurry of bad news Saturday afternoon that’s the first real adversity for a young Grizzlies team, writes John Hollinger of The Athletic. Brooks will miss Sunday’s game against the Clippers due to an automatic suspension for reaching 16 technical fouls, and Hollinger points out that it’s an ongoing concern. Brooks will be suspended for one more game after every two technical fouls he receives for the rest of the season.
The time that Pelicans coach Willie Green spent with the Warriors is evident in how he’s handling the team’s centers, observes Christian Clark of NOLA. Although Jonas Valanciunas is New Orleans’ main big man, 6’7″ Larry Nance Jr. has logged the most fourth-quarter minutes at center. Clark notes that Valanciunas has one year left on his contract at $15.4MM and doesn’t appear to be in the team’s long-term plans.
Luka Doncic will face his former team when the Mavericks travel to Spain in October to play Real Madrid, according to Eurohoops.

Latest On Ja Morant

March 4th, 2023 at 8:44pm CST by Arthur Hill

Grizzlies guard Ja Morant has deactivated his Twitter and Instagram pages following an incident late Friday night that led to his decision to “take some time away” from the team, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Morant created a firestorm around the NBA when he posted an Instagram Live video (Twitter link) to his personal account around 4:19 a.m., roughly four hours after the end of Friday’s game in Denver. The video, which appeared to show Morant displaying a gun at a strip club, has sparked an investigation by the league.

Cole points out that Morant is typically active on social media and uses both platforms to post personal messages and promote his business interests. Morant recently became Powerade’s first athletic partnership in more than five years and he has a Nike Ja 1 sneaker that’s set to be released in April.

There’s more on the Morant situation:

Morant finally crossed a line that the Grizzlies couldn’t ignore, observes Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. Mannix states that the team had been “wishy washy” in its response when Morant was allegedly involved in a confrontation with members of the Pacers’ traveling party in January and when he reportedly punched a teen during a pickup game at his house last July. Mannix adds that the Grizzlies are dealing with Morant like a small-market team that’s afraid of alienating its star.
Morant needs to take control of the people he surrounds himself with and the places he goes, ABC’s Jalen Rose said on tonight’s “NBA Countdown” (video link). “I’m glad in his statement that he owned that I need to make changes for me,” Rose said, “because as the leader, as the breadwinner, you control the environment. The people that are around you, you select.”
DeMarcus Cousins, who has been hoping to get signed by an NBA team all season, calls Morant and the Grizzlies an example of what can go wrong without veteran leadership. “Hope this shows the importance of REAL VETS in the locker room,” Cousins tweeted. “No young team should be without multiple veterans on the roster.”
Nike is standing by Morant amid the controversy, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The company released a statement that reads, “We appreciate Ja’s accountability and that he is taking the time to get the help he needs. We support his prioritization of his well-being.”

Grizzlies Say Ja Morant Will Be Away From Team For At Least Two Games

March 4th, 2023 at 3:31pm CST by Luke Adams

3:31pm: Morant has issued the following statement, via his agency Tandem Sports + Entertainment (Twitter link):

“I take full responsibility for my actions last night. I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis, and the entire Grizzlies organization for letting you down. I’m going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with my stress and my overall well-being.”

1:05pm: The Grizzlies have announced in a brief press statement that star guard Ja Morant will be away from the team for at least the next two games (Twitter link). He’ll miss Sunday’s contest against the Clippers and Tuesday’s vs. the Lakers.

The Grizzlies haven’t said that Morant is suspended and didn’t offer any specific explanation for his absence. However, their statement comes shortly after the NBA announced it was investigating an Instagram Live video that appeared to show the All-Star guard flashing a gun at a strip club. It seems pretty safe to assume there’s a correlation between that news and this update.

As we outlined in our previous story, Morant has allegedly been involved in a handful of off-court incidents during the last year, with Friday’s video representing the latest.

