Kevon Looney Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery
Warriors big man Kevon Looney underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair a core muscle injury, the team announced in a press release. According to the club, he’ll begin rehab work immediately but isn’t expected to be ready to return until the start of the 2020/21 season.
It has been a disappointing 2019/20 campaign for Looney, who was hampered by health issues all season long, including an abdominal strain, hip issues, and a neuropathic condition.
In total, the 24-year-old appeared in just 20 games for Golden State, averaging 3.4 PPG and 3.3 RPG in 13.1 minutes per contest.
Looney is in the first season of a three-year deal that includes a guaranteed $4.8MM salary for 2020/21 and a $5.2MM player option for ’21/22. As such, it’s in the Warriors’ best interest to make sure he gets as healthy as possible for the start of next season. Golden State is 15-50 in ’19/20, so even if the team resumes play this summer, getting Looney back wouldn’t have been a priority at that time.
NBA Teams Expect Guidelines For Ramp-Up Period Around June 1
NBA teams expect the league to issue formal guidelines around June 1 detailing the first steps of a ramp-up to the resumption of the 2019/20 season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe.
As ESPN’s duo explains, the first step of that ramp-up process would involve teams recalling players who left their respective markets during the hiatus. Clubs also believe they’ll be able to expand workouts for players already in their market around June 1, sources tell Wojnarowski and Lowe.
According to ESPN’s report, the NBA envisions a ramp-up process that would include an initial two-week period of recalling and possibly quarantining players. That would be followed by a week or two of individual workouts at team facilities, then a two- or three-week formal training camp. From there, teams would likely eventually travel to one or two centralized locations where the season would resume.
[RELATED: Orlando ‘Clear Frontrunner’ To Host NBA Return]
Earlier today, The Athletic reported that the most popular scenario discussed by the NBA would see players fully training by mid-June, with games resuming by mid-July. It sounds as if Wojnarowski and Lowe are hearing a similar timeline suggested — sources tell ESPN that many team owners, executives, and NBPA higher-ups believe commissioner Adam Silver will green-light a return to play in June, with games resuming before the end of July.
The NBA and NBPA still have to work out many details on a potential return, including whether or not regular season games will be played, whether all 30 teams will resume play, and what the playoffs will look like, sources tell ESPN.
Additionally, for some teams, recalling players to their market may not be as simple as having them travel across a state or two. Luka Doncic, for instance, returned to Europe during the hiatus. And the Raptors will have to deal with a U.S./Canada border that is closed to non-essential travel for at least another month. However, the league expects to receive assistance from the U.S. government for any teams and players requiring international travel, per Woj and Lowe.
NBA Discussing Possibility Of July Return
The most popular – and possible – scenario proposed in NBA discussions about the potential completion of the 2019/20 season would see players “fully training” by mid-June and games resuming by mid-July, multiple sources tell Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic.
That doesn’t necessarily mean anything yet, since there are many hurdles to overcome before such a plan could be solidified. Commissioner Adam Silver also told NBA team owners just last Tuesday during a Board of Governors call that he’d take about two-to-four weeks to keep gathering information before making any decisions.
Still, given all the NBA has done on the coronavirus pandemic, the fact that the league believes such a scenario is plausible is a positive sign. This update comes on the heels of Charania and Amick reporting that Walt Disney World in Florida is the “clear frontrunner” to become the centralized location where NBA games are played this summer.
In their full story on Disney’s increasing momentum, Charania and Amick write that the league continues to explore the possibility of playing games in multiple cities, but that it appears likely that Orlando would be a “sole host.” Some details still need to be worked out regarding coronavirus testing and hotel use in Florida before anything can be finalized, according to The Athletic’s duo.
Here’s more on the issues the NBA will have to resolve in order to safely resume its season:
- The NBA will have to finalize a detailed set of safety protocols like Major League Baseball has attempted to do, and will need to establish consistent COVID-19 testing guidelines for all its teams, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times. Stein also notes that it remains unclear whether all 30 clubs would be involved in the resumption of the season.
