Terry Rozier Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Hornets To Reevaluate LaMelo Ball In One Week

December 8th, 2023 at 12:43pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets have issued an update on LaMelo Ball ‘s right ankle sprain, announcing today (via Twitter) that he has resumed individual work and will be reevaluated in one week.

Ball, who injured his ankle on November 26, reportedly suffered a severe sprain, with reports at the time indicating he was expected to be out for a while. It sounds like he’s making good progress in his recovery, having shed his walking boot and crutches earlier this week, per Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be ready to return when he’s evaluated again at the end of next week.

According to Boone, Ball has yet to take part in a practice with the Hornets, but has been spotted after practices taking some jump shots and putting his full weight on the injured ankle.

An All-Star in 2022, Ball was off to a hot start this season, averaging career highs in points per game (24.7) and field goal percentage (44.3%), among other categories, through his first 15 games.

The Hornets are 1-3 in his absence, with veteran guard Terry Rozier taking on more ball-handling responsibilities. Rozier has averaged 24.0 points and 8.0 assists per night in the four games since Ball went down.

Southeast Notes: Ingles, Magic, Rozier, Davis

December 6th, 2023 at 5:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

In an interview with James Herbert of CBS Sports, Joe Ingles said he doesn’t mind being the elder statesman on a surprising young Magic squad.

Orlando gave Ingles a two-year, $22MM contract this summer to serve as a veteran leader, and he’s embraced that role both on and off the court. The 36-year-old has brought a winning mentality to a team with only one other player older than 26, and he’s become an important part of the rotation, averaging 5.0 points and 3.5 assists in 18.9 minutes per night while shooting 39.2% from three-point range.

“I’ve loved the role that I’ve got here,” Ingles said. “I’ve loved every minute of living here and the organization and the players and the coaches.”

Magic coach Jamahl Mosley understands the importance having a seasoned veteran on the roster, especially one who has been part of successful organizations. Mosley notes that Ingles is eager to speak up and share his perspectives with teammates.

“He’s absolutely great for this group,” Mosley said. “He keeps it real with these guys about the things that we’re doing, the things that they’re seeing, what he’s seen throughout the league. And, all jokes aside, he is all about winning. And whatever that means, if he plays eight minutes or he plays 18 minutes, he’s preached the same message to this group about what we need to do to become successful.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Magic players learned from last year’s slow start and were determined not to repeat it, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN. While Paolo Banchero was establishing himself as the top rookie in the league last fall, Orlando stumbled out of the gate, posting a 5-20 record that left the team out of the playoff race by early December. “I remember clearly, in the summertime having dinners with [Mosley] and other players and talking about this exact situation,” Banchero said. “Start off well and try and get as many wins as you can in the first month or two just because you know how important those are later in the year.”
Terry Rozier is taking on more point guard duties for the Hornets while LaMelo Ball is sidelined with a right ankle strain, per Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Rozier is averaging a career-high 6.6 assists per game and recorded 13 last Thursday at Brooklyn. “Definitely just getting guys involved early, making sure they feel good,” Rozier said. “Finding guys in their spots, knowing fourth-quarter plays, having a meeting going into the game. So, it just changed in that aspect. But the main thing is winning, so that’s what we are trying to do.”
Johnny Davis has a strained left calf and his condition will be reevaluated weekly, the Wizards announced (via Twitter).

LaMelo Ball’s Status Uncertain After Ankle Injury

November 27th, 2023 at 7:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Hornets star LaMelo Ball had to be helped off the court after injuring his right ankle in Sunday’s loss at Orlando. The team announced (via Twitter) that Ball strained the ankle and wouldn’t return, but didn’t provide any further update after the game.

As Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer describes, Ball attempted a left-handed layup shortly before halftime and got tangled up with Paolo Banchero. Ball landed awkwardly and fell to the court in pain before hopping toward the locker room with assistance, unable to put much weight on his right foot.

Boone points out that it’s the same ankle that Ball had surgery on in March, which led to a long recovery that prevented him from being cleared for full basketball activities until a few weeks before training camp. Ball has been wearing ankle braces since then for extra support, Boone adds.

Injuries have plagued the talented point guard since Charlotte drafted him in 2020. Boone notes that he hasn’t made it through a full season in any of his four years in the league, and he was limited to 36 games last season because of four ankle injuries.

