Jeremy Lin Disappointed Not To Get NBA Call-Up
Veteran guard Jeremy Lin published an Instagram post on Tuesday evening expressing disappointment that he was unable to earn a call-up to the NBA following a successful stint in the G League earlier this season.
Lin, who last played in the NBA in 2019 with the Raptors, decided to play in the G League rather than spending another year in China, since he believed the NBAGL represented his best shot at getting back to the NBA — especially given the restrictions on international travel and scouting in place during the coronavirus pandemic.
The 32-year-old averaged 19.8 PPG on .505/.426/.879 shooting in nine G League contests for the Santa Cruz Warriors. While his age worked against him, it’s worth noting Lin was the only player among the NBAGL’s top 14 scorers who didn’t spend any time with an NBA team during the 2020/21 season. Twelve of those players finished the season on an NBA roster, while one (Henry Ellenson) received a 10-day deal in March.
“For months, I saw others get contracts, chances, opportunities,” Lin wrote on Instagram. “I told myself I just need ONE ten-day contract, one chance to get back on the floor and I would blow it out the water. After all that’s how my entire career started – off one chance to prove myself. For reasons I’ll never fully know, that chance never materialized. But I proved I’m better than ever and an NBA player.”
Although Lin’s post isn’t a retirement announcement, it reads as something of a farewell to the NBA, as Kurt Helin of NBC Sports observes. Lin referred to having taken a year to “chase a dream” and called May 16 the “final deadline” for an NBA call-up. He also addressed the next generation of Asian-American NBA hopefuls, telling them, “You guys got next.”
Those comments don’t mean Lin is giving up on the NBA in future seasons. However, they suggest that when he resumes his career, he may be more inclined to consider other options, including possibly a return to China, where he could play a starring role.
“I didn’t get it done, but I have no regrets,” Lin wrote. “I gave my ALL and hold my head high. As for what’s next, I trust what God has in store for me.”
Eastern Notes: Pacers, Wizards, Stevens, Hawks, Magic
The Pacers won their play-in game on Tuesday night, while the Wizards lost theirs, meaning the two teams will face one another on Thursday in the Eastern Conference’s final play-in contest with the No. 8 seed up for grabs. The winner will earn the East’s last playoff spot, while the loser goes home.
The Pacers and Wizards had identical 34-38 records in the regular season, but since only one can make the playoffs now, no random tiebreaker will be required to determine which of them has the higher first-round draft pick or the higher spot in the lottery standings. The team that makes the playoffs will end up with the 15th overall pick (or No. 16, if the Spurs make the postseason). The team eliminated on Thursday will get a spot in the late-lottery.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Even before the Celtics won their play-in game on Tuesday, the idea that Brad Stevens‘ job might be in any jeopardy was “just not accurate,” despite the team’s up-and-down season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (video link).
- While the Hawks entered the season with playoff expectations, team CEO Steve Koonin admitted in a Q&A with Chris Kirschner of The Athletic that he didn’t expect the team to finish in a tie for the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference. “I would say that I think we’ve exceeded all of the expectations we had internally,” Koonin said. “… I think if it wasn’t for the Knicks, this would be the biggest story in the NBA.”
- The Magic‘s 21-51 record in 2020/21 was the team’s worst mark since 2014/15, but president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman is very optimistic about the direction of the rebuild, as Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press writes. “It’s exciting,” Weltman said. “I’ve never felt more excited about the team since I’ve been here than I do right now.”
Pacific Notes: Paul, Sarver, Lue, Kerr
Chris Paul can become a free agent if he declines his $44.2MM option but ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski doesn’t see him leaving the Suns (hat tip to RealGM). “It certainly seems to me it’s hard to see him go somewhere else,” Wojnarowski said on ESPN’s The Jump. “He wanted to be there. He had to convince Phoenix a little bit that they were ready for him.” However, Woj said Paul could use the Knicks as a “leverage point.”
