2021-22 NBA Bric-a-Brac (Week 9)

Signings

Terry Taylor (Pacers) to a 2-way contract

Don't know him but obviously the Pacers like him better than the average no-name youngster (or else this is just a roster shuffling move before a flurry of trades....?). 

Garrison Mathews (Rockets) re-jiggered contract to a 4-year deal 

Yeah! The Rockets have been strangely awesome for the last few weeks and Mathews has been a big part of that. The whole point of youth movement squads is to find keepers like Mathews and elevate them beyond the fringes of G-League-ness. Good move by the Rockets.

10-day contracts

Langston Galloway (Nets), Justin Robinson (Kings), Isaiah Thomas (Lakers), Admiral Schofield (Magic), Aleem Ford (Magic), BJ Johnson (Magic), Hassani Gravett (Magic), Justin Jackson (Celtics), Tyler Hall (Knicks), James Ennis (Nets), Shaq Harrison (Nets), Myles Powell (Sixers), Luke Kornet (Cavs), Freddie Gillespie (Magic), Tyler Johnson (Sixers), CJ Miles (Celtics), Theo Pinson (Mavs), Brandon Goodwin (Raptors), Juwan Morgan (Raptors), Nik Stauskus (Raptors); and Davon Reed (Nuggets) and Alfonzo McKinnie (Bulls) each re-signed to a second 10-day contract

A mix of vets just recently out of the league (McKinnie, Harrison, Johnson Kornet, Ennis, Galloway, for example), guys that never quite found their place in the league (Schofield, Morgan, Pinson, etc.), even a lottery pick that didn't pan out (Stauskus--wasn't your fault, Nik, it was Sacramento) and a lot of dudes I never heard of. 

But, obviously, Isaiah Thomas is the name that stands out. With the rather abysmal collection of grumpy old vets on that roster, I wouldn't at all be surprised to see Thomas do well, get regular playing time and still be on that roster in April, after most of the rest of the dudes are long gone (*cough* Rondo, Jordan, Ariza *cough*). 

Waivings

DeJon Jarreau (Pacers), Danuel House (Rockets), Grant Riller (Sixers) waived; and Stanley Johnson (Bulls) 10-day contract expired

Don't know Jarreau. Hardly knew ye. 

House was let go (to make room for Mathews?), so that he could find a spot on another team--which you gotta figure won't be hard to do as Covid lays the league low (so why hasn't he hooked on somewhere else yet?). 

Riller had injury problems early on, this is probably a roster move to facilitate 10-day contracts and/or trades. 

Everyone on earth is getting 10-day contracts and former lottery pick Johnson couldn't score a re-up? 

Injuries

Anthony Davis (Lakers) out indefinitely (sprained left knee)

No one got hurt this week because they're all in Covid....except for Anthony Davis. Clearly AD is the one guy whose career would be saved by getting Covid. 

Derrick Rose (Knicks) out indefinitely (or 6-8 weeks) after right ankle surgery

Everybody is hurting on depth right now, but this is a real blow to the Knicks, who relied on a lot of minutes from Rose. 

