Hawks Retain Nate McMillan As Permanent Head Coach
JULY 8: The Hawks have officially announced McMillan’s new long-term deal with the team.
“The incredible job Nate did after taking over this season made this an easy decision,” Schlenk said in a statement. “We were able to see how gifted a tactician, motivator and leader he is first-hand and the high level of respect and trust he earned from our players made securing him as our head coach our top priority.”
JULY 5: The Hawks have an agreement in place with Nate McMillan that will make him the team’s permanent head coach, president of basketball operations Travis Schlenk told reporters today (Twitter link via Chris Kirschner of The Athletic). McMillan’s new contract will be a four-year deal, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Schlenk said the two sides are “drawing up” the contract, so an official announcement should come soon (Twitter link via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype). According to Schlenk, the Hawks and McMillan reached a deal in principle on the morning after the squad advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals (Twitter link via Marc Stein).
McMillan began the 2020/21 season as an assistant on Lloyd Pierce‘s staff. However, after Atlanta got off to a 14-20 start, Pierce was let go and McMillan took over as the interim head coach. The Hawks finished the season on a 27-11 run and then beat the Knicks and Sixers in the first two rounds of the playoffs before pushing the Bucks to six games in the Eastern Finals.
Although they entered the year with playoff aspirations, even the Hawks weren’t counting on getting to within two wins of the NBA Finals. McMillan helped Atlanta exceed expectations in both the regular season and the postseason, all but guaranteeing the team would attempt to keep him around on a permanent basis.
There were rumors that the veteran coach – who previously led the Pacers, Trail Blazers, and SuperSonics – might draw interest from other suitors, but it appears he never seriously considered moving elsewhere. Schlenk said today that the Hawks offered McMillan the permanent job before the regular season ended (Twitter link via Kirschner).
McMillan has an overall regular season record of 688-599 (.535) during his NBA coaching career. That puts him 20th overall on the all-time list of coaching victories, and fourth among active head coaches, behind only Gregg Popovich, Doc Rivers, and Rick Carlisle.
Kings Bringing Back California Classic Summer League For 2021
The Kings will host the third annual California Classic Summer League at Golden 1 Center on August 3-4 this year, the team announced today in a press release. The event, which had to be canceled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, was launched in 2018 and was held for a second time in 2019.
The Warriors, Lakers, and Heat will join the Kings for the four-team event, according to today’s announcement. Those are the same four teams that participate in the California Classic in 2018 and 2019 as well.
Like the Utah Summer League, which will be taking place at the same time as the Kings’ event, the California Classic is something of an opening act for the Las Vegas Summer League.
The Vegas Summer League, which is scheduled for August 8-17, will feature all 30 NBA teams. The Kings, Warriors, Lakers, and Heat will take advantage of the earlier California event to take a longer look at their rookies, young players, and undrafted free agents.
A schedule for the California Classic has yet to be announced, but each of the event’s two days will feature a doubleheader, meaning each team involved in the mini-tournament will only face two of the other three participating clubs.
Del Negro, Brooks, Hollins Candidates To Be Lead Assistant In Portland
Three names have emerged as candidates to be the lead assistant to new Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. They are former Bulls and Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro, former Wizards and Thunder head coach Scott Brooks, and Lakers assistant Lionel Hollins.
Del Negro, 54, is an analyst with NBA TV and hasn’t coached in the league since the 2012/13 season. He served as director of the draft combine in 2019.
Brooks, 55, has been head coach of the Wizards for the past five years, but the team decided last month not to extend his contract. He also spent seven years as the head coach in Oklahoma City.
Hollins, 67, is a former head coach with the Grizzlies and Nets and has been with the Lakers since Frank Vogel took over as head coach in 2019. He started his playing career in Portland and was part of the team’s only NBA championship in 1977.
Billups is a first-time head coach, so it makes sense that the Blazers would be looking to pair him with experienced assistants. Del Negro, Brooks, and Hollins all certainly fit the bill.
