Jamal Murray Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Notes: Gordon, Murray, Forrest, Gobert, Mitchell, Presti

April 7th, 2022 at 9:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Aaron Gordon doesn’t want Jamal Murray to play until the Nuggets’ star guard is completely healthy, the forward told Mike Singer of the Denver Post. Murray has been rehabbing all season from the ACL injury he suffered last spring. “I told him to take his time,” Gordon said. “You don’t want to rush this. This isn’t something to rush coming off of injury, especially coming back in such a high-level game, as a playoffs.”

We’ve got more from the Northwest Division:

Jazz guard Trent Forrest has been diagnosed with a left mid-foot ligament sprain after undergoing an MRI on Thursday, according to Eric Walden of the Salt Lake City Tribune (Twitter link). Forrest, who played 12 minutes against Oklahoma City on Wednesday, will be reevaluated in a week. He’s appeared in 60 games this season, averaging 3.3 PPG in 12.8 MPG.
While many people consider the Defensive Player of the Year race to be wide open, former winner Rudy Gobert believes he should be a lock. In an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews on NBA Today, the Jazz center said, “If anybody else not named Rudy Gobert was doing what I do this year and having the impact that I have this year, they would be the frontrunner and it would be clear. … Why should I be penalized for being consistent year after year?”
The Jazz are headed for a roster shakeup, with a breakup of the Gobert-Donovan Mitchell duo almost an inevitability, John Wilmes of RealGM opines. Though the Jazz could win 50 games, there remains a lot of acrimony between the stars of the team.
The stash of draft picks Thunder GM Sam Presti has accumulated is more quantity than quality, according to Keith Smith in a Spotrac story. Packaging those picks in trades won’t be as easy as it sounds, unless Presti is willing to move some of the young players they’ve already drafted and developed, says Smith.

Injury Updates: LeBron, LaVine, Murray, Powell, Knicks, More

April 5th, 2022 at 2:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Facing a must-win game in Phoenix on Tuesday and looking to keep their play-in hopes alive, the Lakers will once again be without star forward LeBron James, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. James, who continues to deal with a left ankle sprain, has been ruled out for a second consecutive game and will now have missed three of the last four.

If the Lakers lose to the Suns and the Spurs win in Denver, L.A. would be officially eliminated from play-in contention by the end of the night.

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

Bulls guard Zach LaVine (knee) will likely miss Tuesday’s game vs. Milwaukee, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). LaVine’s left knee has been an issue for much of the season, though he has been able to play through the discomfort for the most part — this would only be the second game he has missed since the All-Star break.
Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (ACL) has “really ramped up” his activity in the last week, Wojnarowski said on NBA Countdown on Sunday (video link). While Wojnarowski describes Murray as “aggressive” in his efforts to get back on the court, he cautions that the guard is still experiencing some soreness at times in his surgically-repaired left knee.
Norman Powell (foot) will be a full participant in Tuesday’s practice for the Clippers, according to head coach Tyronn Lue, who noted that the team isn’t playing five-on-five today. Lue is hopeful that Powell will be able to return within the next several days, tweets Mirjam Swanson of The Southern California News Group.
Asked today about whether Julius Randle (quad) or Derrick Rose (ankle) will play again this season, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau responded, “I don’t see it happening” (Twitter link via Fred Katz of The Athletic).
Mavericks guards Sterling Brown and Trey Burke are out of the COVID-19 protocols and will be available on Wednesday vs. Detroit, per head coach Jason Kidd (Twitter link via Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News).
Out since March 14 due to a high ankle sprain, Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels has been upgraded to questionable for Tuesday’s game vs. Washington (Twitter link). “I think he’s had a really good week, good evaluation,” head coach Chris Finch said (Twitter link via Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic). “Just not sure if he’s ready to play in the game tonight, but try to push him today in our ‘stay in shape league‘ and see how everything goes.”

Nuggets Notes: Hyland, Murray, Rivers, Green

April 3rd, 2022 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

It’s common for NBA veterans to take rookies under their wing, but Nuggets guard Bones Hyland has a mentor who isn’t even on his team, writes Mike Singer of The Denver Post. A few months ago, team president Tim Connelly and assistant coach Charles Klask asked Isaiah Thomas to reach out to Hyland, and Thomas has played a role in the first-year guard’s development.

Thomas, who is currently with the Hornets, spent some time with the Nuggets during the 2018/19 season. He invited Hyland to contact him any time he had questions, and now they’re in contact at least once a week.