Health & Safety Protocols

Clint Capela (Hawks), Jabari Parker (Celtics), Al Horford (Celtics), Brodric Thomas (Celtics), Grant Williams (Celtics), Juan Hernangomez (Celtics), Kevin Durant (Nets), Day'Ron Sharpe (Nets), Kyrie Irving (Nets), Matt Thomas (Bulls), Devon Dotson (Bulls), Alize Johnson (Bulls), Ed Davis (Cavs), Denzel Valentine (Cavs), Dylan Windler (Cavs), RJ Nembhard Jr (Cavs), Lamar Stevens (Cavs), Jarrett Allen (Cavs), Evan Mobley (Cavs), Isaac Okoro (Cavs), Maxi Kleber (Mavs), Josh Green (Mavs), Andrew Wiggins (Warriors), Jordan Poole (Warriors), Marcus Morris (Clippers), Austin Reaves (Lakers), Avery Bradley (Lakers), Kent Bazemore (Lakers), Kendrick Nunn (Lakers), Ziaire Williams (Grizzlies), Patrick Beverley (Wolves), Jarred Vanderbilt (Wolves), Josh Okogie (Wolves), Anthony Edwards (Wolves), Taurean Prince (Wolves), Miles McBride (Knicks), Immanuel Quickley (Knicks), Quentin Grimes (Knicks), Ignas Brazdekis (Magic), Terrence Ross (Magic), Mo Bamba (Magic), Michael Carter-Williams (Magic), Mychal Mulder (Magic), Andre Drummond (Sixers), Davion Mitchell (Kings), Alex Len (Kings), De'Aaron Fox (Kings), Louis King (Kings), Scottie Barnes (Raptors), Malchi Flynn (Raptors), Fred VanVleet (Raptors), Gary Trent Jr (Raptors), Dalano Banton (Raptors), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Wizards), Marvin Bagley (Kings), Bobby Portis (Bucks), Kevin Knox (Knicks), Mo Wagner (Magic), RJ Hampton (Magic), Bol Bol (Nuggets), Reggie Bullock (Mavs), Pascal Siakam (Raptors), Shake Milton (Sixers), Trae Young (Hawks), Cody Martin (Hornets), Josh Green (Mavs), Danny Green (Sixers), Reggie Jackson (Clippers), Kevin Huerter (Hawks), Lou Williams (Hawks), Timothe Luwawu-Caborrot (Hawks), Nerlens Noel (Knicks), Luka Doncic (Mavs), Trey Burke (Mavs), Cade Cunningham (Pistons), OG Anunoby (Raptors), Damion Lee (Warriors)

Okay....I'll say it: Andrew Wiggins should sue the NBA. They forced him to get medication against his will or they wouldn't let him play. He got the medication....and now they won't let him play anyway. Fuck, man, he could've gotten Covid and missed games without getting the vaccine! If your response is 'think how much worse it would've been for him if he hadn't got the vaccine', then you're a fucking moron. Do you honestly believe Wiggins would be on ventilator right now if not for the vaccine? Andrew Wiggins is arguably one of the healthiest humans on planet earth and the idea that only gov't medicine can save him is pure fucking nonsense and frankly an insult to how well a guy like Wiggins takes care of himself. If you think the gov't forcing medicine on him is the only thing keeping him alive.....then you have lost your fucking mind.

Trey Burke is the only guy in the league that we KNOW isn't vaccinated. So, obviously, this is ALL his fault! Only Burke can be responsible for the other 150 guys that have missed games so far! I mean...right? This is America and we know how to do proper justice: dunk Burke underwater and if he drowns then we'll know he's innocent. 

If the whole point of getting NBA players vaccinated was to keep them from getting the virus and cancelling games (I mean if you get the vaccine you can't get the virus, right?), then obviously the vaccine has been a failure. So what kind of level of delirious Orwellian group think does it take to think that more vaccinations is the answer? Are you seriously trying to tell me that gov't vaccines (that are clearly shown to wear off after 4-6 months) are better than a lifetime of diet and exercise? Really? So the first 15 years of Lebron's career are....what....some kind of fluke? Or has he been in some kind of secret Pfizer program his whole life?

It isn't the virus that kills. It's the co-morbidities. And I dare say not a one of these NBA players has a dangerous body mass index or high blood pressure. These guys don't need a vaccine, they never needed a vaccine, and taking the vaccine hasn't kept any of them from getting the virus or missing games. The vaccine is necessary for some people but NBA ballers have the healthiest hearts and lungs in the Western Hemisphere, there's nothing a vaccine is even gonna do for these guys. 

Instead of holding Andrew Wiggins up as the model of how diet and exercise and hygiene will help us all live a healthy live, we held him down and forced him to get medicine he doesn't need and then showed the world that the medicine doesn't do what we were told it would do. But, yeah, it's Trey Burke's fault, he's the only one that will get fined for missing games. 

Live healthy. If you need the vaccine, go get the vaccine. But if you're a professional athlete, what is a vaccine even gonna do for you? It ain't gonna keep you from missing games, so what does it do? And if you think it's the only thing keeping you alive...*smh*