Casey Holdahl: Damian Lillard (right groin strain) is probable for Wednesday’s game vs. Wizards
Storyline: Damian Lillard Injury
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Jason Quick: Source says Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard will make 3-game trip to Indiana, Atlanta and Orlando but is expected to miss “a couple more games” with right groin strain.
Damian Lillard on healing: [I have] nine full days [during the All-Star break]. A lot of treatment and a lot of time to try and figure it out and test it out. But the groin is nothing to play with, so I’m going to take my time and just try to do all the things I can do to give myself the best chance to be ready when we come back after the break. But if not, maybe miss one game after the break, or one or two more games.
Damian Lillard to miss at least three games
Damian Lillard out at least one week
Chris Haynes: Yahoo Sources: Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard underwent an MRI and it confirmed a groin strain with a 1-2 week recovery period.
Damian Lillard goes down
Chris Haynes: Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard suffered a right groin strain (grade 1-2) and is unlikely to participate in Sunday night’s All-Star Game, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
John Hollinger: Steph Curry and LeBron James both had groin strains last year. Curry missed 11 games, LeBron missed 17. Obviously degrees of strain matter here, and the week off with no games helps … but Blazers can’t really afford to lose Dame for very long.
Chris Haynes: Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard — who sat out last two games with back spasms — will return to action tonight against the Cleveland Cavaliers, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
Casey Holdahl: Damian Lillard (back spasms) is probable for Saturday’s game vs. Cavs
Jason Quick: Thread on Damian Lillard back injury: He says he is hopeful to return Saturday at Cleveland. “I would be doing a disservice to my health if I just went out and played. It will stick around. Where we are now, the best thing is to get healthy, then we make our push,” he said.
Jason Quick: Blazers announce Damian Lillard will not play tonight in New Orleans because of back spasms
NBA rules require teams to announce whether a player is probable, questionable, doubtful or out by 5 p.m. the day before a game. Lillard’s injury was diagnosed Thursday night in Oakland, sources said, but it was not put on the injury report. It was reported by several media outlets after the game Saturday and confirmed by Lillard on Sunday.
It is long tradition in sports to keep certain injuries secret, especially in the playoffs, when opponents can potentially use the information against a team. “I wasn’t much aware of it,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said of Lillard’s injury, denying he knew the health status of his most important player. “I didn’t know how much it was bothering him until [Saturday].”
Damian Lillard playing hurt
Shams Charania: Portland Trail Blazers All-NBA star Damian Lillard has separated ribs and is playing through the injury, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium . Lillard shot 5-of-18 in Game 3 loss to Warriors.
Tim MacMahon: A source confirmed that Damian Lillard has a separated rib but downplayed the impact of the injury on his performance. “Not a story, he always plays through injuries.”
Joe Freeman: Terry Stotts says Damian Lillard (right knee soreness) will not play vs the Hawks.
Joe Freeman: Stotts says Lillard’s injury is not serious and he’ll “hopefully” miss just one game. After tonight, the Blazers play one game in 9 days.
Joe Freeman: Blazers injury update: Damian Lillard (right hand strain) is available and Moe Harkless (left knee soreness) is out tonight vs. Cleveland.
Rod Boone: Terry Stotts said Damian Lillard (left elbow sprain) will start tonight vs. #Hornets.
Joe Freeman: The Blazers list Damian Lillard (left elbow sprain) as questionable and Moe Harkless (left knee sorness) as out for the Blazers’ game vs. the Hornets on Friday.
Kerith Burke: Damian Jones has a left shoulder strain. He will not return.
Mark Medina: Warriors say Damian Jones has a Grade One MCL strain in his right knee. Warriors are listing him as day to day.
Jason Quick: “I feel pretty good about tonight” Lillard said, citing his sprained ankle history.
Jason Quick: Lillard just talked to trainers. He will play versus Spurs.
Jason Quick: Damian Lillard tells me his plan is to play Saturday in San Antonio. Says his left ankle sprain is feeling better.
Tim MacMahon: Portland coach Terry Stotts says Damian Lillard is “feeling better” but won’t play tonight against the Rockets. Stotts does expect Lillard to get some playing time before the playoffs.
