NBA News Wire
NBA roundup: Injury fears led to Durant bolting Team USA
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
It was fear, not fatigue, that pushed Kevin Durant away from Team USA this summer.
Durant, currently sidelined with a foot injury, reveals in an upcoming HBO documentary that watching as Indiana Pacers forward Paul George fell hard into a basket support at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, fracturing his right leg, he no longer felt comfortable as part of Team USA.
Durant left the team but said at the time it was because of fatique and not anything to do with George’s accident. Durant is also shown talking to coach Mike Krzyzewski and appears visibly shaken when he says softly “I feel like I’m letting somebody down and I hate that feeling.”
—Memphis Grizzlies guard Tony Allen was ordered to pay a $15,000 fine by the NBA on Tuesday after intentionally striking a camera during a 93-81 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
The incident occurred on the baseline with 10:01 remaining in the third quarter of a game Monday night in FedEx Forum in Memphis.
In four games this season, Allen is averaging 7.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
—The Grizzlies signed guard Kalin Lucas to an undisclosed contract on Tuesday.
Lucas played in eight preseason games for the Grizzlies and averaged 3.1 points and 1.0 assists. He also spent time with the Grizzlies’ 2014 Orlando Pro Summer League team. The Grizzlies previously signed Lucas on Sept. 25 and waived him on Oct. 25.
The 25-year-old Lucas played for the Iowa Energy in the NBA Development League last season and averaged 15.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists. He was sent back to the Energy, an affiliate of the Grizzlies, after this preseason.