- Due to the possibility of false negative coronavirus test results and the fact that individuals won’t be entirely quarantined, players and staffers in the NBA’s “bubble” location will need to be tested frequently, writes Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.
- However, as O’Connor explains, “group testing” could potentially be one way to limit the total number of tests used so that the league isn’t going through thousands every week. For instance, up to 20 samples or so could potentially be mixed into the same test, and if it comes back positive, those 20 people could be tested individually. In this scenario, repeated testing would still be crucial due to the possibility of false negatives, but group testing could mean going through hundreds of tests at a time instead of thousands.
Orlando ‘Clear Frontrunner’ To Host NBA Return
Orlando and Walt Disney World have emerged as the “clear frontrunner” to host a potential NBA return this summer, according to Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter links). “All the momentum” is going Orlando’s way, Amick notes.
The Athletic’s report is the latest in a serious of signals that Orlando is gaining traction as a likely “bubble” location for the resumption of the 2019/20 season. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said as much on a TV appearance earlier this week and Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News (Twitter link) issued a similar report on Tuesday afternoon.
While the NBA is aiming to complete its season, it almost certainly won’t do so with teams playing in their home arenas, since the league doesn’t want players and teams traveling all over the country. As such, the likeliest scenario is a summer return in one or two centralized locations. Las Vegas, Houston, and Toronto are among the other sites that have been mentioned as possibilities.
[RELATED: Houston Among Resumption Sites Being Considered By NBA]
However, as Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports first outlined in April, Walt Disney World stands out as an appealing option for several reasons. It has more than enough hotel rooms to accommodate up to 30 NBA teams, and the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is capable of housing several, broadcast-ready basketball courts.
Furthermore, as Smith noted, the NBA has an existing broadcast with Disney, which owns ABC and ESPN; Walt Disney World is private property, which would be useful in creating the necessary “bubble”; Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was also one of the first government officials to announce his state would reopen for professional sports (without fans in attendance).
Even if the NBA moves forward with playing games in Walt Disney World, it’s possible a second neutral site will be used as well, tweets Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.
Houston Among Resumption Sites Being Considered By NBA
We can add Houston to the list of potential “bubble” locations being considered by the NBA as it explores resuming the 2019/20 season, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. Assuming the season can be completed, it’s expected to happen at one or two neutral sites rather than at each team’s home arena.
Multiple sources tell The Ringer that Houston is under consideration, with O’Connor noting that the Rockets‘ Toyota Center is adjacent to the George R. Brown Convention Center. Combined, they’d have the necessary facilities to host NBA teams and games, O’Connor says.
Additionally, Texas Governor Greg Abbott stated earlier this week that his state is targeting May 31 for professional sports without spectators, so the NBA presumably wouldn’t face any legislative roadblocks if it looked to play games in Houston.
Still, while Houston may be an option for the NBA, I’d be surprised if the league goes that route. Orlando and Las Vegas have long been considered the frontrunners to host games and look like the more logical candidates, given their facilities; ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski suggested during a TV appearance this week that Orlando seems to be gaining traction.
Toronto was previously cited as another city that has received NBA consideration as a “bubble” location.
Alexey Shved A Candidate To Return To NBA?
Although veteran guard Alexey Shved hasn’t played in the NBA since 2015, Khimki general manager Pavel Astakhov isn’t ruling out the possibility of the EuroLeague standout, whose contract expires this year, returning to North America.
In comments to RG.ru – translated by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando – Astakhov referred to Shved as Khimki’s “leader,” stating that the Russian club wants to retain him while acknowledging the 31-year-old will be open to the NBA if the right opportunity arises.
“We want him to stay in Khimki,” Astakhov said. “The negotiations with his agent have been held. We are in pause now. If he gets serious proposals from the NBA – not about the money but about the role in the team – it won’t be easy for us to keep him. He will accept a proposal with certain guarantees from the club and the coach. If he doesn’t get a good offer from the NBA, I don’t see any reason why he should change clubs. He is the absolute leader. But the final decision is up to him.”
