Trae Young Won’t Play In Game 5; Capela To Suit Up
6:17pm: Young “just didn’t feel comfortable enough to go tonight,” Hawks coach Nate McMillan said. Center Clint Capela, who was listed as questionable, will play, according to Sarah Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter links).
5:46pm: Hawks star point guard Trae Young won’t play in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Bucks tonight, Adrian Wojnarowski and Malika Andrews of ESPN tweet.
Young is hopeful of playing in Game 6 in Atlanta on Saturday. Young also missed Game 4, a 110-88 Hawks victory, due to a right foot bone bruise.
He was listed as questionable to play in Game 5 but obviously the injury hasn’t healed sufficiently for Young to suit up. He was injured in Game 3 after stepping on an official’s foot.
Both teams will be missing their best player in the pivotal game of a series tied at two games apiece. Giannis Antetokounmpo was ruled out earlier in the day after hyperextending his left knee in Game 4.
Lloyd Pierce Finalizing Deal To Be Carlisle’s Top Assistant
The Pacers are finalizing a contract with Lloyd Pierce that would make him Rick Carlisle’s top assistant, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
Pierce was reportedly under consideration for a similar job with the Warriors. Pierce was replaced by Nate McMillan as the Hawks’ head coach on March 1 after the team began this season with a 14-20 record. Multiple players reportedly pushed for a coaching change.
Pierce previously served as an assistant coach in Cleveland, Golden State, Memphis, and Philadelphia before being hired as the Hawks’ head coach in 2018. Pierce led Atlanta to a 63-120 (.344) record in two-and-a-half seasons, with no playoff appearances.
Pierce is also on Gregg Popovich’s Team USA staff for this month’s Olympics.
Former Knicks coach David Fizdale reportedly turned down an offer from Indiana to join Frank Vogel’s staff with the Lakers.
French Forward Sarr Joins Overtime Elite
Overtime Elite has signed its first European player, French forward Alexandre Sarr, according to a team press release.
The 16-year-old Sarr played for the Real Madrid franchise last season and is ranked No. 9 by Eurospects.com for international prospects born in 2005. His older brother, Olivier, played at Wake Forest and Kentucky.
The Overtime Elite league serves as an alternative pathway for players to turn pro.
“Alexandre is a skilled and versatile athlete, a natural shot blocker, and a rebounder on both ends of the floor,” said Kevin Ollie, Overtime Elite’s head coach. “We look forward to experiencing rapid development every day once we can work with Alexandre in the gym.”
The 6’10” Sarr is the eighth player to join the new league. Point guard Jean Montero from the Dominican Republic was the first international player to sign with the league. Amen Thompson, Ausar Thompson, Matt Bewle, Ryan Bewley, Emmanuel Maldonado and Jai Smith have also made commitments.
Every player will earn a six-figure salary, with a guaranteed minimum salary of $100K, plus bonuses and shares of equity in Overtime.
And-Ones: Broekhoff, Grant, Whittington, COVID-19 Testing
Former Mavericks swingman Ryan Broekhoff has re-signed with South East Melbourne Phoenix in Australia’s NBL for two years, according to an NBL press release. Broekhoff played for the Phoenix this past season. He withdrew from playing in this summer’s Olympics with the Australian national team in order to focus on mental health issues.
We have more from the basketball world:
- Former NBA guard Jerian Grant is expected to sign with Italy’s Olimpia Milano, Aris Barkas of EuroHoops.net reports. While playing for Promitheas Patras in the Greek league this year, Grant averaged team-highs 15.2 PPG and 6.1 APG during the regular season. He was waived by the Rockets during training camp in December.
- Small forward Greg Whittington, who played four games with the Nuggets this season, has signed with Lokomotiv Kuban in Russia, according to LokoBasket.com. Whittington, who underwent knee surgery in January, was cut loose by Denver in April after spending most of the season with the Nuggets on a two-way contract.
- There have been no positive tests for the COVID-19 virus among players in the postseason since June 23, NBA Communications tweets. There were 94 players tested since that day. Chris Paul is the only player known to have tested positive since the playoffs began.
