Fertitta Confirms He Has No Interest In Selling Shares Of Rockets
Reports over the last couple months have suggested that Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta has been one of the NBA team owners hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic. Many of Fertitta’s hundreds of businesses are restaurants, casinos, and entertainment destinations that have been closed since stay-at-home orders began.
However, speaking to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Fertitta insisted that any concerns about his financial situation have been overstated.
“I have cash flow to last me a long, long time with no restaurants opening. But yet, by this weekend, I’m going to have over 200 (restaurants) open and almost all my hotels open,” Fertitta said, referring to Texas’ stay-at-home mandate being lifted. “Different people are in different situations, and what people don’t understand is I have more buckets than most.”
A report last month indicated that Fertitta has no interest in gaining additional liquidity by selling any portion of the Rockets and taking on minority stakeholders. The Rockets’ owner confirmed as much in his conversation with Amick, stressing that he’s also not entertaining the idea of selling the franchise outright.
“The Rockets would never be sold, unless the whole world came to an end and then it wouldn’t matter, OK?” Fertitta said. “If I ever sell the Rockets, it’s because we don’t exist anymore as a country with the rule of law. We’re having anarchy in the street, and at that point there’s no buyers.
“… I don’t need partners so I don’t have partners,” he added. “There’s just no interest in having partners. I think all owners would love not to have partners, but not all teams financially can do that. I have the opportunity that me and my family can own this team 100%, and there’s no reason to ever change that.”
Davide Scigliuzzo of Bloomberg reported last month that Fertitta’s companies had furloughed more than half of their employees. However, while his other businesses and their workers were impacted significantly by the coronavirus pandemic, Fertitta tells Amick that the Rockets haven’t had to lay off a single employee or force anyone to take a pay cut, even after Daryl Morey‘s tweet supporting Hong Kong protestors in the fall cost the franchise significant sponsorship money in China.
“The Rockets have no problem,” Fertitta said. “The Rockets are sitting on a huge revolver and a bunch of cash right now. And the Rockets are able to build up cash because nobody has to take it out to live on.”
Bulls Officially Announce Marc Eversley As GM
As expected, the Bulls have officially hired former Sixers senior VP of player personnel Marc Eversley as their new general manager, announcing the news in a press release. Eversley’s agreement with Chicago was reported at the start of the week.
“I set out to find a general manager who complemented my vision and values, and who could help implement them at the Bulls in a fresh way. Marc’s background and skills do exactly that,” new executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said in a statement.
“(Eversley) has a history of building strong relationships across the board, identifying talent at organizations that have had success during his time there, and the necessary insight for building a network that will be an asset to our program,” Karnisovas continued. “He’s ready for this next step in his career, and I’m looking forward to working with him to build the Bulls back into a perennial contender.”
Eversley worked in the 76ers’ front office since 2016 and previously held positions in the Wizards’ and Raptors’ front offices, dating back to 2006. Prior to his 14 years as a team executive, he spent a decade working at Nike — first at Nike Canada and then at the company’s world headquarters in Oregon, where he was the NBA player relationship manager.
Eversley’s experience working and building relationships with NBA players is one important reason why the Bulls hired him. As we detailed on Tuesday, Eversley is expected to add instant credibility to a front office that hasn’t had a great reputation among players and agents in recent years.
With Karnisovas and Eversley installed in key roles and J.J. Polk and Pat Connelly also joining the Bulls’ new-look front office, the team may not feel a sense of urgency to continue making immediate changes. However, further tweaks to the front office are expected, with Nazr Mohammed among those who has interviewed for an unspecified role. The Bulls’ new top execs will also evaluate head coach Jim Boylen, who is reportedly confident he’ll be retained for the time being.
Chicago’s former general manager, Gar Forman, was let go by the team when Karnisovas came aboard.
NBA Remains Optimistic About 2019/20 Season Even With Further Delay
The overwhelming majority of high-level executives remain encouraged and optimistic that the NBA will resume this season, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com.
