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Joel Embiid Dealing With Thumb Injury, Plans To Keep Playing

April 23rd, 2022 at 9:20am CST by Rory Maher

APRIL 23: Embiid will suit up today in a possible closeout Game 4 against the Raptors and then will will undergo an MRI on his injured right thumb after the Sixers travel back home, per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

APRIL 22: Sixers MVP finalist Joel Embiid is dealing with pain in his right thumb, but was able to practice Friday and plans to play in Game 4 against Toronto, which takes place on Saturday, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski. Embiid might undergo an MRI soon to see if he has a ligament injury.

The star center’s injury is listed as a right thumb sprain, but he will be available to play, per Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Embiid wore a brace on his wrist and had his thumb taped after a medical treatment session following the Game 3 victory on Wednesday, during which he hit the game-winning three-pointer at the end of overtime.

“I don’t know exactly know what happened,” Embiid said at his press conference on Wednesday, nearly two hours later. “But I just started feeling pain and think I might have twisted it. So we’re gonna see what’s going on [Thursday].” Embiid was adamant that he wouldn’t miss any games with the injury.

As Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice notes, if Philadelphia is able to close out its series against Toronto on Saturday, Embiid would receive an extra week of rest before facing the winner of the Miami/Atlanta series, which Miami currently leads 2-0. Embiid told reporters that his wrist and thumb were “sore, but okay.”

“He’s good,” head coach Doc Rivers said. “We did a lot of stuff, we just don’t want anybody to hit his arm and all that, but he was fine.”

Shortly after ESPN’s report, Shams Charania of The Athletic relayed (via Twitter) that “there is fear” that Embiid has a torn thumb ligament, but plans to keep playing despite the injury.

However, a source told Neubeck in a separate article for PhillyVoice that an official diagnosis would be premature due to the lack of testing done on the injury. The star center is expected to continue playing with the thumb taped, and the team’s medical staff will provide pain management.

Obviously, Embiid’s potential absence could have a profound impact on Philadelphia’s title hopes, but all signs point to the ailment being manageable at this point. Through three playoff games against Toronto, all victories, he has averaged 27.7 points and 13 rebounds on .510/.333/.794 shooting in 39.7 minutes per contest.

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Four NBA Teams Have No 2022 Draft Picks

April 20th, 2022 at 4:12pm CST by Luke Adams

In a typical NBA draft, each team receives two picks — one in the first round and one in the second. However, as our pre-lottery draft order shows, only five NBA teams (the Knicks, Pistons, Hawks, Wizards, and Rockets) control exactly two picks in the 2022 draft. The other 25 clubs currently hold either more or less than that.

Two of the picks in the 2022 draft have been forfeited — Milwaukee and Miami lost second-rounders as penalties for jumping the gun in free agency.

Of the draft’s 58 remaining selections, 10 are controlled by the five teams noted above. Twelve more are owned by the Spurs, Timberwolves, and Thunder, who have four apiece. And 27 others are held by the Cavaliers, Pacers, Hornets, Magic, Grizzlies, Pelicans, Trail Blazers, Warriors, and Kings, who each have three.

That leaves nine picks for the league’s remaining 13 teams. The Celtics, Raptors, Bulls, Bucks, Heat, Mavericks, Nuggets, and Clippers each own one, while the final pick – No. 23 overall – will be controlled by either the Nets or Sixers. Philadelphia traded it to Brooklyn in the James Harden blockbuster, but the Nets have the option of letting the 76ers keep it and acquiring Philadelphia’s unprotected 2023 first-round pick instead.

Whichever team ends up not getting No. 23 will be one of four clubs that doesn’t currently have a draft pick in 2022. The other three? The Suns, Jazz, and Lakers.

Phoenix traded away its 2022 first-round pick two years ago for Chris Paul and its second-rounder earlier this year for Torrey Craig. Given that the Suns won 64 games and ensured those picks will land at No. 30 and No. 60, it’s safe to assume they have no regrets.

Like Phoenix, the Jazz used their 2022 first-rounder to acquire their current starting point guard (Mike Conley). The team gave up its second-rounder two years ago to land Elijah Hughes. Those trades may not have been quite as successful as the Suns’ deals, but the picks Utah surrendered landed in the bottom third of the draft order, at No. 22 and No. 52 — that’s not a huge loss.

