Category: NBA News Blog

NBA news blog

Cavs shooting guard Dylan Windler out with wrist, finger injury

Cavaliers guard/forward Dylan Windler left Wednesday night’s home opener against the Charlotte Hornets in the third quarter with a left wrist injury and did not return to action.

X-rays taken at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse after the game were negative.

Further examination and an MRI administered today at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health revealed a fourth metacarpal fracture.

Windler will now undergo a period of treatment and rehabilitation and will be re-evaluated in one week. His status will be updated as appropriate.

Raptors begin season with three-point misses in loss to Pelicans

The NBA season began Tuesday, and on a busy league-wide Wednesday schedule the Raptors began their season with a 113-99 loss to the Pelicans. In the win, Brandon Ingram shined, putting up 24 points, nine rebounds, 11 assists and three steals, JJ Redick scored 23 off the bench while new addition Eric Bledsoe had 18 points and six assists. In the loss for the Raptors, Pascal Siakam had 20 points, six rebounds and six assists, while Kyle Lowry had 18 points and 10 assists. Via the Toronto Star:

Even in the three pretend games that preceded Wednesday night’s season-opening loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, the Raptors were settling for too many three-pointers and not getting to the basket — and the foul line — on a nearly equitable basis.

They hoisted 46 threes on Wednesday, making just 14; they took only 43 traditional two-point field-goal attempts, converting 24.

“We are just trying to go out there and play within the offence,” Raptors centre Aron Baynes said after the 113-99 defeat. “We are not looking just for threes, but we have set shots we are trying to get, and if the guys are open we have full confidence they are going to knock it down.”

That makes entire sense because the Raptors have shooters capable of much higher than a 30.4 per cent clip. Fred VanVleet going 2-for-8 from three, Norm Powell 1-for-6, OG Anunoby missing all five shots he took from behind the arc — that’s atypical shooting from that trio.

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Kings sign center Chimezie Metu to two-way contract

The Sacramento Kings have signed free agent center Chimezie Metu to a two-way contract.

Metu appeared in four preseason games with the Kings, averaging 6.0 points (.563 FG%, .333 3pt%, .625 FT%), 2.3 rebounds and 7.4 minutes per game. An early entrant out of the University of Southern California, the 49th overall selection in the 2018 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs has career averages of 2.3 points (.430 FG%, .767 FT%), 1.5 rebounds and 5.3 minutes per game in 47 games in two seasons with San Antonio (2018-20). During the 2019-20 season, Metu averaged 3.2 points (.571 FG%, .769 FT%), 1.8 rebounds and 5.8 minutes per game in 18 games.

Sacramento’s roster now stands at 17 players.

Four Memphis restaurants approved for NBA team dining

Here’s the Memphis Commercial Appeal with some insight on safety precautions that the league and individual teams are taking:

Wonder where NBA players eat out? Well, the secret is out.

The NBA just released a list of restaurants approved for NBA team dinners. On the nationwide list are Memphis restaurants Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen, Catherine & Mary’s, Bishop and Chef Tam’s Underground Cafe.

Team dinners are a post-game tradition. The NBA worked with restaurants across the country to find a way teams could safely host these gatherings.

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Chris Paul Suns debut is a win

The NBA season tipped off Tuesday, and was packed with 12 games of action on Wednesday, not including a 13th game (Thunder vs. Rockets) that was postponed. And in his first regular season game as a member of the Phoenix Suns, veteran star point guard Chris Paul enjoyed victory. Via the Arizona Republic:

Chris Paul showed in the season opener why Phoenix traded four players and a future first-round pick for him.

Devin Booker showed the clutch gene he had on full display in the bubble.

The Suns showed they can close out a playoff team in a tight game as they used a 5-0 spurt to break a tie in a 106-102 victory Wednesday night over Dallas at the renovated Phoenix Suns Arena.

After Booker hit a free throw to put the Suns up a point, Paul connected on his patented fading jumper. Then Booker followed with a basket to put Phoenix up 105-100 with 40.6 seconds left.

