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18 G League Clubs Likely Headed To Disney World Bubble

December 29th, 2020 at 5:28pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The NBA could be returning to Disney World in Orlando, Florida for a “bubble” campus experience in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. This time, Disney World looks set to be home for 18 G League clubs as the NBA’s minor league begins its 2020/21 season, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

Though Atlanta had previously been the frontrunner as a destination for the 2020/21 G League season, Orlando emerged in recent weeks as a viable candidate. Disney World of course served as a successful locale for the 2019/20 NBA season restart. The ’19/20 NBA “bubble” season included eight seeding games for 22 NBA clubs, a play-in game between the Trail Blazers and Grizzlies, plus a full slate of playoff games without any player, personnel member, coach or family member of team personnel recording a positive coronavirus test result after quarantining.

As previously reported, are expected to land in their home markets for physical examinations by January 19. A week later, January 26, clubs will all convene in Orlando. The 12-to-15-game 2020/21 G League season is set to commence on February 8. Playoffs are currently expected to run from March 5-9.

The news report includes all 18 teams anticipated to participate in the Disney World campus:

  • Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario (Clippers)
  • Austin Spurs (Spurs)
  • Canton Charge (Cavaliers)
  • Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers)
  • Erie BayHawks (Pelicans)
  • Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Pacers)
  • G League Ignite (Select Team)
  • Greensboro Swarm (Hornets)
  • Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves)
  • Lakeland Magic (Magic)
  • Long Island Nets (Nets)
  • Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies)
  • Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder)
  • Raptors 905 (Raptors)
  • Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets)
  • Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz)
  • Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors)
  • Westchester Knicks (Knicks)

The report notes that the Wizards will be using the Erie BayHawks as their affiliate, as previously reported. Washington’s own club, the Capital City Go-Go, will not be involved in the 2020/21 G League bubble season.

As we previously relayed, several teams were asked to volunteer to opt out of the bubble this season, as the G League will not be able to accommodate all 29 clubs into this Orlando campus environment.

Player and personnel health and safety expenses will be accounted for by each individual club partaking in the enterprise, and sources tell The Athletic reports that these will cost between $400K-$500K.

The 2020/21 NBA G League draft will take place on January 11, per Charania.

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And-Ones: Wisconsin Herd, Davis, Hall, Tax Teams

December 28th, 2020 at 8:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bucks’ G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, plans to opt out of the proposed G League bubble season in Atlanta, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets. They’ll be the 10th NBA franchise to pass on the bubble event. For a list of teams expected to participate, follow this link.

We have more from around the basketball world:

  • Former NBA guard Baron Davis and rapper Percy “Master P” Miller are in negotiations to acquire Reebok, Eric Woodyard of ESPN tweets. According to Forbes, Reebok’s asking price from its parent company Adidas is around $2.4 billion. Master P says they’re “prepared financially” after a couple months of negotiations, Woodard adds.
  • Big man Donta Hall is joining the G League Ignite as one of its veteran players, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. The Ignite includes top prospects for next year’s draft who decided against playing in college this season. Hall spent most of last season with the Pistons’ G League team in Grand Rapids. Hall also saw action in four games with Detroit and five games as a substitute player for the Nets during the restart.
  • Who were the worst teams in NBA history to pay the luxury tax? Bryan Kalbrosky of Hoops Hype takes a deep dive into that subject. Not surprisingly, the Knicks snagged three of top six spots on the list.
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Latest Details On NBA G League Bubble

December 24th, 2020 at 2:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Seventeen teams have indicated that they plan to participate in the NBA G League bubble, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN, who notes that the G League Ignite select team will be the 18th squad.

While we don’t yet have a full, official list of the teams participating in the G League bubble, Ridiculous Upside has done a good job passing along reports (including some of ours) and providing new details on which clubs are in and out. Their list includes 13 teams believed to be in, not counting the Ignite, as follows:

  • Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario (Clippers)
  • Austin Spurs (Spurs)
  • Canton Charge (Cavaliers)
  • Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers)
  • Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Pacers)
  • Lakeland Magic (Magic)
  • Long Island Nets (Nets)
  • Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies)
  • Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder)
  • Raptors 905 (Raptors)
  • Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz)
  • Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors)
  • Westchester Knicks (Knicks)

G League expert Adam Johnson says the Greensboro Swarm (Hornets), Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves), and Erie BayHawks (Pelicans) are also expected to take part (Twitter link).

