Central Notes: Bulls, Griffin, Oladipo, Bucks
The Bulls will have to make decisions on three young players, including two 2016 lottery draft picks, when those players become eligible for restricted free agency during the 2020 offseason. Whether or not retaining Kris Dunn, Denzel Valentine, and Shaquille Harrison makes sense for Chicago’s new front office is up for some debate, per NBC Sports Chicago’s Rob Schaefer.
Though the 26-year-old Dunn (the No. 5 pick out of Providence in 2016) is a strong defender, his awful shooting will limit his usefulness for the Bulls. Schaefer anticipates that Dunn will play out the 2020/21 season on his $7.1MM qualifying offer for the 2020/21 season without reaching a longer-term deal with the club.
Schaefer also expects Harrison to play out his significantly smaller minimum-salary qualifying offer. Schaefer is less optimistic about the Bulls keeping injury-prone Valentine (the No. 14 pick out of Michigan State in 2016), who has appeared in just 170 of 311 possible games across his four-year Bulls tenure.
There is more out of the Central Division:
- For the underwhelming Pistons, a healthy Blake Griffin could fetch a better return on the trade market than center Andre Drummond was able to this season, writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.
- Kevin Pelton of ESPN details the ramifications of Pacers guard Victor Oladipo‘s decision to opt out of the NBA’s Orlando season restart. Aaron Holiday looks to absorb most of Oladipo’s minutes, and Pelton anticipates the point guard will start in the backcourt alongside Malcolm Brogdon. Brogdon recently tested positive for COVID-19, but he expects to join the team in Orlando once he recovers.
- During the NBA’s season pause, the team with the best record employed creative outside-the-box thinking to stay active, per Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Nickel details the 53-12 Bucks‘ intriguing practices. “It’s been weird,” All-Star Khris Middleton told reporters in a conference call today. “Usually we’re all encouraging each other, talking to each other, joking around with one another, playing music.”
Australian League Team Looking To Add Deng Adel
Small forward Deng Adel is being pursued by the Illawarra Hawks of Australia’s NBL, according to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchinia.
The Hawks are based in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. This would mark a return to Adel’s adopted home country. The swingman’s family fled from the war-ravaged South Sudan to Uganda before planting roots in Melbourne when he was eight.
The 6’7″ Adel went undrafted out of Louisville in 2018. Signed as a two-way player to the Cavaliers, Adel saw limited time in 19 games for Cleveland during the 2018/19 season. The Cavaliers did not retain him in the summer of 2019.
After being added and subsequently waived by the Nets prior to the start of the 2019/20 season, Adel latched on with Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets. Before the G League season was paused – and ultimately canceled – due to the coronavirus pandemic in March, Adel held averages of 11.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG and 2.6 APG.
Restart Notes: Jersey Messages, Chicago Campus, Disney Employees
The NBA and the players’ union have reached an agreement on the social justice messages that can be displayed on the back of jerseys during the league’s restart, writes Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated.
According to Spears, those messages will be permitted in place of players’ last names for the first four days of the restart. After that, players can still opt to display messages on the back of their jerseys, but their last names will be there as well.
As Spears details, the NBA and NBPA are providing a list of “approved suggested social messages,” including Black Lives Matter, Anti-Racist, and Vote, among many others. Specific names of victims of police violence won’t be permitted due to concerns about gaining permission from surviving family members or offending families of victims whose names aren’t used, per Spears.
Here’s more on the NBA’s restart:
- Tim Bontemps, Bobby Marks, Kevin Pelton, and Mike Schmitz of ESPN take an in-depth look at the proposed Chicago campus for the NBA’s bottom eight teams, examining the hurdles that would need to be overcome to make it a reality, what exactly the event would look like, and more.
- In a lengthy roundup, ESPN relays quotes from players, coaches, and executives about the NBA’s restart, including players explaining their decisions to participate, individuals discussing safety concerns, and much more.
- The fact that Walt Disney World employees will be coming and going from the NBA’s campus may be the Achilles heel of the league’s plans. As Ryan Gillespie of The Orlando Sentinel details, many Disney employees live in areas of Florida being hit hardest by COVID-19
Victor Oladipo To Opt Out Of NBA Restart
4:33pm: Oladipo plans to accompany the Pacers to Orlando, a league source tells Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports (Twitter link).
Because Oladipo is traveling with the team, Indiana won’t be allowed to replace him and he won’t forfeit any salary, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. In other words, Oladipo will essentially be treated as an injured player rather than one who is voluntarily opting out.
2:50pm: Pacers star Victor Oladipo has decided he won’t participate in the NBA’s restart in Orlando this summer, he tells Shams Charania of The Athletic.
“I really want to play, and as a competitor and teammate this is tearing me apart,” Oladipo told Charania. “I feel like I’m at a great place in my rehab and getting closer and closer to 100 percent. With all the variables, from how I have to build my 5-on-5 workload back up, to the increased risk of a soft tissue injury which could delay my rehab, and the unknown exact set up of the bubble I just can’t get my mind to being fully comfortable in playing.
