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Injury Notes: LaVine, White, Harden, Garland, Hayward, More

February 4th, 2022 at 11:02pm CST by Rory Maher

Bulls All-Star Zach LaVine has been suffering through back spasms recently, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic relays. LaVine was noticeably wincing during Chicago’s 127-120 overtime defeat to Toronto on Thursday. Center Nikola Vučević says the team appreciates LaVine’s commitment to winning despite not being fully healthy.

“It tells us a lot about Zach playing through back spasms,” Vučević said. “It’s not easy. It limits you a lot. You just don’t have that freedom of movement, especially in the back. It’s a big, important part of your body, especially when you play basketball. I’m sure it was bothering him a lot, especially on the offensive end trying to score and be aggressive.

“But it speaks a lot about his commitment to winning and to this team trying to still be out there. Even him not being 100 percent helps us a lot, so we appreciate him being out there.”

Coach Billy Donovan told reporters, including K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link), that the Bulls are hopeful LaVine will return Sunday after sitting out Friday on the second game of a back-to-back. However, Donovan also said that LaVine is still battling the knee soreness that sidelined him for a handful of games last month.

Here are some more injury updates from around the NBA:

LaVine wasn’t the only Bulls player absent from Friday’s 122-115 win at Indiana, as Coby White also missed the game due to a groin strain, Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago tweets. Donovan said White has had lingering discomfort in the groin, but it was aggravated against Toronto.
Nets coach Steve Nash said James Harden was held out of Brooklyn’s 125-102 blowout loss at Utah on Friday for precautionary reasons, per Nick Friedell of ESPN (via Twitter). The team is giving Harden a couple extra days rest to ensure his hamstring is feeling better. Nash doesn’t think Harden will need an MRI and is hopeful he’ll return to action Sunday at Denver. Rudy Gay exited the game early for the Jazz with right knee soreness and didn’t return to the court, Tony Jones of The Athletic tweets.
Cavaliers guard Darius Garland, recently named an All-Star for the first time, missed his third consecutive game Friday at Charlotte with lower back soreness, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Gordon Hayward returned to action for the Hornets in the team’s 102-101 loss after missing the past two weeks due to COVID-19, Boone notes.
Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony will likely be out Saturday vs. New York, providing extra rest before the team re-evaluates his strained right hamstring next week, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. LeBron James is also doubtful for the contest against the Knicks with knee swelling, per Marc Berman of The New York Post (Twitter link).
Heat center Omer Yurtseven has cleared the health and safety protocols and is available for Saturday’s game at Charlotte, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports (via Twitter).
Cade Cunningham, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2021 draft, missed his second straight game for the Pistons Friday with a hip pointer, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com tweets. Coach Dwane Casey said the injury isn’t considered serious, but the team is being cautious with its rising star. The Pistons fell to the Celtics, 102-93.
Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon missed his second consecutive game Friday with hamstring tightness, per Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports (Twitter link). The Nuggets lost to the Pelicans without Gordon, 113-105.

Lowry Returns To Team After Personal Absence

February 3rd, 2022 at 8:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kyle Lowry has rejoined the Heat, as Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald noted on Wednesday. Lowry had missed the last nine games due to personal reasons. He returned to the starting lineup on Thursday against San Antonio but had a rough night. He had two points and six turnovers, though Miami prevailed by 17 points.

Garland, VanVleet Make All-Star Team For First Time

February 3rd, 2022 at 6:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cavaliers guard Darius Garland and Raptors guard Fred VanVleet were chosen for the All-Star Game for the first time in their respective careers. They were named, along with a handful of other players, to the Eastern Conference All-Star reserve pool on Thursday, per the NBA (Twitter link).

Garland is averaging 19.8 PPG and 8.2 APG for the surprising Cavaliers. VanVleet has posted averages of 21.5 PPG and 7.0 APG this season.

The list of Eastern Conference reserves also includes the Nets’ James Harden, the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, the Bulls’ Zach LaVine, the Bucks’ Khris Middleton and the Heat‘s Jimmy Butler. The reserves were chosen by the league’s coaches.

Garland will be playing in front of his home fans in Cleveland on February 20.

The pool of Eastern Conference starters was announced a week ago. Sixers center Joel Embiid, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nets forward Kevin Durant are the frontcourt starters, while the backcourt players in the starter pool are DeMar DeRozan (Bulls) and Trae Young (Hawks).

Rockets Notes: Wood, Green, Stone, Sengun

February 2nd, 2022 at 1:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com is the latest reporter to state that the Heat have been linked to Rockets big man Christian Wood, confirming that a framework involving Duncan Robinson has been discussed. However, Bulpett says people involved in the situation have downplayed the idea that any substantive progress was made.

