Suns guard John Jenkins is drawing some interest from Euroleague club Baskonia, per Spanish website Encestando (translation via Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype). Jenkins, who is battling an abdominal strain, is currently on a non-guaranteed contract, but it will become fully guaranteed if he remains on Phoenix’s roster beyond October 23, so potential international suitors – like Baskonia – could be preparing to pounce. According to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic, Jenkins remains focused on the NBA for now, saying he hasn’t “thought about anything overseas.”
Here’s more from out of the Pacific:
- A handful of interesting pieces and quotes have come out of Golden State recently, including a Draymond Green rant about the criticism Kevin Durant has received for deciding to sign with the Warriors. As Anthony Slater of The Bay Area News Group details (via Twitter), Green compared it to an Apple employee joining Google, suggesting that he doesn’t understand why athletes are criticized for prioritizing their happiness and making “business” decisions.
- Meanwhile, Green was the subject of a fascinating feature from Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN.com, who explores the impact the volatile Warriors All-Star big man has on the locker room. While Green’s passion and emotion can be a positive in Golden State, it also has the potential to disrupt the team’s chemistry, as former Warriors center Marreese Speights reportedly told Strauss.
- Finally, Paul Solotaroff of Rolling Stone has a feature story on Durant, who provides a handful of interesting quotes throughout the piece. Notably, the former Oklahoma City star expressed disappointment that the Thunder could never add that final veteran piece to get over the hump and win a title. “Where other teams went out and got that veteran guy, we kept getting younger,” Durant said. The former MVP also touched on his relationship with Russell Westbrook and the difficult phone call he made to Thunder GM Sam Presti and owner Clay Bennett to let them know he had chosen the Warriors.
- As we noted earlier today, the Lakers reportedly have interest in retaining Metta World Peace as an assistant coach if he doesn’t make the team’s 15-man roster as a player.