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Grizzlies Add Maozinha Pereira Via 10-Day Contract

March 20th, 2024 at 11:54am CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

MARCH 20: The Grizzlies have officially signed Pereira, the team’s PR department tweets.

MARCH 19: The Grizzlies are signing young forward Maozinha Pereira to a 10-day deal, sources inform Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Pereira had most recently been playing with the G League’s Mexico City Capitanes.

In 40 Showcase Cup and NBAGL regular season games with Mexico City, the 6’8″ pro is averaging 10.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG, and 1.4 SPG in just 23.7 minutes per game. He boasts a shooting line of .621/.297/.627.

Pereira is the second player said to be joining the Grizzlies on a 10-day hardship contract. Shooting guard DeJon Jarreau has also reportedly agreed to a second 10-day deal, with his first contract set to expire on Tuesday night.

Several of the 23-46 Grizzlies’ key forwards are ailing, so it makes for the team to replenish its supply, at least temporarily. Power forward/center Brandon Clarke remains out as he continues to recuperate from an Achilles tear, combo forward Lamar Stevens is unavailable with an adductor injury, and small forwards Ziaire Williams and Yuta Watanabe are both on the shelf due to a grade 2 hip strain and a personal issue, respectively.

Guards Ja Morant and Derrick Rose, plus wing Marcus Smart, are also sidelined for a Memphis team that has been the NBA’s most injury-plagued squad this season.

Central Notes: Antetokounmpo, Bucks, Pistons, LeVert

March 20th, 2024 at 11:27am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bucks won’t have their best player in uniform for their showdown with Eastern Conference leader Boston tonight. Giannis Antetokounmpo has been ruled out due to a hamstring injury, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Antetokounmpo also missed Sunday’s game against Phoenix. Bucks coach Doc Rivers stated earlier this week that his goal is to ensure his superstar is healthy for the postseason.

We have more from the Central Division:

The Bucks still hold the rights to their first-round pick in this year’s draft and also owns Portland’s second-rounder. With that in mind, The Athletic’s Eric Nehm breaks down potential prospects participating in the NCAA Tournament who could be available late in the first round and early in the second.
The Pistons’ young core of Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson, Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren have a fatal flaw that may force the front office to seriously consider whether they can succeed in the long run, James Edwards III of The Athletic opines: Detroit doesn’t have enough three-point threats within that group. Stewart has developed as a solid outside shooter but he lacks the upside of the other four building blocks. Cunningham has improved in that area but Ivey is subpar from deep and the other two aren’t three-point threats at all.
Caris LeVert is making a case for the Sixth Man of the Year award and Cavaliers teammate Tristan Thompson feels he needs to spread the word, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets. “Gotta start the campaign,” Thompson said. “We don’t reward teams that are in seventh place. We don’t reward guys who start. Caris LeVert for Sixth Man. For real. Start pushing it.” LeVert is averaging 14 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 56 games.

Pistons Sign Chimezie Metu To 10-Day Contract

March 20th, 2024 at 9:44am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons have signed big man Chimezie Metu to a 10-day contract, according to a team press release.

Metu, who will turn 27 on Friday, appeared in 37 games (five starts) for the Suns this season and averaged 5.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 12.1 minutes per contest. He signed with Phoenix last offseason on a one-year, minimum-salary deal after spending the previous three seasons with the Kings.

Phoenix dealt him to the Grizzlies just before the trade deadline and Memphis quickly waived him.

The Pistons have an open roster spot, so they didn’t need to make a corresponding move to create room for Metu, who has appeared in 246 career games (31 starts) for San Antonio, Sacramento and Phoenix. The No. 49 overall pick in the 2018 draft, the sixth-year forward/center holds career averages of 5.6 points and 3.3 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per game.

Metu will earn a salary of $134,863 over the course of his 10 days with the Pistons, who will take on a cap hit of $116,075.

Timberwolves Notes: A-Rod, Lore, Garza, Edwards

March 20th, 2024 at 9:07am CST by Dana Gauruder

Former baseball star Alex Rodriguez and business partner Marc Lore must find new financial backers to gain majority ownership of the Timberwolves franchise, according to ESPN News Services.

They’ve lost the financial backing of the Carlyle Group with one payment left to claim majority ownership from current owner Glen Taylor. That payment would complete a process that began in April 2021 for Lore and Rodriguez to purchase the Timberwolves in installments. Lore and Rodriguez previously purchased two installments of 20% at a $1.5 billion valuation for the franchise.

