EuroBasket Notes: Championship Game, Bonga, Pesic, Rules Changes
Turkish coach Ergin Ataman is supremely confident heading into Sunday’s EuroBasket title game against Germany, according to BasketNews. Ataman is one of the most successful coaches in Europe, making five appearances in the EuroLeague Final Four and winning it three times. He has never won an international competition, but he believes his unbeaten team is ready to change that.
“I like to win. Before every game, we talk with our assistants. Even five minutes ago (before this conference), they told me that everybody is under a lot of stress and pressure now, especially in the federation. I told all our guys I have had this stress maybe in my first EuroLeague final,” Ataman said at Saturday’s press conference. “After that, it’s the same every game; it’s the same for me. I don’t have any stress. It’s a basketball game.”
In a separate story, Dennis Schröder, who has been through numerous huge games with Germany, refused to react to Ataman’s comments and said he and his teammates will concentrate on the task at hand.
“I mean, we try to focus on ourselves,” Schröder said. “I know the strategy he’s trying to do. And it’s been working for him for sure. So, at the end of the day, good job. We just try to focus on ourselves, go out, compete, stay together as a team, and bring the trophy home.”
There’s more as EuroBasket 2025 nears its end:
- Franz Wagner believes German teammate Isaac Bonga deserves another shot at the NBA, per Edvinas Jablonskis of BasketNews. Wagner responded to a question after Bonga contributed 10 points and five rebounds and helped shut down Lauri Markkanen in the semifinal win over Finland. “I think (Bonga’s) shown for a couple of years now that he’s an elite defender, shoots the three really well, and can make some plays off the bounce too,” Wagner said. “So I think he could have a lot of teams interested in him.” Bonga spent four total seasons with the Lakers, Wizards and Raptors, but has been playing overseas since 2022.
- Veteran coach Svetislav Pesic will step down from the Serbian national team when his contract expires later this month, according to Eurohoops. With a roster full of current and former NBA players, Pesic’s team had been considered among the favorites at EuroBasket, but the Serbians were upset by Finland in the round of 16. “It was a privilege to be the head coach of the Serbian national team, to train and lead the best Serbian basketball players,” Pesic said. “… However, the time has come to find a new coach who will be able to continue what we started in the previous period.”
- FIBA Europe officials are considering changes to EuroBasket when the tournament returns in 2029, states Pijus Sapetka of BasketNews. President Jorge Garbajosa said injury replacements may be permitted and teams won’t be required to play on consecutive days.
Celtics Notes: Brown, Chisholm, Boucher, Hauser
The Celtics appear likely to take a step backward in 2025/26 due to Jayson Tatum‘s Achilles injury and the loss of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, who were both shipped out in cost-cutting moves. However, Jaylen Brown expressed optimism about the upcoming season in an interview this week on V-103 FM in Atlanta, relays Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe.
“I know Boston, it looks gloomy right now, obviously with JT being out and us kind of ending the year, but it’s a lot to look forward to,” Brown said. “I want the city to feel excited about that. This is not the end, so I’m looking forward to what’s next.”
Being in his hometown, Brown received a question about possibly joining the Hawks someday. With four years left on his $304MM super-max extension, it’s not a realistic possibility anytime soon, but Brown left the door open. When host Darian Morgan said he’d like to see Brown in a Hawks uniform, the Celtics star replied, “I feel you. I think my grandma would too.”
There’s more on the Celtics:
- New majority owner William Chisholm shares Brown’s outlook about the team’s prospects, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Chisholm believes other players will seize the opportunity to replace the stars who are no longer available. “I think they’re going to surprise some people,” Chisholm said. “I think this is a good team and I think we have a really good coach and a really good president of basketball operations. I think Payton Pritchard said it in an interview, that we’re going to surprise some people, and I think there’s real talent here that hasn’t been fully realized.”
- Newly acquired Chris Boucher may be the favorite going into camp to win the starting job at power forward, Brian Robb of MassLive states in a mailbag column. Coach Joe Mazzulla’s handling of the four spot should provide an indication of how he plans to approach the season, Robb adds. Using the 6’9″ Boucher alongside Neemias Queta would give the team more size on defense and better rebounding. Another option is to start shooting specialist Sam Hauser, which would satisfy Mazzulla’s tactical reliance on a three-point barrage but would leave the Celtics vulnerable in other areas. Robb mentions Josh Minott as a potential wild card who could wind up earning regular minutes.
- Second apron concerns mean Holiday and Porzingis would likely have been traded even if Tatum hadn’t gotten injured, but some other moves might have played out differently, Robb adds in the same piece. He believes Al Horford or Luke Kornet would have been re-signed if Tatum had been healthy, and the Celtics might have made a stronger effort to add low-cost veteran free agent depth.
