Western Notes: Thompson, Miller, Brunson, Williamson
It’s been nearly a year since Warriors guard Klay Thompson suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during last year’s Finals. However, GM Bob Myers isn’t sure if Thompson can be listed as fully recovered until he tests the knee in 1-on-1 and 2-on-2 situations, Mark Medina of USA Today tweets. Myers added, “He’s recovering fine; he hasn’t had any setback.”
Myers is also unsure whether the Warriors will be big players in the free agent and trade markets this summer, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. “Depending on the economics, we have to be pragmatic and smart…I have no idea what the future holds, but we have an ownership group that’s aggressive and pushes the limits,” Myers said.
We have more from the Western Conference:
- It’s possible Pelicans forward Darius Miller could return to action this summer after suffering a torn right Achilles tendon last August, ESPN’s Andrew Lopez tweets. Miller has continued his rehab throughout quarantine and his status will be determined during the team’s training camp prior to heading to Orlando. If he can’t go, a two-way player will likely fill his roster spot, Lopez adds.
- The Mavericks still don’t plan on guard Jalen Brunson returning this season, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News tweets. Brunson underwent right shoulder surgery this same week that play was halted. He hasn’t played since February 22.
- A Florida judge ruled last week that Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson must answer questions regarding alleged benefits he received before and during his one season at Duke, Mark Schlabach of ESPN reports. Williamson is being sued for $100MM for alleged breach of a marketing agreement. A Florida appeals court subsequently granted a temporary stay and paused proceedings in the lawsuit from Prime Sports Marketing and company president Gina Ford, whose attorneys must respond within 10 days, according to an Associated Press report.
Pistons Notes: Summer League, Billups, GM Search, Roster, Grades
As one of the eight teams that won’t head to Orlando to resume the season, the Pistons have made proposals to the league for a revised summer league and earlier training camp, Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press reports.
The Pistons would like to hold a “mini-summer league” in July featuring structured workouts and games against other lottery-bound teams for their younger players. They also requested to hold a team training camp in mid-September for all players under contract for next season, Sankofa adds. That wouldn’t include free agent signings and draft picks, since that would occur in October. The start of the 2020/21 season has been pushed to December.
We have more Pistons-related news:
- In the same story, Sankofa indicated that Chauncey Billups is a front office candidate but not for the position he covets. The Pistons are seeking a GM and assistant GM. Billups is only interested in the GM job but the front office would rather bring him in as assistant GM and groom their 2004 NBA Finals MVP for a higher-level executive position.
- The GM search signals that senior adviser Ed Stefanski will eventually move into a background role, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic notes. The franchise prefers an experienced candidate for the GM job who can make an immediate impact and oversee player evaluations and the draft, Edwards continues. It’s also possible that the Pistons will hire multiple assistant GMs and leave the GM spot vacant for next season, he adds.
- Blake Griffin, Sekou Doumbouya and Bruce Brown are the players under contract most likely to remain on the roster entering next season, Keith Langlois of the team’s website opines. Derrick Rose will also likely be back, though he’d be a prime trade candidate in his walk year if the team fortifies the point guard spot, Langlois adds.
- A couple of players earned A-minuses from Detroit News beat writer Rod Beard. See all his evaluations and final grades here.
Players Exiting Bubble Must Go Through Lengthy Quarantine
Any player who leaves Orlando’s “bubble” environment will have to quarantine at least 10 days and have two negative tests for COVID-19 in order to participate again, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
The same protocols will be employed if a player tests positive while in the Disney World complex, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.
The restrictions for players exiting the bubble should serve as a deterrent from straying outside the complex except for emergency and family reasons. If a player was caught off-campus for any other reason, they could jeopardize their team’s postseason aspirations and risk the ire of their teammates and coaches. They would have to miss multiple games, along with being confined to their rooms for 10 days or more.
With so many teams heading to Orlando, the NBA will try to stagger their arrival times for safety reasons, O’Connor hears. All teams are tentatively scheduled to arrive between July 7-9, followed by a coronavirus test and a 36-hour quarantine. The season is scheduled to restart on July 31.
Interestingly, the NBA is hopeful of using a saliva mouth swab as an alternative to the nasal swab if it proves reliable, O’Connor continues.
Prior to arriving at Orlando, teams would conduct two-week training camps with COVID-19 testing likely to occur every other day, O’Connor adds.
