USA Basketball To Gauge Zion’s Interest In World Cup
USA Basketball will gauge Zion Williamson‘s interest in playing at the FIBA World Cup tournament in China this summer, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets.
The Duke freshman forward has not yet been approached by USA Basketball representatives. He still has to declare for the draft and hire an agent. Talks regarding Williamson’s participation would be held closer to the draft, Stein adds.
USA Basketball will send a 12-man team to the event, which will take place from August 31 to September 15.
Williamson’s college career likely ended with the Blue Devils’ one-point loss to Michigan State in the Elite Eight on Sunday. He is considered a lock to be drafted No. 1 overall.
It wouldn’t be unprecedented for a star talent to be added to USA Basketball’s roster before playing an NBA game, Stein notes in another tweet. Anthony Davis was handed a roster spot on the 2012 Olympic team for the London Games after Blake Griffin suffered a left knee injury.
In 33 games with Duke this season, Williamson averaged 22.6 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.8 BPG and 2.1 SPG in 30 MPG. He had 24 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks and three steals against the Spartans.
Talen Horton-Tucker Enters 2019 NBA Draft
Freshman guard Talen Horton-Tucker has announced that he intends to declare for the 2019 NBA draft, posting a message on Twitter thanking his coaches, teammates, advisors, friends, and fans at Iowa State.
Horton-Tucker tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com that he will “most likely” hire an agent to help navigate the pre-draft waters. Under the new NCAA rules, if an underclassmen hires a representative, it doesn’t necessarily mean that he’ll forgo his remaining college eligibility. However, the Iowa State freshman appears likely to ultimately keep his name in the draft pool.
In his first – and possible only – college season, Horton-Tucker averaged 11.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.3 APG, and 1.3 SPG for the Cyclones. As Givony points out, scouts are intrigued by Horton-Tucker’s wingspan (7’1″) and his age (he doesn’t turn 19 until November). On the other hand, NBA teams still have some questions about the youngster’s ability to knock down outside shots, Givony notes.
“Going into NBA workouts I would like to show teams that I am a better shooter than my numbers showed,” Horton-Tucker told ESPN. “Also I would like to show teams how hard I have worked on my body and my play making abilities at the two-guard and lead guard spots.”
Currently, Givony has Horton-Tucker ranked 20th overall on his 2019 big board.
LeBron Won’t Play In 2019 World Cup, Open To 2020 Olympics
LeBron James hasn’t represented Team USA in international play since the 2012 Olympics, and that won’t change this fall. With USA Basketball looking to bring home gold at the 2019 World Cup in China, James confirms to Joe Vardon of The Athletic that he won’t be participating in that event.
“I love everything about Pop (Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich), obviously, but this is not a good summer for me,” James said.
As Vardon notes, despite the fact that James’ summer will be longer than expected now that the Lakers have failed to qualify for the postseason, that won’t change the four-time MVP’s plans. The production schedule of Space Jam 2 is one key factor that will prevent LeBron from being available for this year’s World Cup, which takes place at the start of September.
Still, James hasn’t ruled out the possibility of rejoining Team USA for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Having previously won a pair of gold medals for USA Basketball in Beijing (2008) and London (2012), LeBron is leaving the door open for one more Olympic run.
“Yeah, that’s a possibility,” LeBron told Vardon. “It depends on how I feel. I love the Olympics.”
Here’s more from James, via Vardon:
- After appearing in eight straight NBA Finals and then missing the postseason this year, James isn’t pretending this summer will just be business as usual. He tells Vardon that he likes the fact that he’s feeling “uncomfortable” heading into this offseason: “I like being counted out. It motivates me.”
- Having been shut down for the remainder of the season, LeBron tells Vardon that he’d like to still be playing, but he’s willing to defer to the Lakers’ decision-makers and the people around him. “I’ve always listened to the ones I trust, no matter if I always agreed with them or not,” James said. “They’re looking out for my best interest, and that’s the way it is.”
