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NBA player name-changes don’t happen too often. The latest to do so will reportedly be Enes Kanter. Via ESPN.com:
Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter is changing his name to Enes Kanter Freedom.
The decision comes ahead of the Turkish-born Kanter becoming a United States citizen on Monday. His agent told The Associated Press that Kanter will make his name change official after completing the citizenship process.
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has been cleared to participate in full team activities. Williamson, who underwent imaging on his fractured right foot on Wednesday (Nov. 24), was medically cleared by Dr. Richard Ferkel of Southern California Orthopedic Institute and Dr. Scott Montgomery of Ochsner Health.
Williamson played 4-on-4 full court today and will continue his progression towards returning to play. An estimated date to return to game action has not been determined.
Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart has been suspended two games without pay for escalating an on-court altercation by repeatedly and aggressively pursuing Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James in an unsportsmanlike manner, and James has been suspended one game without pay for recklessly hitting Stewart in the face and initiating an on-court altercation, it was announced today by Byron Spruell, President, League Operations.
Stewart was assessed two technical fouls, James was assessed a Flagrant Foul Penalty 2, and both players were ejected. The incident began with a loose ball foul on Stewart with 9:18 remaining in the third quarter of the Pistons’ 121-116 loss to the Lakers on Nov. 21 at Little Caesars Arena.
Per the Detroit News, “in his repeated attempts to get to James, Stewart had to be restrained by several teammates, coaches and security personnel. He looked to be calm for a moment, then raced toward the middle of the court again to try to get to James.”
Stewart will serve his suspensions Tuesday, Nov. 23 when the Pistons host the Miami Heat at Little Caesars Arena and Wednesday, Nov. 24 when Detroit faces the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum.
James will serve his suspension Tuesday, Nov. 23 when the Lakers visit the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
The Celtics tonight welcome a very important player back in action. Via ESPN.com:
The Boston Celtics had forward Jaylen Brown back in the lineup for the first time in two weeks Monday against the Houston Rockets after he missed the prior eight games with a right hamstring strain.
“He’ll be on limited minutes,” Celtics coach Ime Udoka said before the game. “[We’ll] try to keep him around 24 minutes — probably four six-minute stints. Keep it lower, keep him away from fatigue.
“We’ll monitor that, just see how he feels.”
Today, Sacramento Kings General Manager Monte McNair announced that Luke Walton has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the team and Alvin Gentry has been named interim head coach.
“After a thorough evaluation of the season thus far, I decided to make a change to the head coach position,” said Kings General Manager Monte McNair. “I want to thank Luke for his efforts and contributions to our team.”
Per the Sacramento Bee, “the Kings went 5-4 to start the season despite playing the most difficult early schedule in the NBA, but they have lost seven of their last eight games to fall to 6-11. “Fire Luke Walton” chants were heard inside Golden 1 Center on Friday and Saturday during blowout losses to the Toronto Raptors and Utah Jazz. Kings owner Vivek Ranadive sat in his usual courtside seat during both games, flanked by President of Business Operations John Rinehart and Chief Operating Officer Matina Kolokotronis. Ranadive was seen peering over at the Sacramento bench at times, even when the Kings had the ball at the other end of the court.”
Gentry brings more than 35 years of experience to the Sacramento bench. Prior to the Kings, Gentry most recently served as head coach for the New Orleans Pelicans (2015-20). Gentry also has head coaching stops with the Miami Heat (1995), Detroit Pistons (1997-2000), Los Angeles Clippers (2000-2003) and Phoenix Suns (2008-2013). In 1,105 games, Gentry has garnered a career record of 510-595 (.462).
Walton was named head coach of the Kings in April 2019 after spending three years as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. During his time with the Kings, he coached the team to a record of 68-93 (.422).
Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton sustained a season-ending left knee injury on Sunday, Nov. 7th at New York, later confirmed on Nov. 8 after an MRI administered at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health.
Sexton underwent surgery on November 17th to repair a meniscus tear after additional evaluation over the past week determined that surgery was the best course of action to treat the affected area. The procedure was performed by Dr. Kyle Hammond at Emory University Sports Medicine Center in Atlanta.
Per Cleveland.com, “after failing to agree on a contract extension with the Cavaliers prior to the season opener, Sexton was hoping a fourth straight productive year would lead to lucrative offers this summer — an offseason where he’s set to become a restricted free agent. Instead, his season is over after just 11 games. The decision to undergo surgery now rather than rush a recovery was not only considered the best long-term option but it allows him to get back to full strength ahead of the 2022-23 season.”
