Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Jaylen Brown returns to action for Celtics

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.”

Sacramento Kings fire head coach Luke Walton

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 suffers season-ending knee injury

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.”

Pelicans guard DiDi Louzada suspended 25 games by NBA

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.

Ricky Rubio wins Offseason NBA Cares Community Assist Award

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.

Lakers sign Chaundee Brown Jr., waive Sekou Doumbouya

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.

Zion Williamson medical update

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.

Cavaliers rookie Evan Mobley out with elbow injury

Cleveland Cavaliers rookie forward Evan Mobley left Monday night’s game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse against Boston in the third quarter with a right elbow injury and did not return to action.

Initial examination postgame and an MRI administered today at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health confirmed a right elbow sprain.

Mobley will now undergo a period of treatment and rehabilitation and his return to play will be approximately 2-4 weeks.

The Cavs are 9-6 so far this season, which is the 5th best record in the Eastern conference.

Their leading scorers so far in 2021-22 are Darius Garland at 16.8 points per game, Collin Sexton at 16.0 ppg, and Ricky Rubio, Mobley and Jarrett Allen who are all scoring between 14-15 ppg.

Mobley is averaging 14.6 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.5 apg and 1.6 bpg. He’s an early leader along all rookies in the league.

Charlotte Hornets promote Buzz Peterson, Larry Jordan and David Duquette within basketball operations department

Charlotte Hornets President of Basketball Operations & General Manager Mitch Kupchak announced today the following promotions within the team’s basketball operations department: Buzz Peterson to Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations & Assistant General Manager, Larry Jordan to Vice President of Player Personnel and David Duquette to Assistant General Manager.

“The promotions for Buzz, Larry and David are very well deserved as all three of them possess a wide array of talent, experience and basketball knowledge,” said Kupchak. “They have all played an integral part in our team building process since I arrived in Charlotte. I’m excited to continue to work with them in the future as we build around our young, talented core of players and look to take the next step in our growth as a team.”

Peterson is in his 10th season with the Hornets, having served the past four seasons as Assistant General Manager. He has been involved in all aspects of the team’s basketball operations, including professional and collegiate scouting, draft preparations, player acquisitions, G League operations and salary cap management. During his tenure with the Hornets, Peterson has also served as a Senior Advisor of Basketball Operations, Director of Player Personnel and a scout. Prior to the NBA, Peterson held college head coaching positions at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Coastal Carolina University, the University of Tennessee, the University of Tulsa and Appalachian State University (twice), compiling an overall coaching record of 267-227.

In his 10th season with the organization, Jordan has spent the prior seven seasons as the team’s Director of Player Personnel. Jordan’s responsibilities include scouting college, G League and NBA games to identify and evaluate players, as well as providing results and analyses to assist in building and improving the roster for both the Hornets and its G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm. Additionally, he oversees the team’s scouting department. Previously, Jordan spent two years with the organization as Director of Special Projects, working closely with various departments across the organization.

Duquette enters his 11th season with the Hornets, having served as Director of Basketball Strategy/Team Counsel for the previous three seasons. Among the variety of basketball operations matters he oversees, Duquette advises on the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement, salary cap management and player contracts. During his time in Charlotte, Duquette has also served as Director of Basketball Affairs and a Basketball Operations Assistant. Before joining Charlotte, Duquette started his NBA career as an intern and later a Basketball Operations Assistant with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter out with wrist injury that requires surgery

Atlanta Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter suffered a right wrist injury during the Hawks’ game at Golden State on Nov. 8.

An MRI taken at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex revealed a tendon injury that will require surgery.

He is expected to return in approximately eight weeks.

Per the Atlanta Journal Constitution, “this is not Hunter’s first injury that will keep him out long-term, as he struggled with swelling and soreness in his right knee for much of last season, playing in 23 regular-season games. He played in the Hawks’ first-round playoff series vs. the Knicks before undergoing meniscus surgery in June, missing the Eastern Conference semifinals and finals.”