Pacific Notes: Howard, Warriors, Kings, Kawhi
A year after Dwight Howard‘s NBA career appeared to be on life support, the veteran center is once again healthy and making an impact for a Lakers team that has become the strong favorite to win the 2020 championship, writes Chris Mannix of SI.com.
As Mannix details, Howard wore out his welcome at several of his other recent NBA stops, including in Charlotte. The Hornets believed the big man “didn’t impact winning,” according to one team official, and were worried about the influence he might have on the team’s young players, including Malik Monk.
In Los Angeles, Howard has accepted a complementary role that suits him and is part of a locker room whose veteran leaders are capable of quelling any chemistry issues that may arise, according to Mannix, who suggests that the eight-time All-Star should be able to extend his NBA career by a few years if he’s willing to play a similar role going forward.
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area explores Isaac Okoro‘s potential fit with the Warriors, suggesting that the young forward has the chance to develop into an Andre Iguodala-type player.
- In a separate story for NBC Sports California, James Ham identifies some of the key questions facing new Kings head of basketball operations Monte McNair, who will have big decisions to make on De’Aaron Fox, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Buddy Hield, among others.
- Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee takes a look at the analytics background that McNair brings to Sacramento and how his expertise in that field may affect the Kings‘ basketball decisions going forward.
- The Clippers‘ second-round loss this summer was a disappointing one, but it will help two-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard learn the role that failure plays in superstardom, contends Michael Lee of The Athletic.
Silver Acknowledges Next Season Unlikely To Start Until 2021
Echoing a sentiment expressed earlier this month by NBPA executive director Michele Roberts, NBA commissioner Adam Silver told CNN’s Bob Costas today that his “best guess” is that the league’s next season won’t begin until sometime in 2021 (Twitter link via Mark Medina of USA Today).
The NBA previously informed its Board of Governors that December 25 would be the earliest possible start date for the 2020/21 season. Christmas Day typically features an impressive slate of games that showcase many of the league’s best teams, making it a logical option for opening day. However, with the coronavirus pandemic still complicating plans to get fans back into arenas, another delay seems likely.
As Medina relays, Silver also said on CNN today that the NBA’s goal is still to play a “standard” 82-game schedule next season, preferably in teams’ home arenas in front of fans. It remains to be seen whether that will be possible though.
Even if the NBA is able to play a full 82-game season, starting it in January would ensure it runs far beyond the league’s typical end date, complicating the NBA’s ability to send players and coaches to the Tokyo Olympics, which are set to begin on July 23. There’s also no guarantee that 2020/21’s opening night won’t be postponed until February or March, a possibility that has been recently voiced by reporters and players alike.
For now, the NBA is focused on safely completing its 2019/20 season, which will conclude within about three weeks.
G League Mulling Fall Tournament Featuring Select Team
The NBA G League is “seriously discussing” the possibility of putting on a tournament this fall that would include the Ignite, the league’s new select team, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).
According to Charania, the situation remains fluid, but the tentative plan would be for the tournament to take place in a bubble environment at some point in November or December. The Ignite – the NBAGL’s select team that features top prospects such as Jalen Green, Daishen Nix, and Jonathan Kuminga – would be the event’s headliners.
It’s not clear which other teams would participate in such a tournament. Charania suggests that “undrafted players” may fill out other rosters, so it’s possible the event would represent a sort of Summer League alternative for young players auditioning for NBA training camp invites rather than a full-fledged G League event featuring teams made up of NBAGL veterans. That’s just my speculation though.
The uncertain fate of the G League’s 2020/21 season has been an underreported consequence of the coronavirus pandemic. Unlike the NBA, the G League relies heavily on commercial travel, which likely won’t be as practical as it was pre-pandemic. And with far less revenue at stake, the league is less likely to pour significant resources into ensuring the ’20/21 NBAGL season can be played.
A series of smaller, bubble-environment events like the one described by Charania may be an alternative path for the G League if a full season can’t be played. We’ll probably have to wait for clarity on the NBA’s ’20/21 season before we get a more concrete update on the NBAGL’s campaign.
J.J. Redick Aiming To Play Four More Years
Pelicans sharpshooter J.J. Redick turned 36 in June and has just one year left on his current contract with the team, but he’s not thinking about calling it a career when his deal ends next year. As he tells Mark Medina of USA Today, Redick is still hoping to play for several more seasons.
“I realized this year I want to keep playing as long as possible. My goal is to play four more years,” Redick said. “Year 18. That’s my goal. I’ll play to 39. Then my offseason, I’ll turn 40 and then I can walk away at that point. That’s my goal. We’ll see. The body has to hold up.”
The 11th overall pick in the 2006 draft, Redick has already played 14 seasons in the NBA after spending four full years at Duke. However, there’s no indication that he has lost a step as he enters his late-30s.
In 2019/20, Redick averaged 15.3 PPG on .453/.453/.892 shooting in 60 games (26.4 MPG) for New Orleans. All of those scoring and shooting rates were above his career averages. While it’s probably safe to assume he’ll see his minutes cut back to some extent over the next few years, his outside shooting ability should continue to make him a valuable role player for the Pelicans or – eventually – another team.
