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New Pacer Caris LeVert out after a small mass was discovered on his kidney

Pacers shooting guard Caris LeVert will be out indefinitely after an MRI revealed a small mass on his left kidney during a physical prior to finalizing the four-team trade with Brooklyn, Houston and Cleveland.

LeVert will undergo further medical tests.

“On behalf of my family and myself, we want to thank the Indiana Pacers for their support and guidance,” said LeVert in a statement. “We are grateful for their extreme thoroughness during the physical process and I am looking forward to joining the team and being part of this great organization as soon as possible.”

Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard: “We acquired Caris because of who he is as a young man first and foremost. His basketball skill and on court play speaks for itself and we know he has a great career ahead of him. We will support Caris through this time and know that he will join us on the court as soon as he is able.”

Recent three-team James Harden trade amended into four-team trade to include Pacers

The Houston Rockets today announced that their three-team trade with Brooklyn and Cleveland has been amended into a four-team trade involving Indiana.

Click the link in this sentence to see the original three-team James Harden to Nets trade from a few days ago.

The Rockets traded guard James Harden to the Nets and a 2023 second round pick to the Pacers while acquiring guard Victor Oladipo (oh-lah-DEE-po) from Indiana, guard Danté Exum from the Cavaliers, and forward Rodions Kurucs (RO-dee-ahns KOO-rootz) from the Nets.

Houston also acquired the following draft assets:

– Three unprotected first round picks from Brooklyn in 2022, 2024, and 2026.

– The right to swap first round picks with Brooklyn in 2021, 2023, 2025, and 2027.

– Milwaukee’s first round pick in 2022 from Cleveland.

As part of the deal, the Pacers also received a future second round draft pick from Houston and a future second round draft pick from Cleveland.

“First and foremost, we want to thank Victor for what he gave to the Pacers through his play, his diligence in rehab coming back from a serious injury, and his community efforts,” said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard. “These decisions are obviously never easy and this one in particular was hard because of our relationship.

Continued Pritchard, “Caris is a high-quality person who will fit in with what we as an organization are doing, on and off the floor. He’s a versatile young talent who we think will be a great fit with the direction our team is taking. He can play multiple positions and affect the game at both ends of the floor.”

Originally drafted by the Pacers in the 2016 NBA Draft, LeVert was traded to the Brooklyn Nets on July 7, 2016. A 6-6, 205-pound guard, he spent part of five seasons with the Nets. He will wear jersey #22 with the Pacers.

Oladipo (6-4, 210) is in his eighth season and is a two-time All-Star. In 430 career games with 370 starts, he is averaging 17.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.7 steals. Over the past three seasons, he was the only player to have averaged at least 20.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.0 rpg, and 1.90 spg. In 2017-18, Oladipo was named Most Improved Player, All-NBA Third Team, and All-Defensive First Team.

Exum (6-5, 214) was the fifth overall pick by Utah in the 2014 NBA Draft. In 245 career games with 72 starts, the 25-year-old is averaging 5.7 points, 2.1 assists, and 1.8 rebounds in 18.6 minutes per game. Over the past three seasons, Exum averaged 14.6 ppg, 5.0 apg, and 4.2 rpg per 36 minutes played.

Kurucs (6-9, 230) was the 40th overall pick by Brooklyn in the 2018 NBA Draft. In 115 games with 55 starts, the 22-year-old is averaging 6.5 points, and 3.4 rebounds in 17.3 minutes per game. Over his first two seasons, Kurucs averaged 13.6 ppg, 7.0 rpg, and 1.9 apg per 36 minutes played.

Spurs face in-flux Rockets team Saturday

The Spurs aren’t quite sure who will be out on the floor for the Rockets Saturday. Via the Express News:

That scouting report from Thursday night? The Spurs might throw it in the waste basket, although after what happened in their previous meeting with the Rockets, it would be a wonder if anyone not named Keldon Johnson could hit it.

“We will play it by ear and see what they got,” point guard Dejounte Murray said. “We’ve just to be ready to go.”

Their roster in flux because of injury and the relief-inducing trade of All-Star guard James Harden to Brooklyn, the Rockets defeated the Spurs 109-105 on Thursday with just nine players available.

Houston could have more warm bodies for Round 2 today at the AT&T Center. Or the Rockets could be even more short-handed than they were Thursday.

The Spurs are a solid 6-6 so far this season. They’re being led in scoring by DeMar DeRozan at 20.4 points per game, followed by six players who are all averaging between 11.2 and 15.7 ppg.

G League: Capital City Go-Go promote Amber Nichols to general manager

The Capital City Go-Go, the Washington Wizards’ NBA G League affiliate, announced today that Amber Nichols has been promoted to general manager, becoming the second female general manager in G League history. She will accompany the team’s flex-affiliate players (who will play with the Erie BayHawks) at the NBA G League single site in Orlando this season.

“The Go-Go has been a major part of our development strategy for both players and staff over the past two seasons and the plans we’ve made for this season allow us to continue down that path,” said Wizards General Manager Tommy Sheppard. “Amber’s skills, experience and personality have earned her this promotion and with her overseeing our involvement in the bubble, we have the utmost confidence that our players will thrive in a unique and unprecedented situation.”