- While LeBron will be busy with Space Jam 2 and other projects this summer, he’s also considering how a two-month head start to the offseason will impact his workout plans as he looks to stay in shape for 2019/20. “I’ve had basically the same offseason training regimen the last eight years,” he said. “I knew how long I wanted to rest for the season on a short timeline. I’m figuring out now how to get as much as I can out of two months of extra time for training. It requires a totally different strategy. We’re looking at it in an entirely new way.”
Nassir Little Declares For 2019 NBA Draft
UNC forward Nassir Little is entering the 2019 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility and going pro, reports ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
“I am declaring for the 2019 draft with the intention to start my NBA career,” Little told Givony. “I am going to work extremely hard throughout the pre-draft process and my entire career to continue to grow as a player and person. I feel like I have a very high ceiling as a player and I plan to reach that ceiling through consistent hard work.”
A highly-touted recruit a year ago, Little had an up-and-down freshman season at North Carolina, averaging 9.8 PPG and 4.6 RPG with a shooting line of .480/.269/.770. Last November, the young forward was grouped with top Duke prospects Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett as a potential top-five pick, but he’ll likely fall a little further than that this spring.
Currently, Givony and Mike Schmitz have Little ranked 16th overall on their big board at ESPN.com, writing that the 6’6″ freshman has an “elite physical profile for a modern combo forward,” but also has a “limited feel for the game.”
According to Givony, Little will began to prepare for the pre-draft process right away and hopes to show teams that there’s more to his game than what they saw at UNC.
“I just want teams to see who I am as a player and person,” Little said. “I take a professional approach to everything I do, both on and off the court. I’m coachable. I am a good teammate. I think once everyone sees all these things and sees what I can do as a player, I’ll land in a great situation where I can grow and help a team win.”
Chris Boucher Named G League MVP, DPOY
Raptors big man Chris Boucher has earned a pair of end-of-season NBA G League honors, as the team issued a press release today announcing that Boucher has been named the NBAGL Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year.
Although Boucher is on Toronto’s 15-man roster now, he spent much of the season with the Raptors 905, either on assignment or as part of the two-way contract agreement he had with the team earlier in 2018/19.
Boucher put up huge numbers for the Raptors’ G League affiliate, averaging 27.2 PPG, 11.4 RPG, and an eye-popping 4.1 BPG in 28 games. In the club’s first-round playoff win over the Grand Rapids Drive, the 26-year-old nearly posted a triple-double, with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and nine blocks.
Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days, who selected Boucher’s teammate Jordan Loyd as his MVP this season, tweets that he left Boucher off his own end-of-season awards because he only appeared in 28 games. NBA G League clubs play 50 regular season games, and a player must appear in 25 of them to qualify for the league’s awards.
When Boucher was promoted to the Raptors’ 15-man roster in February, he inked a two-year deal that includes a partially guaranteed salary for 2019/20, so Toronto will have the opportunity to keep him under contract next season at the minimum. If he sticks with the Raps for another season, he’d become eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2020.
Draft Notes: Roby, Nowell, Froling, Edwards
Nebraska forward Isaiah Roby is testing the NBA draft waters, reports Chris Heady of the Omaha World-Herald. A 6’8″ junior, Roby will put his name in the 2019 draft class without hiring an agent, clearing a path for him to return for his senior year and play for new coach Fred Hoiberg if he so chooses.
While Roby may ultimately decide to return to Nebraska, it’s certainly possible that the feedback he gets will be positive enough to convince him to stay in the draft. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony has Roby ranked as the No. 37 overall prospect in this year’s class after a strong junior season in which he averaged 11.8 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.9 BPG, and 1.3 SPG in 35 games (31.2 MPG).
Here are a few more notes on the 2019 NBA draft:
- University of Washington guard Jaylen Nowell has elected to enter the 2019 NBA draft after his sophomore season, posting a message on Twitter announcing his decision. Based on the wording of his announcement, it sounds like Nowell fully intends to go pro, forgoing his remaining college eligibility. He’s the No. 89 prospect on Jonathan Givony’s big board.
