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COVID Updates: Towns, Russell, Tucker, Hyland, Robinson, Bryant, Neto

January 3rd, 2022 at 6:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Players around the NBA continue to enter and exit the league’s health and safety protocols. Here’s the latest update:

Timberwolves stars Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell have exited the protocols but won’t play against the Clippers due to reconditioning, the team’s PR department tweets.
Heat forward P.J. Tucker has been upgraded to questionable to play on Monday against Golden State after exiting the protocols, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald tweets.
Nuggets rookie Bones Hyland has exited the protocols and is expected to be available for Monday’s road game against Dallas, Mike Singer of the Denver Post tweets.
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson has cleared the protocols, the team’s PR department tweets.
Wizards center Thomas Bryant and guard Raul Neto have cleared the protocols, Josh Robbins of The Athletic tweets. However, Tremont Waters, who is on a 10-day hardship contract, has entered the protocols, Robbins adds in a separate tweet.
Bucks forward Jordan Nwora has entered the protocols and will miss Monday’s game against Detroit, Eric Nehm of The Athletic tweets.
Rockets big man Usman Garuba has entered the protocols, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets.

COVID-19 Updates: Wizards, Billups, Thunder, Hornets, Raptors, More

December 27th, 2021 at 3:53pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards now have five players in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, according to head coach Wes Unseld Jr., who told reporters today that Anthony Gill and Thomas Bryant are the latest players to enter the protocols (Twitter link via Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington).

Bryant is coming off an ACL tear and has yet to play this season, so being in the protocols won’t affect his availability. However, Gill will no longer be an option in the short term for the Wizards after appearing in eight of the team’s last 11 games.

Here are more COVID-19 updates from around the NBA:

Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups has entered the COVID-19 protocols, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links), who reports that assistant Scott Brooks is expected to become Portland’s acting head coach as long as Billups is unavailable.
Aleksej Pokusevski and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl of the Thunder have entered the health and safety protocols, according to the team (Twitter link via Wojnarowski). Aaron Wiggins also briefly entered the protocols, but has since been listed as available, tweets Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. Oklahoma City now has four players in the protocols.
The Hornets announced some good news and some bad news on Monday. While Cody Martin has exited the protocols and has been cleared to play on Monday vs. Houston, rookie Scottie Lewis is now in the protocols, according to the team (Twitter link).
Three Raptors players – Pascal Siakam, Khem Birch, and Gary Trent Jr. – have exited the protocols and are listed as questionable for Tuesday’s game vs. Philadelphia as they go through a reconditioning period, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. Toronto still has seven players in the protocols, but may finally be trending in the right direction.
Celtics forward Grant Williams boarded a flight to Minnesota earlier today and expects to play tonight vs. the Wolves, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic (Twitter link). Williams has been in the health and safety protocols since December 17.
Although Ziaire Williams remains on the shelf due to an ankle sprain, he’s no longer listed in the protocols in the Grizzlies‘ latest injury report, suggesting he has been cleared.

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.

Southeast Notes: LaMelo, McDaniels, Anthony, Wizards, Hawks

December 14th, 2021 at 10:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball has exited the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols, the team announced on Tuesday (Twitter link). Ball was assigned to Charlotte’s NBA G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, to get back into game shape. Rod Boone of the Charlotte Observer adds (via Twitter) that the second-year guard was subsequently recalled from Greensboro following the practice with the NBAGL club.

The Hornets also announced (Twitter link) that forward Jalen McDaniels has fully cleared the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols and will be available to suit up for Charlotte in the team’s next game, Wednesday against the Spurs.

There’s more out of the Southeast Division:

