NBA News Roundup: Kawhi Leonard, Ben Simmons and Jamal Murray make their returns, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar calls Kyrie Irving 'comical buffoon' and more | October 4, 2022
Several stars who missed all of last season made their return on Monday, October 3, which was Day 5 of the NBA preseason.
Kawhi Leonard, Jamal Murray and Ben Simmons played for the first time in over a year. All three are fully healthy and are expected to help their respective teams contend for the championship.
Meanwhile, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has criticized Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving for his antics in the offseason. The NBA legend even called Irving a "comical buffoon" for sharing a video of Alex Jones, a far-right radio host and conspiracy theorist.
Here is the latest NBA News Roundup for Oct. 4, 2022, brought to you by Sportskeeda.
Evan Mobley suffers ankle sprain, out for 1-2 weeks
The Cleveland Cavaliers could be without Evan Mobley at the start of the regular season in two weeks.
The Cavaliers announced on Monday that Mobley suffered a right ankle sprain during practice. The 21-year-old big man will be out for 1-2 weeks and is already undergoing treatment.
https://t.co/VEtavBDtVg
That means Mobley will miss the Cavaliers' four preseason games starting on Wednesday (October 5) against the Philadelphia 76ers. Cleveland will have three games next week against the Sixers, Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic. They will open the season on the road in Toronto on Oct. 19.
Mobley was one of the best rookies in the NBA last season. He finished second behind the Toronto Raptors' Scottie Barnes in the Rookie of the Year rankings. Some experts even suggested that Mobley should have won the award ahead of Barnes.
The Cavs big man averaged 15.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.7 blocks per game last season.
Kawhi Leonard, Ben Simmons and Jamal Murray make their returns
Kawhi Leonard, Jamal Murray and Ben Simmons all missed the entirety of last season due to injuries. Leonard and Murray were out due to ACL injuries, while Simmons had back and mental health issues.
The three stars made their returns for their respective teams on Monday.
Leonard had 11 points, four rebounds and two assists in 16 minutes of action against the Portland Trail Blazers. Murray played 15 minutes and had 10 points, two rebounds and two assists in the Denver Nuggets' loss to the OKC Thunder.
Meanwhile, Simmons put up six points, four rebounds and five assists for the Brooklyn Nets against his former team, the Philadelphia 76ers. All three players are fully healthy entering the 2022-23 NBA season and are expected to be important for their respective teams' success.
KAWHI FEELIN’ IT! https://t.co/7PDY8t0Ab7
NBA Preseason Day 5 Results
Five games took place on Monday, Oct. 3, as part of the NBA preseason.
Ben Simmons was reunited with his former team, the Philadelphia 76ers, at the Barclays Center. The Sixers defeated the Brooklyn Nets 127-108 as Tyrese Maxey put up 20 points and had three assists.
Ja Morant looks like he's ready to continue his meteoric rise to the top the NBA. He put up 22 points, four rebounds and seven assists in the Memphis Grizzlies' 109-97 win against the Orlando Magic. Santi Aldama added 21 points and is poised to replace Kyle Anderson in the Grizzlies' starting lineup.
Elsewhere, Josh Giddey looked unstoppable for the OKC Thunder in their 112-101 win over the Denver Nuggets. Giddey almost had a triple-double in 25 minutes with 14 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists.
Meanwhile, the LA Lakers did not look good against the Sacramento Kings, losing 105-75. LeBron James had only four points in 16 minutes, but Anthony Davis put up a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds. The Kings' rookie forward Keegan Murray had 16 points and six rebounds off the bench.
Finally, the LA Clippers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 102-97 to end Day 5 of the NBA preseason. Kawhi Leonard made his long-awaited return and scored 11 points, while Paul George added 12 points and seven rebounds. Damian Lillard put up 16 points for the Blazers.
Leonard missed all of last season, while George and Lillard both missed a good chunk of games due to their respective injuries.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar calls Kyrie Irving a 'comical buffoon'
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was very upset with Kyrie Irving's latest antics. The NBA legend criticized the Brooklyn Nets star in his latest piece on Substack.
Abdul-Jabbar called out Irving for sharing a video of controversial far-wright radio host Alex Jones last month.
"Irving is back and more destructive, insensitive, and just plain silly than before," Abdul-Jabbar wrote. "He decided it would be a good idea to post a 2002 video clip from Infowars founder Alex Jones. Yeah, the guy who has been on trial for denying the Sandy Hook shootings."
The LA Lakers legend even called Irving a "comical buffoon" for his antics over the past year. He believes that Irving has tarnished the reputations of athletes such as LeBron James and Muhammad Ali, who use their influence to improve society.
"Kyrie Irving would be dismissed as a comical buffoon if it weren’t for his influence over young people who look up to athletes," Abdul Jabbar wrote.
"When I look at some of the athletes who have used their status to actually improve society — Colin Kaepernick, LeBron James, Muhammad Ali, Bill Russel, Billie Jean King, Arthur Ashe, and more — it becomes clear how much Irving has tarnished the reputations of all athletes who strive to be seen as more than dumb jocks."
Let’s make sure our kids have the right kind of role models. Kyrie Irving should reconsider his behavior because young people look up
to him. https://t.co/FyEQmE14Om
Former NBA All-Star explains why he joined the Celtics
The Boston Celtics have added six-time NBA All-Star Blake Griffin to their roster ahead of the 2022-23 season.
Griffin is not the same player he once was, but has a decent 3-point shot and will show some hustle on the defensive end. He outlined his reasons for signing with Boston during a conversation with Taylor Snow of NBA.com.
"Boston has always been one of those places as an NBA player where I feel like guys have a pretty cool experience playing there," Griffin said.
"Beyond that, just the core they have. ... This young core and the foundation they laid last year sets the table. This is the kind of opportunity you couldn't pass up."
Blake Griffin joined his first practice today and was immediately impressed by the team's chemistry and maturity. https://t.co/Rg9wITvexj
Griffin will hope to help a Celtics roster that has been hit by injuries to Danilo Gallinari and Robert Williams III.