SI Writer Lee Jenkins Joins Clippers’ Front Office
The Clippers have officially hired Sports Illustrated senior NBA writer Lee Jenkins, naming him the team’s executive director of research and identity, the club announced in a press release late on Monday night. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported that Jenkins was leaving his job with SI for a front office role with the Clippers.
The newly-created position is the first of its kind for any NBA club, per the Clippers’ announcement. According to the team, “Jenkins will use his extensive reporting background and unique interviewing style to contribute to the franchise’s amateur and professional scouting infrastructure, as well as help to enhance the Clipper experience.”
As Wojnarowski details, Jenkins said he had never considered the possibility of working for an NBA franchise until Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank and GM Michael Winger approached him a few months ago with the idea.
Jenkins acknowledges that there will be some “trial and error” when it comes to his new role, but says he’s excited to bring his media and reporting experience to the Clips’ front office.
“In our line of work, we ask questions from different angles, assemble information in different ways,” Jenkins told Wojnarowski. “We try to put it together like puzzles until we’ve formed a portrait of a person. I’m going to try to bring that same process to the Clippers in hopes it will complement what their incredible group of evaluators already accomplish. This team is interested not just in what players do, but who they are — how they’re wired, how they’re motivated — and that’s an area I love to explore.”
This isn’t the first time an NBA team has hired a media member to its front office, but typically those moves involve writers who focus on analytics and data, like when former ESPN stats guru John Hollinger joined the Grizzlies several years ago. It will be interesting to see how the Clippers use Jenkins, who is a storyteller rather than a statistician.
Northwest Rumors: Butler, Porter, Thunder, Aminu
The Nets, Knicks, Nuggets, Sixers and Lakers are potential landing spots for Jimmy Butler if the Timberwolves decide to trade him before he hits free agency next summer, Frank Urbina of HoopsHype opines. Butler is reportedly meeting with Minnesota’s brass on Monday to discuss his future with the organization. The Nets could offer a package featuring the Nuggets’ top-12 protected 2019 first-round pick, as well as defensive-minded wing Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, while Denver could make either Jamal Murray, Gary Harris and Michael Porter Jr. the centerpiece in a deal for the All-Star wing, Urbina adds.
We have more from around the Northwest Division:
- Porter is trying to return to full strength after two back surgeries and there’s no guarantee he’ll play this season, Christopher Dempsey of the team’s website writes in a player profile. The Nuggets will keep him on the sidelines until they’re convinced the rookie forward won’t have any setbacks. There’s no timetable on when he will be ready to make his debut, Dempsey adds.
- Defense will be the Thunder’s biggest strengths this season, according to Basketball Insiders’ season preview of the team. The return of Andre Roberson from his knee injury and the subtraction of Carmelo Anthony give the Thunder five above-average-to-elite defenders in their lineup. Oklahoma City’s biggest issue is closing out games but without the chemistry issues caused by trying to fit Anthony in with Russell Westbrook and Paul George, its performances in the clutch should also improve this season.
- Trail Blazers forward Al-Farouq Aminu and center Jusuf Nurkic have returned to Portland after competing in regional FIBA World Cup qualifiers last week, according to Casey Holdahl of the team’s website. Aminu helped Nigeria go 3-0 during the tournament but Bosnia and Herzegovina went winless in two games despite the efforts of Nurkic.
- Shooting guard Darius Johnson-Odom has remained in Minnesota to work out following his recent tryout with the Timberwolves, Darren Wolfson of KSTP tweets. He could still be added to the training camp roster, Wolfson adds.
Community Shootaround: Spurs’ Playoff Chances
No Kawhi Leonard. No Tony Parker. No Manu Ginobili.
The changes to the Spurs’ roster this summer have been startling. Leonard’s unhappiness with the organization convinced San Antonio’s front office to trade him before he could become a free agent next summer. Parker surprisingly left the only NBA franchise he had played for since 2001 and signed with the Hornets. Then last week Ginobili, after much deliberation, announced his retirement.
Here’s something more jarring than all the personnel changes. Could the Spurs’ streak of 21 consecutive postseason appearances, the longest active playoff streak in any major North American sports league, be coming to an end?
For the first time in many years, San Antonio is no lock to make the postseason. The Spurs squeaked into the playoffs last year with a 47-35 record, tying them with the Timberwolves for seventh place. The Nuggets were just one game back and now the Lakers, with the addition of LeBron James, should be back in playoff contention.
San Antonio should have a good 1-2 punch in power forward LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan, the major piece it received in the Leonard trade with Toronto. The Spurs will also count on major improvement from young point guard Dejounte Murray. If rookie forward Lonnie Walker can make an immediate impact, that would also boost their postseason prospects as well.
Pau Gasol and Rudy Gay, both of whom have a lot of mileage on their legs, are the other projected starters. Gasol is 38 and needs to have his minutes monitored. Gay, 32, has appeared in just 87 games over the past two seasons.
There’s an obvious lack of youth, athleticism and 3-point shooting on the roster. Even Ginobili admits Gregg Popovich will have do one of the best coaching jobs of his career to coax a playoff appearance out of the current roster.
”I think it’s going to be a great challenge for him having a different kind of team, maybe less corporate knowledge,” Ginobili said. ”I think it’s going to be a fun challenge. I think he’s going to do good.”
That brings us to our question of the day: Will the Spurs extend their streak of 21 consecutive playoff appearances or will it come to an end this season?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in this topic. We look forward to your feedback.
NBA Projects $109 Million Cap for 2019/20 Season
The NBA has provided teams with updated projections of a $109MM salary cap for the 2019/20 season with a luxury-tax threshold of $132MM, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. The NBA also projects a $118MM cap and $143MM luxury-tax line for the 2020/21 season.