The Lakers, who missed the playoffs, will have to surrender a lottery pick this year. We don’t know yet where exactly it will land, but the odds say it’ll probably be at least No. 8 or No. 9 — and it could end up as high as No. 1.

The Lakers can at least take solace in the fact that they gave up both of their 2022 draft picks in the Anthony Davis blockbuster, which helped them win a title in 2020. Still, of the teams without any ’22 draft selections, L.A. is the club that could most use one to inject its roster with some young, inexpensive talent. It will be interesting to see whether the Lakers find a way to get involved in this year’s draft, flexing their financial muscle by buying their way into the second round.

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2022 NBA Draft Tiebreaker Results

April 18th, 2022 at 3:47pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA conducted a series of random tiebreakers today to determine the 2022 draft order. These tiebreakers involved teams that finished the regular season with identical records.

The results are as follows, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link):

  • Chicago Bulls (No. 18) over Minnesota Timberwolves (No. 19)
  • San Antonio Spurs (No. 20) over Denver Nuggets (No. 21)
    • Note: The Spurs are receiving this pick from the Raptors.
  • Philadelphia 76ers (No. 23) over Milwaukee Bucks (No. 24) over San Antonio Spurs (No. 25)
    • Note: The Nets have the option of acquiring this pick from the Sixers or passing on it and instead acquiring Philadelphia’s 2023 first-round pick.
    • Note: The Spurs are receiving this pick from the Celtics.
  • Miami Heat (No. 27) over Golden State Warriors (No. 28).

While the tiebreaker winner will pick ahead of the loser(s) in the first round, that order will be flipped in the second round. For instance, the Timberwolves’ second-round pick will be at No. 48, while the Bulls’ second-rounder (traded to Sacramento) will be No. 49.

Now that Philadelphia won the three-way tiebreaker for the No. 23 pick, Brooklyn will be faced with an interesting decision. If they decide to pass on receiving the Sixers’ 2022 first-rounder, the Nets would instead receive Philadelphia’s unprotected 2023 first-rounder.

With a full season of James Harden, the Sixers could be even better next year, pushing their pick later in the first round — but that’s certainly not a lock, and Brooklyn could decide to roll the dice by deferring the pick. The Nets have until June 1 to make that decision, per Marks (Twitter link).

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Raptors’ Scottie Barnes Out For Game 2

April 18th, 2022 at 10:09am CST by Luke Adams

Raptors forward Scottie Barnes, who was officially diagnosed on Sunday with a left ankle sprain after leaving Game 1 on Saturday due to the injury, has been ruled out for Game 2 on Monday, head coach Nick Nurse told reporters, including Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link).

Barnes was wearing a walking boot on his left foot today, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. The Rookie of the Year finalist told reporters that he’s feeling better each day and is staying positive, but is unsure about when he might be able to return, per Lewenberg and Bontemps (Twitter link).

Losing Barnes is a major blow to a Raptors team that was defeated soundly by the Sixers in Game 1. No Raptor logged more minutes during the regular season than the No. 4 overall pick, who had an impressive playoff debut with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists in 32 minutes before Joel Embiid stepped on his foot, ending his night.

While Barnes has been definitively ruled out for Game 2, the Raptors are still considering Gary Trent Jr. and Thaddeus Young doubtful, tweets Bontemps. Young and the training staff are working to see if he’ll be able to play through a thumb sprain, while Trent missed Monday’s shootaround due to a non-COVID illness.

As Lewenberg tweets, if one of Trent or Young is going to play tonight, it sounds more likely to be Young, but Toronto may be without both of them in addition to missing Barnes.

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Eastern Notes: Maxey, Wizards, Bucks, Hornets

April 17th, 2022 at 8:19pm CST by JD Shaw

Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey shined during the team’s first playoff game against Toronto on Saturday, Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com writes. Maxey finished with 38 points and four rebounds, shooting 14-of-21 from the field and 5-of-8 from three-point range.

“His speed is a factor,” head coach Doc Rivers explained postgame. “We know that we have to keep using him in space. Some nights, maybe he’ll drive to pass. Tonight, it was him driving and getting to the basket and making shots.”

Maxey averaged 17.5 points per game this season, shooting 43% from deep. His emergence has allowed the Sixers to sport a “big four,” which includes James Harden, Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris.

