Growing Concern About NBA’s Restart Plan
Even as the NBA works to finalize specific dates for various aspects of its resumed season, there’s “growing concern” about the plan among players, according to Howard Beck of Bleacher Report (via Twitter).
Taylor Rooks of Bleacher Report (via Twitter) reports that approximately 150 players are planning to take part in a conference call tonight to discuss what they can do to take a stand expressing their concerns and reservations about the league’s Orlando plan.
Beck (Twitter link) hears that up to 200 players may be involved in that call, adding that NBPA vice president Kyrie Irving has been a “driving force” in raising concerns and organizing player discussions. Irving believes that the idea of not returning to play should be considered, given the importance of the anti-racism activism currently happening in the U.S. and around the world, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
According to Beck, one agent estimated that about two-thirds of the league’s top 40 players may refuse to play based on the current information presented by the league.
As we’ve detailed in previous stories, players’ concerns are related to their health and safety, spending significant time away from their families, and directing the spotlight away from social justice issues. Beck suggests that the proposed restrictions involving freedom of movement within the so-called “bubble” in Orlando are also a key factor.
Although players will technically be allowed to leave the campus-like Disney environment after reporting in July, as Jared Dudley explained last month, recent reports have suggested they’d be subject to a 10-day quarantine period for doing so. In other words, leaving the “bubble” likely wouldn’t be a viable option for a player once the season officially resumes, since it would mean missing at least four or five games.
On top of that, as ESPN’s Zach Lowe (video link) and Tom Haberstroh of NBC Sports (Twitter link) have pointed out today, the Disney support staff involved in the restart won’t be subject to the same protocols as players, coaches, and other NBA personnel. Those Disney staffers would be free to come and go from the premises as needed, without necessarily being tested daily for COVID-19.
Players who are already apprehensive about spending weeks or months on the Disney campus may push back against the idea of doing so if they feel as if the “bubble” isn’t really a bubble and that their safety could be compromised by support staffers.
Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links) hears from a Walt Disney World source that there would be Disney employees willing to stay in the “bubble” for months on end to help complete the season and reduce health risks, but it’s unclear whether Disney and/or the NBA would ask those staffers to do so.
Support Within Knicks’ Organization For Kenny Atkinson
Although Tom Thibodeau is widely viewed as the favorite to become the Knicks‘ next head coach, there’s “legitimate internal support” within the organization for former Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson, reports Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
Thibodeau and Atkinson are among the candidates expected to interview for New York’s head coaching vacancy. Current interim coach Mike Miller and former Knicks coach Mike Woodson will also reportedly interview. It’s not clear yet whether the club will meet with additional candidates beyond those four, though Begley notes that Mark Jackson and Jason Kidd also have fans within the organization.
Atkinson was dismissed from his position with the Nets in March amidst rumors that the team was seeking a head coach more suited for a veteran contender, following Atkinson’s solid work during Brooklyn’s rebuild. His performance with the Nets could make him a good fit a rebuilding Knicks team, and the Long Island native has a history with the club, having been a Knicks assistant from 2008-12.
Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer, who worked with Atkinson in Atlanta from 2013-16, endorsed his former assistant for the Knicks’ job, as Marc Berman of The New York Post details.
“I’d love to see him be coach of the Knicks,” Budenholzer told Berman. “It’s a great opportunity. He understands he’ll have a bunch of opportunities and situations. He’s had an amazing life with a great family. It would be a home run for him. There’s nothing like coaching the team you grew up with, he worked with. And with what they’re trying to do and where they are.
“… He’s just interesting because he’s so unique in that he is so true to player development and can really help players improve,” Budenholzer added. “The league has gotten a lot better with (development), but he’s one of the first — his ability doing it at a super-high level.”
Although the Knicks have reportedly begun their head coaching search, we haven’t gotten many updates on the process as of late and it’s not clear whether the team has set a timeline to make a hire.
