Suns Hiring Joe Prunty As Lead Assistant
A former NBA head coach will become the new lead assistant on Igor Kokoskov‘s staff in Phoenix, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports that the Suns have agreed to a deal with Joe Prunty to fill that role.
A veteran NBA assistant who has worked for the Spurs, Mavericks, Trail Blazers, Cavaliers, and Nets, Prunty was the lead assistant on Jason Kidd‘s staff in Milwaukee. When the Bucks fired Kidd halfway through the 2017/18 season, Prunty took over as the club’s interim head coach.
After leading the Bucks to a playoff berth and a first-round exit, Prunty received consideration for the permanent head coaching job in Milwaukee, and was one of the many candidates interviewed by the franchise. However, the team ultimately decided on Mike Budenholzer, leaving Prunty looking for work elsewhere.
A report in May indicated that the Suns were expected to hire Mike Woodson as the new lead assistant on Kokoskov’s staff, but no deal had been formally reached at that time. It’s unclear whether Woodson, a former Knicks head coach and Clippers assistant, still fits into Phoenix’s plans, or whether he’ll land with another team now that Prunty is poised to become Kokoskov’s right-hand man.
Wendell Carter Working Out For Six Lottery Teams
Duke center Wendell Carter Jr. has workouts on tap with six lottery teams in this year’s draft, he told reporters today. Carter, whose first workout of the pre-draft process took place today with the Bulls, also has auditions lined up with the Mavericks, Grizzlies, Magic, Knicks, and Cavaliers, per Nick Friedell of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
It’s not clear if Carter will ultimately add more workouts to his schedule after completing those six sessions, but the teams he named today present a pretty clear picture of when he can expect to be drafted. Each club on his list holds a top-10 selection, ranging from No. 4 (Memphis) to No. 9 (New York). Ian Begley of ESPN.com tweets that several people in the Knicks’ front office are “enamored” with Carter.
In his latest mock draft, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony has Carter coming off the board at No. 7 to the Bulls. For his part, the young center said today he has heard he could be drafted anywhere from No. 3 to No. 12, Friedell notes.
A freshman for the Blue Devils last season, Carter averaged an impressive 13.5 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 2.1 BPG, and 2.0 APG in just 26.9 minutes per contest. He also recorded a solid .561/.413/.738 shooting line in his first and only year at Duke.
Trae Young To Work Out For Magic
11:29am: In addition to Young, Kevin Knox and Anfernee Simons will also work out for the Magic this week, tweets Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.
9:54am: Oklahoma guard Trae Young has a private workout scheduled this week with the Magic, according to Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com. Zagora, who previously reported that Young will work out privately for the Knicks, writes that the nation’s leading scorer will fly to Orlando following his time in New York.
The Magic currently hold the No. 6 pick in the NBA draft, making Young a viable target for the club. Outside of perhaps power forward, Orlando isn’t loaded with talent at any position, so the team isn’t a lock to target a point guard, but that spot figures to be an area of focus this offseason. The Magic traded away former first-rounder Elfrid Payton at this year’s deadline, and currently have D.J. Augustin and Shelvin Mack atop their depth chart.
In his most recent mock draft, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony has Young going to the Magic at No. 6, writing that the youngster’s “offensive profile is tailor-made for today’s NBA.”
Young, a 6’2″ guard, led the NCAA with 27.4 PPG in 2017/18, en route to a first-team All-American season. He also ranked first in APG (8.7), and chipped in 3.9 RPG and 1.7 SPG.
Magic swingman Terrence Ross suggested in a comment on Instagram that he intends to be in attendance for Young’s workout with the team this week.
Latest On Bulls’ Options At No. 7
The Bulls hold the No. 7 overall pick in this year’s draft, making them unlikely to have a shot at top prospects like Deandre Ayton, Luka Doncic, and Marvin Bagley III. However, the team could have some interesting options on the board after the first six clubs make their selections.
According to Vincent Goodwill of NBC Sports Chicago, the Bulls wouldn’t hesitate to draft a point guard at No. 7 if they felt that player was the right choice, despite the presence of Kris Dunn on their roster. Chicago appears “enamored” with Trae Young and is also high on Collin Sexton, Goodwill writes, noting that Young’s shooting would provide a different look in the backcourt than what Dunn provides.