The injury comes at an especially bad time because Ball has been putting up some of the best numbers of his career, averaging 33.8 PPG over his last five games. According to Boone, he’s posted at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists in seven straight contests and he’s one of seven players throughout the NBA who are averaging at least 25 points, five rebounds, five assists and one steal per night.

Already off to a disappointing start at 5-10, the Hornets are in danger of sliding further out of the Eastern Conference play-in race if the injury causes Ball to miss significant time. Ball was hurt on the same night that Terry Rozier returned after missing nine games with a groin strain, and coach Steve Clifford talked about the impact of injuries on the team.

“You can’t worry about who is not there, because at the end of the day, it’s a long season,” he said. “We are just starting. The other part is you better know, though, why you are winning and why you are losing. For us, we’ve done some good things. Our lack of depth has been a major, major problem. People talk about bad starts — it’s actually not our starters. Because of so many injuries, we break the lineup quicker than most teams do and it hasn’t been good for us. … I think our record is not where we hoped it would be, but again you have to know why that happens. If you overreact, you are never going to make the best of situations going forward.”

Injury Notes: Alvarado, Lyles, Mitchell, Beal, Hornets

November 18th, 2023 at 1:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado is getting “really close” to making his season debut, head coach Willie Green said on Friday, per Christian Clark of NOLA.com (Twitter link). Alvarado, who has been sidelined for the first few weeks of the season due to a right ankle sprain, missed Friday’s in-season tournament game against Denver but has been upgraded to questionable for Saturday’s contest vs. Minnesota, per the team (Twitter link).

While Alvarado has a chance to return on Saturday, forward Zion Williamson will be getting the night off on the second night of a back-to-back set, according to the Pelicans. Williamson’s designation is “rest,” so it sounds like there’s no new injury there — it’s just a matter of the team being cautious.

Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

Kings forward Trey Lyles tells Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee that he expects to make his season debut at some point during the team’s current road trip, which continues on Sunday in Dallas and wraps up next Friday in Minnesota. Lyles has been unavailable so far this fall due to a calf injury, but has progressed to 3-on-3 work and says he feels “great,” adding that he’s mostly focused now on improving his conditioning.
While it doesn’t appear to be a cause for any significant concern at this point, Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell missed a second game on Friday due to a right hamstring issue. Mitchell also sat out on October 28 due to right hamstring soreness, notes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
Suns guard Bradley Beal was listed as probable to play on Wednesday before being downgraded to out and then ruled out for at least three weeks due to a low back strain. Head coach Frank Vogel explained on Friday that Beal turned out not to be back to 100% when he made his season debut and playing in games was impeding his recovery process. “We want to put this thing behind him,” Vogel said, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link). “Playing in the games was slowing down his progress for really trying to put this behind him. We don’t want to do the ‘play a game, be out a game, play a game, be out a game.'”
The Hornets continue to be beset by injuries, as big man Nick Richards left Friday’s game due to concussion-like symptoms and has now been placed in the concussion protocol and ruled out for Saturday’s contest, per the team (Twitter link). In other Hornets injury news, Terry Rozier, who is sidelined due to a left groin issue, has yet to resume practicing, notes Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).

Southeast Notes: Herro, Rozier, Miller, Mexico City

November 9th, 2023 at 12:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Heat guard Tyler Herro expects to miss “probably a couple weeks” after spraining his right ankle in Wednesday’s game at Memphis, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Herro landed on Jaren Jackson Jr.‘s foot after shooting a floater in the first quarter. He fell to the court in pain, then hobbled to the locker room without putting any weight on the ankle.

“It was something I felt right when it happened,” Herro said. “I felt it and I kind of knew mentally. I heard some crunches and cracks in my ankle. I’m like, ‘Yeah, that will be it.’ I actually told the bench, ‘I’m done. I can’t keep going.’ It’s unfortunate, but I’m just going to continue to work hard. I’ve been through this injury stuff before and I’m just going to keep working.”

X-rays were negative, but Herro returned to Miami this morning for an MRI with the team’s medical staff, Chiang adds. He was averaging 25.3 PPG coming into Wednesday, and an extended absence would create a major challenge for a team that already has the fifth-worst offensive rating in the league.

Duncan Robinson started the second half with Herro unavailable, and Dru Smith played nearly 15 minutes off the bench. Chiang notes that Kyle Lowry took on a larger role, posting season highs with 17 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.