Jaren Jackson Jr. Provides Update On Recovery From Offseason Surgery
Appearing at his annual youth basketball camp Saturday in Memphis, Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. talked about the progress he has made since undergoing a procedure for a turf toe injury in early July, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.
“I’m feeling good,” Jackson said. “I’m progressing the right way. I’m doing what I need to do. Every day has been a building block.”
The Grizzlies expect to reevaluate Jackson in late September, right around the opening of training camp. That would give him a little more than three weeks to get ready for opening night when the Grizzlies host New Orleans on October 22. Jackson didn’t commit to playing in the opener, but said he feels good about the progress he has made.
“I’m aiming for whatever my body is telling me, but I’m progressing the right way,” he said. “I think everybody is going to be happy.”
It has been an eventful offseason for Jackson, who agreed to a renegotiation and extension that will pay him $240MM over the next five years. That cements him as part of the foundation for the franchise, which will be looking to bounce back after being swept by Oklahoma City in the first round of the playoffs.
Jackson made his second All-Star appearance last season, and he earned All-Defensive honors for the second time in his career. In 74 games, he averaged 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while shooting 48.8% from the field and 37.5% from three-point range.
Jackson announced in August that he’s changing his number from 13 to 8 as he enters his eighth NBA season. The number carries family significance, as Jackson’s father wore it when he played for the Clippers in the 1990s.
Jackson also talked to Cole about the importance of holding events like the youth basketball camp in the community, saying Memphis feels like home to him now.
“It’s always important to do stuff in the place that you’re from,” Jackson said. “… I’ve lived here longer than any place in my life, so can’t take that from me.”
Aspiration Co-Founder Issues Statement On Kawhi Leonard Controversy
Andrei Cherny, who co-founded Aspiration and served as its CEO until 2022, has provided his perspective on the nature of the company’s relationship with Clippers star Kawhi Leonard. In a Twitter post relaying comments he made to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, Cherny claims Leonard’s responsibilities with Aspiration have been incorrectly portrayed.
“The claim that the contract with Kawhi Leonard was a ‘no show’ contract is false,” Cherny wrote. “The contract contained three pages of extensive obligations that Leonard had to perform. And the contract clearly said that if Leonard did not meet those obligations, Aspiration could terminate the contract.
“The ‘beliefs’ provision is not unusual in celebrity endorsements and merely means we can’t do something like make a vegetarian eat meat as a way of forcing them to break the contract. It doesn’t mean you can have a ‘belief’ of not talking to the camera.”
Aspiration, a now-bankrupt “green bank” company, has been at the center of controversy since Pablo Torre’s September 3 report that Leonard had a $28MM endorsement deal, but didn’t perform any work to earn the money. The Clippers are accused of trying to circumvent the salary cap by using one of their sponsors to funnel extra cash to Leonard and his representatives.
The NBA recently hired a law firm to conduct a thorough investigation of the case. At a news conference this week, commissioner Adam Silver said the burden of proof will be on the league to prove that something improper was done before any disciplinary action can be taken.
“In the months of discussion among our executives before signing the sponsorship, I don’t remember conversations about the NBA salary cap,” Cherny continues. “I signed the contract shortly before I submitted my resignation, but before I left there were numerous internal conversations about the various things Aspiration was planning to do with Leonard once the 2022-23 season began, including emails from the marketing team about their plans in just the week before my last day. I can’t speak to what was done or not done after I left — or why.”
Cherny blames the company’s failure on fellow co-founder Joe Sanberg, who was arrested in March on charges of defrauding investors of $145MM. He claims Sanberg’s actions were the reason he decided to leave in 2022.
In response to Cherny’s statement, Torre received a letter from three former top Aspiration executives, who claim the endorsement deal with Leonard “was presented to the company as a completed arrangement” and was executed by Cherney “despite significant objections from members of the senior management team.”
“The team expressed concerns at the time regarding the high cost of the agreement and its lack of alignment with Aspiration’s brand and business strategy,” the letter states. “While subsequent marketing efforts were undertaken, they were ultimately discontinued and should not be interpreted as support for the deal itself. In our judgment, the Leonard Deal was not in the company’s best interest. It was strategically difficult to justify then, and it remains so today.”
Knicks Won’t Re-Sign Cameron Payne
With the Knicks preparing to hold a three-man competition in training camp to fill an open roster spot, free agent guard Cameron Payne is no longer in their plans, a league source confirms to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link).
Payne came to New York last summer on a one-year minimum contract. He appeared in 72 games, making five starts and averaging 6.9 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 15.1 minutes per night with .401/.363/.907 shooting numbers.
Payne scored 14 points off the bench and was a plus-23 overall in the opener of the Knicks’ first-round series against Detroit. However, his shooting numbers declined throughout the playoffs, and he was removed from the rotation during the Eastern Conference Finals.
