A new report furthers the idea the Brooklyn Nets are going to utilize a disable player exception to fill the void left by David Nwaba.
Saturday marked the first day the Brooklyn Nets could apply for a hardship extension. This became an option for the team when David Nwaba ruptured his Achilles against the San Antonio Spurs back on December 19 and subsequently received season-ending surgery.
With Kyrie Irving (right shoulder impingement), Caris LeVert (right thumb surgery), Nic Claxton (left hamstring soreness) and, of course, Kevin Durant (right Achilles surgery) all sidelined, along with the Nwaba, the Nets are short-handed — more so than most teams. This meant Brooklyn could apply for a hardship exception, which would allow the Nets to add a 16th player to their roster again — but it would be on a temporary basis, like when the Nets added Iman Shumpert while Wilson Chandler was suspended.
The Brooklyn Nets have taken the steps to replace David Nwaba’s spot on the roster for the remainder of 2019-20.
With David Nwaba suffering a ruptured Achilles in Brooklyn’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, the Nets could do one of two things: apply for a hardship exception or a disabled player exception.
The hardship exception would allow the Nets to add a 16th player to the roster after Brooklyn’s game on Saturday against the Houston Rockets. But, it would only be on a temporary basis. Also, both Caris LeVert and Kyrie Irving would have to be sidelined and expected to be out for at least two weeks.
The disabled player exception would allow the Nets to add a player for the remainder of the season, but at a limited cost. As ESPN’s Bobby Marks pointed out, the exception would be worth $839,427.
According to Alex Schiffer of The Athletic, the Nets have been granted the exception, and it will be worth $839,000.
If the Nets were to try to re-sign Iman Shumpert, who was waived when Wilson Chandler came back, he could not return for the exception alone.
The Brooklyn Nets have announced David Nwaba will miss the remainder of the 2019-20 season.
David Nwaba’s season officially came to an end on Friday when he underwent surgery.
The Brooklyn Nets wing had ruptured his right Achilles in the team’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday. The Nets deemed the surgery a success on Friday.
Nwaba played in 20 games for the Nets in 2019-20. He averaged 5.2 points per game on 52.1% shooting (42.9 from 3-point territory).
As a result of Nwaba’s injury, along with Kyrie Irving’s right shoulder impingement, Caris LeVert’s surgically right thumb and Kevin Durant’s surgically repaired right Achilles, the Nets can look to add a 16th player to the roster by filing for a hardship exception. They can also file for a disabled player exception.
A hardship exception would allow the Nets to re-sign Iman Shumpert, though only until either LeVert or Irving returns. A disabled player exception would rule out a Shumpert return, though it would allow the Nets to add a player for the remainder of the season.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks points out why Shumpert could not return on a disabled player exception:
The David Nwaba Disabled Player Exception would only be worth $839,427 which is below the prorated minimum for a player. Ex: If the Nets have an open roster spot (they do not) and sign a player like Iman Shumpert, he would be signed for the minimum, not the DPE.
The Brooklyn Nets must continue to make do without Kyrie Irving. He is one of multiple Nets who won’t play against the Atlanta Hawks.
David Nwaba joins the long list of Nets who will not be available for Brooklyn’s game against the last-place team in the Eastern Conference, the 6-23 Atlanta Hawks. Nwaba suffered an Achilles injury on Thursday against the San Antonio Spurs. Multiple reports indicate he tore his right Achilles and will need to undergo season-ending surgery.
In addition to Nwaba, Caris LeVert (right thumb), Nic Claxton (left hamstring soreness) and Kyrie Irving (right shoulder impingement) remain out.
Kenny Atkinson has provided updates on Irving’s workload of late, but the Nets have yet to provide a timetable on his estimated return, unlike LeVert (four to six weeks from the date of his surgery). The Nets have not provided an update on Claxton’s timetable either.
Saturday’s game will mark the 18th in a row which Irving has sat out for the Nets this season.
Following David Nwaba’s devastating injury, the path for Iman Shumpert’s return to Brooklyn doesn’t appear to be simple.
At first, it seemed like all signs pointed to Iman Shumpert returning to the Brooklyn Nets after he was waived by the team just over a week ago.
This appeared possible because David Nwaba went down with an Achilles injury in Thursday’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Multiple reports then indicated the wing tore his Achilles, which means he will need to receive season-ending surgery.