Pacers Notes: Fizdale, Collins, Pritchard, Turner, Sabonis, Workouts
David Fizdale turned down more money from the Pacers to be one of Rick Carlisle’s lead assistants in order to take a similar job with the Lakers, according to Marc Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link). Indiana’s interest in Fizdale was previously reported. Former Warriors assistant coach Jarron Collins is being considered for an assistant coaching position with the Pacers, Spears adds.
We have more on the Pacers;
- President of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said the hiring of Carlisle is a signal that the franchise is intent on winning a title, according to Michael Marot of The Associated Press. “We’re in a win-now mode, we’re trying to win and so we identified some traits or characteristics we wanted in a coach,” Pritchard said. “Those characteristics were first of all multiyear experience, we really wanted to have someone who had a championship pedigree and that can be challenging to find all of them in one person. What happened in this year’s search is Rick became available.”
- Myles Turner‘s name has often been tossed into trade rumors but Carlisle believes he can get more out of the frontcourt duo of Domantas Sabonis and Turner, Wheat Hotchkiss of Pacers.com writes. “When my teams have played them over the last few years, we’ve always felt like it was a physical beating that we were taking with them, both defensively and offensively,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the challenge of making it work.”
- The team is bringing in Brandon Boston Jr. (Kentucky), Matt Coleman III (Texas), EJ Onu (Shawnee State), Austin Reaves (Oklahoma), Jaden Springer (Tennessee) and Moses Wright (Georgia Tech) for pre-draft workouts on Thursday, according to a team press release. Springer, a point guard, is ranked No. 27 on ESPN’s Best Available list. Shooting guards Boston (No. 41) and Reaves (No. 44) are also ranked in the Top 50.
Leonard, Zubac Won’t Play In Game 6
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard and center Ivica Zubac will sit out Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals tonight, Marc Stein tweets.
Leonard hasn’t played in the series against the Suns due to a right knee injury that he suffered June 14 against Utah. Zubac is also sidelined by a right knee injury, officially described as an MCL sprain. The 24-year-old center played regularly during the first four games of the series, averaging 12.8 PPG and 11.0 RPG.
Marcus Morris is also dealing with a knee injury but he’ll play, according to coach Tyronn Lue, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN tweets.
With Zubac sidelined in Game 5, Lue went with a smaller lineup and his team staved off elimination with a 116-102 win. Guards Terance Mann and Patrick Beverley were inserted into the lineup with Morris and Paul George as the only natural forwards.
Central Notes: Mobley, Rose, Bulls’ Draft, McDermott, McConnell, Carlisle
Drafting Evan Mobley with the No. 3 pick wouldn’t necessarily mean the Cavaliers would let restricted free agent Jarrett Allen walk, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. The USC big man is widely considered one of the top four prospects in the draft, and sources tell Fedor the Cavs believe he could thrive at the four or the five, so he should be able to share the frontcourt with a center like Allen. Mobley could also slide over to the middle in some lineups, and his versatility would provide head coach J.B. Bickerstaff with more flexibility.
We have more from the Central Division:
- The Bulls ought to consider re-signing unrestricted free agent Derrick Rose, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago opines. Rose is coming off a strong season and if he’d be willing to accept some or all of their mid-level exception, it would energize the fan base.
- The Bulls don’t have a first-round pick but they’re approaching the draft with the idea that they could seize an opportunity to move into the first round, Johnson adds. They were also a presence at the combine, searching for a diamond in the rough with the No. 38 overall pick.
- Re-signing unrestricted free agents Doug McDermott and T.J. McConnell is a major focus for the Pacers this offseason, coach Rick Carlisle said on Tuesday, per Scott Agness of FieldhouseFiles.com (Twitter link). “The priority is to get the new staff in here, work towards good health as much as we can, try to get McConnell and McDermott re-signed if we can do that,” Carlisle said.
- Carlisle has yet to officially sign his contract but he plans to do so when he arrives in Indiana on July 5. He’s eager to work with the roster and find ways to make the current group better, according to Agness (Twitter links). “Whatever players are presented to me by management or ownership, I really take a great deal in pride and love the challenge of molding that group into the right kind of system,” he said.
Hawks’ Young, Capela Listed As Questionable For Game 5
Hawks guard Trae Young and center Clint Capela are listed as questionable for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Sarah K. Spencer of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets.
Young missed Game 4 on Tuesday with a right foot bone bruise, so the questionable tag should give Hawks fans some hope he’ll return to action in the pivotal game of the series. Atlanta’s 110-88 victory in Game 4 knotted the series at 2-2.
