Alexey Shved A Candidate To Return To NBA?
Although veteran guard Alexey Shved hasn’t played in the NBA since 2015, Khimki general manager Pavel Astakhov isn’t ruling out the possibility of the EuroLeague standout, whose contract expires this year, returning to North America.
In comments to RG.ru – translated by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando – Astakhov referred to Shved as Khimki’s “leader,” stating that the Russian club wants to retain him while acknowledging the 31-year-old will be open to the NBA if the right opportunity arises.
“We want him to stay in Khimki,” Astakhov said. “The negotiations with his agent have been held. We are in pause now. If he gets serious proposals from the NBA – not about the money but about the role in the team – it won’t be easy for us to keep him. He will accept a proposal with certain guarantees from the club and the coach. If he doesn’t get a good offer from the NBA, I don’t see any reason why he should change clubs. He is the absolute leader. But the final decision is up to him.”
During his first NBA stint, from 2012-15, Shved appeared in 182 games for the Timberwolves, Sixers, Rockets, and Knicks, averaging 7.4 PPG, 2.5 APG, and 2.0 RPG with a modest .369/.306/.762 shooting line in 18.0 minutes per contest. However, he has excelled in recent years for Khimki, averaging 22.0 PPG and 5.8 APG over the last four years in EuroCup and EuroLeague contests.
Presumably, in order to seriously consider a return to the NBA, Shved would need to be confident that he’d be given the opportunity to play regular minutes rather than becoming a little-used backup.
We last heard about Shved receiving NBA interest in 2018, when he reportedly received multiple offers but opted to remain with Khimki. At that time, his agent suggested that the possibility of an NBA return might increase in 2019, when teams had more money available to spend. That didn’t happen, and there won’t be many NBA clubs with major spending power during the 2020 offseason either, so perhaps Shved will once again decide to continue his career overseas.
Timberwolves To Reopen Practice Facility
The Timberwolves will reopen their practice facility for voluntary individual workouts on Thursday, May 21, the team announced today in a press release.
According to the announcement, the Wolves worked in conjunction with local government officials, infectious disease experts and public health authorities in making their decision.
On top of the strict restrictions put in place by the NBA for teams reopening their facilities, the Wolves will enact a few of their own rules. According to the club, only one player and one coach will be permitted on the court at a time, and player workouts will be limited to 45 minutes. Additionally, contact tracing will be administered upon entry to the building, per the Wolves.
The Timberwolves will become the 18th team known to have reopened its practice facility for individual workouts. The Bulls, Celtics, Hornets, Knicks, Mavericks, Nets, Pistons, Sixers, Spurs, Suns, Warriors, and Wizards are the 12 clubs that have yet to do so.
LeBron James Talks Michael Jordan, Cowboys’ Interest
The LeBron James–Michael Jordan debate will continue raging among basketball fans, media, and those close to the game for years, but the Lakers star would rather think about other things — like playing alongside Air Jordan.
“Me personally, the way I play the game — team first — I feel like my best assets work perfectly with Mike,” James said (as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com relays). “Mike is an assassin. When it comes to playing the game of basketball, scoring the way he scored the ball, [then] my ability to pass, my ability to read the game plays and plays and plays in advance.”
James has been watching The Last Dance and admitted that it inspires him. James said he could envision the two superstars finding success together on the court.
“I saw the things (Scottie Pippen) was able to do with Mike. I just think it would’ve been a whole nother level,” James said. “Pip was one of my favorite players … It would’ve been a whole other level with me being a point forward, with me being that point forward alongside of him during those Chicago runs.”
The three-time NBA champ also touched on his time playing pickup with Jordan years ago. James first got a chance to play with the Space Jam star as an 18-year-old after signing his deal with Nike.
“We used to play around 9 p.m. The camp would end … and we would stay along with the college kids that he would invite,” James said. “We would get a good-ass run in for about an hour, an hour (and) 15. I was on the same team with MJ, and we didn’t lose a game.”
James grew up a Bulls fan, watching Jordan. He also grew up a Cowboys fan, watching the NFL squad, and he considered switching sports, akin to Mike’s baseball stint, back in 2011, as we passed along earlier today on Pro Football Rumors. Dallas even had a contract ready for James during the NBA’s lockout, but the Akron native opted to stay on the court.