They exercised their rights to buy an additional 40% of the franchise earlier this year. The final installment is due on March 27.

We have more on the Timberwolves:

With Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid sidelined on Tuesday, two-way player Luka Garza received extended playing time. He posted 11 points and six rebounds in 22 minutes during the 115-112 loss to Denver. “I’ve just been working this entire year to help this team when I’m out there,” Garza told Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “I still feel like there’s another level I can get to. All I know is I did everything I could. I played hard.”
Despite being shorthanded and one the second night of a back-to-back, Minnesota pushed the Nuggets to the limit on Tuesday. Anthony Edwards, who dislocated a finger the previous night, missed a 3-point attempt that could have sent the game to overtime. “They’re really well-coached. They execute really well. They have Ant, who is one of the best players, most talented players, in the NBA right now,” Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic told Bennett Durando of the Denver Post. “You have Mike Conley, who’s a really good veteran. They just play really well. They play hard. They run their plays with purpose. That’s why they’re good. Even from the (2023) playoffs — they missed a couple guys in the playoffs, too, but they still had really good fight.”
Having appeared in his 65th game this season, Edwards is now eligible for postseason awards, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. That could lead to a bump in his salary. Edwards signed a five-year maximum-salary rookie extension last summer, which could rise in value from $204MM (25% of next season’s cap) to $245MM (30% of the cap) if he’s named All-NBA this season. The former No. 1 overall pick is averaging 26.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.

Atlantic Notes: Trent, Porzingis, Barclays, Jones

March 19th, 2024 at 8:54pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The reeling Raptors appear doomed for an NBA draft lottery return this summer, but there are still plenty of reasons to pay attention to the team down the stretch, contends Eric Koreen of The Athletic.

Chief among them, argues Koreen, is watching combo guard Gary Trent Jr. make his push towards a lucrative new contract in free agency. As Koreen notes, Trent is enjoying a particularly prolific scoring run right now.

Koreen wonders if Trent will fetch something around the league’s mid-level exception, projected to be around $13MM, or something significantly more than that. He also writes glowingly about young new trade acquisition Ochai Agbaji, as well as intriguing 10-day signing Jahmi’us Ramsey.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

The Celtics’ strategy of conserving the minutes of oft-injured center Kristaps Porzingis as he returns from a hamstring injury worked swimmingly against the Pistons, per Brian Robb of MassLive.com. Porzingis played for the first time since incurring a hamstring strain that sidelined him for 11 days. He logged just 22 minutes, but scored 20 points while shooting 7-of-14 from the floor. He also grabbed eight boards.. “It felt great,” Porzingis said. “Yeah, just different because I had the minutes restriction. Just different spurts of playing. I barely played in the first and then in the second I had a longer stretch. Something unusual, but other than that it’s always good to be out there.”
Barclays Center owner BSE Global announced that it will undertake work on some major renovations to the Nets‘ homecourt, per Lucas Kaplan of Nets. The project will reportedly include building out some fresh, premium fan clubs.
New Sixers big man Kai Jones is looking forward to his opportunity to play for a contender after an emotionally trying offseason, he said during an interview with Shams Charania of Stadium (Twitter video link). After demanding a trade from the Hornets ahead of the season, Jones was cut instead. He explained to Charania that he has suffered some close personal losses and is now in therapy. “I didn’t want to die,” Jones reflected.

Central Notes: Okoro, Lillard, Giannis, DeRozan, Haliburton

March 19th, 2024 at 8:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Having averaged 41 starts across the last two seasons, Cavaliers swingman Isaac Okoro has locked in his qualifying offer for this offseason, per Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). As Marks details, the fifth pick in the 2020 lottery out of Auburn will now have a QO worth $11,828,974 this offseason. Should Cleveland extend that offer his way, he’ll become a restricted free agent.

