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Latest On De’Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley III

December 2nd, 2019 at 5:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Two Kings starters, De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley III, are making progress in their recoveries from injuries, but neither player is ready to return to action, the team announced today in a press release.

Fox, who has been sidelined since sustaining a left ankle sprain on November 11, has resumed on-court basketball activities, but isn’t taking contact. According to the team, he’ll remain in Sacramento during the club’s upcoming four-game road trip – which begins in Portland on Thursday – and will be re-evaluated in about two or three weeks.

The Kings have tread water without Fox, winning five of the nine games he has missed. The team will have to continue to do so if it hopes to remain in the playoff hunt in the West. Even if the star point guard is ready to return in three weeks, he’d miss another 11 games.

Meanwhile, Bagley – out since opening night due to a broken right thumb – will be re-evaluated at the end of this week, per the team. The Kings’ initial October announcement on Bagley after he suffered the injury called for a recovery timeline of approximately four-to-six weeks — this Thursday will represent the six-week mark.

With Fox and Bagley on the shelf, Cory Joseph, Richaun Holmes, and Nemanja Bjelica are among the players who have received bumps in minutes. Holmes (+3.8 net rating) has been particularly effective, so it will be interesting to see how his role is adjusted once Bagley is good to go.

De’Aaron Fox Suffers Significant Ankle Sprain

November 11th, 2019 at 7:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox suffered a significant left ankle sprain in practice on Monday and will be re-evaluated in three-to-four weeks, Zach Lowe of ESPN tweets.

The injury occurred when a teammate stepped on the dynamic guard’s foot, Lowe adds in another tweet. He has a Grade 3 sprain, which is a full tear of the ankle ligament.

Fox was averaging 18.2 PPG and 7.0 APG this season following a breakout year in which he averaged 17.3 PPG and 7.3 APG while starting 81 games.

The injury is a major blow for a team that entered the season with playoff aspirations. The Kings stumbled out of the gate, losing six of their first eight games, before defeating Atlanta on Friday. They’ll play their first game without their floor leader against the Trail Blazers on Tuesday.

Fortunately for the Kings, they have some experienced depth behind Fox. Cory Joseph has been the primary backup and figures to slot into the starting lineup. Yogi Ferrell should see his role expand after appearing in just five of the first nine games.

Pacific Notes: George, Fox, Ayton, Curry

November 3rd, 2019 at 11:41am CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers are getting encouraging signs that Paul George might be ready for action soon, according to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. George participated in a full-court, three-on-three scrimmage Saturday that lasted about 20 minutes, his most strenuous workout since having offseason surgery on both shoulders.

The team still isn’t offering a timetable for his season debut, and coach Doc Rivers didn’t provide any new information. Rivers speculated last month that George would miss the first 10 games, which would keep him sidelined for at least four more.

“At some point, someone’s going to tell me who can play,” Rivers said yesterday. “I’ve never really gotten involved in it.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

De’Aaron Fox hasn’t lost faith in new Kings coach Luke Walton despite a rough start, relays Jason Jones of The Athletic. Walton wants Fox to assume more control over the team as the season wears on, and the confidence seems to be reciprocated. “We’re going to ride with him,” Fox said of Walton. “He’s been great since the day that he stepped in. I think we feel like we trust him and he trusts us.”
Deandre Ayton has served five games of his 25-game suspension, giving the Suns an opportunity to add another player to the roster, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. Ayton is now on the suspended list, where he will remain until December 17 unless his appeal is successful. Phoenix already has 15 players with guaranteed contracts, and there has been no indication on whether the team plans to make a roster move.
A broken hand hasn’t affected Stephen Curry‘s desire to play in the 2020 Olympics, his father tells Marc J. Spears of ESPN. Former NBA star Dell Curry said his son is still looking forward to his first Olympic experience. “That was definitely a goal coming into this year,” he said. “He wants to play in the Olympics. This is a little setback, but hopefully it’s a goal he can strive for through his rehab.” Curry added that Stephen is “doing the best he can” after having surgery this week.

