Calipari Meets With NBPA About Eligibility Changes
Kentucky coach John Calipari met with NBA Players Association representatives last week to explain his ideas for major reforms to the “one-and-done” process and the G League, writes Mac Engel of The Fort Worth Star Telegram.
Calipari advocates a system that would create an easier path for high school players who want to go directly to the pro ranks. He is urging the union to set up a “combine” for high school juniors.
“Kids should be able to go [to the NBA] out of high school,” he said. “That’s not our deal. That’s between the NBA and the Players Association. Don’t put restrictions on kids.”
Calipari sees failure in the current rules, adopted by the NBA and the union in 2007, that stipulate players have to be at least age 19 or a year past graduation to be eligible for the draft. The purpose was to reduce the role of agents, but their reach has become greater than ever.
He envisions a system similar to minor league baseball, with the NBA providing G League players with salaries in the $30K range, along with money for college tuition.
“What do we do with these kids now,” Calipari asked. “What do we do if they are not academically ready at all, because they didn’t plan on it. Who wants to take care of those thousands of kids whose family, many times, are dealing with generational poverty and their chance was maybe to get him an education?
“Now, how many kids do you think who went thinking, ‘I’m here one, or two, and done and stayed all four years? It’s been proven by the graduation rates it’s a ton. What’s wrong with that? I don’t care what they do, but let’s not force them to go to the G League. If they choose to do that, that’s fine, but why don’t we make sure if they don’t make it in, they at least have a chance at a guaranteed education.”
Community Shootaround: Portland Trail Blazers
After exceeding expectations during the regular season, the Trail Blazers went the other way in the playoffs. Coming in as the No. 3 seed in the West, Portland is the first team to exit the postseason after a shocking sweep by the Pelicans.
The focus now turns to next year and how to improve a team that won 49 games. The Blazers are already about $10MM over the salary cap for 2018/19, and that number could go significantly higher. Jusuf Nurkic, Shabazz Napier and Pat Connaughton are all eligible for extensions this summer, with their qualifying offers combining for nearly $10MM.
Nurkic will be looking for a big-money deal after averaging 14.3 points and 9.0 rebounds in 79 games. He established himself as Portland’s starting center immediately after being acquired from the Nuggets in a trade last season and won’t be easy to replace if the Blazers decide he’s not affordable.
Most of the team’s salary is tied up in the starting backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, who are both signed to rich contracts through the 20/21 season. In addition, Evan Turner will make more than $36MM over the next two years, and Maurice Harkless and Meyers Leonard are each around $22MM for the same time frame, meaning no cap relief is coming until at least the summer of 2020.
President of basketball operations Neil Olshey has to decide this summer if the current approach will keep the Blazers competitive or if major changes are needed. Rumors are already circulating that head coach Terry Stotts may be fired after six years on the bench. But the only way to bring radical change is to break up the high-priced backcourt. Lillard is owed more than $89.4MM over the next three seasons, while McCollum will get more than $82.6MM. Either one would bring a healthy trade package in return, and a deal could help ease the financial logjam.
What would you do if you were running the Blazers? Would you break up one of the best backcourts in the NBA, or is there a better solution? Please give us your feedback in the comments section below.
Terry Stotts’ Job In Jeopardy?
There are “murmurs” that Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts may be fired after being swept by the Pelicans, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times.
Stotts has five straight postseason appearances and a 272-220 record in his six years in Portland. However, this is the second consecutive season that the Blazers have been swept out of the playoffs in the first round.
If Stotts is dismissed, Stein says the Magic would have “immediate interest” in hiring him. Orlando fired coach Frank Vogel after the end of the regular season, but hasn’t been in a rush to find a replacement, with Jerry Stackhouse as the only scheduled interview.
Stotts, 60, had head coaching jobs in Atlanta and Milwaukee before joining the Blazers. He was also a longtime assistant, working with the SuperSonics, Bucks, Warriors and Mavericks.
Heat Notes: Wade, Whiteside, J. Richardson, Winslow
Dwyane Wade has provided countless thrills for fans at AmericanAirlines Arena over the years, but the last ones may have come this afternoon, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Wade turned in a vintage performance with 25 points, but it wasn’t enough to keep Miami from suffering a 106-102 loss to the Sixers and falling into a 3-1 hole in the series.
“I don’t want to answer that right now,” Wade said when asked if he thought today might mark his final appearance on Miami’s home court. “I’ve got another game to play. I’m focused on the next game.”
Wade’s playoff performance has been the high point of his return to Miami after a trade from Cleveland in early February. He hasn’t publicly addressed the idea of retirement, but he turned 36 in January and isn’t signed beyond this season.
