Jared Terrell Will Play In Israel
Former Timberwolves two-way player Jared Terrell has reached an agreement to play in Israel, tweets Dane Moore of 1500 ESPN. The 24-year-old shooting guard will play for Hapoel Eilat.
Terrell signed a two-way deal with Minnesota last July after going undrafted out of Rhode Island. He appeared in 14 games at the NBA level, averaging 2.2 points in about eight minutes per night. He posted a 15.3/4.0/2.3 line in 32 G League games with Iowa.
Terrell spent a lot of the offseason training at the Wolves’ facilities, Moore adds, and played for their Summer League team. Minnesota already has the league limit of 20 players headed to training camp, including 15 with guaranteed contracts.
Southwest Notes: Conley, Gordon, Barea, Harris
Mike Conley said Memphis still feels like “home” as he returned to the city on Saturday for the first time since an offseason trade sent him to Utah, relays Marc Giannotto of The Commercial Appeal. Conley was in town for his annual Bowl ‘N Bash, a charitable event that has always signaled that it’s nearly time to report to Grizzlies training camp.
This year will be different as Conley got the trade to a contender that he has been wanting and Memphis unloaded three costly contracts to officially kick off a youth movement. Conley said he still cares about the Grizzlies and was happy to see the team get a good return in deals involving himself, Marc Gasol and Chandler Parsons.
“Not a lot of players get that connection with the team or the organization. Like I really did care about how the team would fare after I left if I got traded, who they got in the trade,” Conley said. “It was almost like I was negotiating the deal for them, like make sure you get this, that and the other because you want to have more picks or more people, and I’m just thrilled to see the guys they got. They got a heck of a future in front of them because of the trades they were able to make for Marc, or myself, or Chandler, and just really turned it over well.”
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Eric Gordon heard his name mentioned a few times in trade rumors as the Rockets tried to add another star, but he tells Jenny Dial Creech of The Houston Chronicle that he always expected to remain with the team. The four-year extension he signed last week should solidify his place in Houston. “I know I’m valuable to this team,” Gordon said. “I think I’ve showed that. … I feel like I am going into my prime years. I can shoot, defend, be creative on offense. I have a lot to give.”
- Mavericks guard J.J. Barea has received medical clearance for the start of training camp, tweets Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. Barea, who is recovering from a torn Achilles, said he will be able to practice without restrictions when camp opens October 1.
- Veteran guard Devin Harris tells Townsend that he’s “weighing options” about where to play this year (Twitter link). The 36-year-old, who appeared in 68 games for the Mavericks last season, added that it “needs to be the right opportunity.”
World Cup Notes: Spain, Rubio, Popovich, Fox
Suns guard Ricky Rubio was named World Cup MVP as Spain captured the gold medal this morning by rolling past Argentina, 95-75. France claimed the bronze by defeating Australia.
The all-World Cup team had a strong NBA flavor as Rubio was joined by Spanish teammate Marc Gasol, Serbia’s Bogdan Bogdanovic, France’s Evan Fournier and Argentina’s Luis Scola. Gasol capped a memorable three-month stretch that included an NBA title with the Raptors and the World Cup crown.
“We were not the most talented team,” Rubio said. “We were not the biggest team. But we played with heart. We will be family for life.” (Twitter link from Emiliano Carchia of Sportando)
There’s more World Cup news to pass along:
- Coach Gregg Popovich blasted critics who are taking shots at Team USA after a seventh-place finish, relays Brian Windhorst of ESPN. The Americans won the past two World Cups, but fell far short this time, losing back-to-back games to France and Serbia. “Some people want to play the blame game. There’s no blame to be placed anywhere,” Popovich said. “They want to play the shame game, like we should be ashamed because we didn’t win a gold medal? That’s a ridiculous attitude. It’s immature, it’s arrogant, and it shows that whoever thinks that doesn’t respect all the other teams in the world and doesn’t respect that these guys did the best they could.” Windhorst notes that only four of the 35 players who were on the projected U.S. roster last summer wound up playing in China.
- There are no hard feelings from USA Basketball toward Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, who left the team shortly before it departed for exhibition games in Australia, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. It was suggested on ESPN’s “The Jump” this week that Fox wouldn’t be considered for future international teams, but USA Basketball communications director Craig Miller said the organization “understands De’Aaron’s decision.”
