Fred VanVleet May Consider Short-Term Contract
Raptors guard Fred VanVleet, who may be affected as much as anyone by disruptions to the NBA’s free agency process, spoke about the situation today in a conference call with reporters, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports.
VanVleet is in the midst of his best season, averaging 17.6 points and 6.6 assists per game in his first year as a full-time starter. He’s in position to command a significant raise on his current $9.35MM salary, but reduced revenue due to the league’s hiatus figures to lessen the value of his next contract.
“I think about it. I’m human,” VanVleet said. “I feel like I worked myself in good position. I was having a hell of a year and I was planning on having a great playoffs to cap that off. I think I was in good shape. And I think, more so than worrying about what would’ve, could’ve, should’ve happened is more so like, what’s going to happen? Are they going to move the dates around? Does free agency move? How does it affect the cap? Those types of things are more so what I’m thinking about versus, ‘Oh, woe is me.'” (Twitter link).
VanVleet noted that several other players are facing the same circumstances, citing Christian Wood of the Pistons as an example. Wood put up big numbers after Detroit traded Andre Drummond and was also positioned to benefit in free agency.
“I think the league and the union will try to do a good job to make sure that the free agents get a fair shake and it’s fair negotiating,” VanVleet added. “Obviously we’ll probably all take a hit at some point, but hopefully the hit is minimized to just this year and so there’s ways to work around that stuff.”
One avenue that VanVleet might consider is another short-term deal, similar to the two-year contract he signed with Toronto in 2018 (Twitter link). He said it never would have happened under a “best-case scenario,” but he’s “flexible” now considering the league’s strained financial position.
VanVleet is skeptical that the current season can be safely resumed, but he understands that there’s a lot of financial incentive to try, according to Ian Harrison of The Associated Press.
“If our league is going to be a leader in terms of public health and public safety and player safety, you’ve got to follow the guidelines of what the virus is speaking to you, so the odds are probably against us in terms of that,” VanVleet said. “But money, right? So, I think they’ll find a way somehow, some way and try to make it happen. I could definitely see it going either way. I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t come back and I wouldn’t be surprised if we do come back.”
Andrew Bogut Deciding Between Olympics, Retirement
Andrew Bogut had hoped to use the Summer Olympics as his farewell to basketball, but the one-year delay caused by the coronavirus has complicated those plans, writes Dennis Passa of The Associated Press. At age 35, Bogut isn’t sure if he can go through another year of training to prepare for the competition.
“I haven’t done any basketball since the season ended and it feels good waking up, getting out of bed and not feeling like I’m walking on glass,” Bogut said in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corp. Offsiders program. “It’s (my career) all been thrown into a washing machine essentially … but there’s a decision to be made probably by mid-May.”
After spending 13 years in the NBA, the top pick in the 2005 draft has played for Sydney in Australia’s National Basketball League for the past two seasons. He won an NBA title with Golden State in 2015 and rejoined the Warriors after his NBL season ended last year, averaging 3.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in 11 games.
Sydney reached the NBL finals this season, but the five-game series was stopped after three games because of the pandemic, and Perth – which held a 2-1 lead – was awarded the title. Bogut blasted the league’s handling of the situation, saying the players were “used like pawns.”
Bogut, who has been part of Australia’s international team since 2004, would love to cap off his career with an Olympic medal. He played an important role in a fourth-place finish at the 2019 World Cup and believes the Australians will be in contention with Sixers star Ben Simmons on the team.
“We’ve been tantalizingly close and the squad we’re going to have is arguably going to be the best squad in the history of the Boomers, on paper at least,” Bogut said. “To be part of that, selfishly, is something I really want to do, but the body is what it comes down to. I can get up for a basketball game any day of the week, but it’s hard to get up for five, six days of training a week and lifting weights.”
International Notes: EuroLeague, China, Spain, Australia
Ergin Ataman, coach of Anadolu Efes Istanbul in the EuroLeague, is confident the league will resume play in July, according to Ennio Terrasi Borghesan of Sportando. Ataman believes all the teams will be brought to one city because of the risks of traveling, and games will take place behind closed doors.
“EuroLeague’s foresight is to gather all the teams in the most risk-free city and play the six regular season rounds remaining there, and then organize a Final Eight: this is the most likely scenario for me,” Ataman said in a teleconference with fans. “The city’s announcement will be made in May. But I think it will not be in Istanbul. My guess is that it can be played in a city in Germany. There were already some preparations for the Final Four. In summary, I think the Final Eight will be held in the city where the Final Four was scheduled (Colonia). I think it would be a big problem if the remaining games of this season are not played.”
There’s more international news to pass along:
- The Chinese Basketball Association may try to finish its season without foreign players, Borghesan relays in a separate story. That’s the recommendation of Liaoning’s general manager, whose roster includes Lance Stephenson, Brandon Bass and O.J. Mayo. The original report came from Chinese journalist Zhang Duo. Borghesan notes that several U.S. players left China after the CBA delayed the resumption of its season last month.