Eastern Notes: Knicks, Play-In Tournament, Irving
The Knicks would technically make the 2020 postseason under a proposed play-in tournament, as I detailed for Heavy.com. The tournament, which is just one of the options being discussed for the NBA’s return, would have the 8-12 seeds in each conference battle for the right to play the No. 1 seed in a series.
New York sits 12th in the Eastern Conference and would take on the Wizards, who hold the ninth spot. The Hornets (10th) would take on the Bulls (11th) and the winner of this bracket would face the Magic to decide which team gets a typical first-round playoff series against the Bucks.
Again, the scenario is just one of many being floated and is nowhere near concrete, though seeing the Knicks in the postseason would nonetheless be an unexpected sight.
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Bradley Beal would arguably be the best player on the Eastern Conference side of the bracket, as I explained in the same piece. I’d speculate that Washington—a team that overachieved this season—would be favored in the first-round matchup against New York.
- Roughly 11 weeks after undergoing shoulder surgery, Nets guard Kyrie Irving published an Instagram story today suggesting he has returned to the gym, as Anthony Puccio of Nets Daily relays (Twitter link). Irving is in year one of a four-year deal with Brooklyn — it’s not clear if he’d have an opportunity to return if the NBA season resumes this summer.
- Thunder coach Billy Donovan had a major impact on Jaylen Brown‘s game, as the Celtics forward explains (h/t Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald). Donovan coached Brown on Team USA’s Under-18 team a few years back. “He told me he wasn’t playing me because he said I didn’t play hard,” Brown said. “… He told me you’re only going to be in the league for three years because you don’t play hard…I was so mad I was crying. But I think Billy Donovan had a big impact on my drive for sure. I’m in the NBA now, and hopefully I have a couple more years now to go, so we’ll see.”
Bulls’ Ownership Excited About New Front Office
The Bulls made some changes this offseason, bringing in Arturas Karnisovas to be the team’s head of basketball operations and Marc Eversley to be the new general manager. Owner Jerry Reinsdorf has high hopes for the newly-hired duo.
“I’m excited about these guys,” Reinsdorf told K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “In talking with Arturas and hearing what everyone else said about him, I was convinced we made the right decision. He’s not an egomaniac. He’s not shy. He seems balanced and basketball smart. That’s what I got out of the interview.”
Karnisovas is just the third person to hold the head of basketball operations title since Reinsdorf took over control of the team. Jerry Krause and John Paxson were the other two executives to run things in Chicago. However, unlike the previous hires, Reinsdorf didn’t lead the search and interview process; his son, Michael Reinsdorf, did.
“At the end of the day, my Dad, Jerry, is still the boss. So we had to have that final interview with my dad, and we did that over video. And it was clear after that meeting that we had our new head of basketball operations,” the younger Reinsdorf said in April. “I think what my Dad said to me after the meeting when we reconvened was: ‘I never thought you would find anyone as great as Arturas.’ So I knew we were done, and that night we were able to negotiate a deal with Arturas.”
2020/21 Salary Cap Preview: Phoenix Suns
Hoops Rumors is looking ahead at the 2020/21 salary cap situations for all 30 NBA teams. Due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the NBA, it’s impossible to know yet where the cap for 2020/21 will land. Given the league’s lost revenue, we’re assuming for now that it will stay the same as the ’19/20 cap, but it’s entirely possible it will end up higher or lower than that.
The Suns’ .400 winning percentage in 2019/20 technically represents the organization’s best mark since 2014/15. Still, the team – which had a 26-39 record when the NBA suspended its season – has yet to take a major step forward in its rebuild.
Continued development from Booker, Ayton, and Phoenix’s other young players will be the most important factor in Phoenix’s return to playoff contention. Still, there could be another path to improvement this offseason, as the Suns may be one of the NBA’s only teams with cap room, depending on what they decide to do with Dario Saric and Aron Baynes.