Booker scored a team-high 22 points while Paul added eight points, five assists and four rebounds. Mikal Bridges chipped in 18 as Phoenix had six players score in double figures in shooting 48.1% from the field.

CP3 shot just 3-of-9 for eight points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals. He played under 28 minutes.

For the Mavs, Luka Doncic put up 32 points, eight rebounds and five assists, but on 26 FG attempts. And with Kristaps Porzingis starting the season on the injured list, no other Mav scored above 12 points.

Cavaliers exercise contract options on Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Kevin Porter Jr. and Dylan Windler

The Cleveland Cavaliers have exercised the fourth-year (2021-22) contract option on Collin Sexton and the third-year (2021-22) options on Darius Garland, Kevin Porter Jr. and Dylan Windler, Cavaliers General Manager Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Sexton (6-1, 192) started in all 65 games for Cleveland last season, averaging a team-best 20.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steal in 33.0 minutes. He joined LeBron James and Kyrie Irving as the only Cavaliers to ever average 20.0 points in a season before the age of 22. Sexton also had the third-highest scoring average among second-year players in 2019-20, behind only Trae Young (29.6) and Luka Doncic (28.8), and was one of just two Eastern Conference players last season (six in NBA) who averaged at least 20.0 points with a .470 mark from the field and a .840 clip from the foul line (Khris Middleton). Sexton closed out the season with a career-high five straight games with 25 points or more, becoming just the third Cavalier ever to have such a streak in his first or second season (LeBron James, Ron Harper). Drafted as the No. 8 pick by Cleveland in the 2018 NBA Draft, Sexton has appeared in every game of his NBA career so far (147 games), the longest streak by a player who started their career with the team since Andre Miller, who played his first 185 contests (11/2/99 to 12/11/01). Sexton has more career double-digit scoring performances than any player from the 2018 NBA Draft class (135) and owns career averages of 18.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 32.3 minutes.

Garland (6-1, 186), the No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, was the only NBA rookie in 2019-20 with at least 700 points, 225 assists and 100 three-pointers. Over his 59 appearances (all starts) last season, Garland averaged 12.3 points and 3.9 assists in 30.9 minutes. He ranked second among all rookies in assists per game, behind only Memphis guard Ja Morant. His 105 three-pointers were the second-most by a rookie in franchise history behind Collin Sexton (2018-19, 119), and he reached double figures in scoring 43 times. Garland also finished in the Top 10 among all NBA rookies in minutes per game (third), three-pointers made (sixth), three-point percentage (sixth) and points per game (eighth). In addition, he had 10 straight outings with at least four assists from Jan. 27-Feb. 24, the longest by a Cavs rookie since Kyrie Irving’s franchise-rookie record tying 18 straight in 2012 (2/29/12-4/18/12).

Porter Jr. (6-4, 203) played in 50 games (three starts) with the Cavaliers last season, averaging 10.0 points (12th among rookies), 3.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists (7th among rookies) and 0.92 steals (4th among rookies) in 23.2 minutes. He was the only rookie in the NBA averaging at least 10.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in under 24.0 minutes in 2019-20. In a win over Miami on Feb. 24, Porter Jr. became just the third rookie in franchise history to record at least 30 points, eight rebounds and three steals in a single game, joining LeBron James (twice in 2003-04) and Ron Harper (once in 1986-87). Porter Jr., the 30th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by Milwaukee, was acquired by the Cavaliers in a trade with Detroit on June 26, 2019.

Windler (6-6, 199), who missed the entire 2019-20 regular season due to a left lower leg stress reaction, was the No. 26 overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft by the Cavaliers after a four-year career at Belmont. In 128 games (97 starts) over his collegiate career, he averaged 13.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.0 steal in 29.4 minutes, while also shooting .541 from the field, .406 from three-point range and .763 from the foul line. Windler was one of four players to record 1,600 career points and 1,000 rebounds in Ohio Valley Conference history dating back to 1971.

Rapper Big Sean named Creative Director of Innovation for Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons today announced that rap star and Detroit-native Big Sean will become the organization’s Creative Director of Innovation.