- Both of this year’s finalists were successful with players who are considered past their prime, strengthening the argument that continuity provides a huge advantage in international play, writes Tom Ziller of SB Nation. Argentina was led by the 39-year-old Scola, while Spain’s foundation of Rubio, Gasol, Sergio Llull, Rudy Fernandez and Victor Claver has been together for many years.
Heat Notes: Reed, Herro, Beasley, Butler
Davon Reed will have a chance for stability for the first time in his NBA career when he competes for one of the Heat’s two-way slots in training camp, writes Shandel Richardson of The Athletic. A second-round pick by the Suns in 2017, Reed spent most of his rookie season in the G League, appearing in 21 games with Phoenix. Last year, the shooting guard signed a two-way contract with the Pacers and got into 10 NBA games.
Reed, who spent four years at the University of Miami, inked a training camp deal with the Heat last week and is looking forward to the opportunity with an organization that has seen past two-way players Duncan Robinson and Derrick Jones Jr. both earn standard contracts.
“I haven’t really been given a huge window, be it (due to) injuries or being released from Phoenix at the beginning of last season,” Reed said. “I kind of had to start over at a late time. The obstacles have been against me. I’m just taking everything in stride. I’m looking forward to being with this team and giving it my all, and (I hope to) have an immediate impact.”
There’s more this morning from Miami:
- The addition of Jimmy Butler makes it less likely that rookie Tyler Herro will win a starting job right away in the Miami backcourt, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Butler moves the Heat into a win-now philosophy, meaning that Herro will have to work his way into a starting position. Winderman doesn’t expect him to start at all this season, unless the team is short-handed because of injuries.
- Michael Beasley may be available again after Joe Johnson took his spot with the Pistons, but the Heat won’t bring him back, at least not right away, Winderman adds in the same column. Miami is hard-capped and the roster is virtually set after re-signing Udonis Haslem. If Beasley does return, it won’t happen before January.
- Butler isn’t a superstar, but he gives team president Pat Riley someone to build the team around, observes Shaun Powell of NBA.com. Although Riley made a play for Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving this summer, he’ll be content with Butler after the Heat didn’t have an All-Star last season apart from Dwyane Wade, who was an honorary choice.
Community Shootaround: Is Team USA Still The World’s Best?
At least they were better than Poland.
Team USA wrapped up a disappointing World Cup experience this morning with a 13-point win over the Polish contingent in a battle for seventh place. It’s not what the Americans expected going into the tournament or where they appeared to be headed when the invitations for training camp went out last month.
But that was before Anthony Davis passed on the chance to play in China, followed by James Harden, Eric Gordon, Bradley Beal, Damian Lillard, Tobias Harris, Kevin Love and a host of other NBA stars. The final 12-man roster didn’t have enough shooting, size or cohesiveness to compete with the world’s best teams, resulting in the worst finish for the Americans in a major tournament since NBA players started participating in 1992.
It’s easy to dismiss this year’s results and expect Team USA to be back on top at the 2020 Olympics. But Kobe Bryant, who helped re-establish American dominance after a similar performance in 2004, isn’t buying it.
“It’s not a matter of the rest of the world catching up to the U.S., it’s that the rest of the world has been caught up for quite some time,” Bryant told Brian Windhorst of ESPN. “And it’s to the point now where us in the U.S. are going to win some, we’re going lose some. And that’s just how it goes.”
Windhorst believes the Americans didn’t underachieve, but finished about where their talent level should indicate. They lost to France and Serbia in the tournament and dropped an exhibition game to Australia, leaving their overall record at 7-3. It would have been 6-4 if not for a fortunate win over a Turkish team that let a victory slip away because of missed free throws.
Whatever the roster looks like for 2020, Team USA won’t have the overwhelming talent advantage it has gotten used to in Olympic play. LeBron James will be 35. Kevin Durant may still be awaiting his return from an Achilles injury. Kawhi Leonard has never played in an Olympics or World Cup and isn’t a sure thing to participate.
As Bryant noted, the rest of the world has been catching up for a while. Many teams are filled with NBA players and work together frequently, while the Americans will be starting from scratch when Olympic training camp begins.
