Pelicans’ Payton to have surgery on pinky

By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher

New Orleans Pelicans point guard Elfrid Payton will undergo surgery and miss time. He is dealing with a broken left pinky.

There is no timetable for his return at this time. The team will not know until after the surgery on the time frame on which he could return.

Elfrid Payton reacts after the Orlando Magic were defeated by the Cleveland Cavaliers (Getty Images)

“There’s not a whole lot we can know about it until then,” Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry said.

Payton is expected to undergo surgery next week. He played in just eight minutes in Friday night’s 129-124 win over the New York Knicks.

He did not return after being injured. Friday was his first game back after missing nine games with a sprained right ankle.

“The great thing about it is he’ll be able to keep himself physically in shape,” Gentry said. “It’s his off-shooting hand so he’ll still be able to do some stuff on the floor. We just have to see how long, from a medical standpoint, he will be out.”

Without Payton, the Pelicans are expected to make Jrue Holiday the starter. In addition, Wesley Johnson goes back into the starting lineup.

The 24-year-old Gretna, Louisiana native is in his first season with the Pelicans after signing with his home state franchise on July 8th, 2018, as a free agent. He has started six games and averaged 9.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.2 blocks in 25.3 minutes per game.

Fournier’s injury could cost him another 10 days and his Magic tenure

By Anthony Caruso III
March 22nd, 2015, 10:13 AM EST

The Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier is expected to miss another 10 days. As a result, he will not play today against the Denver Nuggets.

Fournier has been bothered by a hip injury. Today’s game will be his 13th straight missed game.

Evan Fournier (Getty Images)

“It’s really the first time in my career where I’ve missed so many games,” Fournier said yesterday. “It’s very frustrating, but it’s a part of what we do. We’ve got to take care of our body. Hopefully, I’m going to be able to play soon. Hopefully, 10 more days. I don’t know. But, yeah, it’s hard.”

With Fournier being limited as of late, the Magic are expected to look for trade suitors. If he is dealt, it would be the second time in his career that he’s been traded, as he came to the Magic via the Nuggets in a trade.

Elfrid Payton has played well and that’s what has put Fournier on the market. Victor Oladipo will have their hands full in the backcourt for the rest of the season.

The 22-year-old is in his first season with the Magic. Yet he’s averaging a career-high 11.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game over 56 games.

Fournier to miss his 9th straight game today against the Cavs

By Anthony Caruso III
March 13th, 2015, 10:21 AM EST

Evan Fournier will miss today’s Orlando Magic game. According to head coach James Borrego, a hip injury will keep him out of the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

This will be his ninth straight game that he’s missed. Also, there’s no timetable at this time for his return.

Evan Fournier (Getty Images)

Normally, veteran Willie Green would be able to step in. However, he’s dealing with a back injury, so the team will be forced to count on rookie Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo more.

Both Payton and Oladipo are expected to log big minutes in the backcourt until Fournier and Green are able to return.

The 22-year-old Fournier is averaging 11.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 56 games.

Bulls, Nuggets, Magic, 76ers pull off the first two trades in the NBA Draft

By Anthony Caruso III
Posted: June 25th, 2014 at 9:12 pm EST

There has been two trades at the 2014 NBA Draft so far.

Doug McDermott was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the 11th overall pick. A short time later, he was moved to the Chicago Bulls for the 16th and 19th picks.

2014 NBA Draft

Reece Davis, who is a part of the ESPN crew working the NBA draft, said McDermott wanted to play for the Bulls all along.

The complete McDermott deal has Anthony Randolph also going to Chicago for Jusuf Nurkic (16th overall pick) and Gary Harris (19th overall pick) and a 2015 second round pick.

Randolph has bounced around on his career. He began his career with the Golden State Warriors, before moving on to the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2010-11 and also made a stop with the New York Knicks that season.

He rejoined the Wolves for the 2011-12 season, before spending the past two years with the Nuggets.

He has averaged 7.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 0.7assists, and 0.9 blocks in 252 career games since the 2008-09 season. He has made 42 starts in his career.

With the 10th overall pick, the Philadelphia 76ers selected Elfrid Payton, while the Orlando Magic drafted Dario Saric with the 12th overall pick.

Besides Sarc, the 76ers also acquire a 2015 second round draft pick and a 2017 first-round draft pick. The first round draft pick was originally the 76ers, before it was dealt to the Magic in the Dwight Howard blockbuster deal from two years ago.

These two players were then swapped for each other. Payton, who rose up the draft board, will be the replacement for point guard Jameer Nelson.

On June 23rd, Saric signed a three-year contract with Anadolu Efes, a Turkish powerhouse. This past season, he played with Cibona Zagreb, where he averaged 19.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game.

This contract is two years with a player option for the third year. It also prohibits him from playing in the NBA for at least two years.

The 76ers did not have a single foreign player play for them during the 2013-14 season.

Payton drafted by the 76ers with the 10th overall selection

By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher

The Philadelphia 76ers used their 10th overall selection on point guard Elfrid Payton.

Michael Carter-Williams, who was at the NBA Draft, was surprised when Sam Hinkie and the 76ers brass made the Payton pick. It fueled speculation that the reigning Rookie of the Year will be moved.

Elfrid Payton (Getty Images)

While Carter-Williams has been rumored to be moved, it was Payton that is moving on. Payton would be later moved to the Orlando Magic for Dario Saric.

The 76ers also acquired a 2015 second round draft pick, and their original 2017 first round draft pick.

Payton came out after three-years at Louisiana Lafayette. As a junior, he averaged 19.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 2.3 steals in 32 games.

He was a late riser up the draft board, and many mock drafts had Payton going anywhere between the 6th and the 8th draft pick. He is the first pick since Andrew Toney, who also played for the 76ers, that was also drafted out of Louisiana Lafayette.

The hit on Payton was that he played in a low major conference, where he did not play against NBA talent on a nightly basis.