- After spending a year at Creighton, freshman forward/center Samson Froling will pursue a professional career in his home country of Australia, the program announced today. The seven-footer didn’t have a major role in his first and only season with the Bluejays, averaging 3.6 PPG and 1.9 RPG in 30 appearances. “We appreciate his contributions and respect his desire to play professionally,” head coach Greg McDermott said of Froling. “We will continue to support him in his future endeavors.”
- In an Insider-only report for ESPN.com, Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz take a lengthy look at which top-100 prospects are rising and falling after the latest NCAA tournament action. Most notably, Purdue’s Carsen Edwards had “arguably the most impressive four-game stretch of any player in the history of the tournament,” per Givony. Edwards has been bumped up to No. 25 in ESPN’s new rankings.
Hawks Sign Isaac Humphries
The Hawks have signed G League center Isaac Humphries for the remainder of the season, the team announced today in a press release. Based on Atlanta’s announcement, it sounds as if Humphries’ new deal will expire at season’s end rather than including an option for next season.
Humphries, who played for the Erie BayHawks – Atlanta’s G League affiliate – this season, averaged 11.3 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 1.1 BPG in 46 games (21.8 MPG) this season. The Australian native went undrafted out of Kentucky in 2017 and joined the Sydney Kings for his first professional season in 2017/18, earning NBL Rookie of the Year honors.
Atlanta has an open spot on its 15-man roster, so no corresponding move was necessary to clear space for Humphries. The Hawks now have 14 players on guaranteed contracts, with Deyonta Davis on a 10-day deal that will expire on Sunday night.
Humphries will earn just over $47K on his new contract, which will cover the season’s final 10 days.
Latest On Kristaps Porzingis Allegations
11:09am: Porzingis’ accuser told police that Porzingis hit her in the face several times and spit on her during the alleged incident, according to a TMZ report. She says he eventually stopped assaulting her, as she was putting up a fight.
Wojarowski’s report notes that the woman shared a photograph with the Knicks that she said showed hair loss and broken nose cartilage “from when he repeatedly hit me.” The woman said she had to pay approximately $10K for corrective surgery after the encounter.
Per Wojnarowski, the woman wrote the following in an email to the Knicks last October:
“After the extremely aggressive encounter, he was very apologetic, loving and caring … hence, the offer he made to pay my (little) bro’s tuition + more. … Although how he treated me was horrendous, as a Knicks fan, I do not want him to get him in any trouble with the law. I stayed back and enjoyed the rest of the time I spent with him. It’s crucial to note the fun times I had with him doesn’t negate the fact that he offered to compensate me as a soothing gift even though I didn’t ask him to.”
10:13am: The woman who has accused Kristaps Porzingis of rape contacted the Knicks‘ legal department approximately eight months after the alleged incident in an effort to “mediate in private” a payment of $68K, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. She told the team that she would “litigate this matter” if the Knicks failed to properly mediate it.
The communication between Porzingis’ accuser and the Knicks’ legal staff took place in October and November, at which time no criminal complaint had been filed with the NYPD, according to Wojnarowski, who says the club ultimately referred her to Porzingis’ personal legal representation.
The accuser, who described the alleged assault as an “extremely aggressive encounter,” claims that Porzingis subsequently agreed to co-sign a statement with her that promised her a payment of $68K toward her brother’s education. However, Porzingis’ attorney tells ESPN that he believes the document is “a forgery.”
What the accuser describes as a contractual agreement between her and Porzingis is a handwritten letter in which Porzingis’ name is repeatedly misspelled as “Kristap.” The alleged agreement includes two signatures, but Porzingis’ attorney doesn’t believe one of the signatures belongs to his client.
“Mr. Porzingis denies signing the alleged contract, which we believe is a forgery,” attorney Roland G. Riopelle said in a statement to Wojnarowski. “When asked to produce the original contract for handwriting analysis, the complainant declined to do so.”