For more details on the return-to-play plan, click here.
Isaac, Aminu Unlikely To Play Until Next Season
Magic forwards Jonathan Isaac and Al-Farouq Aminu are unlikely to return this season despite the extended layoff, according to Roy Parry of the Orlando Sentinel.
Isaac suffered a knee injury on New Year’s Day and hasn’t played since that game in Washington. Isaac was establishing himself as a defensive force before the severe left knee sprain.
Aminu hasn’t played since November 29. Aminu underwent arthroscopic surgery in early January to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.
The Magic were granted a disabled player exception for Aminu but were denied another one for Isaac’s injury.
“Not a whole lot of news there,” Orlando president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said of the duo. “As always, we’re going to wait and see how they respond to rehab. They’re both working very hard.”
Both players have guaranteed contracts for next season and the Magic plan to proceed with caution. Orlando is currently No. 8 in the Eastern Conference as play is expected to resume on July 31.
“There’s a difference of being healthy and then being safely healthy,” Weltman said. “It will have been a long, long time since those guys played and you know organizationally that we’re never going to put our guys in a position where they’re exposed to any sort of risk of injury. So that being said, we’ll just continue to see how they progress.”
Pacific Notes: Wiseman, Warriors, Sarver, Clippers
The Warriors have already met with some prominent draft prospects via Zoom, including center James Wiseman and guard LaMelo Ball, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. Wiseman is currently rated at No. 3 by ESPN with Ball at No. 2, just behind Georgia guard Anthony Edwards. With the draft rescheduled to October 15th, the Warriors anticipate they’ll get to evaluate prospects in person at some point.
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- With the Warriors left out of the 22-team restart of the season, Draymond Green stands to benefit the most among the franchise’s players, Slater opines in a separate story. Green had been nursing a variety of injuries prior to the suspension of play and now he’ll get plenty of time to heal up prior to next season. Young players such as Eric Paschall, Jordan Poole, Alen Smailagic and Mychal Mulder will be hurt the most by the long gap between seasons, Slater adds.
- Suns owner Robert Sarver says there are many hurdles to clear before play can resume in Orlando on July 31, according to Matt Layman of ArizonaSports.com. Sarver made his comments in a radio interview with 98.7 FM. “The logistics with Disney — you know a number of these hotels have had layoffs, have been partially closed or fully closed, and so there’s a re-startup there,” he said. “And then there’s the whole health concern with COVID-19 and how that plays out and making sure that we go back to what our first priority was, which was the health and safety of the players and the staff.”
- If the Clippers are able to re-sign free agents Marcus Morris and Montrezl Harrell, they’re likely to bring back virtually the same team next season, John Hollinger of The Athletic predicted in a conversation with fellow Athletic writer Jovan Buha. Hollinger believes in that scenario the only additions will be a second-round draft pick and a minimum-contract point guard to replace Reggie Jackson.
Eastern Notes: Kennard, Biyombo, Van Gundy, Tatum
Pistons swingman Luke Kennard has fully healed from the knee tendinitis that sidelined him for nearly three months before the season was suspended, Rod Beard of the Detroit News tweets. Kennard will have to wait until December to play again since the lottery-bound Pistons won’t be part of 22-team restart in Orlando. He’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension when this season ends.
We have more from the Eastern Conference:
- The Hornets’ season is over and that means three of their players are now free agents, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer notes. Centers Bismack Biyombo and Willy Hernangomez and guard Dwayne Bacon will be on the market in October when free agency begins. Guard Malik Monk remains suspended indefinitely for violation of the NBA anti-drug policy, Bonnell adds. Monk was suspended in late February.
- Tom Thibodeau is considered the front-runner for the Knicks head coaching job and Jeff Van Gundy says Thibodeau is misunderstood, Marc Berman of the New York Post relays. The longtime TV analyst and former Knicks coach made his comments during a Sirius XM Radio interview. “Unfortunately for him the perception of him on the sidelines as this gruff, nasty dude is not even close to who is he personally,” Van Gundy said. “Like, he is a great guy. He’s fun to be around. He’s enjoyable to be around, and he loves basketball.”
- NBC Sports’ A. Sherrod Blakely takes a close look on what Celtics fans should watch for when the season resumes, including whether Jayson Tatum can continue his breakout season.
