Latest On Wolves’ Coaching, GM Positions
Ryan Saunders, who replaced Tom Thibodeau as Minnesota’s coach in early January, appears likely to return to the position next season.
Marc Stein of The New York Times (via newsletter, which you can subscribe to here) writes that “all signs” point to the Timberwolves retaining the 33-year-old first-time head coach, citing the strong bond between Saunders and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Towns’ co-sign and improved performance may overshadow the fact that Saunders underperformed from a win-loss perspective during his limited time in the role. The team has gone 14-19 since he took over duties.
Stein adds that there is uncertainty around general manager Scott Layden‘s future. Owner Glen Taylor is fond of Chauncey Billups and has interest in hiring the ESPN analyst for the GM role. However, there’s pessimism within league circles about Taylor being able to put an attractive enough offer together for it to make sense for both sides.
Billups has previously expressed a desire to lead a front office. He’s interviewed with the Hawks and Cavaliers in recent years.
Nuggets executive Calvin Booth should be considered a strong candidate for the position if Taylor dismisses Layden, Stein adds. Booth previously played in the NBA and he worked in Minnesota’s front office before moving on to Denver.
Everything You Need To Know Leading Up To The NBA 2K League’s Second Season
The second season of the NBA 2K League is approaching. The league, which is a joint venture between the NBA and Take-Two Interactive, the publisher of the NBA 2K franchise, kicks off on April 2 and will run through the beginning of August (the league announced the full schedule, which you can find here).
Let’s take a look at the league, how it’s structured and some of the changes heading into season two:
- Each of the league’s 21 teams will participate in 16 regular seasons contests, all of which will be played at the NBA 2K League Studio in New York City.
- Games will be played weekly on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.
- All games will be live-streamed on the league’s Twitch channel.
- The prize pool has been increased to $1.2MM – a 20% increase over last year’s award – and teams will receive a portion of the pool based on tournament wins and league playoff outcomes.
Breaking Barriers
This season will feature a female professional esports player for the first time after the Warriors drafted Chiquita Evans during the March 6 draft. The inaugural season didn’t feature a female player and the league set out to solve the issue. It searched the data and found that male players weren’t passing the ball to female teammates enough during games and it skewed the evaluation metrics.
”It made us put more emphasis on how good a player was when they got the ball in their hands,” managing director Brendan Donohue said earlier this month. ”That’s the only part of it they can control.”
The league also added sessions to its transition program (similar to the NBA’s rookie symposium) to help Evans and other female players overcome challenges they break into a male-dominated space.
Which NBA Teams Are Participating?
The inaugural season consisted of 17 teams and the Knicks took home the championship. This season, four more teams (Atlanta, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Minnesota) were added via an expansion draft. Here’s the full list of NBA 2K clubs:
- Blazers: Blazers5 Gaming
- Bucks: Bucks Gaming
- Cavaliers: Cavs Legion GC
- Celtics: Celtics Crossover Gaming
- Grizzlies: Grizz Gaming
- Hawks: Hawks Talon GC *
- Heat: Heat Check Gaming
- Jazz: Jazz Gaming
- Kings: Kings Guard Gaming
- Knicks: Knicks Gaming
- Lakers: Lakers Gaming *
- Magic: Magic Gaming
- Mavericks: Mavs Gaming
- Nets: Nets GC *
- Pacers: Pacers Gaming
- Pistons: Pistons GT
- Raptors: Raptors Uprising GC
- Sixers: 76ers GC
- Wolves: T-Wolves Gaming *
- Warriors: Warriors Gaming Squad
- Wizards: Wizards District Gaming
* Expansion teams
Format Of The Game And Rosters?
Each team is made up of six players with each participant controlling one player while 5-on-5 competition takes place.
The competitors don’t play with pre-existing created players but rather in Pro-Am mode, where there are presets based on each position to ensure balance among teams, meaning one player will not beat the other because the former has the skills of LeBron James and the latter has Michael Carter-Williams‘ arsenal (sorry, MCW). Players choose which of the traditional five positions (point guard, shooting guard, etc) and which archetype (playmaking slasher, sharp-shooting defender, etc) they will use for the season.
How Are The Players Compensated?
The league’s 126 players are compensated between $33-37K, depending on where they were drafted, and each player is on a six-month contract. Relocation and housing costs are provided by the league and the players received health benefits and retirement plan contributions as well.
