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Hawks center Tiago Splitter has been diagnosed with a grade 2 hamstring strain, which he sustained in a recent practice. An MRI taken yesterday at the Emory Orthopaedics and Spine Center revealed the injury.
Splitter will be out at least four weeks, which means he’ll miss at least the first two weeks of the regular season.
The Hawks will likely start Paul Millsap at power foward and new addition Dwight Howard at center. Splitter will likely come off the bench once he’s healthy.
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Pistons guard Reggie Jackson will be out of action for the next 6-8 weeks after treatment today. The point guard received platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections on this morning to treat left knee tendinosis and an ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) sprain of his right thumb.
The team says his recovery will be monitored throughout the rehabilitation process.
The six to eight week recovery period is an estimate. If it changes, of course we’ll post about it.
Jackson played 79 games last season and averaged 18.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 30.7 minutes per game.
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The Suns waived guard Shaquille Harrison, forward Derek Cooke Jr. and center Gracin Bakumanya today. Their roster now stands at 16 players.
Bakumanya, Cooke and Harrison originally signed with the Suns on Sept. 25. The three players did not appear in any of the team’s first three preseason games. It’s no surprise that they were waived.
All teams must trim their rosters to 15 or fewer players before the start of the regular season, which begins October 25.
The Suns are built around guards Eric Bledsoe, Devin Booker and Brandon Knight. Up front they have veteran center Tyson Chandler, and mostly either young players who still need improvement or role-playing veterans.
Of course, logic suggests that when a key player is out injured, the team will play differently. But what exact changes they’ll make, that’s the interesting part. Here’s Michigan Live reporting on the Pistons:
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Ready for a different-looking Detroit Pistons offense?
It won’t be entirely ripped to shreds, but the Pistons are tinkering with the playbook in practice with Reggie Jackson expected to be out for an extended period of time.
Jackson is due to receive a plasma injection Monday to treat tendinitis in his left knee. He could miss as much as six to eight weeks, handing the keys to the offense to backup Ish Smith…
What’s that mean for the offense? According to Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy, more ball-screens for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Bullock, more production from the wings, and a concerted effort to get All-Star center Andre Drummond the ball in the post…
Expect more touches for forwards Tobias Harris and Marcus Morris, too.
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The Warriors waived forwards Elgin Cook and Scott Wood today.
Cook was originally signed by the Warriors on September 16 and appeared in two preseason games, scoring four points in 18 minutes.
Wood was originally signed by the Warriors on September 23 and scored three points in 12 minutes over two preseason contests.
All NBA teams must trim their rosters to 15 or fewer players by the end of preseason, before the regular season begins. Expect many player cuts around the league in the coming weeks.
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The Grizzlies signed forward Vince Hunter today. It is probably a non-guaranteed contract that won’t keep Hunter on the team beyond preseason.
Hunter (6-10, 208) was a member of the Grizzlies’ 2016 NBA Summer League team in Las Vegas, where he appeared in five games (one start) and averaged 11.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.80 steals in 21.8 minutes while shooting 57.1 percent from the field.
The 22-year-old Detroit native began his professional career last season, joining the Sacramento Kings for training camp and splitting the season with the NBA Development League’s Reno Bighorns and Panathinaikos in Greece. In Reno, he started all 32 of his games with the Bighorns and averaged 21.8 points, 11.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.00 steals and 1.53 blocks in 31.9 minutes while shooting 58.9 percent from the field. He represented the West in the 2016 NBA D-League All-Star Game and recorded 12 points and seven rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench.
Hunter went undrafted in the 2015 NBA Draft following two seasons at the University of Texas-El Paso, where he was named 2014-15 First Team All-Conference USA as a sophomore and the 2013-14 C-USA Freshman of the Year.
The Grizzlies’ roster now stands at 20 players.
The Magic have a nice chunk of talent coming into this season. Many of their players have been supporting guys in their careers and now have an opportunity to step up and emerge as leaders. There’s plenty of potential on this roster. Seeing how it comes together will be worth watching. For more on the Magic, here’s the Orlando Sentinel:
The Orlando Magic have one of the NBA’s most diverse rosters. The players hail from six different countries. They can speak a dizzying assortment of languages. And they range widely in age, from 20-year-old rookie Stephen Zimmerman to 32-year old veteran C.J. Watson.
But there’s one thing almost all Magic players seem to share in common.
Many of them have something to prove.
Bismack Biyombo and Evan Fournier, signed over the summer to multi-year deals worth $17 million a season, can prove they deserve their big contracts. Jeff Green, Serge Ibaka and Jodie Meeks, who are scheduled to become free agents in July, can show they’re worthy of big investments. And Elfrid Payton and Watson can demonstrate that their disappointing 2015-16 seasons were anomalies.
“It’s definitely a good thing,” said center Nikola Vucevic, who can prove he can become a better defender and also faces competition from Biyombo.
Derrick Rose should be with the Knicks developing chemistry with Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis, Courtney Lee and company, but he’s busy in Los Angeles dealing with a serious trial. It’s totally understandable that Rose is staying out there to focus on it. Here’s the New York Daily News with the latest:
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Derrick Rose decided against taking the 2,500-mile commute.
The Knicks point guard missed Saturday’s preseason game against the Nets on Saturday and, according to Jeff Hornacek, will also skip Monday’s contest because he’s in L.A. awaiting the resumption of his $21.5 million civil trial. It means the New York’s biggest summer acquisition won’t make his Garden debut until Oct. 15, at the earliest, when Joakim Noah is also projected to play for the first time.
If Rose’s contentious trial goes one day longer than expected, he won’t play at MSG as a Knick until Oct. 29 in the regular season against the Grizzlies. The Knicks and Rose had previously discussed a scenario where he’d would fly back-and-forth when possible, but that was before the 28-year-old arrived in L.A. and began his graphic testimony.
Here’s Michigan Live reporting on Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson, who is dealing with a lingering knee issue:
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Reggie Jackson has decided on a course of action to help with the pain in his left knee, and it’s a familiar one.
The Detroit Pistons point guard will receive a platelet-rich plasma injection Monday in New York, coach Stan Van Gundy confirmed, the same non-surgical procedure he underwent while dealing with knee tendinitis in 2011.
The procedure culls blood from the body, spins it and injects it into the affected area to help relieve pain. There is no word yet on a timetable for Jackon’s return, but Van Gundy said last week it could be up to six to eight weeks…
Jackson made his final decision on Friday after consulting team doctors, his agent and getting a second opinion, Van Gundy said. He will be on crutches for up to a week after and will not travel with the Pistons next week for preseason games at Atlanta and Philadelphia.
There are always lots of injuries in preseason, but most of them are day-to-day and usually very minor. Hopefully that’s the case with Thunder center Steven Adams. Here’s the Oklahoman with the latest:
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The Thunder was back at practice on Saturday after a return trip from Spain. But Steven Adams didn’t participate.
Oklahoma City’s starting center sat out Saturday with what the team said is a sprained right ankle. He injured it in the second quarter of last Monday’s loss to Real Madrid and did not return. He missed Wednesday’s win against FC Barcelona Lassa.