Marial Shayok Signs With Turkish Team
Former Sixers forward Marial Shayok has signed with Turkish team Frutti Extra Bursaspor, according to agent Misko Raznatovic (Twitter link). Emiliano Carchia of Sportando first reported earlier this week that the two sides were engaged in “advanced talks.”
Shayok, the 54th overall pick in the 2019 draft, signed a two-way contract with Philadelphia and spent his rookie season with the franchise. Though he only appeared in four games at the NBA level, the 25-year-old was a standout in the G League, averaging 22.4 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 3.7 APG on .456/.358/.889 shooting in 36 games (29.2 MPG) for the Delaware Blue Coats.
Shayok’s two-way deal covered the 2020/21 season as well, but the 76ers opted not to keep him for the second year of the contract, waiving him in November. Dakota Mathias and Paul Reed are filling the team’s two-way slots this season.
Bursaspor is off to a slow start this season, with a 3-10 record in Turkish League action and a 3-7 mark in EuroCup play, so Shayok will look to help turn things around for his new club.
Pistons’ Killian Hayes Suffers Labral Tear In Hip
11:31am: The Pistons are sending Hayes to a specialist to determine next steps, reports Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports.
If Hayes can avoid surgery, he may miss about four-to-six weeks, says Goodwill. Sources tell Yahoo Sports that surgery is still an option, however — in that scenario, the rookie guard may not be able to return this season.
8:14am: Pistons rookie Killian Hayes has been diagnosed with a labral tear in his right hip, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Hayes suffered the injury in Monday night’s game against Milwaukee, leaving in the third quarter following a drive to the basket. The plan was to have him undergo an MRI on Tuesday, so presumably that MRI revealed the labral tear.
A timeline for Hayes’ return to the court has yet to be confirmed, tweets James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. It’s possible the Pistons and Hayes are still assessing whether or not the injury will require surgery — going under the knife would result in a longer-term absence for the No. 7 overall pick.
Hayes, one of the NBA’s youngest players, started each of Detroit’s first seven games and struggled to make an immediate impact in his first taste of NBA action. The 19-year-old averaged 4.6 PPG and 3.6 APG on .277/.250/.500 shooting in 21.1 minutes per contest.
With Hayes sidelined, the Pistons figure to lean more heavily on veteran point guards Derrick Rose and Delon Wright. Two-way players Saben Lee and Frank Jackson are also on the roster as depth options at the point, though neither one has seen any playing time yet this season.
Central Notes: Grant, DiVincenzo, Garland, Cavs, Bulls
While the opportunity to play a more significant role on offense played a major part in his decision to leave Denver for Detroit in November, Jerami Grant was drawn to the Pistons for another reason, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. The opportunity to play for a Black head coach (Dwane Casey) and for a franchise with a Black general manager (Troy Weaver) appealed to the veteran forward.
“Whether it’s on the court or off, there’s a sense of understanding that you get from — and I’m not going to say all, but a majority — Black people who have gone through and are going through some of the struggles that we do,” Grant said. “I think that gives you a better connection, makes it a little easier and makes you feel better about yourself when you have people that look like you around.”
Here’s more from around the Central:
- One silver lining of the Bucks‘ failed offseason attempt to sign-and-trade for Bogdan Bogdanovic – which cost them a future draft pick – is that the deal falling apart allowed the team to keep Donte DiVincenzo, writes Sam Amick of The Athletic. As Amick notes, DiVincenzo is off to a nice start this season, averaging 12.3 PPG and 1.7 APG with a .556 3PT% so far.
- The Cavaliers‘ injury woes are threatening to derail their surprising and promising start to the season, says Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The Cavs confirmed today in a press release that Dante Exum is expected to miss 6-8 weeks of basketball activity due to a right calf strain and said that Darius Garland (right shoulder sprain) might be sidelined for up to a week. The team has also been missing Kevin Love (calf), Dylan Windler (wrist), Matthew Dellavedova (concussion), Isaac Okoro (foot), and Kevin Porter Jr. (personal).
- The Bulls pulled to 4-4 with an impressive comeback win over Portland on Tuesday night, and their bench has been impressive in the early part of this season, says Sam Smith of Bulls.com. Smith enthusiastically refers to Chicago’s second unit – which includes Otto Porter Jr., Garrett Temple, Thaddeus Young, and Tomas Satoransky – as “perhaps the most veteran and experienced group in the NBA.”
