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Injury Updates: Porzingis, Jazz, Warren, Clippers, More

August 13th, 2020 at 10:40am CST by Luke Adams

The results of the four seeding games today involving the Grizzlies, Trail Blazers, Spurs, and Suns will determine which teams participate in the play-in tournament for the Western Conference’s final playoff spot this weekend. And no absence from those games looms larger than Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s — as we relayed on Wednesday, the Bucks star has been suspended for the team’s showdown against Memphis on Thursday, which should improve the Grizzlies’ chance of earning a win and a play-in spot.

Antetokounmpo isn’t the only notable player who will be sitting out one of those four games though. According to the NBA’s official injury report, the Mavericks are listing Kristaps Porzingis (left heel contusion) as doubtful for the team’s afternoon contests against the Suns. Meanwhile, the Jazz will be without Mike Conley (right knee soreness) and Rudy Gobert (lower back soreness) against the Spurs this evening.

None of those ailments are expected to compromise those players’ availability for the postseason, but they could help influence which team ends up qualifying for that final playoff spot in the West.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Pacers forward T.J. Warren sat out Wednesday with what head coach Nate McMillan referred to after the game as plantar fasciitis, the same injury that has sidelined teammate Domantas Sabonis. However, according to J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter link), McMillan clarified that Warren has been able to play through the issue throughout the season, and a source tells ESPN’s Tim MacMahon (Twitter link) that it isn’t expected to prevent Warren from being ready for the postseason, so it sounds as if it’s not as severe as Sabonis’ injury.
Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said on Wednesday that he’s hopeful Patrick Beverley (calf) and Landry Shamet (foot) will be in position to return for the start of the playoffs (Twitter link via Jovan Buha of The Athletic). Beverley has been out for the club’s last four games, while Shamet sat on Wednesday.
Despite a report indicating that the Nuggets are hoping Gary Harris (hip) and Will Barton (knee) can play on Friday, head coach Michael Malone hasn’t projected much optimism about either player’s availability, writes Mike Singer of The Denver Post.
Suns center Aron Baynes, who hasn’t played yet during the restart, will be available on Thursday, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7. However, Baynes likely won’t play much – if at all – based on how hot the team has been without him, Gambadoro notes.

Injury Updates: Crawford, Muscala, Baynes, MKG, Len

August 4th, 2020 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

The last time Jamal Crawford appeared in an NBA game, on April 9, 2019, he poured in 51 points. His return to action today for the Nets wasn’t quite as successful.

After being cleared to play for the shorthanded Nets against Milwaukee, Crawford came off the bench and racked up five points and three assists in six minutes, but the veteran guard was forced to leave the game early after suffering a left hamstring injury (Twitter link via team).

It’s not clear yet whether the injury is a minor one that Crawford could return from soon, or if it may jeopardize his availability for the remainder of the season. We’re hoping for the former, but we’ll have to wait for an update from the Nets, who have had some awful health luck this summer.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Thunder big man Mike Muscala suffered a concussion during Monday’s loss to Denver and has been placed in the league’s concussion protocol, the club announced today in a press release. Muscala has played limited minutes (12.6 MPG) for Oklahoma City this season, so his absence won’t have a major impact on the team’s rotation.
Suns center Aron Baynes, who joined the team late after recovering from the coronavirus, remains unavailable for Tuesday’s game vs. the Clippers, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “(He) had a really light practice yesterday,” head coach Monty Williams said. “Didn’t do much on the court at all. 3-on-3, 4-on-4, 5-on-5. So (he won’t play) at this point.”
A pair of players were active for the first time this summer in Tuesday afternoon’s Mavericks/Kings game. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was cleared to play for the Mavs (Twitter link via Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News), while Alex Len was available for Sacramento (Twitter link via team). Both players arrived late to the Orlando campus — Kidd-Gilchrist for personal reasons and Len due to COVID-19.

Suns Notes: Playoffs, Layoffs, Ayton, Baynes

August 1st, 2020 at 11:24am CST by marksuleymanov

The Suns are in the Orlando campus vying for a postseason push, but that possibility remains small. With just a handful of scrimmage games, a lack of key players due to the coronavirus, and a sizeable deficit, Phoenix does not figure to play into the postseason picture.

Duane Rankin of Arizona Central polled several prominent national NBA writers on what they have seen from the Suns and what they expect from their play in Orlando. Most writers agreed on one point: the Devin Booker/Deandre Ayton duo will shine, but the rest of the roster and their contributions remain unknown.

