Central Notes: Manning, Bucks, Bryant, Buckner
Danny Manning may join the bench of new Pacers head coach Nate Bjorkgren, sources have informed Marc Stein of the New York Times (Twitter link). Manning, a former two-time All-Star power forward, most recently served as the head coach for the Wake Forest men’s team from 2014-2020. Bjorkgren, meanwhile, graduated from his role as an assistant on Nick Nurse‘s title-winning Raptors staff to his first head coaching position earlier this offseason.
There’s more out of the NBA’s Central Division:
- Bucks vice president Alex Lasry, son of co-owner Marc Lasry, spoke with David Aldridge of The Athletic about why the top-seeded squad fell apart early in the 2020 NBA playoffs. “The series against the Heat, very easily, could have been, we could have been up 3-1,” Lasry said. “We just didn’t execute the way we normally do, and had all season. And you’ve got to give a lot of credit to the Heat.” The Bucks lost in five games to Miami during the second round of the playoffs.
- John Bryant, most recently a Sixers assistant coach under Brett Brown, has joined the Bulls as an assistant under Chicago’s new head coach Billy Donovan, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). Bryant served under Brown from 2016-2020. Bryant was previously an assistant coach for the team’s G League affiliate, the Delaware 87ers, from 2014-2016.
- The Pistons have added former Pacers scout Jason Buckner as their director of scouting, per J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star. The Detroit front office has been drastically reorganized since Troy Weaver was hired as the team’s general manager earlier during the offseason.
Pelicans Notes: Young Talent, Redick, SVG, Free Agents
In his first press conference with his new team on Tuesday, Pelicans head coach Stan Van Gundy had high praise for forward Zion Williamson, the top pick in the 2019 draft, per Andrew Lopez of ESPN.
“He’s a multi-talented guy,” Van Gundy said. “I don’t look at him in any way as far as is he a four or a five. I’m not sure those labels matter when it comes to him.”
Van Gundy spoke highly of point guard Lonzo Ball, the No. 2 pick in the 2017 draft, as well.
“So I think as good as Lonzo is now, and he’s very good, I think that we can expect a good arc of improvement for him over the next few years,” Van Gundy opined.
The Pelicans’ new head coach also stressed emphasizing defense improvement for the club.
There’s more out of the Big Easy:
- Veteran Pelicans guard J.J. Redick, who had played under Van Gundy while with the Magic, recommended the hire to Pelicans executive VP of basketball operations David Griffin. “I had mentioned to Griff back in August that I thought he’d be great for the job,” Redick said on his podcast The Old Man and the Three, as Andrew Lopez of ESPN relays (Twitter link).
- With the hire of an experienced coach at the level of Van Gundy, the Pelicans are hopeful that their new head coach can optimize the potential of the team’s young talent, according to Scott Kushner of NOLA.com.
- William Guillory of The Athletic assessed some ideal free agent candidates for the Pelicans in a new mailbag. With center Derrick Favors an unrestricted free agent this offseason, free agent veterans like Marc Gasol, Tristan Thompson, Meyers Leonard, and Aron Baynes could all be effective replacements should New Orleans opt to move on from Favors. Defensive-oriented Heat forward Jae Crowder is mentioned as another solid fit for the team to generally shore up its frontcourt depth.
ESPN2 To Televise Edwards, Maxey Pre-Draft Workouts
Georgia swingman Anthony Edwards and Kentucky point guard Tyrese Maxey, two 2020 first-round prospects represented by Klutch Sports, are set to go through a televised “Pro Day” workout on ESPN 2 at 8:00 pm EST this evening, per Anna Negron of ESPN. The 2020 NBA draft is currently scheduled to be conducted virtually at 7:00 pm on November 18.
The athletic 6’5″ Edwards, who worked out for the Warriors last week, is widely considered to be one of the top three picks in November. The 6’3″ Maxey, a solid shooter, is projected to be taken with the No. 20 pick by the Heat in the latest mock draft from The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie.
Maxey and Edwards, both 2020 Second-Team All-SEC team selections, will work out at the Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, California. The workout will be broadcast replete with commentary, courtesy of Jay Bilas, Dalen Cuff and Mike Schmitz.
Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Blazers, Miller, Smith
With Paul Millsap, Jerami Grant, and Mason Plumlee all facing free agency this fall, the Nuggets front office may need to look outside the organization to fill newly-opened gaps in their frontcourt. Kendra Andrews of The Athletic assesses some big men for Denver to target this offseason.