Many Players Disappointed About Not Getting Vote On Restart
When the National Basketball Players Association approved the NBA’s plan last Friday to resume the 2019/20 season in Orlando, only the union’s executive committee and individual team representatives participated in that vote.
That hasn’t sat well with a number of players around the NBA, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, who hears from sources that a “significant” number of players are disappointed that not everyone was given the opportunity to vote on the matter.
[RELATED: Not All Players Bullish On NBA’s Restart Plan]
There’s a sense that many players’ voices weren’t heard on what could be a “life-changing” decision, sources tell Yahoo Sports. Some agents have encouraged their clients to speak up and to talk to the NBPA about pushing for a more collaborative system, Haynes adds.
According to Haynes, some players have been reluctant to express their opinions because most of the league’s superstars are “adamant” about finishing the season if the NBA institutes adequate safety protocols. Haynes notes that a faction of players remain uncertain about the resumption of the season due to the lack of information available about those coronavirus-related health and safety protocols, which are still being negotiated.
Interestingly, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and analyst Matt Barnes have alluded to, a number of players are also taking into account the recent social justice protests following the death of George Floyd as they weigh their options. According to Haynes, some players believe the optics of a predominantly black league resuming play in a bubble to “entertain the masses” and to salvage TV deals aren’t great.
“What message are we sending by agreeing to this during this time?” one player said to Haynes. “We’re out here marching and protesting, and yet we all leave our families in these scary times and gather to perform at a place where the owners won’t be at? What type of sense does that make? We’ll be going backwards. That place isn’t that magical.”
Conversely, Nets guard and NBPA vice president Garrett Temple told Malika Andrews of ESPN that he thinks playing games – and earning pay checks – is an effective way of combating the systemic oppression of black people.
“The difference in the economic gap between white America and black America is astronomical,” Temple said. “I can’t in good conscience tell my brethren to throw away millions of dollars in order to create change that I don’t see the direct impact of — if there was a direct impact of laws changing, that would be a different story.”
Appearing on J.J. Redick‘s podcast (video link), Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon, another NBPA VP, acknowledged both sides of that issue.
“(Some) guys are going to say, ‘The black community and my people are going through too much for me to basically be distracted with basketball, I’m not going to prioritize this over the black community, I’m going to sit out,” Brogdon said. “”And then there’s another group of guys – and these are all black perspectives – who are going to say, ‘No, this is the most amount of money I’m going to make in my lifetime. It doesn’t make sense to hand this money back. I can do so much good in my community if I have this money.’
“… My thing is, if you’re going to sit out, you have to have demands. You have to have policies that you want to see change,” Brogdon continued. “There has to be something very organized and strategized to go into that.”
Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link) reported earlier today that the NBA and NBPA are still working through the health and safety protocols for the resumed season. Once those protocols are in place, players with safety concerns should have more information to make informed decisions. However, the social-justice concerns that players have may require further discussions between the league and union.
NBA Provides Updated Schedule For Restart
The NBA has provided teams with an updated timeline of its target dates for the rest of the 2019/20 season, according to reports from Marc Stein of The New York Times, Shams Charania of The Athletic, and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (all Twitter links).
Those dates are as follows:
- July 9-29: Training camps, including three inter-squad scrimmages.
- July 30 – August 14: Seeding games.
- August 15-16: Possible play-in tournaments.
- August 17: Start of postseason.
- August 30: Guests/family members permitted to arrive.
- August 31 – September 13: Conference Semifinals.
- September 15-28: Conference Finals.
- September 30 – October 13: NBA Finals.
These are pretty similar to the dates that were previously reported, with a few tweaks here and there. For instance, as Wojnarowski notes (via Twitter), the target date for a possible Game 7 of the NBA Finals is now Tuesday, October 13 (instead of October 12), sidestepping a potential conflict with Monday Night Football.
According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the NBA informed clubs that players traveling from outside the U.S. will need to report to their respective teams’ markets by June 15 (Monday), while other players will have to arrive by June 22.
