International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

R.J. Hampton To Forgo College, Play In New Zealand

May 28th, 2019 at 8:03am CST by Luke Adams

Top high school recruit R.J. Hampton has elected to forgo college for the 2019/20 season and will instead join the New Zealand Breakers of the NBL, he confirmed today in an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up. Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com and Evan Daniels of 247Sports.com, both of whom have Hampton ranked as the No. 5 recruit in this year’s class, have full reports on his decision.

“My number one goal is to play in the NBA,” Hampton told ESPN. “I wanted to be an NBA player before I ever wanted to be a college player. This is about getting ready for the next level faster and more efficiently.

“Both of my parents went to college. My mom got her masters degree. Education is a big thing in our family, but this is about focusing 100 percent on basketball. You can always go back to college, but there’s only a short window as an athlete where you can play professional basketball, and I want to take advantage of that. I think that challenging yourself on a daily basis is the best way to improve.”

As Givony and Daniels note, Hampton isn’t the first top prospect to forgo college in favor of going pro immediately. However, other players who took a similar route – including Brandon Jennings, Emmanuel Mudiay, and Terrance Ferguson – had college eligibility concerns. Hampton, who had been considering scholarship offers from Kansas, Memphis, and Texas Tech, had no such issues.

Hampton tells ESPN that he was inspired to head overseas in part by watching last year’s No. 3 overall pick have significant success in Europe before being drafted.

“Luka Doncic is one of my favorite players to watch,” Hampton said. “I started following him two years before he was drafted and watched at least 10 games of his this season. Seeing how he came into the NBA and being arguably the best rookie in the NBA shows you that you don’t have to go to college to be successful. Playing professionally against men helped him get to where he is now. He’s not the fastest or most athletic guy, but he gets where he wants on the floor and reads defenses better than almost any player in the NBA.”

Hampton’s father, Rod Hampton, tells Daniels that his son also had offers from teams in Europe and Asia, including an offer exceeding $1MM from a Chinese club. However, R.J. and his family liked the fit with the Breakers, who can offer a roster spot to Hampton via the NBL’s “Next Stars” program.

“It’s an English-speaking country,” Rod said of New Zealand. “You’re going from Texas to New Zealand and they have a really good partnership with the NBA. His team plays two games against NBA teams this year.”

A 6’5″ guard, Hampton is now on track to be eligible for the 2020 draft and currently projects as a top-10 pick. In his most recent ’20 mock draft, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Insider link) had Hampton coming off the board at No. 6 overall.

NBA Cancels 2019 Global Camp For International Prospects

May 23rd, 2019 at 8:46am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has elected to cancel its Global Camp for 2019, reports ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. The event, a showcase for draft-eligible prospects outside of America, had been set to take place in Monaco from May 30 to June 2.

“We have cancelled the NBA Global Camp 2019 due to logistical issues and other contributing factors that jeopardized our ability to successfully conduct the camp,” NBA executive VP of basketball operations Kiki VanDeWeghe told ESPN in a statement. “The camp will return in the future.”

For many years, NBA teams scouted international prospects at the Adidas EuroCamp each spring, but than event was abandoned by Adidas in the wake of the FBI’s investigation into college basketball corruption. The NBA assumed control of the spring showcase in 2018, spinning it off into the newly-created Global Camp. However, the camp – which is essentially a draft combine for international prospects, as Givony explains – ran for just one year before running into problems in 2019.

Sources tell Givony that confusion over which venues organizers of the event had actually booked was one key reason for the event’s cancellation. The Global Camp was supposed to take place at the home arena of international club AS Monaco Basket, but the team said it had not been consulted about the availability of its arena, Givony writes.

As our list shows, this year’s group of early entrants features 59 international prospects, and Givony has heard from agents that many of those players only entered the draft pool in the hopes of being selected to participate in the Global Camp. With the event no longer taking place and the withdrawal deadline for early entrants set for June 10, that list of international prospects on the early entry list figures to dwindle significantly in the coming weeks.

And-Ones: Global Camp, Gasol, EuroLeague, Free Agents

May 22nd, 2019 at 2:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

This year’s NBA Global Camp is in serious jeopardy, Jonathan Givony of ESPN tweets. Organizers fear the league’s official international combine will have to be cancelled due to logistical issues with the venue in Monaco, as well as other concerns.

“Chances are greater that it may not happen but situations are in play that may still save the camp,” a source told Givony.

We have more from the basketball world:

Pau Gasol has officially decided not to play for Spain during the FIBA tournament this summer, according to a Sportando report. The Bucks big man underwent surgery two weeks ago to repair a stress fracture in his left foot. He’s hopeful of playing in the Olympics next year if his national team qualifies.
The EuroLeague has been affected by a talent drain from the NBA, the G League and China, according to Givony. The top international free agents shooting guard Cory Higgins, former Celtics point man Shane Larkin and combo guard Vasilije Micic. Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Deni Avdija was a standout in the Adidas Next Generation tournament and the 6’9” point forward could be a Top 10 selection in next year’s draft.
Headed by the Knicks, teams with the most salary-cap space and their ability to land top free agents go under the microscope in ESPN’s Bobby Marks latest in-depth piece.
In his own look at free agency, Dan Feldman of NBC Sports explores how this season’s All-NBA choices – which will be announced very soon – could impact contract situations for several stars. We took a deep dive into this subject earlier in the year too.