Thunder center Nerlens Noel, Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson, and Suns center Aron Baynes are all free agents who could be solid fits at center spelling Nikola Jokic, in Andrews’ view, while Pacers center Myles Turner, entering the second year of a four-season, $80MM contract, could be available in a trade.
There’s more out of the Northwest Division:
- Danny Leroux of The Athletic previews the offseason salary cap situation for the Trail Blazers, observing that team president Neil Olshey may have to make decisions on team depth, several veteran free agents on the team, and whether or not to offer a contract extension to fourth-year power forward Zach Collins, who will otherwise become a restricted free agent in 2021.
- Having agreed to sell controlling interest in the Jazz to Qualtrics founder Ryan Smith, former majority owner Gail Miller will retain a 20% stake in the franchise, Tony Jones of The Athletic tweets.
- Though the Jazz will miss the Miller family, who owned the team for 35 years, an excitement is building for young new Jazz owner Ryan Smith, according to Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune. Larsen writes that Smith is considered more willing to spend than the Miller clan has been over the decades, which could help Utah weather the storm of financial uncertainty caused by COVID-19 complications that are expected to restrict revenues in the 2020/21 season.
Sixers Notes: Front Office, Morey, Hughes, Burke
Now that Daryl Morey is finalizing a five-year deal to lead the Sixers‘ front office as their new president of basketball operations, The Athletic is unpacking what that hire could mean for Philadelphia with several pieces.
John Hollinger of The Athletic praises the Morey hire as being the right move. Though Morey and current GM Elton Brand have been touted as both being in charge of front office decision-making, Hollinger speculates that Morey would not have accepted the gig had he not been guaranteed the last word.
After former Rockets executive VP of basketball operations Sam Hinkie rebuilt Philadelphia from the ground up, Hinkie’s old boss now gets his crack at the team’s talented tandem of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, as Rich Hofmann and Derek Bodner of The Athletic write. Embiid was a Hinkie lottery pick, while Simmons was drafted months after Hinkie’s resignation.
There’s more out of the City of Brotherly Love:
- Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer provides further details on the Sixers’ front office shakeup (Twitter link). Brand has three years remaining on his contract and will stick with the team, along with assistant GM Ned Cohen. Current executive VP of basketball operations Alex Rucker will remain with the Sixers as Morey joins the team, after which the Sixers are expected to relieve him of his duties.
- In other Sixers personnel news, head coach Doc Rivers will keep player-development assistant coach Eric Hughes on his bench, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.
- New Sixers assistant Dan Burke, who has worked for the Pacers for 23 seasons, was not intending to depart Indiana this summer, per Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. Agness notes that Burke is known for his defensive coaching acumen.
Wizards Notes: Roster, Beal, Draft, Sheppard
With John Wall set to return and Bradley Beal still under contract for at least two more years, the Wizards have an intriguing roster heading into the 2020/21 season. Fred Katz and Danny Leroux of The Athletic examine the rest of Washington’s squad.
Given their desire to re-sign unrestricted free agent power forward Davis Bertans, the Wizards may only have the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions – along with their current draft picks – available to them to build out their roster. Upgrading the defense, particularly through the center position, is touted as a key arena for improvement.
There’s more out of DC:
- In a conversation with J.J. Redick and Tommy Alter for their podcast Old Man And The Three, as captured in an NBA Central tweet, Bradley Beal elaborated on why he opted for a two-year, nearly $72MM contract extension with the Wizards last season. “You still want to be able to protect yourself and kinda be selfish,” Beal said. “How can I create some type of flexibility for myself if we aren’t winning, if I do choose to get out?”
- Chase Hughes, Chris Miller, and Tyler Byrum of NBC Sports Washington discussed big men Onyeka Okongwu and James Wiseman as potential Wizards draft targets in the event that the team trades up from the No. 9 pick.
- As we previously relayed, team GM Tommy Sheppard stressed an interest in applying load management principles to team play more going forward.
Northwest Notes: Wolves, Nuggets, Bazley, Jazz
With the 2020 draft currently scheduled for November 18, the Timberwolves are trying to gauge the market value of their three picks this year, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. The Wolves currently have the No. 1, No. 17, and No. 33 picks.
President of basketball operations Gersson Rosas and his staff have been conducting talent appraisals of their own roster to evaluate the appeal of the team’s trade assets.
“It’s not 100 percent accurate by any means,” Rosas said of the process, “but it gives you a good perspective as you look at your roster, as you look at your body of talent on your team and you look at how you value not only the picks that you have currently, but the picks around the league.”
