Olympic Notes: Ivey, Deng, Embiid, Fernandez
South Sudan’s remarkable run to the Olympics ended Saturday with a loss to Serbia, but the small nation plans to be a power on the international basketball scene for years to come, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. South Sudan gained its independence 11 years ago and didn’t participate in its first AfroBasket tournament until 2021. It earned a spot in last year’s FIBA World Cup, where it qualified for the Olympics by finishing 17th, the highest of any African country.
The most significant names in building South Sudanese basketball are former NBA players Luol Deng, who financed and oversaw the creation of the team, and Royal Ivey, who serves as head coach. Ivey, an assistant with the Rockets, compares the experience, which included a victory over Puerto Rico in the team’s Olympic debut, to being in a movie.
“A lot of hard work, togetherness, commitment from the president to bring these guys together,” he said. “There were a lot of years where we weren’t productive. [Three] years ago, we were at AfroBasket. I didn’t have the same amount of talent. I was able to conjugate all this talent and now we’re rolling. We’ve got a style of play and it’s been fun.”
Ivey admits that building a competitive program hasn’t been easy given the limitations in South Sudan. There are no indoor basketball courts in the country, so his team had to train in Rwanda, which meant long plane rides and flight delays, but the experience brought the team closer.
“These guys are brothers. It’s a band of brothers,” Ivey said. “It’s a togetherness. They play cards together. They play dominoes together. We eat together. It’s communal. Guys love each other. When guys are doing wrong, we hold guys accountable. That’s what real team is. And that’s what real family is. That’s what family looks like, South Sudan.”
There’s more from Paris:
- Deng was incensed after Saturday’s loss, pointing to a disparity in foul calls that resulted in a 31-6 free throw advantage for Serbia, relays Sam Amick of The Athletic. Deng also objected to the fact that there’s only one referee from Africa among the Olympics’ 30-person officiating crew. “I don’t know why there (are) no African referees in the Olympics,” he said. “It’s 2024. I don’t know what’s the reason for that. You can say whatever you want to say, but if we’re representing the continent then we’ve got to be representing it fully.”
- Joel Embiid has been getting booed throughout the Olympics because he opted to play for Team USA rather than France, but he explained to reporters, including Joe Vardon of The Athletic, that familiarity with his American teammates played an important role in his choice. “It was a tough decision, but it is all about comfort level, and like I said, I’ve known these guys (Team USA players) for a long time and I just felt more comfortable than on the other side (France),” Embiid said. “There was some concern with the other side. Comfort level was huge. I always say I’m going to be where I’m wanted and these guys wanted me.”
- Canadian head coach Jordi Fernandez talked to Marc J. Spears of Andscape about the experience of trying to bring the country its first Olympic basketball medal. “The support has been unbelievable and these guys deserve it,” Fernandez said. “The program needs it. All I can say is thanks because we’ve been very supported by the country. And basketball now is one of the fastest growing pro sports in Canada.”
Heat Notes: Adebayo, Olympics, Butler, Morris
The three-year max extension that Bam Adebayo signed last month signals that it’s time for him to take over as the face of the Heat, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. At 27, Adebayo represents the future of the franchise, Winderman adds, which means personnel decisions should be made based on what’s best for him rather than Jimmy Butler.
Butler will turn 35 soon and his days in Miami may be numbered, regardless of whether he chooses to pick up his $52.4MM player option for the 2025/26 season. The Heat have explored trade possibilities involving Butler, and they may be ready to focus on a younger team built around Adebayo after years of short-term veteran additions.
Winderman observes that Adebayo and Butler have rarely exhibited much chemistry, as it often seemed they were “competing for the same spots on the court.” He also points out that although Kyle Lowry was brought in on Butler’s behalf, Adebayo seemed to benefit more from having an experienced point guard running the offense. This year’s Olympics have provided more evidence of what Adebayo can do when he’s surrounded by high-level talent, Winderman adds.