Commissioner Adam Silver has maintained a strong relationship with the National Basketball Players Association as all parties aim to return to basketball. Still, there are many hurdles to overcome in order to resume the season.
Silver previously said that no decision will be made before May 1. That doesn’t mean the commissioner will be making any announcements on Friday, though there’s a bit of restlessness within the league to come to a decision sooner than later, Woj notes.
The MGM Grand in Las Vegas is one of several suitors pitching a plan to host the league. Vegas could potentially also host the WNBA by providing three adjacent hotels for teams to stay at. Disney World in Orlando, Florida remains an option that is gaining momentum. Another proposal would see games played in “pods” across different regions.
Having fans in the stands is probably out of the question. Having cameramen may not be needed either, as sources tell Wojnarowski that the teams could rely on robotic cameras with new, innovative angles of the contests.
TV analysts could potentially call games from remote locations. The current discussions have included keeping teams at a 30-to-35 person head count, including players.
There is some support for the 2020/21 season to begin in December and run through July or August, as a way of resuming the 2019/20 season without dramatically hindering the league’s ability to complete the full ’20/21 calendar. There’s also the understanding that the further the NBA pushes this season back, the higher the chances of having fans in the stands at some point.
The NBA is still sorting out scenarios, but Silver may have to push forward with a decision without the backing of everyone. One GM told Woj that “it’s hard to lead by consensus in a crisis.” Silver may have to simply act in what he feels are the best interests of all parties, even if there are some that have different preferences.
Testing for the coronavirus is another issue. Silver has insisted that he couldn’t allow for the NBA to utilize all the available tests and – according to Woj – has instituted a mandate stating that if a player wasn’t showing symptoms, he shouldn’t be tested. Woj reports that the league would have to reverse course on that and that it would take approximately 15,000 tests to complete the season. While the NBA can afford to pay a private company to make those tests, it would be problematic for the league if they’re not widely available to the American public.
It’s nearing two months since the league suspended its season and the urgency to come to a solution continues to rise.
Latest On Potential Plans To Resume NBA Season
Some executives and agents around the NBA believe the remainder of the 2019/20 season should be canceled, according to Jabari Young of CNBC. As Young explains, there are team owners who are concerned about liability issues relating to COVID-19 and executives who would prefer to focus on safely resuming play for the 2020/21 season.
Additionally, according to Young, some franchise owners believe that so many of the league’s usual revenue streams would be nonexistent even if the season can resume that it may not be worth the risk to attempt it this summer.
“What (owners) are saying is, ‘If we return, where is the revenue that is going to justify the additional cost of returning?'” a team executive said to Young. “They are looking at the cost side versus the revenue side. What revenue comes in now?”
Young also cites player agents who view the eventual cancellation of the season as “inevitable,” including one who said he thought commissioner Adam Silver would have done so by now.
While the CNBC report paints a dreary picture for the possible resumption of the ’19/20 season, it has received some push-back from some executives and owners, as well as from the NBA’s biggest star.
“Saw some reports about execs and agents wanting to cancel (the) season???” LeBron James tweeted this afternoon. “That’s absolutely not true. Nobody I know (is) saying anything like that. As soon as it’s safe we would like to finish our season. I’m ready and our team is ready. Nobody should be canceling anything.”
Of course, there are hundreds of executives and agents working in the NBA, so it’s unlikely they’re all in lock-step on how the league should move forward. It’s certainly possible that Young and James are talking to different people who have different opinions on potential next steps.
Still, Young notes within his piece that a league spokesperson told him that the NBA continues to work on plans to resume play this summer. Spurs CEO R.C. Buford also said that team presidents met on Thursday and the consensus among that group is that they want to try to finish the season (Twitter link via Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press).
A pair of team owners conveyed similar sentiments in TV appearances today — Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said on CNN that he’s “cautiously optimistic” the NBA will be able to resume and complete its season, while Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry, on CNBC, expressed optimism that the playoffs could be held in July or August (video links).
