Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 5/17/2022
We held a live chat today at 12:00 pm Central time. Click here for the transcript.
Our next live chat will take place on Thursday at 11:00 am CT and will be hosted by Dana Gauruder.
Draft Notes: Robinson, Scheierman, Daye, Murray, Houstan
Fresno State center Orlando Robinson intends to remain in the 2022 NBA draft and hire an agent, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The No. 75 prospect on ESPN’s big board, Robinson declared for the draft after averaging 19.4 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 2.9 APG on .484/.352/.716 shooting in 36 games (33.2 MPG) as a junior. He’s participating in the draft combine in Chicago this week.
Meanwhile, three more prospects have opted to stay in the draft after declaring as early entrants, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports (all Twitter links), who reports that UTSA guard Dhieu Deing, Wake Forest big man Dallas Walton, and UC Irvine forward Collin Welp are going pro.
Deing is coming off of his junior year, while Walton and Welp were seniors in 2021/22 — they won’t take advantage of their extra year of NCAA eligibility that was granted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. None of the three prospects are on ESPN’s top-100 list.
Here are a few more draft-related updates:
- Having spent the first three years of his college career with South Dakota State, forward Baylor Scheierman has committed to Creighton for 2022/23, but he’ll remain in the draft if he gets a promise that he’ll be selected, per Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com. “Ultimately, I want to stay in the draft obviously,” said Scheierman, the No. 76 prospect on ESPN’s board. “If I can get picked, I’m going to stay in. And then the undrafted waters, I’ll have to talk to my agent and what not.”
- After declaring for the draft as early entrants, Coastal Carolina guard Antonio Daye and Rider guard Dwight Murray Jr. will withdraw from this year’s draft and return to school, using their final year of college eligibility, according to Rothstein (Twitter links).
- Iowa’s Kris Murray and Michigan’s Caleb Houstan are among a very small group of players that declined invites for this year’s draft combine, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz (Insider link). Givony and Schmitz suggest Murray will likely return to school and say that some NBA teams think Houstan may have a first-round promise.
Thunder’s Derrick Favors Picks Up 2022/23 Player Option
Thunder center Derrick Favors has officially exercised his player option for the 2022/23 season, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The move had been expected, with Favors telling reporters after Oklahoma City’s season ended last month that he planned to opt in. The $10.18MM option will pay him more next season than he could realistically expect to earn if he turned it down and sought a new contract as a free agent.
Favors, who was traded from Utah to Oklahoma City last July, didn’t play a ton for his new team in 2021/22, averaging a modest 16.7 minutes per game in 39 appearances. His season came to an early end due to a back issue.
When he did play, Favors averaged 5.3 PPG and 4.7 RPG. Although he’s still a solid rebounder and can score around the basket, the 30-year-old didn’t have much of a role on a rebuilding Thunder team that was more focused on developing its young players.
Now that he’s on an expiring contract and presumably isn’t in OKC’s long-term plans, Favors should be viewed as a trade candidate this offseason. However, it doesn’t sound like he’d be opposed to returning to the Thunder.
Favors recently said that playing with the young club brought back the “joy of playing basketball and not worrying about the business part,” and told the media during his exit interview that he expected to be back with the Thunder next season.
We’re tracking all of this year’s player option decisions right here.
NBA Looking Into Alleged Domestic Incident Involving Rajon Rondo
The NBA is aware of an alleged domestic incident involving veteran guard Rajon Rondo and is in the process of gathering more information, league spokesperson Mike Bass told Malika Andrews of ESPN on Monday.
As first reported by TMZ, Rondo’s former partner – and the mother of his two children – filed for an emergency protective order against him on Friday in Louisville, Kentucky, alleging that the 36-year-old threatened her with a gun and has a history of “volatile, erratic (and) explosive behavior.”
The order was granted later in the day, with a judge ruling that Rondo must stay at least 500 feet away from the woman and their children, and must temporarily give up any firearms.