Kings Won’t Pick Up 2020/21 Options On Giles, Swanigan

October 31st, 2019 at 5:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings are declining two of their four rookie scale options for the 2020/21 season, a league source tells James Ham of NBC Sports California (Twitter link). According to Ham, Sacramento won’t be picking up the fourth-year options for Harry Giles ($3,976,510) or Caleb Swanigan ($3,665,787).

As expected, Sacramento has exercised its fourth-year option on De’Aaron Fox ($8,099,627) and its third-year option on Marvin Bagley III ($8,963,640). Those were procedural moves and were never in doubt. However, the decisions on Giles and Swanigan are a little more interesting.

Giles, the 20th overall pick in the 2017 draft, has been plagued by knee issues since entering the league. Injuries cost him his entire rookie year and limited him to 58 games (14.1 MPG) in 2018/19. He has also yet to play this season as he battles knee pain.

Given his upside, I still though Sacramento would likely exercise Giles’ 2020/21 option. However, it appears the club decided the risk outweighed the reward when it came to guaranteeing nearly $4MM for the big man.

The Kings’ option decision on Swanigan is less surprising. The former Purdue power forward has averaged just 2.1 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 51 career regular season contests with Portland and Sacramento, having never developed into a reliable rotation player.

Giles and Swanigan, two of just four players around the NBA who have had their rookie scale options turned down, will both become unrestricted free agents in 2020 as a result of today’s decisions. At that time, Sacramento won’t be able to offer them a starting salary worth more than the value of their declined options.

Meanwhile, Fox will become extension-eligible next July, while Bagley has one more option on his rookie scale contract for the 2021/22 season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

World Cup Notes: Spain, Rubio, Popovich, Fox

September 15th, 2019 at 10:22am CST by Arthur Hill

Suns guard Ricky Rubio was named World Cup MVP as Spain captured the gold medal this morning by rolling past Argentina, 95-75. France claimed the bronze by defeating Australia.

The all-World Cup team had a strong NBA flavor as Rubio was joined by Spanish teammate Marc Gasol, Serbia’s Bogdan Bogdanovic, France’s Evan Fournier and Argentina’s Luis Scola. Gasol capped a memorable three-month stretch that included an NBA title with the Raptors and the World Cup crown.

“We were not the most talented team,” Rubio said. “We were not the biggest team. But we played with heart. We will be family for life.” (Twitter link from Emiliano Carchia of Sportando)

There’s more World Cup news to pass along:

Coach Gregg Popovich blasted critics who are taking shots at Team USA after a seventh-place finish, relays Brian Windhorst of ESPN. The Americans won the past two World Cups, but fell far short this time, losing back-to-back games to France and Serbia. “Some people want to play the blame game. There’s no blame to be placed anywhere,” Popovich said. “They want to play the shame game, like we should be ashamed because we didn’t win a gold medal? That’s a ridiculous attitude. It’s immature, it’s arrogant, and it shows that whoever thinks that doesn’t respect all the other teams in the world and doesn’t respect that these guys did the best they could.” Windhorst notes that only four of the 35 players who were on the projected U.S. roster last summer wound up playing in China.
There are no hard feelings from USA Basketball toward Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, who left the team shortly before it departed for exhibition games in Australia, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. It was suggested on ESPN’s “The Jump” this week that Fox wouldn’t be considered for future international teams, but USA Basketball communications director Craig Miller said the organization “understands De’Aaron’s decision.”
Both of this year’s finalists were successful with players who are considered past their prime, strengthening the argument that continuity provides a huge advantage in international play, writes Tom Ziller of SB Nation. Argentina was led by the 39-year-old Scola, while Spain’s foundation of Rubio, Gasol, Sergio Llull, Rudy Fernandez and Victor Claver has been together for many years.