Teams are made up of professional esports players, thus they are not restricted by amateur status, so they are eligible to sign endorsement deals. Several players are well known in the gaming community and already have deals in place.
Can Players Be Traded?
During the first season, trades were not allowed. For the second, the league added two designated trading periods. One was a two-week period that ended on October 10. The other has yet to be determined, but it will occur during the 2019 season. There have been five trades in league history, per the league’s transaction log.
How Are Playoff Teams Determined?
Eight teams make the playoffs in total. There are three tournaments during the season — The Banner Chain: The Tipoff, The Turn, and The Ticket. The winner of The Ticket clinches a postseason spot, along with the teams owning a top-seven record during the regular season. If The Ticket winner is already in the top seven, then the top eight teams gain entry to the playoffs.
Key playoff dates:
- Wednesday, July 24, 2019: Postseason begins.
- Saturday, August 3, 2019: The 2019 NBA 2K League Finals (best-of-five series).
Doc Rivers Plans To Be With Clippers For A “Long Time”
Everyone is going to the Lakers — or at least that’s what the rumor mill might lead readers to believe. The latest subject of Lakers-related speculation was Doc Rivers, as there were whispers that he might be considering leaving the Clippers for the club’s intra-city rivals. Rivers dismissed that idea today.
“I have a job and the Lakers have a coach,” Rivers said, via Ben Golliver of the Washington Post (Twitter link). “I’m going nowhere. I can tell you that, straight, up front. I’m going to be here until [Clippers owner] Steve Ballmer says get out. I plan on being here a long time.”
Ballmer previously reworked Rivers’ contract, allowing him an opt-out in 2019. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), that extension has been again reworked into a longer deal.
“This summer, we decided to extend my contract,” Rivers explained. “…[Steve] did something I don’t think any owner would do. He gave me an out where I could opt out this summer.
“We wanted to test each other, we thought this was the right fit, but we wanted to make sure. As my dad said, ‘Trust everybody, but cut the cards.’ It was one of those things.
“Early this year, we both decided let’s end this thing, take this out, extend it and make it a longer deal. We’ve long decided on that but we chose not to say anything about it.
“…Steve was a man of his word. He gave a coach a chance to do what he wanted to do. This coach chose to stay right where he’s at and I’m very happy about it.”
The exact terms of the extension have not yet been made public, but Rivers said that his job “is not done,” adding that one of the reasons he came to the Clippers was to win a championship. Another goal was to make the franchise a free agent destination.
What’s clear is that Rivers plans to be part of the Clippers’ free agent pitches this summer as they compete with the Lakers and many other teams for top available talent.
Isaiah Thomas: “I Just Want A Legit Opportunity”
Isaiah Thomas made an emotional return to the TD Garden on Monday, a place where he helped carry an up-and-coming Celtics team to the Eastern Conference Finals.
“There were times after I got traded where I sat back and really thought about things that I did as an individual, the things that we had done as a team, and those were amazing moments that I will cherish for the rest of my life,” Thomas said via Tim Bontempts of ESPN.com.
Boston dealt Thomas away months after that pinnacle, and after stops in Cleveland, Los Angeles, and Denver, he hasn’t been able to find his next major role.
“I just want a legit opportunity,” Thomas said. “Whatever the role may be, it’s going to be. But I know I can play at a high level again. And if given the opportunity, I can be an All-Star, I can be All-NBA, I can be all that, because I physically feel great.”
Thomas underwent hip surgery in 2017 and his recovery has taken some time. He missed the first half of this season and he hasn’t shown the same burst on the court in 10 games with the Nuggets that he had in his peak-Boston days. Still, he’s confident that he’ll be able to thrive if given the chance to have a bigger role
“If I get an opportunity, I’m going to be ready for it,” he said. “I’m going to take full advantage of it. And when this summer comes, I’m going to just figure out what’s the best opportunity, what’s the best situation for myself and my family, and then go from there.”
Thomas has played fewer than 20 minutes in all but one appearance for the Nuggets this season. He’s no longer in the regular rotation and – barring an injury – he’s not expected to be reinserted prior to the team’s first playoff appearance since 2013.
The former All-Star is on a one-year deal that pays him slightly over $2MM. Thomas, who at one point in 2017 was expected to seek a maximum-salary deal, will be a free agent again this summer.