“He’s a great kid, he takes information in really well, he asks questions all the time,” Thomas said of Hyland, who has become Denver’s third-leading scorer. “That’s the biggest thing probably with the younger guys, them (being) scared to ask questions. He’s a guy, he’ll text me in the middle of the night about some stuff that happened in the game and what he should do. I’m in his corner. I’m a big fan of his game. I’m a big fan of the person he is.”

There’s more on the Nuggets:

The team’s repeated teases about Jamal Murray‘s status is frustrating for fans, contends Sean Keeler of The Denver Post. There have been several reports about Murray’s chances to return from ACL surgery, but very little solid information on whether to expect him in the playoffs or even in the final week of the regular season. Nikola Jokic advised his teammate not to risk a comeback unless he’s certain that he’s fully healed. “I told Jamal, if you’re not 100% ready, don’t come back. It’s stupid,” Jokic said. “You risk (getting re-injured) if you’re not 100% ready to go. Especially in the playoffs.”
Coach Michael Malone said Connelly talked to the NBA about Austin Rivers‘ ejection this week, but there’s no reason to expect the technical foul or accompanying fine to be rescinded, Singer tweets. Rivers was thrown out of Wednesday’s game against the Pacers for elbowing Lance Stephenson, but replays showed that very little contact was made. Rivers tweeted his disbelief following the game, writing, “Never in my life have I been thrown out of Game for something so ridiculous. Seriously…never. League gotta look at this one.”
Jeff Green, who left Friday’s game for personal reasons, isn’t on the team’s injury report for today, according to Singer (Twitter link).

Morris: Jamal Murray “Ready To Get Back Out There”

April 2nd, 2022 at 9:33am CST by Dana Gauruder

Nuggets guard Monte Morris fueled speculation on Friday night that Jamal Murray will soon make his season debut. Morris said Murray is “ready” to play after rehabbing from an ACL tear suffered last April, Sean Keeler of the Denver Post writes.

“His mental (acumen) is there,” Morris said. “He’s ready to get back out there. He’s looked good. He’s dunking and everything, (with) both legs. It’s a matter of time, I guess, but hopefully we can get him back.”

Earlier this week, coach Michael Malone said the team was “keeping all options open” regarding Murray’s status. Murray has been participating in workouts with the team.

“I don’t think we need to paint ourselves into a corner and make any definitive decisions right now because this is not a mile race where it’s four laps and it’s over,” Malone said on Wednesday. “We have no idea where the finish line is. Until we have a better idea of that, let’s leave all options on the table and see what happens on a day-to-day basis.”

Malone reiterated that approach on Friday. While Murray is “making great progress,” Malone would not commit to using his star point guard in any remaining regular season contests.

“We’re not shutting down Jamal Murray,” Malone said. “This is not a black-and-white issue. We’re not running a race with a definitive finish line. Who knows what the seasons going to look like after four games? Are we going to be the playoffs? Are we going to be in the play-in? Who knows? That’s yet to be determined. Jamal is getting better every day. Trust me, we all want him back. I want him back. We’re a better team with Jamal Murray.”

Denver currently sits in sixth place in the Western Conference, which would allow the team to avoid the play-in tournament.

Nuggets Taking Wait-And-See Approach With Jamal Murray

March 31st, 2022 at 9:57am CST by Arthur Hill

The Nuggets have survived almost an entire regular season without Jamal Murray, but they’re still holding onto hope that he might return sometime during the playoffs, writes Mike Singer of The Denver Post.

Murray participated in a workout with his teammates prior to Wednesday’s game at Indiana, moving freely and getting up his normal shots. Coach Michael Malone told Singer that the team is keeping “all options on the table” regarding Murray as it prepares for the postseason.

Malone admits it’s a “weird time” to try to work Murray back into the lineup with the season winding down, adding that he has put “zero pressure” on his star guard about his return since his ACL surgery last April. However, if he decides he wants to play, the Nuggets will accommodate that request.

“But if Jamal Murray says to me, ‘Hey coach, I’m ready, man, I’d like to play,’ and he’s been cleared, then we’d figure it out,” Malone said. “I think, like anybody coming back, there are good days, there are great days, and there are some tough days. I think that’s kind of what he’s been dealing with probably the last month as he’s ramped up a little bit. And certain days I’m sure he feels great, and the next day he might feel like, ‘Man, I don’t know if I can do this.’ The biggest part for him, right now, is the confidence to go out there and be able to play without thinking about everything he’s doing. That’s the hardest thing when you’ve been away from the game for almost a year like he has been.”

After watching Murray on Wednesday, Singer concluded it was one of his “good days.” He was able to curl and drive to the basket without any evidence of discomfort and occasionally gave a nod to trainers or team officials to show he was feeling good.