Morant got into an altercation with a 17-year-old during a pickup game at his house last July and punched the teen several times, claiming later that it was in self-defense. He was also accused of threatening a security guard at a Memphis mall, and was reportedly involved in a confrontation with members of the Pacers’ traveling party after a January game, resulting in some of his associates being banned from the Grizzlies’ home arena.

The 17-year-old from the pickup game told police that Morant went into his house and reemerged with a gun visible in his waistband during their dispute, a claim that the Grizzlies guard’s lawyer and agent have vigorously disputed.

Members of the Pacers’ traveling party, meanwhile, alleged that someone in a slow-moving SUV (in which Morant was riding) trained a red laser on them during that January incident, with some individuals believing that laser was attached to a gun.

Even if both of those allegations were false, Morant had found himself under a harsher spotlight as of late and displayed extremely poor judgment when he brandished a gun on Friday night’s live stream.

Typically, when the league and/or a team is investigating an off-court incident, they’ll work in tandem to determine a appropriate response. It’s unclear in this case whether the NBA will defer to the Grizzlies to handle the matter or whether Morant is simply getting a leave of absence as the league continues to look into Friday’s social media video. I’d assume the latter.

NBA Confirms Dillon Brooks’ One-Game Suspension

March 4th, 2023 at 2:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks has been suspended without pay for one game and will miss Sunday’s contest in Los Angeles against the Clippers, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).

Brooks’ suspension was automatically triggered when he picked up his 16th technical foul of the season on Friday vs. Denver.

A player receives a one-game suspension when he compiles 16 technical fouls in a season, and then is suspended for one additional game for every two technicals he gets beyond that. For instance, Brooks would be handed another one-game ban if he gets to 18 techs before the end of the regular season. That total resets at the start of the postseason (playoff suspensions begin once a player gets to seven postseason techs).

If the NBA had decided to rescind Brooks’ 16th technical, he could have avoided a suspension, but that didn’t happen.

It’s Brooks’ second suspension of the season. He was also forced to sit out one game following an altercation with Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell.

The Grizzlies suddenly find themselves missing several key rotation players for Sunday’s contest in L.A. In addition to Brooks, Memphis will be without Ja Morant, who is away from the team amid off-court controversy, and Brandon Clarke, whose season ended when he suffered an Achilles tear on Friday.

Grizzlies’ Brandon Clarke Suffers Torn Achilles, Out For Season

March 4th, 2023 at 1:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke will miss the rest of the 2022/23 season after sustaining a torn left Achilles tendon, agent Mark Bartelstein tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

The Grizzlies have put out a statement (via Twitter) confirming the diagnosis and announcing that Clarke will be out indefinitely. He’s expected to make a full recovery, per the team.

It’s a brutal blow for Clarke, who exited Friday’s game vs. Denver in the first quarter due to a non-contact lower leg injury that was feared to be serious. It generally takes upwards of a year for an NBA player to return from an Achilles tear, so Clarke is unlikely to be ready to go by the time the ’23/24 season gets underway in the fall.

Clarke, who signed a four-year, $50MM contract extension with the Grizzlies last fall, was having another strong season, averaging 10.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in 56 appearances (19.5 MPG) while shooting a career-high 65.6% from the field.

The 26-year-old has been an important part of Memphis’ frontcourt rotation along with Steven Adams, Jaren Jackson, and Santi Aldama. With Clarke sidelined, the Grizzlies may have to lean more heavily on reserves like David Roddy and Xavier Tillman. The team could look to free agency to fortify its front line, but doesn’t currently have an open spot on its 15-man roster.

It has been a day of bad news in Memphis, as the Clarke update comes shortly on the heels of an announcement that Ja Morant will miss at least the next two games while the NBA investigates a video that appeared to show him brandishing a gun at a strip club.

NBA Investigating Ja Morant Social Media Post

March 4th, 2023 at 11:32am CST by Luke Adams

After an Instagram Live stream late on Friday night appeared to show Grizzlies guard Ja Morant flashing a gun while at a strip club (Twitter video link), the NBA has announced that it’s looking into the incident, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

“We are aware of a social media post involving Ja Morant and are investigating,” league spokesperson Mike Bass said in a statement.