So far, the NBA has been content to remain patient as it waits to see how the coronavirus situation plays out and how government ordinances and health experts’ recommendations evolve. As Marc Stein of The New York Times (via Twitter), there has been no rush to make concrete decisions, since the league wants to “exhaust every last bit of hope.” With the calendar about to turn to May, the NBA will likely need to start taking more decisive action – one way or the other – within the next month or two.
In case you missed them, here are some of this week’s other headlines related to the possible resumption of the ’19/20 campaign:
Pat Riley: Heat Are “Close” To Being Title Contenders
Heat president Pat Riley is delighted with the progress his team made this season and believes the organization is “close” to being at a championship level again, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Riley made the comments in a video released today, saying he hopes the league will find a way to salvage the playoffs so he can see the results of moves the team made at the trade deadline.
“I think we were (41-24) or something along those lines and headed to home-court advantage in the playoffs. It was a great year,” Riley said. “I’m really disappointed that we haven’t seen the finish, especially after we made the trade when we brought in Andre Iguodala, Solomon Hill and Jae Crowder. I thought that was going to give us a little bit of an edge going into the playoffs.”
Riley pinpointed the addition of Jimmy Butler in a sign-and-trade last summer for creating a lot of optimism for the new season. Another boost came from unexpected production by rookie guards Tyler Herro and Kendrick Nunn, along with second-year forward Duncan Robinson.
“I’m so happy that we turned a lot of things around and we found the right players,” Riley said, “the right mix of pick-and-roll players, guys that can post up and really found a couple of guys that can shoot the ball — really shoot the ball — so we’re happy for that and we’re really optimistic about moving forward into the future with these players.”
Riley touched on a few more topics during the video:
- The Heat are running through scenarios for free agency, but everything is “up in the air” because of uncertainty over whether the season will resume. Miami has several important decisions to make, with new acquisitions Crowder and Hill both headed for free agency, along with Goran Dragic, Meyers Leonard, Derrick Jones Jr. and Udonis Haslem. In addition, Kelly Olynyk has a $13.2MM player option. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald suggests Riley’s comments are a sign that he will try to keep the team together instead of renouncing the free agents and operating under the salary cap (Twitter link).
- There’s strong support around the league for finding a way to complete the season, Riley added. He said all 30 teams have been participating in conference calls with the commissioner’s office and players union to discuss strategies. “I think that’s a very important thing for all of the franchises, complete the season even if it moves on later,” Riley said. “I think we’re all right behind Adam Silver and him waiting until he launches us back into action.”
- Riley was “stunned” when he learned that the season was being suspended in the wake of a positive coronavirus test by Jazz center Rudy Gobert, but ultimately believes it was the right decision. “We heard that a player from the Utah Jazz had tested positive,” Riley said. “But I didn’t think it was going to last that long or turn out to be what it is today for not only the Heat, but for everybody to have to shut it down. Shut the country down, shut the world down and try to fight this thing. So it was pretty innocent that night only from the standpoint that, ‘OK, we can take care of this and then we’ll be back.’ But I think Adam Silver made an incredible move, and that just sort of cascaded into a lot of other decisions by other teams and other sports and industries.”
NBA Considers Finishing Season At Walt Disney World
Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, is among the sites the NBA is considering to host the rest of its season, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Sources tell Charania that it’s one of several areas being looked at if the league decides to hold all its games in a single location.
Disney provides several advantages for the league, points out Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer (via Twitter). The resort offers ample hotel space and multiple basketball courts that are already set up to handle live television and radio broadcasts. He notes that because Disney is a privately owned property, it would be easier to manage than Las Vegas, which has also been mentioned as a potential site.
Disney already partners with the NBA by owning ABC and ESPN, which both have television deals with the league, adds Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports floated the idea of bringing the NBA to Disney in a column two weeks ago.
NBA Increasingly Willing To Delay Start Of 2020/21 Season
While some other top basketball leagues around the world are setting deadlines to decide the fate of their 2019/20 seasons, the NBA is increasingly willing to be patient as it considers if and when to resume its own season, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said this week during an appearance on SportsCenter (video link).