Coronavirus Notes: Playoff Format, Paychecks, Paul
A play-in tournament could result in nine Western Conference teams participating in a 16-team playoff, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. A 22-team format appears to be the most popular plan for the resumption of play. According to Berman, the six extra teams may compete with the two current No. 8 seeds from each conference in an eight-team, single-elimination tournament. Washington would be the only Eastern Conference team among that group of six extra teams.
We have more COVID-19 related news:
- NBA players received on Monday — the first day of the month — reduced paychecks for the second time since the suspension of play, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. NBA players accepted a 25% reduction on their paychecks beginning on May 15. Starting on June 15, the 25% reduction will likely either decrease or increase based on how many regular-season games the league attempts to play, Marks adds.
- Players Association president Chris Paul speaks regularly with Adam Silver, which has built trust between the league’s stars and the commissioner, as Royce Young of ESPN details. Paul has talked more than once a week with Silver during the pandemic, serving as the liaison between the players and the commissioner. “I just look at it as guys are actually concerned and they want to know what’s going on,” Paul said. “They should have a say in their future.”
- Some executives have raised concerns about not allowing all teams to participate in a restart of the season. Get the details here.
And-Ones: Yabusele, British League, Jones, NBCA
Former NBA forward Guerschon Yabusele has signed a one-year contract with LDLC Asvel, according to a press release from the French club (hat tip to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Yabusele appeared in four games for Asvel before the pandemic suspended play after beginning the season in China. Yabusele was drafted in the first round by the Celtics in 2016 and played 74 games over two seasons with Boston.
We have more from around the basketball world:
- The British Basketball League has canceled the remainder of its season, according to a statement from the league. “We looked at every option, including playing behind closed doors or restarting the season in the summer, in order that we could get to a league and playoff winners, but with the continued uncertainty, we just ran out of time and options,” BBL Chairman Sir Rodney Walker said. “The clubs were united that now was the right time to bring the current season to a close.”
- Veteran NBA forward Terrence Jones has signed with Team Washington for TBT 2020, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets. The Basketball Tournament is a 5-on-5, winner-take-all event with a grand prize of $2MM. Jones has played with Houston, New Orleans and Milwaukee since being drafted 18th overall back in 2012.
- A number of prominent coaches have been selected by the National Basketball Coaches Association for a committee on racial injustice and reform to pursue solutions within NBA cities, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Gregg Popovich, Steve Kerr, Lloyd Pierce, David Fizdale and Stan Van Gundy were among the coaches selected to a committee in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and a continuing pattern of violence and intolerance toward African Americans in the U.S.
Corey Brewer Wants To Continue NBA Career
Journeyman forward Corey Brewer wants to continue his career and believes he has “a few good years left,” he told Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype during a Q&A session.
Brewer did not play in the NBA this season and is currently a free agent. He played a combined 31 games for Philadelphia and Sacramento last season. He has averaged 8.7 PPG in 23.0 MPG over 814 career games.
Brewer’s representatives tried in vain to find him a place to play this season.
“We had some talks with a few teams, but nothing really happened. My agent is still working on it, so we’ll see,” he said. “I feel like I can still help a team and I feel like I have a few good years left. But you never know, man. It’s a lot of young guys now. But we’ll see what happens.”
Brewer turned 34 in March and has worn the uniform of eight different teams. He feels he can be a leader as well as contributing on the court.
“I can point out some things that can help the young guys,” he said. “There are a lot of little things in basketball that guys really need help with. They only see the big picture, they don’t see the little things.”
Brewer is interested in coaching and broadcasting when he officially retires.
Plan With 22 Teams Has Growing Support
A plan to bring 22 teams to Orlando to resume the season has received growing support, several members of the NBA’s Board of Governors told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne.
As we detailed earlier on Friday, the Board of Governors will vote on Thursday on the preferred format to return to play.
The four formats up for vote would include 16, 20, 22 or all 30 teams. The latter is the least likely to be approved, according to the ESPN report.
The 22-team format would likely include regular-season and play-in games to compete for playoff berths in both conferences.
The teams that would be invited are the ones that currently hold playoff spots and those that are currently within six games of the final playoff spots in each conference. The six-team group would include the Pelicans, Suns, Trail Blazers, Kings, Spurs and Wizards.
If the 20-team plan is approved, the Suns and Wizards would not participate. The NBA needs a three-fourths majority of owners to approve a return-to-play plan.