Nichols has been with the Go-Go since the team’s inception, starting as director of basketball operations during the team’s inaugural season before being promoted to assistant general manager of operations last season. She has managed all logistics for the Go-Go over the last two seasons, as well as working closely with the Wizards front office during NBA and NBA G League drafts and scouting events.

“I’m honored that the organization has given me this responsibility and I plan to do everything possible to make sure our players continue to grow and develop within the framework of our system,” said Nichols. “We have all worked together across the organization during the pandemic to find ways to improve despite difficult circumstances and I look forward to this opportunity to continue doing so.”

Nichols has also been instrumental with player engagement activities and events through her first two years with the team, engaging the players in educational seminars, financial awareness sessions and speaker series with former NBA personalities. She spent a season as a basketball operations analyst for the NBA G League in 2017-18 where she oversaw logistics for all League events and also helped with the selection of players for the NBA G League Elite Mini Camp and NBA G League Player Invitational through research and talent evaluation. Nichols played four years of college basketball at the University of Richmond, where she received her bachelor’s degree in sociology, before continuing her education at the University of Georgia, where she received her master’s in kinesiology with a concentration in sport management and policy.

Jordan Bell, Yoeli Childs, Caleb Homesley and Marlon Taylor will be the Go-Go’s flex-affiliate players who will participate with the BayHawks in Orlando.

Grizzlies vs. Timberwolves game scheduled for January 15, 2021 is postponed

The NBA game scheduled for tonight between the Memphis Grizzlies and Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center has been postponed in accordance with the league’s Health and Safety Protocols.

Because of ongoing contact tracing within the Timberwolves, the team does not have the league-required eight available players to proceed with tonight’s game against the Grizzlies.

Cavs vs. Wizards games scheduled for January 17 and 18, 2021 are postponed

The NBA games scheduled for Sunday, January 17 and Monday, January 18 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena have been postponed in accordance with the league’s Health and Safety Protocols.

Because of ongoing contact tracing within the Wizards, the team does not have the league-required eight available players to proceed with the scheduled games against the Cavaliers.

Pacers win in Portland for first time in 14 years

Finally.

Via the Indianapolis Star:

A long streak ended as the Indiana Pacers won in Portland for the first time in 14 years on Thursday.

They led by 25 in the first half and withstood a 3-point assault from the Trail Blazers (7-5) to improve 2-1 on this trip at Moda Center, 111-87.

Malcolm Brogdon (25 points, 7 assists, 3 steals) opened strong and never wilted. Myles Turner (11 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks), Domantas Sabonis (23 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists), Justin Holiday (11 points) and Edmond Sumner (7 points, 2 steals) did their part as starters, too.

Records like this are interesting in a few ways. For one, the main people who would notice such a thing are pretty much only the fans of the two teams. Another is, since teams have mostly different players on them every few seasons or so, there’s no particular grudge being built up if the two teams don’t have a traditional rivalry on top of it. But something like this does make for great bulletin board material, especially for the team that has historically been on the losing side.

Congrats to the Pacers here.

Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic suffers broken wrist

“As if falling 111-87 to the Indiana Pacers in the second game of a back-to-back wasn’t bad enough, the Trail Blazers also lost Jusuf Nurkic to a broken right wrist suffered in the third quarter of Thursday night’s contest at the Moda Center.

“Obviously it’s very disappointing for (Nurkic) and for us,” said Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts. “He had a long road back from his other injury, he had a rough start of the season, looked like he was getting back on track. Obviously this is a big setback both for him and for us.” …

Nurkic suffering another serious injury roughly six months after returning from a compound fracture in his left leg, an injury sustained in March of 2019, feels especially cruel. Factor in losing his grandmother to COVID-19 while the Trail Blazers were in the Orlando bubble and other unspecified personal issues he’s been dealing with this season and one comes away feeling especially disappointed for the fun-loving Bosnian.”

– NBA.com/blazers

Knicks on four-game losing streak

The Knicks are taking some losses lately. Via the New York Post:

The Knicks opened the season playing surprisingly good defense. Team legend and MSG analyst Clyde Frazier constantly praised them on the network for playing “tenacious D.”

Tom Thibodeau’s team has strayed, however, from the principles that spurred its surprising 5-3 start while losing four consecutive games entering Friday’s visit to Cleveland.

In each of the four games, their opponents exceeded their season scoring average, and connected on at least 11 attempts from 3-point range.

That coincided with a shooting slump of their own, and the Knicks clearly don’t have the margin for error to revert to lackadaisical play in their own end.

At 5-7, the team still has a decent record. They’v mostly been led by Julius Randle, who is putting up 22.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game, and RJ Barrett, who has been averaging 16.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists.

Pelicans forward Zion Williamson reportedly good to play Friday against Lakers

The Pelicans should have some frontcourt power back in the mix for their game against the Lakers tomorrow. Via the New Orleans Times-Picayune:

After missing Wednesday’s game due to an inconclusive test result, Zion Williamson has received clearance to play Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers, a team source said.

Williamson was held out of the Pelicans’ 111-106 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Following the inconclusive test, Williamson took subsequent tests, the results of which came back negative. That clears the way for him to face LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the defending champion Lakers on national TV.

The Lakers are Western conference-best 10-3 this season, while the Pelicans are 13th in the conference at 4-6.