The Brooklyn Nets confirmed Sunday that center Brook Lopez would miss the remainder of the 2013-14 season with a broken foot, but their next move now comes into the spotlight. General manager Billy King said the Nets will not become a seller in the trade market and will, for now, replace Lopez with what's left on the current roster, reports ESPN New York's Mike Mazzeo.
NBA news roundup: Nets move on without Brook Lopez
The Brooklyn Nets will seek a disabled player exception after confirming center Brook Lopez will miss the rest of the year with a broken foot.
Maddie Meyer
Reggie Evans, Mirza Teletovic, Andray Blatche, Kevin Garnett and Mason Plumlee will collectively replace the All-Star center, but immediately, King said he is filing for a disabled player exception to free up more money -- Brooklyn has the NBA's highest payroll -- giving the Nets a bit of wiggle room for any future trades or midseason signings. Nothing is imminent, however.
Once Lopez is examined, his injured is confirmed and the exception is approved, Brooklyn could sign a player to the non-taxpayer’s midlevel exception for one season, according to Larry Coon’s CBA FAQ.
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Jennings says summer was ‘humbling’
Former Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Jennings entered the summer as a restricted free agent, and he made it clear he thought he was worth a big contract. But as the big guns were signed to their new teams, Jennings' status remained the same. Even when the second-tier group of free agents signed, Jennings was still without a home.
Finally, Jennings earned a three-year, $25 million contract in a sign-and-trade deal that sent him to Detroit.
Jennings told Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe the experience sent him a message.
“I think another thing is the summer just humbled me a lot overall,” Jennings said. “I took a lot of criticism this summer, saying teams didn’t want me, I wasn’t this caliber of player. I call it a humbling summer.
“I had to look at the man in the mirror and ask myself if I was doing everything I was capable of doing,” he added. “There were a lot of distractions, a lot of things I was worried about that weren’t important.”
So far, Jennings is averaging 17.4 points and eight assists per game this season, but his shot selection is still an issue. He’s shooting less than 40 percent from the floor.
Rockets call up Canaan
The Houston Rockets have called up point guard Isaiah Canaan from the D-League to act as a stop-gap to an injured backcourt, according to CSN Houston. Starting point guard Patrick Beverley suffered a broken hand that will keep him out from four to six weeks, and backup Jeremy Lin has been banged up with knee and back injuries this season -- Lin is supposed to be good to play on Monday against Dallas.
That left coach Kevin McHale with only point guard Aaron Brooks in a win on Saturday against the Pistons.
Canaan is averaging 21.7 points and 9.2 assists per game for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
Hawks pick to rehab knees with team
The Atlanta Hawks picked big man Lucas Nogueira 16th in the 2013 NBA Draft but allowed the Brazilian to further develop his game in Spain. But suffering from severe knee tendinitis, Nogueira left Asefa Estudiantes Madrid and will undergo treatment with the Hawks in the States.
He will travel between the team’s facilities and Los Angeles.
The 20-year-old averaged 5.7 points and 4.2 rebounds in 17 minutes per game for Asefa Estudiantes.
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