Jock Landale Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: Landale, Pelicans, Grizzlies, Bane

September 2nd, 2021 at 2:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Big man Jock Landale, who signed with the Spurs last month after spending last season with Melbourne United, referred to Australia’s National Basketball League as “the best place to be” for players trying to make jump to the NBA. In an appearance on the NBL’s The Huddle podcast, Landale praised the league’s willingness to let players pursue NBA opportunities.

“I think the NBL does themselves such a service in having that leniency to let people go and pursue that dream, that people now look at it as a legitimate pathway,” Landale said.

Landale signed a two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Spurs as a free agent this offseason. While the second year isn’t guaranteed, the first season is, so he’s in position to make San Antonio’s 15-man squad.

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Zach Harper of The Athletic was underwhelmed by the Pelicans‘ offseason, giving the team a grade of D-plus for its summer moves. While Harper liked the acquisition of Jonas Valanciunas and New Orleans’ deal with Josh Hart, he believes the club significantly downgraded its backcourt, calling the Devonte’ Graham signing a “pretty bad” deal.
While the city of New Orleans was hit hard by Hurricane Ida, the Pelicans‘ Smoothie King Center only sustained “minor exterior damage,” according to the team. The Pels will be able to play their home games there this fall without issue, as Christian Clark of NOLA.com details.
The Grizzlies plan to retire the jerseys for two key members of the team’s “Grit and Grind” era, announcing (via Twitter) that they’ll retire Zach Randolph‘s No. 50 on December 11 and Tony Allen‘s No. 9 on January 28.
Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane is changing agents, according to Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal, who tweets that Bane has left Seth Cohen of SAC Sports Family and is in the process of hiring new representation. Bane is still two years away from being extension-eligible for the first time.

Western Notes: Popovich, Landale, Can, Beckett

August 21st, 2021 at 9:26am CST by Dana Gauruder

Gregg Popovich may not seem the type of coach who is interested in records, but he wants to become the NBA’s all-time winningest coach more than many people would suspect, according to Marc Stein of Substack (subscription required). The Spurs’ longtime coach is 26 wins shy of passing Don Nelson for the most regular-season coaching victories. The fact that they are close friends adds to the appeal. Prior to becoming a head coach, Popovich spent two seasons in Golden State as Nelson’s top assistant.

We have more from the Western Conference:

Jock Landale’s two-year contract with the Spurs is a minimum-salary deal, Keith Smith of Spotrac tweets. The first year is fully guaranteed, while the second year is non-guaranteed. The Australian big man was the NBL Grand Final MVP last season.
The Jazz have added Erdem Can to their coaching staff, according to a team press release. Can joins Quin Snyder‘s staff after serving as an assistant coach for Fenerbahce in the Turkish first division from 2012-21. He has also assisted the Jazz’s summer league coaching staff five times in Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.
Assistant coach John Beckett is signing a new contract with the Nuggets, Fred Katz of The Athletic tweets. Beckett was under consideration to join Wes Unseld Jr.‘s staff with the Wizards. Beckett and Unseld worked together under Michael Malone last season.

Spurs Sign Jock Landale

August 20th, 2021 at 8:07am CST by Eli Cohen

AUGUST 20: The signing is official, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

AUGUST 3: The Spurs have agreed to a two-year deal with Australian big man Jock Landale, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Landale, a 25-year-old, 6’11” center, is fresh off winning the 2021 NBL Grand Final MVP for Melbourne United. He averaged 16.4 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 2.2 APG and 1.5 BPG while shooting 38.9% from three on 149 total attempts during the 2020/21 season.

The Spurs are light in established frontcourt players, leaving the possibility of Landale to carve out a role for himself, especially if newly-signed Zach Collins is unable to stay healthy. With the team officially losing Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozan, the youth movement appears to be in full swing in San Antonio.

International Notes: Satoransky, Olympics, Shayok, Landale

June 11th, 2021 at 1:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Bulls guard Tomas Satoransky is the only current NBA player on the Czech Republic’s preliminary roster for the Olympic qualifying tournament later this month (link via FIBA). Former NBA lottery pick Jan Vesely is among the other notable names on the roster.

Satoransky, Vesely, and the Czechs will be looking to earn a berth in the Tokyo Olympics by winning a six-team tournament that also features Canada, Greece, Turkey, China, and Uruguay. It won’t be an easy path, as only one of the six teams will advance to Tokyo. Canada’s roster features many NBA players, while Greece could have Giannis Antetokounmpo available if the Bucks don’t advance past Brooklyn in round two of the NBA playoffs.