J.J. Hickson To Play In Puerto Rico

May 8th, 2019 at 1:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Longtime NBA big man J.J. Hickson will resume his professional career in Puerto Rico. As Nicola Lupo of Sportando relays, Puerto Rican club Leones de Ponce announced (via Instagram) that it has signed Hickson to a contract and he’s set to make his debut for the team.

The 19th overall pick in the 2008 draft, Hickson appeared in 534 regular season games for the Cavaliers, Kings, Trail Blazers, Nuggets, and Wizards from 2008-16, averaging 9.5 PPG and 6.8 RPG in 22.2 minutes per contest for his career. The 30-year-old’s last appearance in the NBA came for Washington on April 13, 2016.

Since 2016, Hickson has continued his career in international leagues, suiting up for multiple teams in China and for Champville SC in Lebanon. Before signing with Leones de Ponce, the former North Carolina State had yet to play anywhere during the 2018/19 season.

And-Ones: Summer League, Stretch Candidates, Sloukas

May 7th, 2019 at 10:06am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League now features all 30 of the league’s teams and is the epicenter of NBA activity in July, but it’s not the only Summer League that remains active.

According to a press release, the Spurs, Grizzlies, and Cavaliers will join the Jazz for the 2019 Salt Lake City Summer League, which is scheduled to take place in Utah from July 1-3. Each of the four participating teams will play the other teams once, for a total of three games, before moving onto Vegas.

While Utah’s Summer League generally flies under the radar, it will represent an opportunity for young players and recent draftees on those four teams to get a head start on their professional careers. If the Cavaliers luck out in the lottery, we could even see a top prospect like Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, or R.J. Barrett make his debut that week in Salt Lake City.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Which players around the league are the best candidates to be waived and stretched this offseason? Danny Leroux of The Athletic identifies several of them, including players with small partial guarantees – such as George Hill and Avery Bradley – and vets with overpriced contracts, like Tyler Johnson and Bismack Biyombo.
Jeremy Woo of SI.com takes a closer look at the stability of the eight remaining playoff teams, exploring which of those clubs could be in for major changes this summer once they’re eliminated from the postseason.
Greek guard Kostas Sloukas is said to be drawing interest from a pair of NBA teams, tweets journalist George Zakkas (hat tip to Sportando). Sloukas, who went undrafted back in 2012, has had an impressive career with Olympiacos and now Fenerbahce — the 29-year-old has three EuroLeague championships and three Turkish League titles under his belt.
The NBA recently issued a press release announcing that its 2019 Global Camp will take place in Monaco from May 30 to June 2. The event is a pre-draft showcase focusing on the top draft-eligible prospects from outside America.

Terrence Jones To Play In The Philippines

May 5th, 2019 at 8:55am CST by Arthur Hill

The Philippines will be the next stop for veteran forward Terrence Jones, according to Nicola Lupo of Sportando. Jones has signed with TNT KaTropa to compete for this year’s PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

The 27-year-old spent time with the Rockets on a pair of 10-day contracts in February and March, but only got into two games and played five total minutes. He appeared in 26 G League games this season, averaging 23.5 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.7 assists.

Houston selected Jones with the 18th pick in the 2012 draft, and he spent four seasons there. His best year came in 2013/14, when he averaged 12.1 PPG and 6.9 RPG in 76 games. He also played briefly for the Pelicans and Bucks.

Eastern Notes: Gasol, Hawks Workouts, Pistons, Williams

April 29th, 2019 at 9:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Raptors center Marc Gasol is excited about the prospect of playing for Spain once again in the World Cup at China this summer, according to a FIBA press release. Spain is ranked No. 2 by FIBA. In his last international appearance, he helped Spain to a third-place finish at FIBA EuroBasket 2017.

“I’m closer to the end of my international career than to the beginning, but the motivation is the same that I’ve had since I started playing with the national team,” the Raptors’ big man said. “I enjoy the moments with the guys, from the practice to the camaraderie and the competition. I want to help the national team try to have good runs and win more medals and titles before I retire from international duty. I take it step by step and my first focus after the NBA season is on the next FIBA World Cup.”

We have more from around the Eastern Conference:

The Hawks are bringing in forwards Jordan Caroline (Nevada), Donta Hall (Alabama), Chris Silva (South Carolina) and Tre’Shawn Thurman (Nevada) and guards Kyle Allman and Markell Johnson (North Carolina State) for predraft workouts on Tuesday, according to a team press release.
All members of the Pistons’ coaching staff as well as their front office executives are expected to return, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press tweets. Detroit reached the playoffs for just the second time since 2009 under first-year coach Dwane Casey and was swept by Milwaukee in the opening round.
Magic co-founder and Hall of Famer Pat Williams announced his retirement from the team on Monday after 51 years in the NBA, according to a team press release. Williams, who turns 79 this week, was GM of the Bulls, Hawks and Sixers as well as Orlando. He was promoted to senior VP of the Magic in 1996.

