World Cup Notes: France, Latvia, Aldama, Blatt
Team France general manager Boris Diaw said the two losses that eliminated the team from World Cup contention were troubling in different ways, according to Antonis Stroggylakis of Eurohoops.net.
“The two games were very different. First game against Canada, a team that plays very tough,” he said. “I think the concern there was that we gave up at the end of the game. On the way to losing the game. You don’t want to lose by 30 by giving up in the last minutes. That was one concern. Latvia was different. This is a game where we could’ve really played together. But we didn’t play all the way until the end and didn’t play smart enough to win.”
We have more updates from the FIBA World Cup international competition:
- Speaking of Team Latvia, former NBA forward Rodions Kurucs called the win over France “amazing” and cited his team’s toughness and togetherness for the upset win, according to Stroggylakis. “I played the whole game fighting on defense,” he said. “We were sharing the ball really well. Every 50-50 ball, every rebound, we fought for it.”
- Following Spain’s win over Brazil, Grizzlies big man Santi Aldama spoke to Stroggylakis about his national team’s winning culture. “I think the winning part is secondary,” Aldama said. “Meaning, the culture here that’s really good. And I think that’s what makes this team a winning team. That’s what we have to built on. We work very hard every day, we have to continue doing that and let it talk through our game.”
- Canada is 2-0 heading into its game against Latvia on Tuesday. Former Cavaliers coach David Blatt is a general consultant for the Canadian team and spoke of its aims to Stroggylakis. “I’m a part of a great organization and I’m happy to be a part of what we’re trying to accomplish here with Canada basketball. And that’s becoming a team of the highest level in the FIBA scene and performing well in all competitions we’re part in,” he said.
Western Notes: Kings, Brooks, Jones, Lillard, Timberwolves
The Kings decided to tweak the roster rather than make major changes this offseason after finally reaching the postseason in the spring. They acquired Chris Duarte in a trade and re-signed Harrison Barnes and Trey Lyles. They also signed EuroLeague star Sasha Vezenkov.
Kings coach Mike Brown is excited to have his core group back and is eager to see how they respond to the newfound respect they’ve gained after snapping the franchise’s long playoff drought.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how we can handle the pressure,” the Kings coach said. “It’s flipped now. We’re no longer hunting people; people are hunting us. And there are expectations, so how do we handle that? I believe our guys are ready for it, and with the fans that we have here and the juice they brought last year – let’s go. Let’s get it. I’m excited for Sasha, I’m excited for Chris Duarte, I’m excited about our young guys. It’s good to have the new guys, but I’m more excited about having our guys to be able to run it back and give them the opportunity to grow as a nucleus than anything else.”
We have more from the Western Conference:
- The Grizzlies allowed Dillon Brooks in free agency and traded Tyus Jones. So what have they lost? Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal explores that topic. The Grizzlies have become known for their flashy style and trash talking and Brooks was a major reason for that. Jones was a locker room leader and led the league in assist-to-turnover ratio in each of his four seasons with the club.
- Trail Blazers fans want the Damian Lillard saga to be resolved soon. In a poll conducted by Jason Quick of The Athletic, 80.4% want the front office to take the best offer for their longtime All-Star and prioritize the team ahead of Lillard. However, the high-scoring guard was voted as the franchise’s greatest player (51.9%), ahead of Clyde Drexler and Bill Walton.
- Anthony Edwards (United States), Karl-Anthony Towns (Dominican Republic), Rudy Gobert (France), Kyle Anderson (China), Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Canada) and draft-and-stash prospect Matteo Spagnolo (Italy) are participating in the World Cup, while Luka Garza played for Bosnia and Herzegovina in a pre-qualifying Olympic tournament. That should give those Timberwolves players a head start to the NBA season, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Alexander-Walker agrees with the notion. “I want to use it to propel me for the season,” he said.
And-Ones: Larkin, Anderson, Drew League
Former NBA guard Shane Larkin said he wasn’t healthy enough to play for the Turkish national team in an Olympic pre-qualifying tournament this month, Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net relays.
Larkin was fined approximately 3,000 Euros and suspended five games during the upcoming Turkish Super League season for failing to report to the national team. However, Larkin claims the national team knew it would have been “risky” for him to play.
“I was in the USA working on my body and trying to recover from a season full of injuries and to train for the upcoming season. The national team still asked me to come report to camp and come get an MRI on my knees to get a proper diagnosis,” Larkin said on Instagram. “I flew from Miami to Istanbul and the national team doctor told me that I was in bad shape and that if I were to push myself, I would be at risk of severe damage to my knee for the short and long-term.