Meanwhile, sources tell Charania (Twitter link) that two assistant coaches or developmental personnel (instead of one) are now permitted to work out with a player. As of June 23, head coaches will be allowed to supervise players’ workouts, Charania adds. Teams will be required to make sure their players are being tested for COVID-19 between June 23 and June 30, before they travel to Orlando, tweets Charania.
Despite the slew of updates today on the NBA’s proposed schedule, the league doesn’t yet have any news on the most important item of interest for many players: its health and safety protocols. Negotiations between the NBA and NBPA on those protocols are ongoing, league sources tell Stein (Twitter link).
More Details On NBA’s Summer Roster Rules
A report on Thursday indicated that NBA teams resuming the season in Orlando will be permitted to bring 17 players, rather than 15. However, that report didn’t provide many additional details, creating uncertainty about how certain roster and eligibility rules will work this summer.
In a story for ESPN, Adrian Wojnarowski and Bobby Marks shed some more light on the roster rules that have reportedly been agreed upon, though those rules haven’t yet been officially announced. Here are a few of the highlights from ESPN’s duo:
- Free agent players will be eligible to sign into teams’ open roster spots. A previous report suggested that only players who were on NBA or G League contracts already in 2019/20 would be eligible to join teams headed to Orlando, but that won’t be the case, per ESPN and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Sources tell Charania that players who signed NBA or G League contracts in previous seasons will also be eligible, meaning players like J.R. Smith or Jamal Crawford could be signed.
- Players who were in international leagues rather than the NBA in 2019/20 wouldn’t be eligible to sign with teams this summer if they didn’t have FIBA clearance when the season was suspended in March.
- The 17-man limit for Orlando is made up of a standard 15-man roster and the usual two-way roster spots. In other words, a team with 15 players on standard contracts and one on a two-way deal couldn’t sign a veteran free agent to a standard pact.
- As Woj and Marks note, that means that the Nets, who have a full roster, could designate two-way players Chris Chiozza and Jeremiah Martin to replace injured stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but couldn’t sign two new veterans to replace Durant and Irving without the necessary roster spots available.
- Playoff rosters will consist of 15 players — 13 active and two inactive. After the postseason starts, teams can only sign a new player if they’re replacing a player who tested positive for COVID-19. Based on previous reports, it sounds as if a player who contracts the coronavirus would become ineligible for the rest of the playoffs if his team signs a substitute player to replace him, but that’s not certain.
- If one of the 22 Orlando teams converts a two-way player to a standard contract during the late-June transaction window, that team will be able to sign a two-way player to replace him, according to Woj and Marks. However, the eight teams not resuming play won’t be allowed to sign players to two-way deals during that time.
These rules aren’t yet finalized and some will require further clarification. For instance, it remains unclear if a player like Thunder wing Luguentz Dort will need to have his two-way deal converted into a standard contract to participate in the playoffs. According to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times, it sounds like that wouldn’t be necessary — the expectation, Greif says, is that two-way players will be eligible for the playoffs if designated as one of their team’s 15 postseason players.
With the proposed June 22 transaction window inching closer, it should just be a matter of time before the NBA finalizes and announces its roster rules for the summer.
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Nets, Dolan
The reigning NBA champion Raptors are riding high during 2019/20, boasting the second-strongest record (46-18) in the East. Team president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri will have a bevy of roster personnel choices to make during the 2020 offseason — one big one is whom to draft.
There are several intriguing switchable wing options that Toronto should consider with their first-round pick (currently projected to be No. 28) in the 2020 draft, per Blake Murphy of The Athletic. Arizona’s Josh Green, TCU’s Desmond Bane of TCU, Washington’s Jaden McDaniels, Colorado’s Tyler Bey, UCLA’s Chris Smith, and Barcelona forward Leandro Bolmaro are all viable candidates who may still be available when the Raptors are on the board.
