Eastern Notes: Hornets, Hawks, Nets, Knicks, Embiid
Adama Sanogo, the starting center on UConn’s national championship team, and Julian Strawther of Gonzaga were among the six draft prospects who worked out for the Hornets on Sunday, the team’s PR department tweets. Memphis’ Kendric Davis, Kent State’s Sincere Carry, Butler’s Manny Bates and Marquette Olivier-Maxence Prosper joined that duo. The latter is currently ranked No. 29 on ESPN’s Best Available list.
We have more from the Eastern Conference:
- Alabama center Charles Bediako and Gonzaga big man Drew Timme are among the six draft prospects who will visit the Hawks on Monday, Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets. They’ll be joined by Miami’s Jordan Miller, Virginia’s Kihei Clark, DePaul’s Javan Johnson and Washington State’s Justin Powell.
- Nets GM Sean Marks has a history of making aggressive moves either leading up to the draft or on draft night, Brian Lewis of the New York Post notes. Brooklyn has back-to-back picks in the first round at No. 21 and 22. If Marks decides to keep them, South Carolina freshman G.G. Jackson, G League Ignite’s Leonard Miller and Frenchman Bilal Coulibaly could be among the players who will get serious consideration.
- The Knicks are crossing their fingers that the Sixers will eventually implode and Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid will look to be dealt, Tim MacMahon of ESPN said on The Hoop Collective podcast (hat tip to the New York Post’s Bridget Reilly). “They’re not hoping for patience, they’re hoping for The Process. I don’t know if that’s coming, but they’ve looked at that situation in Philly and there’s been a hope in New York that stuff in Philly will go haywire to the point where Embiid will ask out,” MacMahon said. “I don’t know the percentage odds on that, I would say they are slim, but that’s been the hope.”
Sam Cassell To Join Joe Mazzulla’s Staff
Sam Cassell is joining the Celtics as an assistant coach under Joe Mazzulla, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
The longtime NBA guard spent the past three seasons as a lead assistant for the Sixers under Doc Rivers.
Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens ended speculation after the Eastern Conference Finals when he stated that Mazzulla would remain the head coach. However, changes were anticipated to surround Mazzulla with more experienced staff.
Cassell interviewed with the Rockets this spring for the head coaching job that went to Ime Udoka. Temple University was said to be interested in hiring Cassell as its head coach in March, but he decided to stay in the NBA. He also interviewed last year for the Jazz head coaching job.
Before his stint in Philadelphia, Cassell served as an assistant with the Wizards and Clippers. He has a history in Boston, as he was on the Celtics’ roster in 2008 when they won the championship during the twilight of his playing career.
Edwards, Haliburton, Reaves Commit To Team USA
Timberwolves All-Star guard Anthony Edwards and Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton are among the players who have committed to Team USA this summer, Joe Vardon and Shams Charania of The Athletic report. Team USA will compete for the FIBA World Cup in the Philippines.
Lakers shooting guard and restricted free agent Austin Reaves, Nets forward Mikal Bridges and Bucks forward Bobby Portis have also made commitments.
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson has pledged to play for Team USA as well, according to Marc Stein (Twitter link).
The 12-man roster is still being assembled by USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill and no roster additions have been formally announced yet.
Edwards, who averaged 24.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists this season, was a member of the USA Select Team for the Tokyo Olympics. Team USA has begun to prioritize bigger guards who can hold their own defensively and shoot well from the perimeter in international competitions, according to The Athletic duo. Edwards and Reaves fit that mold.
Team USA begins training camp Aug. 3 in Las Vegas, plays its first exhibition game Aug. 7 against Puerto Rico and will also make stops in Spain and the United Arab Emirates before its World Cup opener Aug. 26 against New Zealand.
Caleb Martin Available, Tyler Herro Out For Game 2
Caleb Martin will play in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).
The Heat wing had been listed as questionable due to an illness. He missed the team’s practice on Saturday. Martin averaged 19.3 points and 6.4 rebounds in the Eastern Conference Finals against Boston but was held to three points on 1-of-7 shooting by the Nuggets in Game 1.
Big man Cody Zeller, who was initially listed as questionable due to a sprained right foot, will also be available off Miami’s bench.