In his conversation with Medina, Redick praised the Pelicans’ young building blocks – Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, and Lonzo Ball – and suggested that there’s “a lot of potential and excitement” in New Orleans going forward. However, he admitted he wasn’t satisfied with the way the club’s 2019/20 campaign ended.
“I thought from a talent perspective and a depth perspective, we were a playoff team this year. So not to reach your potential as a team, you have to be disappointed in that,” Redick said. “You obviously have to self-reflect and self-grade with how could I have been better. Down the line, each guy has to do that.”
Poll: Will Lakers Win 2020 NBA Title?
When the NBA’s postseason began just over a month ago, the Lakers were coming off a shaky 3-5 showing in the summer seeding games, and had roughly the same odds as the Clippers and Bucks to win the 2020 NBA championship, according to most sportsbooks.
Five weeks later, the Clippers and Bucks have been eliminated from title contention, as have many of the teams viewed as second-tier title threats, such as Toronto, Philadelphia, and Houston. The Lakers hold a commanding 2-0 lead over the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, while neither the Heat nor the Celtics have looked especially dominant in the Eastern Finals.
In other words, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the rest of the Lakers find themselves in a great position to finish off an impressive playoff run and bring home the franchise’s first championship since 2010. The oddsmakers at BetOnline.ag currently list the Lakers as -350 favorites, meaning you’d have to risk $350 in order to win just $100 for an L.A. title.
While the Lakers may be the overwhelming favorites for now, it’s a little early to pencil them in as the NBA’s 2020 champions. After all, the Nuggets were just a Davis buzzer-beater away from pulling even at one game apiece in the Western Finals — and even down 2-0, Denver is hardly about to roll over, having already overcome a pair of 3-1 deficits in these playoffs.
If the Lakers can put away the Nuggets, they’ll enter the NBA Finals as heavy favorites, but the Celtics and Heat shouldn’t be overlooked either. Boston dominated Joel Embiid and the Sixers before eliminating the defending-champion Raptors – who had the league’s second-best record this season – in perhaps the most hard-fought series of the postseason.
As for the Heat, Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s ankle injury helped them finish off Milwaukee, but they’d played better than the 56-17 Bucks even before Antetokounmpo got hurt. Knocking off the Pacers, Bucks, and Celtics would represent an impressive path to the Finals for Miami.
Either Eastern team will also benefit from playing in the Disney World bubble, where home-court advantage is essentially nonexistent and the Lakers’ regular-season edge wouldn’t give them an extra Finals game at Staples Center. Still, L.A. has shown so far that it doesn’t need the help that home-court advantage provides.
What do you think? Are you confident the Lakers will win the Finals and get LeBron his fourth ring, or will one of the other three teams still alive play spoiler and take this year’s crown?
Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!
Will the Lakers win the 2020 NBA championship?
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Yes 70% (2,071)
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No 30% (900)
Total votes: 2,971
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
Southeast Notes: Hornets, Hawks, Collins, Wizards
The Hornets have officially published the list of 17 players who will participate in their in-market bubble mini-camp this week and next, including 13 players on the NBA roster and four from their G League affiliate.
Among the most interesting inclusions on the Hornets’ list are Dwayne Bacon and Willy Hernangomez, both of whom are eligible for free agency this offseason. A number of veteran free agents have opted out of these voluntary mini-camps so as not to risk injury, but Bacon and Hernangomez are young players who are unlikely to generate major interest on the open market, so they’re not jeopardizing massive paydays by participating.
The two Hornets players who aren’t taking part in the team’s group activities are Nicolas Batum and Bismack Biyombo. As Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes, Biyombo’s absence doesn’t come as a major surprise, since he’s an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Batum, meanwhile, has one year left on his contract, but he has been in France for much of the summer and his wife is pregnant with the couple’s second child, per Bonnell.
Here’s more from around the Southeast:
- While he acknowledged that the 2020 NBA draft class may not be as star-studded as some past groups, Hornets head coach James Borrego is confident that the team will be able to use the No. 3 pick on a player who will “really add value to our program,” as he tells Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. “Mitch (Kupchak) and I have dialogue every day,” Borrego said. “I’m excited about the third pick and the 32nd pick, as well. That’s a really good pick for us. The more I dig in, the more I like.”
- Speaking today to reporters, Hawks president of basketball operations Travis Schlenk confirmed that the club anticipates having contract extension discussions with John Collins‘ reps once they’re able to do so (Twitter link via Brad Rowland of Uproxx). Collins will become eligible for a rookie scale extension once the 2020/21 league year begins.
- Michael Lee and Ben Standig of The Athletic explore the missteps the Wizards have made since 2015 that led them to their current position — capped-out and in the lottery for a second consecutive year.
And-Ones: Zion, Silver, Chalmers, Bona, Lawson
A panel of 15 NBA evaluators, including four general managers, unanimously agreed that Mavericks star Luka Doncic is the player under 25 whom they would most want to build a franchise around, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, Suns guard Devin Booker, and Grizzlies guard Ja Morant received the next-highest scores in the poll.