Kenny Atkinson To Join Warriors As Assistant Coach
Former Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson has reached an agreement to become one of Steve Kerr‘s lead assistants with the Warriors, according to Anthony Slater and Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Atkinson, who spent this season as a lead assistant with the Clippers, would join Mike Brown in the role, giving Golden State two ex-head coaches as Kerr’s top assistants, sources tell the authors. Atkinson would replace Jarron Collins, who parted ways with the team last month.
The 54-year-old Atkinson was considered as a possible candidate for the head coaching vacancy in Orlando. He served as head coach in Brooklyn from 2016 to 2020 and has previous experience as an assistant with the Knicks and Hawks.
Although he was dismissed after clashing with Nets stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, Atkinson did an admirable job of making the franchise competitive again and helped develop young players such as Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen and D’Angelo Russell.
Along with Atkinson, the Warriors will also add Dejan Milojević and Jama Mahlalela to their coaching staff, according to The Athletic’s sources. Milojević specializes in working with big men, while Mahlalela has been part of the Raptors‘ development staff since 2013.
Nuggets Announce New G League Affiliate Name
The Nuggets have revealed a new name and logo for their G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold, making the announcement on social media today.
Prior to this season, the affiliate was known as the Grand Rapids Drive and operated by the Pistons. The team will enter the 2021/22 season associated with the Nuggets for the first time.
“This new affiliation and corresponding name change is one of the biggest moves we’ve made as a franchise,” Grand Rapids Gold president Steve Jbara acknowledged in a press release.
“Aligning ourselves further with the Denver Nuggets, a team that recently advanced past the first round of the NBA playoffs for the third consecutive season, further elevates the professional basketball experience here in Grand Rapids, and we couldn’t be more excited to get back on the court this fall.”
Denver is the second team to announce changes to its G League name and logo this year. The Maine Red Claws previously announced that they would become the Maine Celtics back in May.
“We are extremely excited about the new name and logo of the Grand Rapid Gold,” Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said. “We feel the new look aligns well with both the Nuggets and Grand Rapids organizations and are excited to see it in action on the court next season.”
Dario Saric Suffers Torn ACL
Suns power forward Dario Saric has suffered a torn ACL in his right knee, the team announced (via Twitter). Saric sustained the injury in the first quarter of Game 1.
It’s a tough blow for Saric, who won’t return this season and whose 2021/22 season is now in jeopardy as well, given the typical recovery timeline for an ACL tear. The 27-year-old remains under contract with the Suns for two more years.
Saric has served as a key cog off Phoenix’s bench, averaging 8.7 points and 3.8 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game this season. Suns forward/center Frank Kaminsky will likely see more playing time in his absence the rest of this series.
Despite losing Saric, Phoenix managed to take a 1-0 lead at home by defeating Milwaukee 118-105. The team was led by Chris Paul, who finished with 32 points, nine assists and a plus-17 net rating on the night.
The Suns will host the Bucks in Game 2 on Thursday before traveling to Milwaukee for Game 3 on Sunday.
Celtics To Hire Damon Stoudamire As Assistant Coach
The Celtics are hiring former NBA guard Damon Stoudamire as an assistant under head coach Ime Udoka, according to Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link).
Stoudamire began his coaching career in 2009 and was the head coach at Pacific for the past five years. Before that, he spent time as an assistant coach with the Grizzlies, the University of Memphis, and the University of Arizona from 2009-16. Goodman also notes that Stoudamire and Udoka both grew up together in Portland.
Stoudamire was the No. 7 pick in the 1995 NBA Draft and spent 13 seasons as a player. He made stops with Toronto, Portland, Memphis and San Antonio throughout his career, averaging 13.4 points, 6.1 assists and 33.2 minutes in 878 games.
Boston hired Udoka after longtime coach Brad Stevens transitioned to the front office and became the team’s president of basketball operations last month. The Celtics mostly struggled in 2020/21 due to injury and COVID-related issues, finishing with just a 36-36 record.
