NBA Blog – NBA Basketball Blog
NBA Blog: The NBA basketball news blog section of Inside Hoops
Indiana Pacers center Daniel Theis underwent a successful surgical procedure on his right knee to address persistent soreness.
Theis will be out indefinitely, and his status will be updated as appropriate.
Per the Indianapolis Star, “Theis, who was acquired from the Boston Celtics in July in the trade that sent away Malcolm Brogdon, has not appeared in a game yet this season.”
Toronto Raptors forward Precious Achiuwa has been diagnosed with partial tears in ligaments in his right ankle.
Achiuwa will wear a walking boot for the next 10 days and will be listed as out indefinitely.
Achiuwa is averaging 8.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 20.4 minutes in 12 games this season. He has scored in double figures seven times with two double-doubles.
Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum is dealing with what is hopefully a minor issue. Via the Boston Herald:
Tatum is playing a little bit hurt right now. The Celtics star said after Wednesday’s win that he’s managing some discomfort in his left wrist, the same one he revealed that he fractured and played through during last season’s run to the NBA Finals. Tatum had tape on the wrist during Wednesday’s game.
“Same wrist, same hand, something a little different that we’re just managing at this moment,” Tatum said. “Nothing that I got to have surgery. It’s bothering me, but just tape it up and go out there and continue to play.”
The issue hasn’t seemed to affect Tatum’s performances as he’s playing the best basketball of his career to start this season. He’s averaging 31.2 points per game after Wednesday’s 31-point performance – which included 26 in the second half – while playing elite defense.
Via the San Jose Mercury News:
There are a few reasons for the Warriors’ defensive woes, but the bench’s inexperience has been at the top of that list. Golden State is winning the minutes superstar Stephen Curry is on the court but losing the ones he’s off.
As a result, the Warriors’ rotation remains fluid, and the team’s youngest players are dealing with uncertainty night in and night out. Kuminga has ridden the bench in three games. He earned a spot in the rotation after impressing last weekend against New Orleans when the majority of the starters sat out. But the 20-year-old was reminded how valuable those opportunities are Monday when he didn’t see the court in the second half of the Warriors’ win over the Kings after tallying five points and finishing minus-17 in nine minutes during the opening quarters.
Via the New York Post:
The Knicks began their second 10-game segment of the season Wednesday night in Brooklyn with an embarrassing defeat, even busting the trend of statistical mediocrity — in almost every way — from their 5-5 start.
All of their wins in that initial stretch had come against teams with losing records, while all of the losses were suffered against clubs above the .500 mark.
Kevin Durant and the Nets came in with a 4-7 record — not to mention being embroiled in a recent coaching change and the Kyrie Irving suspension — yet hammered the Knicks from start to finish in a 112-85 beatdown at Barclays Center.
Through Tuesday’s league-wide shutdown for Election Day — a terrific idea, by the way — the Knicks also were squarely in the middle of the NBA pack statistically, ranking 16th in offense and 16th in defense (they’re now No. 23 in offense and No. 19 in defense). Such symmetry held both encouraging and disappointing trends depending on your general optimism or pessimism when evaluating the team’s progress and long-term prognosis, beginning with how they respond to this horrid showing Friday night at home against the Pistons.
Via the Los Angeles Times:
His team is in the midst of yet another losing streak and his star player left the game Wednesday because of left leg soreness, but Lakers coach Darvin Ham said his mental state is not that of, “Woe is me.”
As a first-year coach, Ham said his spirits have been “great” despite a 2-9 record that has left the Lakers with the second-worst record in the NBA and LeBron James injured during the fourth quarter of their loss to the Clippers on Wednesday night.
The Lakers opened the season with a five-game losing streak, won two straight and now have lost four in a row.
Yet Ham’s view is more positive during these troubled times for the Lakers, saying things like how “blessed” he is to coach the Lakers and to live in sunny Los Angeles.
The Brooklyn Nets have named Jacque Vaughn as head coach.
“Jacque’s basketball acumen, competitiveness and intimate knowledge of our team and organization make him the clear-cut best person to lead our group moving forward,” said General Manager Sean Marks. “He has a proven ability to get the best out of our players, hold them accountable and play a cohesive, team-first style of basketball.”
