Khris Middleton Rumors | Hoops Rumors

LeBron Chooses Giannis, Curry In All-Star Draft; Durant Picks Embiid, Morant

February 10th, 2022 at 7:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

After James Harden was traded away from the Nets on Thursday, former teammate Kevin Durant opted not to pick him in the All-Star draft conducted on Thursday night. Harden was the last player chosen by LeBron James for Team LeBron, as the league announced (via Twitter).

LeBron’s starters, besides himself, are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Jokic.

Durant, who won’t play in the All-Star Game at Cleveland due to his knee injury, chose Joel Embiid, Ja Morant, Jayson Tatum, Trae Young and Andrew Wiggins as Team Durant’s starters.

James selected Luka Doncic as his top reserve. His guard-heavy team also features Darius Garland, Chris Paul, Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell, Fred VanVleet and Harden.

Team Durant’s bench includes Devin Booker, Karl-Anthony Towns, Zach LaVine, Dejounte Murray, Khris Middleton, LaMelo Ball and Rudy Gobert.

Thus, numerous teammates will be on opposing clubs for the All-Star game, including the Jazz’s Gobert and Mitchell and the Suns’ Paul and Booker.

The game will be played February 20 in Cleveland.

Garland, VanVleet Make All-Star Team For First Time

February 3rd, 2022 at 6:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cavaliers guard Darius Garland and Raptors guard Fred VanVleet were chosen for the All-Star Game for the first time in their respective careers. They were named, along with a handful of other players, to the Eastern Conference All-Star reserve pool on Thursday, per the NBA (Twitter link).

Garland is averaging 19.8 PPG and 8.2 APG for the surprising Cavaliers. VanVleet has posted averages of 21.5 PPG and 7.0 APG this season.

The list of Eastern Conference reserves also includes the Nets’ James Harden, the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, the Bulls’ Zach LaVine, the Bucks’ Khris Middleton and the Heat‘s Jimmy Butler. The reserves were chosen by the league’s coaches.

Garland will be playing in front of his home fans in Cleveland on February 20.

The pool of Eastern Conference starters was announced a week ago. Sixers center Joel Embiid, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nets forward Kevin Durant are the frontcourt starters, while the backcourt players in the starter pool are DeMar DeRozan (Bulls) and Trae Young (Hawks).

Injury Notes: Mobley, Bryant, Middleton, Luka, Z. Collins

December 15th, 2021 at 9:25pm CST by Rory Maher

No. 3 overall pick Evan Mobley missed Wednesday’s contest for the Cavaliers with a sore hip, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. In a follow-up tweet, Fedor cites a source who says Mobley sustained the injury in Miami on Dec. 1 after a hard fall. According to Fedor, the team has been managing and treating the injury, but Mobley’s pain has lingered.

Fedor notes Mobley wanted to play against Houston on Wednesday, but the day off will allow him extra rest ahead of the team’s upcoming road trip, which starts Saturday at Milwaukee. The Cavs beat the Rockets 124-89 in Mobley’s absence.

Here are some more injury notes from around the NBA:

Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. says center Thomas Bryant, who’s recovering from a torn ACL, is expected to make his debut sometime in January, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington (via Twitter). Hughes notes that the team had previously mentioned December as a possible target for return, but apparently Bryant isn’t ready yet.
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer is hopeful that two-time All-Star Khris Middleton could return as soon as Friday, Eric Nehm of The Athletic relays (Twitter link). Middleton suffered a hyperextended knee on Monday and warmed up prior to Wednesday’s game.
Mavericks star Luka Doncic was ruled out for Wednesday’s contest against the Lakers and will miss the team’s game at Minnesota on Sunday as he continues to rehab his sore left ankle, Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News relays. The Mavs lost to the Lakers in overtime, 107-104.
There’s no target date set for Zach Collins to return for the Spurs, writes Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News. “Just whenever I’m ready, whenever I am feeling good,” Collins said at a charity event to promote youth literacy. “I haven’t played so long, conditioning and getting the rhythm back is where I am at right now.” Collins has had multiple surgeries on his left ankle, the latest being in June. He hasn’t appeared in a game since August of 2020.