Previous reports have indicated that the NBA would prefer not to have the current season run beyond August or early September. However, Wojnarowski suggests that the league’s timeline is becoming more flexible.
“More than ever, I think this is a league that is really willing to push the calendar on this season,” Wojnarowski told ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt. “I had reported (previously) that the league wanted to have the Finals wrapped up ideally by Labor Day weekend. They’re more willing than ever to delay the start of next season.”
As Wojnarowski explains, one key factor influencing the NBA’s thinking is the fact that it could be a while before teams can host games with fans in attendance. If clubs are still required to play behind closed doors in the fall, there would be less incentive for the league to push to start next season at its usual time. In that scenario, delaying opening night could increase the odds of being able to play more games next season in front of fans.
“If they were going to start at the normal time, mid-to-late October, it’s hard to imagine that there would be fans in the stands,” Woj said. “And so I think as much time as they can buy for themselves, the league is willing to do that right now. They’re trying to look at everything. This isn’t just, ‘Let’s figure out the next couple months and this season.’ This is a two-, three-, four-year look moving forward.”
Based on Wojnarowski’s report, it sounds as if the idea of finishing the current season in the fall and starting the 2020/21 campaign in December – or maybe even later – isn’t out of the question.
We’re still a ways off from getting a real sense of what a reshaped NBA schedule might look like for the next couple years, but Woj’s report echoes a point we’ve heard repeatedly since the league suspended its season seven weeks ago — the NBA is willing to think outside the box and consider a wide variety of possible scenarios as it weighs all its options.
Knicks To Retain GM Scott Perry For 2020/21
The Knicks have opted to retain Scott Perry as their general manager for at least another year, reports Steve Popper of Newsday. The team confirmed the decision in a statement to Newsday.
“Scott is a well-respected basketball executive who I have known for more than 20 years, and I look forward to continuing to work closely with him as we look to build a winning team in New York,” president of basketball operations Leon Rose said in that statement.
Perry had been New York’s GM under former team president Steve Mills, and there was speculation that replacing Perry would be among the changes made by the newly-hired Rose as he reshapes the club’s front office. However, given the unusual circumstances created by the coronavirus pandemic, the Knicks had been expected to keep Perry on board at least to run their draft — now, they’ve decided to extend their relationship a little beyond that.
As Popper writes, the Knicks and Perry had a May 1 deadline on their mutual option for the 2020/21 season, necessitating a decision on his future this week. A source tells Popper that the two sides have agreed to a one-year contract, which will allow Rose and Perry to work together without the team having to make a long-term commitment to the GM.
The Knicks’ decision on Perry doesn’t necessarily mean the rest of the front office holdovers are safe for next season. The contracts for those executives don’t require an immediate decision like Perry’s did, according to Popper, who hears from a source that Rose will continue to do due diligence on the rest of the staff.
205 Early Entrants Declare For 2020 NBA Draft
The NBA has released the official list of early entrants for the 2020 NBA draft, announcing in a press release that 205 players have filed as early entry candidates. Of those prospects, 163 are from colleges, while 42 are international early entrants.
That number falls just short of the previous record for early entrants, established in 2018. Two years ago, 236 early entrants declared for the draft, though ultimately only 91 of those prospects remained in the draft by the final deadline. A year ago, 233 early entrants declared, with 98 remaining in the draft.
This year’s total of 205 early entrants also figures to shrink significantly by June 3 and again by June 15, the two tentative deadlines for players to withdraw their names from the draft pool — assuming those dates aren’t pushed back. But it still looks like the pool will remain crowded, with the eventual number of early entrants likely to exceed 60, the number of picks in the draft.
Our list of early entrants is now up to date and can be found right here. Here are today’s updates:
College underclassmen:
The following players were listed on the NBA’s official breakdown today, but weren’t yet noted on our own list.
