Storyline: Serge Ibaka Injury
29 rumors in this storyline
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Eric Smith: Ibaka, illness, won’t play
Josh Lewenberg: Ibaka gets a huge ovation, checking in for the first time in 3 weeks.
Josh Lewenberg: Ibaka didn’t practice today. He’ll travel with the team to Atlanta but is unlikely to play. He’s close but Nurse wants him to get a practice in before he returns. Lowry is about a week away from being game ready, Nurse estimates a Dec. 1 target date.
Kyle Goon: Nick Nurse says Kyle Lowry will probably take a few weeks to heal; Serge Ibaka has a sprain that’s severe enough for him to fly home from the road trip early.
Kyle Lowry suffered a small fracture in his left thumb and Serge Ibaka suffered a “pretty bad” sprained ankle, coach Nick Nurse said after Friday’s 122-104 win over the Pelicans. Lowry is set to see a hand specialist when the team travels to Los Angeles on Saturday.
“It felt weird from the rip,” Lowry said. “I kept playing through it and kept playing through it. Originally we thought it was something in the nailbed because the nailbed turned black and blue. We got some X-rays and we sent the X-rays off to the doctors and there was a small fracture in the thumb.”
Serena Winters: After Serge Ibaka received 3 stitches (took a Kawhi elbow to the dome), Ibaka has returned to the game (with a bandage & quite the lump on his forehead).
Josh Lewenberg: For the second straight game, the Raptors will be without Lowry, Ibaka and Valanciunas tonight.
Eric Koreen: No Ibaka tonight because of a sore knee.
Eric Smith: CJ Miles is out tonight. Dental procedure. Serge Ibaka (knee) is probable. #RTZ #Raptors
Josh Lewenberg: C.J. Miles (shoulder) returns from his one-game absence today but the Raptors will sit Serge Ibaka out with a sore left knee.
Josh Lewenberg: Ibaka (knee) returns today vs Wizards. Powell (hip) is out again
Michael Grange: Raps vs. Knicks: Delon Wright (shoulder) is out; Norm Powell (hip) is out; Serge Ibaka (knee) not expected to play.
Mike Ganter: Ibaka’s knee apparently started swelling after the game in Los Angeles. They don’t know exactly how he injured it.
Eric Smith: Serge Ibaka (ankle) “should be able to go” tonight according to Dwane Casey. Great news for the @raptors. #raptors #rtz
Charles F. Gardner: Serge Ibaka said if Game 2 had to be played Monday, he might not have been able to go due to ankle sprain. But he thinks he can play Tues.
Eric Koreen: Ibaka on his ankle: “It’s day by day. I woke up this morning and was walking perfect.” Said it would be tough to play if game were today.
Josh Robbins: A precautionary MRI on Serge Ibaka’s sore knee showed no structural problems, Frank Vogel said.
Josh Robbins: Serge Ibaka did not practice today because of knee soreness—the 3rd practice day he’s missed. Ibaka is day-to-day, Frank Vogel said.
May 29, 2020 | 12:56 pm EDT Update
Even in the middle of a pandemic, when nobody is playing, Bradley Beal’s name still emerged in trade rumors. The New York Daily News last week reported that the Brooklyn Nets have had “internal discussions” about pursuing the 26-year-old Wizards guard, who signed a two-year, $72 million extension in October. “It’s not the first time I’ve heard this kind of talk,” Beal told ESPN. “It’s interesting. To me, I look at it as a sign of respect, that I’ve been doing good things and guys want to play with me.
“That’s an unbelievable feeling. When you hear that Kyrie [Irving] and KD [Kevin Durant] want you, s—, that’s amazing. At the same time, you don’t know how much there is to it, or how easy it would be to do. And I’ve put down roots in D.C. I’ve dedicated myself to this town, this community. I love it here, and it would feel great to know I could grind out winning here instead of jumping to another team. “But I’d be naive to say that I don’t think about it when these stories come up.”