Chris Haynes: ESPN Sources: Portland guard Damian Lillard (left ankle sprain) will officially be ruled out of tonight’s game at Houston.
Shams Charania: Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard is day-to-day with left ankle injury and is expected to miss Thursday’s game in Houston, league sources tell Yahoo.
Star point guard Damian Lillard rolled his left ankle in the fourth quarter and later had to be carted from the locker room to the team bus following the Blazers’ 115-109 loss to the lowly Mavericks at American Airlines Center. With about five minutes left in Tuesday’s game, Lillard jumped to make a pass in the lane and landed on the foot of Dallas center Sal Mejri. His ankle rolled with all his weight on it. He played the final five minutes of the game with a slight hobble, but he said once the game ended, more pain and swelling rushed to the ankle.
The Blazers have four regular season games remaining before the playoffs begin April 14. Portland plays at Houston on Thursday, and Lillard said he will wait and see how the ankle responds. “I think I have a pretty high pain tolerance, but I’m going to be smart about it,’’ Lillard said. “It’s the end of the season, we are going into the playoffs, so I have to be smart that one thing doesn’t turn into another.’’
Tim MacMahon: Portland PG Damian Lillard will play against the Rockets after missing the previous two games due to a calf strain, coach Terry Stotts said.
Jason Quick: Damian Lillard says he felt better today than he did last week before he returned against Atlanta. Went through extensive weight lifting Monday and thorough workout pregame. Says he doesnt want to speculate on playing vs. Houston.
Mike Richman: Blazers have ruled out Damian Lillard for Tuesday’s game vs. OKC. He will miss his second straight game with a right calf strain.
Jason Quick: Lillard was clearly disappointed in decision to hold him out vs. Spurs, but says he has learned to respect the health experts.
Jason Quick: Lillard says it is the right calf that is keeping him out. Says health & performance staff feels it is “smarter” to take it easy. Says he feels same as before Friday game vs. Atlanta, when he said he felt he made impact.
Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard will make his return Tuesday night on the road against the Cleveland Cavaliers, league sources tell ESPN.
Although he was healthy enough, Portland (19-17) opted against playing Lillard in Monday night’s overtime victory over the Chicago Bulls so that he wouldn’t face a back-to-back set of games upon his return. The two-time NBA All-Star is averaging 25.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.4 assists.
Jason Quick: Lillard said he could go tonight at Chicago but decided to sit out because he doesn’t want to initiate his healing hamstring in a back-to-back scenario. Says “I plan to play” Tuesday in Cleveland.
Nick Friedell: Damian Lillard will not play tonight vs. Bulls. This is the fifth consecutive game he will miss because of a right hamstring strain.
Jason Quick: Blazers announce Lillard is out
Joe Freeman: Damian Lillard is OUT tonight vs the 76ers with his right hamstring ailment. It’s the third game in a row he will miss.
Mike Richman: Blazers now adding Damian Lillard to the injury report after he was removed from it yesterday. He is listed as questionable to play tonight vs. Philly.
Mike Richman: Terry Stotts said Lillard did not practice on Tuesday and was limited at practice today. Regardless, Lillard is set to return to the lineup Thursday after missing the last two games.
Jason Quick: Damian Lillard says his strained right hamstring is making “big progress.” Says he definitely will play in Blazers’ next game, Dec. 28 vs. Philadelphia
Chris Haynes: Portland All-Star guard Damian Lillard (hamstring strain), who is out tonight against Denver, also expected to miss Saturday’s game at Los Angeles Lakers as a precaution, league sources tell ESPN. The next game for Trail Blazers would be hosting Philadelphia Dec. 28.
Joe Freeman: Damian Lilard said he hurt himself when Pau Gasol, at full speed, collided into the back of his right knee. “I couldn’t move,” Lillard said, acknowledging he was basically a decoy down the stretch.
Despite the rolled ankle, noticeable discomfort, and around-the-clock treatment, Lillard seems determined to face the Sixers. Lillard, who did not participate in practice, said he is looking forward to the matchup. “I told y’all that yesterday,” Lillard said, referring to previously saying he planned on playing in Philadelphia. “I pretty much got babied last night so it was good…I feel good.”