Vaughn was named acting head coach on November 1.
Per the New York Post, “the Nets, who reportedly were zeroing in on suspended Celtics coach Ime Udoka, instead have removed the “interim” label on Jacque Vaughn, who is now the head coach. The Nets have gone 2-2 in four games since Steve Nash was fired, but under Vaughn, they have held their opponents under 100 points for three games straight – the only three times they have done so this season.”
Vaughn, who was in his seventh season as an assistant coach with the Nets, also served as the team’s head coach for a 10-game regular season stint during the 2019-20 season. He compiled a 7-3 regular season record and guided the Nets through their first-round playoff series against the Toronto Raptors. He previously spent two-plus seasons (2012-15) as head coach of the Orlando Magic and was a pro scout for one season (2015-16) and assistant coach for two seasons (2010-12) with the San Antonio Spurs.
Prior to beginning his coaching career, the Los Angeles native enjoyed a 12-year playing career in the NBA after being selected with the 27th overall pick in the first round of the 1997 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz. In 776 career games with the Jazz (1997-2001), Hawks (2001-02, 2003-04), Magic (2002-03), Nets (2004-06) and Spurs (2006-09), Vaughn recorded averages of 4.5 points and 2.5 assists in 16.3 minutes per game. He made nine playoff appearances in his 12 NBA seasons and was a member of the 2007 NBA champion Spurs. Vaughn is one of the most decorated players in the storied history of Kansas basketball, both on and off the court, leaving Lawrence as a two-time consensus second-team All-American, the 1996 Big Eight Player of the Year and a two-time Academic All-American. Vaughn’s jersey (No. 11) was retired by the Jayhawks in 2002.
The Timberwolves are 5-6 this season, and perhaps had a bit of a wakeup call Monday that could help set a tone for things to come. Via the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
In some good news for the Timberwolves, and they could use some after the Knicks blew them out of Target Center on Monday night, center Rudy Gobert cleared COVID-19 protocols, practiced Tuesday and is available to play Wednesday against Phoenix.
That could help their defense, which is No. 9 in terms of defensive efficiency, but looked disinterested in making the Knicks work Monday.
That prompted guard Anthony Edwards to say the team was “soft” after the game, and they were likely developing that reputation around the league.
For Gobert, who spent the last two games watching from home, the Wolves need to concentrate on doing the “little things” right — like communication and playing with urgency on a consistent basis.
The Lakers are off to a rough start this season, and if you look at the roster breakdown past the handful of obvious big names, there’s no clear reason to expect a big reversal of fortune. Via the OC Register:
Coach Darvin Ham called it being real. But for the Lakers, the truth might be a little too real.
On the heels of a 139-116 loss to the Utah Jazz, the Lakers’ eighth loss in just 10 games, Ham said his team needed to defend better, rebound better and communicate better. Then he reached outside of normal coaching discourse – into the Lakers’ payroll.
“We’re tax offenders, right?” Ham asked rhetorically. “We just can’t go out and start spending money everywhere to build a team. We have three big-time first-ballot future Hall of Famers that a chunk of our budget is being spent on. And there’s only so much left.”
The rookie head coach somewhat awkwardly exposed the flank of the front office, which would like to focus on anything else except the shaky build of the roster around three max-contract salary stars who still haven’t played well together, complemented by a host of largely veteran’s minimum contract players. And yet, after a discouraging start to the season, it’s an unavoidable sore spot as the organization teeters on the edge of another letdown year.
San Antonio Spurs forward Zach Collins underwent an MRI examination in San Antonio that has confirmed a non-displaced fracture of the fibula head.
Collins suffered a left lower leg contusion during the Spurs-Clippers game on November 4 at the AT&T Center, which was later imaged and revealed the non-displaced fracture.
Per the San Antonio Express-News, “Collins’ injury comes at a time when he was beginning to find a groove as part of the Spurs’ bench unit. He averaged seven points and 6.3 rebounds in the Spurs’ first nine games, and is leading the club’s regulars in blocks at 1.2 per game.”