One general manager who spoke to Bulpett suggested that Houston would want far more than Robinson in a deal with the Heat and expressed a belief that the Rockets’ asking price for Wood and other players has been too high.

“Houston’s really been overvaluing Wood and Eric Gordon,” the GM said. “They think they’re going to get back a major piece, but they’re unrealistic with their expectations. I’ve looked around the league at what they’re putting out there — and I know they have, too. And no one is willing to give up a cornerstone player.”

Here’s more on the Rockets:

Rockets rookie Jalen Green will take part in the Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star weekend later this month, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (video link). Green will be reportedly be going up against Juan Toscano-Anderson, Obi Toppin, and Cole Anthony.
Kelly Iko of The Athletic conducted an extensive Q&A with Rockets general manager Rafael Stone, discussing Stone’s experience since taking over as the head of basketball operations in 2020, Houston’s rebuilding process, the team’s plan for the trade deadline, and much more. Stone said he always wants to be aggressive but doesn’t feel compelled to be active in the next eight days if the right deal doesn’t materialize. “We do have a lot of picks out in the future, so there’s not some huge need that we have either on our current roster — or in terms of future assets — that we need to be aggressively pursuing,” Stone said. “Leading into this year, we were hoping, planning, tracking to be in the area where we’re at now. So, we’re not feeling any particular need to do X deal or Y deal.”
In a separate story for The Athletic, Iko and Danny Leroux chatted about the Rockets’ approach to the trade deadline and the John Wall situation.
Rockets head coach Stephen Silas didn’t like what he saw earlier this season when Christian Wood and rookie Alperen Sengun were on the court at the same time, which is why he hasn’t used that frontcourt combination lately, writes Rahat Huq of The Houston Chronicle. “It’s a tough position for (Sengun) because he’s playing behind one of our better players in Christian, and I don’t feel comfortable at this point playing Christian and Al-P together,” Silas said last week. “The numbers, the eye test have shown that those two together hasn’t been that great.”

Oladipo's Teammates Encouraged By His Progress

February 1st, 2022 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

As Victor Oladipo inches closer to a return from last year’s quad tendon surgery, his Heat teammates are encouraged by how he has looked in practices, says Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. “I’ve seen enough to know he’s definitely better than he was last year,” Udonis Haslem said last week. “I haven’t seen any limping. I haven’t seen a lack of confidence. I haven’t seen everything so I can’t make a fair assessment. He looks pretty [good] about where he’s headed.”

Chandler Hutchison Signs G League Contract

February 1st, 2022 at 7:26am CST by Luke Adams

Former first-round pick Chandler Hutchison has signed an NBA G League contract, according to our JD Shaw (Twitter links), who reports that the forward is being acquired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat‘s NBAGL affiliate.

Hutchison, 25, has appeared in a total of 103 NBA games for the Bulls, Wizards, and Suns since being selected 22nd overall by Chicago in the 2018 draft. After averaging 20.0 PPG with a .359 3PT% in his final college season at Boise State in 2017/18, he has struggled to score consistently at the NBA level, recording 5.4 PPG on .442/.309/.643 shooting in 17.4 minutes per contest.

Following two-and-a-half seasons with the Bulls, Hutchison was traded from Chicago to Washington at the 2021 trade deadline, then was flipped to San Antonio in the five-team offseason blockbuster that included Russell Westbrook and Spencer Dinwiddie. The Spurs waived him and Hutchison caught on with the Suns in the fall, signing a two-way contract with the defending Western Conference champs. However, he was cut by Phoenix last month after logging just 22 total minutes in six games.

Hutchison has seven career G League appearances, but those all occurred while he was on a standard or two-way NBA contract and was assigned to the NBAGL. This is the first time he has signed an outright G League contract without an NBA team holding his rights.

Any NBA team with an available roster spot (or a hardship exception) would be free to call up Hutchison if he impresses during his stint with the Skyforce.

Heat Sign Chris Silva To Fourth 10-Day Contract

January 31st, 2022 at 8:42am CST by Luke Adams

The Heat have signed forward Chris Silva to a fourth 10-day contract, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link). Silva’s third 10-day deal with the team expired on Sunday night.

Silva, 25, has appeared in a total of seven games for Miami since first signing with the club back on December 31. He has averaged 3.4 PPG and 3.7 RPG in 9.0 minutes per contest while providing depth in the frontcourt.

A player is typically limited to no more than two 10-day contracts with the same team in a single season, but that restriction doesn’t apply to 10-day deals completed using a COVID-related hardship exception. All four of Silva’s contracts have been hardship deals, since the Heat have had players in and out of the health and safety protocols for over a month.