The G League reportedly asked for teams to volunteer to opt out, since bringing 29 franchises to the bubble wouldn’t have been logistically possible, so the clubs passing on the bubble aren’t necessarily doing so because they’re not interested in participating.

Teams opting out of the bubble who signed players to Exhibit 10 contracts before the season will be given the option to loan or “flex” those players to another G League team for the bubble and will be responsible for paying all expenses for those players, Givony explains.

The Wizards, for example, aren’t expected to have the Capital City Go-Go play in the bubble, but will likely use the Pelicans’ affiliate – the BayHawks – as their temporary affiliate for their former Exhibit 10 players, such as Caleb Homesley, Marlon Taylor, and Yoeli Childs, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic.

A G League draft would take place in January, according to Givony, who reports that players whose returning rights are held by non-bubble teams would temporarily be dispersed to other clubs in that draft. If non-bubble teams don’t want to “flex” their former Exhibit 10 players to G League teams participating in the bubble, those players will also enter the draft pool, says Givony.

Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News reported earlier this week that the tentative start date for the G League season is February 8. Adam Zagoria of Forbes (Twitter link) shares a more detailed breakdown of the proposed timeline, which would see G League players and staffers begin an “at-home” quarantine period on January 13.

Givony confirms that teams participating in the bubble still expect to play a minimum of 12 games apiece (not including the playoffs), as was reported in November.

Finally, Givony reports that the G League is making adjustments to its roster rules to make it easier for NBA teams to recruit and sign veterans with five or more years of NBA experience. Each team will be able to designate an “NBA Vet Selection” who fits that bill, and won’t have to navigate the NBAGL’s complicated waiver process to add that player, per Givony.

As Johnson tweets, the rule will be a one-off for this season and will allow – for instance – the Warriors to add Jeremy Lin to their Santa Cruz affiliate, like they wanted to.

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Central Notes: Markkanen, Weaver, Wu, Pistons G League, Love

December 22nd, 2020 at 9:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen feels extra motivation after he couldn’t reach an extension agreement with the organization by Monday’s deadline, Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago writes. “Obviously disappointing, I wanted to get a deal done,” he said. “But that happened, and we’re moving on, and I’m 100 percent committed to this team.”

Markkanen confirmed the sides were never near a deal after he struggled through an injury-marred season. “I don’t think it was very close,” Markkanen said. “I talked to (my agent) obviously a lot last couple days, and (the Bulls’ offer) just wasn’t something I would take, and that’s the end of it.”

We have more from the Central Division:

  • As we noted, the Pistons remade their roster more than any team in the league. New GM Troy Weaver promises to continue making changes. “We are going to stay aggressive,” Weaver said, per Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports. Owner Tom Gores is confident that Weaver has the franchise on the right path. “He is concise in how he sees talent. He sees it on a micro-level,” Gores said. “I’ve met a lot of executives who know basketball. Troy is just on a whole different level.”
  • The Pacers have officially hired Ted Wu as VP of Basketball Operations, according to a team press release. Wu worked eight years with the NBA league office, specializing in salary cap management. Wu will be the team’s capologist.
  • The Pistons have a program that includes night sessions and extended practice sessions for players that would ordinarily be on their G League squad, coach Dwane Casey told Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link) and other media members. The Pistons had been affiliated with the Grand Rapids Drive but are switching to the newly-created Motor City Cruise in Detroit next season. They are not expected to participate in the G League bubble season in Atlanta.
  • A strained calf will prevent Kevin Love from playing in the Cavaliers’ opener on Wednesday, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer relays.
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And-Ones: Hall Of Fame Nominees, G League, Extensions, More

December 22nd, 2020 at 3:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Longtime Celtics forward Paul Pierce and former NBA player and head coach Doug Collins are among those eligible for the first time to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, writes ESPN’s Royce Young.

Pierce and Collins are joined as this year’s first-time nominees by former Defensive Player of the Year Michael Cooper and three-time WNBA Most Valuable Player Lauren Jackson, along with Howard Garfinkel, Lou Henson, Val Ackerman, and Yolanda Griffith. Those new nominees will be added to a list of returning candidates that includes Chauncey Billups, Chris Bosh, and Becky Hammon, among others.

While the 2020 Hall of Fame class – headlined by Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett – won’t be enshrined until May due to coronavirus-related delays, the 2021 class is scheduled to be unveiled in early April, with a September induction ceremony to follow.

