The transcript to Tuesday’s chat can be accessed by clicking this link.
Luke Adams will hold our next live chat on Thursday.
The transcript to Tuesday’s chat can be accessed by clicking this link.
Luke Adams will hold our next live chat on Thursday.
Grizzlies forward/center Brandon Clarke, who is making his way back from a torn Achilles, is “trending in a really good direction,” head coach Taylor Jenkins said before Sunday’s game vs. Sacramento.
“His on-court has picked up, he’s still in one-on-zero kind of format right now. He’s starting to move a lot more,” Jenkins said. “Obviously, you’ve seen the videos of him elevate and dunk and all that stuff. We are still being smart obviously with the nature of the injury, but he’s trending in a good direction. I don’t think the timelines are really shifted. Hopefully in the next month or so, we’ll be able to ramp up a little bit more and have a better feel.”
Clarke told Marc J. Spears of Andscape last month that he’s aiming to return at some point right around the All-Star break. Based on Jenkins’ comments, it sounds like that timeline remains realistic.
Here’s more on the Grizzlies:
The Spurs have submitted a request for disabled player exception following Charles Bassey‘s season-ending ACL injury, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
A disabled player exception grants an over-the-cap team some extra spending power when it loses a player to an injury deemed likely to sideline him through at least June 15.
As we explain in our glossary entry, the exception can be used to sign a free agent, to claim a player off waivers, or to acquire a player in a trade. A DPE can only be used on a single player and can only accommodate a player on a one-year deal. A free agent signee can’t get a multiyear contract, and any trade or waiver target must be in the final year of his contract.
The disabled player exception is worth either half the injured player’s salary or the value of the mid-level exception, whichever is lesser. Since Bassey was only earning $2.6MM this season, the Spurs’ DPE (if granted) would only be worth $1.3MM, so its usefulness would be extremely limited.
Additionally, while the disabled player exception gives a team extra cap flexibility, it doesn’t open up an extra spot on the 15-man roster. The club must have a roster spot available to use the DPE to add a player, which the Spurs currently don’t.
Still, while San Antonio may not end up having any use for a disabled player exception, it can’t hurt to apply and potentially add one more minor asset to its toolbox ahead of next month’s trade deadline.
So far this season, the Bulls, Grizzlies, and Trail Blazers have been granted DPEs, while the Knicks have reportedly applied for one as well.
Dwight Howard, an eight-time NBA All-Star and three-time Defensive Player of the Year, is joining the Filipino team Super Group for 2024’s Dubai International Basketball Championship, reports Shams Charania of Stadium (Twitter video link).
The Dubai International Basketball Championship is a tournament that takes places each winter. This year’s event is scheduled for January 19-28, so Howard will get the opportunity to showcase his skills in a handful of games and then return to the free agent market as he continues to seek an NBA comeback.
Howard, 38, last played in the NBA in 2021/22, when he averaged 6.2 points and 5.9 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per game for the Lakers across 60 appearances (27 starts). He was out of the league last season, instead suiting up for the Taoyuan Leopards in Taiwan.
Howard met with the Warriors prior to the start of the 2023/24 campaign, but Golden State opted not to sign him. The former No. 1 overall pick was said in November to be considering the possibility of resuming his playing career with a team in Europe or Australia.
Once a dominant rim protector and rebounder, Howard has lost a step since his prime and would be one of the NBA’s oldest players if he returns to the league; he was also accused in a civil lawsuit of sexual assault and battery, which may further reduce his chances of finding a new NBA opportunity.
Former NBA guards Nick Young and Shabazz Muhammad were among the players who were part of the Super Group squad from the Philippines that competed in the Dubai International Basketball Championship last year. That team went 3-1 in group play but was eliminated in the first game of the knockout round.
Prior to his first game with the Knicks on Monday, new starting forward OG Anunoby told reporters that he was “excited” to be with the team and that he always loved playing in New York as a visitor, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. After getting a “crash course” on Tom Thibodeau‘s system, Anunoby logged 35 minutes against the Timberwolves and was a team-best plus-19 in the Knicks’ six-point victory.
“I felt good,” Anunoby said after the win, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “I felt good. Just trying to help the team on both ends. Just talking to guys on defense and them talking to me, helping know where to be, and stuff. Felt good.”
Anunoby admitted that his new teammates were still telling him during the game where to be and what to do on the court, adding that he was “thankful” for their help. Thibodeau, who spoke earlier on Monday about how Anunoby would help shore up New York’s defense (Twitter link via Fred Katz of The Athletic), was pleased with what he saw from the veteran three-and-D forward in his Knicks debut.
“I thought for the first game, impressive,” Thibodeau said. “Just to be ready, and kind of figure it out on the fly. Played smart, played off people well, hustled, moved without the ball, shot good shots, made good plays … very good start.”