During his first NBA stint, from 2012-15, Shved appeared in 182 games for the Timberwolves, Sixers, Rockets, and Knicks, averaging 7.4 PPG, 2.5 APG, and 2.0 RPG with a modest .369/.306/.762 shooting line in 18.0 minutes per contest. However, he has excelled in recent years for Khimki, averaging 22.0 PPG and 5.8 APG over the last four years in EuroCup and EuroLeague contests.
Presumably, in order to seriously consider a return to the NBA, Shved would need to be confident that he’d be given the opportunity to play regular minutes rather than becoming a little-used backup.
We last heard about Shved receiving NBA interest in 2018, when he reportedly received multiple offers but opted to remain with Khimki. At that time, his agent suggested that the possibility of an NBA return might increase in 2019, when teams had more money available to spend. That didn’t happen, and there won’t be many NBA clubs with major spending power during the 2020 offseason either, so perhaps Shved will once again decide to continue his career overseas.
Fertitta, Rivers Express Confidence About Resuming Season
Participating in a roundtable discussion at the White House on Monday with fellow restaurant executives and industry leaders, Tilman Fertitta was put on the spot by President Donald Trump, who asked the Rockets owner where things stand with the NBA. As ESPN’s Tim MacMahon of ESPN details, Fertitta expressed confidence that the league will be able to resume and complete its season.
“I think what they’re doing is waiting to see what happens in certain states and if we’re going to be able to play,” Fertitta said. “Making sure the virus continues to go in the right direction in the next few weeks. And I think that if things are going in the way that it’s going, I think the NBA, the commissioner Adam Silver, who has done an unbelievable job through this, and the 30 owners will make the decision to try to start the season up again.
“… I think that we would play some games just to get it going again and create interest and then go right into the playoffs,” the Rockets’ owner added, when asked by Trump whether the NBA would move directly to the postseason. “But I think it’ll be great for America. We’re all missing sports and everybody wants to see these great NBA teams.”
Meanwhile, like Fertitta, Clippers head coach Doc Rivers is optimistic that the likelihood of an NBA return this summer is trending in the right direction, per Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times.
“We have this saying right now with our team called ‘Win The Wait,’ and so we’re trying to win the wait meaning we believe there’s going to be a season, we really do,” Rivers told Turner Sports’ Ernie Johnson during a Monday interview. “And if there is we cannot let this disruption be the reason that we don’t win. We want to be fully ready if and when we get the start button.”
Although the confidence expressed by Fertitta and Rivers is a good sign, the NBA is still working through potential plans as it determines the best way to resume its 2019/20 campaign. Appearing this morning on The Dan Patrick Show (video link), Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN shed a little more light on the league’s latest discussions, suggesting that – in terms of potential host cities – Orlando has gained traction.
“I think the question’s going to be, are they going to put all the teams in one place? Are they going to perhaps have teams moving among two sites, based on an Eastern/Western Conference scenario?” Woj said. “The one thing Adam Silver has told the players and the owners that he doesn’t want are teams flying around. You’re not going to see what baseball’s proposing, which is teams moving around, playing in home stadiums.
“The NBA’s focused on a one-site, no-fans (plan). They’re going to deal with trying to get back into arenas again for the start of next season.”
While the league’s goal is to play the rest of the season in one or two centralized locations, one possible scenario would see teams conducting de facto training camps at their own practice facilities before traveling to one of those “bubble” locations, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link).
So far, 17 of the NBA’s 30 teams are known to have reopened their respective practice facilities, though group workouts and practices remain prohibited.
Knicks To Hire Frank Zanin As Assistant GM
After a Monday report indicated that the Knicks are finalizing the hiring of Walt Perrin as an assistant general manager, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic reports this morning that the team is also bringing aboard veteran executive Frank Zanin as an assistant GM for pro personnel.
