NBA News Wire
NBA roundup: Durant waits patiently for foot to heal
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
Kevin Durant says he will not rush back from surgery to repair a fracture in his right foot.
Durant could miss two months with the Oklahoma City Thunder, projecting his return close to Christmas from what the reigning MVP said is his first real injury. Surgeons placed a screw in Durant’s right foot to promote healing. The surgery is not always necessary, but Durant opted after consulting several doctors to have the corrective procedure.
“It’s something that’s definitely going to help my foot and make it better in the long run,” Durant said.
Durant said he had a heart-to-heart conversation with point guard Russell Westbrook to encourage the All-Star to take the reins of the team.
—Veteran guard John Lucas III signed a one-year deal with the Washington Wizards.
Lucas, undrafted in 2005 from Oklahoma State, spent his first six seasons with Houston, Chicago, Toronto and Utah. Lucas, 31, went to training camp with the Boston Celtics.
He has appeared in 216 career regular season games (eight starts) while averaging 4.8 points and 1.4 assists in 12.2 minutes. Last season, Lucas appeared in 42 games with Utah and averaged 3.8 points and 1.0 assists in 14.1 minutes.
—The Atlanta Hawks reduced their roster to 15 players on Tuesday by waiving forward Jarell Eddie and center Dexter Pittman.
The Hawks were left without roster spots for Eddie and Pittman after signing free-agents Thabo Sefolosha and Kent Bazemore and drafting center Adreian Payne during the offseason.
Eddie, a rookie from Virginia Tech, averaged 2.8 points in three preseason games. Pittman is a four-year NBA veteran who has spent time with the Miami Heat, Memphis Grizzlies and the Hawks.
—The Dallas Mavericks’ experiment with Yuki Togashi lasted less than a week, as the team requested waivers on the 5-foot-7 Japanese point guard along with forward Eric Griffin on Tuesday.
Togashi, who weighs 143 pounds, was signed Oct. 15 but did not see any game action. He was most recently a member of the Mavericks’ NBA Summer League team. In his four games, he averaged 5.3 points and 1.3 rebounds while shooting .467 from the field. Togashi could land with the Mavs’ D-League affiliate, the Texas Legends.
Griffin was signed July 18 after averaging 9.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 1.3 steals and 19.3 minutes for the Mavericks’ Las Vegas Summer League team. He saw action in two preseason games.