While he continues to perform at an All-Star level for the 38-24 Grizzlies on the court this season, Morant has been at the center of a number of off-court allegations.

Morant got into an altercation with a 17-year-old during a pickup game at his house last July and punched the teen several times, claiming later that it was in self-defense. Morant was also accused of threatening a security guard at a Memphis mall and was reportedly involved in a confrontation with members of the Pacers’ traveling party after a January game, resulting in some of his associates being banned from the Grizzlies’ home arena.

Morant hasn’t faced any criminal charges as a result of those allegations, but the growing list of stories about his actions off the court is worrisome, given that the 23-year-old is one of the NBA’s most promising and exciting young stars.

The timing of Friday’s social media stream also reflects a lack of judgment from Morant, given that The Washington Post published a new report about those off-court incidents just a few days ago, prompting the 23-year-old’s lawyer and agent to strongly defend him in statements on Twitter.

Brandon Clarke Suffers Lower Left Leg Injury

March 4th, 2023 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke sustained a lower left leg injury in the first quarter of Friday’s loss to Denver and didn’t return, as Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal details. We’ll have to wait for more clarity on Clarke’s prognosis, but the non-contact nature of the injury is concerning (Twitter video link). “I pray that everything is okay,” head coach Taylor Jenkins said after the game (Twitter link via Cole). “… I have no idea what’s going on, so we’ll get more results there.”

Western Notes: Brooks, Holmes, Clippers, Waters

March 3rd, 2023 at 11:00pm CST by Luke Adams

An in-depth feature on Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks by Tim Keown of ESPN includes several interesting tidbits, including a detailed look at how Brooks thrives on defense and comments from head coach Taylor Jenkins about how important the 27-year-old is to the team’s culture. However, the spiciest part of the story comes when Brooks discusses one of Memphis’ chief rivals in the Western Conference.

“I don’t like Draymond at all,” Brooks said of Warriors forward Draymond Green. “I just don’t like Golden State. I don’t like anything to do with them. Draymond talks a lot. Gets away with a lot, too. His game is cool — with Golden State — but if you put him anywhere else, you’re not going to know who Draymond is. He plays with heart, plays hard, knows the ins and outs of their defense. I guess that’s why they like him over there.”

According to Keown, Green laughed and declined to comment when asked for the opportunity to respond, but Brooks’ expression of his views on Golden State and the former Defensive Player of the Year figure to add a fun new wrinkle to the next Grizzlies/Warriors matchup.

On a related note, Brooks will have to make an effort to keep his emotions in check on the court during the final weeks of the season. As Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal tweets, the Grizzlies forward received his 15th technical foul of 2022/23 on Wednesday — a 16th would trigger an automatic one-game suspension.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

Kings big man Richaun Holmes is suing the Sacramento Bee for defamation, according to Chris Haynes of TNT (Twitter link). The lawsuit alleges that The Bee, in a series of five articles, “intentionally, and maliciously, published claims of child and domestic abuse by Holmes despite easily accessible evidence to the contrary via public court filings.” Oddly, The Bee’s initial story on the domestic abuse accusations – which surfaced during a custody battle that Holmes eventually won – was presented as an opinion column rather than a news report.
After the team’s fourth consecutive loss on Thursday, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said his club needs to be mentally “tougher,” per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. The Clips have blown double-digit leads in three of their four losses since the All-Star break. “I don’t care about missed shots, it’s going to happen,” Lue said. “You’re going to turn the ball over some, but you can’t give in, and my thing is just having that toughness and that mindset that, ‘OK, things are not going well, then let’s do something about it.'”
Thunder wing Lindy Waters, who grew up in Norman and played his college ball at Oklahoma State, is thrilled to have signed a standard NBA contract with his hometown team, as Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman writes. “Thankful for a lot of people along the way that helped me to get to where I am,” Waters said. “Very thankful for the organization for giving me a shot, letting me come in and work out and showing they care. But yeah, it’s just been a wild ride.”