In a conversation with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, second-year Magic point guard Cole Anthony discussed his candidacy for the 2021/22 Most Improved Player award after a hot start to his sophomore season. Anthony revealed that vying for the award had been a goal ahead of his second year in Orlando. “Coming into this season, that’s an award me and my team talked about winning,” Anthony said. “It’s something that I’d love to win, but at the end of the day, if it happens, it happens. I want to make sure my team is functioning well, everyone is getting better, and that’s a bigger win to me. That being said, I wouldn’t be mad if I won that award. It would be pretty cool to be rewarded for your hard work.” The 6’2″ Anthony was drafted with the No. 15 pick by the Magic out of North Carolina. This season, he is averaging 20.5 PPG on .425/.376/.874 shooting splits, plus 6.1 RPG, 5.6 APG and 0.9 SPG.
Though the Wizards opened the 2021/22 season with a red-hot 10-3 start, they have since fallen back to earth, going 5-10 in their 15 most recent contests. Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington writes that the club could greatly benefit from the returns of forward Rui Hachimura and center Thomas Bryant, neither of whom has played a game for Washington this year. Hughes notes that the 24-year-old Bryant is at least a few weeks away as he continues to recuperate from a February ACL surgery. The 23-year-old Hachimura, who has missed every game this year for undisclosed personal reasons, is currently practicing to acclimate his body to NBA-level play again.
The 13-14 Hawks are striving to improve their on-court cohesion after a disappointing start to the 2021/22 season, per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. “I feel like it’s approach,” recently-extended power forward John Collins said. “We need to understand each moment. I don’t think talent, playing the game or any basketball factors are what’s wrong. It’s a matter of analyzation and execution. That’s what needs to change.” Kirschner pinpoints the absences of shot creators Bogdan Bogdanovic and De’Andre Hunter, the team’s lackluster reserve point guard play, and a lack of defensive intensity as the root causes for Atlanta’s frustrating first few months.

Southeast Notes: Reddish, Bogdanovic, Okongwu, Hornets, Sabonis, Martin

December 9th, 2021 at 4:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hawks forward Cam Reddish, who is recovering from a wrist injury, went through a full practice on Thursday, according to coach Nate McMillan. Reddish did some shooting and participated in drills at 75% speed. He’s listed as probable to play on Friday.

Bogdan Bogdanovic still needs more time to return from his ankle injury, Sarah Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports in a series of tweets. “Bogi’s not doing anything other than shooting. He looks better,” McMillan said. “He’s up on his feet and he’s moving around.”

Second-year big man Onyeka Okongwu is continuing his rehab assignment from shoulder surgery. He’s with the G League College Park Skyhawks and is expected to play on Thursday.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

There’s been no change regarding the Hornets‘ COVID-19 issues. LaMelo Ball, Jalen McDaniels, Mason Plumlee, Terry Rozier and Ish Smith are all listed as out for Friday’s game against Sacramento due to the league’s health and safety protocols, the team’s PR department tweets. Charlotte’s depleted roster has managed to beat Atlanta and lose two close games to Philadelphia since those players were sidelined over the weekend.
With a recent report claiming that the Pacers may shake up their roster, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington examines whether Domantas Sabonis should be a trade target for the Wizards. Hughes notes that Rui Hachimura and Thomas Bryant are expected to return soon and the front office would like to see how they fit with their revamped roster. Hughes adds that the club already has the look of a playoff team and the addition of Sabonis may not move the needle all that much.
Caleb Martin may eventually have his two-way contract converted to a standard deal by the Heat but there are luxury tax concerns, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald notes. Martin has been active for 24 of the Heat’s 26 games and can only be active for 50 games under two-way rules. If he remained on the active roster for every game, he’d be able to play until nearly the end of January. But the Heat would have to wait a couple of weeks after that to convert his contract in order to avoid surpassing the tax threshold.

Wizards Notes: Hachimura, Bryant, Dinwiddie, Caldwell-Pope

December 6th, 2021 at 10:24am CST by Arthur Hill

The slumping Wizards are due for lineup changes when Rui Hachimura and Thomas Bryant are ready to start playing again, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Washington was one of the NBA’s early-season surprises with a 10-3 start, but has gone just 4-7 since then and has fallen to the middle of the Eastern Conference pack.

In a recent radio interview, general manager Tommy Sheppard said Hachimura, who is away from the team on a personal absence and hasn’t played yet this season, could begin practicing after a three-game road trip ends Wednesday. Sheppard expects Bryant, who is recovering from a torn ACL, to be back at practice within two weeks.

Once they’re available, Robbins expects coach Wes Unseld Jr. to make adjustments to his rotation. Davis Bertans is likely to see his minutes reduced, along with rookie Corey Kispert. Kyle Kuzma, who has been playing power forward in Hachimura’s absence, will probably see more time at small forward, and Deni Avdija will have a smaller role.

