Kings’ Chimezie Metu fractured wrist on ‘dangerous play’ by Jonas Valanciunas
Kings forward Chimezie Metu will be sidelined for at least a month after breaking his wrist on what coach Luke Walton called a “dangerous play” by Jonas Valanciunas in Sunday’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, sources told The Sacramento Bee. The team confirmed the injury in a news release Tuesday afternoon.
Walton said Metu was “fine” before Monday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets, but Metu continued to experience soreness after going through pregame warmups. An X-ray examination after the game revealed a right wrist fracture, sources said. Metu met with a hand specialist Tuesday evening and will be reevaluated in four weeks.
Walton felt Valanciunas committed a flagrant act following a dunk by Metu on Sunday night in Sacramento. Metu dunked on Valanciunas with 3:18 remaining in the Kings’ 124-110 loss to the Grizzlies at Golden 1 Center. As Metu hung from the rim with Valanciunas standing beneath him and nowhere to land safely, Valanciunas appeared to pull Metu down by his left leg, causing him to crash to the floor.
Replays showed Valanciunas hooking Metu’s left leg with his left arm and then turning inward, twisting Metu and causing him to lose grasp of the rim. As he fell to the floor in a vulnerable position, Metu put his right hand down to break his fall. He was seen shaking his right wrist when he got back to his feet, but he remained in the game and did not appear to be injured.
Officials reviewed the play for a potential hostile act. Valanciunas was given a technical foul for unsportsmanlike conduct, but officials determined no flagrant foul had occurred. According to NBA rules, anyone guilty of illegal contact which occurs during a dead ball may be assessed a technical foul, if the contact is deemed to be unsportsmanlike in nature, or a flagrant foul if unnecessary and/or excessive contact occurs.
Walton said officials told him “they didn’t think it was excessive,” but Walton disagreed.
“That was a dangerous play,” Walton said. “He hooked him by the leg and tried to throw him down, so I didn’t understand how that is not, in what today’s NBA is, is not even considered a flagrant foul. I don’t see how that’s a basketball play.”
Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant said he felt Metu was at fault for being “disrespectful” to Valanciunas, who appeared to take exception when Metu’s momentum carried his left leg over Valanciunas’ left shoulder.
‘“(Metu) went a little overboard,” Morant said. “He got the dunk; probably was excited. I felt like he wrapped his legs around (Valanciunas) and that’s a little disrespectful to a man. I don’t blame JV at all.”
Walton said Kings general manager Monte McNair discussed the incident with league officials Monday, but Walton had not been briefed on those talks. The league has not announced any additional discipline against Valanciunas.
Metu, a 23-year-old power forward, is in his third NBA season after the San Antonio Spurs selected him out of USC with the 49th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. He has appeared in 11 games for the Kings this season, all since Jan. 4 as he has received increased opportunities in recent weeks.
Metu is averaging 3.4 points and 2.1 rebounds in 6.5 minutes per game. He had season highs of 10 points and eight rebounds in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 15.
This story was originally published February 16, 2021 at 2:39 PM.