Here’s where things stand for the Suns financially in 2020/21, as we continue our Salary Cap Preview series:
Guaranteed Salary
- Devin Booker ($29,467,800)
- Ricky Rubio ($17,000,000)
- Kelly Oubre ($14,375,000)
- Deandre Ayton ($10,018,200)
- Mikal Bridges ($4,359,000)
- Cameron Johnson ($4,235,160)
- Ty Jerome ($2,303,040)
- Jalen Lecque ($1,517,981)
- Total: $83,276,181
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- Frank Kaminsky ($5,005,350)
- Cheick Diallo ($1,824,003)
- Total: $6,829,353
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Cameron Payne ($1,977,011)
- Elie Okobo ($1,663,861) 1
- Total: $3,640,872
Restricted Free Agents
- Dario Saric ($5,087,871 qualifying offer / $10,445,958 cap hold): Bird rights
- Jevon Carter ($1,820,524 qualifying offer / $1,820,524 cap hold): Early Bird rights
- Tariq Owens (two-way qualifying offer / $1,445,697 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Total (cap holds): $13,712,179
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Aron Baynes ($10,361,232): Bird rights
- No. 10 overall pick ($4,245,720) 2
- Total: $14,606,952
Offseason Cap Outlook
If we assume the Suns want to maximize their cap room, it would mean they’ll renounce at least Saric and Baynes while also turning down their team option on Kaminsky. In that scenario, the team could open up in the neighborhood of $16-19MM in space even if the cap doesn’t increase.
That’s not an unrealistic path for Phoenix, especially if the club has its eye on one or two specific free agent targets. However, it also wouldn’t be surprising if the Suns attempt to retain one or more of the veterans noted above, particularly Saric. That approach would likely mean operating as an over-the-cap team and gaining access to the full mid-level exception and bi-annual exception.
Cap Exceptions Available
- Room exception: $4,767,000 3
Footnotes
- Okobo’s new salary guarantee date is unknown.
- The cap hold for this pick will depend on where it ultimately falls in the lottery. Currently, the Suns rank 10th in the lottery standings.
- This is a projected value. If the Suns operate as an over-the-cap team, they’d instead have access to have access to the full mid-level exception ($9,258,000) and the bi-annual exception ($3,623,000).
Note: Minimum-salary and rookie-scale cap holds are based on the salary cap and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and Early Bird Rights was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Re-Examining NBA Player Options For 2020/21
Following the NBA’s salary cap spike four years ago, just eight of 53 veterans who held player options on their contracts in 2016 and 2017 actually exercised those options — the other 45 opted out in search of a larger and/or longer-term deal.
However, the pendulum has swung back in the other direction over the last couple years. Of the 55 vets who held player options in 2018 and 2019, just 20 opted out, with the rest choosing security and putting off their free agency by a year.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 may represent one of the most extreme years in recent memory in terms of option decisions. Even with the NBA’s salary cap projected to increase to $115MM, less than one third of the league’s teams was expected to open up cap room. If the cap instead stays level – or declines – those teams will have even less flexibility. Suddenly, those option years may look a whole lot more appealing to players than trying to secure a big payday on the open market.
ESPN cap guru Bobby Marks recently predicted to Marc Berman of The New York Post that all 29 players with options for 2020/21 will pick them up. Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports conveyed a similar sentiment this morning, tweeting that he expects at least 27 of those players to opt in.
Are those predictions realistic? Let’s take a closer look at the NBA’s player options for 2020/21, dividing them up into four separate categories…
Group 1: The options that look too good to pass up
- Nicolas Batum (Hornets) — $27,130,434
- Mike Conley (Jazz) — $34,502,132
- Note: This is technically an early termination option.
- Rodney Hood (Trail Blazers) — $6,003,900
- James Johnson (Timberwolves) — $16,047,100
- Stanley Johnson (Raptors) — $3,804,150
- Kelly Olynyk (Heat) — $13,598,243
- Jabari Parker (Kings) — $6,500,000
- Otto Porter (Bulls) — $28,489,239
- Tony Snell (Pistons) — $12,178,571
In all likelihood, these players would have opted in for 2020/21 regardless of whether or not the NBA’s revenue streams were disrupted. In each of these cases, the player’s option salary outweighs his likely value on the open market, either due to performance or injury. They look like safe bets to exercise their options for next season.