- Timmy Allen, F, Utah (junior)
- Nojel Eastern, G, Purdue (junior)
- Tony Goodwin II, G/F, Redemption Academy (N/A)
- Jalen Hill, F/C, UCLA (sophomore)
- Jay Huff, F, Virginia (junior)
- Chance Hunter, G, Long Beach State (sophomore)
- Damien Jefferson, G/F, Creighton (junior)
- Dakari Johnson, G, Cape Fear CC (freshman)
- Jalen Johnson, F, Louisiana (junior)
- Colbey Ross, G, Pepperdine (junior)
- Joe Saterfield, G/F, Ranger CC (freshman)
- Justin Smith, F, Indiana (junior)
- Ben Stanley, F, Hampton (sophomore)
- Justin Thomas, G, Morehead State (junior)
- Ethan Thompson, G, Oregon State (junior)
- Alonzo Verge Jr., G, Arizona State (junior)
- Ibi Watson, G, Dayton (junior)
The following players reportedly declared for the draft or planned to, but weren’t named in the NBA’s official announcement today. As such, we’ve removed them from our list.
- Paul Atkinson Jr., F, Yale (junior)
- Chaundee Brown, G, Wake Forest (junior)
- Devon Daniels, G, North Carolina State (junior)
- Ceasar DeJesus, G, UCF (junior)
- Cartier Diarra, G, Kansas State (junior)
- Jimma Gatwech, G, Huntington Prep (N/A)
- TeShaun Hightower, G, Tulane (junior)
International players:
The following players were listed on the NBA’s official breakdown today, but weren’t yet noted on our list.
- Philippe Bayehe, F, Italy (born 1999)
- Vinicius Da Silva, C, Spain (born 2001)
- Imru Duke, F, Spain (born 1999)
- Michele Ebeling, F, Italy (born 1999)
- Dut Mabor, C, Italy (born 2001)
- Sergi Martinez, F, Spain (born 1999)
- Joel Parra, F, Spain (born 2000)
- Mouhamed Thiam, C, France (born 2001)
- Andrii Voinalovych, F, Ukraine (born 1999)
Kings Expected To Retain Vlade Divac, Luke Walton
Despite some speculation that changes may be coming for the Kings this summer, general manager Vlade Divac and head coach Luke Walton appear “very likely” to remain in their roles into next season, sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic. According to Amick, both of their contracts run through the 2022/23 season.
A report in February suggested that Kings ownership had grown increasingly frustrated with the club’s on-court results and that owner Vivek Ranadive had expressed that frustration in group chats with Walton, Divac, and other team executives. There was an expectation that Ranadive would re-evaluate everything after the season.
The Kings rebounded nicely following the publication of that report, however. Following the All-Star break, the club won seven of its next 10 games, including a pair of three-game winning streaks. By the time the NBA suspended its season, Sacramento had pulled to within 3.5 games of the No. 8 Grizzlies, giving the Kings an outside chance to make a playoff push — and seemingly providing more job security for Divac and Walton.
That February report also suggested that a decision may be coming this summer on Buddy Hield‘s future, since he had been frustrated with his demotion from the starting lineup and the idea of a trade request seemed possible.
However, in a conversation with Amick and Joe Vardon on The Athletic’s Tampering podcast, Walton insisted that the Hield situation isn’t a concern.
“Buddy was not happy about not starting, but he didn’t b—h,” Walton said. “He said, ‘You’re the coach. I’m going to do what I need to do.’ … Even with Buddy (coming off the bench), he was still playing starter minutes, he was still finishing certain games, and it’s one of those things where if you’re truly bought into being on the team, you end up accepting it because that’s a huge value. … And I thought Buddy had really, really done a nice job of embracing that and making our team better.”
Hield’s playing time did take a hit following his move to the bench, but his per-minute production improved. After averaging 20.0 PPG with a .416/.360/.816 shooting line in 44 games (34.4 MPG) as a starter, Hield recorded 19.4 PPG on .465/.476/.970 shooting in 20 contests (26.6 MPG) off the bench. It remains to be seen whether the Kings plan to use him as a sixth man indefinitely, or whether he’d be fine with that.