Unless they shed salary by making a trade, the Knicks only have enough cap flexibility below the second tax apron to add one more veteran on a minimum-salary contract. Malcolm Brogdon, Landry Shamet and Garrison Mathews all agreed to non-guaranteed deals this week and will battle for that spot on the roster.
Payne, 31, only has a couple of weeks to catch on with a new team before the start of training camp. There haven’t been any reports over the summer to indicate that he’s close to signing with anyone.
Payne was selected by Oklahoma City with the 14th pick in the 2015 draft. He was traded to Chicago at the 2017 deadline and later spent time with Cleveland, Phoenix, Milwaukee and Philadelphia before signing with New York.
Nuggets Announce Additions To Coaching Staff
The Nuggets confirmed the hiring of Jared Dudley as the top assistant to head coach David Adelman and announced several other additions to their coaching staff in a press release.
As first reported in early July, Dudley accepted the position with Denver over offers from Memphis and Cleveland. He spent the past four seasons as an assistant coach with the Mavericks, joining them after ending his 14-year playing career.
Another former NBA player, J.J. Barea, is joining Adelman’s staff as an assistant coach. He also worked for Dallas after his playing career ended, serving as a player development coach during the 2021/22 season. Barea had been coaching the Guaynabo Mets in his native Puerto Rico before being dismissed in May. His expected hiring was also reported in July.
Mike Moser is coming to Denver after spending the last two seasons as an assistant in Houston and the previous year as a player enhancement coach with Boston. Moser also spent time with the Mavericks and the University of Oregon women’s program, and he has coached overseas in Lithuania, Israel, Kosovo, Qatar, Finland and France.
Chase Buford was hired after serving as an assistant last season at his alma mater, the University of Kansas. He also coached in Australia, winning two NBA titles with the Sydney Kings, and in the G League with the Wisconsin Herd.
Rodney Billups, the younger brother of Portland head coach Chauncey Billups, served as a scout with Brooklyn last season. He also spent three years as an assistant with the Trail Blazers and another season as a scout with Milwaukee.
The Nuggets also announced that Andrew Munson has been promoted to assistant coach and Ben Potts was hired as head video coordinator/player development coach.
Jamarion Sharp To Sign With Mavericks
The Mavericks will sign 7’5″ center Jamarion Sharp, sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Scotto doesn’t specify the terms of the contract, but it will likely be an Exhibit 10 deal.
Sharp, 24, was in training camp with Dallas last fall, signing an Exhibit 10 contract after going undrafted out of Mississippi. He was waived before the season began and wound up with the Texas Legends, the Mavs’ G League affiliate, where he averaged 5.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game while shooting 60.1% from the field.
Sharp was named to the NBA G League United Team in this year’s FIBA Intercontinental Cup.
The Exhibit 10 contract will make him eligible for a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he gets waived again and spends at least 60 days with the Legends.
Dallas has 15 players with standard contracts, but only two of its two-way slots are filled, so Sharp could have a chance to compete for the opening in training camp. The signing will bring the Mavericks’ roster to 20 players, one short of the offseason limit.
Cormac Ryan Joins Bucks On Exhibit 10 Contract
Free agent guard Cormac Ryan has signed with the Bucks, the team announced on Twitter. It’s an Exhibit 10 contract, sources tell Eric Nehm of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Ryan, 26, played for Milwaukee during the Las Vegas Summer League. He appeared in five games and averaged 11.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 23.1 minutes per night.
Ryan signed an Exhibit 10 contract last fall with the Thunder after going undrafted out of North Carolina. He was waived before the season began and played for the G League’s Oklahoma City Blue, averaging 12.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 27 regular season games.
The Exhibit 10 deal can be converted to a two-way contract, but the Bucks currently have all three of their two-way slots filled. Most likely, Ryan will end up with Milwaukee’s G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, where he will be eligible to receive a bonus worth up to $85,300 if he spends at least 60 days with the team.
Ryan’s signing brings the Bucks to the league limit of 21 players on their offseason roster.
Adam Silver: Burden Of Proof Is On League In Clippers Investigation
Commissioner Adam Silver said investigators will carry the burden of proof in the NBA’s probe of potential salary cap circumvention by the Clippers, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday at his annual preseason news conference following the conclusion of the Board of Governors meeting, Silver said the league needs to focus on “the totality of the evidence” rather than the “mere appearance” of impropriety.
“The burden is on the league if we’re going to discipline a team, an owner, a player or any constituent members of the league,” Silver told reporters. “I think as with any process that requires a fundamental sense of fairness, the burden should be on the party that is, in essence, bringing those charges.”
The NBA hired a law firm this week to handle the investigation of whether owner Steve Ballmer and the team violated league rules through Kawhi Leonard‘s $28MM “no-show” job with Aspiration. Ballmer was an investor in the green banking company, which has since gone bankrupt.