There’s more from the Eastern Conference:

  • Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington explores how the Wizards could navigate a much deeper Eastern Conference, which features several teams that have legitimate title hopes this season. Washington finished with a 35-47 record and seems committed to competing around Bradley Beal. Eastern Conference teams won more games against Western teams this season (226-224) for the first time since 2008/09.
  • Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (subscriber-only link) examines how the Bucks used their bye week ahead of the playoffs. Milwaukee spent time preparing for Chicago, a divisional rival who also earned a week of rest by avoiding the play-in tournament. The franchises will meet in the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
  • Rod Boone of the Charlotte Observer takes a look at what went right and wrong for the Hornets this season. Charlotte made the play-in tournament after finishing 43-39 this season, going 0-7 in overtime games.
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Rivers Notes Importance Of Making Adjustments; Sixers Appeared Prepared For Game 1

April 17th, 2022 at 7:06pm CST by JD Shaw
  • Sixers coach Doc Rivers and Raptors coach Nick Nurse understand the playoffs are about making adjustments, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Toronto lost Game 1 of its first-round series against Philadelphia 131-111, allowing Tyrese Maxey to score 38 points. The Sixers also made just three turnovers and shot 51% from the floor.
  • The Sixers were perfectly prepared for Game 1, Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice writes. Philadelphia kept the rebounding battle close, which was something the club discussed before the game. “All the days of practice that we had, we knew that’s the type of team that they are, scrappy,” Tobias Harris said. “We’ve been drilling it all day in practice, and when we got out there today, that was our emphasis from early in the game. We had to match their physicality and even be more physical than them.”
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NBA Announces 2021/22 Award Finalists

April 17th, 2022 at 5:28pm CST by JD Shaw

The NBA has announced the 2021/22 season award finalists for the league’s six major awards: Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Coach of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player.

[RELATED: Hoops Rumors’ 2022 NBA Award Picks]

The awards were voted on by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The three top vote-getters for each award are the finalists. They are as follows:

Most Valuable Player:

Rookie of the Year:

Sixth Man of the Year:

Coach of the Year:

  • Taylor Jenkins (Grizzlies)
  • Erik Spoelstra (Heat)
  • Monty Williams (Suns)

Defensive Player of the Year:

Most Improved Player:

Winners will be announced during TNT’s coverage of the NBA playoffs, according to the league.

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Nets Notes: Simmons, Harden Trade, Irving

April 16th, 2022 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Proving he can handle contact will be the next step for Ben Simmons in his comeback attempt, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Simmons, who hopes to return at some point during the Nets‘ first-round series against the Celtics, is expected to start 1-on-1 workouts next week, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. A source close to Simmons told Lewis that the team wants to “see him bang to see how the back holds up.”

“Clearly to play in an NBA game you’ve got to have some contact and play the game a little bit,” coach Steve Nash said. “Clearly he’s improving. But I have no idea if he’s getting close to play or not. He’s still on his individual program, still working through his rehab and 1-on-0 stuff. … He does some running, but no sprinting.”

Simmons told reporters who attended today’s practice to “make sure you get this” before throwing down a dunk, showing that his back pain has lessened, Lewis adds. The Nets haven’t decided if Simmons will have to go through all the normal progressions before being cleared to play, but Nash said his presence has been uplifting.

“It’s great to have him on the floor,” he said. “He has plenty of time since he’s been here he hasn’t been able to be on the floor, so just being able to feel the ball and touch the floor a little bit is positive.”

There’s more from Brooklyn:

  • In a separate story, Lewis looks back at the 48 hours leading up to the five-player deal that brought Simmons to the Nets. Chances of the trade appeared remote until James Harden started dropping hints that he wanted out of Brooklyn, and it sped up rapidly when Nets owner Joe Tsai and Sixers owner Josh Harris got involved.
  • Kyrie Irving is used to being booed in Boston and he promises it won’t affect his performance in the playoff series, Lewis adds in another piece. Irving’s relationship with Celtics fans has been filled with animosity since he left the team as a free agent in 2019. “I don’t want to focus on anything other than what’s going on with our team, don’t want to focus on the fans, don’t want to focus on any extra stuff outside of my control. The environment is going to be the environment,” Irving said.
  • Irving continues to defend his choice on the COVID-19 vaccine that cost him a major part of the season, per Nick Friedell of ESPN. “I can really say that I stood firm on what I believed in, what I wanted to do with my body,” Irving said. “I think that should be not just an American right, I think that should be a human right.”
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Atlantic Notes: Young, Siakam, VanVleet, Harden, Pressure

April 15th, 2022 at 11:27pm CST by Rory Maher

Raptors veteran Thaddeus Young has mixed feelings about facing his former club in the first-round of the playoffs, writes Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports. Young was drafted by the Sixers back in 2007 and spent his first seven seasons with the team.