In this role, Big Sean will provide creative counsel and strategic guidance on a variety of Pistons off-the-court initiatives, including team merchandise design, in-game experience, co-branded community, and social responsibility activation, and more.

To kick off the partnership, Big Sean has added his Don Life logo to the Pistons practice jersey.

“Sean is an accomplished artist, philanthropist and entrepreneur. Having spent time with him and his family I know how deeply he cares about the city of Detroit,” said Pistons Owner Tom Gores. “We share a common desire to use the power of sports and entertainment to improve our community and make a positive impact on people’s lives. I’m excited to see what we can do working together.”

“It’s a dream come true and a real honor to get to work with the iconic Detroit Pistons,” said Big Sean. “I grew up in the city, which naturally made me a fan of the Bad Boys. I would later have a Grant Hill poster on my wall and then, against all odds, would watch the ’04 Pistons go on to win the Championship, inspiring the whole city of Detroit. I look forward to creatively finding new ways to contribute to their legacy and continue their dedication to the community through sports, art, and, of course, music.”

Central to the partnership, the Pistons and the Sean Anderson Foundation will work together and engage Detroiters through future community initiatives and programming.

The six-time Grammy nominee will also curate music for Pistons in-game entertainment, including halftime performances and DJ playlists.

Additionally, Big Sean will participate in creative sessions and spearhead collaborations with the Pistons design team to launch custom merchandise line extensions.

Hornets exercise contract options on PJ Washington and Miles Bridges

The Charlotte Hornets have exercised their third-year option on forward PJ Washington and fourth-year option on forward Miles Bridges.

Washington enters his second NBA season after appearing in 58 games (57 starts) during his rookie campaign in 2019-20. The Kentucky product averaged 12.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 30.3 minutes per game. Washington shot 45.5% from the field overall including 37.4% from beyond-the-arc. The 12th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft set a rookie NBA record for three-point field goals made in a debut with seven total vs. Chicago on Oct. 23, 2019. The 6-7 forward started for the Hornets all season and garnered 2019-20 All-Rookie Second Team honors for the season.

Bridges is in his third NBA season after appearing in 145 games (89 starts) in his first two years. Bridges upped his averaged from 7.5 points in his rookie campaign to 13.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 30.7 minutes per game in his second year. Bridges totaled 20 points, five rebounds and five assists during the 2020 Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star weekend in Chicago. The Michigan State product was originally acquired by the Hornets in a draft-night trade after being selected with the 12th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Raptors sign OG Anunoby to contract extension

The Toronto Raptors yesterday signed forward OG Anunoby to a multi-year contract extension.

Per the Toronto Star, Anunoby’s extension is a four-year deal worth $72 million USD.

“OG is the epitome of the skilled, powerful, determined player we want in our organization long-term. Remember, he doesn’t shoot to miss,” general manager Bobby Webster said. “We’re really pleased that OG will be with us for seasons to come.”

Per the Toronto Star, “given the diminished 2021 NBA free agent class and Anunoby’s obvious value to the Raptors, the deal was a no-brainer for each side. The Raptors get a young player on a team-friendly deal, while Anunoby has the comfort of a lucrative contract and can exercise an out after the third year if things sour with Toronto.”

Anunoby, 6-foot-8, 232 pounds, averaged career highs of 10.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.4 steals and 29.9 minutes in 69 games (68 starts) last season. He shot career bests of .505 (286-566) from the field, .390 (89-228) from three-point range and .706 (72-102) at the free throw line. Anunoby had six 20-point outings and recorded five double-doubles.

More from the Star: “The one burning question most fans will have in light of the signing —how much money will the Raptors have to spend in free agency next summer — is impossible to answer with any certainty.”

In the 2020 postseason, Anunoby helped the Raptors reach the Eastern Conference Semifinals. In 11 games (all starts), he averaged 10.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 35.7 minutes.

Entering his fourth season, Anunoby owns career averages of 7.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 23.3 minutes in 210 games (136 starts). As a sophomore, he participated in the 2019 MTN DEW Rising Stars game during NBA All-Star weekend in Charlotte.