Sources told Bontemps that Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz plans to conduct a thorough investigation, and no firm deadline has been set to reach a conclusion.
Silver added that he’s “a big believer in due process and fairness,” and said other NBA owners feel the same way about the case.
“At least what’s being said to me is a reservation of judgment,” Silver said. “I think people recognize that that’s what you have a league office for. That’s what you have a commissioner for — someone who is independent of the teams. On one hand, of course, I work collectively for the 30 governors, but I have an independent obligation to be the steward of the brand and the integrity of this league. … To the extent we have had discussions (with the board of governors) — they’ve been limited — we communicated to them that we engaged Wachtell to do this investigation. And maybe I cut off any further conversations and said, ‘Let’s all withhold judgment, let’s do this investigation and then we will come back to you in terms of our findings.'”
Silver addressed a few other topics in today’s news conference:
- He confirmed the new All-Star Game format, which will feature two teams of American-born players and one international team in a round-robin competition. Silver expressed hope that the new approach will help to motivate the players. “I think in the case of the NBA, this is what I’m trying to convey, particularly to younger players, is that All-Star is a big deal,” he said. “There’s been great traditions out there. People have great memories of these All-Star Games. It’s part of the fabric of this league, the excitement that comes from it and the engagement from our players.”
- Discussions are continuing on a potential new NBA-run European league, and Silver said he and deputy commissioner Mark Tatum traveled this summer to Europe, where they met with stakeholders. Silver also denied speculation that the venture in Europe will replace NBA expansion efforts. He called them “completely different entities” and said expansion was discussed at the board meeting, although there’s nothing new to report. “Part of the difficulty in potentially assessing it is a sense of long-term value of the league, and a little bit maybe it’s a high-class problem, but as with some of the recent jumps in franchise valuations, that sort of creates some confusion in the marketplace about how you might even price an expansion franchise,” Silver said. “I’ll only say it’s something that we continue to actively look at.”
- Silver refused to say if there are any limitations on Malik Beasley‘s availability while the league investigates his role in a gambling scandal. “I’ll only say there that the investigation is ongoing,” Silver said. “As I understand it, there’s still a federal investigation that’s ongoing of Malik Beasley as well. We will address whatever is presented to us in his case.”
Germany Tops Slovenia To Round Out EuroBasket’s Final Four
Germany overcame a second-half deficit and another scoring outburst by Luka Doncic to defeat Slovenia for a spot in the EuroBasket semifinals, writes Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops. Wednesday’s 99-91 victory preserves the Germans’ chances to capture another major international title after winning the FIBA World Cup in 2023.
Germany trailed by seven points late in the third quarter, but Tristan Da Silva sank a shot from mid-court at the buzzer to cut Slovenia’s lead to 74-70. That was the beginning of a 10-0 run that saw the German team take control of the game.
Franz Wagner led Germany with 23 points and seven rebounds, while Dennis Schröder contributed 20 points and seven assists. Former NBA center Daniel Theis added 15 points and nine rebounds. Maodo Lo scored 11 points and Andreas Obst had 10, as both players knocked down clutch three-pointers late in the game to preserve Germany’s lead.
Doncic, who has been posting historic performances throughout the tournament, set another record today with 39 points, the most anyone has ever scored in a EuroBasket quarterfinal contest. Despite picking up his fourth foul early in the third quarter, Doncic also finished with 10 rebounds and seven assists to narrowly miss another triple-double.
After the game, Slovenian players voiced complaints about the officiating, with center Alen Omic telling reporters that Doncic doesn’t get the respect he deserves, per Pijus Sapetka of BasketNews. Omic also pointed to the free throw disparity, with Germany getting 37 shots from the foul line compared to Slovenia’s 25.
“Our best player in EuroBasket is not protected the way he needs to be,” Omic said. “He got three fouls in 10–15 minutes of the game. What is this? He’s the best player of the tournament. Everybody comes to watch him.”
Doncic also commented on the officials in a post-game interview with Slovenia’s Sport TV, relays Semih Tuna of Eurohoops.
“First, I got a technical foul, two minutes into a game, for yelling ‘hello’, but OK,” Doncic said. “In a quarterfinal, that shouldn’t happen, no matter what kind of player you are. If you don’t even get a warning first, then I don’t know. But it’s a quarterfinal, fighting for a semifinal, so I really don’t know how they did that.”
The semifinal games will take place Friday at Arena Riga in Latvia, with Germany facing Finland in the opener, followed by a clash between Greece and Turkey. The tournament will conclude Sunday with the gold medal game and the third-place game.
FIBA has ranked the four quarterfinal losers, with Lithuania finishing fifth, followed by Poland, Slovenia and Georgia.