“My biggest thing right now is that I want to play with John [Wall] again,” Beal said. “I want to see him get back to that level where I know he can be, especially since my game has grown so much [while he’s been out]. What can we accomplish together? I’m so happy he’s healthy, working his tail off.”
Prior to Leon Rose taking over, other areas of need identified by New York’s front office/scouts included a forward who can stretch the floor. One person in touch with members of the organization at the time said part of the thinking for the club’s offseason was centered around finding players who complement rookie RJ Barrett. “If you want to complement Barrett, that’s where I’d go,” one opposing front office member said. “Adding (a guard and big man who can shoot from the perimeter), you space the floor and make things easier for him. The floor was so crowded for them this year.”
If the Knicks decide to look for a forward via free agency who can shoot, Danilo Gallinari, Carmelo Anthony and Christian Wood are potential options. Some members of the Knicks front office were enamored with Wood over the course of the season. Regarding Anthony, prior to free agency last summer, the Knicks strongly considered signing the ex-Knick if they were able to land two other stars. They missed out on the stars in free agency, which took Anthony out of their plans. Rose, the current team president, was Anthony’s agent. The two remain close. Worth pointing out: the Knicks being open to looking for a big who can shoot doesn’t necessarily reflect a desire to move on from Randle.
May 29, 2020 | 11:55 am EDT Update
Shams Charania: Sources: NBA has sent GMs the results from GM survey: – 53% of GMs chose advancing directly to playoffs; 27% for resuming abbreviated season with play-in – 60% voted for 72-game season – “Playoffs Plus”: 83% voted 20 or more teams – Non-playoff teams split on resuming season
Shams Charania: Additional results from NBA’s GM survey, per sources: – Most GMs want season to end no later than Oct. 1 – GMs want larger roster/more flexibility to manage their roster – 53 percent voted to maintain traditional playoff seeding; 47 percent for reseeding
Sirius XM NBA: “That was kind of blown out of proportion.” @Georges Niang has no concerns about reported tensions in the Jazz locker room following the positive COVID-19 tests. #takenote pic.twitter.com/5kddhj4zHf
Adam Zagoria: Former Louisville F @JordanNwora has done Zoom calls with about 20 NBA teams, including the Knicks and Nets, per source. The former @NYRhoops F averaged 18.0 ppg and 7.7 rpg last season and is a projected 2nd-round pick. The Knicks have two 2nd-round picks in the Draft. pic.twitter.com/ISeBHH7dWt
May 29, 2020 | 11:26 am EDT Update
ON A SUNNY day in mid-April, the sun crested over Los Angeles, but Paul wished to be over a thousand miles away: poring over film in Oklahoma City, preparing for Game 2 or 3 of a first-round series. He wanted to be hooping. Instead of getting up shots in his team’s practice facility, Paul has been having direct conversations with Silver more than once a week as the liaison between the commissioner and the players. Paul has served as a sounding board for those looking for advice, ideas or an outlet for their frustration.
“Hell, I need to vent at times,” Paul said. “I just look at it as guys are actually concerned and they want to know what’s going on. They should have a say in their future.” Between homeschooling his kids and finding time to take online Spanish classes (“I’m trying to get better at something,” he said.), Paul has had calls almost every morning — most often union-related — and more in the afternoon.
“He’s never said, ‘Can I get back to you?’ Never,” Roberts said of Paul, who will often surprise Roberts’ staff by jumping on a conference call to offer encouragement and share ideas. “Being accessible has been a godsend.”
As rumblings of restart options and hypothetical scenarios have dotted their social media timelines, players across the league have been peppering Paul with the same questions curious basketball fans might have. “When are we going to play? How are we going to play? Where are we going to play?” said executive committee member Anthony Tolliver, outlining what’s being posed to Paul. “Are we going to try and finish the regular season? Is it worth it? Is it going to be too much? Are we going to bring guys back and possibly be subject to a bunch of injuries because of the circumstances? Just walking through and talking through all that stuff.”