Capela is dealing with right eye inflammation. He caught an elbow from Bucks guard Sam Merrill in the late going, Tim Bontemps of ESPN tweets. He contributed 15 points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes during Game 4.
Additionally, Bogdan Bogdanovic is listed as probable despite right knee soreness, Spencer adds.
The Bucks are likely to be without their star. Giannis Antetokounmpo is listed as doubtful after suffering a hyperextension of his left knee in Game 4. An MRI revealed no structural damage.
Olympic Notes: Popovich, Lillard, Durant, Love, Grant, Broekhoff, Schröder
The respect that players have for longtime Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was instrumental in getting star players to commit to Team USA for the Summer Olympics, Brian Windhorst of ESPN reports. Popovich reached out to players but wasn’t overbearing and that helped gain their trust, compared to prior years when Team USA dealt with dozens of decommitments.
After Damian Lillard and Kevin Durant pledged to participate, Popovich and manager director Jerry Colangelo worked with the two perennial All-Stars to recruit other players.
Windhorst also offered up some other interesting tidbits:
- Lillard was miffed when he missed the final cut before Team USA went to Spain for the World Cup in 2014. That played a role in his decision not to compete for the 2016 Olympic team. With Popovich now coaching the team and knowing this could be a last chance play in the Olympics, Lillard was eager to sign up this time.
- While Kevin Love‘s stature around the league has taken a big hit in recent years, Popovich valued his versatility and shooting. The Cavaliers were also very supportive of Love’s opportunity to play for Team USA.
- Pistons forward Jerami Grant was offered a spot after James Harden declined due his hamstring injury. Lillard and Durant vouched for Grant, which tipped the scales in his favor for one of the last roster spots.
- On the international front, former Mavericks forward Ryan Broekhoff has withdrawn from the Australian national team due to mental health issues, Sportando relays. “My mental health is something I have struggled with for a long time and I think it’s important for me to put my hand up and admit when things aren’t OK and that it is time to seek help,” he said in a statement.
- Lakers guard Dennis Schröder will not play for Germany during the Olympic qualifying tournament next week due to insurance issues, Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press tweets. Schroder will be entering free agency this summer.
Pacific Notes: Anschutz, Vogel, Leonard, Bagley
Philip Anschutz has agreed to sell his 27% stake in the Lakers, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times confirms. Anschutz is the founder of AEG and owns the team’s arena, the Staples Center. Dodgers owners Mark Walter and Todd Boehly are making the purchase and the transaction values the Lakers at about $5 billion, Scott Soshnick of Sportico reports.
The sale of Anschutz’s stake in the Lakers, which is the largest outside of the Buss family, has to be approved by the league’s Board of Governors. Anschutz also owns of the NHL’s Kings and the MLS’ Galaxy. A major long term question is whether Anschutz’s first right to purchase, should the Buss family ever want to sell its majority stake, will transfer to the two buyers, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN tweets.
According to the Sportico report, the buyers will get those transfer rights.
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Frank Vogel is entering the final year of his three-year contract with the Lakers and some members of the organization are surprised he hasn’t already received an extension, according to Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register. Vogel could also face numerous staff changes since Jason Kidd, who has agreed to be the head coach of the Mavericks, could take several assistants with him to Dallas, Goon adds.
- Kawhi Leonard has not appeared in the Western Conference Finals and will miss Game 4 on Saturday due to a knee injury, but he’s been a major presence off the court, Kurt Helin of NBC Sports notes. Leonard and another injured Clippers player, Serge Ibaka, have been dispensing advice during games and practices. “Kawhi and Serge both have been great… Kawhi is just more, you know, everything: offense, defense, moving the basketball, how we can attack certain matchups, defensively how we can do different things on certain players,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “So, he’s always engaged on both ends.”
- Marvin Bagley III‘s future with the Kings remains up in the air and he’s facing a social media backlash from Sacramento fans, according to James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area. Bagley liked a tweet that stated, “We’ve got to get @MB3Five outta Sac man.” After a negative reaction from fans, Bagley removed any mention of the Kings from his bio on both Twitter and Instagram. Sacramento has already picked up Bagley’s $11.3MM option for next season but he’ll be eligible for free agency next summer.