Injury Updates: Burks, Lecque, MCW, Haliburton
Veteran guard Alec Burks, who has missed the Knicks‘ last four games due to a sprained left ankle, underwent further testing on that ankle and is now in a walking boot, according to the team (Twitter link). He’ll be re-evaluated in about 7-10 days.
It’s an unfortunate setback for Burks, who scored 22 points in each of the Knicks’ first two games and had already racked up 18 points in 21 minutes when he was injured on December 27. However, the club has managed to win four of five games since he suffered that ankle injury (including the one he left early).
Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:
- Pacers guard Jalen Lecque has suffered a Grade 2 left ankle sprain and has been ruled out indefinitely, the team announced in a press release. Lecque, acquired by Indiana in an offseason trade, will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
- Michael Carter-Williams has been diagnosed with a mild bone bruise and a sprained ligament in his left foot, according to the Magic (Twitter link). Carter-Williams has been ruled out for Wednesday’s game vs. Cleveland and may miss additional time — his return will depend on how he responds to treatment, per the team.
- Kings rookie guard Tyrese Haliburton, who has missed the team’s last two games due to a bone bruise in his left wrist, has been upgraded to questionable for Wednesday’s contest against Chicago, tweets Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. Even if Haliburton isn’t able to play tonight, it sounds like he’s close to a return.
Rockets Notes: Wood, Harden, McLemore, Martin, House, More
New Rockets center Christian Wood has been a revelation on offense in Houston so far, but in order to maximize his overall impact, he needs to become a more consistently reliable rim protector, as Kelly Iko of The Athletic writes.
“For us to be a great defense, it’s all about protection in the paint, protecting that rim,” Eric Gordon said on Monday. “If guards come down and they have to think about scoring over Christian Wood, that’s gonna help us.”
According to Iko, rebounding is also an area the Rockets will need to improve. When the team was playing micro-ball last season, its poor rebounding numbers were understandable, but those struggles have carried over to the early part of 2020/21, even with Wood and other big men now part of the rotation. Houston currently ranks 29th in rebounding percentage.
Here’s more on the Rockets:
- While James Harden has made it clear that he wants to be traded out of Houston, he still has to prove what sort of sacrifices he’s willing to make if he wants to win a championship, writes Howard Beck of Sports Illustrated. Some executives who spoke to Beck were skeptical that the former MVP would readily change his playing style to help a new team. “James is like Allen Iverson: He wants to win his way and put up historical numbers while he’s winning,” one veteran Eastern Conference executive said. “I would never question their desire to win, but they all want to win on their terms.”
- Ben McLemore and KJ Martin, who were self-isolating after reportedly testing positive for COVID-19, have returned to the team but are focusing on improving their conditioning and aren’t traveling to Indiana for Wednesday’s game, says Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Danuel House, who continues to be nagged by a sore back, also won’t be with the club for that game.
- In a separate article for The Houston Chronicle, Feigen takes a look at the strong start Sterling Brown has enjoyed after signing with the Rockets as a free agent in November.
- Kelly Iko and Tim Cato of The Athletic revisit Stephen Silas‘ days as an assistant coach with the Mavericks and explore how that position helped prepare him for his first head coaching job in Houston.
League Officials Have Floated Possible $2.5 Billion Expansion Fee
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in his preseason press conference last month that the league has become more open to the idea of expanding beyond its current 30 teams. While Silver cautioned that expansion isn’t “on the front burner,” a report on Tuesday from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst suggests there have been some discussions about the concept in the league office.
According to Windhorst, officials have “floated” a price tag of $2.5 billion as a potential expansion fee for two new teams in the near future.
Expansion fees – which are paid by the incoming franchises – are split equally by the NBA’s current teams and aren’t shared with players. That means two new franchises paying $2.5 billion apiece could result in a $160MM+ windfall for each of the league’s 30 existing clubs, Windhorst notes.
It’s not clear whether that $2.5 billion projection is a realistic one, but the NBA “knows its business and its bidders,” according to Windhorst, who points out that multiple groups based in cities like Seattle and Las Vegas could have interest in establishing a new NBA franchise and could be motivated to meet the league’s asking price in an expansion scenario.
With a number of current teams accumulating debt during the coronavirus pandemic, interest in the idea of expansion has increased, Windhorst writes.
Still, team owners looking to make up for lost short-term revenue should be wary of pushing to do so via an expansion fee. As Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and others have pointed out, that expansion fee is essentially a loan that will be repaid over the years via revenue sharing if teams are receiving 1/32nd of the league-wide pie instead of 1/30th.