Tyler Herro will remain sidelined as he recovers from a broken hand, though there’s legitimate hope he could return for Game 3 on Wednesday. Herro, who suffered the injury in the opening game of the first-round series against Milwaukee, has ramped up his workouts in recent days.
Tyler Herro Could Return For Game 2 On Sunday
Tyler Herro could return to action as soon as Game 2 of the Finals on Sunday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (video link).
The Heat guard has been sidelined since Game 1 of the first-round series against Milwaukee, when he broke his hand. He underwent surgery on April 21 and was expected to miss a minimum of six weeks.
Game 2 “looms as a possibility,” according to Wojnarowski, who added, “Can that hand take contact? When players come back from an injury like that, you’re going to have to be able to absorb contact.”
Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT reported after Miami eliminated Boston in the conference finals that Herro could be back by Game 3, which will take place on Wednesday. Herro didn’t provide a timetable earlier this week but said, “I’m going to be working out every day, twice, two, three times a day from here until the day I hopefully come back.”
Wojnarowski said if Herro doesn’t play in Game 2 that “barring a setback, there’s confidence Tyler Herro will be ready to return (in Game 3).”
Herro was the team’s third-leading scorer during the regular season at 20.1 points per game. He also averaged 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 34.9 minutes per game. He’s a career 38.3% 3-point shooter and 87.5% free throw shooter.
Herro signed a four-year, $120MM extension prior to this season that will kick in next season.
Nuggets Notes: Jackson, Nurkic, Jokic, Altitude, Malone
Nuggets guard Reggie Jackson got a taste of the NBA Finals as a rookie in 2012 with the Thunder, who lost to the Heat. Jackson finds himself facing the Heat again 11 years later after passing through several organizations.
Jackson never realized how hard it would be to get back to the Finals, he told Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times.
“I just thought it was going to be championship after championship after championship,” Jackson said. “So being here, taking 11 years, the ups and downs of the business, injuries, changing franchises, yeah, I don’t take it for granted. I think the 11-year run has made me realize how much luck you really have to have.”
We have more on the Nuggets as they head into the Finals:
- Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic remains close friends with Nikola Jokic. Nurkic asked for a trade after it became clear Jokic was Denver’s center of the future and he was dealt to Portland during the 2016/17 season. Jokic actually offered to the coaching staff to give Nurkic his starting job back prior to the deal, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. “We still talk about what could have been,” Nurkic said. “But everything happens for a reason. I’m happy with my career. And I’m happy for him too … His story is really amazing.”
- Coach Michael Malone hopes Denver’s altitude will mess with the Heat‘s heads and lungs, ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk writes. “When we can establish that pace of play, that makes it really hard for visiting teams to kind of sustain and stay with that initially,” Malone said. “Most teams will wind up getting their second wind and be able to work themselves into that. But yeah, the altitude is here, man. Might as well use it to our advantage.”
- The smartest thing owner Stan Kroenke did was remain patient with Malone, Sean Keeler of the Denver Post opines. His core players believe in him and that’s why the Nuggets are in the Finals for the first time. Malone is grateful for the ownership group’s trust in him. “I feel really fortunate and blessed to be working in an organization run by Stan and Josh Kroenke,” Malone said. “They gave me a chance eight years ago to lead this team, and the most important part of this last eight years is their ability to be patient and have a big-picture approach and let this thing grow into what it is today.”
Pacific Notes: Williams, Lakers Free Agency, Clippers Draft, Vezenkov
Many owners around the league may not be happy about Monty Williams’ record-breaking contract to coach the Pistons, but Suns owner Mat Ishbia should be pleased. Since there was an offset provision in Williams’ contract, the Suns no longer owe him any money, John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM Phoenix tweets.
The Suns owed Williams approximately $21MM for the remaining three years on his deal but the Pistons are paying him far more than that, having reportedly agreed on a six-year, $78.5MM contract.
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Bruce Brown, Torrey Craig, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Okogie, Max Strus and Yuta Watanabe are some of the wing options the Lakers might explore with their non-taxpayer mid-level exception, Jovan Buha of The Athletic opines in his latest mailbag. Buha delves into a number of topics, including the possibility of LeBron James choosing to retire.
- If the Clippers retain their draft picks (No. 30 overall in the first round, No. 48 in the second round), they’ll likely use one of them on a power forward that they can develop, according to Law Murray of The Athletic. The organization hasn’t drafted a true power forward in the first round since 2016.