Group 2: The minimum-salary options
- James Ennis (Magic) — $2,130,023
- Mario Hezonja (Trail Blazers) — $1,977,011
- Wesley Matthews (Bucks) — $2,692,991
- Mike Muscala (Thunder) — $2,283,034
- Austin Rivers (Rockets) — $2,436,046
- Rajon Rondo (Lakers) — $2,692,991
Players with minimum-salary options often turn them down even if they’re not sure they can get more than the minimum on their next deal, since there’s little downside. However, if the cap doesn’t increase, these players would be better off with their option salaries, which will be more lucrative than the minimum salary on a new contract. Rondo, for example, would make $2,564,753 next season if he opts out and signs a new minimum deal, if the cap stays at the same level.
In other words, the only way it would make sense for anyone in this group to opt out is if he felt confident in his chances of getting an offer above the minimum as a free agent. Maybe that’ll be the case for a solid rotation player like Matthews or Rivers, but it wouldn’t be a shock if all six of these guys opt in.
Group 3: It may not be worth rolling the dice in free agency
- Avery Bradley (Lakers) — $5,005,350
- Willie Cauley-Stein (Mavericks) — $2,286,357
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Lakers) — $8,493,746
- Andre Drummond (Cavaliers) — $28,751,774
- Evan Fournier (Magic) — $17,150,000
- JaMychal Green (Clippers) — $5,005,350
- Tim Hardaway Jr. (Mavericks) — $18,975,000
- Gordon Hayward (Celtics) — $34,187,085
- Enes Kanter (Celtics) — $5,005,350
- Robin Lopez (Bucks) — $5,005,350
- JaVale McGee (Lakers) — $4,200,000
In a typical year, many of these players would likely think long and hard about opting out — even if they weren’t sure whether they’d be able to top their 2020/21 salaries in free agency, there would be a good chance of earning more overall money by signing a new, longer-term deal. For instance, Hayward won’t get any offers with a starting salary of $34MM, but a three- or four-year deal with a lesser annual salary could have been a win-win for him and the Celtics.
With the cap in flux though, these 11 players may be better off picking up their options and trying their luck on the 2021 free agent market. That’s especially true if they’re seeking an offer greater than the mid-level, like Drummond, Fournier, Hardaway, and Hayward would be. There just won’t be that many teams with both the desire and the necessary cap room to spend big on veteran free agents.
I wouldn’t consider most of these players locks to opt in, but I think they’re probably more likely than not to do so.
Group 4: Potential wild cards
- Anthony Davis (Lakers) — $28,751,774
- DeMar DeRozan (Spurs) — $27,739,975
- Jerami Grant (Nuggets) — $9,346,153
Unless the salary cap really plummets, it still makes sense for Davis to opt out. The cap would have to dip below $96MM for his option salary to be worth more than the 30% max he’d earn as a free agent. Still, it seems unlikely that he’ll ink a long-term contract this offseason. A one-year guarantee with a second-year player option is probably his best bet for maximizing his earnings going forward.
DeRozan was the second player identified by Keith Smith as a candidate to opt out since it’s unclear whether or not he’s happy in San Antonio. A March report indicated the Spurs guard isn’t thrilled with his current situation, while another suggested he plans to opt out if he doesn’t receive a contract extension.
Those reports both came the week the NBA season was suspended, so even if they were accurate, it’s possible DeRozan’s mindset has changed over the last couple months. If not for the rumors about his potential dissatisfaction, I’d place him in Group 3 and assume he’d be opting in.
As for Grant, it’s possible he’ll play it safe and pick up his option, but even given a cap crunch, I don’t think there will be a shortage of teams willing to do a longer-term with a slightly higher average annual value than his $9.3MM option. If he opts in, he’d probably do so banking on the idea of getting more lucrative multiyear offers in 2021.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Community Shootaround: Most Interesting 2020 Lottery Outcome
The 2020 NBA draft lottery was initially scheduled to be held tonight in Chicago. Of course, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the lottery, the subsequent combine, and just about everything else NBA-related has been postponed indefinitely.
Still, a Monday report provided an important update on this year’s lottery: its format and process is expected to remain unchanged. That means the NBA’s three worst teams will still have the best odds to land the No. 1 overall pick, even if those teams don’t complete a full 82-game schedule and end up playing a different number of games.
It’s possible the NBA will be able to resume play this summer and complete some of the regular season games that were initially supposed to take place in March and April. However, it seems just as possible at this point that not all of the league’s 30 teams will be asked to take part in the resumption of the season.
