Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Pacers assistant coach Bill Bayno resigns, for personal and health reasons

Indiana Pacers assistant coach Bill Bayno is resigning for personal and health reasons, the team announced Monday.

“I appreciate the impact Coach Bayno has had on our players and the Pacers organization over the last five years,” said Pacers Head Coach Nate Bjorkgren. “All of us at the Pacers wish him the very best as he transitions to his next chapter.”

According to ESPN.com, “Bayno has privately described a need to step away from the pressures and workload of the NBA grind amid the pandemic, especially in the aftermath of several personal losses, including the loss of both his parents.”

Atlanta Hawks to name their press room in honor of Sekou Smith

The Atlanta Hawks today announced plans to permanently honor the memory of former Atlanta Journal-Constitution Hawks beat writer Sekou Smith, who passed away on January 26 at the age of 48.

In respect to his dedication to journalism, building relationships and mentoring young journalists, the Hawks will honor the legacy of Smith with three lasting and meaningful tributes:

The Hawks will name the media workroom at State Farm Arena after Smith, redesigning the space to honor his memory. The Sekou Smith Press Room will formally open to media for the 2021-22 NBA season.

Beginning at the end of this season, the Sekou Smith Award will annually honor the player on the team’s roster who best represents themselves and the franchise with professionalism and integrity in their interactions with the media. A plaque in the media workroom will display the name of each season’s honoree, and an on-court trophy presentation will be held including the winner and members of Smith’s family.

The team will launch an annual Hawks-NBA Summer League internship in Smith’s name. Each summer, a journalism or multi-media student from a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) school will be selected to serve as the Hawks’ beat writer for NBA Summer League, and their work will appear on the team’s digital team properties, providing valuable experience and clips. In addition to covering associated travel costs, the Hawks will provide a stipend to the intern. The SWAC is comprised of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) including Jackson State University, Smith’s alma mater.

Smith served as the AJC’s Hawks beat writer from 2005-09 before joining NBA Digital as a multimedia reporter and analyst. He also spent time at The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, MS and the Indianapolis Star, where he covered the Indiana Pacers as the team’s beat writer.

Nets sign Noah Vonleh

The Brooklyn Nets have signed free agent forward Noah Vonleh.

Vonleh (6’10”, 257) has played in 335 career games (171 starts) across six NBA seasons with Charlotte (2014-15), Portland (2015-18), Chicago (2018), New York (2018-19), Minnesota (2019-20) and Denver (2020), recording averages of 5.0 points and 5.2 rebounds in 16.9 minutes per game. Vonleh’s most productive season was the 2018-19 campaign with the Knicks, as he registered career-best averages of 8.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 25.3 minutes per contest.

Most recently, Vonleh signed with the Bulls on Nov. 27, but was waived on Dec. 14.

The 25-year-old has also made three postseason appearances with the Trail Blazers (2016 and 2017) and Nuggets (2020).

Vonleh was originally selected with the ninth overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NBA Draft by Charlotte after spending one season at Indiana. In his lone collegiate season, the Haverhill, Mass., native was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, while also garnering All-Big Ten Third Team honors.

Thunder forward-center Mike Muscala sustains concussion

Oklahoma City Thunder forward/center Mike Muscala sustained a concussion during last night’s 120-118 victory vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves and he has been placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol.

Per the NBA’s Concussion Policy, Muscala will now begin the NBA-mandated Return-to-Participation Protocol. This process includes a series of steps designed to ensure an athlete exhibits symptom-free behavior before resuming basketball activities.

There is no predetermined timetable to complete the protocol, as each injury and player is different and recovery time can vary in each case.

In 21 games this season, Muscala is averaging 9.7 points and 3.5 rebounds in 18.2 minutes per contest.

Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. out six weeks with broken finger

Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. will miss time after suffering a fracture in his left fourth metacarpal (finger/hand) during Saturday night’s home game against Milwaukee at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Nance is expected to miss approximately six weeks due to the injury.

He will now undergo a series of treatment and rehabilitation activities.

The Cavs are 10-14 this season, which is the 10th best record in the Eastern conference. The team is being led in scoring this season by Collin Sexton at 23.6 points per game, Andre Drummond at 18.6 PPG, Darius Garland at 16.0 ppg, and Cedi Osman at 12.2 ppg. Nance has started 18 of the 19 games he’s played, but as a role player puts up modest stats: 9.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 3.2 apg in 33.4 minutes per outing.

Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter to undergo knee surgery

Atlanta Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter, who has missed the last four games due to right knee discomfort caused by wear and tear, will undergo a lateral meniscus arthroscopic debridement procedure (knee surgery) on Monday at the Emory Orthopaedics & Spine Center in Atlanta.

The surgery will be performed by Dr. Kyle Hammond, the Hawks’ team orthopaedist.

An update on Hunter’s recovery plan will be provided approximately two weeks following the surgery.

Last season as a rookie, Hunter averaged 12.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.

This season, in roughly the same amount of playing time, is putting up 17.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per outing.

The Hawks are 11-12 so far this season, which is the 6th best record in the Eastern conference. They’re being led in scoring by Trae Young at 26.7 points per game, John Collins at 17.8 PPG, Hunter at 17.2 PPG, Clint Capela at 13.7 PPG, and Kevin Huerter at 12.3 PPG.