We want to get your opinion. Does the World Cup performance mean that Team USA’s Olympic crown is in jeopardy?
Head to our comment section below to share your feedback.
Five Key Stories: 9/7/19 – 9/14/19
If you missed any of this past week’s biggest headlines from around the NBA, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Here are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days:
Joe Johnson returned to the NBA, agreeing to sign a partially guaranteed one-year deal with the Pistons. The 38-year-old sat out all of last season, but talk of a comeback was sparked by a dominant performance in the BIG3, where he earned MVP honors and led his team to the title. The Sixers, Bucks and Nets were also reportedly interested.
Team USA failed to medal at the World Cup and had its 58-game international winning streak snapped by France. The Americans also lost to Serbia and settled for a seventh-place finish. However, they did qualify for a spot in next year’s Olympics.
Shaun Livingston, who played an important reserve role for the Warriors during their five straight trips to the NBA Finals, announced his retirement. Livingston was able to overcome a severe knee injury in his third NBA season and put together a 15-year NBA career.
The Lakers petitioned the league for a disabled player exception to replace injured center DeMarcus Cousins. If granted, L.A. would have $1.75MM — half of Cousins’ $3.5MM salary — that could be used any time through March 10.
Kevin Durant discussed the free agency process, plus his experiences with the Warriors and Thunder, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. Durant revealed that he didn’t talk to anyone from the Nets’ organization before deciding to sign with Brooklym
Here are 10 more noteworthy headlines from the past week:
- Jerry Colangelo, managing director of USA Basketball, vowed to remember which players reneged on World Cup commitments when the Olympic team is formed next year.
- Donovan Mitchell, who was among the bright spots for the American team in China, expressed interest in participating in the Olympics.
- The Nets may have increased interest in Carmelo Anthony after losing Johnson to Detroit.
- The Heat exercised their fourth-year option on Bam Adebayo‘s rookie contract.
- The Grizzlies have no intention of negotiating a buyout with Andre Iguodala before camp.
- New Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard said the team isn’t considering any trades involving Bradley Beal.
- Owner Tilman Fertitta admitted that the Rockets have a limited championship window, saying that if they don’t win the title in the next three to four years, it probably won’t happen for the next 10.
- David Stern looked back on his time as NBA commissioner and said he has “no regrets” from his 30 years in office.
- The league announced that Sixers forward Mike Scott won’t be disciplined for reported scuffles with Eagles fans during the NFL team’s opening game.
- Michael Jordan is selling a portion of his ownership stake in the Hornets, but will retain control over the team.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Agents Refuse To Accept NCAA’s Certification Plan
In conjunction with player agents, the National Basketball Players Association will send a letter to the NCAA refusing to accept a certification process, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The proposal applies to agents dealing with college players who are “testing the waters” to determine if they should remain in the NBA Draft.
The players union has been in communication with NCAA officials in an attempt to work together on the matter, Wojnarowski adds. NBPA executive director Michele Roberts refused to comment.
ESPN has a copy of the letter, which alleges that the NCAA is attempting to “garner access to personal and private information of certified agents in what amounts to subpoena power to embark on investigations that are wholly unrelated to protecting the interests of men’s basketball student-athletes in deciding whether to remain in school or to enter the NBA Draft.”
College players who declare their intentions to enter the draft have several weeks to consider that decision while going through the combine and team workouts. The NCAA wants to register agents who would be speaking to the players during that time, even though they’re already subject to oversight from the NBPA and state regulatory organizations. The NCAA originally sought a requirement that prospective agents own at least a bachelor’s degree — dubbed the “Rich Paul Rule” because he doesn’t have one — but later relented.
“While we refuse to subject ourselves to these regulations, our biggest concern is that the process itself undermines the ability of student-athletes to truly receive the most competent representation when they are testing the waters,” the agents wrote. “By continuing to legislate in a manner that ignores the realities of the world that student-athletes with professional prospects live in, the NCAA is only entrenching an ecosystem that cultivates and fosters an atmosphere of distrust among the student-athletes whom the NCAA is supposed to protect, thus pushing these kids out of school far before they are ready.”