“I have to be smart and this decision hasn’t been easy, but I truly believe continuing on the course I’m on and getting fully healthy for the 2020/21 season is the right decision for me.”
Oladipo, who suffered a torn quad tendon during the 2018/19 season, missed approximately a full calendar year, making his return for the Pacers on January 29. His play was somewhat inconsistent leading up to the suspension of the NBA season, and he missed five games during that stretch, but he had his best performance in Indiana’s final game before the hiatus, pouring in 27 points against Boston on March 10.
Oladipo’s trainer, Luke Miller, tells Charania that the two-time All-Star hasn’t had a setback and is “in the best shape he’s ever been in.” However, Oladipo and Miller were concerned about the possibility of the Pacers guard suffering an injury in Orlando, given the truncated ramp-up period to the eight seeding games and the playoffs.
“It’s not worrisome, the quad tendon itself — it’s the other soft tissues around it,” Miller told Charania. “Research shows that within about two years, coming back from a major injury and major surgery, these guys are more susceptible to an injury because of quad deficit. It’s a lot to ask Vic to come back in three weeks from five-on-five and play in playoff games.”
The Pacers – who are 39-26 and rank fifth in the Eastern Conference – are unlikely to make a deep playoff run this summer without Oladipo active. The team is also missing Jeremy Lamb (torn ACL), and Malcolm Brogdon recently tested positive for COVID-19.
Still, Indiana has the 28-year-old under contract for at least one more year, and there have been some indications that the two sides have interest in a longer-term deal. He’ll be eligible for a contract extension this fall, or could get a longer, more lucrative contract as a free agent in 2021.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Top Pelicans Assistant Bzdelik Won’t Travel To Orlando
Pelicans associate head coach Jeff Bzdelik won’t accompany the team to the NBA’s campus in Florida for the league’s return to play, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
A defensive specialist and the top assistant on Alvin Gentry‘s staff, Bzdelik is 67 years old. He decided to stay in New Orleans after consulting with team doctors and CDC regulations, tweets Andrew Lopez of ESPN. Woj notes that the Pelicans are “supportive” of the decision.
Bzdelik will continue to work remotely and will be able to advise the team on defensive strategy from New Orleans, sources tell Lopez.
A report earlier this week indicated that older coaches wouldn’t be red-flagged based on their age alone. However, that doesn’t mean they won’t be permitted to opt out, or that certain coaches won’t be red-flagged for health reasons, as 66-year-old Lakers assistant Lionel Hollins was.
According to Lopez (via Twitter), no decision has been made yet on the status of Gentry, who is 65 years old.
Lionel Hollins Won’t Join Lakers In Orlando
Lakers assistant coach Lionel Hollins has been “red-flagged” for health reasons and won’t accompany the team to Walt Disney World for the NBA’s restart, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
Coaches and team personnel who are deemed to be at higher risk of suffering more serious symptoms if they contract COVID-19 can be medically flagged and prohibited from entering the NBA’s campus. It sounds like that’s the case for Hollins.
[RELATED: Coaches’ Union Expresses Concerns With NBA’s Medical Review Process]
Hollins is 66 years old, but this situation is not age-related, according to Haynes (Twitter link). Haynes adds that the veteran assistant is “disappointed” to not be able to join the Lakers as they pursue a championship, but recognizes that this is the right decision.
Hollins, who previously served as a head coach for Memphis and Brooklyn, is part of a group of Lakers assistants that also includes Jason Kidd and Phil Handy, among others.
Heat Close Facility For Second Time Following New COVID-19 Case
The Heat have once again closed their AmericanAirlines Arena practice facility for player workouts, reports Ethan Skolnick of 5 Reasons Sports (Twitter link).
According to Skolnick, a second Heat player has tested positive for the coronavirus, prompting the shutdown. Miami previously closed its facility following Derrick Jones‘ positive COVID-19 test. It’s not clear in this case which player tested positive for the virus, but it’s a rotation player, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link).
It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Heat keep their building close for workouts until the team travels to the Walt Disney World campus next week. Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald suggests (via Twitter) that the club is likely to resume its workouts in Orlando, where group activities will be permitted for players who return two negative tests at least 24 hours apart.
The Heat are one of a number of teams that have temporarily closed their facilities following positive coronavirus tests. The Nuggets, Suns, Clippers, and Nets are also known to have done so, though some have since reopened.
Coronavirus testing will still take place at AmericanAirlines Arena while the practice facility is closed, Skolnick notes.
Raymond Felton Will Look To Resume Playing Career
After spending a second season with the Thunder in 2018/19, Raymond Felton hasn’t been on a roster – in the NBA or elsewhere – during the ’19/20 campaign. However, the 36-year-old point guard isn’t yet ready to call it a career, as he tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype.