There’s more from out of the Atlantic Division:
- With All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant officially declaring themselves done for the rest of the 2019/20 season, the Nets look to have at least one roster spot left to fill when play resumes in Orlando, per Alex Schiffer of The Athletic. Guards Justin Anderson, Henry Ellenson, Devin Cannady and veteran Iman Shumpert are among the leading prospects worth a look.
- The muted response of Knicks owner James Dolan‘s internal memo addressing the George Floyd protests sweeping the nation did little to help the franchise’s reputation amongst NBA players, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst noted on First Take on Wednesday (video link).
- As the Raptors prepare to defend their title in Orlando, Blake Murphy of The Athletic addresses questions related to the team’s rest-of-season roster and rotation depth, plus possible offseason additions.
Hornets’ Ray Spalding Undergoes Knee Surgery
Two-way Hornets forward Ray Spalding went under the knife for left knee surgery today, per the team’s official PR department (Twitter link). Spalding inked a deal with Charlotte in January.
Spalding was drafted with the No. 56 pick out of Louisville in 2018, and logged time with the Mavericks and Suns during the 2018/19 season. In the 2019 offseason, the 6’10”, 210-pound power forward signed limited agreements with the Hawks and Rockets, but did not make their fall rosters. He played with Houston’s G League squad, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, before latching on with the Hornets.
Spalding holds career averages of 3.9 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 10.6 MPG, plus a 53.2% conversion percentage from the floor. The 23-year-old most recently averaged 17.5 PPG and 12.7 RPG in his 16 games with the Hornets’ G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm.
The Hornets’ two-way agreement with Spalding includes a second year for 2020/21, so he’ll be back with the team next season if he’s not traded or waived.
Joakim Noah Ready For NBA Return With Clippers
New Clippers backup center Joakim Noah cannot wait to get back on the court. In an extended conversation with The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, Noah went into detail about how he lobbied for his NBA return, now transpiring more than a year after he last suited up for the Grizzlies.
The article specifically notes that Noah, a two-time All-Star and 2014 Defensive Player of the Year with the Bulls, used his connections to get his shot with the Clippers. In just 16.5 MPG, Noah averaged 7.1 PPG and 5.7 RPG across 42 contests for Memphis during the 2018/19 season.
Noah, who splits his time between homes in Manhattan and Los Angeles, inked a 10-day contract with Los Angeles on March 9, two days before league play was paused due to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Buha notes that, at 91 (now 94) days and counting, Noah’s deal has become one of the longest 10-day contracts in NBA history.
Signed for his skills as a limited-minutes defensive attribute, a rim-rolling energetic force and a savvy passer, the 35-year-old can also function as something of a mentor to starting Clippers center Ivica Zubac. Undersized backup big man Montrezl Harrell gets the lions’ share of minutes at center.
The article also mentions that the Clippers will most likely guarantee Noah’s contract for the rest of the season, including the playoffs. The whole piece is well worth a read, but here are some choice quotes:
On concluding his career with a title contender:
“It was about being able to finish my career on a team that has a common goal.”
On waiting for his opportunity with Los Angeles through the coronavirus delay:
“I think it’s just it’s all about perspective and how you look at it… Even though it was a setback, I think it also makes me appreciate the opportunity that much more, you know?”
On his role with the Clippers:
“The way I look at it is I know that I’m in an environment right now with a winning culture and a team that’s really trying to win a championship and there’s not much more I could ask for… Regardless of what my role is, I’m grateful. I know I’m as ready as I can be. So it’s not about comparing myself to past years or even last year, it’s just being the best that I can be physically and using my experience to be there for the guys.”
On being able to mentor Zubac:
“I just want to talk to (Zubac) about some of the things that I’ve been through… I’ve been in situations where we had championship aspirations and then injuries kind of derailed that. So it’s just not taking your opportunities for granted. And just because you’re a young player doesn’t mean that these situations happen all the time. So it’s just like really living in the moment.”