Jason Quick: Blazers report that Damian Lillard has a right ankle sprain, but list him as probable to play Tuesday at Dallas.
Chris Haynes: ESPN Sources: Portland guard Damian Lillard to return tonight against Los Angeles Lakers. Missed last five games with ankle sprain.
“It feels way better, I went through a full speed workout with no limitations,” said Lillard after Saturday’s practice in Minneapolis. “I would have did our stuff with the group where we did some defensive stuff against a shell, not really full contact. I would have did that but I didn’t want to get in the way of any of the guys that’s going to be playing, so I stayed out of that. I did the shooting stuff before we did that, I did my own little workout at the end for the last 20 minutes or so, full speed normal stuff. It felt pretty good. Some stuff, it didn’t hurt but I wasn’t really comfortable with it. It wasn’t completely comfortable, so just going to keep working out and keep working that swelling out, that soreness out, trying to get back. I’m not going to rush it, at this point I might as well wait until completely ready to go.”
Kerry Eggers: ‘@DamianLillard_0 (ankle) hopes to return Friday vs. Spurs, “but we’ll have to see. (The ankle) feels better, but it’s day to day.”
Chris Haynes: Portland guard Damian Lillard to miss his second consecutive contest tonight against Sacramento with ankle sprain, league sources tell ESPN.
Yes, things moved from bad to worse Friday for the Blazers. The San Antonio Spurs rolled the Blazers 110-90 at the Moda Center, dealing them their fifth consecutive loss and ninth in the last 10 games. And on top of it all, the Blazers’ best player limped away from the wreckage with a badly sprained left ankle. “I rolled it good, I know that for a fact,” Lillard said. “I’ve just got to do all that I can so I can try to be ready for the next one.”
Shams Charania: Vertical Sources: Portland star Damian Lillard won’t play in 2016 Olympics with Team USA as he continues to rehab plantar fasciitis injury.
As of right now, Lillard doesn’t sound like he’s still fully comfortable. Stiffness in the foot, after nearly two weeks of stretching and massages to get the foot right, and conditioning, more than soreness, are his main concerns. “I’m building my wind back,” Lillard said. “It’s just a little bit of stiffness because I haven’t made certain movements. For five years now I’ve been constantly doing this stuff every day. But two weeks of just stretches, massages and stuff like that. If I get back there it’s going to be a little stiff.”
Lillard said that he also worked out hard on the foot in a New Year’s evening workout with assistant coach David Vanterpool and guard Tim Frazier. “I’ve been working out hard on the court for a couple of days,” Lillard said. “Last night I came in and worked out hard on it. This is the second time I’ve practiced even though (this one had) more contact. It’s more about being on the floor. I haven’t played in almost two weeks now. I’m not just going to get out there a few times and bring something to the game.”
At this point, Lillard said, he’s more concerned with regaining his playing stamina, which has taken a hit during his 11-day absence. Lillard said he will evaluate how his foot responds Sunday morning, test it during a morning shootaround and then make a pregame decision about whether he’ll play when the Blazers visit the Denver Nuggets at 6 p.m. He said he would prefer not to be on a minutes-restriction whenever he returns and coach Terry Stotts said that will be decided by Lillard and the Blazers’ medical staff. Could Lillard have played Thursday, when the Blazers lost to Utah? Probably. But he wants to make sure when he returns, he returns for good. “Once I’m back, I’m back,” he said.
Chris Haynes: #Blazers G Damian Lillard (plantar fasciitis) will miss fifth straight game when his team takes on Nuggets tonight, league sources says.
After missing the last four games and possibly more, Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard has a new nickname. “Coach Lillard, that’s what they call me now,” Lillard said following Tuesday’s practice where the two-time All-Star said he participated in some “live” drills but was still not a full participant. Whether Lillard has to embrace the suit and chatting up referees during timeouts instead of throughout the entire game is still an uncertain matter. The pain from an ongoing battle with plantar fasciitis is gone in his left foot, but Lillard is still waiting for the comfort to return. “It’s just a little bit stiff,” Lillard said after running on the left foot. “I haven’t played on it. I have been so busy trying to take care of it and do the right stuff that it’s a little bit stiff.”
