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Memphis Grizzlies Center Steven Adams to Miss Entire Season

The NBA season has yet to tip off, and we already have the first major casualty. Memphis Grizzlies center Steven Adams will miss the entire season while recovering from surgery to fix a lingering right knee injury.

Grizzlies Steven Adams
Memphis Grizzlies center Steven Adams will miss the entire season due to a PCL injury. (Image: USA Today Sports)

Adams, 30, missed 40 games in the second half of last season with a sprained posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) in his right knee. He didn’t undergo surgery at the time.

During the preseason, Adams appeared in two games but he didn’t return to his old form. The Grizzlies and Adams determined knee surgery is the best path forward.

A non-operative rehabilitation did not resolve ongoing knee instability,” said the Grizzlies in an official statement.

After losing Adams, the Grizzlies will begin the new season without two key starters from last year. Point guard Ja Morant will miss the first 25 games of the season while he serves a suspension for brandishing a firearm on social media.

In the offseason, the Grizzlies acquired veteran point guard Marcus Smart from the Boston Celtics. They added Smart in a three-team trade with the Washington Wizards that sent center Kristaps Porzingis to the Celtics.

Smart, a former Defensive Player of the Year, will hold down point guard duties until Morant returns.

Adams Out, Tillman Next Man Up

The Grizzlies thought Adams would sit out a few weeks with a PCL sprain when he initially sustained a knee injury in January. He missed the remainder of the season and didn’t suit up in the postseason.

At the time of his injury, Adams led the Grizzlies in rebounding. He was the top offensive rebounder (5.1 per game) in the NBA and was ranked #4 overall in the league in total rebounds (11.5). He also averaged 9.6 points and 2.3 assists per game.

Adams was the Grizzlies’ most valuable screener in pick-and-roll plays, which he often ran with guards Morant and Desmond Bane.

Brandon Clarke filled in for Adams last season until he tore his Achilles in March. The Grizzlies don’t have a timetable for Clarke’s return. He is expected to miss most of this upcoming season.

Head coach Taylor Jenkins will start Xavier Tillman at center, and Santi Aldama is currently his backup.

Tillman is a former standout from Michigan State and an early second-round pick from the 2020 NBA Draft. Tillman started 43 times over the last three seasons, including 29 games last year. He averaged 7.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in 19.3 minutes of action.

Aldama, a first-round draft pick from Loyola Maryland in the 2021 NBA Draft, started 20 games last season. Aldama averaged 9.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while shooting 35.3% from 3-point range.

The Grizzlies also have forwards Kenneth Lofton (5.0 points, 2.1 rebounds), Jr., and David Roddy (6.7 points, 2.8 rebounds) listed on the depth chart at center.

Grizzlies Seek Third-Straight Division Title

Despite Morant’s off-the-court drama and injuries to frontline players like Adams and Clarke, the Grizzlies secured the #2 seed in the Western Conference last season with a 51-31 record. The Grizzlies made an early playoff exit when they were upset by the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the first round.

The Grizzlies have a win total of 45.5 over/under games this season, mostly because of Morant’s 25-game suspension.

Oddsmakers have faith that the Grizzlies will qualify for the postseason. They’re -220 odds to make the playoffs and +170 odds to miss the playoffs.

The Grizzlies are +3000 odds to win the 2023-24 NBA championship. They’re +1400 odds to win the Western Conference title, and seventh on the futures board at DraftKings.

The Grizzles are seeking a third-straight division title, and they’re a marginal favorite to win the Southwest Division at +170 odds. They’re slightly ahead of the Dallas Mavericks at +190 odds, and the New Orleans Pelicans at +200. The Houston Rockets (+3500) and San Antonio Spurs (+5500) are long shots to win the division.

The Spurs are the longest shot on the board to win the Southwest Division, even though there’s significant hype around the #1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Victor Wembanyama.

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Hard Rock’s Center Bar May Return to Virgin Las Vegas

It looks as though the future of the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas may depend in no small part on its past. Cliff Atkinson — the former Fontainebleau Las Vegas president who was installed last month as Virgin Hotels’ new president — says he’s considering bringing back the center bar, the centerpiece of the Hard Rock Hotel from its 1995 grand opening to its quiet 2020 closure.

The original center bar at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino is pictured before its 2015 renovation and 2020 removal by the property’s current owner, Virgin Hotels. (Image: Hard Rock Hotel and Casino)

“That’s one (idea) we’re heavily considering,” Atkinson told the Las Vegas Review-Journal last week. “You don’t want to go back in time, you want to look forward, but that is one thing people just knew, and they associated with our property.

“If you want to lean into a little nostalgia at this property, that’s a great way to do it.”

In other words, Virgin probably goofed by removing it.

Revelers at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino’s center bar celebrate its closing for a renovation in 2015. (Image: Eater Vegas)

The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino opened on March 10, 1995 as the world’s first rock n’ roll-themed resort. Despite its off-Strip location — a mile east of the Las Vegas Strip on Harmon Avenue — it was an unmitigated success.

The casino floor’s museum-quality display cases — whose artifacts included a smashed Kurt Cobain guitar and multiple Prince stage outfits — brought seemingly every Gen-X Las Vegas tourist through the door for at least one initial visit.

But it was its center bar — which on Friday and Saturday nights was packed with young people on 360-degree display to the entire casino — that spurred most of its return visits.

Musical Owner Chairs

The property was a joint venture between Hard Rock Café founder Peter Morton and Harveys Lake Tahoe, whose share Morton bought out in 1997. A new 11-story hotel tower was added in 1999, as part of its $100 million initial renovation.

Morton sold the property to Morgans Hotel Group and DLJ Merchant Banking Partners in 2007, prompting its second renovation — to the tune of $750 million.