Here are a few more notes from around the international basketball world:

Former NBA second-rounder Marial Shayok is joining Turkish club Fenerbahce, according to a report from Ismail Senol of beIN Sports (Twitter link; hat tip to Sportando). After being selected 54th overall in 2019, Shayok spent his rookie season with the 76ers, but was waived last November. The 25-year-old forward played for Frutti Extra Bursaspor in Turkey for most of 2021.
Former Saint Mary’s big man Jock Landale, who is currently playing for Melbourne United in Australia’s National Basketball League, is hoping to use the NBL playoffs as a springboard to a potential NBA contract, telling Matt Logue of News.com.au that he has received “a lot” of NBA interest this season. Landale also sought a move to the NBA last summer, but could have more luck this time around following a big year for Melbourne.
Nick Lagios, who will be the general manager of the NBA G League’s new franchise based in Mexico City, told Achilleas Mavrodontis of Eurohoops.net that he likes the idea of someday overseeing a European team’s basketball operations department. “Many people call me crazy because my dream job is to work as a GM or president in the EuroLeague,” Lagios said. “I think it would be a great experience working (for) a European team or a top-notch Greek team and I would love that in the future.”

And-Ones: G League, Bubble, Landale, Munford

August 3rd, 2020 at 5:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA G League’s new Select Team will play in Walnut Creek, California, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). While the squad was always expected to be based out of California, previous reports suggested the Los Angeles area was most likely — Walnut Creek is in the Bay Area.

The Select Team is expected to be made up of a combination of noteworthy prospects and veteran mentors. Five-star recruits Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Daishen Nix, and Isaiah Todd have signed on to be part of the team, as have intriguing international big men Kai Sotto and Princepal Singh.

It remains to be seen which vets might fill out the roster, but Brian Shaw will be the club’s head coach. The Select Team won’t be part of the NBAGL’s traditional regular season schedule, but is expected to play exhibition games against G League teams, as well as against foreign national teams and NBA academies, as the program focuses on helping top prospects prepare for the NBA.

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

It’s too early to declare it a complete success, but the NBA’s “bubble” experiment is off to a great start, as Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press writes. “Seriously, it’s a great stage to play,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “There’s not a lot of distractions. It’s the same court every night, so you get your shooting depth perception and all of that. It’s pure basketball. So, you see some of the talents these guys have are coming out.”
Big man Jock Landale has officially parted ways with Zalgiris Launas, the Lithuanian team announced today in a press release. As the club noted in its announcement, Landale will be seeking an NBA job this fall when free agency opens.
Former Grizzlies and Bucks guard Xavier Munford has joined Turkish team Bursaspor Basketbol, according to the club (Twitter link; hat tip to Sportando). A former Rhode Island standout, Munford has appeared in just 20 NBA games, though he’s a G League veteran, having logged 209 NBAGL appearances, including 43 this past season with the Delaware Blue Coats.

And-Ones: Landale, CBA, Wolters, Stuart

July 26th, 2020 at 6:02pm CST by JD Shaw

Former NBA player Jock Landale is prioritizing a return to the league instead of playing overseas next season, he told Olgun Uluc of ESPN (Twitter link).

“My sole focus is on making this offseason count because it’s time I’ll never get back… that’s all in the lead-up to hopefully signing an NBA contract in October,” Landale said. “I feel ready.”

Landale remains under contract with Zalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania through 2021, but the Australian big man isn’t expected to continue with the team. Landale averaged 11 points, 4.4 rebounds and 20.6 minutes in 25 EuroLeague games last season. He shot 53% from the floor and 30% from downtown.

Landale, 24, went undrafted in 2018 after spending four seasons at Saint Mary’s College. He signed with the Hawks for summer league shortly after going undrafted, later signing in Serbia that summer. He played stateside with the Bucks during summer league last year.

Here are some other odds and ends from around the basketball world:

The Chinese Basketball Association is set to start allowing fans to attend games, according to an ESPN.com article. The CBA will let a limited amount of fans into games on Sunday before opening for the public on July 31. Fans will be required to buy tickets online within 48 hours of testing negative for coronavirus, the league said in a release.
Free agent Nate Wolters has reached agreement on a one-year deal with UNICS Kazan in Russia, the team announced on social media. Wolters averaged 7.5 points and 2.6 assists with Maccabi Tel Aviv in the EuroLeague last year, making past NBA stops with the Bucks, Pelicans and Jazz.
The NBA has named Oris Stuart as the league’s Chief People and Inclusion Officer, announcing the news in a press release. Stuart will begin the role on August 15, leading the combined Human Resources and Diversity and Inclusion groups. He’ll oversee diversity strategies for the NBA, WNBA and other associated leagues, holding a goal of expanding programs to increase the representation of people of color and women in various leadership roles.

International Notes: Ennis, Dekker, Macon, Adel, Landale

July 24th, 2020 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran guard Tyler Ennis and forward Sam Dekker spent a half-season in 2016/17 as teammates with the Rockets. Now, they’re set to team up again for the 2020/21 season — this time, it’ll happen in Turkey rather than in Houston.

Turk Telekom BK published a pair of tweets this week welcoming Ennis and Dekker to the team, an indication that both players have reached deals with the Turkish club.

Ennis and Dekker were 18th overall picks in back-to-back NBA drafts (2014 and 2015), with Ennis appearing in 186 total games for four clubs, while Dekker logged 200 appearances for four clubs. Neither player was in the NBA in 2019/20, as Ennis spent the season with Raptors 905 in the G League, while Dekker played in Russia for Lokomotiv Kuban.

