Mailbag: Are Kings being ‘weird’ about injuries to Richaun Holmes, Marvin Bagley III?
The All-Star break is coming at a good time for the Kings, many of whom are hurt, hobbled or just generally sore after 53 games.
The Kings will visit the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday in their final game before the break. They will have a week off before their next game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Feb. 20, which might give some players time to get healthy for the stretch run.
Who will be ready to play when the Kings get back from the break? Who knows? The team has had its issues with timelines and setbacks this season, but fans are eager to see Richaun Holmes, Marvin Bagley III and Jabari Parker, who has yet to make his Kings debut after being acquired in a trade. Those are the players everybody is asking about in this week’s Kings mailbag.
@ksormand asks: What are the medical diagnoses of M. Bagley and R. Holmes?
Bagley was diagnosed with a left midfoot sprain following a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 26. He missed eight games due to the initial injury, returned to appear in four contests and has now missed the past 10 games after aggravating the injury, according to the team.
All the Kings have said about Holmes is that he suffered “an injury to the right shoulder joint” in a game against the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 6. They have not specified what the injury is despite being pressed repeatedly by reporters who cover the team.
(Editor’s note: The Kings sent out a news release Tuesday morning saying Holmes has received a platelet-rich plasma injection to treat a labral tear in his right shoulder joint. He will be assessed in two or three weeks, the team said.)
Holmes has missed the past 16 games as a result of the injury. He briefly returned to practice last week and went through a full-contact practice, saying “I feel good” and “I’m ready to get back out there,” but the team issued an oddly worded news release Friday to announce Holmes was not ready to return. The release said Holmes was “integrated into modified team practice this week, portions of which included contact. He is experiencing continued soreness in his shoulder and will remain on his progression towards full-contact basketball activities. His return to game action will be updated as appropriate.”
The Kings remained relatively healthy in 2018-19 in their first season with Teena Murray, the team’s vice president of health and performance, and head athletic trainer Joe Resendez. This season has been much more difficult.
@sethtosta asks: Why was Bagley so weird and vague about his injury when asked about it (Saturday) night on camera?
Bagley’s remarks didn’t strike me as weird or vague, but all parties are choosing their words carefully given the increased scrutiny and criticism Bagley has faced this season.
Bagley wants to play, but he expressed uncertainty when asked if he was confident he would return this season. He said: “I’m definitely going to try to come back this year, but that’s too far ahead at this point. The most important thing for me right now is to make sure I’m healthy, to make sure I take my time with this and make sure I’m feeling good so, when I do come back, it doesn’t bother me, it doesn’t linger again or go away and come back.”
At the moment, there is no timetable for Bagley’s return. The team recently said he would be reevaluated in three weeks, which coincides with the end of the All-Star break.
@Dalerich81 asks: Is Holmes not gonna play the rest of the season? Also, is the organization still planning on moving on from (Harry) Giles?
There has been no indication that Holmes will be out for the rest of the season. Kings coach Luke Walton told me Monday night in Milwaukee that Holmes will not play before the All-Star break. General manager Vlade Divac said over the weekend the team wants to be cautious, but “Richaun should be back soon.”
The Kings declined to pick up their $3.97 million option on Giles for the 2020-21 season, much to the dismay of fans who fear he will walk away this summer as an unrestricted free agent. Multiple league sources have said the Kings still love Giles and remain open to the possibility of re-signing him, but under the collective bargaining agreement they will not be able to exceed the amount of his option in the first year of a new deal. The Kings will be vulnerable if there are higher bidders, but Giles has repeatedly expressed his love for the organization and its fans.
@GordonGeco asks: When is Jabari Parker playing?
Walton said Monday night he has not ruled out the possibility of playing Parker against the Mavericks on Wednesday.
The Kings acquired Parker last week in the trade that sent Dewayne Dedmon back to the Atlanta Hawks. Parker has been sidelined by a right shoulder impingement for weeks, but he said he has been cleared for full-contact basketball activities.
Parker wanted to play Monday against the Milwaukee Bucks, the team that drafted him with the No. 2 pick in 2014. Walton said Parker “really wants to play and I love that,” but he noted the Kings haven’t had much time to practice since he joined the team. Walton was planning to have Parker practice in Dallas on Tuesday before deciding whether he would play against the Mavericks on Wednesday.
@douglaslwhite asks: What will Jabari Parker’s role be as a mentor to Bagley and Giles?
Well, they’re all from Duke. Parker and Giles shared a moment in the Kings locker room Saturday when Duke beat North Carolina at the buzzer. Beyond that, I don’t know. Time will tell. Parker has a $6.5 million player option for 2020-21. If he sticks around, he could teach the young guys a thing or two about low-post scoring.
This story was originally published February 11, 2020 at 7:18 AM.
