Enes Kanter Plans To Eventually Join WWE
Even if the NBA never comes back, Enes Kanter won’t be without a job. The Celtics center has been offered a deal to compete in the WWE and he plans on accepting it after his basketball career is over, as he tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (video link).
Kanter previously explained to JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors why he felt an attachment to professional wrestling.
“I’m very serious about it. I feel like it’s my world,” Kanter told Shaw last season. “You just got to go out there, talk trash, troll people. Lifting, I love lifting. It’s just fun, man. I don’t want to stop my sports career when I’m done with basketball. A lot of people go into broadcasting, coaching, but I want to continue opening the door in sports. That’s why I’m very serious about it.”
Kanter has been in contact with the WWE for some time, as he has relationships with some of the wrestlers in the league. The 27-year-old still has plenty of basketball left in the tank. In his eight-year career, the 2011 No. 3 overall pick has appeared in 634 games, averaging 11.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest.
NBA, NCAA Indefinitely Postpone Early Entrant Withdrawal Date
The NCAA and NBA have indefinitely postponed the early entrant withdrawal date for draft prospects, the NCAA announced in a statement. It was originally scheduled for June 3.
Usually, it’s the date that college underclassmen would need to withdraw their names by in order to retain NCAA eligibility. Typically, it falls 10 days after the draft combine. With the combine postponed indefinitely, the news doesn’t come a major shock.
“This modification is being made with the health and well-being of our student-athletes in mind, along with their ability to make the most informed decisions during this uncertain time, and is based on the recent announcement by the NBA to postpone the 2020 NBA Draft Combine,” NCAA senior VP of basketball Dan Gavitt said in a statement.
The NBA’s own withdrawal deadline falls 10 days before the draft and had been scheduled for June 15. That date, which is generally the one to watch for international prospects, will presumably be pushed back indefinitely as well.
The league still hopes to hold a combine, whether it’s an in-person or virtual event. The NBA has also postponed the draft lottery, but hasn’t yet officially moved back the June 25 draft.
NBA Return Gaining Momentum
10:11pm: The NBA said on today’s call that it plans to continue doing its homework over the next two-to-four weeks before making any decisions on whether to resume the season, Wojnarowski writes in his full report on today’s Board of Governors call. Sources tell ESPN that the league still isn’t sure exactly what a resumed season would look like or whether all 30 teams would participate.
The league office isn’t necessarily optimistic about rapid-response coronavirus testing becoming widely available over the next month, but will continue monitoring developments in testing types, as well as studying the trajectory of cases in reopening states and examining how other leagues that are restarting are handling positive tests, Woj adds.
Wojnarowski also reports that the NBA is hopeful that 22 of the league’s 30 teams will have their practice facilities reopened by next Monday.
9:36pm: There’s more optimism about the NBA resuming its season after commissioner Adam Silver concluded his call with the Board of Governors today, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). According to Wojnarowski, the conversation included significant detail on how other pro sports leagues are handling their respective returns.
Positive COVID-19 tests may not result in a re-suspension of the season. Woj adds that the discussion between Silver and the Board of Governors touched on how the league and players need to be comfortable with some positive tests. It remains to be seen how many positive tests would qualify as too many.
The league continues to look for ways to resume the campaign as safely as possible. Silver used the term “campus environment” when referring to what’s being called a bubble, Wojnarowski adds.
The NBPA has sent a memo to agents signaling the belief that players want to finish out the campaign. Many of the league’s stars are unified on that front as they look to find a way to resume play.
NBA Players Committee Begins Parsing Comeback Plans
The National Basketball Players Association has sent a memo to agents stating that there’s a sense that both the players and the league want to finish the 2019/20 season, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
NBPA president Chris Paul is joined by Russell Westbrook, Jayson Tatum, Kyle Lowry, and Dwight Powell on a committee that is working with the league on potential plans.
Paul reportedly held a call with many of the NBA’s superstars on Monday — including LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kawhi Leonard — discussing the coronavirus ramifications and the potential to resume the season. Those star players were unified in their desire to play out the 2019/20 campaign.
The NBPA polled players via text, asking them how they felt about completing the season. One player told Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times that he believes that the percentage is “70-30” of players who want to finish out the campaign.
“But 30% is a big number,” the player said. “And what do you say to somebody who says, ‘You know what, I just don’t feel safe?’ It’s hard to argue that. But there are reasons to argue that because I know the NBA would be one of the safest places to be at. That thing would be tight, clean, protocol, all that.”
Las Vegas and Orlando continue to be tossed around as options to hold clusters of games in order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading through travel. However, the league hasn’t made any firm decisions yet.
“We have been approached by multiple properties regarding potential options for hosting NBA games, including MGM,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said. “We have not engaged in any substantive discussions.”
Arizona To Allow Major League Sports
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has announced (via Twitter) that major league sports can resume “limited reopening” on Saturday, May 16. For now, fans won’t be permitted to attend any games played in the state.
The Suns were aware of Ducey’s announcement and have planned to have their facility reopen as early as May 16 — when the state’s stay-at-home order expires — according to Mark Faller of The Arizona Republic. Phoenix’s players will be able to perform individual workouts, on a voluntary basis, within the guidelines the NBA has set forth.
