Gerald Green Draws Interest But Won’t Return This Summer
Free agent swingman Gerald Green received interest from multiple NBA teams during the league’s transaction window at the end of June, reports Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link). However, according to Stein, Green decided not to participate in the NBA’s restart this summer for family reasons, including the expected birth of a child in August.
Green, 34, began the 2019/20 season with the Rockets but didn’t suit up for any games, having undergone foot surgery on October that was expected to sideline him for at least six months. According to Stein (via Twitter), Green has since recovered from that procedure and received medical clearance, but has decided not to seek a new deal until the offseason.
The Rockets are believed to be one of the clubs that expressed interest in Green, Stein adds (via Twitter). However, Houston traded the veteran to Denver as part of the four-team Robert Covington/Clint Capela deal at the February deadline, and the Nuggets subsequently waived him. As a result, the Rockets became ineligible to re-sign Green this season — they instead shifted their focus to another swingman coming off an injury, signing David Nwaba to a two-year contract.
In his last full season, Green averaged 9.2 PPG and 2.5 RPG with a .400/.354/.838 shooting line in 73 games (20.2 MPG) for the ’18/19 Rockets. He’ll turn 35 in January, but as long as he’s healthy, he could still provide value to an NBA team as a three-and-D wing.
Spencer Dinwiddie Still Hoping To Join Nets For Restart
A week after word broke that Spencer Dinwiddie had tested positive for COVID-19, possibly jeopardizing his availability for the NBA’s restart, the Nets guard remains hopeful that he’ll be able to accompany his team to Florida, as Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes.
Dinwiddie tweeted on Sunday night that the sinus pressure headaches he has been getting are “starting to subside.” He admitted that he felt a bit dizzy and weak when using an exercise bike, but suggested he’s trending in the right direction.
“If I can get a negative test (on Monday) then they’re gonna get me back on court Tuesday,” Dinwiddie wrote.
As Dinwiddie explained in a follow-up tweet, his hope is that he’ll get clearance to fly to Florida with the Nets this week, since entering the campus separately at a later date would subject him to a more rigorous testing process and quarantine period.
The Nets have already had DeAndre Jordan opt out of the restart due to a positive coronavirus test, with Wilson Chandler also opting out for family reasons. If Dinwiddie is unable to participate, Brooklyn would be able to sign up to three substitute players. Justin Anderson is expected to replace Chandler, but the Nets haven’t lined up a substitute for Jordan yet.
If Dinwiddie can’t participate, the Nets would also lean more heavily on guard Chris Chiozza, who is on a two-way contract.
“With Spencer, I hope he can play. I hope he feels better,” Chiozza recently said, per Lewis. “But if not, I’ll be ready to take on those extra minutes.”
Wizards Notes: Beal, Grant, Hachimura, Go-Go
Wizards guard Bradley Beal still hasn’t finalized a decision on whether or not he’ll participate in the NBA’s restart, but head coach Scott Brooks said today that Beal is expected to join the club on its flight to Florida this week, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN writes.
Beal said last week that he remains undecided about whether he’ll play this summer, expressing some concerns about the shortened ramp-up period and the possible injury risk. Brooks, who said there’s no specific timeline for Beal’s decision, said today that his All-Star guard is looking “great” in workouts.
“His physical condition has been pretty good and continues to improve every day along with our other guys,” Brooks said, per Youngmisuk. “We are all getting tested every day and as of right now he’s a go and we are all going down there ready to compete and get better and play to get in a playoff position. He looks great.”
The Wizards, who are 5.5 games out of the last playoff spot in the East, will be without All-Star point guard John Wall and sharpshooter Davis Bertans during the restart — Wall continues to rehab his Achilles injury, while Bertans opted out due to his impending free agency and his ACL injury history.
Here’s more on the Wizards:
- Jerian Grant, who replaced Bertans on the Wizards’ summer roster as a substitute player, called it a “dream come true” to join his hometown team, as Jackson Filyo of WashingtonWizards.com details. Grant, who grew up in the D.C. area, worked as a ball boy for the franchise as a kid, and his father Harvey Grant played for the then-Bullets from 1988-93.
- Rui Hachimura, who would be preparing to represent Japan in the Tokyo Olympics this summer if not for the coronavirus, remains hopeful that he’ll be able to play for his home country in 2021, writes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. “I’m honestly so sad about it. We can’t do anything about it,” Hachimura said of the postponement, adding that he has been looking forward to the event for years. “Of course, I would like to play in the Olympics. Next year, we’ll see how things go.”
- Pops Mensah-Bonsu, the general manager of the Capital City Go-Go, won’t return to the Wizards’ G League affiliate for the 2020/21 season, according to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. “I wanted to pursue some other things at this moment in time,” Mensah-Bonsu said. The remainder of the 2019/20 NBAGL season was canceled and it’s unclear when next season will start — that uncertainty played a part in Mensah-Bonsu’s decision, per Buckner.