Omer Yurtseven entered the protocols over the weekend and is currently the only Heat player affected. If he exits the protocols before Silva’s new 10-day deal expires and no one new enters, Silva will be ineligible to play at that point.

Silva has earned $95,930 on each of his 10-day contracts this season, including one with Minnesota in December. By the time his new deal expires (on the night of February 9), he’ll have received nearly $480K in total, which exceeds the minimum salary for a player on a two-way contract in 2021/22.

Silva is the second player to sign four 10-day contracts with the same club this season, joining Lance Stephenson (Pacers).

Examining Whether Heat Need More Versatile Late-Game Players

January 30th, 2022 at 10:51pm CST by JD Shaw

Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel examines whether the Heat need more versatile players in the closing moments of a game. Miami has finished with either Tyler Herro or Duncan Robinson in most of its close games, adding offense but hurting its defense. Once Victor Oladipo returns, head coach Erik Spoelstra will have another defensive option to insert when necessary.

Heat Notes: Martin, Spoelstra, Yurtseven, Oladipo

January 30th, 2022 at 4:21pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Heat swingman Caleb Martin has played so well during the 2021/22 NBA season that it makes the fact he was snagged on merely a two-way deal this summer somewhat miraculous. Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald assesses how the Miami front office stole yet another gem during the offseason.

“Honestly, I wasn’t too surprised just based on my numbers from Charlotte,” Martin said of his joining the Heat after his Hornets tenure ended with the team waiving him. “I really don’t blame anybody for not picking me up off waivers. But it’s my job to continue to prove to people that I’m more than that.”

Martin is averaging career-highs of 9.3 PPG, 4.0 APG, and 1.0 SPG, in a career-23.1 MPG, on .505/.374/.734 shooting. Chiang hails Martin as a crucial 3-and-D wing reserve.

Because he has also emerged as a consistent outside shooting threat, Martin is being covered more along the three-point line, which in turn allows him to blow past defenders for more inside scoring. Chiang notes that the Heat will have to convert Martin’s two-way contract into a standard deal prior to the postseason so that he can keep contributing on both ends for Miami during the playoffs.

There’s more out of the Southeast Division:

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, the second-longest-tenured head coach in the NBA, has been his typically inventive self this season, working his magic to make the 32-18 Miami the top seed in the East, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Spoelstra has found ways to maximize new addition P.J. Tucker as well as bench players like Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, Dewayne Dedmon and the aforementioned Martin.
Heat reserve center Omer Yurtseven has entered the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). Chiang adds that starting point guard Kyle Lowry (personal reasons), Markieff Morris (neck injury) and KZ Okpala (sprained right wrist) will also not be traveling with the club for the start of its upcoming road trip today.
Heat shooting guard Victor Oladipo, a former two-time All-Star with the Pacers, is traveling with Miami on the team’s road trip, Chiang tweets. Though Oladipo remains out for now, the fact that he is with his teammates would appear to indicate that he is closer to suiting up once again. Oladipo is recovering from a surgery he underwent in May to repair his right quadriceps tendon.

Southeast Notes: Yurtseven, Todd, Anthony, Butler, Vincent

January 29th, 2022 at 2:24pm CST by JD Shaw

With the return of Bam Adebayo (thumb) and Dewayne Dedmon (knee), Heat center Omer Yurtseven has effectively fallen out of the team’s rotation for now, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes.

Yurtseven started 10 games as Adebayo and Dedmon dealt with injuries, logging double-digit rebounds in every contest. Miami went 7-3 during that stretch. On the season, the 23-year-old has averaged 6.2 points and 6.2 rebounds in 14.8 minutes per game, shooting 52% from the floor.

“It’s hard, obviously, because you catch that rhythm and you have that raging fire to just keep going,” Yurtseven said. “But I trust in the coaches and the Heat culture, and I believe if they want me and need me in the game that they know that I’m ready.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division today:

The Wizards suspended Isaiah Todd one game for conduct detrimental to the team, the club announced in a press release. Todd, who has been on a G League assignment for most of the month, served his suspension during the Capital City Go-Go’s game against the Ignite on Friday. The 20-year-old was selected No. 31 overall in last year’s draft.
Magic guard Cole Anthony is committing to the 2022 NBA Slam Dunk Contest on All-Star Weekend, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Anthony has seen his role increase with Orlando this season, averaging 17.9 points on 39% shooting from the floor.
In a separate article for the Miami Herald, Anthony Chiang examines some takeaways from the Heat‘s Friday night victory over the Clippers. The Heat were led by Jimmy Butler, who finished with a game-high 26 points, as well as Gabe Vincent, who finished with 23 points in the absence of Kyle Lowry (personal). Lowry will also miss Saturday’s contest against Toronto, marking the seventh straight game he’s missed due to personal reasons.