And-Ones: Silver, Mock Draft, Players’ Poll, Belinelli

April 12th, 2019 at 9:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is willing to consider shortening the regular season and even the length of games, he said in a press conference on Friday. Silver’s comments were relayed by the Associated Press’ Brian Mahoney. “The format we have in place now — I’m a traditionalist on one hand, but on the other hand it’s 50 years old or so, presenting an 82-game season, and there’s nothing magical about it,” Silver said. He also tossed out the idea of reducing the length of games from 48 minutes to 40, the same as college and international games. Holding mid-season tournaments is something else he’s willing to consider. None of the potential changes are close to be implemented, Mahoney adds.

We have more from the basketball world:

The Knicks choose Zion Williamson. The Cavaliers select Ja Morant. The Suns go for R.J. Barrett and the Bulls take Darius Garland. That’s how Jonathan Givony’s latest ESPN mock draft unfolds now that the draft tiebreakers have been settled.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the first choice when building a team from scratch. James Harden, by a narrow margin, is the MVP this season. Draymond Green and Russell Westbrook are the league’s most overrated players. These are some of the results in an anonymous players’ poll conducted by Sam Amick of The Athletic.
Spurs guard Marco Belinelli will play for Italy in the FIBA World Cup this summer in China, according to a Sportando report. Belinelli played for the Italian national team in a FIBA World Cup in Japan 13 years ago. Belinelli averaged 10.5 PPG for San Antonio during the regular season.
The teams that didn’t make the playoffs are eligible to make trades now but there are some major restrictions, as Bobby Marks of ESPN details (Twitter link).

And-Ones: Calipari, Trice, Ochefu, Pistons

April 2nd, 2019 at 1:25pm CST by Luke Adams

After receiving some interest from UCLA, Kentucky head coach John Calipari has elected to remain with the Wildcats, and the program made it worth his while to do so, reports Jeff Borzello of ESPN.com. According to Borzello, Calipari – who was already under contract through 2024 – has agreed to an extension that will run through his retirement, and will also feature a lifetime role as an ambassador to the university.

“Where else would I want to coach?” Calipari said on his radio show in confirming the news.

Calipari reportedly received a six-year, $48MM offer from UCLA before electing to extend his agreement with Kentucky, per Seth Davis of The Athletic. The 60-year-old is the highest-paid head coach in the NCAA ranks, earning a reported $9.2MM salary this season.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Travis Trice, a veteran G League guard who has been in camp with the Knicks and Bucks in recent years, is headed to Turkey to continue his professional career. After averaging 16.9 PPG, 6.3 APG, and 4.3 RPG in 36 total NBAGL games this season for the Austin Spurs and Wisconsin Herd, Trice has officially signed with Tofas SK, the team announced (via Twitter).
Former Wizards center Daniel Ochefu, who appeared in 19 games for Washington in 2016/17, has signed with Spanish team CB Breogan, according to an announcement from the club (via Twitter). Ochefu spent most of the 2018/19 season with the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League affiliate, posting 14.8 PPG and 8.9 RPG in 39 games (24.2 MPG).
The Pistons will enter the offseason looking to fortify their point guard and wing spots, but won’t have much financial flexibility to do so. As such, Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press wonders if attempting to re-sign Ish Smith and Wayne Ellington might make the most sense for the club.

Hornets, Bucks Will Play In Paris

March 28th, 2019 at 8:56am CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA will hold its first-ever regular-season game in France, with the Hornets and Bucks squaring off January 24, 2020, in Paris, the league announced this morning.

“Our NBA Paris Game will showcase the continued global growth of basketball in one of the world’s greatest cities,” Commissioner Adam Silver said. “With France leading a record number of players from Europe in the league, we look forward to bringing together basketball fans from across the continent for the NBA’s first regular-season game in Paris.”

This will be the first game in France for the Bucks and the second for the Hornets, who played there during the 1994 preseason. The league has staged 10 preseason games in France and has been televising games in the nation since 1984. The game could be a homecoming for veteran point guard Tony Parker if he remains on Charlotte’s roster, but his $5.25MM salary for next season is non-guaranteed.

Today’s announcement was made on the “NBA Extra” show on beIN SPORTS, the league’s official broadcast partner in France, and included an appearance from former Hornet Muggsy Bogues.

The game will take place at AccorHotels Arena, which has hosted nearly all of the NBA’s games in France. Tickets won’t be available until a later date. It will count as a home game for Charlotte, tweets Matt Velazquez of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

“The Charlotte Hornets are proud to have the opportunity to participate in the first NBA regular-season game in Paris,” team chairman Michael Jordan said. “Having played in the preseason in France during my career, I witnessed first-hand the passion the French fans have for NBA basketball. We are excited to bring our team to Paris for this history-making event.”