The most reasonable take may have come from The Athletic’s Michael Lee, who sees the Suns’ campus play as a strong build toward the 2020/21 season.

“I think this will bode well for the 2020/21 season more than anything,” Lee said. “They’ll add another draft pick, have a healthy and improving Kelly Oubre, and probably take a more serious approach to the regular season.”

Check out more Suns notes below:

Amid the sale of the G League Northern Arizona Suns, several employees have been laid off, Rankin writes in a separate piece. While the exact number is not known, nearly 30 employees were reportedly let go, Rankin adds. “We’ve been working on restructuring a number of departments since early this year,” Suns Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Dean Stoyer told the outlet. “We found that some of the roles were redundant, some roles were outdated and there were some roles impacted for performance reasons.”
Ayton has been developing a three-point shot throughout his young NBA career but is now feeling comfortable shooting from beyond the arc consistently, ESPN’s Andrew Lopez writes. “I’ve been working on this thing my whole life,” Ayton said. “I could’ve been shooting. It’s just that I’m more comfortable with a system surrounded me to make me shoot the shot.”
Suns guard Jalen Lecque arrived at the Orlando campus earlier this week but is quarantined while big man Aron Baynes practiced, Suns reporter Gina Mizell relays (Twitter link). Suns coach Monty Williams confirmed that Baynes, who is recovering from COVID-19, will need more time before he’s game-ready, Mizell adds (Twitter link).

Aron Baynes Receives Clearance To Travel To Orlando

July 27th, 2020 at 11:48am CST by Luke Adams

Suns center Aron Baynes has cleared the NBA’s medical protocols after contracting COVID-19 and has been given the go-ahead to travel, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that Baynes is set to arrive at the Walt Disney World campus later today.

Once he gets to Disney World, Baynes will have to quarantine for two days, returning a pair of negative coronavirus tests before he’s cleared to join the Suns for practices. If he can get up to speed quickly, he could still suit up for the team’s first seeding game on Friday vs. Washington.

The Suns are currently six games out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, with four other non-playoff teams ahead of them in the standings. As such, the odds of Phoenix capturing that No. 8 seed are slim.

Still, with unrestricted free agency looming this summer, Baynes has some incentive to show that he’s healthy and productive to finish the season. He has enjoyed a career year so far, averaging 11.5 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 1.6 APG with a .351 3PT% — all of those numbers are career highs. The veteran big man also filled in admirably in the starting five when Deandre Ayton served a 25-game suspension early in the season.

Aron Baynes Reveals He Tested Positive For COVID-19

July 22nd, 2020 at 2:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Suns center Aron Baynes revealed in a conversation with Shams Charania of Stadium (video link) that he recently tested positive for COVID-19 and is going through the NBA protocol in the hopes of joining the team at the league’s campus in Orlando.

According to Baynes, his immediate family members tested positive as well, but they’ve since recovered and are testing negative, while he’s still returning positive tests. The big man added that he was hit harder by the virus than his wife and children.

“They all had very minimal symptoms, whereas it actually put me on my butt for a good week,” Baynes said. “I slept for four days straight.”

Although Baynes says he’s feeling better now, he must return two consecutive negative tests at least 24 hours apart before he can receive medical clearance to travel to the Orlando campus and report to the Suns. Once he gets clearance and arrives at Walt Disney World, he’ll need to briefly quarantine again and return two more negative tests.

“Can’t wait for @aronbaynes to join us in Orlando,” the Suns tweeted this afternoon in response to Baynes’ interview with Charania.

Baynes is one of a handful of Suns players whose arrivals to Orlando have been delayed. Ricky Rubio, Elie Okobo, and Jalen Lecque also didn’t initially travel with the club on July 7, though head coach Monty Williams and GM James Jones have declined to offer any specific details on anyone’s absence. Rubio has since reported to the NBA campus and returned to practice; it’s not clear where things stand with Okobo or Lecque.

Pacific Notes: Morris Twins, Barnes, Suns, Noah, More

July 21st, 2020 at 9:32am CST by Luke Adams

There are a few players who showed up on the list of official rosters released on Monday by the NBA who still haven’t reported to the Walt Disney World campus. However, more players continue to arrive by the day.

According to Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register (Twitter link), Clippers forward Marcus Morris is at the team’s Tuesday morning practice today, having reported to the campus and cleared his quarantine period. His twin brother Markieff Morris will be joining the Lakers soon, Marcus tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link). Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets that Markieff is expected to arrive at the campus today and will begin his initial quarantine.