Kings Notes: Fox, Offseason Work, Bagley

August 22nd, 2019 at 4:29pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Migrating to bigger markets is nothing new for NBA players. This offseason, we saw Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and Anthony Davis among the players to make their way to a bigger city. De’Aaron Fox notices the trend but doesn’t plan to participate.

“I don’t crave to be in a big market,” Fox said (via Corban Goble of ONE37pm). “After last season, there was a buzz in Sacramento. Everyone in Sacramento is a Kings fan. If we start making the playoffs, or if we become a championship contender, the entire city is going to go nuts. That’s the difference between a big market and a small one.”

Fox has two more seasons on his rookie deal and will be eligible for an extension next summer. Here’s more from Sacramento:

Fox enjoys the process of becoming a better player, Jason Jones of The Athletic writes. This offseason, he has focused on adding muscle and reshaping his body among other objectives. The point guard believes that the work in the weight room will help him absorb contact better.
In the same piece, Fox added that he believes he can improve his consistency next season in an effort to get the Kings to the playoffs. “Some of the down games that I had, you can’t really have if you’re trying to make it to the playoffs, trying to have a deep run. Just trying to remain consistent throughout the entire season,” Fox said.
Bobby Marks of ESPN.com believes the Kings are the most underrated team heading into the 2019/20 season. Marks can envision the team winning 45-46 games if Fox emerges into an All-Star candidate, Buddy Hield remains as consistent as he was last season, and Marvin Bagley continues to develop.

Team USA Notes: Fox, White, Mitchell, Tucker

August 20th, 2019 at 5:37pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com was surprised when De’Aaron Fox pulled out of international competition, as he explains in a collaborate piece with ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. Leading up to Fox’s departure, many reports had him as one of the best players at Team USA’s functions and Windhorst writes that Fox would have been a lock to make the team.

Here’s more from the ESPN piece as well as other notes concerning Team USA:

Did Fox leave because he was worried that coach Gregg Popovich would select Spurs guard Derrick White over him? Windhorst doesn’t believe so. White may make the team but it’ll be because of his exceptional play rather than any preferential treatment.
Donovan Mitchell has been the most impressive player at USA Basketball functions, Youngmisuk contends (same piece). Mitchell is treating the FIBA World Cup as not just an opportunity to win the tournament but to advance his game and position himself for a roster spot on next year’s Olympics team.
P.J. Tucker, who recently dropped out of competition for USA Basketball, was a near-lock to make the roster, as Kelly Iko of The Athletic relays. Team USA Teammate Khris Middleton was surprised that the veteran decided to leave the team. “Yeah, we were very surprised,” Middleton said. “But, you know, P.J. is a great player. A tough guy, a vet, that’s been around this league, been around this world, and is experienced. He’s a tough player.”

Pacific Notes: Cousins, Kuzma, Fox, Suns

August 18th, 2019 at 12:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

NBA players and coaches sent messages of sympathy to Lakers center DeMarcus Cousins after news broke that he suffered an ACL tear that may sideline him for the entire season, relays Sam Amick of The Athletic. Team USA was working out in the Lakers’ practice facility when the news broke on Thursday.

“I’m devastated for DeMarcus,” said Steve Kerr, who coached Cousins with the Warriors last season. “It’s been a couple years of hell for DeMarcus with the injuries, first the Achilles and then last year in the playoffs with the quad. I was really hoping that this would be a year for him upcoming with the Lakers where he could get healthy, get his rhythm, get his conditioning and really start his comeback. We’re all crushed for him, everybody in this gym, all these fellow players and coaches.”

Along with the physical toll, the injuries have impacted Cousins financially as he appeared to be in line for a max contract last summer that would have paid $207MM him over five years if he had stayed healthy. Now he may be looking at another veteran’s minimum deal in 2020.