The National Basketball Players Association has issued a statement saying that it stands with Porzingis as the case plays out in the legal system. As Wojnarowski notes, Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle has also said that KP would be permitted to take take time away from the team if he needs to.
Woj’s report includes many more details on the situation, and is worth checking out in full.
2018/19’s 10-Day Contract Window Ends
Wednesday, April 10 is the last day of the 2018/19 NBA regular season, which means there are just 10 days left in this season. As such, we won’t see another 10-day contract signed this season, as cap expert Albert Nahmad notes (via Twitter), since a 10-day deal wouldn’t expire until after a team’s final regular season contest. Any contract signed the rest of the way will be either a rest-of-season pact or a multiyear deal.
With no more 10-day contracts on the way for 2018/19, we’ll make use of our 10-day tracker to break down a few details on this year’s 10-day signings. Let’s dive in…
Total number of 10-day contracts signed:
- Signed one 10-day contract: 22
- Signed one 10-day contract, then signed for rest of season: 5
- Signed two 10-day contracts: 10
- Signed two 10-day contracts, then signed for rest of season: 3
- Total 10-day contracts signed: 53
While the number of 10-day contracts signed this season will stay at 53, the number of players who signed rest-of-season contracts after inking a 10-day deal or two could still increase. Justin Bibbs (Clippers), Greg Monroe (Celtics), Michael Carter-Williams (Magic), Deyonta Davis (Hawks), Dusty Hannahs (Grizzlies), Mitch Creek (Timberwolves), and JaKarr Sampson (Bulls) all have active 10-day contracts. Those players could be re-signed when their current contracts expire.
Teams that completed the most 10-day signings:
- Atlanta Hawks: 6 (four players)
- Minnesota Timberwolves: 5 (three players)
- Houston Rockets: 4 (three players)
- Phoenix Suns: 4 (three players)
No NBA team signed more than four different players to 10-day contracts this season, and the Hawks were the only team to sign more than three different players to 10-day deals.
While Atlanta auditioned several players, none of those guys have been able to parlay those 10-day auditions into a rest-of-season contract yet — Tyler Zeller, B.J. Johnson, and Jordan Sibert are free agents again, while Davis is currently playing out his second 10-day contract.
Teams that didn’t complete any 10-day signings:
- Charlotte Hornets
- Dallas Mavericks
- Denver Nuggets
- Detroit Pistons
- Golden State Warriors
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Portland Trail Blazers
- San Antonio Spurs
- Utah Jazz
For many of the teams on this list, roster limits prevented a 10-day signing — with full 15-man rosters, they would have needed to waive a player on a guaranteed contract in order to sign a player to a 10-day contract.
The Hornets, Nuggets, Pistons, Warriors, and Spurs are the only teams that haven’t signed a single player to a 10-day contract for either of the last two seasons.
10-day MVPs:
While no players have really parlayed 10-day contracts into true breakout years this season, there are a handful of guys who turned 10-day auditions into regular rotation roles and have been solid contributors for their respective clubs.
Corey Brewer, who inked two 10-day contracts with the Sixers and two more with the Kings before getting a rest-of-season deal from Sacramento, was a solid rotation player for both clubs. In total, he has appeared in 26 games, averaging 5.4 PPG in 15.8 minutes per contest and playing solid perimeter defense.
Former first-round pick Bruno Caboclo is enjoying a mini-breakout season for the Grizzlies, recording 7.3 PPG and 4.3 RPG on .424/.360/.795 shooting in 29 games (15 starts).
Michael Carter-Williams, a former Rookie of the Year, has assumed backup point guard duties in Orlando and has played a part in helping the Magic push for one of the final playoff spots in the East.
Cameron Reynolds has shot 37.9% on three-pointers for the Timberwolves, who reportedly view him as a future rotation piece.
Jodie Meeks probably won’t be a part of the Raptors‘ rotation in the postseason, but he has looked good in a limited role for the team on a pair of 10-day contracts. In five games (12.6 MPG), he has put up 7.4 PPG with a blistering .556/.429/1.000 shooting line.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.