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

Turkish team Galatasaray has signed former Arkansas guard Daryl Macon to a one-year contract, the team announced in a press release. Macon began the 2019/20 season on a two-year deal with Miami, but was waived in January to open up a spot for Gabe Vincent.
Former Louisville forward Deng Adel, who was on a two-way contract with Cleveland in 2018/19 and was with the Nets in camp last fall, has signed with the Illawarra Hawks of Australia’s National Basketball League, the team announced in a press release. According to the club, Adel received interest from several others NBL teams before signing with the Hawks.
Former Saint Mary’s big man Jock Landale isn’t expected to return to Zalgiris Kaunas for the 2020/21 season, according to Donatas Urbonas (Twitter link). Urbonas previously reported that the Lithuanian team was preparing for Landale to opt out of the final year of his contract and potentially seek an NBA job.

Jock Landale Exploring Move To NBA

July 14th, 2020 at 5:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Saint Mary’s big man Jock Landale is actively exploring the possibility of landing an NBA job for the 2020/21 season, according to Lithuanian journalist Donatas Urbonas (Twitter link).

Landale, who turned down NBA training camp invitations after going undrafted in 2018, joined KK Partizan in Serbia for the 2018/19 season, then spent this past year in Lithuania with Zalgiris Kaunas. In 25 EuroLeague games in ’19/20, the forward/center averaged 11.0 PPG and 4.4 RPG on .532/.302/.821 shooting in 20.6 minutes per contest.

Although Landale has yet to sign an NBA contract, he has been a fixture in the Summer Leagues over the last two years, playing for the Hawks in 2018 and the Bucks in 2019. In four games in Las Vegas last summer, he averaged 18.3 PPG and 7.0 RPG for Milwaukee. The 24-year-old was also part of the Australian squad that made the semifinals of the 2019 World Cup, earning a spot in the Tokyo Olympics.

With three months to go until the NBA’s free agency period begins, it remains to be seen if this is the right time for Landale to try to come stateside. But Urbonas suggests that Zalgiris is preparing for the possibility that the big man will opt out of his contract, which has one more year on it.

Six NBA Players On Australia’s World Cup Roster

August 7th, 2019 at 9:59am CST by Luke Adams

Team Australia has formally announced its 12-man roster for the 2019 World Cup, and the group features six NBA players.

Aron Baynes (Suns), Joe Ingles (Jazz), Patty Mills (Spurs), Matthew Dellavedova (Cavaliers), and Jonah Bolden (Sixers) are part of the 12-man squad. So is former No. 1 pick Andrew Bogut, who is technically back under contract with the NBL’s Sydney Kings, but was part of the Warriors team that appeared in the NBA Finals this spring.

Australia’s roster is rounded out by NBL players Cameron Gliddon, Chris Goulding, Nathan Sobey, and Nicholas Kay, along with Jock Landale and Xavier Cooks. Landale currently plays for Lithuanian club Zalgiris Kaunas, while Cooks is a member of SIG Strasbourg in France.

Although Team Australia has a strong roster, there are no guarantees that the squad will make a deep run in next month’s event. The Boomers finds themselves in Group H, which features a handful of tough competitors — Lithuania, Canada, and Senegal. Only the top two teams will advance to the second round.

Draft Notes: Knox, Hornets, Bucks, Hawks

June 15th, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets will become the latest team to meet with Kentucky prospect Kevin Knox, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, who tweets that Knox is flying from Philadelphia to Charlotte to visit the club. Pompey notes that Knox will interview with the Hornets on Saturday, while Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link) expects a workout to happen Sunday.

There’s no shortage of potential options for the Hornets, and Knox figures to be among that group. However, in his latest mock draft, Bonnell has another former Kentucky standout – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – going to Charlotte at No. 11.

As for Knox, he made a strong impression during a workout for New York last week, as Ian Begley of ESPN.com writes that multiple members of the Knicks came away from that session “very impressed” with the young forward.

Here are more draft-related updates from around the NBA:

The Bucks continue to take a closer look at possible candidates for their first-round pick, according to Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times (Twitter links), who reports that Aaron Holiday (UCLA) and Mitchell Robinson (Western Kentucky) worked out for Milwaukee today. Holiday and Robinson rank 22nd and 23rd, respectively, on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com.
The Hawks will host another group workout on Saturday, according to an announcement from the team. In addition to previously-reported headliner Keita Bates-Diop, the club will get a chance to audition Jordan Howard (Central Arkansas), Jock Landale (Saint Mary’s), Junior Robinson (Mount St. Mary’s), Zach Smith (Texas Tech), and Moritz Wagner (Michigan).
We have more details on a pair of previously-reported workouts, as Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel tweets that Wendell Carter Jr.‘s audition for the Magic happened today, while ESPN’s Ian Begley tweets that Anfernee Simons will visit the Knicks on Monday.
Jim Ayello of The Indianapolis Star looks for clues about the Pacers‘ draft plans based on the prospects the team has brought in for workouts, observing that there has been a focus on potential three-and-D wings.