“Honestly, that’s where I grew up,” Young said. “That’s where I went from being a boy to a man. I started my family there, married my wife, (had my) two kids. I went from being a kid, getting drafted seven days after turning 19 years old, and then to leave there at 26 and go to another team, it was definitely a hard situation for me because I thought I would always be there.”

“Philly will always be another home for me. I still talk to people that sit courtside. I still talk to some of the people that work in the organization all the time. They’re family, but at the end of the day I’m with Toronto Raptors now and this is my new family. And I have to make sure that my new family is gonna get this win and get this series.”

As Lewenberg notes, Young is the only player in his thirties (he’s 33) on Toronto’s roster, and his experience and leadership has been invaluable to the young team.

“I think he’s been super vocal,” Pascal Siakam said of Young. “He’s been through a lot, he’s played in big games, and he’s been in the league for [a long time], so I think that’s another presence. Obviously, we (referring to himself and Fred VanVleet) like to think of ourselves as vets, but we have six years of experience in the NBA and he has 15. That’s so many games and I think that we can definitely learn from him.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic:

  • The Raptors need Siakam and VanVleet to lead the way in the postseason, according to Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. Siakam and VanVleet are polar opposites in terms of leadership styles, Smith notes. VanVleet is vocal and intense, holding teammates and himself accountable, while Siakam is a quiet, lead-by-example type. Both players will be critical to the team’s chances of making a deep playoff run.
  • Sixers guard James Harden claims he isn’t feeling any pressure to perform in the playoffs, as ESPN’s Tim Bontemps relays. “Pressure, no. I feel good,” Harden said with a smile after Thursday’s practice at the team’s facility. “I’m ready to hoop. There’s nothing to it.” Harden also gave credit to the Raptors, his first-round opponent. “They just fly around,” Harden said. “They play extremely hard. They kind of junk up the game. They have a lot of guys that are tall, athletic, long and solid defenders. They use their length very well, and they just have each other’s back. They run around, they scramble, and they fly around defensively, so for us we have to execute, making sure we’re crisp in our passes and if the shot’s available, take it.”
  • The stakes are extremely high for the Sixers after they made the major trade to acquire Harden, contends Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. If the 76ers have another early exit, they’ll have a tough decision to make with the 32-year-old former MVP, who’s expected to pick up his $47.4MM player option this summer and will be eligible for a massive four-year extension worth over $220MM.
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And-Ones: Hezonja, Lemon Jr., Summer League, Expansion

April 14th, 2022 at 7:13pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former NBA forward Mario Hezonja has no interest in returning to the league, Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net relays. Speaking to Russia’s Tatar-inform, Hezonja said, “I didn’t get the respect I deserved. Also, in my opinion, the NBA is more a show than the game itself.”

Hezonja, who is playing for UNICS Kazan this season, spent five seasons in the NBA, most recently on a 53-game stint with Portland in 2019/20.

We have more from the basketball world:

  • Free agent guard Walt Lemon Jr. is signing a summer contract in the Canadian Elite Basketball League with the Ottawa BlackJacks, Hoops Rumors’ JD Shaw tweets. Lemon holds NBA experience with the Pelicans and Bulls. He played 42 games with Fort Wayne, the Pacers’ G League affiliate, this year.
  • The Salt Lake City Summer League will be held on July 5-7, according to a Jazz press release. The Grizzlies, Thunder and Sixers will be the other participants along with the host Jazz.
  • Tamika Tremaglio, the new executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, favors expansion, Andrew Cohen of SportTechie.com reports. “We do want more teams, I think it’s good for the business,’’ she said. “Ideally, we hope that there will be more teams popping up in the U.S.’’ In a Spotrac piece, Keith Smith outlines a few compelling reasons for expansion, including the amount of cities interested in having an NBA team, the deep talent pool, and the cash infusions from expansion fees. 
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