NBA Player News

NBA Basketball

Date	Player
9/24/2018	DeMarcus Cousins, GS, F-C
Cousins has progressed in his recovery from surgery for a torn left Achilles tendon, is doing light shooting and other skill work on the court and will be able to do some noncontact work when the Warriors' training camp begins. Analysis: Golden State general manager Bob Myers says anyone who figures the two-time defending champions plan to "save DeMarcus for the playoffs, I think that's inaccurate, when he can play he'll play." That doesn't mean Cousins will be rushed. He was re-examined last week by Dr. Richard Ferkel, the surgeon who performed his procedure, and all was positive. Cousins injured his Achilles in late January and it prematurely ended his season with the Pelicans.
9/24/2018	Kristaps Porzingis, NY, F-C
Porzingis says he is taking a conservative approach to his recovery from a torn ACL and has no timetable for his return to the court. Analysis: Porzingis was injured in February and the Knicks have said he won't return until both the team and player are certain he is ready. Porzingis said Monday during Knicks media day that he is running lightly but not sprinting yet. Part of the reason for taking the rehab process slowly, he says, is that doctors say there is no precedent for a 7-foot-3 player recovering from that type of knee injury.
9/24/2018	Dwight Howard, Was, F-C
Howard could miss the start of training camp with a bad back. Analysis: Wizards coach Scott Brooks said Monday at the team's media day that Howard's back is sore and his status is considered day-to-day. Brooks says ''we'll see how he feels'' on Tuesday, the first day of camp. The coach says the Wizards are ''not going to rush him.''
9/23/2018	CJ Wilcox, Ind, SG
Wilcox suffered a torn right Achilles tendon during an offseason workout and will miss the 2018-19 season. Analysis: Wilcox, signed to a two-way contract in August, has appeared in 66 NBA games and averaged 2.0 points since being selected 28th overall by the Clippers in 2014.
9/18/2018	Justin Patton, Min, C
Patton has had surgery for a broken foot for the second straight year and is out indefinitely. The Wolves said that Patton's operation on his right foot in New York went as planned. Analysis: Patton sustained the same injury, a fractured fifth metatarsal, on his left loot last year after he was drafted 16th overall out of Creighton. As a result of his surgery, Patton appeared in only one game as a rookie last season. He averaged 12.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 38 games for Minnesota's G-League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves. Behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Gorgui Dieng, playing time for Patton was already going to be hard to come by.
9/18/2018	Dion Waiters, Mia, G-F
Waiters will begin this season as he finished last season - unable to play. The Heat announced that Waiters has not recovered sufficiently enough from left ankle surgery to be ready for the start of training camp next week. Heat President Pat Riley says it's unlikely that Waiters will be ready for the start of the regular season as well. Analysis: The announcement wasn't a total surprise. Waiters was told when he had the procedure in mid-January that he could be sidelined for up to 10 months. Waiters was driving into the lane in a game against Minnesota on March 17, 2017, when he turned the ankle. He missed the final 13 games of that season. He labored through the start of last season and twisted the ankle again on Dec. 22.
9/16/2018	Dwyane Wade, Mia, G
Wade has decided to return to the Heat for a 16th NBA season. The future Hall of Famer is expected to sign a one-year deal for the $2.4 million veteran's minimum. Analysis: Turning 37 in January, Wade is no longer an elite player but should he can still contribute by averaging 11.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.4 rebounds in 67 games with the Cavaliers and Heat last season. The 12-time All-Star played even better during Miami's opening-round playoff series, averaging 16.6 points to rank second on the team.
9/12/2018	Russell Westbrook, OKC, PG
Westbrook has undergone arthroscopic surgery on his right knee after recently experiencing some stiffness. The 2016-17 NBA MVP is expected to be sidelined approximately four weeks. Analysis: The Thunder's regular season opener at Golden State is just under five weeks away, so there seems to be a good chance that he won't miss any time. Westbrook may miss all of the preseason, though, which could put him on a minutes restriction for the first handful of games.
9/10/2018	Devin Booker, Pho, G
Booker underwent surgery on his right hand Monday and is expected to be sidelined six weeks. Analysis: That timetable makes Booker, the Suns' leading scorer at 24.9 points per game last season, unlikely to be ready for the team's Oct. 18 season opener. The high-scoring guard still shouldn't miss more than a handful of games, which won't impact his fantasy stock too much.