NBA Blog – NBA Basketball Blog
NBA Blog: The NBA basketball news blog section of Inside Hoops
Brooklyn Nets guard/forward Joe Harris underwent successful left ankle ligament reconstruction surgery today. The procedure was performed by Dr. Robert Anderson at Bellin Hospital in Green Bay, Wisc. Harris is expected to make a full recovery prior to next season’s training camp.
Harris appeared in 14 games this season, averaging 11.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 30.2 minutes per contest.
Ben Simmons hasn’t made his Brooklyn Nets debut yet, and while there may be more than one reason why, a herniated disk is a big factor. Via the New York Daily News:
Nets head coach Steve Nash confirmed reports that star forward Ben Simmons has aggravated his herniated disk, a back injury he’s been dealing with for several years dating back to his time with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Nash said the herniated disk is why Simmons, the 25-year-old two-time All-Star who was the highlight of the James Harden trade, received an epidural on March 15.
“He’s had this (a herniated disk) a couple of years ago, so he’s had this throughout his career at some points,” Nash said ahead of tipoff against the Jazz on Monday.
Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis underwent an MRI of the left knee, revealing no structural damage.
Multiple medical professionals confirmed a left knee bone contusion, which was sustained during Sunday’s game vs. Phoenix.
Sabonis is expected to make a full recovery and will be reevaluated in 10 days.
The New Orleans Pelicans have signed guard Tyrone Wallace to a second 10-day contract.
Wallace has played in four games off the bench for New Orleans this season, averaging 4.3 points and 1.8 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per contest.
Wallace, 6-5, 198, has appeared in 110 career games (19 starts) across four seasons with the LA Clippers, Atlanta Hawks, and New Orleans Pelicans, recording averages of 5.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 15.5 minutes per contest.
New Orleans’s roster stands at 17 players, including two two-way players.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed center Moses Brown to a second 10-day contract, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.
Brown (7-2, 245), who signed his first 10-day contract with Cleveland on March 10 has appeared in four games for the Cavaliers this season. Prior to joining Cleveland, Brown appeared in 26 games (1 start) with the Dallas Mavericks this season, averaging 3.1 points and 2.3 rebounds in 6.5 minutes per contest.
In 82 career NBA games (33 starts) with Portland, Oklahoma City, Dallas and Cleveland over his three seasons in the NBA, he holds career averages of 5.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 0.72 blocks in 14.0 minutes. Additionally, Brown has also played in 45 games (15 starts) over three seasons in the NBA G League and was named to the 2021 All-NBA G League First Team and NBA G League All-Defensive Team, posting averages of 18.5 points, 13.9 rebounds and 1.71 blocks in 26.4 minutes over the 2020-21 NBA G League season. Brown went undrafted in 2019 after playing one season at UCLA.
Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman was set to make his return to action quite soon. Until he wasn’t. Via the San Jose Mercury News:
James Wiseman’s anticipated return to the Warriors has been stalled as he deals with knee swelling. How long he’ll be shut down is to be determined, but his prolonged absence could create issues for the Warriors’ center depth and have the team brass second-guessing the decision not to add another big.
This is not to say the Warriors are short on talent at the center position. One of Golden State’s strongest competitive advantages heading into the playoffs is Draymond Green’s versatility: He can play power forward or center, operating as the team’s defensive anchor and offensive engine in either position. Meanwhile, Kevon Looney has started every Warriors game this season, playing the role of steady defender and low-use offensive player.
But how much wear and tear can Green and Looney endure at the five?
The Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the NBA’s hottest teams lately. Via the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
The luck of the Timberwolves.
Not a phrase you might have heard much the past few years. But when it comes to being lucky and good, lately, the Wolves have been a bit of both.
Which brings us to Saturday’s game with Milwaukee at Target Center, when it was announced before the game that Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was out with a sore right knee. Wolves coach Chris Finch talked about his team having to pivot after devoting a good 80% of its game plan to the the Milwaukee star.
They managed.
Going 22-for-47 on three pointers – nine players hit at least one – and leading from late in the first quarter on, and shooting better than 50%, the Wolves beat the Bucks 138-119. Minnesota (42-30) has now won four straight and 10 of 11.
It was a high-intensity game, one that featured a shoving match, matching technicals and ejections for Patrick Beverley and Milwaukee’s George Hill and, later, matching T’s on Naz Reid and Bobby Portis Jr.
The win keeps the Wolves 7th in the Western conference, far ahead of the 8th-place L.A. Clippers, and just half a game behind the 6th place Denver Nuggets.
Arco Arena, the former home of the Sacramento Kings, is no longer in use as a venue, and will soon only exist as a memory. For Kings fans, those memories are fond. Via the Sacramento Bee:
It wasn’t a wake Saturday afternoon as much as it was a celebration of life for an old building.
Hundreds of Kings fans stopped by Arco Arena for one final peek as the venerable venue will soon be demolished to make way for a teaching hospital. If Kings fans know three things especially well, it’s this: They know how to cheer, they know how to tolerate heartache and they know how to say farewell…
The Arco parking lot was reflective of lack of usage: weeds sprouting everywhere. The Kings logos have long since been pulled off, but the shadow of them remains permanent on the walls. Arco was built for $40 million in 1988 and closed for basketball business in 2016. During its run, Arco aged quickly, but fans didn’t notice or they simply did not care. Their focus was on the product in front of them, and for all of the Kings misery, there were those eight magical playoff seasons in succession, from 1999-2006. The Kings haven’t fielded a winner or a playoff team since.
To stir up some additional memories of some really fun Kings history, hit the Bee link above.
Via the San Antonio Express-News:
Spurs guard Lonnie Walker has caught fire, just in time to perhaps get paid this summer.
The 23-year-old has averaged 18.8 points in 10 games since the All-Star break, putting together the most consistent stretch of his career with restricted free agency looming.
Even with his professional future at a crossroads, Walker has vowed not to think about anything beyond the 11 games remaining on the Spurs’ schedule after Friday.
“I am just worrying about the games, honestly,” Walker said. “I am not too worried about after the season, what am I going to do, what happens next.”
The Spurs are 27-43 this season, which is the 11th best record in the Western conference.
Their leading scorers so far in 2021-22 are Dejounte Murray at 20.9 ppg and Keldon Johnson at 16.4 ppg.
Sacramento Kings forward Richaun Holmes will miss the remainder of the 2021-22 NBA season for personal reasons, according to General Manager Monte McNair.
“Richaun is a core member of our team, who is very important to our success,” said McNair. “We fully support Rich and look forward to seeing him back on the court for the 2022-23 NBA season.”
“I would like to thank everyone for their support during these difficult times,” said Holmes. “I love this team, I love my teammates and I look forward to returning next year.”
In his third season with the Kings, Holmes has averaged 10.4 points (.660 FG%, .778 FT%), 7.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 23.9 minutes per game in 45 games (37 starts) during the 2021-22 campaign.