Murray also took part in strength training and stretching before the game, then came to the court with two wraps on each knee. He removed those as he moved into drills against the player development staff that included “hard cuts and strenuous pivots” and he didn’t shy away from contact, according to Singer.

Murray’s return could be a difference-maker for a Denver team that has tried all season to find suitable replacements in the backcourt. There have been conflicting reports about his chances to come back in time for the playoffs, and Malone said the team is keeping its options open.

“I don’t think it makes any sense to (say) … ‘We’re shutting him down,’” he said. “Who knows where the season’s going to go? A lot of crazy things can happen with (five) games to go, as well as into the postseason. Now with the play-in, the regular season ends and there’s a week for the play-in, then the playoffs start. It used to be, the season ended and playoffs started right away.

“I don’t think we need to paint ourselves into a corner and make any definitive decisions right now because this is not a mile race where it’s four laps and it’s over. We have no idea where the finish line is. Until we have a better idea of that, let’s leave all options on the table and see what happens on a day-to-day basis.”

Nuggets Notes: Porter, Murray, Nnaji, Hyland

March 23rd, 2022 at 12:30pm CST by Luke Adams

A report in late February stated that Michael Porter Jr. (back) was on track to return to action in mid-to-late March and that there was optimism in the Nuggets‘ locker room about Jamal Murray (ACL) being back in time for the playoffs too. However, nearly a month later, there’s still no clarity about when Porter and Murray might play — or even if they’ll return at all this season.

On Monday, Joe Vardon of The Athletic cited multiple team sources who said Porter is considered more likely than Murray to return this season. According to Vardon, those same sources cautioned that it’s possible neither player will be available for the playoffs.

On Tuesday, during TNT’s broadcast of the Nuggets/Clippers game, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports suggested that Murray’s rehab process has actually advanced further than Porter’s (video link via Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports).

“The rehab process hasn’t been too good up to this point for Michael Porter Jr. He’s had some ups and downs,” Haynes said. “As of now, Murray’s ahead. But I’m told both don’t have a firm timeline and the team will follow their lead as to when they feel mentally and physically ready to return.”

Following up on Haynes’ report, Mike Singer of The Denver Post (Twitter link) said on Wednesday that he spoke to someone close to Porter and asked about the odds of the forward returning this spring. According to Singer, the answer he received was “very noncommittal,” which doesn’t bode especially well with just two-and-a-half weeks left in the regular season.

Here’s more on the Nuggets:

Zeke Nnaji is another Nugget whose status for the rest of the season is up in the air, according to Kyle Hendrickson of The Denver Post, who says the forward’s lingering knee injury might prevent him from playing again this spring. Nnaji, who had established himself as a regular part of Denver’s rotation before he went down, has appeared in just one game since February 11. “I don’t know when or if he’ll be back,” head coach Michael Malone said. “I really can’t say because I did not anticipate him being out this long. It’s unfortunate. Hopefully, we can get him back. But while he’s out, obviously, everybody else has to step up.”
A number of Nuggets players “spoke up and aired their grievances” following Sunday’s game against Boston, which was Denver’s second consecutive loss and fourth in six games, writes Mike Singer of The Denver Post. According to Bones Hyland, center DeMarcus Cousins said the way the Nuggets were playing was “unacceptable.” The Nuggets responded on Tuesday with a win over the Clippers and now have a one-game lead on Minnesota for the last guaranteed playoff spot (No. 6) in the West.
Sean Keeler of The Denver Post questions why Hyland isn’t part of more closing lineups for the Nuggets, arguing that the rookie has shown an ability to play big in big moments.

Western Notes: Murray, Green, Craig, Towns

March 20th, 2022 at 9:45pm CST by JD Shaw

Nuggets star Jamal Murray isn’t close to returning from a torn ACL, head coach Michael Malone said on Sunday, as relayed by Mike Singer of the Denver Post (Twitter link). Murray suffered the injury 11 months ago and an ESPN report from last month suggested he could return before the playoffs.

Murray, who spent some time with the Grand Rapids Gold earlier this month, may rejoin the team’s G League affiliate for another block of practices, Malone added. No timetable was revealed for a possible return.

Murray averaged a career-high 21.2 points per game before sustaining the injury last season, shooting 48% from the floor and 41% from deep. The Nuggets own the seventh-best record in the West (42-30) despite his absence. The team has also dealt with other significant losses — including Michael Porter Jr. (back) — and should be viewed as a legitimate contender at full strength.

