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Latest On NBA’s Morey/China Controversy

October 7th, 2019 at 9:41am CST by Luke Adams

As we relayed on Sunday, the Chinese Basketball Association and other business in China have suspended their relations with the Rockets in the wake of a Daryl Morey tweet in which the Houston general manager expressed support for protestors in Hong Kong. Although Morey deleted the tweet and the Rockets and the NBA made efforts to walk it back, the league remains in a tenuous spot, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.

The NBA issued a statement on Sunday, calling it “regrettable” that Morey’s tweet had offended “many of our friends and fans in China” and noting that Morey’s tweet didn’t represent the Rockets or the NBA. However, the league doesn’t intend to fine, suspend, or otherwise punish the Houston GM, sources tell Zillgitt.

Interestingly, the NBA’s statement also looked a little different in Chinese than it did in English, according to Yanan Wang of The Associated Press. In Chinese, the league referred to Morey’s tweet as “inappropriate,” a word that didn’t show up in the English statement. League spokesperson Mike Bass said today that the discrepancy wasn’t intentional (Twitter link via Zillgitt).

The NBA has to walk a fine line in this controversy, since the league typically hasn’t discouraged its coaches, players, and executives from speaking up about political and social justice causes that matter to them. In this case though, it’s clear that the NBA’s business interests in China’s massive market are influencing the league’s decision to distance itself from Morey’s initial comments and to placate its Chinese partners.

Here’s more on the controversy:

John Gonzalez of The Ringer cited league sources who claim that the Rockets have debated Morey’s employment status and whether to replace him. However, several reporters – including Sam Amick of USA Today, Jerome Solomon of The Houston Chronicle, and Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (all Twitter links) – have heard from sources that’s not the case and that Morey’s job isn’t in jeopardy.
Morey hasn’t apologized for his initial tweet, but issued a follow-up statement in which he stressed that he didn’t intend any offense and expressed his appreciation for “our Chinese fans and sponsors.”
Rockets star James Harden, who has participated in promotional tours in China in the past, was among those in damage-control mode this weekend, per an ESPN report. “We apologize. You know, we love China. We love playing there,” Harden said. “For both of us individually, we go there once or twice a year. They show us the most important love.”
New Nets owner Joe Tsai issued an open letter to fans (via Facebook) providing more context on the situation in Hong Kong and China and criticizing Morey for not being “as well informed as he should have been.” Tsai’s framing of the Hong Kong protests as a “separatist movement,” rather than a fight for civil rights and democracy, echoes language used by the Chinese government. It’s worth noting that no NBA owner is more invested in China than Tsai, the co-founder of Alibaba Group.
The Chinese Basketball Association has cancelled the G League exhibition games between the Rockets‘ and Mavericks‘ affiliates scheduled to take place in the country later this month, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
For more analysis on the saga, be sure to check out pieces from Chris Mannix of SI.com, Daniel Victor of The New York Times, and Adam Zagoria of Forbes.

And-Ones: Rockets, Olympics, Cole, B. Rush, Goodwin

October 1st, 2019 at 4:57pm CST by Luke Adams

An NBA rule that threw a wrench into the Rockets‘ plan on a holiday weekend last season has been altered, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.

Previously, the league required teams interested in completing a trade on a weekend or holiday to inform the NBA of its plans on the preceding business day. That practice will still be encouraged, but it will no longer be required, according to Feigen, who says the league will now look to approve and process trades on weekends or holidays even without prior notice.

On Martin Luther King Day last January, the Rockets needed to open up a roster spot to sign Kenneth Faried and had agreed to a trade sending Carmelo Anthony to Chicago. However, the NBA didn’t approve the trade on the holiday, and Houston instead waived James Nunnally to create room for Faried. If a similar situation arises in 2019/20, it shouldn’t be a problem.

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

The Rio Grande Valley Vipers have named a new general manager and head coach for the coming season, the club announced in a press release. Travis Stockbridge, who is just 25 years old, will be the GM of the Rockets‘ G League affiliate, while Mahmoud Abdelfattah will coach the team.
Despite the program’s disappointing World Cup turnout, there has been no shortage of NBA stars this fall expressing interest in playing for Team USA at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. “The reality is the World Cup, although it’s very big around the world, it doesn’t have the same status in the States,” USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo told Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “Our focus is apparently on the Olympics, and I expected a different response.”
Veteran NBA free agents Norris Cole and Brandon Rush are joining Maccabi Haifa for the Israeli team’s upcoming exhibition contests against the Grizzlies, Trail Blazers, and Timberwolves, reports Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link). Those games will take place on October 6, 10, and 13, respectively.
Former first-round pick Archie Goodwin has signed a contract with Turkish team ITU Basket, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando relays. The 29th overall pick in the 2013 draft, Goodwin appeared in 165 regular season games with three NBA teams, but hasn’t played in the league since 2017.

