Virtual Draft Combine Expected To Be Announced Soon
This year’s version of the NBA draft combine will likely be virtual and will take place at a few regional team facilities in September, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who adds that plans may be finalized by next week.
The league typically holds its combine every May in Chicago, where players go through drills and hold one-on-one meetings with team executives. This year’s event, like many other league functions, was postponed because of coronavirus concerns.
The new plan would have players attend selected team facilities for their workouts, sources tell Wojnarowski. Physicals would be conducted at area hospitals, and league officials would record body measurables and put players through physical tests. COVID-19 testing will also be part of the experience.
Wojnarowski believes nearly all the projected top prospects will participate in the virtual combine, which will be shared with all 30 teams. However, there will be an option for players to engage in a “limited combine workout environment.” Woj adds that pro day sessions, which are sometimes arranged by agents, won’t be permitted this year because of the pandemic.
Teams have been limited so far to virtual interviews with players, as the league has banned meetings and workouts in person. Further interviews can be requested during the virtual combine, but the league hasn’t said if players will be permitted to travel before the draft to meet with interested teams. Agents have been barred from sending videos of workouts to individual organizations.
The NBA’s annual lottery will be held virtually tomorrow night, but sources tell Wojnarowski the league still hasn’t determined the location or format for its October 16 draft.
Northwest Notes: Porter, Harris, Barton, Bryant, Little
The first round of the playoffs is an educational experience for young Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., as Mike Singer of the Denver Post details. Porter had 13 points and eight rebounds in 31 minutes in the team’s postseason opener against Utah on Monday but was also targeted on defense and saw extra attention offensively.
“Just being out there, learning, going through it, you can’t put a dollar sign on that,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “That’s the best teacher that Michael is going to have. We can tell him, we can prepare him, but he has to go out there and feel it for himself and learn from it, which I know he will.”
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- The Nuggets will once again be down two starters in Game 2 of their first-round series on Wednesday, Kendra Andrews of The Athletic tweets. Wings Gary Harris (hip) and Will Barton (knee), both of whom missed the opener, will sit out. Porter and Torrey Craig started in their place, though Jerami Grant and Monte Morris played heavy minutes off the bench.
- Johnnie Bryant will remain on the Jazz’s coaching staff through the playoffs, Steve Popper of Newsday tweets. Bryant has reportedly reached an agreement with the Knicks to become the club’s associate head coach.
- Trail Blazers rookie forward Nassir Little experienced a syncopal episode (fainting) on August 12 while attending an optional practice in Orlando, the team tweets. He was diagnosed with dehydration and further tests have been negative. He will remain with the team and undergo precautionary health monitoring for two weeks. Little has appeared in 48 games, but none during the restart.
Eight Teams Left Out Of Restart To Conduct Workouts At Home Sites
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have finalized an agreement that will allow the eight teams who were not invited to Orlando to conduct voluntary group workouts at their team facilities, according to a league press release.
The teams will each reside in a campus-like environment under controlled conditions. The agreement includes comprehensive health and safety protocols.
The workout program is scheduled to take place Sept. 14–Oct. 6 and will be implemented in phases. The first phase, which will be held Sept. 14-2o, will consist of voluntary individual workouts at team facilities and the commencement of daily COVID-19 testing for all players and staff planning to participate in group workouts.
The second phase will occur from Sept. 21–Oct. 6. It will consist of group training activities in market, which may include practices, skill or conditioning sessions, and intra-squad scrimmages. Daily coronavirus testing will continue during that phase and each team will create its own campus-like environment in its home city.
The “campus” will include the team’s facilities and private living accommodations for all participating players and team staff. In order to participate in group training activities, players and team staff must remain on the campus.
In addition to players under contract with the team, each of the eight teams may also include up to five players who are not currently under an NBA contract, but who were under an NBA G League contract and assigned to the team’s NBAGL affiliate this season.
Discussions about organized team activities (OTAs) – including group workouts and scrimmages – for those eight clubs have been ongoing for weeks. There was plenty of speculation that the teams would convene at one site but obviously both the league and NBAPA decided it would be easier and safer to keep the teams in their home cities.
The Warriors, Timberwolves, Cavaliers, Hawks, Pistons, Knicks, Bulls, and Hornets were the eight teams left out of the restart.
Pacific Notes: Myers, McGruder, Hollins, Dumars
Warriors general manager Bob Myers admits it’s a little unsettling potentially drafting a player that he may have not seen in person or viewed in an individual workout due to the pandemic. Myers’ comments were posted on the team’s website.
“It’s a rare thing to not have … I would have liked to see more guys than I did, but if you’re talking about me, that’s a possibility,” Myers said. “If you’re talking about our group, I think between us all, somebody will have seen the person at least play.”
Myers also says it’s too early to speculate whether he might trade his first-round pick until the lottery is drawn on Thursday: “Nobody is talking about trades. … Even assuming we had the pick number in hand, it’s premature to even know the value of it, for us or for another team, so we’ll have to wait and see kind of how things go in that direction.”