According to the emergency protective order, obtained by both TMZ and ESPN’s Baxter Holmes, the woman said that Rondo, who was playing video games with his son, became enraged when she asked the child to finish separating his laundry. Rondo allegedly ripped the game console out of the wall, smashed a number of items in the house, and began yelling and cursing.
The woman said that Rondo told her, “You’re dead,” briefly left the house, and came back with a gun, demanding to see his son. He then demanded to see his daughter, and when both children were outside, he yelled at them for being afraid of him, the woman alleged. She eventually called the police and Rondo reportedly left the scene after Louisville Metro Police Chief Yvette Gentry arrived.
According to TMZ, Rondo hasn’t been arrested and doesn’t face any criminal charges at this time, so it’s unclear if the NBA’s investigation into the matter would result in any discipline from the league. However, the allegations will certainly be taken into account by teams considering signing Rondo this offseason when his contract with the Cavaliers expires.
Central Notes: Cavaliers, Ball, Pacers, Pistons
Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has talked to president of basketball operations Koby Altman about possible additions to his coaching staff, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscriber-only link), who says Bickerstaff keeps a running list of potential targets that he adds to every year.
Sources tell Fedor that Bickerstaff would be looking for a well-rounded candidate with experience, and wouldn’t necessarily be seeking an offensive coordinator. Fedor identifies Steve Clifford, Paul Hewitt, Chad Forcier, Tyrone Corbin, and David Fizdale as some names to watch, though some of those coaches may not be inclined to leave their current positions for an assistant role with the Cavaliers.
Here’s more from around the Central:
- Longtime Chicago media personality David Kaplan said during his ESPN 1000 radio show that the Bulls‘ front office has “serious concerns” about Lonzo Ball‘s left knee injury and that the issue could impact how the team approaches its offseason (link via NBC Sports Chicago). There have been no concrete updates on Ball’s troublesome knee injury since he said in late April that his rehab was “kind of at a standstill” and that he planned to visit a specialist.
- The Pacers could end up picking anywhere from No. 1 to No. 9 as a result of Tuesday’s draft lottery, but one thing is certain: Indiana will have its first top-10 pick since 1989. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (Insider link) takes a look at the end of an unusually long streak, which Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard calls an “exciting opportunity” for the franchise.
- James L. Edwards III of The Athletic looks at some potential second-round targets the Pistons could consider at No. 46, starting with Alabama wing Keon Ellis.
2022 NBA Draft Lottery Primer
The 2022 NBA draft lottery will take place on Tuesday night prior to Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Heat and Celtics. The half-hour event will be broadcast on ESPN beginning at 7:00 pm central time.
This year’s draft pool features a group of four prospects generally considered by experts to be a level above the rest of the class: Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith Jr., Paolo Banchero, and Jaden Ivey. Teams that move into the top four on Tuesday night will have the opportunity to snag one of those potential future stars.
Here’s what you need to know heading into tonight’s lottery:
Pre-Lottery Draft Order:
The top 14 picks in the 2022 NBA draft would look like this if tonight’s lottery results don’t change the order:
- Houston Rockets
- Orlando Magic
- Detroit Pistons
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Indiana Pacers
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Sacramento Kings
- New Orleans Pelicans (from Lakers)
- Note: The Grizzlies will receive this pick if it falls to No. 11 or No. 12.
- San Antonio Spurs
- Washington Wizards
- New York Knicks
- Oklahoma City Thunder (from Clippers)
- Charlotte Hornets
- Cleveland Cavaliers
For the full pre-lottery draft order, click here.
Draft Lottery Odds:
The Rockets, Magic, Pistons, and Thunder have the best odds to land the No. 1 pick. Each of those four teams has a 14.0% chance to pick first overall.
Typically, only the top three teams in the lottery standings would have a 14.0% shot at the No. 1 overall pick, but the Thunder join that group by virtue of holding two lottery picks — there’s a 12.5% chance that their own pick will move up to No. 1 and a 1.5% chance the Clippers’ pick, which they also control, will be No. 1.
