Kobe Bryant has announced his retirement from the NBA at the end of this season as NBA Odds fans might have seen, but it’s still possible that he will make the 2016 Olympic team that will head to Brazil. USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo told Marc Stein of ESPN.com, “We have this whole season to look at all of our players.” It’s hard to imagine Bryant having much of a role, but it’s unlikely that the national team will be as picky with this elder statesman as the men’s soccer team was with Landon Donovan.
NBA Odds Courtside News and Rumors
With Harrison Barnes sidelined, @warriors plan to get creative #Shootaround: https://t.co/7w6bhHm0ic pic.twitter.com/3YJyk3oN3H
— NBA.com (@NBAcom) November 30, 2015
Harrison Barnes missed Saturday’s game with the Golden State Warriors because of a left ankle sprain and is expected to miss the first three games of their seven-game jaunt around the country. Acting head coach Luke Walton inserted Brandon Rush into the starting lineup at small forward, which is expected to be the status quo until Barnes comes back.
Charlotte Hornets center Al Jefferson missed Sunday’s contest against the Bucks with an injured left calf. Head coach Steve Clifford told the Gaston Gazette, “He’s going to have a MRI Monday…he’s been our best rebounder, which has been a weakness.” Expect Spencer Hawes or Cody Zeller to get the starts at center in the meantime.
The Washington Wizards are still a little confused on offense after the first 14 games of the season. Center Marcin Gortat told The Washington Post, “It’s tough…because in the system we play – four outside, one inside – I’m by myself in there fighting for rebounds, and usually we got two, three guys inside the paint. So it’s a little different without Nene Hilario being at the four. Jared Dudley is a different player. He’s giving a lot to the team, and I love to play with him, but just as Jared is giving us offensively great opportunities, we are suffering on the rebounds a little bit.” Coach Randy Wittman pulled Kris Humphries out of the starting lineup, starting Dudley instead. The Wizards have also come to terms with center Ryan Hollins, but they need to get a player off their 15-man roster to add Hollins. The most likely candidate is Martell Webster, who is missing the whole season with right hip surgery. His contract runs through 2016-17 but he only gets $2.5 million in salary protection if the waiver comes before July 1.
Milwaukee Bucks coach Jason Kidd moved Jabari Parker and Michael Carter-Williams to the bench, starting O.J. Mayo and Jerryd Bayless again. Carter-Williams told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, “If I’m a coach, I wouldn’t start me either. Whatever minutes I get, I’m going to come in and try to help the team, cheer from the bench and try to cheer my teammates on. I know it’s hard right now. I think things will get better.” The Bucks lost their next game to the Hornets, so things still aren’t all that great.
Miami Heat forward Luol Deng has missed two games with a left hamstring strain and might have to rest more. He told the Miami Herald, “My jump shot is fine. I’m able to slide and do a lot. It’s when I try to sprint, and I’m trying to just take off. That’s when it’s troubling me. I dealt with a hamstring before, but it was a lot worse than this one.”