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Clippers guard Rodney McGruder has signed with Octagon Sports as his representative, the entertainment management organization tweets. McGruder is signed through next season but his $5MM salary for 2021/22 is not guaranteed.
- Veteran Lakers assistant Lionel Hollins was not permitted to coach at the Orlando campus but he’s still involved in the team’s planning and preparation, as Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times details. Hollins watches practices live and prepares scouting reports with two other assistants, one of whom is in Orlando. The 66-year-old was deemed a high risk for the coronavirus due to preexisting conditions.
- Joe Dumars, now the interim GM with the Kings, has a lot on his plate this offseason, as Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee details. Along with the draft, Dumars will try to work out a contract extension with point guard De’Aaron Fox. Bogdan Bogdanovic is headed to restricted free agency, while Kent Bazemore, Harry Giles, and Alex Len will be unrestricted. Dumars could also explore trades involving Buddy Hield, whose large extension kicks in next season after a very disappointing 2019/20 season.
Mike Miller Won’t Be Assistant On Knicks’ Staff
Both before and after the hiring of Tom Thibodeau, former Knicks head coach Mike Miller was said to have strong support to remain with the franchise as an assistant coach. However, Miller won’t be part of Thibodeau’s staff after all, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News (Twitter link).
As Bondy notes, Miller is still under contract and impressed members of the organization with the work he did as David Fizdale‘s interim replacement on the sidelines for the Knicks last season. After New York got off to a 4-18 start under Fizdale, Miller led the club to a 17-27 (.386) record the rest of the way, earning himself an interview for the permanent head coaching position.
However, Thibodeau won the competition for the top job, and based on Bondy’s report, it sounds like Miller won’t return to the sidelines in New York in any capacity.
Miller is pursuing another coaching opportunity, Newday’s Steve Popper tweets. Otherwise, he could return to New York in another capacity, perhaps in pro personnel or scouting.
The Knicks are gradually putting together Thibodeau’s staff, having hired Kenny Payne away from Kentucky and reportedly reaching an agreement to make Jazz assistant Johnnie Bryant their associate head coach. There’s an expectation that former Knicks coach Mike Woodson will also be hired as an assistant, though as we saw with Miller, we shouldn’t assume that’s a done deal until it’s official.
Southeast Notes: Hornets, Pierce, Jones, Wizards
Addressing the Hornets‘ upcoming offseason in a recent conversation with Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer, president of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak reiterated many of the points he has made before about his team’s priorities. According to Kupchak, the Hornets won’t be a major player in free agency this fall and won’t be drafting for positional need with their lottery pick.
“We have some nice pieces that we like, but to compete in this league at a high level, our talent level isn’t where we need it to be,” Kupchak told Bonnell, referring to the Hornets’ need to draft for talent over fit. “I don’t feel we have the luxury of being able to, at this point, pick-and-choose the position (of greatest need).”
While Kupchak acknowledged that the Hornets should have a chunk of cap room available this offseason, he stressed that he doesn’t feel as if free agency “is the answer for us at this time,” hinting that the club could instead use its cap space on the trade market.
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce spoke to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype about a number of subjects, including his hope that Atlanta will improve its depth this offseason by adding veterans who can help the club on and off the court. “We have to add some veterans, rotational, professional depth, and experience to complement our young guys,” Pierce said. “We have nine guys, I believe under contract right now, so we have roster spots to fill.”
- Just four days after sustaining a scary-looking neck injury, Heat wing Derrick Jones was cleared to return to action today, as Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes. Jones has been part of Miami’s rotation during this afternoon’s game against Indiana.
- Monumental Sports & Entertainment, the group that owns the Wizards, is indefinitely furloughing 232 full-time employees due to the coronavirus pandemic, reports Scott Allen of The Washington Post. The furloughs affect over a third of approximately 600 full-time employees that work for the company in departments such as sales, marketing, game day operations, and community relations, Allen adds.
- The Wizards are parting ways with four performance and medical staffers, including head athletic trainer Jeff Bangs, writes Fred Katz of The Athletic.
Latest On Kings’ GM Search
The Kings appear likely to hire an executive search firm to help them find a new permanent general manager following Vlade Divac‘s departure, league sources tell Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. However, according to Anderson, several names have already been connected to the position as possible targets for Saramento.
Anderson identifies Spurs VP of basketball operations Brent Barry, Raptors general manager Bobby Webster, Knicks GM Scott Perry, Celtics assistant GM Mike Zarren, Heat assistant GM Adam Simon, and Clippers assistant GM Trent Redden as executives who may be on the Kings’ preliminary list of candidates.
Sean Cunningham of ABC10, who singled out many of those same execs as ones to watch, mentioned veteran agent Bill Duffy as another possibility (Twitter link). However, Duffy indicated today that he currently has no plans to follow in the footsteps of Bob Myers, Leon Rose, and other agents who have made the move to a team’s front office.
“There’s no truth to me joining an NBA organization,” Duffy told Jason Jones and Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). “I’m fully committed to my clients and their success.”