After allowing a more battled-tested team to steal another winnable game away from them, this was the scene in the Blazers’ locker room afterward: All-Star Damian Lillard limped around in noticeable pain with a bout of plantar fasciitis in his left heel.
April 9, 2020 | 9:12 pm EDT Update
Gerald Bourguet: (5) Devin Booker beats (13) Rui Hachimura 71-55 in the quarterfinals of the NBA 2K Tournament. He’ll face the winner of (16) Derrick Jones Jr. and (8) Montrezl Harrell
Gerald Bourguet: (8) Montrezl Harrell beats (16) Derrick Jones Jr. 71-66 in the quarterfinals of the NBA 2K tournament, advancing to face (5) Devin Booker in the semis
Farbod Esnaashari: Montrezl Harrell and Derrick Jones Jr just showed more sportsmanship I’ve ever seen during an online game in my life. Jones: “Good game bro.” Trez: “Great game bro.” Jones: “Good luck in the next round.”
Will the NBA’s indefinite suspension limit what the Warriors do with the checkbook in the offseason? “We’re looking at all of those questions and the possible answers. But I don’t really have a good sense yet because I really have no idea how this is gonna shake out,” Lacob told Tim Kawakami of The Athletic on Thursday morning. “We don’t know what the salary cap is gonna be, we don’t know what the luxury tax is gonna be. We don’t really know what we can plan on at this point. We just have to look at a lot of different scenarios. That’s what we’re doing right now. It could make a huge difference, it might make no difference.”
Former Notre Dame High School star, and current Marshall Thundering Herd junior standout, Jarrod West has announced he’s entering the 2020 NBA Draft process.
As Illinois goes through this together, the United Center, home of the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks, is proud to be playing a critical role with our city, state and federal response to the pandemic. As announced on March 25, our arena and outside campus will be transformed into a logistics hub where we will be assisting with food storage for hunger relief, first responder staging and the collection of critically needed medical supplies.
Moving forward, the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Chicago’s food bank, will be utilizing the United Center as a satellite storage facility in response to the increased need for food. By alleviating space in the food bank’s warehouse, the Food Depository can bring additional volunteers into their facility to build more family food boxes in an environment that adheres to social distancing protocols. These boxes will continue to be distributed to those in need by the Food Depository’s partner network throughout Chicago and Cook County.
April 9, 2020 | 7:56 pm EDT Update
Pau Gasol contemplating retirement
With the league’s current campaign suspended indefinitely due to the global outbreak of the coronavirus, Gasol, who will turn 40 years old in July, is contemplating retirement at this point of his career. “With this recovery process and the injury that I have been dealing with for more than a year, it’s undoubtedly inevitable to think about retirement,” Gasol said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper El País, via NBC Sports. “Also, taking into account that I will be 40 years old in a few months. So, [retirement] is definitely on my mind.”
“It’s something that will come one time, sooner or later,” Gasol said of retirement. “We hope that time hasn’t come yet. But I also take the opportunity to focus on the Gasol Foundation and other off-court projects. And also think of what my next professional stage may be, my next challenges. All this while I’m still recovering, trying to give myself a chance to keep playing. Now, the priority is to overcome this pandemic among all. Everything else is completely secondary.”
The masks are among those Fanatics recently made at the company’s factory in Easton out of material usually used for uniforms for Major League Baseball jerseys for the Phillies and New York Yankees. So the police officers’ masks will be Phillies pinstripe masks.
In 2011, Jacob Hamilton was a 26-year-old cinematographer looking to expand his portfolio by directing a documentary. He came across a two-minute interview online titled, “The Man Who Invented the Jump Shot.” Four years later, Hamilton was screening his short film in Kevin Durant’s backyard, shocked to see one of the NBA’s best-ever jump shooters geek out over footage he’d gathered of Kenny Sailors from the 1940s. The film was still only halfway to the finish line. “Jump Shot” premiered at South by Southwest in 2019, but still hasn’t been released to the public. That will change next week, when the feature-length documentary will be available online April 16-18. Pre-order is underway at jumpshotmovie.com.