From there, the Pacers (10.5%), Trail Blazers (9.0%), Kings (7.5%), and Pelicans (6.0%) have the best odds to receive the first overall pick.
For the full draft lottery odds for all 14 spots, click here.
Trades Affecting The Draft Lottery:
The Clippers and Lakers are the only non-playoff teams that have traded away their lottery picks this year, and neither team put protections on its traded first-rounder.
The Thunder will receive the Clippers’ pick, as detailed above.
The Lakers’ pick technically still remains up for grabs, depending on the lottery results, due to a trade between New Orleans and Memphis. Here are the details on that deal:
Pelicans/Grizzlies
The Pelicans will acquire the Lakers’ pick if it lands in the top 10, while the Grizzlies will receive it if it ends up at No. 11 or 12.
Since the Lakers finished eighth in the lottery standings, there’s approximately a 99.5% chance that New Orleans will hang onto the pick. At least three teams in the 9-14 range would have to jump into the top four in order for Memphis to receive it.
Draft Lottery Representatives:
The representatives for each of this year’s lottery teams are as follows, according to a pair of announcements from the NBA:
- Houston Rockets
- On stage: Rafael Stone (general manager)
- Lottery room: Clay Allen (general counsel)
- On stage: Rafael Stone (general manager)
- Orlando Magic
- On stage: Jeff Weltman (president of basketball operations)
- Lottery room: Joel Glass (chief communications officer)
- Detroit Pistons
- On stage: Richard Hamilton (former Pistons player)
- Lottery room: George David (assistant GM)
- On stage: Richard Hamilton (former Pistons player)
Oklahoma City Thunder
- On stage: Nick Collison (former Thunder player / special assistant to GM)
- Lottery room: Sam Presti (executive VP / general manager)
- Indiana Pacers
- On stage: Kelly Krauskopf (assistant GM)
- Lottery room: Chad Buchanan (general manager)
- Portland Trail Blazers
- On stage: Damian Lillard
- Lottery room: Dewayne Hankins (president of business operations)
- Sacramento Kings
- On stage: Domantas Sabonis
- Lottery room: John Kehriotis (minority owner)
- On stage: Domantas Sabonis
- New Orleans Pelicans
- On stage: Swin Cash-Canal (VP of basketball operations)
- Lottery room: David Griffin (executive VP of basketball operations)
- San Antonio Spurs
- On stage: David Robinson (former Spurs player / strategic partner)
- Lottery room: Niraj Mulji (director of basketball strategy)
- Washington Wizards
- On stage: Wes Unseld Jr. (head coach)
- Lottery room: Tommy Sheppard (president of basketball operations / general manager)
- On stage: Wes Unseld Jr. (head coach)
- New York Knicks
- On stage: William Wesley (executive VP / senior basketball advisor)
- Lottery room: Brock Aller (VP of basketball and strategic planning)
- On stage: William Wesley (executive VP / senior basketball advisor)
- Charlotte Hornets
- On stage: P.J. Washington
- Lottery room: David Duquette (assistant GM)
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- On stage: Anderson Varejao (former Cavaliers player / team ambassador)
- Lottery room: Jon Nichols (VP of basketball strategy and personnel)
Lottery Format:
This will be the fourth year that the NBA uses its revamped lottery system, which reduces the odds that the league’s very worst teams will land a top pick and makes the top four selections available via the lottery, instead of the top three.
Before the NBA changed its lottery format, there was a 60.5% chance that one of the league’s bottom three teams would secure the No. 1 pick, and only a 27.6% chance that a team in the 5-14 range of the lottery standings would do so. Now, those odds are 42.0% and 45.5%, respectively.
The results since the new format was implemented have shown that the smoothed-out odds have the potential to create a little more mayhem on lottery night.
In 2019, the Pelicans, Grizzlies, and Lakers claimed three of the top four picks despite ranking seventh, eighth, and 11th, respectively, in the lottery standings. In 2020, the Hornets and Bulls each moved up four spots, from Nos. 7 and 8 to Nos. 3 and 4, respectively.