There’s more news to pass along from Miami:
- The Heat came into today’s game looking to give Hassan Whiteside a greater role in the offense, writes Shandel Richardson of The Sun-Sentinel. Whiteside had averaged just 13.3 minutes during the first three games of the series and his production was limited to 3.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per night. He got 26 minutes today and responded with 13 points and 13 rebounds. “Coach gave me some minutes out there and I tried to make the most any time I got,” said Whiteside, who complained about reduced playing time last month. “Coach said no regrets.”
- There were reports that Heat guard Josh Richardson sprained the AC joint in his left shoulder, but the team is classifying it as a contusion, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Richardson, who set a franchise record with seven steals during the game, said his shoulder was hurting afterward. “Just trying to be active,” he told Jackson, “trying to put my fingerprints on the game.”
- Justise Winslow was fined $15K for stepping on Joel Embiid‘s facemask during Game 3, writes Ian Begley of ESPN. The act occurred in the second quarter when the mask was on the court. “He kept throwing [his mask] on the ground. I don’t know if he didn’t like it or what,” Winslow said. “I was talking to JoJo, we were smack-talking, trash-talking, going back and forth, but no love loss.” Embiid laughed off the incident, saying he has “about 50” masks available.
Draft Updates: Daum, Olinde, Echodas, Cate
Mike Daum of South Dakota State has tweeted his intention to enter the NBA draft. The junior forward averaged 23.9 points and 10.3 rebounds this year and has been an Associated Press honorable mention All-American the past two seasons.
“After speaking with my coaches and family I have decided to declare for the 2018 NBA Draft without an agent,” Daum wrote on Twitter. “I’m excited to pursue my dream and see where this process will take me!”
Daum is joined by a slew of international prospects who elected to test the draft waters as we move toward tomorrow night’s deadline. All the decisions relayed by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony:
- Louis Olinde, 20, of Germany, a 6’10” combo forward who appeared in 32 games for Bamberg in the Euroleague and BBL. (Twitter link)
- Lithuania’s Martynas Echodas, 20, a 6’10” center who plays for Lietuvos Rytas and is posting 9.5 points and 6.2 rebounds in 20 minutes per game (Twitter link).
- Emanuel Cate, 20, of Romania, a 6’10 forward who plays in Spain and was named MVP of last year’s under-20 European Championship in Division B (Twitter link).
- The Congo’s Romaric Belemene, 21, a 6’8″ combo forward who averages 9.5 points in 24 minutes for Oviedo in the Spanish second division. (Twitter link).
- Yago Dos Santos, 19, of Brazil, a 5’10” point guard who recently participated in the Nike Hoop Summit (Twitter link).
- Brazil’s Gabriel Galvanini, 19, a 6’9″ combo forward averaging 7.5 points and 4.6 rebounds for Bauru in the first division. He ranks 12th in ESPN’s 1998 international class ranking, according to Givony (Twitter link).
Injury Updates: Smart, Curry, Hill, Turner
Celtics guard Marcus Smart may be getting closer to a return, writes Marc D’Amico of NBA.com. Smart, who had surgery on his right thumb and has been sidelined since March 12, will be re-evaluated next week, coach Brad Stevens told reporters today.
“He’s doing everything in a workout that you can do,” Stevens said. “It’s just a matter of being cleared for live play.” He added that the Celtics intend to use Smart as soon as he is cleared for full contact.
Smart has been going through workouts with coaches, but is not permitted to do anything competitive until he receives medical clearance. Doctors are concerned with limiting the risk that his thumb will be re-injured once he returns to the court.
“I think it’s just a matter of you have to have that post-surgery healed enough to be able to take a hit even with a brace on it,” Stevens added. “That’s the hold up.”
There’s more injury-related news to pass on:
- The Warriors welcomed Stephen Curry back to practice today, but have no intention to use him in the series with San Antonio, relays Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. “He’s coming along well, but don’t expect him to be Willis Reed tomorrow,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. Curry, who has sat out the past four weeks with a sprained MCL in his left knee, completed several non-contact drills today without any setbacks. Doctors will re-evaluate him next weekend in hopes of a second-round return.
- Cavaliers guard George Hill is questionable for Game 4 after experiencing back spasms Friday night, according to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. Hill had an MRI today after playing just 30 seconds in the fourth quarter because of back soreness. Coach Tyronn Lue said veteran Jose Calderon will probably start Sunday if Hill can’t play.
- Evan Turner was able to start today for the Trail Blazers after having a titanium plate placed in his right shoe to protect his big toe, tweets Jason Quick of NBC Sports Northwest. Turner suffered a bruise in Game 2 when he was kicked in the toe while chasing a loose ball.