Nets’ Jaylen Hands To Sign G League Contract

October 1st, 2019 at 3:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Nets second-round pick Jaylen Hands will sign a contract to join the Long Island Nets of the G League, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post.

Hands, a 6’3″ guard out of UCLA, was selected by Brooklyn with the No. 56 overall pick in this year’s draft after declaring as an early entrant following his sophomore season. In 2018/19, the 20-year-old averaged 14.2 PPG, 6.1 APG, and 3.7 RPG with a .413/.373/.780 shooting line in 33 games (31.2 MPG) for the Bruins.

Because the Nets already have 15 players on guaranteed salaries and have filled both of their two-way contract slots, a G League contract has long appeared to be the most likely outcome for Hands. Brooklyn will retain his NBA rights while he plays for Long Island, so other NBA teams won’t be able to poach him away. Hands would be eligible to sign with the Nets later in the season or in a future league year.

While Hands may still be in Brooklyn’s long-term plans, recent history suggests that second-round picks who start their careers on G League contracts aren’t locks to eventually join their NBA team. Since 2017, four draftees have signed NBAGL deals and only one (Isaiah Hartenstein) has eventually appeared in at least one game for the NBA team that drafted him.

With Hands’ plans for the 2019/20 season now clear, Hornets second-rounder Jalen McDaniels is the only 2019 draft pick whose immediate future remains uncertain.

Southeast Notes: Kidd-Gilchrist, Pasecniks, Beal, Fultz

September 30th, 2019 at 9:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Hornets forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist comes into camp without a clearly defined role, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes. Kidd-Gilchrist opted in to his $13MM contract this season rather than pursue free agency, which he did for his family’s financial security, Bonnell continues. Kidd-Gilchrist’s stock has plummeted in recent seasons and he would have had to settle for a major pay cut if he had dipped his toe into the free agent pool. He was used sparingly last season by coach James Borrego and it’s uncertain if that will change. “I don’t know,” Kidd-Gilchrist said of how he fits on the current roster.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Center Anzejs Pasecniks will play for the Wizards’ G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington tweets. Pasecniks, a 2017 first-round pick by the Sixers, played for the Wizards during the Las Vegas Summer League. Philadelphia renounced its rights to Pasecniks during the offseason.
Count Wizards guard Bradley Beal among the stars interested in playing for Team USA in the Olympics next summer, Candace Buckner of the Washington Post tweets. “I don’t plan on having a son this next summer. Or daughter! I don’t plan on having no kids, let’s say that,” he said.
Magic guard Markelle Fultz plans to play in the team’s preseason opener on Saturday, Josh Robbins of The Athletic tweets. Fultz appeared in 19 games with the Sixers last season but has yet to make his Orlando debut. The No. 1 overall pick in 2017 was traded to the Magic in February.

Bulls Sign Milton Doyle

September 30th, 2019 at 12:41pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 30: The Bulls have officially signed Doyle, the team announced today. The club’s training camp roster features 19 players – Simisola Shittu, who reportedly agreed to sign with Chicago, isn’t on the list at this point.

SEPTEMBER 23: The Bulls have reached a deal with former Nets guard Milton Doyle, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the two sides have agreed to a partially guaranteed contract. It’s not clear if Doyle’s partial guarantee will exceed the $50K figure that Exhibit 10 recipients and two-way candidates generally receive.

A Chicago native, Doyle went undrafted out of Loyola in 2017 and spent most of his rookie season on a two-way contract with Brooklyn, appearing in 10 NBA regular season contests for the team. The majority of his minutes came in the G League, as he averaged 20.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 4.4 APG in 45 games with the Long Island Nets.

After his two-way deal with the Nets expired, Doyle signed with Spanish team Murcia for the 2018/19 season. Now, the 25-year-old is back stateside and seeking an NBA roster spot.

While the Bulls are carrying only 14 players on fully guaranteed contracts, Shaquille Harrison is the odds-on favorite to claim the 15th and final spot on the club’s regular season roster, given his $175K partial guarantee.