There’s more from Miami:
- Adebayo is displaying his versatility for Team USA, per Walter Villa of The Miami Herald, with NBC broadcaster and former Heat star Dwyane Wade noting that Adebayo is filling the same role that he did during the 2008 Games. “I got an early text from (Miami head coach and Team USA assistant Eric Spoelstra) and, for me, ‘early’ was about 11 a.m.,” Wade said during Saturday’s game. “Spo said Bam’s role on this team is similar to mine in (2008, when USA won gold). You are coming in off the bench, and your role can change every night. That’s how valuable Bam has been, playing his role very well.”
- It’s unlikely that Butler will be traded before the start of the season, Winderman states in a mailbag column. He adds that the team would have needed to pursue a Butler deal around the draft or the start of free agency if it was serious about unloading him. There probably won’t be any movement on a Butler trade until at least December 15, when most free agents who signed this summer become eligible to be dealt, and nothing may happen until closer to the February 6 trade deadline.
- Despite rumors of interest in Marcus Morris, the Heat are likely done with significant transactions for the offseason, Winderman adds in the same piece. The only exception may be if they can get a rotation player at the veteran’s minimum.
Olympic Men’s Basketball Quarterfinal Matchups Set
With Olympic pool play now complete, the men’s basketball quarterfinal matchups have been determined. All four games will take place Tuesday, and the competition will be single-elimination from now on.
Germany will face Greece at 5 a.m. Eastern time, followed by Serbia vs. Australia at 8:30 a.m., France vs. Canada at noon and the U.S. vs. Brazil at 3:30 p.m. The Germany-Greece winner will face the France-Canada winner in one semifinal, with the Serbia-Australia winner taking on the U.S.-Brazil winner in the other.
It’s the best possible draw for Team USA, which clinched the top seed with a 21-point win over Puerto Rico earlier today. The Americans, who were 3-0 in Group C, won’t have to face the unbeaten Germans or Canadians or the host French until the gold medal game.
They’ll start with a Brazilian team that went 1-2 in Group B, with its only win coming against Japan. Vitor Benite is Brazil’s leading scorer in the Olympics at 14.3 PPG, while Bruno Caboclo leads in rebounds at 7.3 per game and Yago Santos is tops in assists at 6.0 per game.
Germany breezed through the competition in Group B, compiling a +47 point differential that was second only to Team USA. Led by Dennis Schröder, Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner, the reigning FIBA world champions are trying to cement their place as an international basketball power. To advance, they’ll have to get by a Greek team led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has been dominant in the Olympics, averaging 27.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists in three games.
Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic leads Serbia, which went 2-1 in Group C and lost only to the United States. Jock Landale has been Australia’s top player so far, averaging 17.7 points and 9.7 rebounds, but the Boomers feature a roster loaded with NBA talent such as Josh Giddey, Dyson Daniels, Dante Exum and Patty Mills.
Canada, which is trying to win its first-ever Olympic basketball medal, also has a roster packed with NBA players. RJ Barrett (21.0 PPG), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (19.0) and Dillon Brooks (14.3) have been the leading scorers as they swept through Group A, which was billed as the toughest grouping. The host French have been mildly disappointing, even at 2-1, but they’ll have a chance to exploit the size of Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert against the smaller Canadian team.
Mavericks Sign Jamarion Sharp To Training Camp Deal
AUGUST 3: The signing is official, according to a team press release.
AUGUST 2: Former Mississippi center Jamarion Sharp has agreed to a one-year contract with the Mavericks, agent Scott Nichols of Rize Management tells Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report (Twitter link).
Sharp, the tallest player in college basketball at 7’5″, was a part-time starter with the Rebels last season, averaging 3.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 31 games while playing 15.8 minutes per night. He spent the previous two seasons at Western Kentucky, where he blocked 4.4 shots per game and was named Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year in both 2022 and 2023.
Sharp, 22, played for Dallas in the Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 2.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in five games.