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

  • Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News (Twitter link) hears from a source that the NBA G League may be targeting February 8 for the start of its shortened season. Training camps would begin at a bubble site – possibly in Atlanta – on January 29 in that scenario, Bondy adds.
  • ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) examines what’s next for the players who didn’t sign rookie scale extensions on Monday and takes a look at some players who will still be candidates for veteran extensions during the season, including new Bucks guard Jrue Holiday and Rockets forward P.J. Tucker.
  • The NBA’s decision to rescind the Bucks‘ 2022 second-round pick after finding evidence that they jumped the gun on negotiations with Bogdan Bogdanovic last month is a relative slap on the wrist, but still represents a noticeable step up over past penalties for tampering, Jared Weiss writes for The Athletic. The league made it a priority starting in 2019 to crack down on such violations.
  • Basketball junkies will enjoy the 2020/21 version of Niku Mistry’s annual NBA Almanac, a 300-page guide that recaps last season’s results – along with each offseason transaction – and includes team-by-team breakdowns for the coming year.
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G League Bubble Rumors: Schedule, Team Count, Location

December 17th, 2020 at 9:04pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

New rumors have emerged concerning the NBA’s continued efforts to make a “bubble” campus iteration of its G League a reality for the 2020/21 season.

The location for such an event has yet to be finalized. While Adam Zagoria of Forbes says (Twitter link) that the bubble may not happen in Atlanta for logistical reasons, Dave McMenamin of ESPN says Atlanta remains the frontrunner, though Orlando is also a candidate to host. A source tells Zagoria that a phone conversation that includes all 29 team presidents is scheduled for next week so that clubs can “get closer to a final decision.”

McMenamin also explains the reasoning behind teams opting out of the 2020/21 season entirely. As McMenamin details, G League president Shareef Abdur-Rahim requested that clubs volunteer to pass on the bubble, as the G League would not be able to safely accommodate 29 franchises.

Per McMenamin’s sources, the G League hopes to pare down its bubble team tally to between 14-20 clubs, in much the same way that the 2019/20 summer restart in Orlando was limited to just 22 of 30 teams.

So far, 10 teams have agreed to opt out, according to McMenamin. That list includes the Maine Red Claws, the affiliate for the Celtics, and the Lakers’ affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, as our JD Shaw reported earlier this month. Meanwhile, 12 teams have committed to participating in the bubble season. Other teams have yet to make a determination.

As was outlined last month, the new G League Ignite team, centered around several star 2021 draft prospects including Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga, is expected to participate. McMenamin reports that showcasing the Ignite is a big motivating factor behind the push for a 2020/21 G League season.

The league expects play to run from January through March, with fewer than the standard 50 games for its season. Marc Berman of The New York Post (Twitter link) hears that the shortened season could start around January 10.

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And-Ones: Lin, G League, Jenkins, Rookie Extensions

December 15th, 2020 at 12:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Jeremy Lin will indeed be a late addition to the G League Ignite’s roster for the squad’s scrimmages on Tuesday and Thursday this week, says Jonathan Givony of ESPN (Twitter link). As Givony explains, Lin lives near Walnut Creek and has been practicing recently with the NBAGL’s Select Team. The veteran point guard will be able to stick with the Ignite in a practice player capacity for as long as he chooses, Givony adds.

The Ignite’s two scrimmages this week against a squad of G League veterans won’t be streamed publicly, but NBA teams will receive access to the film, according to Givony, who lists the rosters for each club (Twitter link). The Ignite are headlined by prospects like Jalen Green, Daishen Nix, and Jonathan Kuminga, while the team of G League vets includes Isaiah Briscoe, London Perrantes, and Bryce Alford, among others.

