Los Angeles Lakers team doctors have diagnosed two-way forward Cole Swider with a navicular stress reaction of the right foot.
Swider will be reevaluated in approximately four weeks, and further updates will be provided at that time.
Author: Inside Hoops
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Spurs sign Charles Bassey to a two-way contract, waive Jordan Hall
The San Antonio Spurs have signed center Charles Bassey to a two-way contract, and waived forward Jordan Hall.
Bassey, 6-11/235, played high school basketball in San Antonio at St. Anthony Catholic High School for two seasons from 2015 to 2017. Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft, the 53rd overall pick appeared in 23 games for the Sixers last season, averaging 3.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 7.3 minutes while also appearing in three playoff games. Bassey appeared in one preseason game this year before being waived by Philadelphia on Oct. 13.
Originally from Nigeria, Bassey played three seasons at Western Kentucky, twice earning Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year honors and capturing Player of the Year as a junior in 2020-21. He averaged 15.9 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.56 blocks in 72 games played in his college career.
Hall appeared in four preseason games for the Spurs after signing a two-way contract with San Antonio on Aug. 11.
The Spurs roster now stands at 17 players.
Cavaliers guard Darius Garland out with eye injury
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland sustained a left eye injury in the Cavaliers season opener at Toronto on Wednesday night.
Garland missed the remainder of the game versus the Raptors.
Additional examination at the Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute today revealed no structural damage. Surgery was not required.
Garland will be re-evaluated over the next couple of days and his status will be updated as appropriate.
Longtime NBA referee Tony Brown has passed away at age 55
Longtime NBA official Tony Brown passed away today surrounded by his family, friends and fellow officials after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 55.
“We are and have been sustained by the consistent outpouring of love and support through this journey in developing strength, acceptance and peace,” said Tony’s wife, Tina Brown. “We ask that you join us in that spirit as we prepare to celebrate Tony’s life. Our biggest thank you to our village of family and friends, near and far, old and new. Your love is immeasurable. Thanks to the Lustgarten Foundation and PanCan. Keep striving for the cures. Many, many thanks to our NBRA and NBA family whose generosity is unmatched. And a very special thank you to the Emory/Bridgeway Hospice Unit. Your compassion and care went above and beyond. We are forever grateful!”
“Tony Brown was one of the most accomplished referees in the NBA and an inspiration to his colleagues,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “After his pancreatic cancer diagnosis early last year, Tony fought courageously through countless rounds of treatment to return to work this past season at the NBA Replay Center, demonstrating the dedication, determination and passion that made him such a highly respected official for 20 years. The entire NBA family mourns Tony’s passing and we send our deepest condolences to his wife, Tina; their children, Bailey, Basile and Baylen; and his fellow referees.”
Brown officiated 1,110 regular-season games and 35 playoff games in 20 seasons as an NBA staff official. He made his debut as an NBA Finals referee during the 2019-20 season. A graduate of Clark Atlanta University, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU), Brown was a member of the crew that officiated the 2021 NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta, which honored HBCUs.
In lieu of flowers, the Brown family encourages donations to the Tony and Tina Brown Basketball Program Endowment at Clark Atlanta University. For more information, please visit https://secure.givelively.org/donate/clark-atlanta-university-inc/tony-brown-basketball-scholarship-endowment.
Trail Blazers sign John Butler Jr. to a two-way contract
The Portland Trail Blazers have signed forward John Butler Jr. to a two-way contract.
Butler, 7-1, appeared in four summer league games for the New Orleans Pelicans in 2022 and averaged 8.5 points (75.0% FG, 66.7 3-PT%, 57.1 FT%), 3.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 16.7 minutes per game. In a matchup against Oklahoma City at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas on July 17, Butler scored 25 points while shooting 9-for-9 from the field including 6-for-6 from three.
Undrafted out of Florida State, Butler accrued averages of 5.9 points (41.6% FG, 39.3% 3-PT), 3.2 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 19.0 minutes per game in 31 games (24 starts) for the Seminoles during the 2021-22 season. The Greenville, SC native became the first freshman in Florida State history to lead the team in 3-point field goals made (33) and 3-point field goal percentage shooting (.393) in a season.