NBA G League Assignment/Recalls 3/19/19
Here are Tuesday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- Frank Ntilikina, who was nursing a sore groin, has been cleared to practice. He’ll get some run with the Westchester Knicks, as New York has assigned him to the G League for part of his rehab (announcement via Twitter).
- We’ve written about Hamidou Diallo every evening this week, as he was sent to the G League on Sunday and recalled by Oklahoma City on Monday. He’s on the move again, as the Thunder have assigned him to the Oklahoma City Blue today, according to a team press release.
- The Heat have assigned Charles Cooke to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, per the team’s Twitter feed. Cook is active for the G League tilt against the Blue tonight.
- The Spurs have assigned Lonnie Walker and Chimezie Metu to the G League, per the team’s Twitter feed. The pair of rookies are active for the Austin Spurs tonight.
Markelle Fultz In Good Spot To Redeem Career
Markelle Fultz is still not practicing with the Magic. There remains no timetable for his return, and with the playoffs still within reach for Orlando, it would be surprising if he plays for his new team at all this season.
However, Fultz has reached a new stage in his recovery process, moving his rehab from California – where he has spent the past few months – to Orlando, Josh Robbins of The Athletic reports.
“I think it’s what’s best for me and the team,” Fultz said. “[It’s beneficial] just being around these guys, so they see my face and I see their face. I’m going to learn as much as I can. As we make this push for the playoffs, I want to be here with my guys and just support them.”
Fultz is in a good situation to turn his young career around, as the Magic are taking a patient approach in assisting him as he looks to return to his old form. “Nobody here is rushing me. Everybody here is just open to me getting right and healthy first,” Fultz said.
Sounds like a movie we’ve seen before? Yes, the company line in Philadelphia was patience, and while the fanbase shed its typical hard-nosed Philly reputation, cheering for Fultz and embracing any progress—even baby steps—as the teenage point guard attempted to get back to his old self, the franchise grew tired of waiting. The Sixers were ready to compete in the present.
Fultz only tallied 33 games played in Philadelphia. The 2017 No. 1 overall pick was sent to the Magic from the Sixers at the trade deadline in exchange for Jonathon Simmons, a protected 2020 first-round pick (via OKC) and a 2019 second-round pick (via Cleveland).
There are reasons to believe things will be different in Orlando. The Magic are not currently built to compete for the Eastern Conference crown and the media coverage isn’t as intense in Florida as it is in the City of Brotherly Love. Fultz’s return to the court is expected to be less pressurized than it was in Post-Process Philly.
There is also less competition for a prominent role in the backcourt, as Orlando has no point guard of the future on its roster. Veteran point guard D.J. Augustin has been one of the Magic’s most crucial players, but he’ll turn 32 at the beginning of next season and will become a free agent at the end of it.
The Magic have taken shots at a few other guard prospects who have flamed out elsewhere with no real success. Jerian Grant held a role until being supplanted by Isaiah Briscoe. When Briscoe injured his knee, the team took a flyer on former No. 11 overall pick Michael Carter-Williams, though MCW is only on a 10-day contract and could wake up next Monday without a job.
There’s some thought within NBA circles that teams are giving up on top draft picks too soon. Clippers coach Doc Rivers recently argued that teams are too finicky with regard to their top draft selections.
“You look at each draft and there’s guys that come out at 19 and they don’t take off right away. They get moved around, and the next thing you know, they’re players,” River said in reference to D’Angelo Russell and his son, Austin Rivers.
Part of the angst organizations face with past top draft selections is financially driven. Top draft picks can extremely cost efficient if they bloom, but if they wilt, their salaries can be burdensome. As part of his rookie deal, Fultz takes home slightly under $8.4MM this season and will collect roughly $9.7MM next year. The franchise will have to make a decision on his $12.3MM salary for 2020/21 by this fall.
For now, Fultz is confident that his rehab is going in the right direction. “It’s going great. I’m feeling really good. I’m happy. I’m blessed. And as I’m going forward, I’m just sticking with the plan and just going through rehab,” the point guard told Robbins.