Hornets To Interview Fizdale, Messina
David Fizdale and Ettore Messina will both have interviews with Charlotte in the next few days, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Fizdale has been a popular name since the season ended, interviewing for the opening in Phoenix with another interview upcoming for the job in New York. A longtime assistant in Miami, he led the Grizzlies to the playoffs last year before being fired 19 games into this season.
Messina, considered among the world’s top international coaches, has been an assistant in San Antonio for the past four seasons and is filling in for Gregg Popovich in the playoffs after his wife’s death. The Spurs granted permission last weekend for Messina to interview with the Hornets.
Stay up to date with all the latest developments on the coaching front with our Coaching Search Tracker.
Five Key Stories: 4/14/18 – 4/21/18
In case you missed any of this past week’s top stories from around the league, we have you covered with our Week in Review. Below are the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days.
Spurs All-Star Kawhi Leonard will not return to the team this season, missing the remainder of the postseason with the intent of fully rehabilitating his injured right quadriceps. Appearing in just nine games this season, Leonard has not played since January 13, and continues to be absent from the team during his rehab.
In great news for the G League, its players will be receiving a significant salary increase next season. All G League contracts for 2018/19 will pay $35K, in addition to housing costs and insurance benefits. The league had been paying $26K or $19K this season and previously, depending on a player’s classification.
In very sad news, Erin Popovich, the wife of Spurs head coach Greg Popovich, passed away after having battled an illness for an extended time. Said Spurs GM RC Buford, “We mourn the loss of Erin. She was a strong, wonderful, kind, intelligent woman who provided love, support and humor to all of us.” Greg and Erin were married for 40 years and had two children and two grandchildren together.
Luka Doncic of Real Madrid, a potential No. 1 overall pick, has submitted paperwork to enter the 2018 NBA Draft. Donic, 19, averaged 15.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 4.7 APG for Real Madrid this season and is currently still participating in the EuroLeague postseason.
There is a lot of news and rumors coming out of the head coaching searches for six NBA franchises – the Suns, Knicks, Grizzlies, Magic, Bucks, and Hornets. Luckily, you can find every story and update with our 2018 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker.
Here are 8 more headlines from last week:
- The Clippers are planning on being active if a trade market for Leonard materializes this summer.
- Not to be outdone, the Lakers also plan to trade for Leonard if he becomes available.
- Duke big man Wendell Carter Jr. is entering the 2018 NBA Draft.
- The NBA’s preseason salary cap projections for next season have not changed.
- Texas Tech freshman Zhaire Smith has declared his intention to enter the 2018 NBA Draft.
- Timberwolves rookie center Justin Patton is done for the season after undergoing a second surgery on his left foot.
- Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy and owner Tom Gores will meet this week to discuss Van Gundy’s future with the team.
- UVA’s De’Andre Hunter, a potential first-round pick, will return to school for his sophomore year.
Rodions Kurucs To Enter 2018 NBA Draft
Latvian forward Rodions Kurucs is declaring for the 2018 NBA draft, per Jonathan Givony of ESPN. The 6-foot-10 combo forward is now projected as a possible second-round selection after seeing his stock plummet because of a lack of playing time with Barcelona this season.
Kurucs, 20, is currently slated to be picked 39th in the latest ESPN mock draft, as his combination of size, skill, and versatility is coveted in today’s NBA.
Kurucs’ ability to attend private workouts will be a key factor for his chances of being drafted, as few teams have been able to scout him thoroughly because it’s been hard to make a trip out to watch him not knowing whether he’ll see any minutes. Regardless, many scouts consider him to be the third-best international prospect in this year’s draft.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 4/14/18 – 4/21/18
Every week, we here at Hoops Rumors strive to create interesting original content to complement our news feed. Here are the original segments and features from the past seven days:
- Mark Suleymanov took an in-depth look into the effect a torn ACL can have on an NBA player.
- Luke Adams ran down the 2018 Pre-Lottery Draft Order after the NBA conducted its draft tiebreakers.
- In this week’s Community Shootaround Series, we asked:
- Which lower-seeded teams do you think look like the best bets to advance to round two?
- What is the best available coaching job?
- Luke Adams listed some important 2018 NBA Offseason dates.
- In a much anticipated end-of-season poll, we asked for your input on the three All-NBA Teams.
- In another poll, we asked what you believe the Spurs are going to do with Kawhi Leonard this offseason.
- We began a new feature, the 2018 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker.
- We took a look at the upcoming 2018/19 Player Options and 2018/19 Team Options.
- We asked which team you believe will win the Eastern Conference Playoffs?