2023 May | Hoops Rumors

Draft Notes: Pacers, Hawks, Kalkbrenner, Harrison, Bates

May 29th, 2023 at 9:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Ricky Council IV (Arkansas), Nikola Djurisic (Serbia), Tevian Jones (Southern Utah), Darius McGhee (Liberty), Jordan Miller (Miami) and Keisei Tominaga (Nebraska) will work out for the Pacers on Tuesday, Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files tweets. Council, ranked No. 56 on ESPN’s Best Available list, and Djurisic (No. 59) are the highest-rated players visiting Indianapolis.

We have more draft-related news:

Kentucky forward Oscar Tshiebwe (No. 75) headlines the group of six prospects that the Hawks will evaluate on Tuesday, Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets. Overtime Elite’s Jazian Gortman, North Carolina’s Leaky Black, UAB’s Trey Jemison, TCU’s Emanuel Miller and Texas’ Sir’Jabari Rice will join him.
Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner is withdrawing from the draft and returning to school, CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein tweets. Kalkbrenner was considered a second-round prospect, ranking No. 62 on ESPN’s list.
Grand Canyon’s Rayshon Harrison is also returning to school, Rothstein adds in another tweet.
Eastern Michigan’s Emoni Bates interviewed well at the combine, which boosted his stock and made a lot of teams take a closer look at him, according to Sarah Todd of the Deseret News. Bates is considered a second-round prospect (No. 57).

Community Shootaround: Nurse As Sixers’ Head Coach

May 29th, 2023 at 7:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Well, this ought to be interesting.

The Sixers are hiring former Raptors coach Nick Nurse as their head coach. Nurse and Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid will now pair together as the franchise looks to bring Philadelphia a long-awaited championship. The Sixers’ drought has reached 40 years and counting.

They have a history together as playoff foes. Toronto broke Philly’s hearts in the 2019 playoffs with Kawhi Leonard‘s basket that bounced four times on the rim proving to be the dagger. The Sixers had the KO punch last year during the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Nurse will also inherit a very talented young guard in Tyrese Maxey but the rest of the roster is in a state of flux. The Sixers could look to unload Tobias Harris, who is entering the final year of his contract. The bench figures to be revamped too, but the biggest offseason question is whether James Harden will decline his player option. Rumors have persisted for months that Harden wants to return to Houston.

Despite delivering a championship to the Raptors franchise, Nurse had a falling out with the front office. They felt he didn’t develop their bench players sufficiently and overworked his starters. There were also questions about accountability and his relationships with key players.

A fresh start for a talented coach could be the Sixers’ gain. That championship on his resume gives him immediate credibility.

It could also attract a top free agent such as Fred VanVleet, who tweeted out congratulations via an emoji after he heard the news. VanVleet is expected to decline his player option so that he can enter the free agent market. He could be Harden’s replacement.

That brings us to our topic of the day: What do you think of Nick Nurse taking over as the Sixers’ head coach? Did the franchise make the right choice and do you feel Nurse can bring the franchise a long-awaited championship?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.

Celtics’ Brogdon Available For Game 7

May 29th, 2023 at 6:22pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon is available to play in Game 7 tonight against the Heat, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe tweets.

That gives coach Joe Mazzulla another option as Boston attempts to become the first team in NBA history to erase an 0-3 playoff deficit.

Brogdon had been listed as questionable after missing Game 6 due to a right forearm strain. He only played eight minutes in Game 5.

Brogdon scored a combined 32 points in the first two games of the series. He averaged 16.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists in the second-round series against the Sixers and 13.3/3.7/4.3 against the Hawks in the opening round.

Southwest Notes: Rockets, Zion, McCollum, Irving, Grizzlies

May 29th, 2023 at 5:49pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Assuming Victor Wembanyama, Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson will be the first three picks in the draft, who will the Rockets target at No. 4? Kelly Iko of The Athletic explores that question in his first installment of the team’s big board.