A year ago, the results were more by-the-numbers. However, the seventh spot in the lottery standings was lucky again, this time for the Raptors, who moved up to No. 4 and grabbed eventual Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes.
For full details on the revamped lottery format, click here.
Bucks Notes: Middleton, Portis, Connaughton, Matthews
The Bucks‘ defense performed relatively well in their second-round series vs. Boston, holding a Celtics team that led the NBA with a 122.6 offensive rating after the All-Star break to a 108.8 mark in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. However, Milwaukee’s own offense struggled — the team ranked third in the league with a 114.3 offensive rating in the regular season, but its 99.7 second-round mark ranked last by a wide margin among the eight remaining clubs.
One reason for Milwaukee’s offensive struggles was Khris Middleton‘s absence due to an MCL sprain. The Bucks were left wondering after Sunday’s Game 7 loss whether they’d be the ones advancing to face Miami in the Eastern Finals if their second-leading scorer had been available vs. Boston.
“Obviously, we weren’t trying to make excuses, ‘We don’t have Khris, and oh, it’s going to be tough for us.’ No, no, no,” Giannis Antetokounmpo said on Sunday, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “I think everybody went out there and competed, gave everything they had and that’s what we did from Game 3 against Chicago until Game 7 against Boston. But, if we had him, maybe it would have been a different story. But we didn’t.”
“We could’ve used him,” Jrue Holiday said of Middleton. “We definitely could’ve used him. He makes big shots and big plays on both ends, but especially the offensive end. Yeah, we missed him, but we also want him to be OK for the future, too. Yeah, he’s missed.”
Middleton confirmed on Monday that his MCL injury was a Grade 2 sprain and said it will heal on its own in the offseason without any surgical intervention (Twitter links via Eric Nehm of The Athletic and Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). Middleton added that he wanted to play in Games 6 and 7 vs. Boston and didn’t experience any setbacks, but team doctors said the risk was too high for him to return so soon (Twitter link via Owczarski).
Here’s more on the Bucks:
- Asked about his upcoming player option decision, Bobby Portis spoke at length about how much he has enjoyed his two years in Milwaukee, but deferred to his agent on his contract situation. “That’s on the organization and my agent to figure that out,” Portis said (Twitter link via Nehm). “I don’t really discuss numbers or contracts or none of that. I love it here. I love being a Buck, but it definitely comes down to them making it work.” The Bucks would have Early Bird rights on Portis, who has certainly outplayed his $4.56MM option.
- In his preview of the Bucks’ offseason, ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) takes a closer look at Portis’ free agency, noting that the Bucks could offer him up to about $22.6MM over two years using the Early Bird exception. Marks also explores potential new contracts for Pat Connaughton, who can reach free agency by turning down his player option, and Middleton, who is extension-eligible.
- Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype previewed the Bucks’ summer too, examining the upcoming free agent and extension decisions facing the team.
- Veteran wing Wesley Matthews told reporters on Monday that he’ll definitely continue his NBA career and would like be back with the Bucks (Twitter link via Owczarski). The 35-year-old said that he hopes not to have to wait until December to sign his next contract, as he did this past season.
Grizzlies Notes: Jones, Offseason, Clarke
Although he said it’s not the “end all, be all” for him, Grizzlies point guard Tyus Jones admitted in his end-of-season press conference that he’d like to be a starter, writes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal.
“You always strive for more, but at the same time with that being said, I’ve always viewed myself as a starter, even coming off the bench,” Jones said. “A lot of times being called one of the best backups in the league, I never called myself that. I always just viewed that I was just a starter that’s coming of the bench. That’s always been my mindset.”
Jones will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and Cole notes that the Grizzlies will be at a disadvantage if Jones prioritizes the opportunity to play a starting role, given that Ja Morant is obviously the team’s long-term starter at point guard.
However, executive VP of basketball operations Zach Kleiman indicated the Grizzlies have interest in re-signing Jones, referring to him as a player who has “always been kind of like a cultural, foundational type piece for the group.” And, for his part, Jones hasn’t signaled that he plans to leave Memphis.