PAUL’S VOICE CARRIES weight in conversations with the players’ union, but he doesn’t look to dominate them. He approaches a conference call much in the same way he approaches the game. “I frequently joke about this, he’s obviously a point guard and his claim to fame in terms of skill set is his ability to read the room, read the floor and pass the ball,” Roberts said. “He does that in meetings too. “If Chris sees a player who has not said much, he’ll ask, ‘John, what do you think about this? Come on, weigh in.’ That’s what he does. It’s a delight.”
NBA Central: Brian Windhorst says the NBA wants to make sure Zion Williamson is involved in the playoff plan, per @GetUpESPN pic.twitter.com/QuSWmRj2DI
Rudy Gay: Tough times don’t last, tough people do!! Honored to visit the staff at @chasebrexton Health Care in my hometown of Baltimore & present a 50k check via @directrelief to those working tirelessly to treat patients throughout the pandemic. Thank u to all on the frontline, be safe 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/v4Y5MMCB0c
May 29, 2020 | 9:29 am EDT Update
But I do cover sports, and the NBA is a huge, global league, that millions of people care about. And I respect that this is important to you. So, I’m going to concentrate on that below. After speaking to a couple dozen folks at all levels, from owners on down, the past few days, here’s the lay of the land, with the league’s Board of Governors set to meet with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver Friday, a day after Silver spoke with the league’s GMs: The GM meeting, per a source, focused on the different potential playing formats after the restart, and the impacts of each on the final regular-season standings and other issues. But no definitive dates or decisions were made.
“I’m fairly certain that Disney is going to work,” a high-ranking official with knowledge of the union’s thoughts said Thursday. “Vegas had some of the logistical things we needed but didn’t have the environment that could enhance our health protocols. Vegas scared me to death. Florida worried me a little bit because of the state opening up so early, but having a venue that can basically be closed off, I do think we can check off the venue issue off our list. I think we’ve got that down.”
There is a lot of support among teams and agents to include as many teams as possible. “I’m pushing for all,” one prominent agent said Wednesday. “I’m hearing the league wants to go to directly to the playoffs and I personally don’t think that’s fair to all the players who missed this season and want to participate. My suggestion for a format has always been 3-4 games for everyone, (a) play-in tournament for the eighth seed and then (a) regular playoff format.”
Problem is, Antetokounmpo has trademarked his “Greek Freak” nickname. Eady, in a series of tweets in March aimed at Antetokounmpo, said he stopped selling the shirts after getting a cease-and-desist letter last October from the player’s lawyers. That led to more legal wrangling, none of which Eady wanted to discuss in specifics other than to say he has taken out a small loan to cover a cash settlement to the lawsuit. The situation is an example that experts say is one the risks that star athletes face: Protect their trademarks using the legal system or face the loss of those protections that allow them to control their image, brand and related monetization – which can be worth millions of dollars.
And therein lies further image peril: The risk of going to court is that it can be seen as a famous rich person being greedy and cruel in trying to squash an entrepreneur. “Making an example of a few unauthorized vendors can ward off others. But trademark overreach can also alienate athletes from their fans — especially if those devoted fans are the ones imagining and creating the apparel,” said Stephen Stanwood of Campbell, Calif.-based Stanwood Law that specialized in such cases. Antetokounmpo has filed 13 trademark infringement lawsuits in federal court since July in the Southern District of New York, of which at least five have been settled, court records show. A lawsuit filed Wednesday was the eighth filed this month, and it’s unknown many cease-and-desist letters halted sales of knockoff merch before they came to become lawsuits.