[RELATED: 2019/20 NBA Reverse Standings]
Even in the event that bottom-feeders like the Warriors, Cavaliers, and Timberwolves do play again, the results of their final few regular season games are unlikely to significantly alter their lottery odds. So the hypothetical odds we passed along in March will probably end up being pretty similar to what the NBA uses whenever the lottery finally arrives. As a reminder, here are those tentative odds:
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GSW | 14 | 13.4 | 12.7 | 12 | 47.9 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| CLE | 14 | 13.4 | 12.7 | 12 | 27.8 | 20 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| MIN | 14 | 13.4 | 12.7 | 12 | 14.8 | 26 | 7.1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| ATL | 12.5 | 12.2 | 11.9 | 11.5 | 7.2 | 25.7 | 16.8 | 2.2 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| DET | 10.5 | 10.5 | 10.6 | 10.5 | 2.2 | 19.6 | 26.7 | 8.8 | 0.6 | – | – | – | – | – |
| NYK | 9 | 9.2 | 9.4 | 9.6 | – | 8.6 | 29.6 | 20.6 | 3.8 | 0.2 | – | – | – | – |
| CHI | 7.5 | 7.8 | 8.1 | 8.5 | – | – | 19.7 | 34.1 | 12.9 | 1.3 | >0 | – | – | – |
| CHA | 6 | 6.3 | 6.7 | 7.2 | – | – | – | 34.5 | 32.1 | 6.7 | 0.4 | >0 | – | – |
| WSH | 4.5 | 4.8 | 5.2 | 5.7 | – | – | – | – | 50.7 | 25.9 | 3 | 0.1 | >0 | – |
| PHX | 3 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | 65.9 | 18.9 | 1.2 | >0 | >0 |
| SAS | 2 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 2.8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 77.6 | 12.6 | 0.4 | >0 |
| SAC* | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 86.1 | 7.6 | 0.1 |
| NOP* | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.7 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 92.0 | 2.3 |
| POR | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 97.6 |
With those odds in mind – and in honor of the lottery that would have happened tonight – we want to get your thoughts on what the most entertaining outcomes of the 2020 NBA draft lottery would be.
While this year’s draft class lacks a surefire No. 1 pick like Zion Williamson, prospects like LaMelo Ball, James Wiseman, Anthony Edwards, Onyeka Okongwu, Deni Avdija, and Obi Toppin should certainly appeal to 2020’s lottery teams, and jumping into the top four would be a big deal for some franchises in this group.
The NBA’s revamped lottery format ensures that the league’s very worst teams don’t have a huge advantage for the top picks and has created more opportunities for middle-of-the-pack lottery teams to get lucky. That’s exactly what happened a year ago — the Pelicans, Grizzlies, and Lakers (who eventually traded the No. 4 pick) moved into the top four despite ranking seventh, eighth, and 11th respectively in the lottery order. This year’s equivalent would be the Bulls and Hornets grabbing the top two picks, with the Spurs moving up to No. 4.
Teams like the Cavs, Pistons, and Knicks would more greatly benefit from landing a top pick, but there’s a chance the Warriors could end up at No. 1, despite already looking like a 2020/21 contender, with or without adding a potential future star to their roster.
Could the Wizards getting lucky and land a top rookie to add to the mix as John Wall returns? How about the Suns adding a top prospect to a core that already features Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton? Near-playoff teams like the Trail Blazers, Pelicans, and Kings, meanwhile, would become even more intriguing if they defy the odds and secure a top pick.
What do you think? Putting aside your fandom, what draft lottery outcome would be the most interesting or entertaining?
Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!
Knicks Notes: Robinson, Ntilikina, Front Office
As a second-round pick in the 2018 draft, Mitchell Robinson came cheaper than a first-rounder, but his contract could create some complications if and when the Knicks look to extend him, as Mike Vorkunov and Danny Leroux of The Athletic explore.
Robinson has a non-guaranteed minimum salary for 2020/21 and a minimum-salary team option for 2021/22, making him a great bargain for the next two years. However, if the Knicks wait until the end of that four-year deal to try to re-sign him, Robinson will be eligible for unrestricted free agency and could sign with any team.