Many people living in Northeast American cities take trips to Florida to slow down and decompress from their typical work life and while Fultz is hard at work in rehab, he’ll get to experience a similar effect. A new environment provides him with a relaxed approach compared to the hustle-and-bustle mentality of the bigger city life and that might be just what the 20-year-old needs to get back on track.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Los Angeles Notes: Rivers, Clippers’ Bench, LeBron
With 12 games to go, the Lakers are not mathematically eliminated from the postseason. However, they have less than a one percent chance to make the NBA’s second season, according to FiveThirtyEight’s playoff probabilities. The Clippers, on the other hand, have yet to officially clinch, but the franchise has slightly higher than a 99% chance to make the playoffs.
Both results are far from what many predicted prior to the season. As the two teams head in opposite directions, let’s take a look at some more notes from Southern California:
- Clippers head coach Doc Rivers believes teams are giving up on young prospects too early, citing the Lakers trading away D’Angelo Russell, as Brian Lewis of The New York Post relays. “You look at each draft and there’s guys that come out at 19 and they don’t take off right away. They get moved around, and the next thing you know, they’re players. It happens more than we know, and it happened to D’Angelo,” Rivers explained.
- The Clippers‘ bench sets the team apart and while it’s easy to point to two-time Sixth Man of the Year winner Lou Williams, the unit is deeper than one player, Martin Rogers of USA Today writes. “A lot of people would love to have one game changer in that role. We have two of them,” Rivers said referring to Williams and Montrezl Harrell. “To be able to do it you have to have that personality where you say, ‘I am going to come in and just grab the moment.'”
- The Lakers should bench LeBron James for the remainder of the season, Arash Markazi of The Los Angeles Times contends. Markazi believes the team needs to focus on making sure James is healthy heading into next season and not worry about the improbable chance it has to make the playoffs.
Kyle Lowry Believed To Have Avoided Major Injury
Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry limped off the floor against the Knicks tonight with a right ankle injury, but Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com (Twitter link) reports that the injury is not believed to be serious. Lowry will undergo tests on the ankle tonight.
Toronto holds the second-best record in the Eastern Conference despite seeing several players shuffle in and out of the lineup all season. Kawhi Leonard has missed 20 games so far, Lowry has missed 15 games, and the pair have only played together 37 times this season, per NBA.com.
Fred VanVleet has started 22 games and he will step into that role should Lowry miss additional time. The Raptors’ next game is against the Thunder on Wednesday.
LeBron James Says Lakers “Cater” To Players
The Lakers are expected to explore adding a second star this offseason to play alongside LeBron James. James knows the team’s free agent pitch well, as he signed a four-year deal with Los Angeles last summer, and he anticipates the franchise will play up its tendency to put its players first in pitches this offseason.
“At the end of the day, this franchise wants to win and wants to win big,” James said, as Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register relays. “And the one thing about the franchise, they cater to the players. And that’s it. Everything else comes secondary, they only want us to go out and perform at a high level and play the game at a high level so we can be mentioned with some of the great teams that’s in the league at that point in time.”
Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson are among the big names expected to be available. Jimmy Butler, Kemba Walkers, Tobias Harris will also hit the market. James wouldn’t comment on which player he’d prefer the team to target.
“Not going to name any names because every time I say something, or our organization says something about a specific person we get in trouble,” LBJ said. “But we have an opportunity to get better, and that’s something that is definitely great to know that – when you have an opportunity to get better from a personnel standpoint.”
James is disappointed that the Lakers will miss the playoffs this spring. He added that he’s focusing on health this offseason after missing 18 games this year (the most he’s ever missed in any season).
“It’s unfortunate that we’re so far out of the postseason right now and looking like we won’t be a part,” James said. “So obviously the first thing that comes to mind is just take care of my body. Played a lot of basketball, played a lot of minutes over my 16-year career, so getting an opportunity, getting a couple more months to take care of my body, refresh my mind and my body is going to be very key going into my 17th year, so looking forward to that.”
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls 3/18/19
Here are Monday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:
- The Clippers have assigned Justin Bibbs and Jerome Robinson to the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, according to the team’s Twitter feed. The pair were recalled from the G League on Sunday.
- The Heat have recalled Charles Cooke from the Sioux Falls Skyforce, according to the team’s website. Cooke, who was signed to a 10-day deal last week, has spent the majority of the season with the team’s G League affiliate, appearing in 39 games with the Skyforce.
- The Thunder have recalled Hamidou Diallo from the Oklahoma City Blue, according to a team press release. Diallo has played in five G League games this season and he’s averaging 17.8 points, 7.2 rebounds