Enes Kanter: Are you freaking kidding me? State police in Minnesota arresting @CNN reporter @OmarJimenez while he’s on air Meanwhile, the cop who murdered #GeorgeFloyd continues to walk free. They arrested a @CNN reporter before the killers of #GeorgeFloyd 🤦🏻♂️ 🤦🏻♂️ pic.twitter.com/WFJYVEC15X
May 29, 2020 | 7:50 am EDT Update
When the season was suspended in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, multiple players were approaching eligibility for contract bonuses. With basketball likely to return this summer, the league and the NBPA have to negotiate what will happen to that money. Sources told ESPN that the most likely outcome will be similar to how the league handled bonuses during the lockout-shortened season in 2011-12. Contract incentives initially intended for 82 games were prorated to account for the 66-game season. For example, a player with a $500,000 bonus in his contract for playing in 70 games qualified for the bonus if he played in 56 games. However, performance bonuses based on averages — such as shooting percentages — were not adjusted.
Fournier has $1.1 million in incentives, with $600,000 broken down into four categories: first-round appearance in the playoffs, second-round appearance, conference finals and Finals. Fournier will also need to appear in 75% of the games played per round. Likely outcome: There will be a negotiation when it comes to Fournier’s incentives. The guard has already met the required number of games (60), but the Magic might have to win a play-in game to make the postseason. When the season was postponed, Orlando was 5.5 games ahead of Washington for the final playoff spot in the East. If Orlando loses a play-in, does that mean Fournier doesn’t get his first-round appearance bonus?
Between homeschooling his kids and finding time to take online Spanish classes (“I’m trying to get better at something,” he said.), Paul has had calls almost every morning — most often union-related — and more in the afternoon. “He’s never said, ‘Can I get back to you?’ Never,” Roberts said of Paul, who will often surprise Roberts’ staff by jumping on a conference call to offer encouragement and share ideas. “Being accessible has been a godsend.”
As union president, Paul possesses the rare ability to gather the league’s top stars — LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant — on conference calls. That buy-in wasn’t there before, and high-ranking union members view Paul’s long-time superstar status as a big reason for the change. Players are more invested in their futures. They want more say. They want more power. “Our meetings are much more engaged now. That’s because of Chris,” Roberts said. “He won’t allow an issue to be presented and then not discussed.”
Paul’s competitiveness spills over into the role, but any beefs he has across the league don’t carry into meetings with players. “Pretty much everybody that I can imagine would have an on-court beef with him,” Tolliver said. “I’ve never seen any sort of negative confrontation [off the court]. “Most people’s experience with him is he’s so competitive … but that also is good for whenever he’s your president and he’s fighting [for] the things you want.”
Tim MacMahon: Anytime Luka (Doncic) goes overseas and people don’t see him there’s going to be these rumors, ‘He’s beefing up again, he’s looking puffy. That rumor’s out there. I asked. I was told that he looks looks fine on their Zoom calls, he’s been working out and he’s actually been playing pickleball over Slovenia.
Spencer Dinwiddie: … so here we go, I’ll explain this again for hot take Twitter. The question was revolving around what a less athletic KD could possibly look like because of how serious an Achilles injury is, especially for Bball players. Let me also first preface this with I don’t know what stage of rehab he’s at, I don’t have insider information, I don’t know when he’s going to return to play or any of that. This is my personal speculation from a basketball fan perspective. (Yes I appreciate HOFs, which he is) At 80% athleticism or so, which takes away his hyper mobility/dexterity for a 7fter. Who has a game that was built around mid post iso, pick/pop, a unblockable left foot turn around fade and overall extreme revolutionary proficiency in terms of a jumper/touch at that size. Sounds a lot like Dirk to me… and at the end of the day we’re comparing clear cut HOFs. Y’all acting like I said dirk was a bum or something
Georges Niang: In this time we need to come together as humans regardless of race, gender and enthicity! And do the right thing and try our best to spread love and positivity! What is happening to our country is devastating and we need to come together and change that now!
May 29, 2020 | 2:57 am EDT Update
A source said no vote has been scheduled on that yet after Commissioner Adam Silver had a conference call with team general managers on Thursday, but momentum seems to be building for a return-to-play scenario that includes only teams in playoff positions — and possibly ones just on the outside to give them a chance to earn a way in the postseason. But teams like the Wolves would be out in those scenarios.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver held a conference call with NBA general managers on Thursday to review the results of the survey delivered to teams last week regarding potential formats to resume play. “There was zero commitment to any one plan,” a general manager told me over the phone. “But it was a call to gather more information.”