- Liga ACB, the top professional league in Spain, will consider a 12-team tournament played in a single location, Borghesan adds in another piece. The proposed tournament, which will be discussed in a teleconference Monday, would start June 15. Teams would be divided into two groups of six and the winners of each group would meet in a best-of-five final.
- The National Basketball League in Australia has reached an agreement with its players union calling for salary reductions for 2020/21, Borghesian writes. The deal involves tiered cuts ranging from 27.5% for players making between $80K and $99K and 50% for those receiving more than $200K. Players will be given a two-week window to opt out of their current deals, which could affect the status of former NBA guard Bryce Cotton, who has become one of Australia’s top players.
Andre Roberson Talks About Returning
Thunder swingman Andre Roberson believes he’s close to returning to action after missing more than two years with a knee injury, writes Moke Hamilton of USA Today. Roberson discussed his status during an appearance on the Catching Up With The Family podcast with Nate Tomlinson, his former college teammate.
“I’m kinda past the rehab stage,” Roberson said. “I’m almost to the point where — I should be playing, honestly. But I’m still taking it a day at a time until I get back into our medical staff’s hands and get reevaluated. Just staying patient through it all and knowing that the light is right there at the end of the tunnel. … It’s definitely been a long journey and it’s coming to an end.”
Roberson was a defensive specialist for Oklahoma City for four and a half seasons before tearing his left patella tendon in January of 2018. Some setbacks along the way have extended his rehab process. Roberson indicates in the interview that he would like to take the court if the NBA is able to resume its current season at some point.
Roberson’s desire to return may be related to his contract situation. He’s earning $10.74MM in the final year of his current deal and is headed for free agency whenever the offseason arrives.
Nuggets To Promote Calvin Booth To General Manager
Calvin Booth will be the next general manager in Denver, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Currently serving as assistant GM, Booth will be promoted to replace Arturas Karnisovas, who was hired this week as executive VP of basketball operations with the Bulls.
A league source confirmed the Nuggets‘ intentions to Mike Singer of the Athletic (Twitter link), but said the timing of an official announcement is uncertain because of the league’s hiatus.
Booth has served as assistant GM with Denver since 2017. After a 10-year playing career, he became a scout for New Orleans during the 2012/13 season, then joined Minnesota a year later, eventually becoming director of player personnel.
Lou Williams Wants To Finish Career With Clippers
After bouncing around the NBA for much of his 15-year career, Lou Williams is determined to finish up with the Clippers. The three-time winner of the Sixth Man of the Year award made his intentions clear in an interview with Ros Gold-Onwude of ESPN (hat tip to Garrett Chorpenning of Sports Illustrated).
“This is it,” Williams said. “Listen, all teams out there, I’m not playing for anybody else after this. … That’s my leverage. I identify with this group of guys, I identify with this organization. I don’t see me finding that somewhere else.”
After spending his first seven seasons in Philadelphia, Williams played for the Hawks, Raptors, Lakers and Rockets in a span of five years before being shipped to the Clippers in the Chris Paul trade in 2017. He admits he didn’t feel comfortable at first with his new team, but eventually coach Doc Rivers helped him revive his career.
“Never give up,” Williams said. “That’s my Clippers story, never give up. I was at a place in my career where I thought that I was done, and Doc and the rest of the guys rejuvenated me again and gave me that confidence that I needed to move forward in my career. And I’ve had the best years of my career with the Clippers.”
Williams has remained productive at age 33, averaging 18.7 PPG through 60 games before the hiatus and putting himself in contention for another Sixth Man award. He’s making $8MM this season and the same amount next year before becoming a free agent in 2021. Williams told Gold-Onwude he believes he can play four more years of “high-level” basketball.
Spencer Dinwiddie To Play For Nigeria In Olympics
Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie plans to acquire a Nigerian passport and represent the country in the Olympics, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Dinwiddie’s decision comes after he was left off the list of 44 finalists for Team USA that was released in February.
Dinwiddie will join several other NBA players on the Nigerian team, which is coached by Warriors assistant Mike Brown. Dinwiddie’s teammates will include Al-Farouq Aminu, Josh Okogie, Chimezie Metu and Ekpe Udoh. Nigeria has already qualified for the Tokyo Olympics as the highest-ranked African team at the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
The addition of Dinwiddie will bring some extra firepower to an already-strong team. He was averaging career highs with 20.6 points and 6.8 assists through 64 games before the NBA season was put on hold.
Brown, who was named as Nigeria’s head coach in February, talked recently to Marc J. Spears of The Athletic about the advantages of having the games postponed until 2021.
“It helps from the standpoint of there are a lot of teams that have been together … the players, especially. A lot of countries have players who have grown up playing together on national teams or All-Star teams,” Brown said. “There are a lot of coaches out there that are in charge of programs that they have been a part of for many years. To have another year to grasp, not only the talent level of the team, but the direction the team needs to go and making sure we are able to put the best Nigerian team out there, it’s a welcomed advantage to have a little bit more time for a new guy like myself.”
Draft Decisions: Jarreau, Elleby, Blazevic, Krejci
Houston guard DeJon Jarreau will enter the NBA draft without hiring an agent, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston. He averaged 9.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists during his junior season with the Cougars.