According to Vorkunov, Zanin’s hiring is not yet official, but he and the Knicks are working toward finalizing a deal. The same is true of Perrin — he and Zanin are expected to complement one another in the Knicks’ front office, with Perrin overseeing college scouting and Zanin dealing with the pro side, tweets Steve Popper of Newsday.
Zanin, who began his career working for the Sixers as a scout, later served as an assistant GM in the Nets’ front office and became the team’s de facto GM for a few weeks in 2016 following Billy King‘s departure. Most recently, he worked in the Thunder‘s scouting department.
As Ian Begley of SNY.tv notes (via Twitter), Zanin and Kobe Bryant played for rival high schools in the Philadelphia area in the 1990s, and Zanin received Bryant’s endorsement for the Nets’ permanent GM job back in 2016.
Having officially named Leon Rose as their new president of basketball operations in early March, the Knicks have slowly been reshaping their front office since then. The organization previously hired away capologist Brock Aller from the Cavaliers to be the Knicks’ VP of strategy and elected to retain GM Scott Perry for at least one more year. Now, Zanin and Perrin are set to take on key roles in New York as well.
NBA Not Expected To Alter Draft Lottery Process
Although the NBA’s 2019/20 regular season is unlikely to be completed in full, the league isn’t expected to make any changes to its lottery format, league sources tell ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.
In other words, the lottery order will still be determined by the NBA’s reverse standings, even though teams may have played a different number of games, with no clubs playing a full 82-game schedule. The lottery has been indefinitely postponed and now figures to take place in the summer or fall.
Bontemps suggests that some executives will “inevitably grumble” about the lottery order being determined by an incomplete season, but notes that every team has played at least three-quarters of its overall schedule. That should make for a “more than representative sample,” writes Bontemps, noting that 23 of 30 teams would have to approve any changes to the format.
“I don’t see anything changing,” one executive said to ESPN. “Where will the collective will come from to do it?”
[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: NBA Draft Lottery]
We took a closer look in March at what the 2020 lottery odds would look like if the regular season can’t be resumed. Of course, if the NBA is able to play a handful of regular season contests before the playoffs this summer, that order would be subject to change.
When we presented those tentative odds in March, we assumed the lottery order would be determined by reverse winning percentage for teams that haven’t played the same amount of games. For instance, the 19-45 (.297) Timberwolves would have better odds than the 20-47 (.299) Hawks. Bontemps doesn’t confirm that point one way or the other, but I’d be surprised if that’s not how it works.
BIG3 Cancels 2020 Season
The BIG3, the professional 3-on-3 basketball league co-founded by Ice Cube, is canceling its 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a press release.
The league, which intends to start preparing for its 2021 season, cited “safety, uncertainty of testing, changing government regulations, insurance and liability issues,” and a handful of other concerns as reasons why the ’20 campaign had to be canceled.
“Ultimately, we need the fan experience and the games themselves to be great,” the BIG3’s statement reads. “While other leagues have more immediate financial considerations, as a rising league, we need to put the fan experience above all and ensure each season is better than the one before.
“While we investigated many alternative scenarios, such as playing at a single location like a Los Angeles studio sound stage, the extension of the California stay at home order, California’s constant confusion and changing of the rules when combined with the multiple other issues listed above led to us to determining these scenarios were not feasible.”
Former NBA players such as Joe Johnson, Rashard Lewis, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Josh Smith were among the standout BIG3 performers during the first three seasons of the 12-team league, which typically begins in June. Zach Randolph and Marreese Speights were among the notable veterans expected to join the BIG3 for its 2020 season.
The BIG3 had planned to precede its 2020 season with a reality show-style, three-on-three tournament, which will now be delayed until ’21 as well. The program, titled BIG3: Not in My House, will premiere sometime before the 2021 regular season begins, according to today’s announcement.
“The BIG3, along with (production partner) Endemol, was ready to proceed with this show immediately, but were faced with issues because U.S. networks mostly cannot start reality show and studio productions until at least September,” the league said in its statement. “We will have to wait until network studio production and scheduling stabilizes.”