The Mavericks already have 13 fully guaranteed contracts, along with A.J. Lawson on a non-guaranteed deal and the expected signing of Spencer Dinwiddie, so Sharp will be a long shot to make the roster in training camp. Assuming his contract contains Exhibit 10 language, he will have the opportunity to earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K by staying with Dallas’s G League affiliate for at least 60 days.
Celtics Sign Anton Watson To Two-Way Contract
3:38pm: Watson’s two-way contract with the Celtics is official, according to the team (Twitter link).
12:39pm: Second-round pick Anton Watson will sign a two-way contract with the Celtics, a league source tells Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link).
The 23-year-old small forward was the 54th selection in this year’s draft after playing five seasons at Gonzaga. He averaged career highs of 14.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists last season while shooting 57.8% from the field and 41.2% from three-point range.
Watson played for Boston’s entry in the Las Vegas Summer League, putting up 11.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in five games.
Watson is eligible to appear in up to 50 NBA games on his two-way deal, but he’ll likely spend most of his rookie season in the G League given the quality of the Celtics’ roster. Once Watson’s signing is complete, he’ll join JD Davison and Drew Peterson as Boston’s two-way players.
TyTy Washington Signs Two-Way Contract With Suns
2:33pm: Washington’s contract is official, the Suns announced (via Twitter).
10:12am: Free agent guard TyTy Washington will sign a two-way contract with the Suns, agent Kevin Bradbury of Lift Sports tells ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Washington, 22, appeared in 11 games with Milwaukee last season on a two-way deal, averaging 1.3 PPG in 5.1 minutes per night. He spent much of the season in the G League with the Wisconsin Herd.
Washington was a first-round selection out of Kentucky in the 2022 draft, taken by Houston with the 29th pick. He was limited to 31 games as a rookie while also splitting time in the G League.
The Rockets shipped Washington to Atlanta last summer as part of a complex five-team deal. Four days later, the Hawks moved him to Memphis, which eventually waived him, and he signed with the Bucks in late August.
The addition of Washington will fill Phoenix’s last open two-way slot. Collin Gillespie and Jalen Bridges were signed to two-way deals last month.
Olympic Notes: Greece, Fernandez, L. Brown, Hachimura
Nobody was cheering harder for Canada in today’s Olympic matchup than the Greek basketball team. After defeating Australia this morning, Greece needed a Canadian victory over Spain to have an opportunity to advance out of pool play. Canada improved to 3-0 with an 88-85 win, leaving three teams tied at 1-2 in Group A. Under the Olympic tie-breakers, Australia finishes second, with Greece third and Spain eliminated at fourth.
Greece’s fate still hasn’t been decided, explains Eric Nemh of The Athletic. There are several scenarios that could still work in their favor, but the easiest is for Serbia to defeat South Sudan by at least three points on Saturday in the final game of pool competition.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way for Greece again today with 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Although Antetokounmpo has been brilliant throughout the tournament, teammate Thomas Walkup told BasketNews that Greece shouldn’t be viewed as a one-man team.
“He [Giannis] would say the same thing — it doesn’t really matter,” Walkup said. “We win as a team, we lose as a team. You know, this Australia versus Giannis isn’t how it is for us.”
There’s more from the Olympics:
- Spain’s loss ends the long international career of Rudy Fernandez, who was playing in his fifth Olympics. The 39-year-old has three Olympic medals and is a two-time FIBA World Cup champion. “Being so competitive, being so committed to this team. It was no matter his health or how his personal situation was. He was always there,” Spain coach Sergio Scariolo said in a separate BasketNews story. “That’s a great example for his teammates here in this team, for the ones who are coming after him and, for sure, for players from all over the world because not everybody can have the jumping ability, the skills, the talent, or the size, but everybody should try. I would say not everybody can have a talent, for sure, but at least they should try to look at this example and see that there is a kind of room for compensating different liabilities or flows with a superior mental and emotional effort.”