Kevin Durant removed from Raptors vs. Nets game due to COVID-19 contact tracing concerns

It was an unusual situation in Brooklyn tonight, centered around Nets star forward Kevin Durant.

Via the Toronto Star:

Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant was going to play, then wasn’t allowed to play, then got clearance to play and finally had to stop playing in the third quarter of a truly odd Nets-Raptors game in Brooklyn.

The Durant saga underscores the oddities in a testing/contact tracing world the NBA is trying to navigate through this regular season.

It put a damper on, and added considerable confusion to, a delightful offensive display by both teams but highlights the inherent difficulty with pulling off games and seasons with daily testing, contact tracing and other aspects of dealing with a raging pandemic.

The game itself was delightful as Kyle Lowry simply willed the Raptors to a 123-117 win with typical fourth-quarter brilliance.

Lowry finished with a season-high 30 points, seven assists and five rebounds, and Pascal Siakam added 33 points as the Raptors played one of their best games of the season.

And the New York Post:

Kevin Durant was a last-minute scratch from the Nets’ starting lineup Friday night, then was inserted into the game late and finally pulled for good, all due to COVID-19 contact tracing.

Durant will not travel with the team to Philadelphia on Saturday, according to ESPN.

The NBA said in a statement that Durant was pulled from the game “out of an abundance of caution” after someone he interacted with tested positive for coronavirus after their initial test was inconclusive. The league also said Durant tested negative three times in the past 24 hours.

The entire world is learning to navigate through the the coronavirus pandemic. And it’s certainly a learning process for any event-based organizations, especially sports leagues. The NBA certainly has to examine exactly what happened today, and what to take away from this going forward.

Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal struggle in Wizards loss to Heat

Friday in Miami, the Heat defended home court, beating the Wizards in convincing fashion, 122-95. The Wizards starting lineup, including their star-studdled backcourt brought little to the table. Via the Washington Post:

Beal’s rare off night made the loss feel even more miserable as the Wizards fell to 5-14 and bungled their shot at notching back-to-back wins for just the second time this season. The guard, who leads the league in scoring and had the most all-star fan votes of any Eastern Conference guard by a healthy margin when the league released its first voting totals Thursday, had his lowest scoring game since he had seven points on Dec. 23, 2018.

He matched that tally Friday, scoring seven points while missing 13 of his 14 shots from the floor, including missing six of seven from beyond the arc. His deep ball in the third quarter was his lone field goal and the game marked the first one this year he failed to score at least 25 points, ending his record-breaking streak.

Without Beal to prop up the team and with Russell Westbrook offering a mediocre 13 points in his stead, Washington had next to no chance at matching Heat center Bam Adebayo and his supporting cast. Kendrick Nunn had a game-high 25 points, but it was Adebayo’s 21-point performance — including an astounding 11-for-11 from the free throw line in the first quarter — that got the Heat up and running with a new rotation Coach Erik Spoelstra debuted Friday, in part to contend with Westbrook.

A bright spot for the Wizards was recent new addition Alex Lex. Coming off the bench, the center shot 7 of 12 to lead the team in scoring with 18 points and five blocks in 24 minutes.

Nikola Vucevic scores 43 points in Magic win over Bulls

Magic center Nikola Vucevic had himself a night. Via the Orlando Sentinel:

The Orlando Magic went to Nikola Vucevic early and the veteran center just kept delivering.

Vucevic scored a career-high with 43 points and hit two crucial free throws with 2.6 seconds to play as the Orlando Magic held off the Chicago Bulls for a 123-119 win Friday night at Amway Center.

Evan Fournier finished with 21 points while Cole Anthony had 17 points and James Ennis had 14 for Orlando (9-14). Anthony also recorded a career-high nine assists as the Magic snapped a four-game losing streak.

Vucevic is putting up big number this season. He’s averaging a career-high 22.5 points per game, averaging 11.2 rebounds, which is one more than usual for his career, and doing his part. But the Magic as a squad have been below average on both ends of the floor so far in 2021.

LeBron James criticizes 2021 NBA All-Star game plan

The NBA will probably be playing a 2021 NBA All-Star game. Lakers superstar LeBron James did not welcome the reported news. Via the LA Times:

On the same day teams learned of an expected agreement between the NBA and its players’ association to hold the 2021 NBA All-Star game in Atlanta on March 7, Lakers star LeBron James trashed the idea, calling it a “slap in the face.”

“I have zero energy and zero excitement about an All-Star game this year,” James said. “I don’t even understand why we’re having an All-Star game.”

If selected, he said, he’d reluctantly participate.

Considering all the travel players do over the course of the season, it doesn’t seem like a lot to fly to Atlanta for one quick extra game. But in the case of the Lakers and Heat, the two teams that played in the 2020 Finals, the offseason was a very short one, so perhaps stars on those teams could use some extra days off more than most of the league’s squads.

I hope an All-Star game does get played. Because the games are fun. It’s as simple as that. But I will understand if players who participated in the 2020 Conference Finals or league Finals might want to duck out of the action.