Chicago has an open two-way slot, so if Doyle doesn’t make the 15-man squad, he may be a candidate for that opening. He could also simply end up joining the Windy City Bulls as an affiliate player — Windy City, Chicago’s G League affiliate, acquired his returning rights from Long Island in a trade today.

Pacific Notes: Kings, Walton, Looney, Feld

September 27th, 2019 at 9:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Luke Walton said Kings fans should expect his team to make the playoffs and defensive improvement will be the key, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee reports. The Kings, who had the ninth-best record in the Western Conference, ranked 20th or lower last season in defensive field-goal percentage, points allowed, points in the paint allowed, opponents’ second-chance points and defensive rebounding percentage.

“Defense is it,” the Kings’ new head coach said. “That’s our priority. That’s what we’re going to start training camp with. That’s what we’re going to start practices with — defense, defense, defense — and that’s where we’re going to make a big jump.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Walton only addressed the sexual assault lawsuit filed against him in vague terms, according to another story by Anderson. League investigators have cleared him, saying there wasn’t enough evidence to support the allegations. The civil lawsuit is still pending. “I’m here to do my job and focus on our Kings and get us where we need to get, and the rest will take care of itself,” Walton said.
Warriors forward Kevon Looney is content with the three-year, $15MM contract he received from the franchise, as he told Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Looney might have gotten more from another club but elected to stay put during the first day of free agency. “The Kawhi Leonard thing was dragging out. A lot of guys wanted to wait until it was over. I didn’t want to wait,” he said. “I know the Warriors like to move fast. They were making a lot of changes with the team. I knew — if I wasn’t going to get a big payday — this was where I wanted to be. So I made it happen.”
The Northern Arizona Suns – Phoenix’s G League affiliate – have named Jeff Feld as their general manager, according to a team press release. Feld, 31, had been the Windy City Bulls’ manager of basketball operations. Dylan DeBusk, who served as interim GM for Northern Arizona last season, has been elevated to Phoenix’s personnel analyst/G League operations manager.

Josh Jackson Won’t Join Grizzlies For Camp, Will Start Season In G League

September 27th, 2019 at 11:18am CST by Luke Adams

Having already reached an agreement with Andre Iguodala that will allow the veteran swingman to skip training camp, the Grizzlies have apparently agreed to a similar arrangement with another one of their offseason trade acquisitions.

According to reports from Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com and Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter), Josh Jackson won’t join the Grizzlies for training camp, and is expected to start the season in the G League.

Jackson’s stock has declined precipitously since he was selected fourth overall in the 2017 draft. In the wake of two up-and-down seasons on the court and some worrisome incidents off the court, the former Kansas forward was shipped from Phoenix to Memphis this offseason in what was essentially a salary dump.

Still, this is an unusual development. If the Grizzlies want to try to develop Jackson and rebuild his value, it seems like having him in camp would be a good first step. However, Wallace writes that Jackson’s camp and the team have agreed to let the 22-year-old rehab his reputation “through an undisclosed set of guidelines.” He’ll spend the next few weeks training and preparing to start the season with the Memphis Hustle.

Although Jackson’s future is cloudy, today’s update seems to point strongly toward the Grizzlies turning down his 2020/21 rookie scale option. The club has until October 31 to officially make a decision on that option, which would be worth $8.93MM.

Southwest Notes: Pelicans, Powell, House, Grizzlies

September 26th, 2019 at 6:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans have become the latest NBA franchise to add a female assistant coach to their ranks, announcing today in a press release that WNBA Hall-of-Famer Teresa Weatherspoon has joined the franchise as a player development coach.

According to the Pelicans, Weatherspoon and newly-hired coach A.J. Diggs will serve as two-way assistant coaches, working closely with the club’s two-way players and accompanying them as they go back and forth between the Pelicans and the Erie BayHawks. Currently, New Orleans’ two-way players are Josh Gray and Zylan Cheatham.

“I am thrilled to welcome and AJ and Teresa to our coaching staff here in New Orleans,” Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry said in a statement. “As we continue to put an increased emphasis on player development, AJ and Teresa will play an integral role with our younger players and will be a huge asset to our players and staff both here in New Orleans and Erie.”

Weatherspoon is the second former WNBA star to be hired the Pelicans this offseason, joining Swin Cash, who was named the club’s VP of basketball operations and team development.