- Spanish teammate Lorenzo Brown doesn’t consider his Olympic career to be over, even though he’ll be close to 38 by the 2028 Games, per Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews (Twitter link). “No way, no way, man,” said Brown, who played five NBA seasons before continuing his career internationally. “I want to get back to the Olympics and give it another shot at it.”
- Lakers forward Rui Hachimura wasn’t available for Japan’s final game on Friday due to an injured left calf, writes Kyle Hightower of The Associated Press. Hachimura left the team after an MRI confirmed an injury to his gastrocnemius muscle.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 7/30/2024
Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat today at 11 a.m. Central time (noon Eastern). Click here to read the transcript.
Pistons Notes: Holland, Cap Room, Potapenko, Roster Upgrades
The Pistons have used a rookie in their opening-night starting lineup for the past four seasons, but Ron Holland isn’t likely to continue that tradition, Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press writes in a mailbag column. Holland was a high lottery pick — like Killian Hayes, Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Ausar Thompson — but he may not have an opportunity to contribute right away on an improved roster.
Tobias Harris will claim one starting forward spot after signing a two-year, $52MM deal in free agency. Holland will battle for minutes with Thompson, Simone Fontecchio, Tim Hardaway Jr. and possibly Isaiah Stewart if he’s not used exclusively as a center. Sankofa points out that Fontecchio and Hardaway are among the team’s most effective outside shooters, so at least one of them should be on the court most of the time.
Sankofa called Holland “electric” during the Las Vegas Summer League and states that his defensive prowess and play-making should give him a bright NBA future. However, there may not be a path to regular playing time until Hardaway’s contract expires next summer.
There’s more from Detroit:
- The Pistons are still in position to take on an unwanted contract in exchange for draft assets, Sankofa adds in the same piece. New head of basketball operations Trajan Langdon expressed a willingness to get involved in those type of deals, but so far it’s only happened with the addition of Hardaway. Sankofa points out that Detroit still has about $11.5MM in remaining cap room, along with a $7.9MM room exception. He expects opportunities to arise before the February deadline to become the third team in a trade and help facilitate a deal.
- Vitaly Potapenko will become an assistant to new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The longtime NBA center transitioned to coaching in 2009 after his playing career ended, and he spent the past six years as an assistant in Memphis.
- Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report lists the Pistons as one of the most improved teams during the offseason. In addition to adding Harris, Holland and Hardaway, Detroit also signed Malik Beasley in free agency and claimed Paul Reed off waivers.
Tyus Jones Expected To Start At Point Guard For Suns
Tyus Jones is expected to take over as the Suns‘ starting point guard after reaching an agreement with the team on Saturday, writes Kellan Olson of Arizona Sports.
Jones will earn $3MM on a one-year, minimum-salary contract, opting to take less money for the chance to play for a contender. In a statement to ESPN on Saturday, he indicated that he expects to start in Phoenix.
In the same story, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports hears that Grayson Allen will likely be moved to a bench role to open up a starting spot for Jones. Allen was the NBA’s top three-point shooter last season, connecting at 46.1% on 5.9 attempts per game.
Jones, who has led the league in assist-to-turnover ratio for the past five seasons, will bring a steadying presence to a Phoenix team that played without a true point guard last season. He’ll take some of the ball-handling duties away from Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, allowing them to focus on their traditional roles on offense.
The Suns also signed Monte Morris this summer and added Collin Gillespie on a two-way deal, giving new head coach Mike Budenholzer plenty of depth at point guard.
Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic examines Phoenix’s options in the wake of the signing, noting that a team with Jones, Beal and Booker in the starting lineup would have issues with both size and defense. That’s a greater concern because Jusuf Nurkic isn’t really a shot blocker in the middle, Rankin states, and Durant would be counted on to be the best defender on the starting unit at age 36.
Rankin suggests that another option is to start Royce O’Neale, who excels as a perimeter defender, but that would likely mean bringing Beal off the bench. Beal could provide instant offense in a sixth-man role, but it might be hard to sell him on it since he’s making $50MM this season and has been a starter throughout his career.