Stop waiting for Wiseman
Mark Giannotto says Memphis has waited long enough for him. 1B
James Wiseman’s return to Fedex Forum will be delayed until next season after the Golden State Warriors rookie and former Memphis Tigers standout entered the NBA’S health and safety protocols Wednesday night.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said that Wiseman is out for at least seven days and remaining in Houston, making him unavailable for Friday and Saturday’s games in Memphis against the Grizzlies.
It would have been Wiseman’s first game in Fedexforum since Nov. 8, 2019. He appeared in three games with Memphis before the school declared him ineligible and the NCAA suspended him for 12 games due to alleged violations during his recruitment.
Wiseman withdrew from the school in December 2019 to prepare for the draft and was selected No. 2 overall by the Warriors last fall.
Wiseman averaged 19.7 points and 10.7 rebounds in his brief Tigers career. He also played two seasons at East High School, with the first season coming under current Tigers coach Penny Hardaway.
Wiseman became a Mcdonald’s Allamerican and a five-star recruit who was the jewel of Hardaway’s 2019 recruiting class, which was ranked No. 1 in the nation.
With the Warriors, he’s averaging 11.8 points and six rebounds in 29 games and was named to the NBA Rising Stars roster at midseason.
The Grizzlies could also miss facing All-star guard Stephen Curry, who suffered a tailbone contusion in the Warriors’ win over the Rockets on Wednesday.
Kerr said Curry would be evaluated before any decision is made for this weekend.
“It’s definitely going to bother him the next few days,” Kerr told reporters Wednesday. “No idea if he’ll play in Memphis. But he seems to be feeling like he should be OK over the next week or so. But we’ll see.”