The 2019/20 cap projection remains unchanged from the NBA’s last update on July 1 but the $118MM projection for the following season is $2MM higher than the previous update, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. That’s due to BRI projections and a projected shortfall-based adjustment, Charania adds in another tweet.
The latest projections means that teams can trust they will be dealing with a $109MM cap or something close to it when making out their budgets for next summer. Teams will likely have more than $7MM to play with next season than they did this summer, when the NBA set a $101,869,000 cap.
Rookie Guard Robert Johnson Joins Bucks In Camp
Former Indiana University guard Robert Johnson has agreed to a training camp deal with the Bucks, Nicola Lupo of Sportando tweets. The news was confirmed by Ben Stinar of Amico Hoops.
The undrafted Johnson played with the Hawks’ summer league team, appearing in seven games and averaging 7.1 PPG in 15.6 MPG. Johnson averaged 14.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 2.7 APG in his final season with the Hoosiers. Johnson made 38.9% of his 3-point tries during his college career.
While it’s highly unlikely the 6’3” Johnson will make the 15-man roster, it increases the chances that he’ll develop his game with Milwaukee’s G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd.
The Bucks currently have a full 20-man roster and have reportedly reached agreements with Shabazz Muhammad and Christian Wood as well, so they’ll have to make a series of roster moves at some point to accommodate all their deals.
Celtics, Jamal Crawford Have ‘Mutual Interest’
The Celtics and veteran free agent guard Jamal Crawford have “mutual interest,” according to The Athletic’s Jared Weiss.
Weiss made that revelation during a CLNS Celtics Beat podcast and the comments were relayed by A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston.
The Celtics are seeking “more 3-point shooting” and that’s something Crawford can provide. As for Crawford, who opted out of his contract with the Timberwolves early in the summer, he’s chasing a ring.
According to Weiss, “He wants to be in a position to win a championship, and so he wants to sign on with one of these title teams … He’s really valuable for playoff teams that … just want to have somebody to carry them for a couple minutes in the third quarter or something like that. And I think he can still do that to a certain degree.”
The Celtics currently have a fully-stocked roster, including 15 players with guaranteed contracts. However, shooting guard Jabari Bird‘s future is very much in doubt after his arraignment on assault and kidnapping charges.
The Sixers and Lakers are also reportedly among the contenders for Crawford’s services.
Zanik, Rosas Receive Second Interviews For Sixers’ Post
Jazz assistant GM Justin Zanik and Rockets VP Gersson Rosas have earned second interviews for the Sixers’ GM opening, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.
Philadelphia’s ownership group dined with Zanik on Sunday and will do the same with Rosas on Monday. The ownership group will also hold second interviews with internal candidates on Thursday and Friday, Pompey adds in another tweet. The news was confirmed by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Warriors assistant GM and director of player personnel Larry Harris was also recently interviewed for the vacancy, though there’s no indication if he’ll receive another interview.
Some of the internal candidates for the job who were reportedly interviewed this month include former Sixers player Elton Brand, Marc Eversley, Ned Cohen and Alex Rucker.
The organization has been operating without a GM since Bryan Colangelo departed in June amid charges of releasing sensitive information on Twitter.
The Sixers initially targeted big-name NBA GMs and presidents like Rockets GM Daryl Morey, but have since cast a wider net, focusing more on executives who would view the Philadelphia job as a promotion rather than a lateral move.
Clippers Want First-Rounder From Suns For Beverley
The Clippers’ Patrick Beverley is at the top of the Suns’ list of potential point guards, but the teams haven’t been able to work out a price, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
In a video, Charania says L.A. is asking for a first-rounder in exchange for Beverley, but Phoenix has only been willing to offer second-round picks. Charania calls Beverley a “culture setter” and says the Suns “view him as a guy who could come in and play a very good complementary role to Devin Booker” similar to what he did alongside James Harden in Houston.
Phoenix has been without a starting-caliber point guard since trading Brandon Knight to the Rockets last month. The team has been exploring several options and has apparently focused on Beverley as the best fit.
The Clippers are willing to part with Beverley because they have a crowded backcourt and 15 players with guaranteed contracts. Beverley, whose $5,027,028 deal is non-guaranteed, received full medical clearance in June after undergoing microfracture and meniscus surgery on his knee last November. He played just 11 games in his first season after being acquired from the Rockets.
Lucas Nogueira To Sign With Spanish Team
Former Raptors center Lucas Nogueira will play in the Spanish League next season, tweets Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Nogueira is signing a deal today to play for Montakit Fuenlabrada, Carchia adds, and an official announcement is expected soon.
Nogueira spent the past four years in Toronto, but didn’t receive a qualifying offer when the season ended. That made him an unrestricted free agent, but there wasn’t much NBA interest in the 26-year-old. His fate in Toronto was sealed when the Raptors signed veteran big man Greg Monroe last month.
Nogueira peaked during the 2016/17 season when he averaged 4.4 points and 4.3 rebounds in 57 games while playing about 19 minutes per night. His playing time was cut in half last season and he appeared in just 49 games.
Dzanan Musa Reportedly Escapes Serious Injury
The Nets may have dodged a bullet regarding an injury to first-round pick Dzanan Musa, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
Musa was carried off the court Sunday while playing for Bosnia in a FIBA world cup qualifying game. There were fears that Musa damaged his Achilles, but it appears to be a less serious injury to his right ankle.
“Thank God, It looked bad, but I will be back for my Brooklyn, for the beginning of the training camp!!!” Musa tweeted.
The Nets aren’t commenting on the situation until they have a chance to examine Musa, but a source close to the player confirmed that only the ankle is affected. Musa made the flight from Sarajevo to New York overnight.