There’s more out of the NBA’s Northwest Division:
- In his latest mailbag, Mike Singer of The Denver Post examines some of the best trade options for the Nuggets. These include projecting the players and picks necessary for a possible Jrue Holiday deal, and what could be gained from moving up in the 2020 draft. With power forward Paul Millsap, center Mason Plumlee, and combo forward Jerami Grant all entering free agency, the team may also look to shore up its frontcourt with tactical signings.
- Thunder wing Darius Bazley impressed Jack Reining of Daily Thunder during the playoffs of his 2019/20 rookie season. Bazley’s improved long-range shot selection appeared to greatly benefit his efficiency, and he was better able to take advantage of his physical attributes and timing during the NBA’s Orlando restart.
- As we previously relayed, the Jazz may be focused on using the No. 23 pick in this year’s draft to improve their defense.
And-Ones: Duval, African American Coaches, Johnson, NCAA
Former highly-touted Duke point guard Trevon Duval is looking to return to the G League and the NBA. After going undrafted in 2018, Duval logged limited time with the Bucks. Duval saw more extended G League run with the Bucks’ affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, and the Iowa Wolves. Clevis Murray of Bleacher Report takes an in-depth look at Duval’s push to continue his career. Duval has been working to improve his three-point shooting in the offseason.
We have more from around the basketball world
- The lack of African American head coaches is still a troubling issue for the league, former player Etan Thomas of The Undefeated writes. Even with the hiring of Tyronn Lue by the Clippers, there are just six African American head coaches while some organizations continue to recycle white head coaches, Thomas notes. Assistant coaches such as Sam Cassell (Clippers), Darvin Ham (Hawks), Ime Udoka (Sixers) and Wes Unseld Jr. (Nuggets) deserve a shot at showing what they can do as a head coach, Thomas opines.
- 26-year Rockets scout Brent “BJ” Johnson passed away last week. NBA colleagues, including former Rockets GM Daryl Morey and current Wolves GM Gersson Rosas, recalled Johnson’s skills as a scout and his generosity and compassion as a human being for a piece from Spencer Davies of Basketball News.
- NCAA staff has green-lit a blanket waiver for multi-team events to transpire for Division I Men’s Basketball players, per Meghan Durham of NCAA.org.
Amar’e Stoudemire To Join Nets As Assistant Coach
Nets head coach Steve Nash is adding a very familiar face to his bench. Nash’s longtime Suns running mate Amar’e Stoudemire will serve as an assistant coach on his former point guard’s staff, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium tweets.
Stoudemire, a hyper-athletic power forward, and Nash overlapped for six seasons in Phoenix, where they led the trailblazing offensive attack of the famous “Seven Seconds Or Less” Suns, the subject of a fascinating Jack McCallum behind-the-scenes book.
Charania adds in a separate tweet that Stoudemire will specialize in player development while in Brooklyn. Assuming All-Stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving can remain healthy, the Nets look to be a formidable force in the East during the 2020/21 season.
Stoudemire joins former Nets interim head coach Jacque Vaughn on the bench. Assistant Adam Harrington appears likely to remain with the club for this new regime. Former Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni, who coached Stoudemire on the Suns from 2003-08 (and both Stoudemire and Nash from 2004-08), has been floated as a potential addition to Nash’s staff as well.
A six-time All-Star with the Suns and Knicks, Stoudemire most recently played for Israeli basketball club Maccabi Tel Aviv. He led the team to a 2020 title while winning the Israeli League Finals MVP award in the process in July.
Stoudemire last suited up in the NBA with the Heat for the 2015/16 season. He signed a contract with the Knicks after his stint in Miami was over to officially retire with New York. Since last playing in the NBA, Stoudemire also logged time in the CBA and in two separate stints for another Israeli basketball team, Hapoel Jerusalem.
Southeast Notes: Collins, Magic, Wizards, Riley
After becoming a reliable three-point shooter during the 2019/20 season, stat-stuffing Hawks power forward John Collins is now focused on developing his play-making abilities during the extended 2020 offseason, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic.
“The next level is to start getting others involved and create more shots for myself or have the ability to do different things,” Collins reflected. “I’m working on guard stuff instead of the normal traditional big-man stuff.”
There’s more out of the Southeast Division:
- In a new mailbag, Josh Robbins of The Athletic examines the Magic‘s 2020 offseason, including the fate of Wesley Iwundu and which position 2019 first-rounder Chuma Okeke could slot into given the current roster.
- Adding a rim protector and wing defender – perhaps through a trade or a free agency acquisition – are the top offseason priorities for the Wizards, as well as re-signing forward Davis Bertans, Fred Katz of The Athletic contends.
- Heat team president Pat Riley will hold his first 2020 media presser this Friday afternoon, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).