Joe Dumars, who is the Kings’ interim head of basketball operations, will be involved in the search for a new GM, though team owner Vivek Ranadive and COO Matina Kolokotronis are “viewed as the ultimate decision makers,” Anderson writes.
Anderson also notes that it will be interesting to see what sort of role Dumars ultimately retains in the front office, since Divac’s departure stemmed from Ranadive’s desire to have the former Pistons GM take on a larger role and to have the final say on the roster. Sources tell Anderson that some qualified candidates may be reluctant to fill Sacramento’s GM opening if it doesn’t come with full control over the roster.
Raptors’ Brissett Leaves NBA Campus To Undergo Knee Procedure
Rookie forward Oshae Brissett has become the second Raptors player to leave the NBA’s Walt Disney World campus for health reasons. The team announced today in a press release that Brissett is returning to Toronto to undergo a medical procedure to clean out loose bodies in his right knee.
Earlier this month, veteran Raptors wing Patrick McCaw left Orlando in order to seek treatment for a reoccurrence of a benign mass on the back of his left knee. Like McCaw, Brissett has been ruled out indefinitely, with no indication of if or when he’ll return to the Disney campus. Toronto is ineligible to sign a free agent to replace either player.
One of Toronto’s two-way players, Brissett appeared in 19 NBA games during his first professional season in 2019/20. Playing primarily garbage-time minutes, he averaged 1.9 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 7.1 MPG. The 22-year-old saw more frequent action for the Raptors 905, recording 14.9 PPG and 6.6 RPG in 30 G League contests (27.8 MPG).
Brissett will be eligible for restricted free agency this offseason, so it’s possible he has played his final game as a Raptor.
Central Notes: Bulls, Boylen, Wood, Pistons, Turner
Speaking to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago following his recent dismissal, former Bulls head coach Jim Boylen expressed no hard feelings toward his old team, telling Johnson that he “loved every minute of working for the Bulls” and that he understands why new head of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas would want to bring in his own coach.
Boylen also expressed no regrets about his stint in Chicago, noting that Bulls ownership and former head of basketball ops John Paxson asked him to “bring more discipline” to the team. Boylen praised his players for competing hard, citing injuries and a young roster as a couple of the reasons why the club didn’t win more games.
“I don’t worry about people who haven’t coached critiquing me,” Boylen said. “I don’t try to be a doctor.”
Despite Boylen’s comments, reviews of his time with the Bulls weren’t exactly positive. According to Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic, who took a deep dive into the last two seasons in Chicago, Boylen’s tenure was described by multiple people within the organization as “toxic,” with one calling it “a circus” and another referring to it as a “nightmare.”
In Mayberry’s view, Boylen tried to maintain total control of the team with a tough, abrasive style, but “couldn’t get out of his own way.” Boylen’s greatest success during his time as the Bulls’ head coach, according to Mayberry, was “simply getting the job.”
Here’s more from around the Central:
- Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago explores which candidates for the Bulls‘ head coaching job are favored by oddsmakers, pointing out that one prominent sportsbook lists Ime Udoka, Adrian Griffin, Kenny Atkinson, and Tyronn Lue as the frontrunners.
- The Pistons have more options with Christian Wood this fall than simply re-signing him or letting him walk, according to James Edwards III of The Athletic, who digs into how the team could use a sign-and-trade deal to its advantage if Wood wants to join a team without cap room.
- The rebuilding Pistons should keep a close eye on players coming off two-way contracts, writes Duncan Smith of Forbes. As Forbes explains, under-the-radar free agents like Chris Chiozza are realistic targets for Detroit and could help the club make the most of its cap space.
- Pacers big man Myles Turner recently spoke to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype about life on the Disney World campus, Indiana’s playoff outlook, Victor Oladipo‘s 2021 free agency, and several other topics.
Knicks To Hire Johnnie Bryant As Associate Head Coach
The Knicks are hiring veteran Jazz assistant Johnnie Bryant as their new associate head coach under head coach Tom Thibodeau, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Bryant is the second assistant confirmed to be part of Thibodeau’s staff, joining Kenny Payne.
[RELATED: Knicks hire Kenny Payne as assistant coach]
Having initially joined the Jazz in 2012 as a player development coach, Bryant was promoted to his assistant role in 2014 when Quin Snyder was named the team’s head coach. He has been a key part of Snyder’s staff since then, with Jazz beat writers Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune and Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter links) both noting that Bryant is highly regarded for his player development skills. Jones adds that Bryant has a “very close” relationship with rising Utah star Donovan Mitchell.
In New York, Bryant will be Thibodeau’s lead assistant on a staff that also features Payne and is expected to include a pair of former Knicks coaches, Mike Miller and Mike Woodson. Neither Miller nor Woodson has been officially named an assistant yet, but multiple reports in recent weeks have indicated they’re good bets to be part of Thibodeau’s staff.
Bryant’s player development abilities will be put to the test as he joins a team that features numerous recent top-10 picks, including RJ Barrett, Kevin Knox, Frank Ntilikina, and Dennis Smith Jr.