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

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Atlantic Notes: Smith Jr., Irving, Boucher, Mensah-Bonsu

December 14th, 2020 at 5:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Dennis Smith Jr. has done nothing to boost his trade value during the Knicks’ first two preseason games, Marc Berman of the New York Post notes. Though new coach Tom Thibodeau praised Smith last week, the guard hasn’t produced on the court. Smith, who could be a restricted or unrestricted free agent next offseason, logged 37 minutes and shot just 33% from the field. He also looked out of sorts when the Pistons trapped him on Sunday while posting a minus-15 in 16 minutes, Berman adds.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Nets guard Kyrie Irving finally complied with league rules and met virtually with the media on Monday, Malika Andrews of ESPN writes. Irving had called the media “pawns” in an Instagram post and was fined by the league for refusing to speak to journalists prior to Monday. Irving made a point of praising coach Steve Nash, after previously making a comment that was construed as a knock on Nash when Irving said on a podcast he didn’t see the team “as having a head coach.” “Steve’s been amazing,” Irving said. “He kind of commands the respect. I think I’ve got to take back my comments in terms of the head coach back a few months ago.”
  • Chris Boucher will have an expanded role with the Raptors this season now that Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol are gone, and he plans to do the dirty work, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. The big man re-signed with the club on a two-year, $13.5MM deal as a restricted free agent.  “You’ve got to come in the game, play defense, block shots, rebound, make the good reads,” Boucher said. “I think I was a little trigger happy before … We’ve got good shooters with me when I’m playing now, so I don’t really need to be taking those shots.”
  • The Knicks are planning to hire Pops Mensah-Bonsu as president and director of their G League operations, The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov and Shams Charania tweet. Mensah-Bonsu was the GM of the Wizards’ Capital City Go-Go G League team last season after a stint as a Spurs scout.
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And-Ones: Doncic, Lin, G League, Duffy

December 14th, 2020 at 12:42pm CST by Luke Adams

A panel of eight NBA scouts and executives polled by Tim Bontemps of ESPN nearly unanimously view LeBron James as the league’s best player, but voted Luka Doncic as the frontrunner for the MVP award in 2021.

“It’s hard to see Giannis winning three in a row,” a Western Conference scout told ESPN. “And I think there’s more of an opportunity for Luka to kind of put on an MVP show and do more on an individual basis.”

Bontemps also had those scouts and execs weigh in with their thoughts on the 2020 offseason, polling them on which teams had the most success upgrading their roster in either the short or long term — or both. Half the panelists picked the Lakers as the team that had the best offseason, with the Hawks, Thunder, and Sixers also receiving votes. Meanwhile, the Pistons, Rockets, and Bucks got votes for the worst offseason.

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

  • Free agent guard Jeremy Lin practiced this weekend with the G League Ignite ahead of their scrimmages on Tuesday and Thursday, league sources tell Adam Zagoria of Forbes (Twitter link). Lin wasn’t among the veteran players previously announced as part of the Ignite, but Zagoria suggests in his full story that the veteran is expected to suit up with the squad on Tuesday.
  • Dakota Schmidt of Ridiculous Upside is keeping tabs on which teams are expected to opt in and out of the G League’s proposed Atlanta-area bubble. With the NBA’s opening night just over a week away, it seems like a formal update on the plans for the NBAGL should be right around the corner.
  • After making a clerical error that cost client Anthony Carter approximately $3MM in 2003, agent Bill Duffy vowed to repay Carter in full and has made good on that promise, making the last of his payments to Carter this year, as Sopan Deb writes in an interesting story for The New York Times.
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Central Notes: G League, Valentine, K. Porter, Markkanen

December 10th, 2020 at 6:02pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The G League affiliate of the Cavaliers – the Canton Charge – and the G League affiliate of the Pacers – the Fort Wayne Mad Ants – are among the teams that plan on participating in the NBA’s G League proposed “bubble” this season, per JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link).

As we previously reported, the G League affiliates of the Celtics, Heat, Lakers, and Pistons are leaning toward opting out of the NBAGL bubble season, expected to take place in Atlanta.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

  • Bulls reserve shooting guard Denzel Valentine will miss Chicago’s first two preseason games with a tweaked hamstring, according to Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago. Injuries have limited Valentine to appearing in just 170 of 393 possible regular season contests during his first four seasons with Chicago. “I’ve been working with the medical and training staff right now. It’s pretty much day by day,” Valentine said.
  • Cavaliers wing Kevin Porter Jr. rejoined the club for his first practice with Cleveland this season, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. A source told Fedor that the Cavaliers “probably won’t rush” Porter into the Cavaliers’ first preseason contest on Saturday, against the Pacers.
  • In a new mailbag, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago expressed optimism that the Bulls will be able to work out a rookie scale contract extension with eligible power forward Lauri Markkanen before the December 21 deadline. Johnson anticipates that new coach Billy Donovan will emphasize Markkanen moving without the ball this season.
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