After being diagnosed with a lumbar spine stress reaction on October 19, he was ruled out for at least two weeks. Sixers forward Dominic Barlow is going to see a specialist on Tuesday about his back injury, head coach Nick Nurse told reporters on Monday (Link to video on Twitter via Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports).
While that may sound like an ominous update, Nurse clarified that Barlow has been doing some work on the court and said he hopes the 76ers get some positive news tomorrow and can continue to increase the 23-year-old’s activity. Noting that Barlow was on the court before Monday’s game against Chicago, ESPN’s Chris Ream (Link to Twitter) said the forward looks “explosive.”
Philadelphia has gotten off to a good start this season without Barlow, but his return would be a boon to the team’s frontcourt depth given his ability to play small center.
We have more from across the Atlantic:
- A somewhat forgotten addition during the offseason in which Sixers also purchased LeBron James and Jaylen Brownveteran forward Dean Wade was a key glue guy early on, impressing his new teammates and head coach, writes Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.com. The nurse said that Wade’s ability as an incisor was a pleasant surprise while the watchman Tyrese Maxey in awe of Wade’s “big” all-around. “He’s in a position where some nights he’s going to start, some nights he’s not going to start, some nights he’s going to play five, some nights he’s going to guard Jalen Brunsonhe will guard the CAT (Karl-Anthony Towns)” Maxey said. “He… I love Dean Wade.”
- U story for The New York Post subscribers onlyStefan Bondi wonders when to trade away Mikal Bridges may be the solution Nix‘ long-term crunch of the cap. Bondi makes it clear he’s not in favor of such a deal, but he says it would be preferable to some other outcomes, such as losing Towns in free agency, and he argues that Bridges — and not Josh Hart – the most expendable of the team’s five highest-paid players.
- Nehemiah of Quettawho played 75 games in the lineup Celtics re-entered the starting lineup last season on Sunday with Mitchell Robinson was given the day off and returned to the starting five on Monday, even with Robinson available, according to CLNS Media’s Bobby Manning (Link to Twitter). Hugo Gonzalez also got his first two starts of the season on Sunday and Monday, taking the spot Jordan Walshwho, like Robinson, is off to a slow start this fall.
- The Networks start with a score of 1-5, prompting CJ Holmes of The New York Daily News suggest another slow start after three years in the lottery could lead to more serious questions about the club’s competitiveness, accountability and future. Even if playoff depth may not be a realistic expectation for the current group, Holmes argues that the evaluation process should “become more demanding” as the season progresses and that the Nets should give their fans reason to be optimistic going forward.