While Sexton is a good bet to be available at No. 7, Young may be off the board. Regardless of whether one or both guards are available, the Bulls also figure to consider big men and wings, as Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic observes (via Twitter).
In Mayberry’s view, it feels like Chicago will end up landing Wendell Carter Jr., Mohamed Bamba, Mikal Bridges, or Miles Bridges at No. 7. Mayberry adds (via Twitter) that his best guess is that Chicago will draft a big man like Carter or Bamba with its lottery pick before targeting a perimeter player with its second first-rounder (No. 22 overall).
With some uncertainty about which players will be drafted in the top six later this month, it’s impossible to say definitively at this point which top prospect will land in Chicago. However, it sounds like the club is weighing several different options, regardless of position.
NBA To Experiment With Coach Challenges During Summer League
The NBA will use this July’s Las Vegas Summer League to test out a new coach’s challenge system for referees’ calls, sources tell ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. According to Windhorst, league officials are still working out the exact details of how the system will work, but it won’t involve a flag like the NFL.
As Windhorst observes, the NBA has frequently used the Summer League as a testing ground for possible changes to the game, including expanding officiating crews and adjusting goaltending rules.
Despite the fact that the league has increased its use of replay in recent years, a coach’s challenge system is unlikely to take effect in the NBA next season either, even if the Summer League experiment goes well.
The NFL, NHL, and MLB all currently employ some form of coach’s challenges, but each league has a number of rules governing which calls can and can’t be contested. In order to implement its own form of challenge system, the NBA would have to determine which calls could be disputed, how often a coach could use a challenge in a given game, and how the challenge process would be initiated, among other factors.
Currently, the NBA G League uses a basic system that allows coaches one opportunity per game to challenge a foul call, a goaltending/basket inference decision, or an out-of-bounds play.
“We’ve wanted to do it [in the NBA] for years,” NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Kiki VanDeWeghe said on SiriusXM Radio on Sunday, per AJ Neuharth-Keusch of USA Today. “The competition committee has been trying to figure out how we actually do this, because there’s some complications. It’s not quite as simple as you might imagine. We’ve had it in the G League for a number of years now and it’s been very effective. We’re going to try it in a very limited form in Summer League and we’re going to see how it goes. We’re going to let everybody look at it.”
Donnie Nelson Talks Mavs’ Draft, Doncic, Trades
The Mavericks have been keeping tabs on Luka Doncic and GM Donnie Nelson believes the 19-year-old is a special player, as the executive said on KTCK 1310AM The Ticket (via SportsDay). However, Nelson doesn’t expect Doncic to come in and play at a high level immediately.
“Whether you’re Luka Doncic, or when we first drafted [Dirk Nowitzki],” Nelson explained. “Dirk was young at the time, maybe a year older, but you’re wanting to come over when you’re physically ready and when you can make an impact. Even after Dirk made his commitment in year one that’s when he was getting thrown around like a rag doll and still maturing physically.
“…It took Dirk two years and he’s arguably the greatest player to ever come over. So if he would’ve had to do it all over would he have another year to put under his belt and experience? That’s really a question for him… The 2s and the 3s in this league are killers. There definitely will be a period of adjustment.”
Nelson said “pretty much” everyone has Deandre Ayton at the top of the draft, adding that he feels there are a “number of players” well past the No. 5 spot that the Mavs feel good about. While rumors of Dallas trading their first-round pick have been circulating, it doesn’t sound like the team plans on making a move.
“I don’t think we’ll look to trade out of the draft,” Nelson said. “We’re excited about the young nucleus with Dennis Smith, and obviously Harrison [Barnes] kind of grabbing the torch and providing the leadership role that Dirk has provided over the years. We’re excited about getting another young, impact guy we can add to the mix.”
Draft Notes: Antetokounmpo, Grizzlies, Sanon
Kostas Antetokounmpo suffered a groin injury during his workout with the Hornets, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer tweets. Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s younger brother could not complete the workout, but Bonnell notes that the injury does not appear to be serious.