Let’s round up a few more items from around the Southwest…

There may be some skepticism among Mavericks fans about Dwight Powell‘s value, but after signing a new long-term contract extension this summer, the big man projects to be a major part of the team’s plans going forward, writes Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News.
Danuel House, who signed a new three-year contract with the Rockets this offseason, isn’t considered a dynamic shot creator, but Kelly Iko of The Athletic makes a case that House could provide the team with some of the frontcourt play-making it lacks.
Mark Giannotto of The Memphis Commercial Appeal believes the Grizzlies are handling the Andre Iguodala situation exactly right. Iguodala remains under contract with the team but won’t report to camp as the front office continues to weigh trade or buyout scenarios.
David Cobb of The Memphis Commercial Appeal examines where things stand with Josh Jackson and Grayson Allen, two former first-round picks acquired this summer by the Grizzlies. Memphis must make 2020/21 option decisions on both players by October 31, and Jackson’s option in particular is no lock to be exercised.

NBA G League Experimenting With New Free Throw Rules In 2019/20

September 26th, 2019 at 1:48pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA G League is experimenting in 2019/20 with a new rule that will result in players taking just one foul shot every time they’re sent to the line, reports ESPN’s Zach Lowe. As Lowe details, that single free throw would be worth either one, two, or three points, depending on the nature of the foul.

For instance, if a shooter is fouled while attempting a three-pointer, he’d only get one free throw try — it would be worth three points if he makes it, and zero if he misses. A standard foul would result in one foul shot that would be worth two points if it’s converted. And-one attempts following made field goals would be unaffected.

The idea – which has been discussed by the NBA’s competition committee at recent meetings, according to Lowe – is intended to improve the flow of games and to speed them up a little. G League head of basketball operations Brad Walker estimates that the change will trim about six to eight minutes off each NBAGL game, says Lowe. The average game took about 2:05 last season, so the new rule could help push that average under the two-hour mark.

The new rules won’t apply during the final two minutes of regulation or in overtime, Lowe notes. The G League will use traditional free throw rules during those stretches, and has considered extending the window for the traditional rules to the last five minutes of games, or even to the entire fourth quarter, since there are concerns the new rules would further incentivize intentional late-game fouling.

Deviating from “historical statistical standards” is also a concern for those opposed to the change, according to Lowe, but the NBAGL will evaluate the new rule over the course of the 2019/20 campaign and decide whether to keep it or scrap it going forward.

Magic’s Chuma Okeke Won’t Sign Rookie Deal Until 2020

September 23rd, 2019 at 4:44pm CST by Luke Adams

4:44pm: Okeke will sign a G League contract to play for the Magic’s affiliate in Lakeland, according to Charania and Josh Robbins of The Athletic.

9:41am: Chuma Okeke has long been the only 2019 first-round pick who has yet to sign his rookie scale contract, and now we know why. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter), Okeke won’t sign his rookie deal with the Magic until the 2020 offseason.

[RELATED: 2019 NBA Draft Pick Signings]

As Charania explains (via Twitter), the Magic intend to redshirt Okeke during his first professional season as he continue to recover from the ACL injury he suffered during this year’s NCAA tournament while playing for Auburn.

Postponing Okeke’s first NBA contract by a year could be a win-win for both Orlando and the young forward, who was the 16th overall pick in this year’s draft. Although he won’t earn an NBA salary in 2019/20, the 21-year-old projects to sign a rookie contract worth an extra $1MM or so in 2020 due to the rising value of the league’s rookie scale, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

When he signs in 2020, Okeke will earn the same salary as the 16th pick in the 2020 draft — the exact amount will depend on how much the cap increases, but based on the latest projection, his starting salary should be about $3.32MM.

Meanwhile, the Magic are currently just $3.8MM below the luxury tax line and would’ve been right up against that threshold if they’d signed Okeke to a rookie contract worth 120% of his rookie scale amount. He would’ve earned about $3.1MM in 2019/20 in that scenario. The franchise will now have him under control for an extra year as well, as his four-year rookie contract will run through the 2023/24 season. The rest of the 2019 first-rounders will hit restricted free agency during the summer of ’23.

It’s not clear whether Okeke will remain unsigned or if he’ll sign a G League contract for the 2019/20 season. A G League contract might make sense for both sides, since it would allow him to rehab within the organization while at least earning a modest salary. In either scenario, the Magic will retain his NBA rights.

The move will also open up an extra spot on the Magic’s 15-man regular season roster for the coming season. The team is currently carrying 13 players on fully guaranteed contracts, so there should be one one or two openings available heading into training camp.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.