There’s more from Washington:

The Wizards are being cautious with Spencer Dinwiddie, who will be rested tonight in the second game of a back-to-back, Robbins tweets. The free agent addition is only 11 months removed from ACL reconstruction surgery on his right knee.
Even though Washington lost to the Raptors on Sunday, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope delivered his best game since being acquired from the Lakers in an offseason trade, notes Andrew Gillis of NBC Sports Washington. Caldwell-Pope delivered 26 points on 8-of-9 shooting, even though he said he felt less than 100%. KCP is one of four Wizards who haven’t missed a game this season. “You just gotta try to gut it out,” Caldwell-Pope said. “You’ve got to try to find that energy from somewhere and try to finish the game. Just do your job and do what you can do out there. Just give it all you’ve got until you can’t give it no more. We talk about effort so much, it’s a big part of how we play the game.”
The Wizards haven’t lost three straight games this season, and Unseld is eager to see how they respond after two straight blowouts, per Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. “Early in the season, we bounced back from these stretches,” he said. “This has kind of been the longest duration where things are kind of tenuous for us, so it’s certainly a test. We have no choice. We’ve gotta pull together, we’ve gotta dig ourselves out and we’ve gotta find a way.”

Charania’s Latest: Sexton, Hachimura, T. Bryant

November 8th, 2021 at 12:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Besides sharing updates on the Celtics’ possible interest in Ben Simmons, a potential return timeline for Pacers forward T.J. Warren, and Sixers center Joel Embiid entering the health and safety protocols, Shams Charania of The Athletic touched upon a few other topics from around the NBA in his latest Inside Pass column. Here are some of the highlights:

The Cavaliers are still interested in working out a new deal with Collin Sexton once he reaches restricted free agency in 2022, according to Charania, who says Sexton and his camp sought a four-year rookie scale extension worth about $100MM, while Cleveland wanted a fifth year. This seems a little odd, since any rookie scale extension covering five years has to be worth the maximum salary. But perhaps Charania meant that the Cavs preferred to wait until free agency to work something out with Sexton, since they can offer a five-year, non-max deal at that point.
Wizards forward Rui Hachimura, who has been sidelined to start the season for personal reasons, is expected to be “reintegrated fully” within the next couple weeks, sources tell Charania. Hachimura will have to through a ramp-up process before he’s ready to return to the court.
The Wizards remain hopeful that center Thomas Bryant, who is coming off an ACL tear, will return before January, per Charania. The team has previously stated that it hopes Bryant will be able to play “sometime in December,” so that timeline remains unchanged.

Wizards Notes: Beal, Avdija, Harrell, Bryant

November 7th, 2021 at 10:02am CST by Arthur Hill

COVID-19 forced Bradley Beal to miss the Olympics, but he’s feeling better after going through a few months of “funk,” writes Ben Golliver of The Washington Post. Along with improved health, Beal is enjoying the Wizards‘ 6-3 start as he hopes the conversation will focus more on the playoff race rather than his upcoming contract decision. Washington has offered Beal a four-year extension valued at more than $180MM, but he could make about $50MM more by waiting for free agency next summer.

“There are situations where it can loom over your head like, oh, damn, what am I going to do, where am I going to go, who am I going to sign with?” Beal said. “I don’t think I have that problem. I’m here. This is what I’m making. I’m making a lot of money, and I’m comfortable with doing that, and I could stop today and be good (financially).”

Beal has repeatedly expressed his loyalty to the organization and his desire to spend his career with one team. The drawback has been a lack of competitiveness by the Wizards, who haven’t advanced past the second round of the playoffs since Beal joined the team. That’s the goal he expressed recently to team chairman Ted Leonsis.

“I’m not sitting here and saying we’re going to hold up the Larry (O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy), but I want to be able to have those opportunities,” Beal said. “I want to be able to see that that’s reachable.”

There’s more from Washington:

Deni Avdija doesn’t mind having players challenge him on defense, per Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. The second-year forward is a deceptively strong defender, ranking second on the team in opponents’ field goal percentage at 36.2%. “I think I was a good defender even last year, but last year I didn’t get the most respect. I’m just, it’s my heart, you know? I’m not the most athletic. You see people bring me in pick-and-roll all the time. They think they can attack me, they think they can score on me, and it’s fun,” Avdija said.
Montrezl Harrell, who was acquired from the Lakers over the summer, says it’s easy to understand why his numbers have improved, Hughes tweets. Harrell is averaging 18.0 points and 9.7 rebounds in 30.4 minutes per night after playing just 22.9 minutes per game last season. “Montrezl Harrell is on the floor, brother,” he said. “That’s the biggest difference.”
With Thomas Bryant expected to return from an ACL tear next month, Hughes posted a video of him at practice, noting that he appears to be running without discomfort (Twitter link).