“Word for word, I was told, ‘If you push yourself and don’t give it time to heal, you will potentially need surgery that will keep you out for months.’ I was informed to stay off my knees and to stop working out anything lower body. I then started treatment with different medications in order to help myself heal and was asked to come back a week later for another MRI. I did exactly what was asked of me and when came back for the second MRI, the bone was healing but still not in a place where I would be safe to go and play in the games.’
We have more from around the basketball world:
- Former NBA guard James Anderson has signed a one-year contract with Turkey’s Manisa, Sportando relays. Anderson played last season for UCAM Murcia in Spain. Anderson appeared in 247 NBA regular season games, most recently with Sacramento during the 2015/16 season.
- Over the past dozen years, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and DeMar DeRozan have participated in the Drew League. The Athletic’s Law Murray takes a closer look at the summer pro-am league, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year.
- France has already been eliminated from World Cup contention. Get the details here.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround: Giannis’ Future
Will the biggest star in the Eastern Conference be looking for a new team in the next year or two?
Two-time Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo certainly didn’t rule out that possibility in a recent New York Times interview. Antekounmpo could ink a three-year extension this offseason in the range of $173MM. Unless he has a change of heart, he’s not going to be signing any papers.
By waiting until next summer, the value of a potential extension will rise, since he’ll be able to tack on an extra year. It would also give him another season to evaluate and ponder whether the Bucks can remain among the league’s elite teams.
“The real question’s not going to be this year (regarding an extension) — numbers-wise it doesn’t make sense,” Antetokounmpo said. “But next year, next summer it would make more sense for both parties. Even then, I don’t know. … I would not be the best version of myself if I don’t know that everybody’s on the same page, everybody’s going for a championship, everybody’s going to sacrifice time away from their family like I do. And if I don’t feel that, I’m not signing.”
If it comes to the point where Antetokounmpo requests a trade, it would send shock waves through the league, despite the rash of the superstar demands for trades in the last few years.
Antetokounmpo is under contract through the 2025/26 season but he can opt out in the summer of ‘25. He could wait until free agency to move on but as we’ve seen with the likes of Kevin Durant and Damian Lillard, signing an extension doesn’t remove the possibility of a trade request in short order.
Ideally, he’d spend his entire career with Milwaukee but only if he feels like the Bucks have a shot to win the championship year in and year out.
“I don’t want to be 20 years on the same team and don’t win another championship,” he said.
In the short term, the core group from their 2021 title – Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez to complement Antetokounmpo – remains in place. However, there isn’t a whole lot of young talent waiting in the wings to keep them in contention long-term.
That leads us to today’s topic: Do you think Antetokounmpo will remain with the Bucks for years to come, or will he leave via a trade or free agency within the next couple years? If he does go, where do you think he’ll wind up?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.
World Cup Notes: Greece, Banchero, Watanabe, Huertas
Team USA defeated Greece 108-86 in one of its FIBA World Cup tuneups. Coach Steve Kerr expects a much tougher matchup when the two teams square off again in the Philippines on Monday in the USA’s second World Cup game.
“We expect Greece to be better than they were one week ago. … They played a lot better against us after the first quarter and I think they will come in with more confidence than they had last time and we have to be ready for them,” Kerr said. “They gave us some trouble in the second half, but they made a couple of good runs. They are very physical, and they are well-coached, so we are ready for a tough game”.
We have more from the World Cup:
- Paolo Banchero, who scored 21 points as a reserve for Team USA against New Zealand, is impressed by the atmosphere in Manila, Aris Barkis of Eurohoops.net relays. “It feels awesome, the energy is crazy. From the hotel lobby to this awesome arena, it’s a great environment,” the Magic forward said. “Coming off the bench, me and some other guys we want to be live and be ready to go as soon as we check in.”
- Yuta Watanabe, who signed with the Suns this offseason, overcame an ailment to lift Japan past Finland 98-88 Sunday in FIBA World Cup group play at Okinawa, Japan, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic notes. Watanabe, who is battling a right ankle sprain, only scored four points but two of them came on free throws in the final minute to close out the upset win.