A native of London, England, Anunoby played two seasons at Indiana prior to being picked 23rd overall by the Raptors in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Magic sign Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac to contract extensions

The Orlando Magic yesterday signed guard Markelle Fultz and forward Jonathan Isaac to contract extensions.

“We are thrilled to keep both Markelle (Fultz) and Jonathan (Isaac) in a Magic uniform,” said Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman. “They both have a very bright future and they mean a lot to our organization, both on and off the court.”

Per multiple reports, Fultz’s contract extension is for three years, $50 million, and Isaac’s extension is for four years, $80 million.

Fultz (6’4”, 209, 5/29/98) played in 72 games (60 starts) last season with Orlando, averaging 12.1 ppg., a team-high 5.1 apg., 3.3 rpg. and 1.25 stlpg. in 27.7 minpg. He was tied for 30th in the NBA in steals and tied for 32nd in assists. Fultz led (or tied) the team in scoring four times, in rebounding once and in assists a team-high 31 times. He scored in double figures 51 times and 20+ points six times, including a career-high 25 points on Jan. 6 vs. Brooklyn. Fultz dished out 10+ assists five times, including a career-high 14 assists on Feb. 3 @ Charlotte. He had four double-doubles and recorded his second career triple-double on Jan. 15 @ L.A. Lakers with 21 points, a career-high 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Fultz also appeared and started in five playoff games, averaging 12.0 ppg., 5.2 apg., 2.2 rpg. and 1.00 stlpg. in 29.3 minpg.

Originally selected in the first round (first overall) of the 2017 NBA Draft by Philadelphia, Fultz has appeared in 105 career NBA regular season games (75 starts) with Philadelphia and Orlando, averaging 10.7 ppg., 4.6 apg., 3.3 rpg. and 1.13 stlpg. in 25.5 minpg. He has also played in eight career playoff games (five starts), averaging 8.1 ppg., 3.9 apg. and 1.8 rpg. in 21.3 minpg.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, “the three-year deal represents a commitment by the Magic but also gives Fultz a chance to hit unrestricted free agency in the prime of his career. He’ll be 26 when the contract expires. Isaac, meanwhile, began to emerge as one of the league’s elite defenders last season before a knee injury Jan. 1 halted his season. Isaac returned during the NBA restart and looked like he hadn’t missed a beat before sustaining an ACL tear in the same knee. He’s out for the upcoming season as he rehabs the surgically-repaired knee.”

Isaac (6’10”, 230, 10/3/97) played in 34 games (32 starts) last season with Orlando, averaging 11.9 ppg., 6.8 rpg., 1.4 apg., 2.29 blkpg. and 1.56 stlpg. in 28.8 minpg. He led (or tied) the team in scoring three times, in rebounding seven times and in assists once. Isaac scored in double figures 23 times and 20+ points four times, including a career-high 25 points on Nov. 23 @ Indiana. He had five double-doubles and pulled down 10+ rebounds six times, including a career-high-tying 13 rebounds on Nov. 20 @ Toronto. Isaac had at least one blocked shot 30 times and two-or-more blocks 23 times, including a career-high six blocked shots on Nov. 6 @ Dallas. He also had at least one steal 24 times and two-or-more steals 13 times, including a career-high seven steals on Dec. 28 @ Milwaukee.

Isaac missed 39 games last season due to injury, including 31 games (Jan. 3-Mar. 10) due to a posterior lateral corner injury/medial bone contusion of his left knee that he sustained on Jan. 1 @ Washington. He then returned during the NBA restart at Disney, but then suffered a torn left anterior cruciate ligament on Aug. 2 vs. Sacramento. Isaac missed the 2020 NBA Playoffs and underwent successful surgery on Aug. 7.

Originally selected in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2017 NBA Draft by Orlando, Isaac has appeared in 136 career NBA regular season games (106 starts), all with the Magic, averaging 9.3 ppg., 5.4 rpg., 1.1 apg., 1.51 blkpg. and 1.07 stlpg. in 25.8 minpg. He has also played and started in five career playoff outings, averaging 6.6 ppg., 6.2 rpg. and 1.00 blkpg. in 27.3 minpg.