Meanwhile, Kings forward Harrison Barnes, who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month, could depart for Orlando as soon as today if he returns one more negative coronavirus test, Spears reports (via Twitter).

Finally, Ricky Rubio, Aron Baynes, Elie Okobo, and Jalen Lecque didn’t make the initial trip to Orlando two weeks ago with the Suns and still hadn’t practiced with the club as of Sunday, sources tell Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. A pair of Suns players tested positive for the coronavirus nearly a month ago, but it’s not clear if any or all of the delayed arrivals are related to COVID-19.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Kings forward Jabari Parker and center Alex Len spoke to reporters on Monday about their experiences with COVID-19, as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee details. Len, who said he temporarily lost his sense of smell and taste while dealing with the virus, tested positive for 24 consecutive days before eventually returning multiple negative tests and being cleared.
Clippers big man Joakim Noah has benefited from the NBA’s hiatus, which gave him more time to get fully healthy after suffering an Achilles injury, writes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. Noah’s new teammates are impressed by what they’ve seen so far from the veteran center. “He’s just bringing that energy every day,” guard Rodney McGruder said. “That’s something that I’m learning from him, and it’s just the intensity and just the persistence that he plays with on the defensive end, how you always hear his voice. He’s always yelling, he’s always talking.”
Ethan Strauss of The Athletic identifies the wings in this year’s draft class that he thinks would fit best with the Warriors, including Isaac Okoro, Aaron Nesmith, and Saddiq Bey.

Pacific Notes: Howard, Baynes, Rubio, Len, Barnes

July 17th, 2020 at 8:44pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lakers center Dwight Howard has been disciplined for not wearing a mask at Orlando’s campus, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin writes. Howard said on social media that the violation was reported to the NBA Campus Hotline, designed to ensure everyone is following protocols. “(My) reaction is that we all should be wearing masks in and around the hotel lobby,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said of Howard’s violation. “And the areas that we’re being asked to wear a mask, we should wear a mask. And he’s doing so now.”

We have more from around the Pacific Division:

It remains a mystery whether Ricky Rubio and Aron Baynes are practicing with their Suns teammates in Orlando, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Coach Monty Williams has been vague when asked about the duo’s status. “There’s so much medical stuff that I don’t want to violate,” Williams said.
Kings center Alex Len has posted negative tests for the coronavirus and will rejoin the team on Friday evening, head coach Luke Walton told James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area and other media members. Len, among a couple of other prominent team members, tested positive for the virus in late June. Len will go into quarantine upon arrival in Orlando and Walton is unsure about the big man’s conditioning.
Walton is in no rush to replace Harrison Barnes on the roster, The Athletic’s Jason Jones tweets. Barnes revealed that he tested positive for COVID-19 just before the team headed to Orlando. The Kings don’t want to replace Barnes on the roster just yet, even if he has to miss a game, Jones adds.

Suns Notes: Point Guard, Free Agency, Booker, Baynes

May 2nd, 2020 at 6:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns will miss out on important opportunities for player evaluation if the season doesn’t resume, states John Hollinger of The Athletic in a conversation with Gina Mizell. Holllinger says after going through several failed attempts to find a back-up point guard, Phoenix could have used Ty Jerome in that role for the remainder of the season to see if he can handle it. He speculates that since Jerome didn’t get the opportunity to prove himself, the Suns will wind up spending resources on the position in free agency.

If Phoenix uses all its cap space to land a power forward, that will leave a room exception of about $5MM to sign a point guard. Hollinger mentions the Clippers’ Reggie Jackson, who formed a connection with Suns executive Jeff Bower in Detroit, as one possibility, along with the Wizards’ Shabazz Napier. Hollinger adds that D.J. Augustin and Jeff Teague may also be available for that price.

He also notes that the team may opt to address the position through the draft. The Suns hold the 10th spot right now, which is probably too low to land any of the top point guard prospects, but Hollinger suggests Alabama’s Kira Lewis could be a sleeper in that range.

