Milwaukee Bucks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Jrue, Vegas, Pangos, Payton, Big Markets

June 4th, 2021 at 2:29pm CST by Luke Adams

Bucks guard Jrue Holiday is the recipient of the Joe Dumars Trophy, having been named the winner of the 2020/21 NBA Sportsmanship Award, the league announced today in a press release.

The award, which aims to honor the player who “best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court,” is voted on by current NBA players. Each team nominates one of its players, a panel of league executives pares the list down to six finalists (one from each division), and the players vote on those six finalists.

Holiday, who earned 130 of 343 first-place votes, beat out runner-up Kemba Walker (74 first-place votes) for the award. Bam Adebayo, Harrison Barnes, Derrick White, and Josh Okogie were the other finalists.

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

While it’s unclear when the NBA might seriously pursue expansion, Las Vegas has frequently been cited as a city the league would consider, and a Yahoo News report suggests one potential ownership group may be in place in Vegas. As Kurt Helin of NBC Sports relays, billionaire Jay Bloom heads a series of investors who reportedly have the funds and the connections necessary to be the frontrunners to own a Vegas NBA franchise if the opportunity arises.
Kevin Pangos, one of the top point guards in the EuroLeague, is drawing plenty of interest from European teams but may wait until NBA free agency to make a decision, says Aris Barkas of Eurohoops. There’s no indication that Pangos has an NBA offer awaiting him, but the former Gonzaga standout wants to consider all his options before making a decision.
Hall-of-Fame guard Gary Payton, who has spoken in the past about wanting to coach in the NBA, tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated that he has agreed to a multiyear contract to coach Lincoln University in his hometown of Oakland, California.
In the wake of teams like the Celtics, the Knicks, and especially the Lakers being eliminated from the postseason, Ethan Strauss of The Athletic explores just how dependent the NBA is on its marquee, big-market franchises, and what the league can do to reduce that dependence.

Poll: Brooklyn Nets Vs. Milwaukee Bucks

June 4th, 2021 at 12:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Three of the NBA’s four second-round matchups are set, and while the Sixers/Hawks and Suns/Nuggets series should be entertaining and competitive, the showdown between the Nets and the Bucks in the East looks like the clear headliner of round two at this point.

The Nets are the favorites to take home this year’s championship now that Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving – who have combined for 27 All-Star nods, seven scoring titles, and two MVP awards over the years – are all healthy. No other NBA team can match Brooklyn’s offensive firepower, and the club made quick work of the Celtics in round one, dispatching Boston in five games.

Milwaukee, however, was one of the only teams that looked more impressive than Brooklyn since the postseason began — the Bucks’ win over Miami was the lone sweep of the first round, and it showed why this year’s squad may be more dangerous than the one that led the NBA in regular season wins in 2018/19 and ’19/20. With Jrue Holiday and P.J. Tucker now in the mix, the Bucks have a versatile, switchable defense to complement All-Stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton.

As John Hollinger of The Athletic writes, this series looks like an NBA Finals-caliber matchup. In fact, Hollinger predicts that whichever team wins this series will go on to win the championship, and I’m inclined to agree with him.

The Nets are the favorites, but the Bucks are one of the only teams in the NBA that could realistically hope to slow down Brooklyn’s superstar trio, according to Hollinger, who points out that the Bucks could assign Holiday to Irving, Middleton to Harden, and either Giannis or Tucker to Durant.

On the other side of the ball, the Nets’ have no obvious primary defender for Antetokounmpo if Jeff Green remains sidelined, Hollinger argues, since Giannis is too quick for most of Brooklyn’s bigs, but would likely to be able to overpower Durant.

Still, the Nets will have some advantages of their own. It remains to be seen whether Bucks center Brook Lopez will be able to hang with Brooklyn’s offensive attack, and if Lopez is forced off the floor, Milwaukee will have fewer options for smaller lineups with wing Donte DiVincenzo sidelined. While role players like Bryn Forbes and Bobby Portis provide offensive punch, the Nets would likely pick on them on defense.

