Houston Rockets: John Wall is welcoming his new role in Houston as trade talks continue
Moving John Wall’s $90M+ contract is going to be near impossible for the Houston Rockets to do at this point, but the veteran point guard does not seem to mind his current role with the organization. Seeing as he is making over $40M this season to sit the bench, there is no reason why Wall should not be happy!
General Manager Rafael Stone and John Wall seem to have a very strong relationship with one another and Stone mentioned that he and Wall are constantly talking to discuss what is going on not only in trade talks, but in terms of player development as well.
When talking about his role with the Rockets right now, John Wall stated, “My job here is to be a mentor.” With a ton of rookies coming in and a handful of guys still on their rookie contracts, Wall holds a significant role on this team, even if he is not playing. Player development is key for Houston right now and while he wants to be traded, John Wall has embraced his role as “mentor” for the Rockets young backcourt talents.
Indiana Pacers: T.J. Warren will almost definitely miss the start of the new season
The injury bug has hit the Pacers hard over the years and it took out T.J. Warren last season, as Warren only played in four games before suffering a season-ending foot injury that required surgery. The multi-talented wing has not been cleared yet, but there is optimism within the Pacers organization that he will be back before 2022.
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“I’ll be re-evaluated in 3 weeks,” Warren told the media. “[I] will eventually get on the court this season. Just not sure when.” Head coach Rick Carlisle also gave an update on T.J. Warren and said he hopes that Warren will be back in a matter of “weeks and not months.”
At this point, with the 2021-22 season set to begin in three weeks, T.J. Warren will almost definitely miss the start of the new season, which could wind up being detrimental to the Pacers’ success early on.
Los Angeles Clippers: No timetable has been laid out for Kawhi’s return
One of the key stars of the NBA that will be missing on Opening Night this season will be Kawhi Leonard, who is currently working his way back from offseason ACL surgery. Kawhi injured his right knee in the Western Conference Semifinals against the Utah Jazz and while he and the Clippers downplayed the injury at first, it was later revealed that the 2x Finals MVP suffered a partial ACL tear.
No timetable was released for Leonard when this injury first occurred and still, there is no projected recovery time for him. Head coach Ty Lue stated that he expects Kawhi Leonard to be with the team for the majority of the season, but he did note that Kawhi would be doing a lot of the rehabbing away from the team back at his home.
In terms of a projected recovery date, Kawhi Leonard himself did not offer much to reporters as he said that he is “Just working with the staff day-to-day. When that available date comes, we’ll be ready for it, and it’ll be out in the public.” The Clippers will need Kawhi Leonard back if they are to make another run at the Western Conference Finals, but so far so good in the All-Stars rehab process.
Los Angeles Lakers: Carmelo Anthony ready to win a title in L.A.
One of the Lakers more notable signings in free agency was the acquisition of 10x All-Star Carmelo Anthony. Now set to enter his 29th season in the NBA, there is no other active player who has suited up in more regular-season games without a title than Anthony, but this “curse” may wind up breaking during the 2021-22 season.
“I have been thinking about winning a title for 20 years,” Melo told The Undefeated’s Marc Spears. “Now, with the team that we have and the situation that we have, we really can look forward to competing at that level. That is exciting for me.”
LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook are the three notable All-Stars on the Lakers roster this year, but there is a ton of experienced, veterans talents on this roster is not just Carmelo Anthony, but Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard, DeAndre Jordan, Trevor Ariza, Kent Bazemore and others who could help L.A. win their league-record 18th championship in franchise history this season.
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Winning a title is the only thing Melo has yet to do in his almost definite Hall-of-Fame career, so it should be interesting to see if he can accomplish this feat with his best friend, LeBron James.
Memphis Grizzlies: High expectations placed on Ja Morant
After winning the 2019-20 Rookie of the Year award, Ja Morant followed up his rookie season by taking the Memphis Grizzlies to the playoffs via the play-in tournament. Now, entering his third season in the league, the Grizzlies’ young guard believes he is one of the top guards in the league and so does his GM Zach Kleiman.
After concluding his media session with reporters, Kleiman stated, “Nobody asked a question about Ja Morant. Ja Morant will be an All-Star this season. Just you wait.” Not only does management believe in Morant to be one of the best point guards in the league, but Ja Morant himself believes he is already one of the top players in the league.
“Top 5,” Morant boldly stated to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto. Morant went on to name Curry, Paul, Lillard and Westbrook as being the four other guards ranked inside the Top-5 in the league with him. With all the confidence in the world in himself and his abilities, Ja Morant definitely has a chance to be an All-Star this season, but there are some heavy expectations placed on the 22-year-old point guard entering his third season in the league.