And-Ones: Montgomery, Thomas, NCAA Tourney, 2021 Draft
Former Kentucky forward E.J. Montgomery, who was in training camp with the Bucks last month, has signed with Lithuanian team BC Nevezis, according to an announcement from the club (Twitter link).
After going undrafted in 2020 following his sophomore season with the Wildcats, Montgomery caught on with Milwaukee on a non-guaranteed camp deal, but was cut on December 16. While the Bucks may have, at one point, envisioned Montgomery as a potential G League affiliate player, the Wisconsin Herd opted out of the NBAGL’s bubble plan for 2020/21, opening the door for the 21-year-old to pursue another professional opportunity.
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Isaiah Thomas and Excel Sports Management have parted ways, as the free agent point guard continues to seek an NBA comeback, per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Presumably, Thomas will hire new representation to spearhead the effort to land him an NBA job.
- The NCAA was forced to cancel March Madness in 2020, but the 2021 event is still scheduled to tip off in mid-March. According to a press release from the NCAA, the plan is for the entire tournament to take place in Indiana to reduce the coronavirus risk associated with travel.
- Michael Scotto of HoopsHype spoke to a handful of player agents and team executives about what it looks like when a player requests a trade and how the process typically plays out behind the scenes.
- Draft expert Jeff Goodman of Stadium has unveiled his big board for the 2021 NBA draft, which is headed by Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs. Cade Cunningham (Oklahoma State), Jalen Green (G League Ignite), Evan Mobley (USC), and Jonathan Kuminga (G League Ignite) fill out Goodman’s initial top five. The same five prospects are atop ESPN’s big board, albeit in a different order.
Team Staffers Struggling To Balance New COVID-19 Responsibilities With Typical Duties
Team officials around the NBA who have been tasked with enforcing and managing COVID-19 protocols – in addition to their typical team duties – are feeling overwhelmed and are struggling to keep up, writes Baxter Holmes of ESPN.
A number of those officials who have to manage the new health and safety protocols have had trouble balancing their roles and are concerned they’re not spending enough time on the usual treatment, recovery, and training for players, according to Holmes.
“What scares me — and I know it’s happening — is that their normal job of doing health care on players (is impaired),” one league source told ESPN. “I’ve had some trainers tell me, ‘I haven’t touched a player in two weeks because I’ve been so busy doing all this logistics and testing and all that.’ That’s concerning. That’s definitely what I don’t want to happen.”
While no one who spoke to Holmes blamed the NBA for its diligence in establishing extensive coronavirus protocols, most felt worn out by all the extra work those protocols have created. One head athletic trainer for a Western Conference team told ESPN that the usual workload has at least doubled, if not tripled, this season.
As Holmes writes, the league required each club to name a testing officer, a contact tracing officer, a face mask enforcement officer, a facility hygiene officer, a health education and awareness officer, and a travel safety officer, among other positions. In many cases, the same staffer holds more than one of those roles.
The league’s protocols are also constantly evolving and being updated, and teams must account for varying local rules and regulations in each market on road trips.
“There’s just not enough hours in the day to read the memos, the nuances, compliance, testing, the things that quickly change.” one Western Conference GM told Holmes. “You have constant scenarios happening where the memos don’t cover that particular situation…That’s no one’s fault. It’s just where we’re at.”
There’s hope among teams’ health officials that they’ll be able to get accustomed to their dual roles and “find a rhythm” as the season progresses, according to Holmes, but there’s also concern that the burnout will only get worse.
“Every waking hour seems to be committed to (the protocols),” one Eastern Conference head athletic training official said. “But you look down the pike here, and… you wonder, ‘God, I barely got through today, how am I going to do this another 100-something times?'”
Bogdan Bogdanovic Talks Free Agency, COVID-19, Hawks
Speaking to Sam Amick of The Athletic about his recent experience in free agency, Bogdan Bogdanovic said he learned about the apparent sign-and-trade agreement between the Kings and Bucks (that would have sent him to Milwaukee) on Twitter, reading about it at the same time everyone else did.
“When the news came out, we were like, ‘What the f–k?'” Bogdanovic told Amick. “I didn’t know what was going on.”
As Bogdanovic explains, he had been told during the summer that the Kings wanted to keep him, so when word of the alleged sign-and-trade broke, he was caught off guard for two reasons: He hadn’t agreed to join the Bucks and he didn’t realize Sacramento was looking to trade him. The veteran swingman had been expecting to either negotiate with the Kings or to sign an offer sheet when free agency opened.