On the Rockets after their season opener
Via the Houston Chronicle:
The Houston Rockets dropped their fifth straight season opener in Wednesday’s 117-107 loss in Atlanta.
It was a difficult shooting night for Stephen Silas’s squad, and a poor fourth quarter could be a harbinger of things to come for what is expected to be a lottery-bound team. Yet Houston’s young talent did provide some hope in the loss. Forward Jabari Smith tallied 17 points in his NBA debut, and fellow rookie Tari Eason provided a spark off the bench with eight points and seven rebounds. This season could be another slog for Rockets fans. It will be worth appreciating the little things as the team heads toward a likely 50-plus loss season…
Jabari Smith is a serious spacer: The No. 3 pick didn’t post the most efficient shooting night as he went 6-17 from the floor and 3-11 from beyond the arc, but frankly the sheer number of three-point attempts from Smith on Wednesday is an encouraging sign. Smith projects to be one of the best shooting big men in the league in the coming years, and he drained 42 percent of attempts during his lone season at Auburn. It was encouraging to see him shoot with confidence in his pro debut.
Jalen Brunson makes debut for Knicks
Here’s the New York Post on the big Knicks off-season addition, Jalen Brunson:
Jalen Brunson’s first night as a Knick wasn’t perfect. It didn’t end in victory. It featured some key missed shots late in regulation and overtime that could’ve changed the final result and early foul trouble that factored into the Knicks’ poor first half.
But it also showed why team president Leon Rose and coach Tom Thibodeau went all-out to land him. He fits into what they are trying to build in a mentally strong, tough and determined team. He shook off a poor start and played his best basketball in the second half, keying the Knicks’ rally from 19 points down. He didn’t force shots and got the Knicks into their offense, creating transition opportunities when they were there. He made game-saving plays in the final seconds of regulation, setting up Cam Reddish for a game-tying 3-pointer with 3 seconds left, then drawing a charge on Ja Morant with 0.5 seconds to go. He finished with 15 points, nine assists and zero turnovers.
Clippers face Lakers tonight
Via the OC Register:
The Clippers tip off against the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena in what is nominally a Lakers home game.
The Lakers are 0-1, LeBron James is wasting no time pointing fingers, and columnist Jim Alexander says it feels like they’re working on the next miniseries.
Into the Lakers’ old role as L.A.’s NBA championship hope step the Clippers, who have Kawhi Leonard and Paul George both healthy for the first time in 16 months and their stars sounding like leaders…
In Las Vegas, the Clippers have the second-lowest odds to win the Western Conference (a consensus +325, close behind the Warriors) and the fourth-lowest (+662) to win the NBA title, and a win-total line (52½) as high as anyone except the Celtics.
On the possible future of the Raptors beyond this season
Sports teams always need to think about what comes next, beyond the current season. As for the Raptors, here’s the Toronto Star:
A first-round playoff elimination for the second successive season is likely going to mean a lot of roster churn in the summer of 2023. That’s not pressure, that’s just expectations from the top; they set a high bar because mediocrity is not acceptable and while Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster are patient, they’re not that patient. They may never say it out loud but, privately, the second round in the standard.
They’re too good to go entirely in the tank for France’s teen phenom Victor Wembanyama — get that out of your heads right now — but a first-round failure is going to force some moves come summertime.
The second thing is this: They are going to give this team 20 or 25 or so games to find out what it is; no panic trades, no bold moves, no major rotation switches.
But, as one top official said, they might have all kinds of options to play with at February’s trade deadline. Big contracts, small contracts, young players, established players.
Might be an explosive time and team officials are already thinking about it.
Pistons assistant coach Bill Bayno undergoes prostate cancer surgery
Detroit Pistons assistant coach Bill Bayno underwent successful prostate cancer surgery Tuesday morning in Detroit. Recovery time is expected to take four-to-six weeks. Bayno said that doctors from Henry Ford Health, the club’s official healthcare provider, are optimistic for a full recovery following the surgery.
“I’m disappointed to miss the beginning of the season with the team, but obviously want to take care of my body and I thank Dr. Craig Rogers and his colleagues who are putting me on a solid path to recovery,” said Bayno. “Once I’ve recovered and get the okay from doctors taking care of me – I look forward to getting back on the bench and supporting our Pistons family that has been so great to me.”