On the other hand, if the Knicks were to turn down Robinson’s fourth-year option and negotiate a new deal in the ’21 offseason, he’d be a restricted free agent, giving the team the opportunity to match any offer sheet he may sign.
As Vorkunov and Leroux observe, Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets found themselves in a similar situation a couple years ago, and Denver opted to lock up its star center after his third year, significantly increasing his fourth-year cap hit but avoiding the risk of unrestricted free agency. Robinson isn’t on Jokic’s level, but it still may make sense for the Knicks to take a similar approach with their young big man to ensure they don’t lose him after his fourth year.
For now, Leroux estimates that Robinson might cost about $15MM per year on his next contract, but cautions the 22-year-old’s value could substantially increase or decline depending on his performance over the next year or so.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Within the above-linked piece, Vorkunov and Leroux discuss what Frank Ntilikina‘s next contract might look like, given his defensive strengths — and his offensive shortcomings. While they cite Dante Exum as one point of comparison, the Athletic’s duo notes that Exum’s three-year, $28.8MM deal with Utah ended up being an overpay. Leroux expects Ntilikina – a restricted free agent in 2021 – to get less than that.
- In his latest mailbag, Ian Begley of SNY.tv examines how changes to the salary cap projection for 2020/21 might affect the Knicks, while also addressing the team’s coaching situation and a few other topics.
- Nothing has been finalized yet, but sources tell Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News (Twitter link) that Knicks executives Craig Robinson, Gerald Madkins, and Harold Ellis are unlikely to be retained by new president of basketball operations Leon Rose.
- In case you missed it, the Knicks are finalizing a pair of front office deals, with the team set to hire Walt Perrin and Frank Zanin as assistant general managers.
Fertitta, Rivers Express Confidence About Resuming Season
Participating in a roundtable discussion at the White House on Monday with fellow restaurant executives and industry leaders, Tilman Fertitta was put on the spot by President Donald Trump, who asked the Rockets owner where things stand with the NBA. As ESPN’s Tim MacMahon of ESPN details, Fertitta expressed confidence that the league will be able to resume and complete its season.
“I think what they’re doing is waiting to see what happens in certain states and if we’re going to be able to play,” Fertitta said. “Making sure the virus continues to go in the right direction in the next few weeks. And I think that if things are going in the way that it’s going, I think the NBA, the commissioner Adam Silver, who has done an unbelievable job through this, and the 30 owners will make the decision to try to start the season up again.
“… I think that we would play some games just to get it going again and create interest and then go right into the playoffs,” the Rockets’ owner added, when asked by Trump whether the NBA would move directly to the postseason. “But I think it’ll be great for America. We’re all missing sports and everybody wants to see these great NBA teams.”
Meanwhile, like Fertitta, Clippers head coach Doc Rivers is optimistic that the likelihood of an NBA return this summer is trending in the right direction, per Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times.
“We have this saying right now with our team called ‘Win The Wait,’ and so we’re trying to win the wait meaning we believe there’s going to be a season, we really do,” Rivers told Turner Sports’ Ernie Johnson during a Monday interview. “And if there is we cannot let this disruption be the reason that we don’t win. We want to be fully ready if and when we get the start button.”
Although the confidence expressed by Fertitta and Rivers is a good sign, the NBA is still working through potential plans as it determines the best way to resume its 2019/20 campaign. Appearing this morning on The Dan Patrick Show (video link), Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN shed a little more light on the league’s latest discussions, suggesting that – in terms of potential host cities – Orlando has gained traction.
“I think the question’s going to be, are they going to put all the teams in one place? Are they going to perhaps have teams moving among two sites, based on an Eastern/Western Conference scenario?” Woj said. “The one thing Adam Silver has told the players and the owners that he doesn’t want are teams flying around. You’re not going to see what baseball’s proposing, which is teams moving around, playing in home stadiums.
“The NBA’s focused on a one-site, no-fans (plan). They’re going to deal with trying to get back into arenas again for the start of next season.”
While the league’s goal is to play the rest of the season in one or two centralized locations, one possible scenario would see teams conducting de facto training camps at their own practice facilities before traveling to one of those “bubble” locations, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link).
So far, 17 of the NBA’s 30 teams are known to have reopened their respective practice facilities, though group workouts and practices remain prohibited.