Monty Williams Agrees To Become Top Sixers Assistant
Monty Williams has reached an agreement with the Sixers to become Brett Brown’s top assistant, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
Williams emerged last week as a candidate to join Brown’s staff. He’ll replace Lloyd Pierce, who was named the Hawks’ head coach. Brown agreed to a three-year extension with the Sixers last week.
Williams will be leaving his position as the Spurs’ vice president of basketball operations. He spent five seasons as a head coach with the Pelicans, compiling a 173-221 record and reaching the playoffs twice, and wanted to return to coaching.
Williams served as associate head coach with the Thunder during the 2015/16 season before the Spurs hired him.
West Draft Workouts: Jazz, T-Wolves, Blazers, Suns
UCLA point guard Aaron Holiday and Duke guard Grayson Allen were among the first-round prospects that the Jazz evaluated on Monday, according to a team tweet. Holiday is ranked No. 17 by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony on his latest Top 100 prospects list, while Allen checks in at No. 30. Creighton’s Khyri Thomas (No. 27), Villanova’s Jalen Brunson (No. 34), Louisville’s Ray Spalding (No. 52) and San Diego State’s Malik Pope were the other prospects who visited Utah.
We have some other draft workouts involving Western Conference clubs to pass along:
- Villanova point guard Donte DiVincenzo and Miami (Fla.) shooting guard Bruce Brown were the top prospects that the Timberwolves worked out on Monday, according to Darren Wolfson of KSTP. DiVincenzo and Brown are ranked No. 28 and No. 29 by Givony. They were joined by Rawle Alkins (Arizona), Jeffrey Carroll (Oklahoma State), D.J. Hogg (Texas A&M) and Josh Okogie (Georgia Tech). Contrary to a previous report, Okogie visited Minnesota for the first time (Twitter links here).
- Kentucky shooting guard Hamidou Diallo headlined the prospects that the Trail Blazers brought in on Monday, according to a team press release. Diallo is ranked No. 36 by Givony. Anfernee Simons, Jairus Lyles (UMBC), Victor Sanders (Idaho), Trevon Duval (Duke) and Shake Milton (SMU) were the other guards that Portland checked out.
- French guard Elie Okobo topped the list of prospects the Suns evaluated on Monday, according to a team tweet. Okobo is ranked No. 21 by Givony. He was joined by Jevon Carter (West Virginia), Joel Berry (North Carolina), Wenyen Gabriel (Kentucky), Thomas Welsh (UCLA) and Ajdin Penava (Marshall).
Andre Iguodala Considered Doubtful For Game 2
Warriors forward Andre Iguodala is doubtful to play in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday, coach Steve Kerr informed the media, including ESPN’s Marc Spears (Twitter link).
Iguodala hasn’t played since banging knees with the Rockets’ James Harden in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. In his absence, Kevon Looney has seen his role expand and Shaun Livingston has also gotten more playing time.
The Warriors have labeled Iguodala’s injury as a left lateral leg contusion/bone bruise.
Pistons Part Ways With GM Jeff Bower
The Pistons have decided to cut ties with GM Jeff Bower, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
Bower was hired to be Stan Van Gundy’s right-hand man when he took charge four summers ago. Owner Tom Gores fired Van Gundy last month and is currently conducting a search for a coach and front-office executive.
Ed Stefanski was hired last week as a senior advisor in charge of overhauling the team’s basketball operations. Van Gundy served as both head coach and president of basketball operations but Gores now wants separation between the two jobs.
Bower had continued his duties after Van Gundy’s departure but his contract was expiring at the end of June and Gores had to make a decision whether to retain him or move on.
Searches to fill the coaching and front office vacancies are ongoing.
On the coaching front, the team has lined up or already interviewed TNT analyst Kenny Smith, Heat assistant Juwan Howard, Spurs assistant Ime Udoka, Michigan coach John Beilein and former Raptors head coach Dwane Casey.
Nets assistant Trajan Langdon , TNT analyst Brent Barry, Hawks executive Malik Rose, Grizzlies assistant Tayshaun Prince and ESPN analyst Chauncey Billups are among the candidates for the front-office job.
Sixers, Brett Brown Agree To Three-Year Extension
MAY 31: The Sixers have officially announced Brown’s new extension, confirming that it runs through 2021/22.
“Brett has done a terrific job over the past several years building and cultivating a program, but the substantially positive growth in the win column these past two seasons has proven he is the right man to continue leading this team in our quest for an NBA championship,” president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo said in a statement. “I couldn’t be more thrilled for Brett, his family, and the organization to be moving forward for several years to come.”
MAY 29: The Sixers and coach Brett Brown have reached an agreement on a three-year contract extension, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
The three-year contract extension will lock up Brown through the 2021/22 season, Derek Bodner of The Athletic tweets.
Brown, 57, has coached the team since the 2013/14 season. He was hired to guide them through the lean years and the front office stuck with him as the Sixers lost 63, 64, 72 and 54 games. He was originally signed to a four-year deal and received a two-year extension in December 2015.
