Toronto Raptors: Weekly NBA news, including Fred Hoiberg fired
Every Wednesday we take you beyond the Toronto Raptors, around the NBA. This week’s highlights include Fred Hoiberg being fired, Markelle Fultz receiving a diagnosis, and more.
The Toronto Raptors are 20-5 and in first place in the entire NBA, but what’s been happening around the rest of the league? We take a look at Fred Hoiberg‘s firing, Markelle Fultz injury, and an unlikely veteran being signed by the Grizzlies.
Fred Hoiberg Fired
25 games into the 2018-2019 season and Fred Hoiberg is out. The 5-20 Bulls decided that after 3+ seasons, it was time to part ways with the former Iowa State head coach.
I don’t think Fred Hoiberg is a very good head coach. At different points throughout his career, he has looked weak, felt overwhelmed, and been unimaginative. But to fire him at this point in the season feels brash.
The Bulls didn’t have a talented roster coming into the season. With injuries to Kris Dunn and Lauri Markkanen, it was terrible. Should Fred Hoiberg be blamed for not winning with Antonio Blakeney and Ryan Arcidiacono?
This season was clearly the straw that broke the camel’s back, but if the Bulls were this close to firing him anyways they should have done so in the offseason. A strange move for Chicago.
Markelle Fultz diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome
It appears we may finally be getting to the bottom of what is up with Markelle Fultz. On Tuesday, Fultz’s agent, Raymond Brothers, announced that Fultz has been diagnosed with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.
According to Brothers, the condition:
"“affects nerves between the neck and shoulder resulting in abnormal functional movement and range of motion, thus severely limiting Markelle’s ability to shoot a basketball."
Fultz is expected to rehab for approximately 3-6 weeks according to reports by Adrian Wojnarowski.
It’s fair to be skeptical of any report coming from Raymond Brothers and Fultz’s camp. We’ve heard many positive spins before, but have yet to see a workable NBA jumpshot. Hopefully, this does help Fultz moving forward whether it is with the 76ers or another team.
Joakim Noah signs with Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies needed a backup center. We all love rookie Jaren Jackson Jr., and eventually, he will be able to play center, but at this time, he clearly wasn’t getting the job done.
When Jackson was on the floor without Marc Gasol, the Grizzlies were being outscored by more than 10 points per 100 possessions. A change had to be made.
But did that change need to be Noah? Noah is a former All-NBA player, two-time all-star, and Defensive Player of the Year. He also hasn’t played consistent basketball since 2016-2017 and hasn’t played more than 46 games since 2014-2015.
Clearly, the Grizzlies think Noah can still be impactful in a reduced role. He’ll only need to play 15 minutes per game and probably will be able to sit out back-to-backs. If that’s the case, perhaps he can make an impact.
Count me as skeptical. We saw a similar — although not identical — situation in Houston with Carmelo Anthony. When a player loses it, the dropoff can be stark, and it’s hard to picture Noah having it anymore.
Raptors five most critical games of December. dark. Next
Best stories from around the NBA
Taking Stock of Joel Embiid’s MVP-Caliber Season:
After a long-winding road, Joel Embiid is in the MVP discussion. Kevin O’Connor breaks down just what has made Embiid so good this season.
These Bulls still have so far to go:
Fred Hoiberg might be gone, but the Bulls are far from fixed. Zach Lowe discusses why the Chicago Bulls still have far to go before they are a viable franchise once again.