Half of the league’s general managers voted to go straight to the playoffs and cancel the rest of the regular season, sources said. Just over half of the league voted to reseed the playoffs 1 to 16 without factoring in conference affiliation.
General managers were surveyed about a “playoffs-plus” format—either a play-in tournament between the bubble teams to determine the final seeds in the playoffs, or a World Cup–style group stage, which would replace the end of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs with a round-robin format. About 75 percent of teams voted in favor of a play-in tournament, sources said, while 25 percent of teams voted in favor of the group stage.
Teams with top seeds, such as the West-leading Lakers and East-leading Bucks, are in favor of a play-in tournament, not a group stage, multiple league sources say.
Even if teams vote in their own best interests, it’s still noteworthy that there is leaguewide support behind more dramatic changes that were balked at in the past—such as playoff reseeding and play-in tournaments. My personal impression from conversations with sources across the league is that Silver is surveying teams to see if there is hunger for a new format the league may be able to use beyond this summer’s restart. Perhaps
But rumblings across the league suggest the NBA will require teams to arrive at Disney World around July 16, at which point they’ll quarantine for a to-be-determined amount of time before group workouts resume and scrimmages begin. And then, games could begin on Friday, July 31. But all of that will be determined in the coming days and weeks, and anything as of now is simply tentative or speculation.
As for what the Wolves would like to see? A source said they will go along with whatever scenario is in the best interest of the league. Wolves coach Ryan Saunders has often said he wished he had a training camp to install systems instead of having to do it on the fly with a team that was largely assembled at the early February trade deadline.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on The Hoop Collective, the league may dismiss the idea of playing as many as 90 regular season games and go right to group-stage type opening round because it will give Zion Williamson and the Pelicans a better chance of making the 16-team playoffs. “I’ll tell you one thing: that scenario gets Zion Williamson in,” Windhorst said. “Look, I’ve just heard… I’m not saying the NBA is going this route, I’m just saying I’ve already heard this scenario that no matter what happens, the cutoff line will be the Pelicans. They’ll be in. It will be the first time in the history of the NBA that the league kicked the ball into the fairway for New Orleans.”
Wizards have zero interest in trading Bradley Beal
Do you think the Nets will trade for Bradley Beal. What do you think they would have to give up? David Aldridge: No. At least not this summer. Wizards have zero interest in moving Beal, and certainly aren’t going to even think about doing so until he and Wall play together again for a season.
Lillard sees longtime teammate CJ McCollum going through his routine with Blazers player development coach Jon Yim, but the backcourt runningmates won’t get a chance to chop it up, at least not face-to-face. There exists a cardinal rule: one guy, one coach, one basket. Then for the first time in what feels like an eternity, Lillard runs through his greatest hits, the barrage of long-range bombs, the floaters, the repertoire that makes him Damian Lillard. “The whole first week was a breath of fresh air,” Lillard says. “On a certain level, it was exciting. You’re finally back on the court and you’re seeing everyone’s faces again.”
Though Lillard’s workout is abbreviated and restricted, he can finally release the pent-up energy accumulated while being locked out of the gym for nearly two months. The return for Lillard and his teammates comes with both anticipation of what he hopes will be more basketball ahead, but also some disorientation. “There’s so much stuff you never realize or appreciate you have access to until you’re without it,” Lillard says. “But it was still good to be back.”
BY MAY 15, one week after the Blazers reopened, the novelty of returning to the facility has worn off for Lillard. While he still values the opportunity to get some portion of his work in, the restrictions are becoming onerous and, truthfully, just strange. “The second week everyone is like, ‘All right, this is kind of weird,'” Lillard says. “The excitement is gone and now it’s, ‘What going on?'”