Through 59 games this year (36 starts), Okoro is averaging 9.7 points per game on .494/.396/.686 shooting. The 23-year-old is also posting 3.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.5 blocks in 27.4 minutes per night. He’s best known as a stout perimeter defender, but Okoro’s improved jump shooting would seem to make him worth keeping around well into the future for the Cavaliers.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

Bucks All-Stars Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo seem to have finally settled into a more consistent application of their pick-and-roll attack, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN. During a recent game against the Lakers, both players looked more at home in frequently trotting out their pick-and-roll action, Collier notes. “We’re trying to just encourage it more,” head coach Doc Rivers said. “That’s what we got to get to.”
Veteran Bulls swingman DeMar DeRozan is reveling in the opportunity to be the league’s minutes leader, per Cody Westerlund of 670 The Score (Twitter link). “I don’t have other hobbies that cause me to exert any energy, you know,” DeRozan said. “So I try to take care of myself the best I can. And I just love hooping. I love playing the game, no matter how many minutes it is. I just love being out there.” The six-time All-Star, 34, is both the league leader in minutes played with 2,527, and in minutes per game (37.7).
Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton is frustrated by his miserable shooting slump since returning from injury, as he noted in post-game comments to the press on Monday, per Indiana (YouTube video link). “Obviously it’s frustrating, I never went through a slump like this in my life,” Haliburton said (hat tip to Paul Terrazzano Jr. of TalkBasket.net for the transcription). “So I just gotta be better, and I will be better moving forward. And if I’m not, we got other people who will be prepared to do it. But I gotta be better, that’s on me.” Haliburton has made 39.0% of his field goal attempts and just 19.0% of his three-pointers while averaging 14.8 points in his past 11 games.

And-Ones: Cousins, Cooks, Eubanks, Valentine

March 19th, 2024 at 5:58pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

DeMarcus Cousins‘ contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards, slated to begin in mid-April, will cover a month-and-a-half, sources inform Marc Stein (Twitter link).

The 6’10” big man was a four-time All-Star and a two-time All-NBA honoree while with the Kings and Pelicans. Major lower leg injuries cut his career short at an all-too-brief 11 years.

Following his All-Star prime, he played for the Warriors, Rockets, Clippers, Bucks and Nuggets in brief stints as a reserve. Across 654 total NBA regular season contests, he boasts averages of 19.6 PPG (on .460/.331/.737 shooting), 10.2 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.3 SPG and 1.1 BPG.

Cousins hasn’t been able to find an NBA home since the end of the 2021/22. He has since played for clubs in Puerto Rico and Taiwan.

There’s more from around the basketball world:

Suns reserve big man Drew Eubanks wants to play for the Italian team in a future Olympics, according to Simone Sandri of La Gazzetta (hat tip to Kevin Martorano of Sportando for the translation). “I would certainly like to be able to play in an Olympics,” Eubanks said. “…I like to play competitive games even in the offseason. In fact, the idea of playing different basketball during the summer is intriguing to me and can only be beneficial to my NBA career. The prospect of joining a new team intrigues me, but let’s see what happens with the paperwork and then we’ll decide.”
Former Wizards guard Xavier Cooks has inked the biggest deal in the history of Australia’s National Basketball League to return to the Sydney Kings, per Olgun Uluc of ESPN. Cooks, a league MVP, helped propel Sydney to consecutive titles in 2022 and ’23. He has agreed to a three-year contract with the Kings.
One-time NBA lottery pick Denzel Valentine, hot off his own stint with the Sydney Kings, has signed a contract for the rest of the 2023/24 season with Italian club Olimpia Milano, per Alessandro Maggic of RealOlimpiaMilano.com. Valentine was selected with the No. 14 pick in 2016 out of Michigan State by the Bulls. He also suited up for the Cavaliers and Jazz.

Groups Announced For 2024 Paris Olympics

March 19th, 2024 at 3:51pm CST by Rory Maher

A group draw was held on Tuesday for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, per Maggie Hendricks of Olympics.com. Eight teams have already secured spots in the 12-team tournament, while four others will need to advance via Olympic qualifying tournaments in early July. The Olympics will open in late July.

Each team’s world ranking is in parentheses (courtesy of FIBA.basketball).

Group A

Australia (5)
Canada (7)
Winner of OQT in Spain
- Note: Spain (2), Poland (15), Finland (20), Lebanon (28), Angola (34), or Bahamas (57).
Winner of OQT in Greece
- Note: Slovenia (11), Greece (14), Dominican Republic (19), New Zealand (21), Croatia (30), or Egypt (40).

Group B

Germany (3)
France (9)
Japan (26)
Winner of OQT in Latvia
- Note: Latvia (6), Brazil (12), Montenegro (17), Georgia (23), Philippines (37), or Cameroon (68).

Group C

United States (1)
Serbia (4)
South Sudan (33)
Winner of OQT in Puerto Rico
- Note: Lithuania (10), Italy (13), Puerto Rico (16), Mexico (25), Ivory Coast (31), or Bahrain (67).