Rodions Kurucs Signs In Serbia
Free agent Rodions Kurucs has agreed to a two-year contract with KK Partizan in Serbia, the club announced today. The agreement contains NBA outs and marks his first stint overseas since 2017.
Kurucs, a 6’9″ forward, spent two-and-a-half seasons with Brooklyn before being acquired by Houston in the January deal featuring James Harden. He was then dealt to Milwaukee as part of the P.J. Tucker trade in March, getting waived after five games.
Kurucs holds career averages of six points, 3.1 rebounds and 16.1 minutes per game in 131 contests. The 23-year-old was selected with the No. 40 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft by Brooklyn.
Before the draft, Kurucs also made professional stops in Latvia from 2012-15 and Spain from 2015-18.
Cavs, Rockets, Pelicans, Thunder Evaluating What It Would Take To Trade Up To No. 1
The Cavaliers, Rockets, Pelicans, and Thunder are among the teams that are “making overtures” to evaluate what it would take to trade up to the No. 1 spot in this year’s draft, sources tell Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
Givony cautions that any talks are in the very early stages and says that if the Pistons make a deal involving the No. 1 pick, it would happen much closer to the draft. Givony adds that he’s skeptical at this point that Detroit would actually trade out of the top spot, suggesting that the team is simply leaving “no stone unturned” in its evaluations. The most likely scenario is that the Pistons stay put and snag top prospect Cade Cunningham.
Still, Givony – like several other reporters – has heard that the Pistons continue to do their homework on prospects like Jalen Green and “especially” Evan Mobley. The USC big man may be Detroit’s target if the team were to move down, according to Givony.
If the Pistons do want Mobley, they likely wouldn’t feel comfortable moving down further than the No. 2 or No. 3 spot, which would make Cleveland or Houston a logical trade partner. New Orleans (No. 10) and Oklahoma City (Nos. 6, 16, and 18) pick later in the lottery, though both teams have a huge surplus of future first-rounders that could intrigue Detroit if general manager Troy Weaver is open to the idea of moving out of the top five.
Adam Silver Talks Injuries, Raptors, Representation, Play-In Tournament, Expansion
NBA commissioner Adam Silver spoke with the media ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals. During his media session, he covered a wide variety of topics, shedding light on his and the league’s mindset heading into next season and beyond.
Silver admitted that the compressed schedule could have had an effect on the unusually high number of severe injuries this season, saying “I have no doubt the physical stress and mental toll has contributed to injuries,” (Twitter link via USA Today’s Mark Medina).
Silver also introduced the topic of an internal clock, saying because NBA players are used to playing within a certain time-frame in a given year, changing that time-frame radically could have an effect on injuries. He admitted that, given the extraordinary circumstances, it’s hard to say whether the choices the league made were the right ones, tweets Medina.
“Quite frankly,” Silver said, “we might not know for quite a while after this pandemic is over, whether we made the right decision or not.”
Silver also discussed the Raptors, who – given the U.S./Canada border restrictions – had to play out this season in Tampa. According to Marc Stein (Twitter link), Silver said it’s “unclear” if the Raptors will be able to return to Toronto for next season, but that the team and the league are hopeful.
On the topic of black and female representation, both among coaching staffs and around the league, Silver was adamant that the league most look to improve itself. “It’s something that requires daily attention,” Medina quotes Silver as saying. “We’re not gonna rest on our laurels.”
“It’s a little bit frustrating,” Silver continued. “It’s an area you look around here, and you’d like to see more representation here with all aspects of our business.”
Silver was optimistic about the continued existence of the play-in tournament, which has been a ratings success over the last two seasons. “It’s my expectation we’ll continue it for next season,” Silver said (Twitter link via Brian Lewis of The New York Post). Silver added that the decision is pending an agreement between the players’ union and the teams, and that some players, including LeBron James, were not a fan of the tournament.
Finally, on the topic of league expansion, Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated tweets that Silver says “it’s not at the top of the agenda right now,” but that he’ll continue to consider at the topic.