The Dayton product has a workout scheduled with the Grizzlies on Monday, though it’s unlikely he’ll participate in it after sustaining the injury. Here are more notes on the upcoming draft:
- The Grizzlies will work out Jordan Barnett (Missouri), Demetrius Dyson (Samford), Obi Enechionya (Temple), Devon Hall (Virginia), and Malik Newman (Kansas) on Monday, according to a team press release. Memphis owns the No. 4 and No. 32 picks in the upcoming draft.
- Bruce Brown Jr. (Miami) will work out for the Timberwolves on Monday, Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News passes along via Twitter. Wolfson notes that Brown interviewed with Minnesota at the NBA Combine.
- Ukrainian point guard Issuf Sanon has interviews with 24 teams at the NBA Global Camp in Italy, Fran Fraschilla of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). The analyst adds that the 19-year-old would be a great draft-and-stash prospect.
Celtics Notes: Smart, Rozier, Larkin, Baynes
The Celtics would like to retain both Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier next season as they look to maintain depth, sources tell Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. While the franchise would like to bring everyone back, GM Danny Ainge acknowledged that tough decisions could be on the horizon.
“We’ve been managing the payroll pretty well up to this point and we know that there are some really big, tough decisions going forward,” Ainge said.
[RELATED: Will Marcus Smart Be A Celtic Next Season?]
Here’s more from Washburn on the Celtics:
- Shane Larkin, who will be an unrestricted free agent, will likely command a multiyear offer, as other teams will see him as a player who could hold down the backup point guard spot, Washburn speculates. The scribe adds that Larkin could see a substantial raise on his 2017/18 salary, which came in at slightly more than $1.47MM.
- The market for Smart will be difficult to predict, Washburn contends in the same piece. The Celtics are expected to allow Smart, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, to find an offer and evaluate whether or not it makes sense to match.
- If the Celtics are going to bring Aron Baynes back, they may have to use their mid-level exception since they do not own his Bird Rights, Washburn notes. The scribe argues that the team should attempt to sell Baynes on a one-year discounted deal with the lure of playing for a serious championship contender. However, he admits that such an arrangement is unlikely given the big man’s solid 2017/18 campaign.
- Washburn believes Greg Monroe is unlikely to return next season. Monroe’s defense prevented him from carving out a significant role during the Celtics’ postseason run.
Andre Iguodala Ruled Out For Game 2
Andre Iguodala has been ruled out of tonight’s contest, Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post (Twitter link) relays. Coach Steve Kerr said he’s “optimistic” that the small forward will play in the series, but cautions that “there’s no way to know for sure.”
Iguodala has been dealing with a left leg contusion and – prior to today announcement – was listed as doubtful for the Game 2 matchup. The veteran hasn’t played for Golden State since the team’s 41-point win over the Rockets in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.
This postseason, the Warriors have gone 10-3 with Iggy in the lineup and 3-2 without him.
Klay Thompson To Play In Game 2
6:09pm: Thompson will play in tonight’s contest, according to the Warriors’ Twitter feed.
4:59pm: Klay Thompson suffered a high left ankle sprain with significant bruising during the Warriors‘ Game 1 victory but is likely to play tonight, according to reports from ESPN’s Ramon Shelburne and USA TODAY’s Sam Amick.
The injury occurred when Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith dove for a loose ball early in the first quarter and landed on Thompson’s leg. After briefly leaving the game, Thompson returned to the game and played through the injury. Thompson told reporters yesterday that the pain worsened the day after the victory and if Game 2 had been scheduled for Saturday, he was unsure he could play.
Walking with a noticeable limp, Thompson said he was angered when he saw a replay of Smith’s dive.
“From watching that replay, it pissed me off,” Thompson said. “That’s a tough play on the ball, and then just to tumble into somebody’s legs like that. You’ve got to move past it, but it’s just life, and I’m going to be better from it. It’s just a minor setback. But I don’t think it was intentional.”
Thompson remains listed as “questionable” for tonight’s game. The Warriors sharpshooter has never missed a postseason game and while he’ll likely attempt to play, it’s uncertain how effective he will be on a bothersome ankle.