- Brazil’s Marcelo Huertas became the second-oldest player to suit up in the World Cup in his team’s 100-59 victory over Iran on Saturday, according to The Associated Press. The former NBA player did more than just appear in the contest, scoring 10 points. Huertas is 40 years and three months old, The oldest player in tournament history was Eduardo Mingas, who was 40 years and seven months old when playing for Angola at the 2019 World Cup. Huertas played 76 games for the Lakers from 2015-17.
Western Notes: Henderson, Brooks, Jones, Jackson Jr.
The biggest knock against No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson entering the draft was his shooting — he made just 27.5% of his 3-point attempts in the G League. His trainer, Brandon Payne, brushes off criticism regarding Henderson’s shot as he heads into his rookie season with the Trail Blazers.
“Scoot can shoot the ball,” Payne told Mark Medina in a Sportskeeda article. “When he feels one go down the right way, you better watch out because there’s a bunch coming behind him. But like with any young player, there’s going to be ups and downs. He will just have to weather those and work through them.”
We have more from the Western Conference:
- LeBron James shook off Dillon Brooks‘ tactics in the playoff series between the Lakers and Grizzlies. James shot 61.1 percent when guarded by Brooks, yet the new Rockets swingman has a different interpretation of how his matchup with LeBron played out, he told Arash Madani in a Sportsnet interview (hat tip to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports). “I feel like I always had him,” Brooks said. “I feel like that series was thrown upon me cause of the words that I say, but I’ve been saying things all year and we won 50 games.”
- Derrick Jones‘ guaranteed one-year contract with the Mavericks is worth the veteran’s minimum, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. Jones will earn approximately $2.71MM on the deal, while Dallas takes on a cap hit of $2.02MM.
- Jaren Jackson Jr. has been manning the middle for Team USA this summer and that may be his future spot with the Grizzlies, Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal writes. Veteran center Steven Adams is signed through the 2024/25 season but Jackson could be his eventual replacement.
Northwest Notes: Edwards, Sarr, Waters, Brown, Watson, Key
Anthony Edwards has become the breakout star for USA Basketball this summer. For the Timberwolves to take the next step, Edwards needs to be their unquestioned leader, Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune opines. While he has remained deferential to Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, Edwards will be the player the Timberwolves turn to when they need a basket or a lift this upcoming season.
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- The two-way contracts signed by Thunder big man Olivier Sarr and wing Lindy Waters both cover only the 2023/24 season, Hoops Rumors has learned. Sarr and Waters will be eligible for restricted free agency in 2024, assuming they finish the season on those deals.
- Moses Brown has a partial guarantee of $250K in the one-year contract he signed with the Trail Blazers this week, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets. Brown’s guarantee increases to $500K if he’s on the opening night roster and would become fully guaranteed on the league-wide date in January. Brown’s contract is for the veteran’s minimum, so he’ll receive $2.165MM as a four-year veteran if he remains on the roster after the January deadline.
- Forward Peyton Watson‘s development will be a key component to the Nuggets’ season, Harrison Wind of TheDNVR.com opines. Watson needs to emerge as a reliable reserve with the free agent loss of Jeff Green to the Rockets. Another potential factor for the second unit is two-way player Braxton Key, a defense-oriented wing that the organization believes could emerge as a reliable option.
Damian Lillard Confirms Trade Request, Yearns For Title
Damian Lillard confirms he has asked to be traded but avoided questions regarding the Trail Blazers and its management team in an interview with Andscape’s Marc J. Spears.
Loyal to the organization since he entered the league in 2012, Lillard finally grew weary of the franchise’s direction and requested a trade, which became public on July 1. Shortly thereafter, Lillard’s desire to be traded to the Heat became general knowledge.
“I can say that there was [a trade request] and I would just prefer not to speak on the Trail Blazers,” he told Spears.
Lillard hoped that the Blazers would add several impactful veterans to the bench, according to Spears. Lillard’s request came at the start of free agency, after Portland had declined offers for the No. 3 pick in the draft and used it on Scoot Henderson, another point guard.
Lillard wouldn’t budge when asked what motivated him to be dealt.
“I’m not going to speak on the Blazers. It’s lot of love and respect, but I won’t speak on the Blazers,” Lillard said.
It remains to be seen what Lillard would do if he’s not traded before training camp. The guard’s friends and confidants have advised him to sit back and let the process play out.
“The best word of advice is just that, ‘Everything will come to pass,’” Lillard said. “When you in a little bit of a storm, a lot is going on and you’re being talked about, you get a little bit antsy and you feel like you got to react to stuff sometimes, but I know me. I know the type of principle I stand on. I know that I’ve been solid in everything that I’ve done every step of the way.”
