Cavaliers' Ricky Rubio: Still no official return timeline

Shocking and frankly terrifying news broke regarding Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant on Sunday afternoon. The story doesn’t quite paint the 2022 Most Improved Player or his associates in the most positive of lights either. The Athletic delivered a bombshell report that detailed the shocking incident. It occurred last month after a game between Morant’s Grizzlies Read more... The post NBA world reacts to absolutely shocking Ja Morant news appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions.

Kyrie Irving is officially leaving the Brooklyn Nets to join forces with Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. Irving requested to be moved ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline, and his wish was granted when the Mavs dealt for him on Sunday -- a move that drew plenty of reactions from the NBA world.

Five players were ejected from the Orlando Magic's 127-120 road win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night following an on-court altercation that began between Orlando center Mo Bamba and Wolves guard Austin Rivers. Both Bamba and Rivers were ejected from the game, along with Magic guard Jalen Suggs and Timberwolves forwards Taurean Prince and Jaden McDaniels.

The Golden State Warriors are currently 27-26 on the season, currently in seventh place in the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association. Despite being in seventh place, they are dangerously close to missing the play-in as the eleventh-place Portland Trail Blazers are only one game back at 26-27.

Kyrie Irving demanded a trade from the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, and all day news has been trickling out as to what sparked his latest beef with the organization. According to Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes, the Nets recently offered Irving a contract extension that included a championship stipulation, and Irving took that as "a big insult."

Ever since returning from his early-season suspension, Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving had been in the headlines for all the right reasons: impressive individual performances, another All-Star Game selection and, before Kevin Durant was injured, helping lead a 12-game winning streak that is still the longest by any team this season.

There have been a number of sad reports coming out of the world of professional wrestling in recent weeks, with former stars passing away, both during their career and following it.

The NBA trade deadline is now less than a week away, and Kyrie Irving's request to be moved out of Brooklyn has added a whole new layer of intrigue. There are plenty of other rumors outside of Irving too, as teams are starting to kick things into hyperdrive leading up to deadline day.

Rubio has been ruled out for Monday's matchup against the Wizards due to left knee injury management, Danny Cunningham of 850 ESPN Cleveland reports. Rubio will sit out the second half of the Cavaliers' current back-to-back set to manage his surgically repaired left knee. Since making his season debut Jan. 12, the veteran point guard has appeared in 11 of 13 contests and is averaging 5.7 points, 3.8 assists and 2.6 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per game. In his absence, Raul Neto and Cedi Osman are candidates for increased roles behind Darius Garland.

The Brooklyn Nets are trading Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks, as confirmed by Bill Reiter of CBS Sports. In exchange, the Nets will receive Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, an unprotected 2029 first-round draft pick and two future second-round picks. Irving, an All-Star starter, requested a trade on Feb. 3 after talks on a possible contract extension with the Nets broke down. He will now join his fourth team in seven seasons.

Beal (foot) will not suit up for Saturday's meeting with Brooklyn. Beal will sit the tail end of the Wizards' back-to-back set with left foot soreness after playing 32 minutes Friday. Fantasy managers should expect Beal to be a full go for Monday's game against the Cavaliers. While he's sidelined, Corey Kispert and Kendrick Nunn figure to see increased workloads.

Suns head coach Monty Williams said Monday that he expects Booker (groin) to play in Tuesday's game against the Nets, Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic reports. Booker looks on track to suit up for the first time Christmas Day, and he'll presumably have a minutes restriction in place in his return from a six-week absence. With Booker expected back, Torrey Craig will likely shift to the second unit, and there will be less usage for Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson.

Murray is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Timberwolves due to left knee injury management. One night after registering a season-high 41 points (15-24 FG, 7-12 3Pt, 4-4 FT) to go along with seven assists, five rebounds and one steal across 36 minutes, Murray looks like he'll take a seat for the second half of a back-to-back set. Even though Murray played both ends of the Nuggets' previous back-to-back set (Jan. 17 and 18), Denver isn't expected to ask the point guard to shoulder big minutes for the second day in a row, especially since the Nuggets are traveling to Minnesota rather than playing at home. With three other starters (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon) also listed as doubtful for Sunday's contest, the Nuggets offense could primarily run through Michael Porter and sixth man Bruce Brown.

Gordon posted 28 points (10-15 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 6-7 FT), three rebounds, five assists and one steal in 34 minutes during Friday's 117-111 loss to Toronto. Gordon scored at least 24 points for the third straight game, continuing easily his best stretch of the season. He remains someone who could very well be on the move come next Thursday, although that is something we have been saying for the past three seasons. He can be streamed in for points for now, but as for what the future holds, it's really anyone's guess.

Brown (illness) has been ruled out for Monday's matchup against the Pistons, Sean Grande of NBC Sports Boston reports. Brown was a late addition to the injury report Monday afternoon and will ultimately be sidelined versus Detroit due to an illness. In his absence, Malcolm Brogdon, Payton Pritchard and Grant Williams figure to garner increased roles, though Jayson Tatum will presumably dominate the playmaking opportunities when he's on the court.

Brown is questionable for Monday's game against the Pistons due to a non-COVID-19-related illness. Brown was a late addition to Monday's injury report, and it's not yet clear whether he'll be able to play against Detroit. He's been dominant since returning from a three-game absence in mid-January, averaging 25.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.4 steals in 38.9 minutes per game over his last seven appearances. If he's sidelined Monday, Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon will likely handle increased roles for Boston.

Gobert has been downgraded to questionable ahead of Sunday's game against the Nuggets due to right groin soreness. The towering big man hasn't exactly set the world on fire in his first season with the Timberwolves, but losing him before a matchup against Nikola Jokic is less than ideal. If Gobert can't go Sunday, then Naz Reid would be in line for a bigger role. Gobert is averaging just 11.4 points and 10.7 rebounds per game across his last 10 outings.

Markkanen finished Friday's 115-108 loss to the Hawks with 25 points (8-19 FG, 3-11 3Pt, 6-7 FT), 10 rebounds and one assist across 37 minutes. Markkanen struggled to dial his shot in from beyond the arc, but he still managed to lead the Jazz in scoring. He also secured a double-double with his effort on the glass, marking his seventh double-double in his last nine games.

Saric is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Pistons. Saric accumulated 14 points (5-13 FG, 4-7 3Pt), 13 rebounds and three assists across 30 minutes during Friday's 106-94 victory over the Celtics, but he heads back to the bench with Cameron Johnson (knee) being available and in the starting unit. Saric is averaging 4.4 points and 3.5 rebounds across 11.1 minutes per game when coming off the bench this season.

The 2023 NBA trade deadline is rapidly approaching. Teams now have three days to finalize their remaining business before the trade market is closed for the season at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, Feb. 9. Some teams, like the Brooklyn Nets and Dallas Mavericks, may look to get things done ahead of time, but others will be working the phones right up until the final minutes.