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Suns owner Robert Sarver is committed to keeping his core group intact and is willing to go into the luxury tax to make that happen, Kellan Olson of ArizonaSports.com relays. “From a financial standpoint I am,” he said. “In terms of the timing of contracts and who and this and that, that’s something that (GM) James (Jones) and his crew will be working on I’m sure during the summer,” he said. “But in terms of from ownership, yeah, we’re committed for sure.”
- Clippers coach Ty Lue rested many of his regulars down the stretch and the team wound up with the No. 4 seed in the West. He has no regrets, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN tweets. “I don’t give a damn what anybody else thinks… we finally got everyone healthy… I don’t care,” he said. “I don’t read Twitter. I don’t have Twitter… I am my own man and I do what I want to do.”
- Warriors coach Steve Kerr appreciates the way his team persevered through injuries and finished strong, according to Nick Friedell of ESPN. “When you go five straight years of ‘win the championship or bust,’ it’s incredibly stressful,” Kerr said. “It’s exciting and you wouldn’t want it any other way, but it adds up. And so I think this year has been refreshing in a lot of ways. It’s been a really meaningful season for our franchise in a lot of ways and that’s important.”
Timberwolves Notes: Vanterpool, Gates, Edwards, Towns, McDaniels
Timberwolves associate head coach David Vanterpool as well as assistant Bryan Gates won’t return to Chris Finch’s staff next season, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. Vanterpool and Gates were holdovers from Ryan Saunders‘ staff. Numerous players around the league openly questioned Minnesota’s decision to hire Finch away from the Raptors’ staff, instead of promoting minority candidate Vanterpool when Saunders was let go.
We have more on the Timberwolves:
- Anthony Edwards could be “scary” good after a strong rookie season, president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas said this week, per Dave Campbell of The Associated Press. “He doesn’t know how good he is and, scary enough for us, we don’t know how good he is,” Rosas said. “You’re talking about a 19-year-old who’s late to the sport. It’s not always pretty, not always efficient, but the signs of greatness are there.”
- Edwards expects the team to participate in the postseason next year, Kent Youngblood of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes. “I’m ready to go to the playoffs,” he said. “I know this is my first year, but I just see how happy teams [are], knowing they’re going to play more basketball. So I want that feeling next year.”
- Karl-Anthony Towns wants to make a point that he’s not concerned about sharing the spotlight with Edwards, according to Chris Hine of the Star Tribune. “He’s showed exactly why he’s the No. 1 pick and why he’s the Rookie of the Year,” Towns said. “So we’ve got to put our egos to the side at all times. We cannot let that get between us. We cannot let that be a story of amazing talents coming together and not making it work.”
- The Wolves’ front office made a prudent choice with Jaden McDaniels at the No. 28 overall pick, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic notes. McDaniels started regularly in the final 27 games of the season and showed great promise as a 3-and-D wing. Having productive players on low-cost contracts is necessary to keep the team’s core intact while still avoiding the luxury tax, Krawczynski adds.
Kings Notes: Walton, McNair, Finch, Fox
The news broke on Monday that Luke Walton would be retained as the Kings’ head coach. There has been speculation that the decision was, at least in part, financially motivated. He’s reportedly owed $11.5MM over the next two seasons.
However, GM Monte McNair downplayed that notion in his season-ending press conference, James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. “I’ve been given every resource I need to get the team back to the playoffs and this was a basketball decision,” McNair said.
We have more on the Kings:
- Walton’s job became much safer when the Timberwolves hired Raptors assistant Chris Finch as their head coach midway through the season, Sean Cunningham of KXTV Sacramento tweets. Numerous sources told Cunningham that Sacramento’s front office was interested in Finch, who previously worked with McNair in the Rockets’ organization. Walton maintained a strong relationship with the Kings’ front office and earned respect of the locker room, which also helped his cause, Cunningham adds.
- De’Aaron Fox‘s bout with COVID-19 was a rough one, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee tweets. Fox had a headache after the April 21st game against Minnesota and then body aches and chills the next night. He apparently wasn’t close to returning at the end of the season, but he says he’s feeling much better, Anderson adds.