Hoops Rumors Originals: 9/7/19 – 9/14/19
Every week, the Hoops Rumors writing team creates original content to complement our news feed. Here are our original segments and features from the past seven days:
- Our Offseason in Review series spotlighted the Knicks.
- This week’s Community Shootaround discussions focused on:
- This week’s poll, published in the wake of Team USA’s elimination, asked which team would win the 2019 World Cup.
Pacific Notes: Durant, Thompson, Lakers’ DPE, Kings
Kevin Durant left the Warriors because he wasn’t able to find the family atmosphere he wanted, writes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. Durant got the championships and individual awards he was seeking when he signed with Golden State three years ago, but as he indicated in a Wall Street Journal interview this week, he couldn’t be part of the organization in the same way that Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala were.
Poole notes that Durant was impressed by the closeness those four players displayed when they came to the Hamptons to recruit him in 2016. That influenced his decision, but he still felt like an outsider. He wasn’t drafted to the organization like Curry, Thompson and Green, and he wasn’t instrumental in the Warriors’ first title in 40 years the way that Iguodala was.
Poole adds that the family dynamic faded over Durant’s three years with Golden State as players spent more time with their actual families. The Currys had two more children, Iguodala got married and Green became more devoted to fatherhood. Green was a close friend for Durant in his first season with the team, but he hung out with DeMarcus Cousins more often last year.
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Steve Kerr tells Joe Vardon of The Athletic that it’s going to be like “Year 1” as he guides a much different Warriors roster. While many key pieces are gone from the championship years, Kerr said surviving while Thompson heals from a torn ACL will be the biggest challenge. “Losing Kevin, Andre, Shaun (Livingston) obviously, those are huge losses,” he said. “Losing Klay on top of all that really changes the way we’re going to have to play at both ends. Klay was always an integral part of everything. Movement on offense, but also the guarding of the ballhandler on defense, switching onto bigs. So until he gets back, we’ve got to re-imagine everything and adapt accordingly.”
- The Lakers are seeking a disabled player exception after Cousins’ injury, but it’s likely just a tool that may be used later in the season, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. There are few options who could make a difference at a $1.75MM salary, which is half of what Cousins is owed. However, minimum contracts decrease through the year, and the DPE will be more valuable once buyout season arrives.
- Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic will be competing not just for minutes in the Kings‘ backcourt, but for contract extensions as well, notes James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Heat Notes: Adebayo, Richardson, Spoelstra, Arena
Exercising Bam Adebayo‘s fourth-year option displayed faith in a player that many in the Heat organization expect to show huge improvement this season, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Adebayo will make $5.1MM during the 2020/21 season and will be eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer. His role figures to increase after Miami traded away Hassan Whiteside in July.
“First off, he’s going to get more minutes, more exposure,” Goran Dragic told Jackson. “He already got tested, and we know what he can do. He’s a great player, great screener, roll to the basket. He brings a lot of energy to the team and I feel like this year is going to be different. More minutes, more responsibility. Everybody feels like, including me, that he’s ready for this big step in his career.”
There’s more from Miami:
- Of all the moves the Heat made this offseason, Dragic sees the trade of Josh Richardson as the most surprising, Jackson adds in the same story. The fifth-year swingman was shipped to the Sixers as part of a complex four-team deal to acquire Jimmy Butler. Richardson is a valuable two-way player who is coming off his best season, posting a 16.6/3.6/4.1 line. “With Josh, I was a bit surprised,” Dragic said. “I was sad to see him go. But at the same time, I think he’s going to do well in Philadelphia. He’s a great player, great team player who is great around guys in the locker room.”
- Coach Erik Spoelstra expressed appreciation for the support he has gotten from the Heat organization during an appearance with Doc Rivers on a recent edition of Adrian Wojnarowski’s ESPN podcast. “I think (owner) Micky (Arison) and (team president) Pat (Riley) are two of the best tandems in ownership and president in all of sports,” Spoelstra said. “… They understand the need for stability. They will weather storms, and we all struggled that first year. I struggled quite a bit, particularly in that Finals series. … The ownership and my bosses, I love who I work for because they do have my back.”
- American Airlines won’t renew naming rights for the Heat’s arena, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The team will be in the market for a new title sponsor after a 20-year arrangement.