Health will play a big part in this series — with DiVincenzo out for the postseason and Green potentially able to return for some or all of round two, the Nets seemingly have the injury advantage, but it’s worth noting that Irving, Harden, and Durant all missed time during the regular season due to health problems. If one of them turns an ankle or tweaks a hamstring against Milwaukee, it would quickly change the outlook of the series.

We want to know what you think. Are you picking the Nets or the Bucks to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals? How many games do you think the series will go?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

Which team will win the series?

Bucks in 6-7 games 53.60% (856 votes)

Nets in 6-7 games 33.31% (532 votes)

Bucks in 4-5 games 6.64% (106 votes)

Nets in 4-5 games 6.45% (103 votes)

Total Votes: 1,597

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Celtics Will Start Coaching Search With Internal Interviews

June 2nd, 2021 at 8:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

The first step in the Celtics‘ search for a new head coach to replace Brad Stevens will begin with several internal candidates, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Chris Mannix of SI.com suggested as much earlier today.

Boston’s head coaching position opened up this morning when Danny Ainge resigned as president of basketball operations and Stevens was chosen to replace him.

Weiss notes that Stevens’ staff has several strong candidates. Jay Larranaga interviewed for the Hornets’ head coaching spot before James Borrego was hired, and Scott Morrison and Brandon Bailey both coached at the team’s G League affiliate in Maine. Jerome Allen is a former NBA player with college head coaching experience at the University of Pennsylvania, while Jamie Young has been with the team since 2008.

Among external candidates, the most interesting name is Kara Lawson, who would become the first female NBA head coach if she gets the job. Lawson spent a year as an assistant in Boston before leaving in 2020 to become head coach of the women’s team at Duke. Others to watch, sources tell Weiss, include former Celtics players Sam Cassell, currently an assistant with the Sixers, and Chauncey Billups, who is on the Clippers‘ staff.

Weiss also expects interest in former Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce, Timberwolves assistant David Vanterpool, Lakers assistant Jason Kidd, Nets assistant Ime Udoka, Spurs assistant Becky Hammon and Bucks assistants Darvin Ham and Charles Lee. According to Weiss, another potential outsider is Juwan Howard if he’s willing to leave Michigan.

Injury Updates: Walker, Williams, KCP, Doncic, Kleber, T. Antetokounmpo

June 1st, 2021 at 5:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

With the Celtics facing elimination, Kemba Walker and Robert Williams have been declared out for Game 5 against the Nets on Tuesday, Malika Andrews of ESPN tweets. Walker (left knee bone bruise) and Williams (left ankle sprain) had previously been listed as doubtful. Neither played in Game 4 after exiting Game 3 in the early going.

We have more injury updates:

Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is expected to return to the lineup for Game 5 against Phoenix on Tuesday, Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets. He missed Game 4 with a sore left knee.
The Mavericks’ Luka Doncic (neck strain) and Maxi Kleber (right Achilles soreness) are listed as probable to play Game 5 on Wednesday, Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News tweets.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo isn’t doing any contact work yet but “he did most, if not all of the non-contact portion of (Tuesday’s) practice,” according to Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, as Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets. He suffered an avulsion fracture to his right patella tendon suffered on May 16.

Bucks' Roster Transformation Paid Off In First Round

May 31st, 2021 at 8:43am CST by Luke Adams

The transformation the Bucks‘ roster underwent during the 2020 offseason paid off in the first round of the 2021 postseason, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. The team – which added Jrue Holiday, Bobby Portis, and Bryn Forbes last fall – figures to face a tougher test in round two, with a potential matchup vs. Brooklyn on tap.

Loss Of DiVincenzo Hurts Defensively

May 29th, 2021 at 9:23am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bucks have lost a key member of their backcourt, Donte DiVincenzo, due to a torn ligament in his left ankle. The Athletic’s Eric Nehm takes a look at which players might absorb DiVincenzo’s minutes. Bryn Forbes, Pat Connaughton and P.J. Tucker could pick up the slack offensively with Forbes moving into the starting lineup. But it will be difficult to replace DiVincenzo on the defensive end. Coach Mike Budenholzer may give more playing time to Jeff Teague, though he could also opt to slice his rotation to eight players.