With the assistance of a high-ranking scout, Iko puts Amen Thompson at the top of the list. Thompson would make a great fit for Houston defensively, given its current talent level, though there are questions about the Overtime Elite guard offensively. Villanova forward Cam Whitmore follows him on Iko’s list, thanks to his explosiveness and athleticism in the open floor.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Pelicans guard CJ McCollum dispensed career advice to oft-injured Zion Williamson, RealGM relays. Speaking on the Ryen Russillo Show, McCollum said he and Larry Nance Jr. have engaged in multiple conversations with Williamson, whose toughness was questioned when he didn’t play after Jan. 2 due to a hamstring injury. “Your ceiling is unlike anything the NBA has ever seen,” McCollum said of his advice to Williamson. “But it’s up to you to take full advantage of whatever that is. I can’t want it for you. Mom can’t want it for you. Dad can’t want it for you. Staff can’t want it for you. So, it’s up to you to decide what that looks like. You’ve got to figure out what you want to do with this game, because this game will go where you take it.”
Following a report of a “handshake deal” with the Mavericks, along with attending Lakers games during the postseason, Kyrie Irving indicated on Instagram he’ll control the narrative of his free agency (hat tip to RealGM). “If you hear something about my career, it’s going to happen direct like this,” Irving said. “I am an independent agency. It’s just me.”
In a subscriber-only story, Chris Herrington of the Daily Memphian details the lessons that the Grizzlies learned during their abbreviated playoff run. He opines they need to be patient with the team’s core and coach Taylor Jenkins but aggressively pursue ways to improve their postseason chances.

Draft Notes: L. Butler, Jaquez, B. Miller, Kings

May 29th, 2023 at 3:23pm CST by Rory Maher

San Diego State guard Lamont Butler hit one of the most memorable shots of the 2022/23 college basketball season, converting the Final Four game-winner over Florida Atlantic to put the Aztecs into the championship game. He had been testing the draft waters, but the junior announced on Twitter that he’s withdrawing and returning to school.

Butler, who averaged 8.8 points, 3.2 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals on .421/.342/.731 shooting in 39 games (25.9 minutes) last season, is not ranked on ESPN’s top-100 prospects list.

Here are a few more draft notes:

UCLA wing Jaime Jaquez spoke to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com and ESPN about his preparation for the draft (Twitter video link). Jaquez, who is ranked No. 30 on ESPN’s board, believes he has plenty of upside left after playing four college seasons, noting his consistent improvement with the Bruins. He averaged 17.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.5 steals on .481/.317/.770 shooting as a senior.
Alabama wing Brandon Miller, a projected top-three pick, recently had an interview with Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter video link), discussing a number of topics. On Victor Wembanyama and being the No. 1 pick: “I feel like I’m No. 1, but you can’t beat 7-5, 8-foot wingspan,” Miller said.
The Kings are hosting a pre-draft workout Monday headlined by Indiana big man Trayce Jackson-Davis and Kansas forward Jalen Wilson, a league source tells Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 KTXL (Twitter link). Jackson-Davis is No. 33 on ESPN’s board, while Wilson is No. 40. The Kings control the Nos. 24, 38 and 54 picks. Jackson-Davis put up huge numbers as a senior for the Hoosiers, averaging 20.9 points, 10.8 boards, 4.0 assists and 2.9 blocks in 32 games (34.5 minutes).

Stein’s Latest: Myers, Nurse, Sixers, Pacers, Draft

May 29th, 2023 at 1:49pm CST by Rory Maher

Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers was originally going to speak with the media last week for his end-of-season press conference, but it was pushed back to this week. As Marc Stein writes at Substack, there’s a belief that Myers doesn’t want to speak publicly without first deciding whether or not he’s going to stay with the team — the longtime executive’s contract expires at the end of June.

Myers’ presser could come as soon as Tuesday or Wednesday, according to Stein, who predicts that the 48-year-old will step away from his post and take a break from basketball for the time being. The Athletic first reported that vice president of basketball operations Mike Dunleavy Jr. is viewed as Myers’ “natural successor,” and Stein also believes the former NBA player would take over if Myers departs.