As Scotto notes, last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Pelicans big man Zion Williamson, placed just seventh on the evaluators’ list, tied with Nuggets guard Jamal Murray. Among the respondents who spoke to Scotto, the enthusiasm for Williamson’s obvious upside was dampened by long-term weight and injury concerns.
“He’s just a special player inside the arc who’s an elite finisher,” one executive said of the Pelicans’ rising star. “… He’s one of the best finishers behind Giannis (Antetokounmpo) and LeBron (James). He can hit the open man. He’s so physically dominant. His shooting shouldn’t be a problem, but we’ll see. I think he’s always going to be hurt, though.”
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- NBA commissioner Adam Silver is expected to be at the league’s Walt Disney World campus this week, sources tell Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link). It’s unclear whether Silver’s visit will be brief or if he plans to stick around through the NBA Finals.
- Greek club Aris Thessaloniki has announced the signing of former NBA guard Mario Chalmers (hat tip to Sportando). A former two-time champion with Miami, Chalmers spent last season in Athens, but continues to hold out hope of making an NBA comeback.
- Adem Bona, a 17-year-old Nigerian/Turkish big man, will spend the next two seasons stateside at Prolific Prep in California, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN, who refers to Bona as one of Europe’s “most promising” prospects (Twitter links). He’ll become draft-eligible in 2023, Givony adds.
- Agent Chris Patrick and The Sports Law Group have ended their representation of former NBA guard Ty Lawson following his ban from the Chinese Basketball Association, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Lawson last played in the NBA during the 2018 postseason with Washington.
Kevin Hervey Signs With Russian Team
After spending most of the 2019/20 season with the Thunder, power forward Kevin Hervey has signed a one-year contract with Russia’s Lokomotiv Kuban, the team announced today (via Twitter).
The 57th overall pick in the 2018 draft out of UT Arlington, Hervey was stashed in the G League by Oklahoma City during his first professional season. He was eventually promoted to the NBA club in December 2019, when he signed a two-way contract with the Thunder.
Hervey spent the rest of the ’19/20 campaign in OKC, where he made his NBA debut but saw limited playing time overall, averaging 1.7 PPG and 1.2 RPG in 10 games (5.2 MPG). He had been set to reach free agency this fall, but it appears the Thunder let him out of his contract early, a signal that he wasn’t in the club’s future plans.
Hervey is one of a handful of NBA free-agents-to-be who have already lined up new deals with international teams, joining the likes of Ante Zizic (Maccabi Tel Aviv) and Johnathan Williams (Galatasaray).
Charania’s Latest: Pacers, Donovan, Bulls, Nurse, More
The Pacers have added another name to their list of head coaching candidates, having interview former Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan last week, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.
While Donovan’s addition increases the number of candidates connected to the Pacers to a total of 18, Charania hears that the team is expected to only interview about a dozen contenders for the job. From there, the plan is for Indiana to trim its list approximately in half, then to conduct in-person interviews with the finalists.
Here are a few more notes and rumors from Charania’s latest column for The Athletic:
- The Bulls continue to narrow down their head coaching pool and will likely meet with finalists soon, according to Charania, who hears that Kenny Atkinson, Darvin Ham, Ime Udoka, and Wes Unseld Jr. are among the candidate who have had strong interviews so far.
- The new multiyear contract extension signed last week by Raptors head coach Nick Nurse is worth approximately $8MM per year, making him one of the NBA’s highest-paid coaches, per Charania. Nurse’s previous deal was reportedly worth in the neighborhood of $3MM per year, but he has won a title and a Coach of the Year award since signing that contract in 2018.
- Kawhi Leonard isn’t expecting the 2020/21 NBA season to get underway anytime soon, as Charania relays. “February, maybe?” Leonard said last week after the Clippers were eliminated from the postseason. “I’ve also heard March.”
- In case you missed it, we also passed along items from Charania on the Sixers’ coaching search, the Clippers’ offseason, and Will Barton‘s injury.
Will Barton Unlikely To Return During Western Finals
Despite having previously expressed hope that he was nearing a return, Nuggets wing Will Barton is expected to remain sidelined for the rest of the Western Conference Finals, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
After initially accompanying his teammates on the Walt Disney World campus, Barton left Orlando in mid-August to rehab a nagging right knee injury in Miami. A report early in Denver’s second-round series vs. the Clippers indicated that Barton was doing “everything in his power” to make it back and hadn’t ruled out playing before the end of the Western Semifinals.
However, Barton remains on the shelf, with Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly admitting last week that there’s still no timetable for the 29-year-old’s return. With Denver once again just a couple losses away from elimination, the door may be closing on the possibility of a Barton comeback this summer, though the club has shown in previous rounds that it’s capable of fighting back from a two-game deficit.
While the Nuggets have gotten by without Barton so far this summer, he was a valuable part of the team’s rotation during the regular season, averaging 15.1 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 3.7 APG on .450/.375/.767 shooting in 58 starts (33.0 MPG). Jerami Grant is currently occupying Barton’s spot in the starting lineup.