There’s more from Phoenix:

The Suns could create up to $24MM in cap room, Hollinger notes in the same piece, which might be enough to attract Danilo Gallinari, Davis Bertans or Paul Millsap, but he notes that the options will shrink if that number is lowered because a loss of revenue due to the hiatus. Depending on what happens in free agency or the draft, Hollinger suggests Phoenix may try to re-sign Aron Baynes and Dario Saric to one-year contracts.
In an interview with Robby Kalland of Dime Magazine, Devin Booker said Monty Williams‘ first priority when he took over as head coach was to change the way the Suns were viewed around the league. “And if that’s having to get a little nasty, play tougher, more physical, but people are going to know when they play against up some talented, hard-working guys,” Booker said.
Baynes is pessimistic about the potential of a “bubble” environment as a way to finish the NBA season, relays Matt Layman of Arizona Sports 98.7. “They’re trying to come up with some scenarios that would work, but I think in terms of everyone being in one hub, how’s that going to work when you have 450 guys and if one guy does test positive then you have to get back in two months of isolation to get back to playing again?” Baynes said this week in an interview with an Australian radio station. “That’s unrealistic and there’s a better way to put all those resources that are being used into something else than professional sport.”

Trade Rumors: Covington, Randle, Henson, Celtics

February 3rd, 2020 at 10:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Clippers are among the teams pursuing Timberwolves forward Robert Covington, Sean Deveney of Heavy.com reports. A package of their first-round pick this year, forward Maurice Harkless, and a young player such as Jerome Robinson or Terance Mann could be enough to secure Covington, Deveney continues. Grizzlies forward Andre Iguodala, Suns center Aron Baynes and Magic guard D.J. Augustin are among the other potential targets for the Clippers, Deveney adds.

We have more trade chatter:

The Knicks have engaged in trade talks with the Hornets involving forward Julius Randle, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer tweets. Charlotte would be a surprising landing spot for Randle, who has a guaranteed $18.9MM salary for next season. However, the Hornets have three frontcourt players with large expiring contracts and will need reinforcements.
The Knicks had talks with the Cavaliers which included center John Henson but those discussions have died down, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets. Henson has an expiring $9.7MM contract.
Celtics GM Danny Ainge would like to strengthen the team’s bench but doesn’t see the center position as a major weakness, Jacob Camenker of NBC Sports Boston relays. The Celtics are reportedly one of the teams interested in acquiring Rockets center Clint Capela. Ainge indicated the roster “probably too many really young guys” but claimed he’s content with Daniel Theis, Enes Kanter, and Robert Williams manning the middle. “We’re not getting beat at the center position,” Ainge said. “We’re getting 17, 18 points per night. We’re getting double-figure rebounds. We’re just doing it as a team.”

Trade Rumors: Clippers, Pelicans, Randle, Rose

February 3rd, 2020 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Appearing today on The Lowe Post with Zach Lowe, Brian Windhorst of ESPN said the Clippers are in the market for a center, which is something Marc Stein of The New York Times and others have reported as well.

While Ivica Zubac and Montrezl Harrell have been very effective so far this season in Los Angeles, Windhorst suggested the Clippers may be a little nervous about entering a playoff series against Rudy Gobert and the Jazz or Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets with that frontcourt duo.

Windhorst mentioned Pistons big man Andre Drummond as a possible Clippers target, though he cautions that such a deal would be difficult, noting that Drummond is simply a best-case example of the type of player L.A. may be targeting. A lower-cost option like Suns center Aron Baynes would also be a good fit for the Clips, in Windhorst’s view.

The Clippers have been linked to a wide variety of potential trade targets at a few positions this winter, and appear willing to move their 2020 first-round pick to upgrade their roster. During his discussion with Windhorst, Lowe said the Clips look like “the biggest lock in the league to do something,” adding later in the podcast that he’d be shocked if they weren’t willing to give up that first-rounder for Marcus Morris.

Here are a few more trade rumors and notes from around the NBA:

Rather than selling, the Pelicans may actually be interested in acquiring another veteran player at the deadline, according to Windhorst, who said on The Lowe Post that New Orleans believes its early-season struggles could be attributed in part to how young the team’s roster was.
The Knicks have had some internal discussions about gauging Julius Randle‘s trade value, sources tell Marc Berman of The New York Post. Randle is the only one of New York’s 2019 free agent signees who has a fully guaranteed salary for 2020/21, and Berman suggests that moving him would create more flexibility to re-sign Marcus Morris. The Knicks will have the ability to open up plenty of room even with Randle still on their books.
Derrick Rose, who left Sunday’s game with an injury initially believed to be a groin issue, has been ruled out for Monday’s contest with an adductor strain. Rod Beard of The Detroit News takes a look at whether Rose’s injury could throw a wrench into the Pistons‘ trade deadline plans.