The 2016-17 NBA regular season is right around the corner now and with preseason action underway there has been plenty to talk about around the league. The Philadelphia 76ers caught a bad break when their rookie first-overall pick suffered a significant injury that will keep him out for at least the first couple of months of the season while the Sacramento Kings will be without a starting guard for the first three weeks of the season for a much different reason. Here is a look at some important news that you need to know about this week in the NBA.
Simmons Injured For 76ers
Rookie first-overall pick Ben Simmons will miss three months after having surgery on the broken bone he suffered in his right foot last Friday. The No. 1 overall pick suffered the injury when he landed on another player’s foot in practice. Team president Bryan Colangelo has said the team will not rush Simmons back and that he could miss an extended period of time to allow him to recover properly and then rehab the foot. There has been some speculation that the increased weight Simmons has put on over the past couple of months had something to do with the injury but there is no confirmed link. Simmons has gained 33 pounds since he was drafted by the 76ers in an effort to bulk up for the rigors of the NBA.
This is terrible news for a 76ers organization that can’t seem to catch any good breaks from that front. Former first round pick Joel Embiid has already missed two seasons to injuries while Nerlens Noel and some other key cogs have also been banged up. Maybe this works out well for the 76ers, though, as now they can have a terrible start to the season and begin tanking for the first overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Collison Suspended For Kings
Kings guard Darren Collison has been suspended without pay for the first eight games of the 2016-17 NBA regular season after pleading guilty on a misdemeanor charge of domestic battery. Collision will still be allowed to practice with the Kings, but the domestic violence incident means he will miss the team’s first eight games. Collison received three years of informal probation and a 20-day jail sentence for the incident, which involved his wife at their home in Sacramento back in May. The Kings already lost Rajon Rondo and Marco Belinelli in the offseason, so they could be forced to explore free agency or potential trades for some guard help for the first couple of weeks of the season. In the mean time, Ty Lawson will take over the starting duties assuming the Kings see him fit for that role.
Rose Has Strong Camp With Knicks
Derrick Rose called his first training camp with the New York Knicks the best of his career. Rose told reporters that he is in “great condition”, with the coaching staff and trainers mentioning how impressed they have been by his stamina after incorporating a wearable technology that the Knicks players are using during practice. Health is undoubtedly the biggest concern for Rose heading in to this season. The former MVP played in 66 games for the Chicago Bulls last season, which was his highest total since starting 81 games for them in the 2010-11 season. We’ll see if this is all just hot air as Rose hasn’t looked like an MVP the last couple of seasons.
Hield Shines For Pelicans In Preseason
The New Orleans Pelicans have been impressed with what they have seen from their 2016 first round pick so far this preseason as Buddy Hield is off to an excellent start. The rookie sixth-overall pick shined in a 116-102 win over the Dallas Mavericks over the weekend, scoring 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting while recording six rebounds and three assists. His teammates talked after the game about his strong start to his NBA career and how he is living up to the nickname he gave himself, which is “Buddy Buckets”. The Pelicans desperately need Hield to be the franchise guard that compliments their strong set of big men led by Anthony Davis and Hield has certainly made a strong early impression so far this preseason.