Eastern Notes: Randle, Middleton, Celtics, Bogdanovic, Bamba

December 13th, 2021 at 9:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

With the Knicks going through rough times, leadership is essential. However, Julius Randle‘s personality doesn’t lend itself to that role, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Randle, who was signed to a $106MM+ extension, doesn’t fit the mold of a vocal leader and can occasionally be a loner in the locker room, according to Berman.

We have more from the Eastern Conference:

Khris Middleton suffered a hyperextended left knee on Monday but Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer is optimistic the injury isn’t significant, Tim Bontemps of ESPN tweets. “We’ll know more (Tuesday), but I think there’s some hope that it’s not serious,” he said. “But you’ve got to weigh it and give it time.”
Celtics president Brad Stevens needs to shake up the roster, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer opines. Rather than dealing one of his stars, Stevens needs to improve the supporting cast by moving veterans such as Marcus Smart, Josh Richardson and Al Horford or young players such as Robert Williams and Romeo Langford, according to O’Connor, who adds that shooting and play-making should be the top priorities in any potential deal.
Hawks swingman Bogdan Bogdanovic, sidelined since late November by a right ankle sprain, has progressed to individual on-court workouts, Sarah Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. Bogdanovic underwent an MRI shortly after spraining the ankle and the team at that time said he’d miss at least two weeks of action.
Magic center Mohamed Bamba suffered a right ankle sprain on Sunday, Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel reports. It’s unclear how much time Bamba might miss due to the injury, which occurred during the third quarter of the team’s game against the Lakers.

Khris Middleton Clears COVID-19 Protocols, Will Return To Bucks

November 16th, 2021 at 6:48pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Bucks wing Khris Middleton is set to take the floor once again when Milwaukee faces the Lakers on Wednesday, according to Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Middleton has been in the NBA’s health and safety protocols since testing positive for COVID-19 at the beginning of the month.

The 6’7″ wing, a two-time All-Star, has not played for the Bucks since an October 30 loss against the Spurs. Middleton, who rejoined the team for a practice today, has missed eight contests so far. Across his healthy six games this season, Middleton is averaging 20.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 4.5 APG, with a shooting line of .43/.257/.852.

The 30-year-old swingman is among several key players who have been sidelined for the Bucks. Starting shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo, starting center Brook Lopez, and reserve point guard George Hill are all currently absent with injuries. The reigning champs are just 6-8 this season, partially as a result of all these unavailable contributors. Starting point guard Jrue Holiday has also missed six games himself in this early going for the 2021/22 season.

Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer indicated, following a team practice today, that he would impose a minutes restriction on Middleton upon his return.

Central Notes: DeRozan, Dosunmu, Middleton, Brogdon, LeVert

November 2nd, 2021 at 8:02pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

New Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan has proven to be a comforting presence on this Chicago roster thanks to his expert late-game play and overall leadership, writes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.

“I think having a guy like DeMar out there, he plays with a pace and a tempo and a poise,” Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said of DeRozan’s on-court contributions. ‘‘He’s a guy that has experienced a lot individually with the way his career has been and also has experienced a lot of winning, so he has been in a lot of different situations.’’

“I’ve been in a lot of games being down big on the road, seeing things happen that’s possible,’’ DeRozan said. ‘‘For me, it’s just keeping that calm, not getting rattled and sharing whatever experience I can to kind of keep us together, as well.’’

The 32-year-old DeRozan, who joined Chicago on a lucrative three-year, $81.9MM contract, is the team’s leading scorer at present, averaging 25.6 PPG, 5.7 RPG and 4.0 APG, with a fantastic shooting line of .493/.412/.870. The 41.2% three-point shooting percentage may not last forever: a career 28.3% shooter from deep, DeRozan has never finished an NBA season connecting on better than 33.8% of his three-point looks. Nevertheless, should he keep up this output and the Bulls keep winning thanks to the scoring of the small forward and his perimeter running mate Zach LaVine, DeRozan may be in line for his fifth All-Star appearance this season.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