“It hurt, man, breaks my heart,” Rockets forward P.J. Tucker said. “DeMarcus is such a good guy. He’s one of the best bigs I’ve ever played against — ever. He’s amazing. And to see somebody like that get hurt, fight to come back, get in shape, lose weight, do all this stuff, and then get hurt again, man, it’s heartbreaking, honestly.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Cousins’ injury may force Lakers teammate Kyle Kuzma into significant minutes at center, and he tells Amick that he’s using his time with Team USA to get ready for that possibility. “One thing that’s going to prepare me well playing with USA Basketball is they really like my versatility and how I can play the three, four and put me at the five a little bit,” Kuzma said. “Last year, I didn’t really have experience with that, but now USA Basketball is allowing me to work on those things. And if (Lakers coach Frank) Vogel wants me to do that, that’s what I gotta do.”
The combination of a tough travel schedule and no guarantee of playing time may have convinced De’Aaron Fox to leave Team USA, suggests James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area. The Americans will spend 12 days in Australia and maybe 17 days in China, then the Kings have a preseason trip to India. Ham notes that amounts to about 40,000 air miles before the season begins.
The Suns are poised to make the biggest improvement this season, according to projections from Kevin Pelton of ESPN. His formula has Phoenix doubling its win total from 19 to 38.

De’Aaron Fox To Withdraw From Team USA

August 17th, 2019 at 11:51am CST by marksuleymanov

Kings guard De’Aaron Fox will become the latest player to withdraw from Team USA, according to Yahoo Sports’ Chris B. Haynes (Twitter link). Fox will focus on Sacramento’s 2019/20 season with the goal of making the postseason, Haynes adds.

In addition to Fox, Rockets’ center P.J. Tucker withdrew on Friday due to injury, with Kyle Lowry and Marvin Bagley having previously pulled out. Team USA is down to 13 players, so just one more cut is necessary to set its 12-man roster for the 2019 World Cup.

Fox, 21, is entering this season coming off an outstanding sophomore campaign for the Kings. In 81 games, the University of Kentucky Product averaged 17.3 PPG and 7.3 APG for Sacramento.

World Cup Notes: Teodosic, Colangelo, Tatum, Fox

August 11th, 2019 at 12:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

Former Clippers guard Milos Teodosic will miss the FIBA World Cup tournament after going through another bout of plantar fascitiis in his foot, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Teodosic, who reached an agreement last month to play for Virtus Bologna in Italy, was part of a powerful Serbian team that is expected to challenge for a gold medal.

“He suffered again a plantar fascitiis injury,” said Serbian team doctor Dragan Radovanovic. “We already started intense therapies and they will continue in the next couple of days. We will see how the foot reacts and after we will able to know more precisely how long he has to rest.”

Teodosic was a star in the EuroLeague before coming to the NBA, but only played 60 games in two seasons for the Clippers before being waived in February. He suffered a plantar fascia tear during the 2017/18 campaign that ended his season early.

There’s more World Cup news to pass along:

Jerry Colangelo, who serves as director of USA Basketball, isn’t concerned about the number of big-name players who turned down invitations to training camp, relays Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. Even though Kyle Lowry and Harrison Barnes are the only members of the 2016 Olympic team who have returned for the World Cup, Colangelo doesn’t see it as a crisis. “There isn’t any one reason—there’s myriad reasons,” he said. “We had 30 guys here last summer — they all said they wanted to play. Things happen. I think as we move forward, the World Cup is going to played with young players. It’s going to be a training site for the Olympics.”
Jayson Tatum and De’Aaron Fox were standouts in Team USA’s first public scrimmage Friday night, according to Colin Ward-Henninger of CBS Sports. Tatum led all scorers with 17 points and hit 3-of-5 shots from 3-point range. He also displayed a quicker release that was a welcome sight for Celtics fans. Fox had 12 points off the bench and brought plenty of energy to the game that resulted in several steals and fast-break dunks. He could have a significant role in the World Cup if Lowry is unable to play after thumb surgery.
Argentina’s final roster contains several familiar names, Carchia writes in a separate story. In addition to Luis Scola, who played 10 NBA seasons, the roster features Nicolas Laprovittola, Nicolas Brussino and Patricio Garino.