“It’s definitely not going to be an easy decision by any means,” Jones said of his upcoming free agency. “I don’t have my mind made up one way or another.”
Here’s more on the Grizzlies:
- Kleiman was happy with what the Grizzlies accomplished in 2021/22, but made it clear that he believes there’s still room to improve, per Michael Wallace of Grind City Media. “The goal is, and continues to be, to win a championship here,” Kleiman said. “The decision-making North Star continues to be what’s going to maximize our chances of doing so, building in a sustainable way. I’m excited to see what opportunities there are to make us better. We’re going to look at everything on the table… to increase our likelihood of getting us to the point we believe we can get to.”
- Head coach Taylor Jenkins conveyed a similar sentiment in his end-of-season comments, as Wallace relays: “It’s been an unbelievable year, but there are also plenty of ways we can get better. Our guys on this team have never wavered in their ability to adjust and adapt to whatever challenges we’ve faced. And we’ve found success together. After a win, after a loss, no matter, we found ways to stick with our values and get better from it. We take that same mindset into the offseason.”
- Coming off a strong year as a rotation player, Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke will be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer and earned plenty of praise from Kleiman at season’s end this weekend. “Brandon had a great year, and he and the coaches leaned into what he’s great at,” Kleiman said, per Parker Fleming of Grizzly Bear Blues (Twitter link). “We’re in a great place with Brandon, and he fits great with what we’re trying to do.”
- In a subscriber-only story, Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian explores what’s next for the Grizzlies following their second-round elimination.
- In case you missed it, we passed along a pair of Ja Morant news items on Sunday night.
Alvin Gentry Remains With Kings In Front Office Role
Alvin Gentry has accepted a full-time position in the Kings‘ front office, according to Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link), who report that Gentry’s title will be vice president of basketball engagement.
Gentry began the 2021/22 season as an assistant on Luke Walton‘s coaching staff, then became the interim head coach when the Kings dismissed Walton in November. Sacramento went just 24-41 under Gentry, so the club opted not to keep him in that role going forward and has since announced the hiring of Mike Brown as its new head coach.
Although the Kings decided not to retain Gentry as their head coach, he still had a year left on his contract, and reports last month suggested the two sides were discussing a possible front office position. Subsequent reporting indicated that Gentry explored the possibility of becoming a coaching consultant, like Steve Clifford was with the Nets in 2021/22, but he and the Kings ultimately reached an agreement on a move to the front office.
The plan is for Gentry to assist with the Kings’ player evaluation and team-building strategy, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee, who tweets that the 67-year-old will be based in Sacramento but will travel to NBA, G League, and college sites. Gentry is with general manager Monte McNair and other Kings executives at the NBA’s draft combine in Chicago this week, per Charania and Amick.
Celtics/Heat Injury Updates: Smart, Williams, Lowry
The Celtics are listing guard Marcus Smart as questionable for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday due to a right mid-foot sprain he sustained in Game 7 of the Eastern Semifinals, the team announced today (via Twitter).
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Smart underwent an MRI on his injured foot and the imaging came back clean, which bodes well for the Celtics and the Defensive Player of the Year going forward. The hope, Wojnarowski says, is that Smart will be good to go for Game 1 vs. Miami, but the team will see how he feels on Tuesday before making a final decision.
In other Celtics injury news, Robert Williams will be available for the series vs. Miami with no minutes restrictions after missing the last four games of the Milwaukee series due to a bone bruise in his left knee (Twitter link).
Williams was technically active and available for Game 7 on Sunday, but head coach Ime Udoka said he didn’t want to adjust his rotation, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link).
Meanwhile, Heat point guard Kyle Lowry, who continues to battle a left hamstring injury, didn’t practice on Monday and appears unlikely to be available for Game 1, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
For what it’s worth, Jimmy Butler expressed confidence on Monday that Lowry is close to returning, telling reporters his teammate is in good spirits and remains engaged (Twitter link via Jackson).