“I was like, ‘OK, we wait for the market,’ and I was ready for that,” Bogdanovic said. “Like, OK, wait for the market and let’s see what’s going to happen. In the end, (the Kings) decided to not tell me about nothing, about what was going on with Milwaukee. I really didn’t know nothing. Yes, I’m friends with Thanasis (Antetokounmpo) mostly — (Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s) brother — but we didn’t know what was going on. It was really on Twitter.
“Now, people are making stories off of it. … I was like, ‘What is going on?’ I didn’t know what was going on. And then, two days later, the NBA investigation (began), and no one called me from the Kings yet. I just got a text, like, ‘Thanks for being part of the team,’ and that’s it.”
[RELATED: Bucks Lose 2022 Second-Round Pick For Early Pursuit Of Bogdanovic]
Bogdanovic’s wide-ranging discussion with Amick goes into more detail on his reaction to learning of the reported agreement between the Kings and Bucks and what it meant for his impending free agency. However, the interview – which is worth checking out in full – also touches on several other topics, including his pivot to Atlanta, his new role with the Hawks, and testing positive for COVID-19.
Here are some of the highlights from the conversation:
On dealing with a positive coronavirus test at the same time as he navigated free agency:
“Yeah, I had it. I had it, and I recovered and I started working out back in Serbia and I was fine. I didn’t have any crazy symptoms or anything like that, but it was all stressful, you know? You’re thinking about coming back and being ready and in shape, you know? It was really stressful. That two, three weeks? Whoo.”
On having to find a new deal in restricted free agency after the Bucks-related drama:
“At that point, when free agency opens up, I was just focused on one thing, you know? And Atlanta called first. The Kings actually called me like 15 minutes after, and I liked what they (the Hawks) offered me. … I think, in the end, I was lucky and I end up being in the perfect situation in terms of contract and a team.”
On whether he thoughts the Kings would match his offer sheet with the Hawks:
“I was scared for that (because) at that point I wanted to leave. At that point, when they traded me already and they didn’t want to talk to me about it, I was like, ‘OK, they really want me out of here.’ So I was like, ‘OK.’
“We end up signing the offer sheet, so I was thinking like, ‘Damn, in the end, they’re going to match this.’ I was confused. It’s not really free agency, because you are not free. And yes, you’re restricted — you’re really restricted. It’s restricted agency. It’s not free agency.”
On how he feels about his new role coming off the bench in Atlanta:
“I feel fine. I feel fine about it. I think coach (Lloyd Pierce) is putting me in situations to kind of run the second unit, you know? And be like the sixth man of the unit. And when you play with Trae (Young), it’s so easy. He always draws so much attention on him, and that’s what gives me a lot of open shots. Not just me, but everyone else.
“… We are still figuring it out, and I think from this point we can just get better. It’s so much talent. And we have a lot of guys who can get off one night, so that’s a really good problem to have on a team. … I like it so far. We really have a pretty good group, a mix of young (players) and veterans — which is really nice; energy and experience. So it’s really nice to be here. It’s really fun.”
Nigel Williams-Goss Signs With Russian Team
JANUARY 5: Lokomotiv Kuban has officially signed Williams-Goss for the rest of the season, the team announced today in a press release.
DECEMBER 31: Free agent guard Nigel Williams-Goss is close to finalizing a contract agreement with Russian club Lokomotiv Kuban, according to a report from Serbian outlet MozzartSport (hat tip to Sportando).
Williams-Goss, who was selected by the Jazz with the 55th overall pick in the 2017 draft, is no stranger to international ball, having spent the 2017/18 season with Partizan in Serbia and the ’18/19 campaign with Olympiacos in Greece before arriving in Utah last season.
Although Williams-Goss signed a multiyear contract with the Jazz in 2019, only the first year of that deal was guaranteed, and he was waived earlier this month before the team was on the hook for his ’20/21 salary.
In his first and only NBA season last year, Williams-Goss appeared in just 10 games for Utah and 17 more for the Salt Lake City Stars in the G League. The 26-year-old averaged 15.3 PPG, 5.5 APG, and 3.9 RPG on .508/.352/.778 shooting in 29.6 minutes per contest for the Stars.
Assuming Williams-Goss officially completes a deal with Lokomotiv Kuban, he’ll be joining a team that features several former NBA players, including Alan Williams, Jordan Crawford, and Kevin Hervey. Lokomotiv Kuban plays in the VTB United League and the EuroCup.