Wags News TheFoxPosts.com

It doesn't sound like we'll see Ben Simmons for the remainder of the season, as the Brooklyn Nets announced Friday evening that the guard has been diagnosed with a nerve impingement in his back, which will keep him sidelined. Simmons, who hasn't played since Feb. 15 due to knee and back soreness, has been in and out of the Nets lineup all season due to various ailments, but this most recent one has been the most lengthy, going on 15 consecutive games missed. Per the Nets announcement: "Ben Simmons has been diagnosed with a nerve impingement in his back after a reevaluation earlier today. He will remain out of action while we determine the best long-term course of treatment." The back diagnosis comes on the heels of Simmons having fluid drained from his knee while also receiving a PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injection prior to the All-Star break. However, that treatment didn't solve the...

There's been quite a bit of talk about the Rookie of the Year race in recent weeks, as we've seen Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Jalen Williams take a huge leap since the start of 2023. It's true, Williams seems to be progressing at a rapid rate, constantly outdoing his numbers from the month prior and playing an essential role in the Thunder's late-season push to secure a playoff spot in the Western Conference.  However, as brilliant as Williams has been in recent months, Orlando Magic rookie Paolo Banchero has been that all season long. It's fair to forget about how impressive the 2022 No. 1 overall pick has been this season given he's consistently put up big numbers, but we can't get sucked into recency bias when it comes to Rookie of the Year. There isn't another rookie in this class that is doing what Banchero has been doing since Day 1. If anything Williams has just made the r...

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant has been suspended eight games without pay for conduct detrimental to the league, the NBA announced on Wednesday. The suspension stems from an Instagram Live video Morant posted in which he had a gun at a Denver-area nightclub following a game against the Nuggets on March 3. The suspension includes the five Game s that he has already missed , making him eligible to return to the team on Monday, March 20 against the Dallas Mavericks. He is not expected to play in that Game , though, as it will be the beginning of his ramp-up, according to Chris Herrington of the Daily Memphian , but he should be on the court soon after that. Morant met with NBA commissioner Adam Silver on Wednesday.  Here's part of the league's statement: The discipline is in response to Morant's live streaming of a video on March 4 in which he is holding a firearm in an intoxicated state while visitin...

For the second-straight Game , and ninth time in the last 12 contests, the Dallas Mavericks added another loss to their record Monday night. Except this one stung a bit more compared to the previous 34, because it was the one that dropped the team below .500 for the first time since mid-December. With a 34-35 record, Dallas is clinging on to the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference by just a half- Game . And while the crowded nature of the West this season provides hope for teams like the Mavs and everyone else jumbled between the No. 5 and No. 12 spots in the conference, it feels like Dallas is the only team playing without any sense of urgency.  Following the loss to Memphis on Monday night, here's what head coach Jason Kidd had to say in response to being asked about when concern kicks in now that the team has a losing record: "Once the season's over," Kidd said. When told it may be too late ...

Ja Morant was suspended for at least two Game s by the Memphis Grizzlies after he appeared to brandish a gun at a Denver-area club in a social media video over the weekend after a Game against the Nuggets. But, the star guard could potentially end up serving a much longer suspension if it turns out that he brought the gun on team premises. That includes Memphis' plane, bus or locker room.  The league and Colorado police have launched investigations  into the situation, and the NBA could ultimately decide to fine Morant, or hit him with a lengthy suspension if he's found guilty of wrongdoing. The current Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NBA and NBPA states explicitly that a player is prohibited from carrying a firearm while traveling on any league-related business. So the question becomes: Did Morant have the gun on team premises? That's likely exactly what the league is looking into at thi...

The NBA has rescinded Giannis Antetokounmpo's 10th rebound from the Milwaukee Bucks' 117-111 win over the Washington Wizards on Sunday, thus eliminating what was originally his fourth triple-double of the season. Antetokounmpo had attempted to stat-pad his way to the mark.   When Corey Kispert missed a 3-pointer with 10 seconds remaining, the Wizards were ready to concede. All that was left was for the Bucks to dribble out the clock, but Antetokounmpo had other ideas. The two-time MVP had grabbed Kispert's errant shot for his ninth rebound of the Game , and was just one board shy of a triple-double . So he hustled down to the other end of the floor, and with one second remaining intentionally missed a layup so he could get the offensive rebound. While that was initially counted as his 10th rebound, league rules state that in order for a shot attempt to be official, the player has to take it "wit...

The 2023 NBA trade deadline is rapidly approaching. Teams now have three days to finalize their remaining business before the trade market is closed for the season at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, Feb. 9. Some teams, like the Brooklyn Nets and Dallas Mavericks , may look to get things done ahead of time, but others will be working the phones right up until the final minutes.  As the rumor mill continues to churn, here's a look at some of the latest news and notes from around the league: Nets, Mavericks make Irving trade official The Nets-Mavericks blockbuster involving Kyrie Irving was reported on Sunday but did not become official until early on Monday evening. That's because the Nets were exploring options to expand the deal into a three-team trade. One such possibility the Nets were interested in, according to Marc Stein, was acquiring Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet. Stein added that the Nets were intere...

Rui Hachimura has made a strong impression on the court as he's adjusted to life as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. Through four Game s in purple and gold, the fourth-year forward is averaging 13.3 points on over 52 percent shooting while the Lakers have won his 113 minutes by 16 points. Acquired from the Wizards in a January trade, Hachimura has given the Lakers a sorely needed body at forward, and after starting the past two Game s, he will likely remain a starter for the rest of the season. But Hachimura is endearing himself to Lakers fans in more ways than just his play. In Washington, he wore the No. 8. With the Lakers, that number was obviously retired for Kobe Bryant, so what did Hachimura pick as his new number when he arrived in Los Angeles? No. 28, a move that, according to team owner Jeanie Buss, was made to honor both Kobe and his daughter Gianna Bryant. "Our new player, Hachimura, I me...

It was just one game, but it appears Joel Embiid is tired of being disrespected. He's been vocal about losing out on NBA MVP honors to Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic in each of the past two seasons. Then, on Thursday, Embiid was the odd man out when Eastern Conference All-Star starters were named. Perhaps releasing a bit of frustration, the big man dropped 47 points and 18 rebounds on Saturday as his Philadelphia 76ers beat Jokic's Nuggets to earn their seventh straight victory. An extra prize for Embiid is that the win helped earn the 76ers the top spot in this week's NBA Power Ran kings , dethroning the Boston Celtics, who fell prey to the Power Ran kings Curse in a 1-3 week. The biggest risers this week were the Los Angeles Clippers, who moved into the top five and are finally starting to play like the preseason favorite many pegged them as. Moving up five spots into the top 10 are the New Yo...