NBA News Wire
NBA notebook: Nets’ Karasev has knee surgery
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
Brooklyn Nets guard/forward Sergey Karasev has undergone successful surgery on his right knee, the team announced Friday.
The surgery was performed Thursday by the Nets’ medical director, Dr. Riley Williams III, along with Dr. David Altchek, at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan.
Karasev, who suffered the injury Wednesday night against the Miami Heat, played in 33 games (16 starts) for Brooklyn this season, posting averages of 4.6 points and 2.0 rebounds in 16.8 minutes per contest.
—Golden State Warriors center Marreese Speights was suspended for one game without pay for pleading no contest earlier this month to reckless driving in Florida.
Speights was to serve the suspension during Friday night’s game against the Denver Nuggets.
Speights was arrested in Tampa in August on the morning of his 27th birthday and initially charged with driving under the influence. He paid $903 in fines and court costs with the no contest plea.
—Washington Wizards center Kevin Seraphin was fined $15,000 on Friday after he made excessive contact and pulled Memphis Grizzlies forward Jon Leuer to the floor on a dunk attempt during a game Thursday night.
Seraphin was called for a flagrant foul-2 and ejected with 22 seconds remaining in the third quarter of the Wizards’ 107-87 victory over the Grizzlies at the Verizon Center.
The Wizards were leading by 23 points when Seraphin committed the foul as Leuer was dunking at the end of a fast break. It appeared that Seraphin hit Leuer on the head and then pulled him down by an arm. The referees originally ruled the foul a flagrant-1 but changed the call to flagrant-2, which carries an automatic ejection, after reviewing the play.
Leuer was able to remain in the game.
—Fans in Denver will see “The Splash Brothers” in street clothes as opposed to their uniforms. The Golden State Warriors rested All-Star guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson for Friday night’s game against the Denver Nuggets.
The Warriors had the luxury of giving their best players a night off because they lead the Memphis Grizzlies by seven games for the top seed in the Western Conference. Golden State also was playing a fifth game in seven nights.
Besides Curry and Thompson, starting center Andrew Bogut and reserve guard Andre Iguodala are also getting the night off. Additionally backup forward Marreese Speights is serving a one-game league suspension for pleading no contest to reckless driving in Florida.
—Paul George was hoping to return to play for the Indiana Pacers this weekend. Now he’s not so sure he’ll play at all this season.
The Pacers guard told reporters at practice on Friday that he was concerned his return would affect the team’s chemistry. The Pacers have won seven consecutive games and 13 of the last 15.
The two-time All-Star said he feels good about his recovery from a broken right leg that he suffered while playing for Team USA in an exhibition on Aug. 1. George said he’s evaluating his status day by day with no return date set in stone.
—The Phoenix Suns signed 7-foot center Earl Barron on Friday for the remainder of the season.
Barron signed his first 10-day contract with the club on Feb. 21 and his second 10-day on March 3. The 33-year-old has appeared in eight games (one start) with Phoenix this season, averaging 1.1 points and 0.8 rebounds in 5.7 minutes.
Barron averaged a double-double in 27 games with the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Development League this season, posting 20.3 points and 10.9 rebounds.
—The Dallas Mavericks recalled center/forward Dwight Powell from the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League on Friday.
Powell has appeared in 19 games for the Mavericks this season, averaging 3.5 points and 2.2 rebounds in 10 minutes per game.
The 6-foot-11, 240-pound Powell played in one game during his most recent assignment to the D-League and finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds and two assists in the 122-119 loss to the Delaware 87ers. He is averaging 29.5 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steal, 1.3 blocks and 36.4 minutes in four games (all starts) for the Legends this season.