While the news affects the Suns, it could be more impactful for the MLB, as the league is contemplating playing clusters of games in the state as it looks to start its season. The league’s owners recently finalized a proposal to send to the MLBPA which outlines a plan to return to play.
As a reminder, be sure to follow MLB Trade Rumors for the latest on baseball’s return and more!
Latest On NBA Teams, Players Returning To Work
NBA teams have been given the go-ahead to begin opening up their facilities on Friday, but they will face restrictions. Among them will be the team’s head coaches not being allowed to participate or observe players workouts, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Teams will be able to designate up to six assistant coaches or player development personnel to provide supervision of player workouts, Woj adds.
The Cavaliers, Nuggets, and Blazers all plan to reopen facilities on Friday. Other teams are expected to follow suit next week.
Commissioner Adam Silver and NBPA executive director Michele Roberts will host an all-player call on Friday as well, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com reports. The call is intended to be an open forum for players to address any concerns and ask questions, Shelburne writes.
Lakers Set Target Date For Reopening Facility
The Lakers have set a target date for reopening their facility. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links), the team is expecting to open on May 16 under the NBA’s protocols.
The franchise continues to work with the appropriate government and health officials to ensure the safety of its players and staff, Charania adds.
California’s stay-at-home order is in place through May 15. It was previously reported that several NBA teams plan on opening up this week, with the Rockets, Blazers, Cavaliers, and Nuggets all in position to open their doors on Friday.
Lakers coach Frank Vogel tells Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link) that he isn’t worried about any competitive advantage the other teams may gain from reopening their facilities early.
Mixed Reviews On Jonathan Isaac’s Future
Jonathan Isaac suffered a severe left knee sprain on January 1 while playing the Wizards in Washington, D.C. and suddenly, a player who was enjoying a breakout season had even more question marks.
The 22-year-old, who is expected to make a full recovery, will be eligible for a rookie-scale extension during the 2020 offseason and there are varying opinions on his value in the league, as Josh Robbins of The Athletic reports.
“Before he got hurt, I thought he was the best defensive player in the league,” one NBA scout told Robbins. “His ability to defend multiple positions, his size, his length, quickness, understanding of what was going on and how to guard people, recovery, instincts — I think he has a potential to be a premier defensive player in the league. I just think the sky’s the limit for him.”
The Magic will try to lock him up long-term, but it’s unclear how much they are willing to pay the former No. 6 overall pick. Isaac only played 27 games during his rookie season. He managed to participate in 75 games during the 2018/19 campaign before his knee woes limited him to just 32 this season.
“The durability remains a huge issue,” a second NBA scout said. “His scoring and shooting still is problematic. He’s not a No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 (option on offense), and that’s what they drafted him to be at sixth in the draft. He’s another guy who was somewhat over-drafted. He’s young and all that, but to me, you’ve got to have a scoring and shooting component.”
Latest On Team Facilities Opening Up
While shelter-in-place restrictions are easing up in some locations, NBA teams in those areas are still likely to wait until next week to open up their practice facilities, Marc Stein of The New York Times tweets. The Magic, one of the teams in a state where restrictions have been loosened, have not committed to opening up yet, telling Stein that they want to reopen as smoothly as possible.
Before anything happens, the NBA must officially allow facilities to reopen, which is still expected to take place on Friday. Even with facilities open, there are specific guidelines teams must follow, such as having a maximum of four players in any facility at once. Only one player can be at a basket at a time. Participation in the facilities will be voluntary, meaning players may not even take the opportunity to use the facilities.
The league is set on attempting to finish the 2019/20 season, even if it means extending the campaign to September.
“Our league has decided that we’re going to try to get in as much of our season and playoffs as the data will allow us to,” Magic CEO Alex Martins said. “We’ll play as late as Labor Day if we have to and we’ve been having initial discussions about even delaying the start of next season based on trying to get as much as this season in as possible.”
Knicks Eyeing Draft Prospect RJ Hampton
New York won four of seven before the NBA suspended the season, placing the team in the No. 6 spot in our Reverse Standings. If they don’t move up higher in the NBA draft lottery, the Knicks will have interest in selecting RJ Hampton, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post.
Hampton skipped the traditional post-high school route to the NBA, opting for the Australian NBL over the NCAA. Some around the game believe the 6’5″ guard is a top-10 player in the draft.
“I’ve watched him since eighth grade because he’s a Dallas kid,’’ said ESPN ‘s Fran Fraschilla said, as Berman relays. “He left the U.S. a top-10 to -20 prospect. He came home a top-10 to -20 prospect. He’s an NBA athlete but could be a project. I don’t know if he was as good as the hype accorded him when he left.”
Not everyone is as bullish on Hampton. One source told Berman that the youngster could fall into the back third of the first round as a result of teams not having a normal pre-draft process to evaluate talent. It’s worth noting that the Knicks have a second first-rounder, courtesy of the Clippers via the Marcus Morris deal. It currently projects to be the No. 27 overall pick.