NBA Player News: All Positions
Anthony
Davis
LAL - PF
Rotowire:
Oct 14, 3:02p ET
News: Davis' MRI results for a sprained right thumb were negative, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Impact: Davis wasn't determined to have any major structural damage in his right thumb. The result, which was a huge boon for the Lakers, won't preclude Davis from missing the remainder of the preseason, however. The star center's been ruled out for Monday's tilt with the Warriors and could miss further time depending on what level of discomfort his hand is in. That said, considering the MRI results, Davis should be ready for opening night against the Clippers a week from now.
Paul
George
LAC - SF
Rotowire:
Oct 12, 5:23p ET
News: George (shoulder), according to coach Doc Rivers, "is not going to be here for the first 10 [games]," Mark Medina of USA Today reports.
Impact: A definitive timetable for George's return from double-shoulder surgery has yet to be announced, but it appears he might be out until Nov. 13 against Houston. Assuming that holds up, Lou Williams may have to carry additional minutes and scoring burden, while Mo Harkless and JaMychal Green could see an uptick in workload as well.
Anthony
Davis
LAL - PF
Rotowire:
Oct 12, 1:57p ET
News: Davis' thumb injury is expected to be a Grade 1 sprain and he will undergo an MRI on Sunday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Impact: It appears Davis has avoided any ligament damage, but the Lakers will due their due diligence in further testing the scope of Davis' injury. Regardless of outcome, there's a strong chance that the Lakers will hold the star big man out for the remainder of the preseason with hopes that he'll be available on opening night against the Clippers.
Eric
Bledsoe
MIL - PG
Rotowire:
Oct 11, 10:02a ET
News: Bledsoe will miss the next 2-to-3 weeks with a small fracture in his ribs, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Impact: This news suggests that Bledsoe, who was originally diagnosed with an oblique strain, will at least miss the regular-season opener against the Rockets on Oct. 24 and will be close to returning Oct. 26 at home against the Heat. George Hill stands the most to gain from Bledsoe's upcoming absence.
Paul
George
LAC - SF
Rotowire:
Sep 29, 5:20p ET
News: George (shoulder) will be held out of the entirety of the Clippers' training camp and preseason schedule and said he's hopeful to make his team debut at some point in November, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN reports.
Impact: This isn't exactly surprising news, but the Clippers haven't said much about George's recovery from a pair of offseason shoulder surgeries, so confirmation that he'll remain on the shelf for at least a few more weeks is an interesting development. Specifically, George told Shelburne that he hopes to be back on the floor "November-ish," which would imply that the All-Star forward is planning to miss at least the first week of the regular season. The Clippers tip off the season on Oct. 22 against the Lakers and play six games before the end of October.
DeMarcus
Cousins
LAL - C
Rotowire:
Aug 15, 1:46p ET
News: Cousins sustained a torn ACL in his left knee during a workout earlier this week, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Impact: Cousins returned in mid-January from a torn left Achilles' tendon and went on to play 30 regular-season and eight playoff contests for the Warriors, with a torn left quadriceps tendon suffered April 15 keeping him out for 14 postseason contests. While he handled a more limited minutes load than he had before he tore his Achilles, Cousins showed occasional flashes of his prior form, which was enough for him to land a contract with the Lakers this summer. Cousins had been in line to either start at center or handle a prominent role on the second unit, but the torn ACL likely means that the big man will be sidelined for the entire 2019-20 regular season and potentially the postseason, too. Cousins' injury is not only a significant blow to the Lakers, but also his rest-of-career outlook, which had already been on the downturn due to the prior serious injury. Cousins will spend the next several months rehabbing under the supervision of the Lakers' training staff before hitting free agency again next summer, when he'll likely be forced to settle for a one-year, prove-it deal once again.
CJ
McCollum
POR - SG
Rotowire:
Jul 30, 2:04p ET
News: McCollum agreed to a three-year, $100 million contract extension with the Trail Blazers on Tuesday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Impact: McCollum is just two years into his last extension, which was for $106 million over four years, but the organization appears to not want to waste any time in locking up their star backcourt duo. Damian Lillard already signed his supermax deal back at the start of free agency, and now, with McCollum locked in, the pairing will be under contract in Portland for at least the next five seasons. McCollum has averaged at least 20 points per game in each of the last four seasons and has emerged as one of the league's better isolation scoring guards in the process.
Paul
George
LAC - SF
Rotowire:
Jul 25, 3:28p ET
News: George said Wednesday that there's "no set date" for him to make his Clippers debut while he recovers from offseason surgeries on both shoulders, Ben Golliver of The Washington Post reports.
Impact: Though he turned in the best season of his career in 2018-19, George faded down the stretch while playing through a sore right shoulder. Shortly after the Thunder were eliminated from the playoffs in late April, George underwent a procedure to repair a partially torn tendon in the rotator cuff of his right shoulder, then went under the knife again a month later to repair the labrum in his left shoulder. The pair of surgeries didn't deter the Clippers from swooping in to acquire George earlier this month, even with the knowledge that his availability for the start of the regular season could be in question. Further clarity on where exactly George stands in his recovery may not come until the Clippers hold training camp, but the potential of him missing multiple games early in the season could make the forward one of the riskier first- or second-round selections in fantasy drafts.