With Nwaba down, along with Caris LeVert (right thumb surgery), Kyrie Irving (right shoulder impingement) and Kevin Durant (right Achilles), the Nets could apply for a hardship exception just before the new year. This would give them a 16th spot on the roster again, though someone would need to be waived once Irving or LeVert returned.
The Nets also have the option of applying for a disabled player exception. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Nets did so on Friday.
But the Nets cannot sign Shumpert on the disabled player exception, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks explains:
The David Nwaba Disabled Player Exception would only be worth $839,427 which is below the prorated minimum for a player. Ex: If the Nets have an open roster spot (they do not) and sign a player like Iman Shumpert, he would be signed for the minimum, not the DPE.
Much like Kenny Atkinson, David Nwaba’s Brooklyn Nets teammates were hit hard by his injury on Thursday.
David Nwaba suffered an Achilles injury in the fourth quarter of Brooklyn’s 118-105 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday. Multiple reports indicate the Nets wing tore his Achilles, which would end his season. He could receive surgery as early as Friday.
Though no one was sure of the injury Nwaba suffered initially, the fact there was no contact which led to his collapse around the perimeter made clear the severity of the situation.
His teammates were struck by what they saw on the court, and Nwaba was still on their mind after the loss, as Joe Harris explained to reporters in San Antonio:
You never want to see that, one of your brothers. He’s part of the Nets family. It’s unfortunate. You think about all the time and work you put in together, how hard he’s worked. You never want to see that happen. … you never want to see injuries like that happen where it’s something significant like that. It makes guys emotional. It’s tough on everybody. And, obviously, that’s where our hearts and minds are at right now, with David. Hoping it’s not severe as they think.
That’s just bad, man. Great guy, worked hard to get in the league, been playing the best he’s played since he’s been in the NBA. For him to go down like that, it’s just tough. My heart goes out to him, prayers go up for him.
Temple continued:
Everybody walked up to him when we walked in here and told him what they wanted to say to him individually. Then coach came in and said what everybody was thinking: We’re not really worried about the game. Right now we’re worried about our brother.”
You just keep preparing. It’s next man up. Odds are we’ll probably get Shump back, which will be cool. But you never want it to happen in this way, especially with Dave catching a rhythm, playing so well and being so dynamic. It’s not cool, it’s not fun.
The Brooklyn Nets now need to find a way to make up for David Nwaba, who had become one of the team’s best players off the bench.
The Brooklyn Nets suffered a huge loss when David Nwaba went down in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s loss.
The team announced the wing suffered a right Achilles injury, though multiple reports indicated he, in fact, tore his Achilles. The latter would mean his season is over.
Nwaba’s injury comes exactly one week after the Nets waived Iman Shumpert to make room for Wilson Chandler, who had to miss the first 25 games of the season for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
Shumpert was signed as the 16th man on the roster, though he played more than several others who were on the Nets before he signed — which is why it might be in Brooklyn’s best interest to re-sign him, if possible.
As pointed out by ESPN’s Bobby Marks, after the Nets face the Houston Rockets on December 28, they can apply for a hardship extension. But Kyrie Irving and Caris LeVert have an impact on whether or not the team could add a 16th player.
If either guard is back or expected to be back within two weeks of the exception application, the Nets can’t add a 16th player to its roster. If both are expected to miss two weeks or more, Brooklyn can add an extra player. But, once one of Irving or LeVert returns, the roster has to be trimmed back down to 15 players.
Disabled Player Exception would be worth $839K. Would have some value in late February. Doesn’t hurt to apply. https://t.co/gBTUWaR8gC
The return of Shumpert makes sense given he brought much of the same attributes as Nwaba on the defensive end. Though, again, Shumpert will likely be in town for a limited time.
During their game against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, the Brooklyn Nets suffered their biggest loss of the season: David Nwaba.
During their game against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, the Brooklyn Nets suffered their biggest loss of the season: David Nwaba.
The 26-year-old wing will reportedly have surgery on Friday morning and is expected to miss the remainder of the season. This is a particularly big blow for Nwaba, a former undrafted free agent that played community college ball for Santa Monica College in Los Angeles before transferring to Cal Poly.
He was enjoying his fourth professional season, finally finding a stride as a bona fide 3-and-D player in the NBA. Look at this compilation of his best blocks and steals of the season, using his 7-foot wingspan to his advantage:
This injury is also devastating for the Nets, who had welcome Nwaba in their rotation. Brooklyn was outscoring their opponents by 8.3 points per 100 possessions when he was on the court. That is the best net rating of anyone who played at least ten minutes for the team this season.