“It’s a process at this point,” Bam Adebayo said. “We’ll get him back when we get him back. The biggest thing for him is getting healthy and being able to stay at that high level he’s been at it.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Hornets guard Terry Rozier doesn’t have a timetable to return from the left adductor strain he suffered Saturday night, per Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Addressing the media for the first time since the injury, Rozier said it happened on a routine play. “It was just going downhill,” said Rozier, who has already been ruled out for Friday’s game. “I think just trying to do an in-and-out. I’ve watched the play a lot of times and I think I just dragged my foot, and it kind of tweaked in the groin area. So, it kind of strained it and that’s what happened. But I’ve never had an injury like that before, so that’s why I kind of reacted like that. But I’ll be fine.”
With Rozier sidelined, the Hornets have inserted Brandon Miller into their starting lineup, Boone adds. The No. 2 overall pick has gotten off to a strong start and is among the rookie leaders in points, rebounds, assists and minutes per game. “He’s doing good,” Rozier said. “He’s just getting his feet wet. He’s one of those guys that just gets better day-by-day, like really huge too. So, I’m happy to see his growth … I think we all are. I’m happy he’s in that position to start.”
Mexico City will host tonight’s game between the Magic and the Hawks, shining a spotlight on a location that could be considered for the NBA’s next round of expansion, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

Injury Notes: Harris, Rozier, Middleton, Plumlee, Rose, Hachimura

November 7th, 2023 at 10:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons, who have been hit by a wave of injuries in the early going, got some more bad news on Tuesday. Joe Harris has an AC sprain in his shoulder and will be reevaluated in 10-to-14 days, James Edwards III of The Athletic tweets.

Detroit had six other players out on Monday against Golden State due to injury or illness. Harris, acquired from Brooklyn during the offseason, has averaged a modest 3.4 points in 14 minutes this season. He’s in the final year of his four-year, $75MM contract.

We have more injury-related news:

Hornets starting guard Terry Rozier will miss at least the next two games. He underwent an MRI which confirmed a left adductor strain, the team’s PR department tweets.
Bucks forward Khris Middleton will have the night off against the Pistons on Wednesday due to right knee injury management, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets.
Clippers backup center Mason Plumlee has been diagnosed with a left knee MCL sprain, according to ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk and Adrian Wojnarowski. Plumlee is undergoing further evaluation, but he’ll miss at least the next two games.
Derrick Rose has missed the last three games due to left knee soreness and he’s “week-to-week,” according to coach Taylor Jenkins, as Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal relays. He’s among eight Grizzlies players who will be sidelined when Memphis faces Miami on Wednesday, the team’s PR department tweets. John Konchar (hip strain) is listed as doubtful.
Rui Hachimura is listed as probable by the Lakers for their contest against Houston on Wednesday after missing four games while in concussion protocol, Khobi Price of the Orange County Register tweets.

Southeast Notes: Davis, Rozier, Hayward, J. Johnson

October 17th, 2023 at 7:56am CST by Luke Adams

Wizards guard Johnny Davis injured his left elbow on practice on Sunday and has been diagnosed with a sprain, per the team (Twitter link via Ava Wallace of The Washington Post). According to the Wizards, Davis is expected to be out for one or two weeks, so he may not be available when the team tips off its regular season on October 25.

The 2023/24 season is a big one for Davis, who appeared in only 28 games as a rookie and didn’t shoot the ball well (.386/.243/.519). The front office that drafted the former Wisconsin standout 10th overall in 2022 has since been overhauled, so the second-year guard will be looking to make a positive impression on the Wizards’ new decision-makers this season.

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

Terry Rozier set new career highs in points (21.1) and assists (5.1) per game last season, but he didn’t score efficiently and saw the Hornets take a step back from 43 wins in 2021/22 to just 27 victories in ’22/23. Referring to last season as a “reality check,” Rozier says he’s determined to help Charlotte get to the postseason and that he wants to be more of a leader and exude more positive energy in ’23/24, as Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer relays.
In a separate story for The Observer, Boone passes along a few Hornets notes, including some positive news on the injury front: Gordon Hayward (right foot discomfort) was a full participant in practice on Monday and appears on track to play in the team’s regular season opener, if not earlier.
Third-year forward Jalen Johnson has been one of the Hawks‘ most impressive players in training camp and the preseason, says Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (subscription required). Johnson improved defensively last season and has shown off his versatility on the offensive end this fall, Williams notes, averaging 4.0 assists per game in the preseason and making 60% of his three-point tries. After coming off the bench in 86 of his first 92 NBA games, Johnson is a good candidate to join Atlanta’s starting five this season — he has started three of four preseason contests.