The NBA fined James Harden $100K this week for “indicating that he would not perform the services called for under his player contract unless traded to another team.” Lillard hasn’t gone that far, but the Collective Bargaining Agreement gives the league the latitude to fine a player up to $150K for making a trade request public.
Of course, that would be a proverbial drop in the bucket for a player who will make $45.64MM next season and nearly $48.8MM in 2024/25 before his two-year, $121.8MM extension kicks in.
What’s paramount for Lillard at this stage of his career is to get a ring.
“I would say the desire for that now is as high as it’s probably going to be. That’s literally the thing at the top of my list,” he said about winning a title. “When I wake up and I got to get up and go do what I got to do, I got to train, I got to make time for my kids, I still got to lift, I got to do all these things and I got to make sure that training and the preparation is still my priority. Even with being a father of three now, not one, and having all these other responsibilities, you need something that you feel pretty strong about to stay committed the way I’ve been committed. It’s as high as it’s going to get. That’s ultimately what I want to experience and that’s what I want to get done.”
Heat Notes: Adebayo, Lillard, Harden
Heat center Bam Adebayo isn’t a fan of the widespread practice of resting players in an effort to keep them fresh. Appearing on the “To Inspire” podcast, Adebayo revealed he’s no fan of load management (hat tip to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports). He believes it’s unfair to fans who pay to see their favorite players.
“A lot of guys sitting, like load management, that kind of bothers me in a sense. You have a lot of kids and parents who want to see you play,” he said. “You have kids who probably come from the inner city, and their parents make a way to put them all the way up in the stands, and then for you to find out you’re not playing. And it’s because you feel like ‘I gotta load manage and be ready for this.’ I remember as a kid, I would’ve gave my last dollar and my foot to go see Kobe Bryant play. I know if I felt like that it’s a lot of other kids that felt like that.”
We have more on the Heat:
- Trade talks with the Trail Blazers in a potential Damian Lillard blockbuster should heat up as training camp approaches, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald opines. That’s the expectation from those close to the situation with the belief Portland would like to avoid the messy situation of having their longtime franchise player at camp when he’d rather be elsewhere. If the Heat are the only team making a serious offer for Lillard, then the Blazers may have more urgency to get something done.
- Would James Harden be a fall-back option for the Heat if they don’t get Lillard? Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel doubts it, believing a ball-dominant player like Harden would be a bad fit with Miami. Harden could ease the scoring burden, giving Jimmy Butler more time to rest up for the playoffs, but the Heat’s offer for the Sixers guard would be significantly lower than the package they’d be willing to part with to get Lillard.
- Don’t expect Lillard to make any public comments about his trade request, given how the league fined Harden $100K for going public about his discontent with the Sixers, Winderman writes in a separate story.
Pacific Notes: Lillard, Suns, Curry, Reaves
Damian Lillard, still awaiting a trade from the Trail Blazers, is impressed how the Suns have assembled an All-Star trio of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, he told Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic.
“That’s definitely a Big 3,” he said. “Brad Beal, Book, KD. I mean, that’s a monster three. I think it will be fun to watch. They’ll win a lot of games and the goal is to win. As players of their level, it just has to click. They’ve got to connect. It wouldn’t surprise me if they did click, but that’s the most important thing is being able to click out there and to be able to work together towards winning.”
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Stephen Curry isn’t being modest about his accomplishments. The Warriors point guard expressed to former NBA guard Gilbert Arenas on a podcast that he’s the best point guard in history. “I have to, yes. It’s me and Magic [Johnson] is that the conversation? Obviously, I have to answer that way,” Curry said, adding, “Magic’s resume is ridiculous. So the fact that we’re having that conversation, that’s the place I never thought I’d be in.” Arenas brought up that Johnson was more of a “point forward” due to his height and that Curry’s style has been more influential when it comes to young kids trying to emulate him, Eurohoops.net relays.
- Austin Reaves has a brand new four-year, $54MM contract from the Lakers and has emerged as one of the key players on Team USA this summer. Yet, he believes he still has plenty of doubters, he told Jovan Buha of The Athletic. “I don’t think (my mentality) shifts at all,” the undrafted guard said. “I think there’s still a good majority of people that probably still don’t think I’m that good — or any good at all.”
- The Kings are adding Skal Labissiere on an Exhibit 10 contract. Get the details here.