Draft Notes: Hart, Hayes, Nnaji, Mamukelashvili
Fresno State guard Niven Hart has decided to keep his name in the 2020 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility and going pro, he announced on Twitter.
Hart, who was a freshman in 2019/20, put up modest numbers in his first and only college season, averaging 8.7 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 26 games (17.7 MPG) off the bench for the Bulldogs. He did show some consistency from beyond the arc, knocking down 39.8% of his three-point attempts. However, he doesn’t appear on experts’ big boards for 2020, making him a long shot to be drafted.
Here are a few more draft-related updates:
- Appearing on the Envergure podcast (French video link), agent Yann Balikouzou indicated that his client Killian Hayes will interview with the Timberwolves and Warriors, but doesn’t expect to talk to the Cavaliers, since they’re unlikely to draft a guard (hat tip to Darren Wolfson).
- Arizona forward Zeke Nnaji had an interview with the Rockets and is meeting with the Warriors this week, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News.
- Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com passes along updates on a pair of draft prospects, writing that Seton Hall forward Sandro Mamukelashvili has met with nearly 20 NBA teams, including the Knicks, and tweeting that Louisville big man Steven Enoch has interviewed with 23 teams, including the Nets and Knicks. Mamukelashvili, who is still testing the draft waters, remains undecided about his plans for 2020/21, Zagoria notes.
- Ethan Strauss of The Athletic takes an early look at the top wings in the 2021 draft class, starting with Oklahoma State commit Cade Cunningham and G League prospect Jalen Green.
Pat Garrity Leaving Pistons’ Front Office
Pistons assistant general manager Pat Garrity is leaving the team’s front office, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). As Wojnarowski explains, Garrity had been on an expiring contract and new general manager Troy Weaver has begun to reshape Detroit’s front office.
Garrity, a former NBA forward for the Suns and Magic, joined the Pistons’ front office in 2014 as the team’s director of strategic planning. He received a promotion in 2016 to assistant GM and continued to hold that position when Ed Stefanski became the club’s head of basketball operations in 2018.
The Pistons’ front office is undergoing some changes this year. Besides the hiring of Weaver, the team has now lost a pair of assistant GMs, with Garrity joining Malik Rose in departing the organization. Rose was hired by the NBA league office as a vice president of basketball operations.
It’s not known what the next step is for Garrity, though he previously interviewed to be the NBPA’s next executive director. As for the Pistons, they were already believed to be in the market for a new assistant GM under Weaver — with Garrity and Rose both now out of the picture, it’s possible the franchise will make multiple hires.
Kings Latest Team To Shut Down Practice Facility
The list of NBA teams temporarily closing their practice facilities continues to grow. According to Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link), the Kings have shut down their facility after a member of their traveling party tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday.
It’s not clear whether the individual who tested positive is a player, coach, or team staffer. However, with the Kings scheduled to travel to Orlando this Wednesday, the team doesn’t intend to reopen its practice facility before then, Amick adds.
The Kings are the seventh of the 22 teams traveling to Orlando known to have closed their practice facility due to at least one positive coronavirus test. The Bucks, Clippers, Heat, Nuggets, Suns, and Nets have done so as well, though some have since reopened.
As we’ve noted in earlier stories, the NBA anticipated having a number of individuals testing positive for COVID-19 before clubs reported to Orlando — the goal is to make sure that no one who has tested positive enters the Disney campus until they’ve gone through a self-quarantine period, tested negative twice, and been medically cleared.
Still, the ongoing positive tests are certainly a concern. If the Kings’ latest coronavirus case belongs to a player, that player won’t be able to report to Orlando until later this month and would miss a significant portion of the ramp-up period before games begin.
Previously, Kings veterans Buddy Hield, Jabari Parker, and Alex Len all tested positive for the coronavirus.
Restart Notes: Jersey Messages, Chicago Campus, Disney Employees
The NBA and the players’ union have reached an agreement on the social justice messages that can be displayed on the back of jerseys during the league’s restart, writes Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated.
According to Spears, those messages will be permitted in place of players’ last names for the first four days of the restart. After that, players can still opt to display messages on the back of their jerseys, but their last names will be there as well.
As Spears details, the NBA and NBPA are providing a list of “approved suggested social messages,” including Black Lives Matter, Anti-Racist, and Vote, among many others. Specific names of victims of police violence won’t be permitted due to concerns about gaining permission from surviving family members or offending families of victims whose names aren’t used, per Spears.
Here’s more on the NBA’s restart:
- Tim Bontemps, Bobby Marks, Kevin Pelton, and Mike Schmitz of ESPN take an in-depth look at the proposed Chicago campus for the NBA’s bottom eight teams, examining the hurdles that would need to be overcome to make it a reality, what exactly the event would look like, and more.
