December 2015 – Page 6 – NBA Blog

Brandon Jennings may use D-League for physical rehab purposes

Here’s the Detroit Free Press reporting on Pistons guard Brandon Jennings, who is still in recovery from injury but expects to return soon:

Detroit Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings told reporters he is planning a rehabilitation stint with NBA Development League affiliate Grand Rapids.

And as he nears a return to the NBA from the ruptured left Achilles that ended his 2014-15 season, Jennings is set on playing Saturday, when Grand Rapids hosts the Iowa Energy.

“There’s about an 80% chance I will be playing in the D-League on Saturday,” he said at the Pistons practice facility after team preparations for tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics (7:30 p.m., FSD). “I don’t care. I just want to play, man. I just want to get out there and hoop and see where it’s at.”

Greg Monroe hopes to return soon from knee injury

Here’s the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel with good news on the Bucks, whose center Greg Monroe doesn’t expect to miss much time:

Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe said he was confident his knee injury would not keep him out too long, even before he underwent a magnetic resonance imaging exam Wednesday.

The exam revealed a left knee medial collateral ligament sprain, similar to an injury that sidelined him for 11 games last season when he was with the Detroit Pistons.

“I know how it felt last season and this is not nearly as much,” Monroe said in the Bucks locker room before they met the Los Angeles Clippers.

Monroe missed his second game on the road trip after injuring his knee during a drill at the Bucks’ shootaround Tuesday at Beverly Hills High School. The Bucks lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, 113-95, on Tuesday night after Monroe warmed up but could not go because of the injury.

Dwight Howard reportedly not seeking a trade

Here’s ESPN.com with the latest on Rockets center Dwight Howard, who may see his future in existence someplace else, but for now isn’t rocking the boat in Houston:

With the Houston Rockets struggling to get over .500, questions have begun to surface about the happiness of star center Dwight Howard.

While acknowledging Howard is unhappy with losing, sources said Howard has not expressed a desire to be traded.

Howard has a player option for next season at $23.2 million. The team expects him to become a free agent, taking advantage of a salary cap that is projected to expand from $67 million to nearly $90 million.

Heat deny shopping Hassan Whiteside

Here’s the Miami Herald reporting on Heat center Hassan Whiteside, who is having a fantastic season as his value rises:

Heat officials firmly denied a report that Miami is shopping Hassan Whiteside in an effort to acquire Kings center DeMarcus Cousins or Rockets center Dwight Howard.

And although there have been cases during Pat Riley’s 21-year tenure that the team denied talks, and then a deal was consummated, this time it has good reason for citing a report as implausible.

Specifically, it relates to Whiteside’s contract, which is virtually worthless to an acquiring team, unless that team is trying to make a title run with him this season.

He’s making just $981,348 this season, meaning that Miami would need to include several other contracts just to get anywhere near the necessary salary for Howard ($22.8 million) or Cousins ($15.8 million).

And, as is the predicament for the Heat now, any team acquiring Whiteside would not have his “Bird Rights,” meaning that it would need to use salary cap space to re-sign him.

Eric Moreland needs surgery on broken foot

X-rays performed this afternoon at Kaiser Permanente in Sacramento revealed that Kings forward Eric Moreland will require surgery after sustaining a fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his left foot during practice today. He is out of action indefinitely.

A timetable for his procedure and recovery will be provided as updates become available.

Brandan Wright will have knee surgery

Memphis Grizzlies forward/center Brandan Wright will undergo a surgical procedure on his right knee, the team announced today. The surgery will be performed by team physician Dr. Fred Azar and Dr. Barry Phillips tomorrow at the Campbell Clinic. There currently is no timetable for his return.

Wright (6-10, 210) has averaged 6.6 points on 60.0 percent shooting, 3.4 rebounds and 1.43 blocks in 17.1 minutes in seven games with the Grizzlies this season.

The eighth overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft from the University of North Carolina, the 28-year-old owns NBA career averages of 7.1 points on 60.6 percent shooting, 3.7 rebounds and 1.02 blocks in 16.4 minutes in 367 games (54 starts) over eight seasons for Golden State, New Jersey, Dallas, Boston, Phoenix and Memphis.

Hassan Whiteside free throw shooting an issue

The 14-9 Miami Heat are getting 12.1 points, 10.5 rebounds and an amazing 4.04 blocks in 27.6 minutes per game this season. But free throw shooting is an issue. Here’s the Palm Beach Post blog reporting:

Hassan Whiteside free throw shooting is an issue

In an ideal scenario, Hassan Whiteside would start hitting something close to 70 percent at the foul line, and he might get there eventually, but the Heat have to work with what they have at the moment.

Right now, Whiteside is a 48.6 percent free-throw shooter and that is a factor in his declining fourth-quarter playing time. But Erik Spoelstra can live Whiteside’s struggles under two conditions.

“As long as we’re getting a point per possession off of it and getting stops at the other end, it’s a plus for us,” Spoelstra said of other teams fouling Whiteside intentionally.

No love between Cavs and Celtics

Here’s the Boston Herald reporting on the Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, who will probably not be getting together for the holidays this year:

There were certainly no pleasantries as the teams met for the first time since a painful Sunday in April when Cleveland completed a four-game, first-round sweep with a win at the Garden. Kevin Love dislocated his left shoulder in a tangle with Kelly Olynyk, and Jae Crowder suffered a sprained left ACL when his knees buckled following a wicked elbow from J.R. Smith.

Crowder said Monday he was hoping for an apology, but no such gesture was made by Smith as the Cavs handed the Celtics a more-thorough-than-the-numbers-would-seem-to-indicate 89-77 defeat.

And clearly the Clevelanders didn’t stop competing when the game was finished. While Love and Olynyk have agreed the latter intended no harm, there is still ill feeling on the other front.

“No, I like it,” Smith said about the physical game that saw him give a couple of hard fouls. “It wasn’t chippy enough.”

Dwight Howard denies being unhappy on Rockets

Here’s the Houston Chronicle reporting Rockets center Dwight Howard’s reaction to a report that he wouldn’t mind it if he were to wind up on a different team:

Dwight Howard was not happy. The issue that got under his skin, however, was not with his role in the Rockets offense, but with a report on Tuesday that he was “extremely unhappy” in Houston and predicted that he would be traded to the Miami Heat.

Howard called the report “lies” and said he has never expressed any dissatisfaction with his role.

“I haven’t said anything to anybody about anything,” Howard said. “People make up lies and rumors. That’s never been my focus. I’m trying to get these guys to play better and get myself to play better.”

Greivis Vasquez undergoes ankle surgery

Milwaukee Bucks guard Greivis Vasquez underwent successful surgery Tuesday to remove a bone spur and loose bodies from his right ankle, General Manager John Hammond announced today. The surgery was performed by Dr. Martin O’Malley at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. An update on Vasquez’s recovery period will be provided after post-surgical consultation with Dr. O’Malley.

In 16 games this season, Vasquez averaged 7.1 points, 4.4 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 22.6 minutes per contest.