One of the more surprising takeaways when looking at his stats: The guard played 49 minutes alongside teammates Spencer Dinwiddie, Joe Harris and Jarrett Allen in 2019. The Nets outscored their opponents by a comically impressive rate of 47.1 points per 100, which was the best net rating among all four-man lineups (minimum: 40 minutes) in the league.
Even though he is not known for his scoring, he was averaging 22.6 points per 36 minutes in that time. It was a lineup that clearly worked for both him and his team alike.
If there's a lineup possibility that allows David Nwaba to play 48 minutes, yes
Overall, Nwaba was averaging 1.12 points per possession for the Nets so far this season. That ranked in the 91st percentile among all players, per Synergy Sports. He was shooting a career-best 46.2 percent from beyond the arc this season and had connected on half of his attempts from the corner.
The majority of his other field goal attempts came from the restricted area, where he was shooting an impressive 65.6 percent. As you can see from his shot chart, Nwaba bragged the basketball intelligence to avoid the midrange and instead focus on the more efficient opportunities.
It did not matter if he was shooting while closely contended, either. He was shooting 7-for-11 (63.6 percent) when his nearest defender was within two feet of him, which is no easy task for anyone at any level. He was averaging 1.31 points per possession on guarded catch-and-shoot attempts, via Synergy, which ranked in the 92nd percentile.
But arguably his most valuable addition to his team had been his defensive presence.
Biggest thing David Nwaba brings to the Nets: His defensive effort.
According to Cleaning the Glass, his block percentage (2.1 percent) ranked as the best among all players at his position. Opponents had an effective field goal percentage of just 42.6 percent when he was on the floor, which is much lower than the league average (52.2 percent) this year.
Nwaba is the type of scrappy player who found himself near the top of the team leaderboard for loose balls recovered, deflections, and charges drawn. These are the hustle plays that create a winning mentality for any basketball team.
While it will be tough to replace the things he provides the team on the court as he recovers from his injury, the Nets will be lucky to have him around the locker room as he continues his story of perseverance.
Following Thursday’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs, Kenny Atkinson could only think about David Nwaba and his injury.
Heading into Thursday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs, David Nwaba was a regular part of the Brooklyn Nets rotation. He’d earned consistent minutes, playing right around 20 minutes per night. In addition to his tough defense, Nwaba was scoring off the bench — and doing so efficiently.
Then he went down in the fourth quarter against the Spurs with a non-contact injury. The team eventually ruled it an Achilles injury. Multiple reports then indicated Nwaba tore his right Achilles.
The injury rocked Nets players and Keny Atkinson. When asked about the loss in general after the game, the Nets head coach was unable to focus on anything but Nwaba’s injury:
We can talk about the game, [but] I’m concerned about David Nwaba. Hurt himself out there tonight and That’s really where our thoughts are. It’s tough to focus on the game right now. He’s playing as well as anybody on our team. So, tough blow. That’s kind of where our hearts and minds are right now.
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 40-plus points for the first time in his NBA career on Thursday, but the Brooklyn Nets still lost.
The Nets lost to the underperforming Spurs 118-105 on Thursday — the 17th consecutive game the Nets have lost in San Antonio — but Brooklyn took a far greater hit before the game ended.
David Nwaba went down with a non-contact injury early in the fourth quarter. The Nets announced he had suffered a right Achilles injury. Soon after, there were multiple reports indicating Nwaba had, in fact, torn his right Achilles.
Only three Nets finished in double figures, one of which was Spencer Dinwiddie. He logged a career-high 41 points. It’s the first 40-point game of NBA his career. Dinwiddie’s previous single-game career-high was 39 points.
The point guard went 14-for-29 from the floor, 4-for-11 from three and 9-for-10 at the free-throw line. He also had five assists.
Jarrett Allen logged a double-double in his trip back home against the formidable San Antonio frontcourt. He scored 19 points and had 13 rebounds. He also led the Nets with six assists.
Garrett Temple was the other Net in double figures. He scored 10 points on 2 of 12 shooting (2-for-10 from deep) while also going 4-for-4 at the line.
Joe Harris scored nine points on 4-for-6 shooting (1-for-2 from three). Taurean Prince had nine as well, but he went 3-for-9 from the floor and missed all five 3-pointers he took.