Steve Clifford “Really Optimistic” As Hornets Prepare For Camp

October 1st, 2023 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

In an interview with the Charlotte Observer, coach Steve Clifford describes himself as “really optimistic” as he prepares for his second season since returning to the Hornets. Clifford had a full offseason to get ready for the upcoming campaign, unlike last year when everything felt rushed as he got hired shortly after the draft.

Clifford is particularly encouraged by the level of commitment he saw during the summer, with as many as 13 players showing up for optional workouts last month. Veterans Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward had a hand in organizing those sessions, which Clifford believes will set the tone for training camp.

“Terry, Gordon, they were great,” Clifford said. “They kind of set the whole thing up. When we do the drills — because you are limited to what you can do — they are the first guys in. So I really feel like we got a lot out of September.

Charlotte was just 27-55 in Clifford’s first year back with the team, but the season was derailed by injuries to key players and the suspension of Miles Bridges. Clifford has a much healthier roster heading into camp and hopes to fully instill his vision for the team, which involves an up-tempo approach and stresses good decision making with the ball. He points out that the Hornets ranked eighth in transition opportunities a year ago, but only 27th in efficiency.

“This team was built to run, and so last year we actually did a good job in terms of our pace, getting the ball up and down the floor,” he said. “But we were inefficient in the first eight seconds of the clock.”

Clifford touches on a few other topics in the interview:

On Bridges’ performance after being out of the league for an entire year:

“I thought he’d be a lot further behind, But he’s obviously spent a lot of time in the gym. You can see it when he works out. I think his individual skills and stuff are good and he’s on it, but also playing. He was in a lot better shape and everything. So he’s already getting back to where he was. And we still have training camp and then we have to have a good plan for him through the first 10 games (as his suspension continues). But he’s put himself in a good spot.”

On second overall pick Brandon Miller and how he’s fitting in with his teammates:

“They like playing with him already just because to me it’s his decision-making. To me, everything makes sense when you watch him. And he can really shoot. But he can really pass. He knows how to play without the ball. He’s been coached. He plays in a way that helps his teammates play better. So even in pickup games, the ball moves quickly. He knows who he’s on the floor with, where they want the ball and he’s a very quick learner. So he’s also coming off the mono. His Summer League, he wasn’t quite back to full strength. He’s done a good job in the weight room. He’s gained a lot of that weight back and you can tell he’s getting more and more confident here as we get through September.”

On the importance of having Cody Martin back after missing almost all of last season because of knee issues:

“Yeah, look guys like him, there’s just not many of them. Tough-minded, very smart player, plays well at both ends of the floor. He’s a winning-type player. He’s a throwback. He’s got great toughness and his teammates love him when he’s on the floor. So, obviously we miss him, we missed him last year. He’s worked really hard all summer to get ready, and I think he does feel a lot better about where he’s at right now. We just have to be smart because he’s had a couple times where he felt good and then we’d have a setback. So, we’ve got a great performance staff here and they are all over it and we just hope for the best.”

Hornets Notes: Schnall, Plotkin, Jordan, Roster

August 5th, 2023 at 2:36pm CST by Rory Maher

New Hornets co-chairmen Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin gave an exclusive interview to Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer on Thursday following their introductory press conference.

The chat covered a number of topics, including the duo’s desire to build a sustainable winner, fan engagement, the team’s roster, and their respect for former majority owner Michael Jordan, who retained a minority stake in the franchise and recently penned an open thank you letter following the finalized sale.

Here are some highlights from Boone’s interview, with is worth checking out in full for Hornets followers:

On Jordan initiating the conversation about selling the team last August:

“The way he has dealt with us in this process — he told us a year ago, ‘You two guys are the right guys to buy the business,'” Schnall said. “You are basketball guys. I believe you can do this, and I want you to do this.’ And he stuck to his word. He was committed. That’s when we started down this path.”

How Schnall’s experience as a minority owner of the Hawks will impact his decision-making with Charlotte:

“I think being in and around the NBA for eight years, watching how owners make decisions, how general managers make decisions, how the CBA works, how trades work, how you build a roster. And I’m a business builder as a living, and I take all that in to think about and work with Gabe, and the rest of the group on how do you build a team? What’s the strategy for building a team over the long term, and create success over the long term?