Injury Notes: Gay, Bogdanovic, Giannis, Robinson, Bryant

October 1st, 2021 at 9:28am CST by Luke Adams

Jazz forward Rudy Gay won’t be ready to make his debut for his new team during the preseason or even by the start of the regular season, head coach Quin Snyder told reporters on Friday.

As Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune details, Gay underwent surgery on his left heel shortly after the 2020/21 season ended and is still recovering. He has been going through portions of practice with the Jazz, but hasn’t yet been cleared for contact, Walden writes. Gay is expected to remain sidelined through at least opening night.

Meanwhile, another Jazz forward – Bojan Bogdanovic – has also been held out of the full-contact portions of the team’s practices, according to Walden. However, it sounds like Bogdanovic is closer to returning to action than Gay. A team spokesperson said that Bogdanovic is experiencing some shoulder soreness and is being rested out of caution. If the regular season had begun, he’d likely be able to play, says Walden.

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

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo acknowledged on Media Day that the knee he injured during last season’s playoffs still isn’t 100%, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic, and he hasn’t been a full participant in the team’s practices so far this week. Asked if there’s a chance Antetokounmpo won’t be ready to play by opening night, head coach Mike Budenholzer replied, “No, I wouldn’t go there. … I would say he’s in a good place and there’s a lot of confidence he’ll be good — and when exactly that is, we hope it’s sooner rather than later” (Twitter links via Nehm)
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, who is coming back from a fractured foot, said on Thursday that he’s running but isn’t yet sprinting, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Head coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters that Robinson – who hasn’t been cleared to practice – still has a few checkpoints to hit, including some related to conditioning, before he’ll be ready to return to action. There’s currently no timetable for his return. Begley adds that the Knicks are unlikely to seriously consider negotiating a new contract for Robinson, who is extension-eligible, until they see him back on the court.
Wizards center Thomas Bryant admitted this week that the long recovery from an ACL tear has been a life-changing process for him, as Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington relays. “It’s very hard because that’s like the one love that you have in your life right there. It’s the one thing that’s always been there, always intact that you know that you can always go to. When that’s taken away from you, it’s very hard,” Bryant said. “It’s almost depressing in a sort of way. But when you’re mentally strong and you keep talking to yourself and working with yourself mentally, the days don’t get so much harder, they get a little bit easier.” Bryant is expected to return sometime in December.

Wizards Notes: Bryant, Avdija, Sheppard, Unseld Jr.

September 25th, 2021 at 11:58am CST by Dana Gauruder

Wizards center Thomas Bryant is expected to return “sometime in December,” according to general manager Tommy Sheppard, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington tweets. Bryant suffered a torn ACL in January after appearing in 10 games last season. Sheppard’s comment aligns with the projected timeline for Bryant’s recovery. When Bryant returns, he’ll look to regain his starting job. Daniel Gafford will start the season at center, backed up by Montrezl Harrell.

We have more on the Wizards:

Second-year forward Deni Avdija will have some limitations heading into training camp, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington writes. He’ll be held out of scrimmages with teammates in the lead-up to camp. Avdija fractured his right ankle in April. “We’ll ease Deni in and continue to monitor day-to-day,” Sheppard said. “He’s doing everything full speed, he just hasn’t been jumping in the scrimmages quite yet. I think a lot of that is just being overly cautious to make sure there’s no setbacks.”
Sheppard said he focused on improving the team’s shooting with his offseason moves and that will give new coach Wes Unseld Jr. plenty of late-game options, Jackson Filyo of the team’s website relays. “We constructed this roster to make sure we have plenty of shooting at every position,” he said. “When you look at competition, it’s going to be whoever is hot that game is going to finish games…Competition for minutes is a healthy thing.”
Unseld is energized by the versatility on the roster, according to Filyo. “You have so many options. You can play small, you can play big, you can bump guys down, you have multiple ballhandlers who can create and finish,” he said. “Obviously, the amount of shooting we can put on the floor is a tremendous dynamic to have. It gives you a lot of flexibility. It also allows you defensively to do a lot of things.”