“Jump Shot” got two of its most important assists from NBA superstars Steph Curry and Durant. Hamilton had simply hoped for an interview when, through a connection between an executive producer and a chaplain for USA Basketball, the former Golden State Warriors teammates were introduced to Sailors’ legacy. The crew flew to Oakland and were invited to Durant’s home. Partway through the screening, KD asked for the film to be paused. Hamilton feared the worst, a bored millennial. In reality, the former Longhorns star was mesmerized. “These are moves that I’m doing today,” Hamilton recalls Durant telling them. “I was literally working on this in practice this week, and Kenny was doing this 60-70 years ago? This is unbelievable.”
Curry took his adoration a step further when he told Hamilton he was not only up for an interview, but wanted to get more involved. That’s how basketball’s greatest jump shooter became an executive producer. Both players are interviewed in the film, along with a lineup of basketball legends — from Dirk Nowitzki to Bob Knight, Nancy Lieberman and Clark Kellogg. Their astonishment at Sailors’ pioneering shot, particularly a photograph that appeared in Life magazine in 1946, will resonate with basketball fans.
April 9, 2020 | 6:35 pm EDT Update
Waiters, who’d been signed by Los Angeles less than a week beforehand and hadn’t even played a game with the Lakers yet, was watching the battle between Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic when the decision came down. “People start sending stuff, it got crazy,” Waiters told Sports Illustrated. “At that time, [the Lakers] were still trying to get all the information. Everybody found out at the same time.”
Waiters remained in Los Angeles to work out after the suspension, though those activities were soon banned. Then Waiters, like the rest of his teammates, was tested for the coronavirus in mid-March, a process he described as “terrible.” “They stick a Q-tip into your nose, it touches the front of your brain,” Waiters describes. “You start coughing and everything, it was the worst.”
When this all ends, whenever that is, what’s the one thing you’re most looking forward to doing on that first day? Dion Waiters: Just trying to hoop. Just vibe out and hoop. I’ve had damn near the whole season off. I’m trying to get back and hoop. I got something to prove at the end of the day. During this quarantine I’ve been dieting, getting my weight down, getting in shape. For me, it’s just playing basketball.
The partnership formed between Zach LaVine and the Chicago Bulls is allowing for the delivery of food and beverages to 2,000 healthcare workers at different Advocate and Rush locations across the Chicagoland area.
Without access to a studio or control room and with all cast and crew members isolated in their respective homes, it was impossible for “The Jump” to continue as a live, hour-long show with the high-level production value fans know and love. That is, until now.
Thanks to special software, iPad cameras, adjusted WiFi speeds, volume control, and “incredible ingenuity,” the “Live from Home” team — which comprises ESPN’s Remote Ops, Production, Production Ops, Creative Services, Transmission, Network Engineering, and Media Engineering teams — were able to pull off the spectacular feat of creating a live, hour-long daily show from their living rooms and basements.
“I am in such debt to the people who worked so incredibly hard on the technical side to make what I believe is still magic — there might be some elves involved, it is Disney after all,” ‘The Jump” host Rachel Nichols told Insider. “I can’t believe that they were able to figure out a way to produce an entire television show with everybody at home, not a single person in our television facility.”
April 9, 2020 | 6:29 pm EDT Update
If nothing else at a time when the Clippers have more questions than answers amid the NBA’s hiatus because of COVID-19, the team is confident in at least one thing to be true. Should the season resume, the same roster that had been dogged by injuries since last summer is on track to be the healthiest it has been. “The Kawhi [Leonard] we’ll see will be in phenomenal shape,” coach Doc Rivers said, adding that Paul George “is another guy that’s goig to be in phenomenal shape. Reggie [Jackson], who was injured when we got him, will now be healthy.”
Since there is a pause on all roster transactions across the league, the 10-day contract Noah signed remains in effect one month later. That has left the former defensive player of the year able to work into shape under the supervision of the team’s medical and performance staffs. “It’s been great for him,” Rivers said. “There are certain individuals who this rest period, or whatever this is called, has been a benefit, and Jo is one of them for sure because he’s got a chance now to get healthy, and to get in shape and that will be a factor for him. He will be a guy that will be able to help us.”