“Obviously, I wasn’t making the decisions in Atlanta, but I was in the room. And we went through a rebuild. We made a decision to break it down. … Now you can debate if we did everything right. I don’t think we did. But we did a lot of things right. We had the right idea at that time.

“… I think all of that is information and Gabe and I spent a lot of time talking about it. Now that we are in the position of making those decisions or helping make those decisions, what are the right decisions to make at different times in order to try to build a sustainably successful franchise. And that’s what we are trying to do. We are not trying to win the title in one year and then be terrible two years later. Like any sustainable business, how do we build something that is a contender year-in and year-out.”

Plotkin’s thoughts on the current state of the roster:

“I think it will be a competitive team. When you look at the Eastern Conference, it’s pretty powerful at the top of the conference and there’s a bunch of teams somewhere in the middle parts where I think we can compete within. And we’ll see how that plays out. I think there are really a lot of good parts on the roster. Really, we liked what we saw out of Brandon (Miller) at summer league. His shot wasn’t falling, but that is not something that we are really worried about. He’s got great mechanics, he’s got a great release, he shot the ball incredibly well at Alabama.

“And we just signed LaMelo (Ball) to the max. And he was playing great basketball last year before he got injured. Usually that third, fourth year is an inflection year and we just didn’t get to see it from him because he wasn’t really on the court. And we were just speaking with Mark Williams. When he came into the starting lineup, there was a palpable difference on how this team defended. Being a part of this team for the last four or five years, there’s been no rim protection.

“And so to anchor yourself with a really high basketball IQ player on the back end of your defense, who can alter shots and shoot the basketball a little bit and rim run, that’s really important. The pieces are all there. We’ll see how Miles (Bridges) looks as he comes back. He was great the last season we had him, and there are other young parts that can elevate. And, of course, you have Gordon (Hayward) and Terry (Rozier), who are kind of consummate professionals. There’s a lot of pieces. They’re young and we think they will continue to develop.”

Southeast Notes: Hornets, J. Richardson, D. Robinson, Gallinari

August 2nd, 2023 at 7:29pm CST by Rory Maher

Restricted free agent P.J. Washington and the Hornets remain at an impasse in contract negotiations and there have been “no indications” of that changing anytime soon, league sources tell Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.

Boone examines the team’s roster and depth chart entering the 2023/24 season, writing that No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller projects to come off the bench behind veterans Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward.

Assuming Washington is on the roster, he’ll have the inside track for the starting power forward position, with Miles Bridges suspended for the first 10 games. However, Boone wonders if the Hornets will eventually pivot to Bridges if they get off to a slow start.

2021 first-round picks James Bouknight and Kai Jones will likely find minutes tough to come by, Boone adds.

Here’s more from the Southeast:

Appearing at the Heat‘s youth camp on Wednesday, returning swingman Josh Richardson said Damian Lillard is the best player he’s played against, as Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel relays. Lillard’s status, of course, has been one of the primary stories of the offseason, as the longtime Trail Blazers star requested a trade to Miami. Richardson, a free agent signee, said his game is malleable and he’s ready for whatever role he’s given. “I mean, you know how (head coach Erik Spoelstra) Spo is, he’s kind of like, ‘I can put you out there and do anything,’” Richardson said of not sweating how the roster or his role ultimately could shake out. “So it’s kind of what I’m good at. I’m kind of a jack of all trades. Our talk was good before, but I’ll guess we’ll see more concrete once the games get started.”
In a subscriber-only mailbag for The Sun Sentinel, Winderman notes that while losing Max Strus‘ shooting could make Duncan Robinson more valuable to the Heat, the latter certainly isn’t irreplaceable. Robinson’s name has popped up in trade rumors for several months and he could be used as a salary-matching piece in a possible Lillard deal.
Wizards forward Danilo Gallinari, who was acquired from Boston as part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade, says he’s looking forward to competing against the Celtics next season, according to Daniel Donabedian of Clutch Points. “I can’t wait to play against Boston,” Gallinari said on the Italian A Cresta Alta podcast. “When the schedule will be unveiled, I’ll put an X on the games we will play at Boston against the Celtics.” Gallinari grew up idolizing Celtics legend Larry Bird and hoped to win a title in Boston, but missed all of last season after tearing his ACL last year.