On playing within the Orlando bubble during the pandemic, with a realistic title chance:
“I think that it’s different for teams who don’t have a chance, but for teams who have a chance, these opportunities don’t … I mean, we trust the league and we know that you know (NBA commissioner) Adam (Silver) is — I don’t think he’ll put the players’ health in jeopardy. He’s somebody who has shown time and time again that he’s the best commissioner in sports… There’s nobody I would want to do this with more than with the Clippers.”
And-Ones: P. Gasol, J. Burns, Diversity, More
Having previously expressed interest in the possibility of playing one final season with the Lakers, Pau Gasol spoke again this week about that scenario and once again opened the door to the idea of finishing his career in Spain.
As Tales Azzoni of The Associated Press details, Gasol believes he has to play in 2020/21 in order to give himself a chance of representing Spain in the Tokyo Olympics next July, which he wants to do. The big man, who turns 40 next month and has dealt with foot issues during the last year, specifically cited two of his former teams as desirable landing spots for next season.
“My intention is to play another season if the foot is OK, either in the NBA or in Europe,” Gasol told Spanish media, per Azzoni. “A final season with the Lakers is attractive, finishing at Barça (Barcelona) is attractive, but you have to see the real possibilities and see what situation would be best for the circumstances of the moment.”
Gasol’s storied career includes plenty of memorable moments with both the Lakers and Barcelona. He won a pair of NBA championships with L.A. in 2009 and 2010, and won two Spanish League titles in 1999 and 2001 with Barcelona, earning Finals MVP honors in ’01.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- After testing the waters, Colgate guard Jordan Burns has opted to withdraw his name from the 2020 NBA draft pool, he announced on Instagram. A former Patriot Tournament MVP, Burns posted 15.8 PPG, 4.5 APG, and 1.7 SPG in 34 games (32.4 MPG) for the Raiders as a junior in 2019/20.
- The NBA’s only Latino president of basketball operations, Gersson Rosas of the Timberwolves said this week that he hopes to see more diversity in front offices in the NBA and other sports leagues going forward. Eric Woodyard of ESPN has the story and the quotes from Rosas, who said, “You’re cheating yourself if you don’t have diverse perspectives.”
- In an in-depth Insider-only breakdown for ESPN.com, Bobby Marks examines the biggest offseason questions facing the eight teams that won’t be part of the league’s restart in Orlando this summer.
Luis Scola Leaves Olimpia Milano, Weighing Future
Former NBA big man Luis Scola, who spent the 2019/20 season playing for Olimpia Milano, announced on Thursday that he won’t be returning to the Italian club – or any other EuroLeague team – for the ’20/21 campaign. Scola added in a statement that he’ll decide within the next few weeks whether or not to continue his playing career.
“I have chosen not to play in the EuroLeague anymore, neither in Milan nor with another team,” Scola said. “I want to thank Olimpia for giving me this opportunity, it was a fun year in which I experienced a good environment where I felt right at home.
“On the other hand, I have not decided whether to retire from basketball for good or keep playing in another competition. I’ll make a final decision during the next few weeks.”
Scola, who appeared in 743 regular season NBA games during 10 years in the league, hasn’t suited up for an NBA team since the 2016/17 season, when he played for Brooklyn. However, he showed this season in Italy that he still has something left in the tank.
The 40-year-old averaged 11.2 PPG and 3.2 RPG with a .571/.560/.642 shooting line in 15 Italian League games (18.9 MPG), contributing 9.2 PPG and 4.4 RPG on .454/.353/.655 shooting in 28 EuroLeague contests (19.2 MPG).
Even if Scola decides not to play in a professional league in 2020/21, he presumably has one more competition circled on his calendar before he officially hangs up his sneakers. As a result of their second-place finish at last year’s World Cup, Argentina has qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, which have been postponed until July 2021. Scola – who won gold and bronze medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics – likely plans on representing his country one last time on that international stage.