Here are some other notes from the West:

In a separate story for the Denver Post, Mike Singer examines how JaMychal Green‘s leadership has been valuable for the Nuggets. Green lit a fire in the team’s huddle against Philadelphia last Monday, helping motivate them en route to a 114-110 win, Singer shares.
Suns wing Torrey Craig stepped up in the absences of Jae Crowder (groin) and Cameron Johnson (quad) against the Bulls on Friday, as relayed by the Arizona Republic. Craig finished with 14 points and nine rebounds as a starter, shooting 5-of-5 from the floor in 31 minutes of action.
Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns expressed confidence in his squad after winning its fourth straight game, Dane Moore of Bring Me The News tweets. Minnesota defeated Milwaukee 138-119 on Saturday. The team is 9-1 in its last 10 games, leading Towns to make the following statement: “Any time we step on the court, we should win… We feel we can beat anybody.”

Northwest Notes: Vanderbilt, Murray, Barton, Alexander-Walker

March 19th, 2022 at 9:33am CST by Dana Gauruder

Jarred Vanderbilt played 25 minutes on Wednesday, but the Timberwolves forward is still bothered by a left quad contusion, Chris Hine of the Star Tribune tweets. Head coach Chris Finch said Vanderbilt, who is listed as questionable to play on Saturday, is closer to 70% than 100% and he’ll remain on a minutes restriction.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

Jamal Murray‘s practice with the G League Grand Rapids included some live work but he still must overcome some hurdles before he makes his season debut, coach Michael Malone told Mike Singer of the Denver Post (Twitter link). The Nuggets guard was assigned to Grand Rapids early this week and is expected to report back to the NBA team on Saturday.
Nuggets swingman Will Barton has missed opportunities to play in the postseason due to injuries and he’s hopeful that will change next month, Singer writes. “That’s really all my focus is on is just staying healthy, trying to play good basketball and getting ready for the playoffs – something I’ve been looking forward to my whole career,” he said. “And I haven’t been able to be in there healthy. Now I have the chance if everything keeps going well.” Barton, who is signed through next season, is averaging 14.7, 4.9 RPG and a career-best 3.8 APG.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker has looked sharp while getting extended playing time this week, Tony Jones of The Athletic writes. Alexander-Walker had 13 points and five assists against the Clippers on Friday after a 16-point outing against Chicago. The Jazz also believe Alexander-Walker, who is eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason, can be a defensive factor off the bench.

Jamal Murray To Practice With Grand Rapids Gold

March 15th, 2022 at 7:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Nuggets have assigned injured guard Jamal Murray to their NBAGL affiliate club, the Grand Rapids Gold, to practice with the team, per Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports (Twitter link).

The odds of Murray playing at all this season had been considered tenuous recently, so any movement on this front has to be encouraging news for Nuggets fans. He is expected to return to Denver following Grand Rapids’ practice on Saturday.

Wind adds (via Twitter) that the Nuggets will assess Murray following his workouts with the team’s G League affiliate and decide how to move forward with the 6’3″ vet’s recovery timeline after that. According to Wind, Denver’s other injured star, small forward Michael Porter Jr., has yet to join the Gold for a workout.

Murray was enjoying a breakout season during 2020/21 prior to his ACL tear, notching a career-best 21.2 PPG on .477/.408/.869 shooting, plus 4.8 APG, 4.0 RPG and 1.3 SPG through 48 games.

With Murray and Porter shelved, reigning 2021 MVP Nikola Jokic has shouldered a massive burden this season for Denver. The Nuggets have remained very competitive with their All-NBA center at the helm, sporting a 41-28 record as the West’s sixth seed as of this writing. The team is just 1.5 games behind the Jazz for the fourth seed and home court advantage in the first round of the forthcoming playoffs. The additions of Murray and Porter this season, should they at least somewhat resemble their pre-injury selves, could help Denver become a legitimate contender this year.

Jamal Murray’s Return This Season “50-50” Proposition

March 12th, 2022 at 9:32am CST by Dana Gauruder

Nuggets fans have been hoping that Jamal Murray will make a strong comeback this season and lift the team to another deep postseason run.

However, it’s not even certain Murray will play in 2021/22, Mike Singer of the Denver Post reports. Citing two league sources, Singer writes that it’s a 50-50 proposition Murray will take the court this season and that the decision might ultimately be made by the point guard himself.

Murray tore the ACL in his left knee last April and he’s continued to get treatment, test his knee and see how it reacts. The next steps include playing 3-on-3 and 4-on-4, improving his conditioning and getting his heart rate up.

Murray and Michael Porter Jr., who is recovering from another back surgery, could be assigned as soon as this coming week to Denver’s G League affiliate in Grand Rapids, Mich. Porter has been through lengthy rehabs before but this is new territory for Murray and the Nuggets are not sure if he’s mentally ready to play at this juncture, Singer adds.