Donte DiVincenzo Will Miss Rest Of Playoffs

May 28th, 2021 at 12:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

12:55pm: The Bucks have announced further details on the injury that will sideline DiVincenzo for the remainder of the 2021 playoffs (Twitter link). An MRI and examination by team doctor Dr. Carole Vetter revealed that DiVincenzo is suffering from a torn ligament in his left ankle, per the team.

11:53am: Bucks guard Donte DiVincenzo will miss the remainder of the postseason after suffering a serious tendon injury in his left foot, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

DiVincenzo was hurt on a drive to the basket in the second quarter of Thursday’s game. He was fouled by Goran Dragic on the play and limped off the court.

The third-year guard started all 66 games he played this season and turned in a career-best year with 10.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per night. Although Milwaukee appears to have its first-round series in hand with a 3-0 lead over Miami, DiVincenzo’s absence could make a difference in later rounds.

DiVincenzo will be extension-eligible this offseason as he enters the final year of his rookie contract.

Heat Notes: Portis, Riley, Free Agents, Butler

May 28th, 2021 at 12:51pm CST by Arthur Hill

A decision not to pursue Bucks big man Bobby Portis in free agency may have led to the Heat’s playoff downfall, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Jackson traces several missteps for Miami, which is in a 3-0 hole against Milwaukee, but the most significant might be passing on Portis, who is averaging 10.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in the playoff series.

A source tells Jackson that the Heat showed “mild interest” in Portis during free agency, but decided against making an offer. Portis would have considered Miami, Jackson adds, but he wound up signing with Milwaukee for $3.6MM and having a career-best season. The Heat signed Maurice Harkless for the same money, but he played just 11 games and scored 15 total points before being traded to the Kings in March.

Portis figures to be back on the market this summer as an unrestricted free agent and should get much better offers this time.

There’s more from Miami:

The Heat made overtures to Marcus Morris in free agency before he re-signed with the Clippers for $64MM over four years, Jackson adds. They lost two of their own free agents when they refused to come close to the three-year, $30MM deal that Jae Crowder got from the Suns or the two-year, $19MM contract that the Trail Blazers gave Derrick Jones Jr. Instead, Miami split its $9.6MM mid-level exception between Harkless and Avery Bradley, neither of whom is still with the team. The Heat also drafted Precious Achiuwa and gave a two-year, $19MM deal to Meyers Leonard, but Achuiwa dropped out of the rotation when Dewayne Dedmon was added and Leonard played just three games before a season-ending shoulder injury.
Team president Pat Riley has a history of making major changes after playoff embarrassments, and Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel suggests that another one may be coming. Winderman notes that the current roster was built for an immediate overhaul, with team options on Goran Dragic and Andre Iguodala for next season and Duncan Robinson, Kendrick Nunn, Andre Iguodala, Victor Oladipo, Trevor Ariza, Nemanja Bjelica, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, Udonis Haslem and Dedmon all potentially headed for free agency.
Jimmy Butler believes the Heat need to fall back on toughness to salvage the series, writes Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN. “(I’m most surprised by) just how fast it got out of hand,” Butler said after Thursday’s loss. “We’ve got to pick who we want to be — be physical, make things much tougher. Then you’ve got to live with the result.”

Bucks To Increase Crowd Capacity

May 27th, 2021 at 8:45pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Bucks will be raising crowd capacity at their home arena, Fiserv Forum, from 9,100 fans to 16,500 fans for the rest of playoffs, per a team press release. The earliest date this could go into effect is June 1, if the team’s series against the Heat extends to five games.
The Bucks internally talked about tanking a matchup with the Heat in the final weekend of the season to avoid facing Miami in the first round, but unanimously decided against it, writes Zach Lowe of ESPN. With Milwaukee on the cusp of taking a 3-0 advantage in its series against Miami tonight, it appears that was the right call.

With 2021/22 Player Option, Forbes Proving Mettle In Playoffs

May 25th, 2021 at 9:37pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Bucks reserve shooting guard Bryn Forbes proved his value with a stellar shooting night in the second game of Milwaukee’s first round matchup against the Heat, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Forbes scored 22 points and connected on six of his nine long-range attempts. Forbes has a $2.45MM player option for the 2021/22 NBA season, and may command a raise on the open market should he opt out of his current deal.