Each team plays three games during the group stage (once vs. every group opponent), and the top-two finishers from each group — plus the two best third-place finishers — will qualify to the quarterfinals, tweets Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com.

As Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press writes, Team USA will be seeking its fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal in men’s basketball, though the Americans failed to medal at the 2019 and 2023 World Cups. Several marquee names have already committed to playing, but the roster has yet to be finalized or officially announced.

Serbia (Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nikola Jovic, more) won the silver medal at last summer’s World Cup without Nikola Jokic and could have the MVP frontrunner on its roster at the Olympics. Germany (Dennis Schröder, Franz Wagner, more) went undefeated in winning the 2023 World Cup and will face host country France (Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, more), which won silver at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, in Group B.

Group A should be extremely competitive. Australia (Patty Mills, Josh Giddey, more) claimed the bronze medal in Tokyo and Canada (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, RJ Barrett, more) won bronze at the last World Cup. The two qualifying tournaments in that group will be interesting to monitor as well, with a handful of star players potentially suiting up for several different countries, most notably Luka Doncic (Slovenia) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece).

Southwest Notes: Irving, Bane, Collins, Rockets

March 19th, 2024 at 2:08pm CST by Rory Maher

Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving hit a remarkable game-winner on Sunday against Denver (YouTube link), converting a left-handed floater/hook shot over Nikola Jokic as time expired. The game was tied prior to Irving’s heroics, with impressive back-and-forth shot-making from both teams in the final two minutes.

According to Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com, Irving’s teammates lavished praise on the eight-time All-Star after the game.

“Unbelievable, man,” Luka Doncic said. “I don’t think people realize how tough of a shot that is. With the off-hand, like even to have a chance. I don’t think I have seen anything that special.”

“I’ve seen a lot of great shots, but I think that one takes the cake,” added Dereck Lively.

Irving discussed the shot and the challenges of playing during Ramadan at his post-game media session (YouTube link via ESPN).

Here’s more from the Southwest:

Grizzlies guard/forward Desmond Bane, who returned to action on Saturday after missing two-plus months with a Grade 3 left ankle sprain, recently sat down for an interview with Michael Wallace of Grind City Media (Twitter video link via the team). Bane said he’s still trying to regain his conditioning after a lengthy absence. He also discussed Memphis’ young players and the team’s motivation for the rest of the season.
Spurs backup center Zach Collins has been placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol, tweets Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News, who notes that the 26-year-old “took a spill” in Sunday’s overtime victory over Brooklyn. In a related move, the Spurs have recalled big man Dominick Barlow from a G League assignment ahead of Tuesday’s game vs. Dallas (Twitter link via McDonald).
It’s a small sample size (three games), but the Rockets have been playing well without third-year center Alperen Sengun, who is likely out for the season with ankle and knee injuries, by playing at a faster pace, spacing the floor and crashing the glass with smaller lineups, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). Rookie guard/forward Amen Thompson has been inserted into the starting lineup at power forward and he’s averaging 14.7 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 2.0 APG and 1.7 SPG while shooting 76% from the floor in the three victories (25.4 MPG). “Being small but how fast we are, defensive rebounding, we are able to push the pace, outrun every team,” Thompson said. “That’s really what’s happened. Just push it up and get a lot of fast breaks.”

Donovan Mitchell Out At Least One Week With Nasal Fracture

March 19th, 2024 at 12:26pm CST by Rory Maher

Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell underwent a “medical procedure” on Tuesday morning to realign a nasal fracture he sustained on Saturday vs. Houston, the team announced in a press release (via Twitter). He’ll be sidelined for at least one more week, which is when he’ll be reevaluated.

The nasal fracture occurred when teammate Tristan Thompson inadvertently elbowed Mitchell in the face. Thompson was in his first game back following a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug program, specifically testing positive for two drugs classified as “steroids and performance enhancing drugs.”

Mitchell is dealing with multiple injuries at the moment.

He told Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com and other media members on Saturday that he expects to miss more time due to a nagging knee injury. The five-time All-Star was sidelined for seven consecutive games with the left knee bone bruise, which required a PRP injection to promote healing, before returning for a pair of games last week.

However, Mitchell clearly wasn’t himself physically, and he admitted as much following Saturday’s game.

Mitchell, who was out for Monday’s victory over Indiana, will miss at least four more games over the next week, with the earliest he could return being next Wednesday in Charlotte.

Cleveland has gone 10-9 in 19 games without Mitchell thus far in 2023/24. The Cavs are currently 43-25, the No. 3 seed in the East.