OG Anunoby Questionable For Game 1
Despite Raptors head coach Nick Nurse saying Monday that forward OG Anunoby was still about 10 days away from being able to play, the team is now surprisingly listing Anunoby as questionable for Game 1 of the NBA Finals tomorrow night, tweets Eric Koreen of The Athletic.
Anunoby, who has missed the entire 2018/19 postseason after undergoing an emergency appendectomy in early April, still didn’t have a timetable to return as recently as a week ago, when Nurse said as much. But now, it appears as though a timetable has appeared and shortened within the span on a few days, with Nurse’s 10-day prediction upgraded to a questionable designation for tomorrow evening.
Anunoby could provide some much needed depth for the Raptors against the Warriors after the team relied on an eight-man rotation against the Bucks. This is especially true if Kevin Durant returns from injury, as Anunoby would give teammate Kawhi Leonard some much needed breaks from defending the all-time great.
Given Nurse’s original estimate about Anunoby’s return, it still seems unlikely that we will see him in Game 1, but the questionable designation does breed hope for an earlier return, perhaps in Game 2 on Sunday.
KZ Okpala To Remain In 2019 NBA Draft
Stanford sophomore forward and potential lottery selection KZ Okpala will remain in this year’s draft class and forgo his final two seasons of college eligibility, reports Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.
As we touched upon back when Okpala first declared for the draft, the 19-year-old was a relatively late bloomer out of high school but had a promising freshman season before breaking out as a sophomore. He averaged 16.8 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 2.0 APG while connecting on 36.8% of his three-point attempts during the 2018/19 season.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony currently ranks Okpala as 2019’s No. 24 overall prospect, two spots higher than when he first declared nearly two months ago. During the draft process, Okpala has reportedly met with the Wizards and Pistons, who pick at No. 9 and No. 15, respectively.
NBA Spoke To Raptors Regarding Drake’s Presence
In an interesting piece on the eve of the Raptors’ first ever NBA Finals berth, Michele Steele of ESPN is reporting that the NBA spoke to Raptors’ brass during the Eastern Conference finals about rapper Drake’s activity and presence on the sideline.
Drake, a Toronto native, was warned by the NBA last year for a confrontation with Cavaliers’ big man Kendrick Perkins during 2018’s Eastern Conference semifinals. He also drew national attention earlier this postseason for giving Raptors’ head coach Nick Nurse a quick shoulder rub during Game 4 against the Bucks in the Eastern Conference finals, an antic that seemed to rub Bucks’ head coach Mike Budenholzer the wrong way.
“I don’t know how much he’s on the court. It sounds like you guys are saying it’s more than I realize,” Budenholzer said. “There’s certainly no place for fans and, you know, whatever it is exactly that Drake is for the Toronto Raptors. You know, to be on the court, there’s boundaries and lines for a reason, and like I said, the league is usually pretty good at being on top of stuff like that.”
While it’s not entirely clear how the NBA’s conversation with the Raptors played out, Michael Grange of Sportsnet says that one of the league’s proposals was to have Drake sit out of the primary TV camera’s sight-line and/or further away from the team’s benches. Per Grange, Toronto denied this proposal.
It’s further unclear if anything came out of the discussion between the NBA and the Raptors or if any changes will be made by Drake or the Raptors, but by all accounts, it doesn’t appear that Drake will be limited in any way tomorrow night.
Draft Decisions: Roby, Lecque, Powell, Montgomery
We’re continuing to track players making draft decisions before tonight’s 11:59 pm EST deadline. Below are some of the latest decisions:
Staying in the draft:
- Nebraska forward Isaiah Roby has announced his intention to keep his name in the 2019 NBA Draft, tweets Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. Roby, 21, comes it at No. 39 in ESPN’s top-100 list.
- Jalen Lecque has announced through his own Twitter account that he too will forgo a college scholarship opportunity and remain in the NBA Draft. The 18-year-old is ranked No. 51 in ESPN’s top-100.
- Arizona guard Brandon Randolph will also remain in the NBA Draft, per Jeff Goodman of Stadium, despite not being ranked in the top-100 of ESPN’s prospect list.
- Creighton big man Martin Krampelj will also remain in the draft and forgo his senior season, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Krampelj is likewise not a top-100 prospect per ESPN.
Withdrawing from the draft:
- In big news for the Seton Hall program, guard Myles Powell has announced that he will withdraw his name from the draft and return to school next season, per Jeff Goodman of Stadium.
- Former blue-chip high school prospect EJ Montgomery will return to Kentucky for his sophomore season, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
- Another top-recruit from last season, Florida guard Andrew Nembhard, will also return to the SEC next season, Woj adds.