In 2011, Morgans sold the property to Brookfield Asset Management, which hired Warner Gaming as its operator. Realizing the center bar’s value, Brookfield renovated it, for $3.4 million, four years later. Upgrades were also performed on the resort’s convention facilities and on a number of restaurants.

Brookfield sold the property three years later to Richard Branson’s Virgin Hotels, in partnership with a group of investment firms, for a reported $500 million. Virgin then spent an additional $200 million on yet another renovation to the property — one that removed the center bar.

A Rebrand Too Far?

As strongly suggested by the resignation in March 2023 of Virgin Las Vegas Hotels president Richard ‘Boz’ Bosworth after fewer than two years on the job, Virgin has been unable to recapture the original Hard Rock Hotel’s mojo.

In addition to the center bar, Atkinson, as quoted by the R-J, said his new/old plans also include reopening the Hard Rock’s former Body English, which later served as a theater for Magic Mike.

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Philadelphia 76ers Center Joel Embiid Doubtful for Game 1 of East Semis

The Philadelphia 76ers reported that center Joel Embiid could miss Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics due to a right knee injury.

Joel Embiid injury
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid reacts to a knee injury against the Brooklyn Nets in the opening round of the NBA playoffs. (Image: Getty)

The #3 76ers needed only four games to knock out the #6 Brooklyn Nets in the opening round. However, Embiid sustained a knee injury in Game 3. Without Embiid in Game 4, the 76ers defeated the Nets, 96-88, to complete a sweep.

The 76ers finally revealed that Embiid suffered a lateral collateral ligament (LCL) sprain. However, Shams Charania from The Athletic reported that Embiid’s injury was more serious than a Grade 1 LCL sprain.

During the regular season, the 76ers went 11-5 without Embiid in the lineup. In this year’s postseason, the 76ers are 1-0 without Embiid.

The #2 Boston Celtics and 76ers meet in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Celtics host the first two games on their home court in the best-of-seven series. The Celtics needed six games to knock out the pesky #7 Atlanta Hawks in the opening round.

The #8 Miami Heat upset the #1 Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, and now the Celtics are the best-remaining seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Embiid “Probably Doubtful” to Start Series

The first game of the conference semifinal tips off on Monday night, or 11 days after Embiid’s last game. If he sits out Game 1 against the Celtics, he could have almost two weeks of rest before Game 2 on Wednesday.

Doctors looked at him, and he didn’t do anything today,” said head coach Doc River. “I’ll say this, if I was betting, I would probably say doubtful for at least Game 1, but we’ll see.”

“Embiid’s history of playing through injuries and pain shows it can be fluid depending on his progress,” reported Charania. “He has been able to do some individual spot-up shooting the past several days and will be evaluated daily.”

In four of the last five postseasons, Embiid had some injury. The 2020 playoffs were the only time Embiid was 100% healthy, but the 76ers were swept in the first round. The 76ers never made it past the conference semifinals in the other four instances. Embiid’s health contributed to all of their disappointing exits in 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022.

Embiid is the betting favorite to win his first MVP award after losing out to center Nikola Jokic from the Denver Nuggets in the previous two seasons. Embiid led the NBA in scoring this season while averaging 331. points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.

In three playoff games, Embiid averaged 20.0 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.3 blocks per game.

Betting the 76ers/Celtics in Game 1

Oddsmakers opened Game 1 with the Celtics as a -6.5 favorite. The point spread moved to -9 after multiple outlets reported that Embiid could miss the series opener.

The 7ers are the best betting team in the NBA this season, including the playoffs, with a 50-34-2 record against the spread. During their sweep of the Nets, the 76ers went 3-1 ATS in the first round.

The Celtics are the fourth-best betting team, with a 50-38 ATS record. They went 4-2 ATS in the first round against the Hawks.

According to DraftKings, the Celtics are the favorite to win the series at -450 odds and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. The 76ers are the underdog to win the series at +350 odds. FiveThirtyEight predicts that the Celtics have a 59% chance to win the second-round series, and the 76ers have a 41% chance to advance.

Forward Jayson Tatum leads the Celtics in scoring by averaging 27.2 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game in the postseason. Guard Jaylen Brown had a sensational opening round by averaging 26.7 points while shooting a phenomenal 51.5% from 3-point range.

Point guard Tyrese Maxey emerged as the leading scorer for the 76ers after he averaged 21.8 points per game in the first round while shooting an impressive 50% from 3-point range. Forward Tobias Harris averaged 20.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game against the Nets, but he shot a blistering 57.1% from beyond the 3-point arc.

Shooting guard James Harden had a quiet opening round, but the 76ers did not need him to provide an offensive punch because the other starters stepped up. Harden averages 17.3 points, 8.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He also knocked down 42.4% of his 3-pointers.

Futures Update: Celtics Outright Betting Favorite

The Celtics are the consensus favorite to win the 2022-23 NBA championship at +120 odds at DraftKings. When the regular season ended, the Celtics were +320 odds to win the title and second on the NBA futures board behind the Bucks.

FiveThiryEight predicts that the Celtics have a 47% chance to make the NBA Finals with a 32% chance to win the championship.

The 76ers are currently +950 odds to win the championship, which is a downtick from +75 0odds last week after they swept the Nets in the first round.

FiveThirtyEight gives the 76ers a 31% chance to reach the NBA Finals, with only a 20% chance to win the title.

With only four teams remaining in the east, the Celtics are the favorite to win the Eastern Conference crown back-to-back postseasons at -225 odds. The 76ers are the second team on the conference futures board at +425 odds, and they’re ahead of the New York Knicks (+650) and Miami Heat (+1000).

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