Philadelphia’s commitment to Brown was rewarded when the team finished 52-30 this season and reached the Eastern Conference semifinals before falling to the Celtics.
Draft Decisions: Ward, Morgan, Edwards, Waters
Michigan State sophomore center Nick Ward has decided to return to school, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets. He averaged 12.4 PPG and 7.1 RPG for the Spartans last season. The Bulls, Knicks, Thunder and Pistons were among the teams that worked him out this month.
We have more draft decisions with Wednesday’s deadline fast approaching:
- Indiana forward Juwan Morgan revealed he’s going back to school via his Instagram page, Rothstein tweets. Morgan averaged 16.5 PPG and 7.4 RPG as a junior.
- Purdue’s Carsen Edwards is removing his name from the draft, Boilermakers coach Matt Painter told Nathan Baird of the Lafayette Journal and Courier (Twitter link). Edwards, a 6-foot point guard, was ranked No. 70 by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. Edwards posted averages of 18.5 PPG and 2.8 APG as a sophomore.
- LSU’s Tremont Waters posted on Instagram that he will return to college for his sophomore season, Cody Worsham of Tiger Rag tweets. The 5’11” guard averaged 15.9 PPG and 6.0 APG in an impressive college debut.
Hawks Guard Tyler Dorsey Charged With DUI In Oregon
Hawks guard Tyler Dorsey was charged in Eugene, Ore., over the weekend with driving under the influence of intoxicants, Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal Constitution relays via a report by KVAL.com. Dorsey was not arrested.
Dorsey, who played college ball at Oregon, allegedly was driving with his lights off early Saturday morning. An open container of alcohol was spotted on the passenger floorboard, according to police.
“The vehicle came to a rolling stop, and then rolled forward again before coming to a complete stop,” the police report said. “Upon speaking with Dorsey, the officer suspected impairment.”
The 6’5” shooting guard posted averages of 7.2 PPG, 2.3 RPG and 1.4 APG in his rookie campaign while appearing in 56 games. He was selected with the No. 41 overall pick in last year’s draft. Dorsey will make $1.378MM next season.
Andre Roberson Undergoes Knee Surgery
Thunder guard Andre Roberson underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Tuesday, Royce Young of ESPN tweets.
The surgery was necessitated by swelling associated with his rehab from a ruptured patella, Young adds, though the patella itself is healing well.
The procedure was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthapedic Clinic in Los Angeles. He remains on pace to return for the start of next season, according to a team press release.
Roberson was a key component in the Thunder’s defensive scheme and was sorely missed when he ruptured the patella at the Pistons’ new Little Caesars Arena on January 27th. He underwent surgery to repair the patella the following day.
Oklahoma City’s defensive rating was fifth in the NBA at 103.1 with a healthy Roberson and dropped all the way to 15th (107) in 33 games without him.
Roberson is signed through the next two seasons. He’ll make $10MM next season and $10.74MM in 2019/20.
While it’s still a long way from training camp, Roberson’s latest surgery might play into Oklahoma City’s approach this offseason. Another defensive option along the perimeter could certainly be on the wish list if there are concerns about Roberson’s long-term recovery.
St. John’s Shamorie Ponds Returning To College
St. John’s Shamorie Ponds has decided to withdraw his name from the draft prior to Wednesday’s deadline, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweets.
The Lakers, Nets, Cavaliers, Jazz and Nuggets were among the teams that worked out the 6’1” guard this month. However, the odds were stacked against him when he didn’t receive an invite to the draft combine.
The sophomore guard put up a 21.6/5.0/4.7 line for the Red Storm this past season. He was ranked No. 61 among ESPN Jonathan Givony’s Top 100 prospects.
Middleton Hopes To Play Long-Term With Bucks
Khris Middleton feels appreciated by the Bucks’ management team and hopes to play in Milwaukee beyond his current deal, he told Michael Scotto of The Athletic. Middleton has two years and $26MM remaining on his contract, with a player option in that final year. During the process in which Mike Budenholzer was hired as head coach, Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo were invited to a breakfast with the ex-Hawks coach.
“They want me to be there long-term. They brought it to my attention that they wanted me to be a part of the process,” Middleton said. “That’s a huge thing for me. It makes me feel comfortable. It makes me want to be there longer.”
Some other nuggets from Scotto’s story:
- Budenholzer will emphasize player and ball movement over isolation plays. That should help take some of the scoring burden off of Antetokounmpo and Middleton.
- Co-owner Jamie Dinan is impressed by the way Budenholzer takes responsibility for a team’s success or failure. “He basically said a poor coach blames his players,” Dinan said. “He says, ‘I think I can get the most out of my players, and you’d be amazed at how good, if you motivate people, that they can actually be.’”
- Middleton has toured the team’s new arena, slated to open next season, and gives it a big thumbs up. “It’s top-notch and first class. The locker rooms are amazing,” he said. “I gave Peter Feigin, our president, a little bit of grief about the visiting locker rooms being nice, too. They can’t be this nice in the arena.”