- Oregon point guard Payton Pritchard announced on his personal Instagram page that he is returning to school.
- Nathan Knight and Jalen Pickett will return to William & Mary and Siena, respectively, per Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (links here).
Be sure to check our early entrants list for a full list of all draft decisions.
Community Shootaround: Warriors’ Finals Match-Up
After a hard-fought series win over the Rockets in the Western Conference Semifinals, the Warriors made quick work of the Trail Blazers without superstar Kevin Durant en route to a fifth straight NBA Finals appearance behind outstanding play from the trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.
This group seems destined to win another championship, regardless of whether Durant (or DeMarcus Cousins for that matter) returns, and it remains to be seen whether the Bucks or Raptors will be able to give Golden State a challenge in the finals.
So we’re asking you tonight whether you think Toronto or Milwaukee stands a realistic chance against the Warriors.
Which team matches up better with Golden State? Will the Warriors get another sweep regardless of who they face? Do they need Durant back in order to win it all?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments section!
LeBron James Already Recruiting?
The Lakers may be a longshot to sign a marquee free agent this offseason, especially in the wake of all the front office drama surrounding the franchise these days. But don’t tell that to LeBron James, who has reportedly already begun his recruiting efforts for the upcoming offseason, per Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
Appearing on Pardon the Interruption this afternoon, Windhorst said that from “what (he) understand(s),” James has already made contact with both Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard about the possibility of playing in L.A. next season. Interestingly, Leonard’s season is not yet over, but that doesn’t appear to concern James.
Windhorst doesn’t go into any specifics about what James has been selling to potential free agent signings for the Lakers, but Leonard has been connected to the Greater Los Angeles area – where he’s from – for a while now, and Butler has been linked to the Lakers in the past as well.
Both Leonard and Butler are technically still under contract for next season, but they’re widely expected to decline their player options for the 2019/20 season and hit the free agent market this summer.
Rudy Gobert Eligible For Designated Veteran Extension in 2020
Jazz center Rudy Gobert was named to the All-NBA Third Team earlier today, and while he was not named to an All-NBA team last season, he will still be eligible for a Designated Veteran Extension in the summer of 2020, reports Tim Bontemps of ESPN, because he was named the Defensive Player of the Year for the 2017/18 season.
It’s always been clear that to be eligible for a Designated Veteran Extension, a player must:
- have 7 or 8 years of service at the time the extension is signed;
- have 1 or 2 years remaining on his current contract;
- play with the same team continuously since entering the league, unless he was traded during his first four years in the league; and
- meet the 35% Max Criteria
Gobert clearly meets the first three requirements. In the summer of 2020, he will have played seven seasons in the NBA, all for the Jazz, and have one year left on his contract. The fourth requirement wasn’t so clear. Before today, it seemed to be generally understood (h/t to Larry Coon’s NBA Salary Cap FAQ) that a player qualified for the 35% Max Criteria if:
- He was named to the All-NBA First, Second, or Third team in the most recent season, or both of the two seasons that preceded the most recent season;
- He was named the Defensive Player of the Year in the most recent season, or both of the two seasons that preceded the most recent season; or
- He was named the NBA Most Valuable Player in any of the three most recent seasons.
Gobert was named All-NBA Third Team this season, but did not make an All-NBA team last season. Gobert was named Defensive Player of Year last season, but that award hasn’t been handed out yet for this season. So how does Gobert meet the 35% Max Criteria?
Bobby Marks of ESPN provides the answer, tweeting that the NBA is allowing players to combine DPOY and All-NBA when factoring in whether a player met the criteria in “both of the two seasons that preceded the most recent season” (here, the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons, as Gobert’s extension would kick in after the 2019/20 season).
So, because Gobert earned DPOY or All-NBA in both 2017/18 and 2018/19, he meets the 35% Max Criteria and is eligible for a Designated Veteran Extension in 2020.
If the Jazz are willing to put that super-max extension on the table for Gobert, it would go into effect in 2021/22 and would add five years and an estimated $247MM to his current contract.
Knicks Notes: Irving, Barrett, L.A., Pro Day
Free agency has not even begun, so this list is by no means set in stone, but as we sit here this evening, there appear to be four teams with a realistic shot of landing Kyrie Irving this summer – the Celtics, Knicks, Nets, and Lakers. For what it’s worth, Irving’s head coach from high school, Kevin Boyle, believes that Irving will sign with the Knicks, per Ian Begley of SportsNet New York.