- EuroLeague Most Valuable Player Sasha Vezenkov, whose NBA rights are held by the Kings, says he’s ready for new challenges, as Sportando relays. In a Bulgarian TV interview, Vezenkov said, “Nobody knows what will happen in a few years, so I will decide how to proceed when the time comes. We agreed that it would be best to finish the season and then talk. We’ll see if they have a specific offer and what I will decide. I’m ready for new challenges, but as I’ve said before, Athens and Olympiacos are my home and I feel great.” Vezenkov has buyout language in his Olympiacos contract if he wants to sign with Sacramento.
Joe Mazzulla To Remain Celtics’ Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla will return as the Celtics’ head coach, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said in a press conference on Thursday, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe tweets.
Mazzulla was thrust into the head coaching job just as the season was set to begin when Ime Udoka was suspended by the team for the season. Mazzulla eventually had the interim tag removed and received an extension in mid-season.
Questions about Mazzulla’s status arose as the Celtics fell behind 3-0 in the best-of-seven series to underdog Miami in the conference finals. Boston rallied to tie the series but played poorly in Game 7 after Jayson Tatum suffered a first-quarter injury and got eliminated on its home floor.
Stevens believes that Mazzulla will benefit from having been thrown into the fire this past season, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston tweets.
“Joe’s experience now, you could probably measure in dog years, right? Because he’s now been in three Eastern Conference finals and a Finals,” said Stevens, referring to Mazzulla’s stint as an assistant as well as this season. “Now he’s been the head coach throughout one of those runs, I mean that’s an experience in and of itself.”
Stevens believes Mazzulla has the leadership qualities to be a head coach for many seasons, Jared Weiss of The Athletic tweets.
“He’s a terrific leader,” he said. “He’ll only get better at anything that he can learn from this year cause he’s constantly trying to learn and he’s accountable. Those leadership qualities are hard to find.”
Mazzulla will have some different voices on the staff, according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link). The staff is expected to be overhauled, with former Rockets coach Stephen Silas a leading candidate to be one of those additions.
GM Scott Perry To Depart Knicks’ Organization
Knicks general manager Scott Perry will leave the organization once his contract expires this summer, Steve Popper of Newsday reports.
Perry joined New York’s front office in 2017. Current president of basketball operations Leon Rose, who was hired in 2020, gave him a contract extension two years ago.
However, Perry’s influence in the front office has waned as executive VP William Wesley and senior basketball consultant Gerrson Rosas have taken a bigger role in personnel moves.
Perry was instrumental in drafting RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson and signing Julius Randle as a free agent.
Perry has been a front office mainstay in the league since 2000, when he was hired by the Pistons. He was also an executive with Seattle in its last season before the franchise moved and had stints with Orlando and Sacramento. Before he was hired by the Knicks, Perry was part of the Kings group that drafted De’Aaron Fox.
Draft Notes: Strawther, Bagley, LeDee, Flanigan, Nelson, Gaines
Gonzaga forward Julian Strawther has decided to remain in the draft, Jeff Goodman of Stadium tweets. Strawther averaged 15.2 points and shot 41 percent from beyond the arc last season. He’s ranked No. 56 on ESPN’s Best Available list, making him a potential second round pick.
Arizona’s Marcus Bagley – the younger brother of Pistons big man Marvin Bagley III – has also decided to remain in the draft despite appearing in just five games over the last two seasons, CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein tweets.
Several other players who declared for the draft have opted to remove their names as the withdrawal deadline for early entrants nears. Here are some of the players who are headed back to school:
- Jaedon LeDee, F, San Diego State (senior) (Instagram link).
- Allen Flanigan, F, Mississippi (senior) (Twitter link via Matt Norlander).
- Note: Flanigan is transferring from Auburn.
- Grant Nelson, C, (senior) (Twitter link via Goodman).
- Note: Nelson is in the transfer portal after playing at North Dakota State.
- Clarence Daniels II, F, New Hampshire (junior) (Twitter link via Rothstein).
- Eric Gaines, G, UAB (sophomore) (Twitter link via Goodman).
- Tyrin Lawrence, G (junior) (Twitter link via Rothstein).
- Note: Lawrence is in the transfer portal after playing at Vanderbilt.
- Enrique Freeman, F, Akron (junior) (Twitter link via Rothstein).