Southeast Notes: Hornets, Heat, Conwell, Castleton, Morales

Brandon Miller (tibia contusion) and Christian Anderson Jr (sprained left ankle) both suffered injuries in training which kept them suspended Hornetspreseason opener on Tuesday, the team announced (via Twitter).

According to the Hornets, both players are considered day-to-day for the future.

Miller, in his fourth year in the NBA, is eligible for a rookie-scale extension until Oct. 19. Anderson, meanwhile, is a rookie after being selected 18th overall in June’s draft.

Here’s more from the southeast:

• For now Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said it’s “doubtful” he’ll continue to use his rotation of regulars throughout the preseason, he said that group — including starters Davion Mitchell, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Janis Antecumpa and Bam Adebayo — will continue to get minutes in Thursday’s contest against New Orleans, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. The Heat are still integrating Thompson, Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis and Tim Hardaway Jr to the team, notes Winderman. “I commend the group, especially the new guys, for being open“, Spoelstra said. “Things may be a little different, but it’s not as different as people think. They have enough of what they are used to. We must move quickly. It helps if veteran players pick things up pretty quickly.”
• The HeatTuesday’s intrasquad scrimmage held special significance for the rookie guard Ryan Conwelltrans Anthony Chung of The Miami Herald. Proceeds from the event benefited cancer treatment and research, and Conwell was featured alongside her mother, Dawn, who previously battled breast cancer but is now cancer-free. “It was one of the most special moments of my life” Conwell said of honoring his mother’s battle with cancer.”I would have loved to have taken it more, but I was just more focused on the fight. But she’s just the strongest woman I’ve ever seen.”
• magic two-way players Alex Morales and Colin Castleton spent most of the summer practicing at the facility, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentineland both players made a positive first impression on the head coach Sean Sweeney. “They did a great job with their energy every day” Sweeney said of Morales and Castleton.”Both of these guys have a dirty work mentality where they really try to do the little things that help the team win, maybe some of those unseen plays that don’t necessarily show up in the grade. We’ve seen them put a lot of time and effort into developing what we’ve asked them to improve. It was great to have them in training every day and each of them showed signs of improvement.”