“I think there’s a good chance in my opinion that Kyrie ends up here [in New York],” Boyle said. “In my gut, I would think that would work best for him and I would think that [the Knicks] have a really strong chance of that happening.”
Boyle made it clear that he was speaking as a fan and not someone who knows what Irving’s plans are this offseason, but this a man who spent time with Irving on the basketball floor and may have a better idea of what he’s thinking than some other pundits.
Irving will likely be one of the top candidates on the free agent market this summer after being named All-NBA Second Team earlier today, despite reports of some teams having second thoughts about adding him to their roster.
There’s more news from the Knicks:
- In his conversation with Begley, Boyle adds that R.J. Barrett, the presumptive pick of the Knicks with the No. 3 overall pick in this summer’s draft and another player that Boyle coached in high school, should be in the conversation with Zion Williamson as the best NBA prospect in the 2019 Draft.
- With the Lakers quickly overtaking the Knicks as the most dysfunctional franchise in the NBA, the Knicks have an opportunity to entice free agents without having to overcome the Lakers’ mystique, opines Frank Isola of The Athletic.
- In more news from Ian Begley of SNY (Twitter link), the Knicks are among a large contingent of teams attending a joint Pro Day for Arkansas’ Daniel Gafford and North Carolina’s Cameron Johnson in Miami on June 7. Johnson is currently the No. 22-ranked prospect by ESPN, while Gafford comes in at No. 38.
Draft Notes: Bol, Williams, Herro, Smart
With the 2019 NBA Draft Combine now over, ESPN’s Mike Schmitz and Kevin Pelton discuss the 2019 NBA Draft prospects whose stock rose or fell over the weekend, beginning with Croatian forward Luka Samanic, whose performance in his first game at the combine was good enough for him to shut himself down and put his name squarely within the first-round conversation.
The other players who impressed scouts and improved their stock include Florida State’s Terance Mann, Georgia’s Nicolas Claxton, Nebraska’s Isaiah Roby, and LSU’s Tremont Waters. Pelton was particularly impressed by Waters’ ability to knock down the NBA-three-pointer from off the dribble, an important skill in today’s NBA for a point guard.
As for those prospects who may have lowered their value, the list begins with two very productive All-American college big men – Tennessee’s Grant Williams and Kansas’ Dedric Lawson. Per the ESPN scribes, both may have put too much emphasis on their developing outside games during 5-on-5 action.
Additionally, Western Kentucky big man Charles Bassey and Utah State big man Neemias Queta both underwhelmed, with Schmitz saying both need improvement in different areas of the game (e.g. skill, fluidity, motor) before being ready to contribute at the NBA level.
There’s more from the lead-up to this year’s NBA Draft this afternoon:
- If the Wizards are interested in a high risk-high reward option with the No. 9 overall selection, Oregon’s Bol Bol may be an intriguing pick, writes Ben Standig of NBC Sports Washington.
- Despite struggling at the combine, Grant Williams does not regret playing in the 5-on-5 sessions, telling Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer that he’s “not just trying to show I can shoot, I’m showing I can defend… Be out there and be that guy who was there to win, and cheering on his teammates… I know that defensively I could have been a little better contesting shots. Being analytical — like I normally am — I play different guys certain ways, and that bit me a little bit.” Williams was dinged a bit for only measuring in at 6’6” and potentially being caught up in the “tweener” label.
- The Celtics have three first-round picks, and while they may not end up keeping all of them, one prospect to keep an eye on for one of their selections is Kentucky guard Tyler Herro. Herro spoke with Boston brass at the combine and said they will be among the handful of teams he will workout for leading up to the draft, per A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston.
- LSU freshman guard Javonte Smart is withdrawing his name from the 2019 NBA Draft and returning for his sophomore season in Baton Rouge, tweets Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.
Cavaliers Hire J.B. Bickerstaff As Associate Head Coach
The Cavaliers have hired J.B. Bickerstaff as associate head coach, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. A target of multiple franchises this offseason for a coaching role (including the Sixers, Celtics, Lakers and Kings), Bickerstaff will be tasked with helping new head coach John Beilein make the transition to the NBA.
Bickerstaff, who will now be one of the league’s top paid assistant coaches, is a former head coach of both the Rockets (interim) and Grizzlies. He is also the son of former NBA coach Bernie Bickerstaff, who now serves as a Senior Basketball Advisor for the Cavaliers.
As we relayed last week, the Cavaliers also still plan to hire at least one other person to join Beilein’s staff, potentially from the pool of other candidates that interviewed for the head coaching position, including Alex Jensen (Utah), Jamahl Mosley (Dallas), Jordi Fernandez (Denver), and Nate Tibbetts (Portland).