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Portland Trail Blazers forward Justise Winslow sustained a left ankle sprain Dec. 21 at Oklahoma City.
Post All-Star break, Winslow received a second opinion, and a subsequent bone morrow aspirate concentrate procedure was performed in March to address continued left ankle discomfort.
He will continue his rehab regimen and be re-evaluated in the coming weeks.
The Washington Wizards have signed Xavier Cooks to a multi-year contract.
“We welcome Xavier to the Wizards organization as a very intelligent, high-energy player that will add athleticism to our squad while being a great teammate,” said Wizards President and General Manager Tommy Sheppard. “He left a lasting legacy in the NBL to pursue his dream to play in the NBA and we feel he will be an excellent addition now and in the future.”
Cooks, a 6-8, 183-pound forward from Wollongong, Australia, has played five professional seasons overseas since graduating from Winthrop in 2018. Cooks began his international career in Germany with s.Oliver Baskets before transitioning to the National Basketball League of Australia, where he has played for the Sydney Kings each of the last four seasons. Cooks was named the 2022 Grand Final MVP, as well as the 2023 NBL MVP, where he has averaged 14.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game in 36 games, leading Sydney to its second-straight NBL title.
Cooks played his collegiate basketball at Winthrop from 2014-18, leaving as the school’s all-time leading rebounder and third all-time leading scorer after competing in 127 games. He also led Winthrop to a NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017 and was named the 2017-18 Big South Conference Player of the Year.
The Brooklyn Nets have signed center Moses Brown to a 10-day contract.
Brown (7’2″, 245) began the 2022-23 season on a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Clippers, where he appeared in 34 games (one start) and averaged 4.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in 8.5 minutes per game. The fourth-year pro has previously played for Portland, Oklahoma City, Cleveland and Dallas. In 126 career games (39 starts), Brown holds averages of 5.6 points and 5.3 rebounds in 12.6 minutes per contest on 57.1 percent shooting from the field. The 23-year-old has also played in 50 career games (19 starts) across four seasons in the NBA G League, including five total games (four starts) this season for the Ontario Clippers and Westchester Knicks. Brown holds career NBA G League averages of 15.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 22.0 minutes per game.
A Queens, N.Y., native, Brown attended Archbishop Molloy High School and became the first player from the school to be named a McDonald’s All-American since Kenny Anderson in 1989. He played one collegiate season (2018-19) at UCLA, where he was named a PAC-12 All-Defensive Team honorable mention and a semifinalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award. Brown went undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft and later signed with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala will undergo surgery next week for a fractured left wrist.
Iguodala suffered the injury during Monday’s win over the Phoenix Suns at Chase Center.
More should be known about a possible return date following the surgery.
The Warriors are 36-33 this season, which tied them with the Clippers for the 5th best record in the Western conference.
Iguodala has played in just eight games this season, averaging 2.1 points in 14.1 minutes per game.
San Antonio Spurs center Charles Bassey underwent additional testing today in San Antonio that confirmed a non-displaced fracture in his left patella. The injury occurred during the first quarter of last night’s Spurs-Magic game at the AT&T Center.
Bassey will miss the remainder of the 2022-23 NBA season.
The Spurs are 18-50 this season, which is the second worst record in the Western conference. They will officially miss the 2023 playoffs.
Bassey was averaging 5.7 points and 5.5 rebounds in 14.5 minutes per game.
Via the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
Diamond Sports, which owns 19 Bally Sports regional networks — including Bally Sports North — made official its bankruptcy filing Tuesday, an unsurprising move that nonetheless brings the perilous nature of the future of local sports on TV into further focus.
While Diamond pledged to continue broadcasting the games of the 42 teams across the NHL, NBA and MLB that fall under the Bally umbrella, it’s clear that the affected leagues are at the very least creating plans — both short- and long-term — for an upcoming time when the distribution model will be quite different.
Via the Cleveland.com:
The DSG release said it filed for bankruptcy to eliminate over $8 billion in debt. DSG is a subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group. The release said, “DSG expects that its Bally Sports regional sports networks (“RSN”) will continue to operate in the ordinary course during the Chapter 11 process. Diamond is well capitalized with approximately $425 million of cash on hand to fund its business and restructuring.”
David Preschlack, CEO of Diamond, in the release said, “DSG will continue broadcasting games and connecting fans across the country with the sports and teams they love. With the support of our creditors, we expect to execute a prompt and efficient reorganization and to emerge from the restructuring process as a stronger company.”
The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the following injury update on forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns, who has been sidelined since Nov. 28 due to a right calf strain:
Towns is continuing to progress in his rehabilitation program and has been participating in basketball activities. He is expected to return in the coming weeks and further updates to his playing status will be provided when available.
In 21 games (all starts) this season, Towns is averaging 20.8 points on 50.5% shooting, 8.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.
NBA STATEMENT REGARDING MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES’ JA MORANT
The NBA announced today that Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant has been suspended eight games without pay for conduct detrimental to the league. The discipline is in response to Morant’s live streaming of a video on March 4 in which he is holding a firearm in an intoxicated state while visiting a Denver area nightclub. Morant will be eligible to return for the team’s game against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday, March 20.
A meeting took place today in the NBA’s New York offices between NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Morant to discuss Morant’s conduct. NBA Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars and NBPA Executive Director Tamika Tremaglio, among others, attended the meeting.
The league office conducted an investigation of the March 4 incident. Based on the information obtained during the investigation, the league did not conclude that the gun at issue belonged to Morant, was brought by him into the nightclub or was displayed by him beyond a brief period. The investigation also did not find that Morant possessed the gun while traveling with the team or in any NBA facility, and the Colorado authorities did not find sufficient cause to charge Morant with a crime.
“Ja’s conduct was irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous,” said Silver. “It also has serious consequences given his enormous following and influence, particularly among young fans who look up to him. He has expressed sincere contrition and remorse for his behavior. Ja has also made it clear to me that he has learned from this incident and that he understands his obligations and responsibility to the Memphis Grizzlies and the broader NBA community extend well beyond his play on the court.”
Sacramento Kings forward Trey Lyles has been suspended one game without pay and Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez has been fined $25,000 for their roles in an on-court altercation, it was announced today by Joe Dumars, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations.
The incident began when Lyles fouled and then pushed Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo in the back. Lopez escalated the situation by confronting Lyles. Lyles further escalated the situation by striking Lopez in the face and grabbing and holding Lopez around the neck area.
The incident, for which Lyles was assessed two technical fouls and ejected and for which Lopez was assessed one technical foul and ejected, occurred with 15.4 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of the Bucks’ 133-124 win over the Kings on Mar. 13 at Golden 1 Center.
Lyles will serve his suspension on Wednesday, March 15 when the Kings play the Chicago Bulls at United Center.
The Milwaukee Bucks have signed center Meyers Leonard to a contract for the remainder of the season.
Leonard played in five games with the Bucks this season while on two 10-day contracts and averaged 2.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in 6.8 minutes per game.
The 7-foot center has now appeared in 452 games with Portland, Miami and Milwaukee in his NBA career and holds averages of 5.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 15.9 minutes per game.