Discussing his future, Felton said he thinks his agent has had conversations with NBA teams about the possibility of him being a substitute player in Orlando this summer. However, he’s not sure he’d feel comfortable playing at the NBA’s Walt Disney World campus if he received an offer. Still, Felton will aim to make a return to the court for the 2020/21 season.
“Oh, no question,” Felton told Kennedy. “It’d be like I was away for just one season and I would definitely be looking to try to get with somebody next season. I just want to play. I’m not retiring. I want to play. Even if I have to go across that water to play, I will. I just want to play basketball. I’m not ready to let the game go yet.”
Felton added that his “ultimate goal” has always been to play professional basketball for 16 seasons. He has spent 14 years in the NBA so far, so he’d like to play for at least two more seasons, or even three, if possible. The former UNC star stressed to Kennedy that he’s open to playing in an international league if no appealing NBA opportunities arise.
“This is the first time that I’ve actually been open to (playing overseas), just seeing the changes in the (NBA) and how they want to go younger and want to basically not even have veterans that much anymore,” Felton said. “It’s just one of those things where I’m like, ‘Okay, well, I still want to play…’ So even if I have to go play over there, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Felton appeared in all 82 games for Oklahoma City in 2017/18 as the team’s backup point guard, averaging 6.9 PPG and 2.5 APG on .406/.352/.818 shooting in 16.6 minutes per contest. However, he fell out of the Thunder’s regular rotation in ’18/19, averaging just 11.5 MPG in 33 appearances.
Knicks Notes: Thibodeau, Kidd, Hardy, Labeyrie
As the Knicks‘ head coaching search continues, presumed frontrunner Tom Thibodeau has received an endorsement from a former Knicks All-Star, as Adam Zagoria of Forbes writes. Patrick Ewing praised Thibodeau during an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio with hosts Frank Isola and Sarah Kustok.
“I think Tom’s a great coach,” Ewing said. “I had the opportunity to (play for him), him being on the (Knicks’) staff when I played, and also work with him. He’s been around for a lot of years, he knows the game in and out. He’s gonna do everything that he needs to do in terms of having his team prepared to play every night. I think he’d be a great candidate for that job.”
Although Thibodeau is just one of 11 candidates being considered by the Knicks, reports last month indicated that he was viewed as a favorite for the job. Zagoria also hears from multiple sources that New York is expected to hire someone with previous head coaching experience.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- The Knicks’ coaching candidates had an initial round of conversations with a group that included president of basketball operations Leon Rose, general manager Scott Perry, and VP of basketball and strategic planning Brock Aller, sources tell Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Each candidate will have a more in-depth conversation with the team during its second round of meetings, Begley adds.
- According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, two of the Knicks’ head coaching interviews took place on Thursday, with the team talking to Jason Kidd and Spurs assistant Will Hardy. Those interviews were why the Knicks didn’t take part in the NBA’s Thursday conference call with its bottom eight teams about a possible Chicago campus for offseason mini-camps and exhibition games.
- Speaking of that proposed Chicago campus, the Knicks aren’t fully on board with that plan, according to Berman, who notes that the club doesn’t have much interest in playing formal games this offseason, especially since many veterans on the roster will be free agents and likely wouldn’t participate. New York is one of a handful of those bottom eight teams that would prefer to hold OTAs in its own home market to evaluate young players.
- French forward Louis Labeyrie, a second-round pick in the 2014 NBA draft, has agreed to extend his contract with Valencia in Spain for at least two more seasons, as Dario Skerletic of Sportando relays. The Knicks have held Labeyrie’s NBA rights since ’14, but it seems increasingly unlikely that the 28-year-old will come stateside.
Celtics’ Hayward Anticipates Leaving Campus For Birth Of Child
Celtics forward Gordon Hayward told reporters today, including Tim Bontemps of ESPN, that he intends to leave the NBA’s Walt Disney World campus for the birth of his fourth child in September, assuming his team is still alive in the playoffs at the time.
“I’m for sure going to be with her,” Hayward said of his wife Robyn. “… “It’s a pretty easy decision for me on that. I’ve been at the birth of every one of my children and I think there are more important things in life. So we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
Players who receive permission to leave the Orlando campus for a family situation will be required to quarantine for four days upon returning, as Bontemps notes. That hinges on the player being gone for fewer than seven days and testing negative for COVID-19 each day that he’s away. Unexcused absences would require a quarantine period of at least 10 days upon returning to the NBA’s Disney campus — that shouldn’t apply to Hayward, but he could still miss at least a couple games.
The exact due date for Hayward’s child is unclear, but based on the NBA’s tentative schedule, the conference semifinals will take place during the first half of September, with the conference finals taking place during the second half of the month. In other words, Boston – currently the No. 3 seed in the East – is in good position to be playing into September.
According to Jared Weiss of The Athletic, Celtics big man Vincent Poirier and his partner Assouan are due to have their first child on September 17. Poirier told The Athletic that, like Hayward, he plans to leave the campus to attend the birth, so depending on the timing – and Boston’s performance – the team could be down a couple players in September.