2021 second-round Bulls draft selection Ayo Dosunmu, taken with the No. 38 pick out of the University of Illinois, is impressing his hometown team, writes Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. “He’s got a certain kind of makeup that I think is really special,” Chicago head coach Billy Donovan noted. “He just is fearless.” In Chicago’s latest outing Monday, the 6’5″ rookie shooting guard poured in 14 points on 6-of-6 shooting, and appears to have carved a legitimate spot in Chicago’s rotation with his energetic defense.
Bucks swingman Khris Middleton has entered the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols after testing positive for the novel coronavirus, per Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Middleton also missed game action for Milwaukee over the weekend due to what appeared to be a non-COVID-19 illness, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link). “We thought he had a head cold or some type of non-COVID illness,” head coach Mike Budenholzer said. “And then (he) didn’t feel good again the next day. And got tested and has come back positive (for COVID-19).”
Tomorrow, Pacers point guard Malcolm Brogdon and swingman Caris LeVert are scheduled to play together for the first time since an April 29 home loss to the Nets, writes David Woods of the Indianapolis Star. Brogdon is recovering from inflamed tissue around his hamstring while LeVert is recuperating from a stress fracture in his back. “There’s not going to be many backcourts as good as us,” Brogdon said.

Eastern Notes: Martin-Garrett, Spoelstra, Bucks, Noah

September 19th, 2021 at 1:56pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The top-heavy Heat could benefit from their two-way players proving their NBA mettle sooner rather than later. Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel wonders if either of their two two-way players, guards Caleb Martin or Marcus Garrett, could find their way onto Miami’s 15-man roster by the end of the year.

Because of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, two-way player rules no longer have restrictions on how frequently two-way players can practice or travel with their NBA clubs. Winderman thinks Garrett will see more run with the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, but that Martin could carve out a fringe rotation role at the next level.

The 6’5″ Martin played his first two years with the Hornets, and holds career averages of 5.3 PPG, 2.5 RPG and 1.3 APG, with shooting splits of .391/.315/.682.

There’s more out of the East:

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra could be a finalist to succeed Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich in future international competitions, opines Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Spoelstra coached the Select Team, comprised of young up-and-coming American players, who faced off against Team USA ahead of their gold medal run this summer.
The Bucks could look to more carefully manage the minutes of Olympic champions Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton, coming off the club’s championship run, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic in an extensive mailbag. Nehm anticipates that second-year forwards Jordan Nwora and Mamadi Diakite, as well as reserve point guard George Hill, will benefit the most from the resting of Holiday and Middleton.
Retiring former Bulls All-Star center Joakim Noah will be celebrated by Chicago during an October 28 Bulls-Knicks contest. The Knicks are led by Noah’s former Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau, and feature his former Chicago teammates Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. The Bulls are currently led by Noah’s old college coach, Billy Donovan, with whom Noah won two straight NCAA titles with the University of Florida in 2006 and 2007. Noah was a two-time All-Star and the 2014 Defensive Player of the Year while with the Bulls.

Olympics Notes: Middleton, Booker, Gasol, Team USA

July 24th, 2021 at 8:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

It’s been an unusual week for the Bucks’ Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton and the Suns’ Devin Booker, who have gone from being Finals opponents to Olympic teammates in the span of a few days, writes Mark Medina of USA Today. Milwaukee wrapped the series Tuesday night, leaving the players with a tight schedule to get to Tokyo in time for Sunday morning’s opener against France.

Middleton admits he and Booker “haven’t said a word to each other” since the Finals ended, but he believes they’ll have a normal relationship during the Olympics.

“I think we’ll be fine,” Middleton said. “I’m sure we won’t be best buddies during Team USA, but we’ll be teammates, for sure. We’ll be on the same path, talking basketball X’s and O’s, trying to get the job done.”

Booker, who has called it “a life goal” to play in the Olympics, also doesn’t expect any hard feelings to linger from the Finals matchup.

“It’s never personal between who you’re going with, unless lines are crossed,” he said. “Those guys aren’t that type and I would never go that way with them, because there’s a high respect level for each other. I think that’s why we’re in the position that we’re in right now. Representing your country is a whole different dynamic than competing against each other in the NBA Finals, but I can always respect somebody that competes at the highest level.”