Here’s more from Stein:

There was growing buzz linking former Raptors head coach Nick Nurse to the Sixers‘ coaching vacancy late Sunday night, Stein writes. Nurse has interviewed for several open coaching jobs this spring, including Philadelphia, Phoenix and Milwaukee. He’s a finalist for the Suns’ opening and had been a finalist for the Bucks’ lead job until he reportedly withdrew from consideration, leading to speculation that he either knew he wasn’t going to land the position or that he may have had an offer elsewhere. Keith Pompey reported Saturday that Nurse was evaluating his options between the Suns and Sixers.
“The rumbles are rising in volume” that the Pacers have designs on moving up in the 2023 NBA draft, according to Stein, who points out that Indiana controls three first-round picks — Nos. 7, 26 and 29. They also have two second-rounders — Nos. 32 and 55. Stein is at least the third reporter to suggest the Pacers might look to package their picks in some fashion.
As Stein details, one thing that could be beneficial for the Pacers is there are rumors the Hornets (No. 2), Trail Blazers (No. 3), Rockets (No. 4) and Pistons (No. 5) could be candidates for win-now deals with their own picks. It’s hard to envision what a deal would look like from the Pacers’ perspective in that scenario though, because presumably the rival teams might not be looking for extra draft picks if they want to win now. There aren’t that many win-now players on Indiana’s roster. Not that the Pacers don’t have good players, but several are young and aren’t going anywhere. Maybe Buddy Hield or T.J. McConnell would fit the bill? I’m not sure how enticing that would be, even though they’re both good players in different ways. Myles Turner would draw interest, but I’d be a little surprised if he’s moved after Indiana renegotiated and extended his contract.

Celtics Notes: Game 6, White, Defense, Brogdon

May 29th, 2023 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Ahead of Monday night’s Game 7 to determine the Eastern Conference champion, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe takes a look back at the remarkable final three seconds of Saturday’s game that saved the Celtics‘ season.

The sequence began when Al Horford was whistled for a two-shot foul on Jimmy Butler with 2.1 seconds remaining, but both of those things were eventually changed after a challenge by Boston coach Joe Mazzulla. A review of the play showed that Butler had both feet behind the line and had started his shot when the contact occurred, which resulted in three free throws instead of two.

Monty McCutchen, the NBA’s head of referee development, told Washburn that the replay center would have checked to see if three shots should be awarded whether Mazzulla had appealed the play or not. He also explained the decision to reset the clock to 3.0 seconds, which left enough time for Derrick White‘s game-winning tip-in.

“When you challenge a foul, we go to the first illegal act,” McCutchen said. “Mind you it’s not the camera angle that’s floating around on Twitter. We have nine different camera angles. We (show) the camera angle and the official says, ‘Right there. That’s where I had the foul.’ And we go from there.”

There’s more from Boston:

The fact that White was on the court for the critical play was significant, according to Brian Robb of MassLive, who argues that Mazzulla went away from him too often at crunch time during the season. With Malcolm Brogdon unavailable due to a right forearm strain, Mazzulla opted to give White 42 minutes Saturday night rather than extending his rotation. White delivered 11 points, four rebounds and six assists, along with some stellar defense against Butler.
The Celtics turned around the series by making adjustments after falling behind 3-0, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic. It took several games for Boston to figure out an effective double-team strategy on Butler, but Weiss believes the approach in Game 6 was ideal. Jayson Tatum was able to read Butler’s moves and provide help at the last second without leaving a clear lane to an open shooter, Weiss observes, adding that White has figured out when to go over or under on screens with Butler to help slow him down.
Brogdon is listed as questionable for Game 7, but a source told Marc J. Spears of Andscape that he plans to play (Twitter link). He was able to take part in the Celtics’ shootaround Monday morning, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

Ricky Rubio Hopes To Play In Europe Again

May 29th, 2023 at 10:30am CST by Arthur Hill

Ricky Rubio has at least one more season left on his contract with the Cavaliers, and he’s thinking about finishing his career in Spain once his NBA commitment is complete, writes Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.