“I talked to Kevin Garnett on the day he went into the Hall of Fame and we had a long talk, but one of the things he actually said is, ‘Man, I can’t wait for the playoffs,’” Rivers said. “In typical KG fashion, ‘No excuses! Nobody should have any excuses! Everyone’s going to be healthy! Everyone’s going to be rested!’”
A whopping 72% of Americans polled said they would not attend if sporting events resumed without a vaccine for the coronavirus. The poll, which had a fairly small sample size of 762 respondents, was released Thursday by Seton Hall University’s Stillman School of Business. When polling respondents who identified as sports fans, 61% said they would not go to a game without a vaccine. The margin of error is plus-or-minus 3.6%.
Only 12% of all respondents said they would go to games if social distancing could be maintained, which would likely lead to a highly reduced number of fans, staff and media at games. For example, fan capacity for a Los Angeles Lakers or LA Clippers game at Staples Center is around 19,000.
Noordin Said, a beloved security official to NBA players and numerous musical artists, died Tuesday in New York after contracting COVID-19, his daughter confirmed to Yahoo Sports. Said’s mother, Anezia Clemons, who lived with him in New York, also died from COVID-19 approximately seven hours before her 56-year-old son, who died at 1:32 a.m. ET on Tuesday.
NBA star DeMarcus Cousins first hired Noordin Said to be his personal security guard in 2015 during All-Star weekend in New York. From there, the two hit it off, and Said worked the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and the 2017 All-Star weekend in New Orleans at Cousins’ side. Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green hired Said to be his personal security guard during the 2018 playoffs, and Said worked this season with Los Angeles Lakers guard Rajon Rondo at most home games.
April 9, 2020 | 5:21 pm EDT Update
As the coronavirus pandemic continues across the world, NBA owners are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. The league plans to keep all options to resume the season available for the time being, sources told ESPN, but the financial realities of the situation demand near immediate action. That has become clear in talks between the NBA, the National Basketball Players Association and player agents, sources told ESPN, as the league tries to get its finances in order in the event the rest of the season must be canceled.
The league’s CBA includes a force majeure clause, enabling owners to cancel games and recover salary in the event of a pandemic. This clause also gives the league a 60-day window within which it can rip up the CBA entirely — effectively beginning a work stoppage. No one wants to do that. But it underscores the gravity of the situation. Still, in recent years the two sides have worked as well together as ever, and the CBA isn’t set to expire until 2024.
The agreement between owners and players in the last CBA calls for roughly splitting revenue 50/50 and also splitting the coming losses. So, the owners want to hold back a percentage of players’ checks going forward — both giving them extra money they can use now, if needed, and also to help balance the books in the event some, or all, of the remainder of the season is canceled. From an economic standpoint, both sides would prefer to limit the pain of the shutdown to only this season and not start next season with IOUs on the ledger. Setting the money aside now would help do that.
Karnisovas, who was the only candidate to get multiple interviews the past few days – including a final conversation with chairman Jerry Reinsdorf – will be replacing John Paxson. A source said that Paxson will move into an advisory role, still being a sounding board for the Reinsdorfs — Jerry and Michael — and would only offer opinions in basketball matters if Karnisovas asks. This is completely Karnisovas’ show, and an important one.
Karnisovas will have full decision making over basketball operations, including the futures of Forman, head coach Jim Boylen, and the entire coaching staff. He was even asked about Paxson, and had the option of having the organization move on from the long-time Bulls executive if that’s what he desired. However, a source indicated that Karnisovas had no issues with the Reinsdorfs keeping Paxson around.
There were multiple reports that the search angered a handful of African American executives around the league, who felt like people of color weren’t involved in the searching process by the Bulls. A source close to the situation, however, indicated that not only did Michael Reinsdorf reach out to multiple minority candidates to try and get interviews – but was denied permission to do so by their current organizations, and in some cases simply turned down.