- Richaun Holmes is expected to be a hot commodity on the free agent market. Get the details here.
Draft Notes: McClung, Tiebreakers, Seniors, Mballa
Texas Tech guard Mac McClung has hired an agent and will remain in the draft, Jonathan Givony of ESPN reports.
McClung decided to test the draft waters last month while concurrently placing his name in the transfer portal. He averaged 15.5 PPG, 2.7 RPG and 2.1 APG for the Red Raiders. McClung, who spent two seasons at Georgetown, had two years of eligibility remaining.
He’s signing with Dan Poneman of Beyond Athlete Management but he has an uphill climb to get drafted. He’s not currently listed among ESPN’s Top 100 Best Available players.
“I just felt the timing was right for me to go all-in,” McClung said.
We have more draft news:
- The coin flips to determine the tiebreakers in this year’s draft order will be conducted next Tuesday, Givony tweets. Those flips include the Cavaliers and Thunder for the fourth and fifth spots; the Magic, Pelicans and Kings for the Nos. 8-10 spots; the Hornets and Spurs at No. 11, if both lose their play-in games or make the playoffs; the Wizards and Pacers at No. 13, if both miss or make the playoffs; the Knicks and Hawks for spots No. 19 and 20; the Rockets, Lakers and Knicks for Nos. 21-23; and the Clippers and Nuggets for the 25th and 26th positions. For more info on the lottery standings and draft order, check out our comprehensive breakdown here.
- Approximately 100 college seniors have filed as early-entry candidates, Givony writes in a separate story. The “preliminary early-entry list” includes only college seniors, allowing NBA teams an extra two weeks to conduct due diligence on that group of players. The list includes some high-profile playes such as Iowa’s Luka Garza, Gonzaga’s Corey Kispert, Oregon’s Chris Duarte, Oklahoma’s Austin Reaves and Loyola Chicago’s Cameron Krutwig, Givony adds. The full early-entry list will be released at the beginning of next month.
- University of Buffalo forward Josh Mballa has declared his intention to test the draft waters while maintaining his college eligibility, according to a school press release. Mballa was named the Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year while finishing second on the team in scoring at 15.3 PPG and leading the Bulls in rebounding at 10.8 RPG.
Hawks Guard Goodwin To Miss Postseason
Hawks guard Brandon Goodwin has been diagnosed with a minor respiratory condition that will keep him out the remainder of the season, the team tweets.
Goodwin has appeared in 47 games, including five starts, this season. He averaged 4.9 PPG and 2.0 APG in 13.2 MPG during the regular season.
Goodwin’s playing time fluctuated, depending on how many backcourt injuries the team had at any given time. The 25-year-old point guard wasn’t expected to be part of the playoff rotation — he only made two brief appearances in games this month. Veteran Lou Williams is the primary backup to Trae Young.
Goodwin, who was undrafted out of Florida Gulf Coast, played on a $1.7MM contract this season. The front office would need to extend him a $2.1MM qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent this summer.
Atlantic Notes: Lowry, M. James, Embiid, Knicks, Nets
Asked today about his upcoming free agency, Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry mentioned a number of factors that he’ll consider as he makes his decision, writes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. Lowry cited family considerations as one important factor, along with “money” and “years,” as well as his desire to win more championships (Twitter link via Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca).
Perhaps most interestingly, Lowry suggested his future may be tied in part to that of president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri, who is the Raptors’ other key free agent this summer: “I told him this, the only reason I’m still here is because of him. Part of the reason I re-signed here twice is because of him. That is a large part of why I am able to be who I am and gotten to this point.”
Based on Lowry’s comments about prioritizing family and competing for titles, Eric Koreen of The Athletic believes the six-time All-Star is probably more likely to join a new team than to return to the Raptors. However, Lowry also hinted that he may have unfinished business with his current club after a disappointing 2020/21 season spent away from Toronto.