“I’m gonna test the waters, go through the process and get a draft grade. I want to get evaluated. If I don’t like what I hear I plan on coming back,” Jarreau said (Twitter link). “Basketball is my world. I’ve played all my life to get to this point. Coach (Kelvin) Sampson has helped me a lot, from being a basketball coach to a major role model (Twitter link). I’m very nervous because you never know what can happen. This is a big step. It’s always been my dream. So of course nervous, but confident.” (Twitter link)
There are more draft decisions to pass along:
- CJ Elleby, a sophomore forward from Washington State, has entered the draft but plans to preserve his eligibility, a sources tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). Elleby averaged 18.4 PPG and 7.8 RPG this season and was a first-team All-Pac 12 selection.
- Lithuanian center Marek Blazevic has also declared for the draft, agent Tadas Bulotas tells Givony (Twitter link). The 18-year-old stands 6’11” and played professionally with Rytas this year.
- Czech guard Vit Krejci, who saw regular minutes with Zaragoza this season, has announced he will enter the draft, Givony tweets. Bulotas also confirmed the decision for Krejci, who is 6’7″ and 19 years old.
Atlantic Notes: Durant, Irving, Powell, Ntilikina
Nets general manager Sean Marks offered an update on the status of injured stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving during remote interviews this week, relays NetsDaily. Durant continues to rehab an Achilles injury that has sidelined him since last year’s NBA Finals, while Irving is recovering from shoulder surgery on March 3.
“Specifically with Kevin, this rehab and return to practice was really looking great,” Marks said. “He was on the floor again. A lot people have seen that short little video that was posted and so forth. It was remarkable to see the way he was progressing. … I’ve talked to Ky multiple times. He seems to be doing very very well, rehabbing in his apartment in Brooklyn and between here and Jersey. So he’s doing well. I know both those guys are itching to get back, but get back at 100 percent.”
Marks also addressed the team’s unsettled coaching situation, as interim Jacque Vaughn only got to coach the team for two games after taking over for Kenny Atkinson. Marks said Vaughn and his staff are staying in touch with players and expressed hope that he will get more opportunity to show what he can do before a final decision has to be made.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Raptors guard Norman Powell is fully recovered from a twisted ankle he suffered during the team’s final game before the hiatus, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports. Powell has been watching a couple hours of film each day during the break and is concentrating on his defense off the ball (Twitter link).
- The Knicks are less likely to try to move point guard Frank Ntilikina this offseason than they were last summer, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Several teams said New York reached out to them with trade proposals involving Ntilikina before last year’s draft and may have accepted an early second-round pick in return.
- There is a “growing belief” that interim Knicks coach Mike Miller will have a role with the organization next season, although he remains a long shot to become the permanent head coach, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Miller has been studying tape and trying to keep the team running as normally as possible under the circumstances. “We’ve done a good job of making sure throughout the week our players hear from us almost on a daily basis — from the training staff, performance staff and medical staff,” he said. “They have been very well connected with us making sure everyone is safe.”
Bulls Notes: Karnisovas, GM Search, Boylen, Battier
Arturas Karnisovas, the Bulls‘ new executive VP of basketball operations, promised “an extensive and diverse” search for a general manager during an interview with K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Karnisovas was officially hired Monday, but is working out of Denver because of restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic. He has already added J.J. Polk and Pat Connelly in the first steps toward assembling a new front office.
“I’ve been in this profession a long time,” Karnisovas said. “Most of the guys on the list I know personally and I’ve known them for a long time, from scouting games and going to dinners and interaction. It’s going to be easier for me. I know exactly the criteria I’m looking for. It’s going to be complementary to me and my skill set. I don’t want clones. I want somebody who is going to bring something different to our organization. Those are things I pay attention to.”
Also in the interview, Karnisovas talked about his preference for an up-tempo offense with plenty of ball movement and the need for player development, citing the progress the Nuggets were able to make with a young team.
“Players want to play and players want to win,” he said. “I’m going to try to facilitate that. I’m going to try to improve every year. Constant improvement is what we’ve done in Denver. I’d like to incorporate that here.”
There’s more from Chicago:
- Karnisovas should be willing to trade any player on the roster, even leading scorer Zach LaVine or Lauri Markkanen, contends Mark Schanowski of NBC Sports Chicago. He cites the Sixers, Nets and Spurs as teams that might look to shake up their rosters in the offseason.
- The uncertainty of the NBA calendar may help coach Jim Boylen keep his job, Johnson writes in a mailbag column. If the league is able to squeeze in a few regular season games before the playoffs, Johnson believes it makes sense to keep Boylen around for those. Karnisovas said he will get to know Boylen, who has two years left on his contract, before making a final decision. Johnson notes that Karnisovas has a prior relationship with assistant coach Chris Fleming, whom he helped to hire in Denver.
- Chicago hasn’t sought permission to interview Shane Battier, the Heat’s VP of basketball development and analytics, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. A report earlier this week indicated the Bulls weren’t planning to pursue Battier because they don’t believe Miami would let him go.