In an attempt to give fans an opportunity to help out those in need in the Central Florida community while also having a shot at winning a unique fan experience at a future NBA game, the Orlando Magic’s television and radio broadcasters will host an online donation drive in conjunction with the Christian Service Center.
April 9, 2020 | 5:10 pm EDT Update
His one concern, according to the source, is with Arturas Karnisovas now calling the shots, Boylen was at least hoping for a chance to sit down with his new bosses and discuss his year-and-a-half on the job before they make a final decision.
One of the most indelible images from the night the NBA shut down was a young girl crying at a Sacramento Kings game. Her tear-stained face and broken heart reflected how many people felt about the temporary end of life as we knew it and the indefinite stoppage of sports. That girl’s name is Sophie, and Kings player Harry Giles wanted to make her feel better. So he recently sent her and her brother a sweet video message. He apologized for the way their last game ended, and to make up for it, he invited them to a Kings game when sports are back underway. Not surprisingly, Sophie was extremely excited.
On Monday, Curry surprised an intensive care nurse and her fellow staffers with a FaceTime appearance in which the two-time NBA MVP shared how inspired he was by her dedication as a front-line healthcare worker.
Shelby Delaney of the Summit Medical Center in Oakland was one of the first nurses to volunteer to help coronavirus patients at the hospital. Curry made sure the 27-year-old knew how important that was. “I can’t thank God enough for what you’re doing and just the sacrifice, the selflessness and the way everybody’s coming together,” Curry told her on the call. “Thank you so much for just what you do, your heart and the inspiration you provide for everybody.”
April 9, 2020 | 5:02 pm EDT Update
Wizards not expecting John Wall back this season
Chris Miller: #Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard says it’s still not feasible for @John Wall to play this season despite the #coronavirus postponing the #NBA season. #RepTheDistrict
Candace Buckner: #Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard asked about preparing for upcoming draft: Says scouting group is doing video conference calls, talking in-depth about specific players and digesting game footage. At this point, Wiz have a lottery pick and second-round selection which would be No. 37
Beal offered this when asked by Lowe about the viability of resuming the season and what he is doing to stay ready: “We haven’t been doing anything for a month, going on two, who knows how long,” Beal said. “I think ultimately, not just for me, that plays a factor for everybody in the league. I don’t think anybody can come back and just go from zero to 100 and pick up right where we left off. There’s going to be some bad basketball if that’s the case…”
“I have an organization who basically gave me the keys,” Beal said. “‘We’re going to build around you. We’re going to get guys around like’ – if I go anywhere else, granted, it may be a good team, but I would be a piece. Who knows if my role would be the same? My role here is, I love what it is. I love [Scott] Brooks. I love what we have. I love our young guys. I think the fact that we actually have guys that are committed to getting better.”
Lowe opened the podcast by giving Beal the opportunity to address the omission: “I was angry, but I wouldn’t say I played angry because of that,” Beal said. “At the end of the day, I wanted to make the playoffs. The All-Star game was what it was. I’m not mad at you for your votes. For me, I will never take that moment away from the other 24 guys. Because that was me two years ago and a year ago. I can’t sit here and take that moment away from Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell and guys who got their first one.
Oleh Kosel: Griffin hopes teams get to model an offseason before games start if 2019-20 season resumes for conditioning/injury prevention. So equal time for both informal work & training camp (TC). Say if NBA schedules 2-week TC, players have access to work on games in prior 2-week period.
After tallying the votes from readers, Awful Announcing listed the team of announcers on YES’s broadcast of Nets games as the top NBA local broadcast. Voters were able to give letter grades from A to F. The YES team’s most popular grade was an A (72.73%), edging out the New York Knicks’ broadcast team by 2.58%.
April 9, 2020 | 4:50 pm EDT Update
Eric Gordon said he would not object to having a season restarted in a sequestered location, one of the ideas the NBA is considering. But he also indicated it is too soon to know if even that will be possible. “That sounds like almost our only option,” Gordon said. “That’s the only thing that can make sense. Just coop us up in a hotel for months and see if we can have that chance to have the season. It’s still a dicey situation, so we’re just hoping this virus calms down and goes away quickly. As of right now, it doesn’t seem like it is.”
