NBA | Wesley Matthews misses practice Friday

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Wesley Matthews missed practice Friday after returning from a hip injury Thursday night.

Matthews was impressive Thursday with 20 points, three rebounds, four assists, one steal, one block and four 3-pointers. This could be just a maintenance day or the Blazers giving him a day off so as not to over-tax Matthews' hip. We'll leave him as active for now, but check back to see if his status for Saturday changes. Nolan Smith (illness), who would get a few extra minutes if Matthews sat, also missed practice Friday.

Source: Chris Haynes on Twitter

Fri, Dec 21, 2012 03:55:00 PM

Blake Griffin to take more 3-pointers?

Blake Griffin has been working on his shooting from beyond the arc this summer and wants to be more confident from deep.

"I don’t necessarily think falling in love with the 3-point shot is a good idea, but shooting it confidently from there is great," Griffin said. While Griffin did only make six treys all of last season, he has shown he is capable. On his shots from 20-24 feet last season, Griffin made a very respectable 41.5 percent (34-of-82). Additionally, Chris Paul said the Clippers will tell Blake to "shoot it damn near every time he catches it." Even with a slightly higher upside, the injury risk will cause Blake to slide a bit this year, and justifiably so.

Source: Orange County Register

Sep 29 - 9:06 PM

Brown says Saric and Simmons will share floor

Brett Brown confirmed that he intends to play Dario Saric and Ben Simmons together.

"I think the pluses are you have 6-10 do-alls that really can jump into a very versatile defensive world with perhaps a lot of switching," Brown said of the Saric-Simmons pairing. "I think they are elite defensive rebounders that can rebound, lead a break, and take off." Brown hopes that Saric can get comfortable playing out of position at small forward, and he's determined to use training camp to develop some chemistry between the two lottery picks. It sounds like Brown plans to give quality run to Saric his rookie year, so targeting him towards the later rounds makes sense given his upside.

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer & Daily News

Sep 29 - 6:01 PM

Cameron Payne (broken foot) out indefinitely

Cameron Payne could miss the first month of the regular season as he rehabs from an acute fracture to the fifth metatarsal in his right foot.

Foot injuries are tricky for NBA players, and given that this is the same foot that Payne had surgery on this offseason to correct the Jones fracture, it wouldn't be surprising at all to see the Thunder use extreme caution in bringing him back this time around. With Payne sidelines, Ronnie Price will become Russell Westbrook's primary backup, and Victor Oladipo could also spend some more time running the point. With an uncertain timetable, Payne is no longer worth drafting in most leagues.

Source: Inside Thunder

Sep 29 - 4:44 PM

Dennis Schroder (ankle) misses practice Thurs

Dennis Schroder (ankle) did not practice on Thursday.

The severity of the injury is currently unclear, but it's worth noting that Schroder has been very durable through the first three years of his career, and he hasn't dealt with any serious ankle injuries. We'll be closely monitoring this situation, but if the injury is bad enough to force Schroder to miss any time, that would open up some opportunity for Jarrett Jack (knee surgery) and Malcolm Delaney. Stay tuned.

Source: Chris Vivlamore on Twitter

Sep 29 - 3:02 PM

Okafor, Henderson, Embiid sit out scrimmage

Jahlil Okafor (knee), Gerald Henderson (rest) and Joel Embiid (rest) were all withheld from competing in Thursday's scrimmage due to "load management."

Okafor has been experiencing some soreness in his surgically repaired right knee and was also limited during Wednesday's practice, although he maintains that he's healthy and that these maintenance days are simply precautionary. Embiid got in a full practice on Wednesday, so it's not surprising to see him get a day off as part of his maintenance program, and Henderson was simply given a rest day as one of the older guys on the roster.

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer & Daily News

Sep 29 - 2:57 PM

Deron Williams being limited at training camp

Deron Williams is being limited during the early goings of training camp as he tries to get his conditioning up to par after spending a majority of the offseason rehabbing from surgery to correct a sports hernia.

Williams is reportedly healthy, and him being limited is just a precautionary endeavor by the Mavs medical staff, but there's no denying that this guy is one of the more injury prone players in the league. Through 68 games last season, Williams compiled averages of 13.0 points, 6.6 assists, 1.3 triples and 2.3 turnovers per game on 38.7 percent shooting which was only good enough for ninth-round value in standard leagues. There are higher upside guys to take late.

Source: ESPN

Sep 29 - 2:28 PM

Bradley Beal held out of Thursday practice

Bradley Beal (concussion) was held out of Thursday's practice.

Beal is in the concussion protocol and will be unable to work out until he's cleared. While the 23-year-old is still an injury risk, he has enough upside to warrant a mid-round pick in standard fantasy leagues after averaging 17.4 points, 2.9 assists, 1.9 triples and 1.0 steal in 55 games last season.

Source: J Michael on Twitter

Sep 29 - 1:35 PM

Myles Turner unlikely to open preseason

Myles Turner (concussion) is unlikely to play in the preseason opener, according to head coach Nate McMillan.

Turner is still in the concussion protocol and will be held out of activity until he is cleared by doctors. While concussions can be worrisome, this shouldn't be anything keep him from going in the early-middle rounds of fantasy drafts.

Source: Nate Taylor on Twitter

Sep 29 - 1:31 PM

Nate McMillan names nine rotation players

Pacers coach Nate McMillan plans to deploy a nine-man rotation this season, though he said that exceptional performances could force him to use 10 players.

The nine players with assured roles are Jeff Teague, Monta Ellis, Paul George, Thaddeus Young, Myles Turner, Aaron Brooks, Rodney Stuckey, C.J. Miles and Al Jefferson. Barring an injury or two among that group, most fantasy owners can safely ignore players like Glenn Robinson III and Lavoy Allen on draft day.

Source: NBA.com

Sep 28 - 9:42 PM

Carlisle: Seth Curry is going to be a factor

Coach Rick Carlisle said Seth Curry is "going to be a factor" for the Mavs this year.

He led the Mavs with 15 points during their scrimmage on Wednesday. Both coach Carlisle and owner Mark Cuban have really talked up Curry more than almost any new signing ever, so he's certainly going to get a chance. He will come off the bench and play both guard spots, so he can definitely get minutes in the upper 20s. Based on his finish late last year, he's a really nice pick in the last couple rounds of fantasy drafts.

Source: ESPN.com

Sep 28 - 3:28 PM

Pop: 'Obvious' Kyle Anderson should play more

Coach Gregg Popovich said it's "pretty obvious" Kyle Anderson should play more.

Pop said Slo-Mo can play the three, four, and point guard. The coach also talked about the improvements in Anderson's shot, as well. Anderson has been arguably the best player at Summer League in the last two years and coach Popovich said he has to find a way to get him some run. With the Spurs somewhat thin up front, he's a sneaky late-round pick with upside.

Source: Spurs on Twitter

Sep 28 - 3:02 PM