New Orleans Pelicans guard DiDi Louzada has been suspended without pay for twenty-five games for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program by testing positive for Drostanolone and Testosterone, it was announced today by the NBA.
Pelicans Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin: “On behalf of the New Orleans Pelicans organization, we were disappointed to learn that Didi Louzada violated the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program. After speaking with Didi, we are confident that he understands the full gravity of the situation and regrets the decisions that led to the suspension. We fully support Didi on and off the court as he learns and grows from this experience.”
And per a statement that was sent to ESPN.com: “When I was in Brazil during the offseason, I consulted a nutritionist who recommended I take some vitamins and supplements,” Louzada said… “Because she has a history of working with professional athletes, I would never have imagined that any of those substances would be banned or could be contaminated. Once I learned of the positive test, I immediately cooperated completely with the league and union to help all of us understand what exactly occurred… I would never knowingly take anything that violates NBA rules. I accept my responsibility in this situation. I deeply regret that this happened and I apologize to my team, my teammates, and Pelicans fans for this mistake.”
Louzada’s suspension will begin with tonight’s game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Pelicans at Smoothie King Center.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio has received the Offseason NBA Cares Community Assist Award. This in recognition of his continued efforts to improve the lives of children and families, particularly those impacted by cancer, prior to the 2021-22 NBA season.
This is the fifth year the NBA and Kaiser Permanente have presented the offseason award to a player for his impactful work from the end of the regular season to the start of the following season.
“I’m honored to receive the NBA Cares Offseason Community Assist award,” said Rubio. “There are a lot of NBA players making a difference in their communities and I’m fortunate to be chosen. Since I started playing basketball, I have always thought about how to leverage sports and community. I tossed around the idea of starting a foundation until the decision to act became more personal and clear: my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer in the summer of 2012 and in one of my last conversations with her, I promised that I would do everything in my power to help others.”
In April, Rubio launched “I Am Ready,” a virtual program to ease these experiences for pediatric cancer patients undergoing radiation treatments. The program, which will be delivered to 1,000 youth patients in the United States during the 2021-22 NBA season, features Rubio guiding the children on what to expect as well as through a workout to reduce their fear and anxiety for treatment.
In September, in partnership with Funidació “laCaixa”, Rubio announced the construction of a new therapeutic rehabilitation area at Vall d’Hebron Hospital in Barcelona to increase the number of children and adolescents the hospital can serve by nearly 40 percent.
During the same month, the Ricky Rubio Foundation also funded a week-long stay for a family navigating cancer at Dreams Village, which aims to have a positive impact on patient recovery.
Throughout the offseason, Rubio provided additional support for local organizations and the next generation of players. In May, he continued his #OneMonthOneCause campaign, a program that showcases and provides contributions to local non-profits, by selecting Minneapolis-based A Breath Of Hope.
In Spain, Rubio also launched the Community Team of Masnou, which uses basketball to teach life lessons to young people, and hosted the eighth year of Camp Ricky Rubio in El Collel. Through programs and resources, Rubio’s contributions totaled more than $200,000.
The Los Angeles Lakers have signed guard Chaundee Brown Jr. to a two-way contract.
And in a related move, the Lakers have waived forward Sekou Doumbouya.
In one game with the South Bay Lakers this season, Brown Jr. tallied 23 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block. He appeared in five preseason games for Los Angeles, averaging 7.6 points and 1.4 rebounds in 12.1 minutes.
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has been cleared to participate in contact drills, beginning with 1-on-1 workouts and progressively working towards full team workouts.
Williamson, who underwent imaging on his fractured right foot on Thursday (Nov. 11), was medically cleared by Dr. Richard Ferkel of Southern California Orthopedic Institute and Dr. Scott Montgomery of Ochsner Health. Williamson will undergo further medical imaging on November 24, which will determine his availability for full team workouts.
The Pelicans are 2-13 so far this season, which is the second worst record in the Western conference, ahead of the 1-3 Houston Rockets.
Their leading scorers so far in 2021-22 are Brandon Ingram at 25.0 points per game in just eight of 15 games played, Jonas Valanciunas at 19.4 ppg, Devonte’ Graham at 15.6 ppg, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker at 15.0 ppg.