- In a lengthy roundup, ESPN relays quotes from players, coaches, and executives about the NBA’s restart, including players explaining their decisions to participate, individuals discussing safety concerns, and much more.
- The fact that Walt Disney World employees will be coming and going from the NBA’s campus may be the Achilles heel of the league’s plans. As Ryan Gillespie of The Orlando Sentinel details, many Disney employees live in areas of Florida being hit hardest by COVID-19
Victor Oladipo To Opt Out Of NBA Restart
4:33pm: Oladipo plans to accompany the Pacers to Orlando, a league source tells Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports (Twitter link).
Because Oladipo is traveling with the team, Indiana won’t be allowed to replace him and he won’t forfeit any salary, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. In other words, Oladipo will essentially be treated as an injured player rather than one who is voluntarily opting out.
2:50pm: Pacers star Victor Oladipo has decided he won’t participate in the NBA’s restart in Orlando this summer, he tells Shams Charania of The Athletic.
“I really want to play, and as a competitor and teammate this is tearing me apart,” Oladipo told Charania. “I feel like I’m at a great place in my rehab and getting closer and closer to 100 percent. With all the variables, from how I have to build my 5-on-5 workload back up, to the increased risk of a soft tissue injury which could delay my rehab, and the unknown exact set up of the bubble I just can’t get my mind to being fully comfortable in playing.
“I have to be smart and this decision hasn’t been easy, but I truly believe continuing on the course I’m on and getting fully healthy for the 2020/21 season is the right decision for me.”
Oladipo, who suffered a torn quad tendon during the 2018/19 season, missed approximately a full calendar year, making his return for the Pacers on January 29. His play was somewhat inconsistent leading up to the suspension of the NBA season, and he missed five games during that stretch, but he had his best performance in Indiana’s final game before the hiatus, pouring in 27 points against Boston on March 10.
Oladipo’s trainer, Luke Miller, tells Charania that the two-time All-Star hasn’t had a setback and is “in the best shape he’s ever been in.” However, Oladipo and Miller were concerned about the possibility of the Pacers guard suffering an injury in Orlando, given the truncated ramp-up period to the eight seeding games and the playoffs.
“It’s not worrisome, the quad tendon itself — it’s the other soft tissues around it,” Miller told Charania. “Research shows that within about two years, coming back from a major injury and major surgery, these guys are more susceptible to an injury because of quad deficit. It’s a lot to ask Vic to come back in three weeks from five-on-five and play in playoff games.”
The Pacers – who are 39-26 and rank fifth in the Eastern Conference – are unlikely to make a deep playoff run this summer without Oladipo active. The team is also missing Jeremy Lamb (torn ACL), and Malcolm Brogdon recently tested positive for COVID-19.
Still, Indiana has the 28-year-old under contract for at least one more year, and there have been some indications that the two sides have interest in a longer-term deal. He’ll be eligible for a contract extension this fall, or could get a longer, more lucrative contract as a free agent in 2021.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Top Pelicans Assistant Bzdelik Won’t Travel To Orlando
Pelicans associate head coach Jeff Bzdelik won’t accompany the team to the NBA’s campus in Florida for the league’s return to play, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
A defensive specialist and the top assistant on Alvin Gentry‘s staff, Bzdelik is 67 years old. He decided to stay in New Orleans after consulting with team doctors and CDC regulations, tweets Andrew Lopez of ESPN. Woj notes that the Pelicans are “supportive” of the decision.
Bzdelik will continue to work remotely and will be able to advise the team on defensive strategy from New Orleans, sources tell Lopez.
A report earlier this week indicated that older coaches wouldn’t be red-flagged based on their age alone. However, that doesn’t mean they won’t be permitted to opt out, or that certain coaches won’t be red-flagged for health reasons, as 66-year-old Lakers assistant Lionel Hollins was.
According to Lopez (via Twitter), no decision has been made yet on the status of Gentry, who is 65 years old.
Lionel Hollins Won’t Join Lakers In Orlando
Lakers assistant coach Lionel Hollins has been “red-flagged” for health reasons and won’t accompany the team to Walt Disney World for the NBA’s restart, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
Coaches and team personnel who are deemed to be at higher risk of suffering more serious symptoms if they contract COVID-19 can be medically flagged and prohibited from entering the NBA’s campus. It sounds like that’s the case for Hollins.
[RELATED: Coaches’ Union Expresses Concerns With NBA’s Medical Review Process]
Hollins is 66 years old, but this situation is not age-related, according to Haynes (Twitter link). Haynes adds that the veteran assistant is “disappointed” to not be able to join the Lakers as they pursue a championship, but recognizes that this is the right decision.
Hollins, who previously served as a head coach for Memphis and Brooklyn, is part of a group of Lakers assistants that also includes Jason Kidd and Phil Handy, among others.