There’s more on the Olympic Games:

Spain’s Pau Gasol credits the memory of former Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant with inspiring him to recover from a foot injury that could have ended his basketball career, Medina adds in a separate story.
France upset the U.S. at the FIBA World Cup in 2019, and the Americans see Sunday’s opener as a chance to re-establish their dominance, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic. The players feel like they have something to prove after two years of listening to talk that Team USA might not be the best in the world anymore. “If anything, maybe you lost a little bit of the fear that we’ve had in people’s hearts for years — which you go out and do what you’ve got to do and you can get that right back,” said Draymond Green.
With the last-minute addition of three players, plus the late replacements of Keldon Johnson and JaVale McGee, who joined the team July 16, the coaching staff plans to keep things simple, according to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. Head coach Gregg Popovich said he will employ a “less is more” strategy, while assistant Steve Kerr adds, “We’re not going to have a ton of plays. That would be impossible.”

Olympic Notes: LaVine, NBA Participants, Hernangomez, Finals Trio

July 24th, 2021 at 9:22am CST by Dana Gauruder

Zach LaVine was placed in protocols due to contact tracing before he was allowed to go to Tokyo. That development came as a big surprise to the Team USA wing. LaVine was sidelined for 11 Bulls games in April when he tested positive for COVID-19, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times writes. “Well I was a little shocked,’’ LaVine said. “Obviously, I didn’t think I could get [the virus]. Obviously, I didn’t. I’m going to have to be careful with everybody including the team and everybody coming over here, so it made sense, and I pretty much had to do my time, jump through a couple hoops to get here.’’

We have more Olympic-related notes:

If there are a lot of familiar faces in the Olympic tournament, it’s because there are a record number of current and former NBA participants. According to an NBA press release, there are 49 current players and 16 former players dotting Olympic rosters. The Heat lead the way with four players in the competition.
Spain’s basketball federation president claims that Juan Hernangomez won’t play in the Olympics because Timberwolves president Gersson Rosas nixed it, according to a Eurohoops story relayed by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Hernangomez dislocated his left shoulder this summer but Jorge Garbajosa says the big man has been cleared by Spain’s medical staff. “Juancho wants to play in the Olympic Games, but Juancho won’t be able to play,” Garbajosa said. “We’ve had countless medical meetings and we’ve never received a ‘no.’ We have a received a ‘yes’. … It’s a problem of people – not medical personnel – who have personally decided that Juancho couldn’t play. I’m talking about their president of basketball operations.”
Devin Booker, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday arrived in Tokyo on Saturday and their Team USA teammates are impressed by the commitment of the three players who participated in the Finals, Brian Windhorst of ESPN writes. “I have a lot of respect for those guys for not only committing to do this but actually keeping their word,” Draymond Green said. “You’re talking about three true professionals, three extremely competitive guys that wouldn’t be on their way here if this didn’t mean something.”

Olympic Notes: Booker, Middleton, Holiday, McGee, Robinson, Top Players

July 23rd, 2021 at 8:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Devin Booker, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday are expected to be available to play in Team USA’s Sunday morning opener, Brian Windhorst of ESPN writes. The Bucks duo joined Booker in Seattle on Friday to take a private plane to Tokyo. The Finals trio won’t get a chance to practice with the team but coach Gregg Popovich would like to play them right away against France.

We have more Olympic-related news and tidbits:

JaVale McGee is a much different player than the man he replaced, Kevin Love, on Team USA. That forces Popovich to alter his frontcourt strategy and McGee may be nothing more than an insurance policy against France, Joe Vardon of The Athletic writes.
Heat wing Duncan Robinson claimed on The Long Shot Podcast that he nearly replaced Bradley Beal on Team USA’s roster, as Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald relays. “It basically got to the point where like it started to pick up some momentum and it looked like it was going to happen,” Robinson said. Keldon Johnson was eventually chosen as Beal’s replacement.
Many of the other teams in the Olympics could threaten Team USA in its quest for gold and Vardon takes a closer look at the other 11 squads and their chances of knocking off the American contingent.
Luka Doncic, Kevin Durant and Damian Lillard head HoopsHype’s Frank Urbina’s Olympic player rankings. Doncic edged out Durant due to the fact he’ll likely put up big numbers for Slovenia. Urbina lists his top 30 players in Tokyo.