“It does play a factor in it because I enjoy the challenge of people counting me out, counting the team out,” Lowry said. “I enjoy that competitive nature, and I wanna challenge myself and see what I can continue to help do and build. But a lot of things will be factored into this summer and this free agency. The unfinished business thing is part of it, a little bit.”
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- There has been an expectation that Mike James‘ stint with the Nets will be temporary, since he remains under contract with EuroLeague powerhouse CSKA Moscow through 2022/23. However, international reporter Chema de Lucas tweets that James may try to stay in the NBA beyond this season, and Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.com suggests CSKA Moscow would be open to that idea if they can save some money and keep James away from their European rivals.
- When Joel Embiid suffered a knee injury on March 12 that was later diagnosed as a bone bruise, he initially feared that it would be a season-ender, he tells ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, who published an in-depth feature on the Sixers center. “As soon as I fell, the first thing that I’m thinking is: ‘My season is over,'” Embiid said. Having avoided a major injury such as an ACL tear, the big man returned to action just three weeks later, on April 3.
- Loosened restrictions on gathering in New York mean that the Knicks and Nets are in position to significantly increase their arena capacities for the postseason, as Steve Popper of Newsday details.
Free Agency Rumors: Holmes, Hardaway, Powell, More
Kings center Richaun Holmes is expected to be a sought-after free agent this offseason, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, who spoke to a number of league personnel members about the 2021 FA class. Fischer’s sources suggested that a four-year, $80MM deal wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for Holmes.
“I think everyone’s going to be chasing him,” one team analytics staffer told Bleacher Report.
The Kings figure to make an effort to re-sign Holmes. General manager Monte McNair referred to the big man today as “an integral part of the team,” as James Ham of NBC Sports California tweets. And Ham himself made the case that retaining Holmes should be Sacramento’s top priority.
However, since the Kings only have Holmes’ Early Bird rights and don’t project to have a huge chunk of cap room, their ability to make a competitive offer may be limited if his price gets anywhere near as high as Fischer’s sources believed it could. The Hornets and Mavericks are among the other teams expected to have interest in Holmes, according to Fischer.
Here’s more from Fischer:
- One personnel evaluator who spoke to Bleacher Report referred to Mavericks wing Tim Hardaway Jr. as “one of the best pure scorers in the league,” and won’t be surprised if he receives another lucrative multiyear deal now that his four-year, $71MM contract is set to expire.
- That same personnel evaluator said he believes Trail Blazers guard Norman Powell can get $20MM annually in free agency, according to Fischer. “He’s just a guy that can play with anybody,” the evaluator said of Powell. “He doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be effective. He’s a good defender, he’s a great athlete, he gets to the rim. You can play him at the three, you can play him at the two. He’s a great character guy.”
- Multiple league executives believe that Lakers guard Dennis Schröder is aiming to be paid like a top-tier point guard and that he’ll be prioritizing a starting role. The Knicks are among the teams mulling a run at him, sources tell Fischer.
- League executives who spoke to Fischer identified Nets guard Bruce Brown, Knicks big man Nerlens Noel, and Lakers teammates Alex Caruso and Talen Horton-Tucker as some other under-the-radar free agents who could be in line for eight-digit annual salaries on their new deals.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo Out At Least Two Weeks With Leg Injury
The Bucks will be without forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo for at least the next two weeks due to a right leg injury he suffered during the regular season finale on Sunday, the club announced today in a press release.
After undergoing an MRI on Monday to assess the injury, Antetokounmpo was diagnosed with an avulsion fracture to the right patella tendon, the Bucks said in their statement. He’ll be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Antetokounmpo, the older brother of Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, wasn’t expected to play a major role for Milwaukee in the playoffs, so the injury shouldn’t have a real impact on the club’s rotation. Still, the 28-year-old did play a minor role for the Bucks this season, averaging 2.9 points and 2.2 rebounds per game in 57 contests (9.7 MPG).