Here’s more on the new-look Knicks:
Hornets starting center Mark Williams isn’t close to returning, Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer reports.
The 2022 first-round pick hasn’t played since Dec. 8 due to a lower back contusion.
“Yeah, I can’t move like how I want to move,” Williams said. “It’s still tough for me to jump, (have) quick reaction and stuff. I’ve just started to get back into practice. I’m just trying to get back. That’s probably the biggest thing.”
Williams was averaging 12.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game before he was sidelined. He initially suffered the injury on Nov. 30 and played 29 minutes against Minnesota two nights later. He missed the next game, then struggled through 20 minutes of action against Toronto before the pain became too much to bear.
“I went to the locker room, got an MRI, got a CT (scan), dealing with that strain or whatever again,” he said. “I’ve been just trying to get back. But yeah, it sucks just to be watching. I’m trying to do everything I can treatment-wise.”
The Hornets haven’t been the same without Williams’ defensive presence. They’ve lost 11 straight, including Monday’s 111-93 defeat at the hands of the defending champion Nuggets. Nick Richards has moved into the lineup with Williams out and the team lacks depth behind him.
“I feel like I have a pretty good pain tolerance. But right now I just can’t. I can’t go right now,” Williams said.
The Hornets have already exercised their option on Williams’ contract for the 2024/25 season.
The Nets suffered a 16-point loss to Oklahoma City on Sunday and big man Nic Claxton admits frustration is setting in, Brian Lewis of the New York Post reports. Brooklyn has lost three straight and eight of its last 10, with the two victories coming against the East’s worst team, Detroit.
“We’re definitely frustrated. Nobody wants to lose. I hate losing, everybody hates losing,” Claxton said. “We just got to figure it out. We just can’t get used to losing. Need to figure out solutions and figure out ways to fix it.”
We have more on the Nets:
The Raptors pulled a surprise by swinging a major trade before January, shipping OG Anunoby to the Knicks. It could be much tougher for them to deal their other starting forward, Pascal Siakam, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack article.
Siakam is headed to unrestricted free agency unless he signs an extension. While Toronto could sign Siakam to a four-year extension — which would make him ineligible to be dealt this season — an acquiring team could only ink him to a two-year deal prior to free agency.
Siakam is unlikely to agree to a two-year extension, according to Stein, which means the Raptors would be hard-pressed to acquire multiple quality assets for a player who could wind up being a half-season rental.
As previously reported, the Mavericks, Hawks, Pacers and Kings have been mentioned as potential landing spots for Siakam. However, Stein hears that Dallas’ interest is somewhat overstated. While the Mavs are in the market for a power forward, he gets the sense that Siakam is not their top target.
The Pistons and Grizzlies could also eventually be in the mix, according to Stein.
Detroit could try to convince Siakam to stick around and join the team’s young core, highlighted by Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren; Memphis could try to sell Siakam on a future with Ja Morant feeding him the ball, though it’s questionable whether a Siakam-Jaren Jackson Jr. frontcourt would work.
As for Anunoby, Stein points out that Sam Rose — son of Knicks president of basketball operations Leon Rose — is one of his reps. So, New York presumably has a very good idea what it will take to re-sign Anunoby, who is expected to decline his player option this summer and enter free agency. It’s unlikely the Knicks would have been willing to give up Immanuel Quickley, who drew interest from other teams, unless they had a strong feeling Anunoby would re-sign, Stein writes.
The Knicks also retained all the first-round draft assets and the contract of Evan Fournier that includes a club option for next season. However, early indications are that New York won’t engage in an all-out pursuit of Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, Stein adds.
Reigning Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid will be back in action on Tuesday.
Embiid is ready to go after sitting out the last four games due to a sprained right ankle, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Philadelphia faces the Bulls, who defeated the Sixers in Chicago 105-92 on Saturday. The 76ers play six of their next seven games at home.
Embiid is averaging a league-high 35.0 points to go along with 11.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game this season.
We have more on the Sixers:
7:25pm: Skapintsev has been waived, the team’s PR department tweets.
5:13pm: The Knicks are waiving two-way player Dmytro Skapintsev, Fred Katz of The Athletic tweets.
The Ukranian big man made two brief NBA appearances after being signed to the two-way deal on Dec. 23. At that time, New York waived Jaylen Martin to make room for him.
Skapintsez also played in 13 Showcase Cup games with the Westchester Knicks this season, averaging 5.9 points and 4.3. rebounds, prior to signing the two-way deal. It’s likely he’ll end up returning to the Knicks’ G League squad.
The Knicks’ blockbuster deal with Toronto may have impacted Skapintsev’s place on the roster. Along with acquiring centerpiece OG Anunoby from the Raptors, the Knicks received forward/center Precious Achiuwa to fortify their frontcourt depth.
New York now has an open two-way spot. Charlie Brown Jr. and Jacob Toppin are the team’s other two-way players.