“I am starting to consider my return,” Rubio said in an appearance Sunday on the La Sotana podcast. “Going home. To Barcelona. Close to home.”

The 32-year-old guard is under contract for $6.1MM next season, but he has only a $4.25MM guarantee on his $6.4MM salary for 2024/25. Cleveland will have to terminate the contract by June of 2024 if the team decides not to pay him the full amount.

Rubio had a limited role for the Cavs this season after his year-long rehab following an ACL tear. He wasn’t able to play until January and then appeared in 33 games, averaging 5.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 17.2 minutes per night.

Rubio was a star in Europe for six years before coming to the NBA. He helped Barcelona capture the EuroLeague championship in 2010 and the Liga ACB title in 2011.

He has played 12 years in the NBA with the Timberwolves, Jazz, Suns and Cavaliers.

Heat Notes: Butler, Adebayo, Backup Centers, Vincent

May 29th, 2023 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo understand that they need to play better for the Heat to win Monday night’s Game 7 in Boston, write Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Miami’s heartbreaking loss on Saturday featured wildly inefficient performances from its two stars, who combined to shoot 24.3% from the field. Even though he came close to a triple-double, Butler made just 5-of-21 shots and he took responsibility for the one-point defeat.

“Like I told the guys on the bench, I told the guys in the locker room, that if I play better, we’re not even in this position, honestly speaking,” Butler said. “And I will be better. That’s what makes me smile, because those guys follow my lead. So when I’m playing better, I think we’re playing better as a whole.”

Both Butler and Adebayo, who was 4-for-16, dismissed the idea that injuries are catching up to them. Butler suffered a sprained right ankle in the opener of the Heat’s second-round series, and Adebayo has been dealing with shoulder and hamstring issues.

“I see no excuses for that,” Adebayo said. “You know, when you want something as special as a championship, I feel like every guy in our locker room would go through a brick wall to get that.”

There’s more on the Heat:

Cody Zeller saw all the backup center minutes on Saturday as Kevin Love remained on the bench, Jackson and Chiang add. Neither player has been effective in the series, with the Heat getting outscored by 20 points in Love’s 61 minutes and by 21 points in Zeller’s 56 minutes.
Miami will make history one way or the other tonight, either as the first play-in participant to reach the NBA Finals or the first team in league history to lose a series after taking a 3-0 lead. Heat players insist they won’t be intimidated by that potential infamy as they approach Game 7, per Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. “You’re going to get the same test until you pass it, I swear,” Butler said, referring to last season’s Game 7 between the two teams. “We were in this same position last year. We can do it. I know that we will do it. … We have got to go on the road and do something special.”
Gabe Vincent is back on the Heat’s injury report, being listed as questionable for Game 7 with a sprained left ankle, Winderman tweets. Vincent was a game-time decision in Game 6, but he played 41 minutes and contributed 15 points and four rebounds.

Raptors’ Coaching Search Nearing Conclusion

May 28th, 2023 at 9:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Raptors are advancing to a second round of interviews for their head coaching job, Doug Smith of The Toronto Star reports.

It may not be long before they announce Nick Nurse’s replacement. One source told Smith the Raptors president Masai Ujiri had narrowed the list to three candidates and that final interviews are being scheduled, though Smith says he was unable to independently confirm that source’s info.

From the beginning, the Raptors chose to take a broad approach to their search. Ujiri originally indicated the coaching search could last right up to the June draft but the process appears to be reaching an earlier conclusion.

Former Nets coach Steve Nash, Kings associate head coach Jordi Fernandez, TV analyst JJ Redick, Spanish national team coach Sergio Scariolo, Nuggets assistant David Adelman and Heat assistant Chris Quinn are potentially some of the names under serious consideration. Toronto had interest in former Suns coach Monty Williams but it’s unclear whether he has been interviewed.

Toronto is heading into a pivotal offseason with Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. expected to join Jakob Poeltl as free agents this summer.

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Toronto Raptors

Month: May 2024