Daishen Nix Decommits From UCLA, Opts For G League
The NBA G League has landed another five-star high school recruit, as point guard Daishen Nix has decommitted from UCLA and will opt for the NBAGL’s developmental path, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter).
“I’ve always known that going to the G League was an option, but learning more about it and hearing more things about it is why I chose it,” Nix told Evan Daniels of 247Sports. “It was the best option for me.”
Nix will become the third prospect to join the G League’s new Select Team, which will be based in Southern California, following in the footsteps of Jalen Green and Isaiah Todd. The new squad won’t be part of the NBAGL’s traditional regular season schedule, but is expected to play exhibition games against G League teams, as well as against foreign national teams and NBA academies, as the program focuses on helping top prospects prepare for the NBA.
[RELATED: G League Hopes To Eventually Establish Multiple Select Teams]
A standout at Trinity International in Las Vegas, Nix had been considered one of the top point guards in this year’s recruiting class, ranking 15th overall on 247Sports’ list and 20th on ESPN’s board. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony had Nix at No. 12 in his latest 2021 NBA mock draft.
By forgoing college ball in favor of the G League’s new professional path, Nix will be in line for a salary in the $300K range, sources tell Charania (Twitter link).
NBA To Allow Reopened Team Facilities No Earlier Than May 8
After a weekend report suggested the NBA was aiming to allow teams to reopen their practice facilities as early as May 1, the league has told teams that its new target date is Friday, May 8, league sources tell Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link). The league’s full announcement can be found right here.
The NBA is hoping to allow teams to open facilities for voluntary individual workouts if the stay-at-home orders in their respective home states allow, but will wait at least another week-and-a-half to move forward with that plan.
Assuming it sticks to the May 8 target date, the league will allow up to four players in a facility at a time, with no more than one team staffer in attendance, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Group activities will remain prohibited and head and assistant coaches can’t participate. Additionally, players would be required to wear face masks at all times except when engaged in physical activity, and staffers working with players must wear gloves and practice social-distancing of at least 12 feet, according to Charania (Twitter link).
The NBA had received “significant pushback” from teams about the idea of reopening facilities in select states and municipalities on May 1, officials tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). While competitive imbalance is a potential issue – given the disparity between how certain states are handling the pandemic – teams are more concerned about player and staff safety, says Wojnarowski.
The Hawks were one team that appeared to be a strong candidate to reopen their facilities this Friday, if permitted, since Georgia is among the first states to roll back stay-at-home restrictions. However, as general manager Travis Schlenk first told TV host Matt Stewart (Twitter link), the Hawks didn’t plan to reopen their facilities this week, preferring to play it safe and assess the effects of the loosened restrictions in the area.
“We’re going to put the health of our players and staff at the forefront,” Schlenk told Sarah Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Despite the Hawks’ reticence and some league-wide pushback on the initial May 1 date, there have been other teams embracing the idea of reopening their facilities, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link). As Woj explains, those clubs would prefer players to be in a “clean, safe, and monitored team environment” rather than risking those players working out at public gyms.
Relatedly, clubs were reminded today that their players remain prohibited from using non-team facilities such as public health centers and gyms for workouts, as Charania reports (via Twitter).
Bulls To Hire Sixers’ Marc Eversley As GM
Two weeks after formally hiring Arturas Karnisovas as their new executive VP of basketball operations, the Bulls have chosen a general manager who will work with Karnisovas in their new-look front office. The club is hiring Sixers senior VP of player personnel Marc Eversley to fill that GM role, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Eversley was one of several candidates to interview for the general manager position following Chicago’s hiring of Karnisovas and the team’s dismissal of longtime GM Gar Forman. Matt Lloyd (Magic), Mark Hughes (Clippers), and Michael Finley (Mavericks) were among the other executives known to have spoken to the Bulls about the job.
Before reaching a deal late on Sunday night to join the Bulls, Eversley worked in the 76ers’ front office since 2016, when he was hired by the club’s former head of basketball operations, Bryan Colangelo. Eversley, a Canadian, also previous worked under Colangelo in the Raptors’ front office, with a stint as a Wizards exec in between. Prior to his time in NBA team front offices, he spent a decade working at Nike, per Wojnarowski.
This was at least the second time Eversley had interviewed for a GM job, having lost out to Mitch Kupchak on the Hornets’ position in 2018. He was also believed to be a candidate to replace Colangelo as Philadelphia’s head of basketball operations that year, but Elton Brand ultimately took over GM duties.
As Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer details, Eversley was largely responsible for the Sixers zeroing in on Matisse Thybulle in last year’s draft and was also the first to recognize DeMar DeRozan‘s talent during his time in Toronto’s scouting department.
After the Bulls faced some criticism for a lack of diversity in their search for a head of basketball operations, Eversley will become the first black GM in team history, as Wojnarowski notes.
While Karnisovas and Eversley figure to run the show in Chicago’s revamped front office, the team is making additional changes. As previously reported, J.J. Polk and Pat Connelly are coming aboard in key roles — Woj suggests they’ll hold the titles of assistant GM and VP of player personnel, respectively. Meanwhile, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago says that more hires are likely coming, singling out Nazr Mohammed as one executive who interviewed for an “unspecified role.”
Draft Prospect Teshaun Hightower Charged With Murder
Tulane guard and once-NBA draft hopeful Teshaun Hightower has been arrested and charged with murder, as Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com reports.
The charge is related to a homicide that occurred on April 8 in Stockbridge, Georgia. Hightower was taken into custody on Saturday night, and Tulane announced earlier today that it has dismissed him from its program.
Hightower was charged with felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and battery, per Schlabach. The Georgia native is just one of six men being investigated in the homicide of 24-year-old Devante Anthony Long — five of the six are in custody.
The 6’5″ guard had declared his intentions to test the draft waters earlier this offseason. Before coming to Tulane, Hightower played two seasons at the University of Georgia.
Some NBA Teams Can Reopen Facilities May 1
6:35pm: Group workouts and organized team activities will still be prohibited, Wojnarowski adds in a full story. In areas where longer stay-at-home orders are in place, the league will try to help teams find other arrangements so their players can train.
5:17pm: The NBA will let some teams reopen their practice facilities to players beginning Friday, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The permission will only apply in cities and states where governments have relaxed their stay-at-home orders, Woj adds.
The league ordered all 30 teams to shut down their facilities effective March 20 in an effort to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Several teams had announced voluntary closures before that mandate was issued.
Georgia was one of the first states to begin relaxing restrictions, with some businesses reopening yesterday. Several players were asking their teams if they should find a way to get to the state to work out, according to Wojnarowski, but teams want to make sure their athletes are in safe, clean and controlled environments (Twitter link).
Wojnarowski cautions that the NBA’s decision doesn’t mean plans are in place to restart the season, but the league wants players to be able to safely return to their team’s gyms (Twitter link). A source tells ESPN that commissioner Adam Silver and the owners believe they need more time to determine whether the season can be salvaged.
A few writers examine how the decision will affect the teams they cover:
- The Hawks haven’t heard anything official from the league, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic (Twitter link), and there’s no plan in place to begin using the team facility again.
- May 8 is the earliest date the Hornets could reopen, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has issued a stay-at-home order for the state through then, with plans to begin phasing it out.
- Michigan is under a stay-at-home order until at least May 15, so the Pistons have nearly three weeks before they can reopen, adds Rod Beard of The Detroit News (Twitter link).
Klay Thompson Still Waiting For Medical Clearance
Lakers broadcaster Mychal Thompson offers some insight into the status of his son, Warriors guard Klay Thompson, in an interview with Mark Medina of USA Today.
Klay hasn’t played since suffering a torn ACL in his left knee during last year’s NBA Finals. Golden State cleared him for light shooting drills before the hiatus, but he’s not expected to return to action this season no matter when the shutdown ends.
“He’s walking around fine,” Mychal said. “… He has to get that clearance from his doctors and the Warriors. They haven’t talked about that yet.”
Klay’s recovery is complicated by the league-wide shutdown of team facilities, even though some teams will be permitted to reopen as soon as Friday. Injured players throughout the NBA have been forced to do rehab work by themselves while they wait for the situation to be resolved.
“He’s frustrated he can’t work out with his teammates,” Mychal said. “He just works out on his own like everybody else. He can’t work out with other guys in groups. You have to find a place to shoot on your own and do your own exercises. These guys know what to do. You run your sprints alone and can find an empty gym. Get a key to an empty gym and go shoot. All of these guys have connections to a gym.”
Malcolm Brogdon: “I’m 100%”
Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon offered good news about his injury status in a brief message to fans on the team’s Twitter account.
“I’m feeling great,” he said. “I’ve been doing a lot of rehab, doing as much as I can under this quarantine, but I’m 100%. I’ve been on my bike, my Peloton bike, and I’ve been running hills in my backyard. Thank you for all of your support and wishes and prayers.”
Brogdon was listed as week to week when he suffered a torn muscle in his quadriceps in early March. He said at the time that he was planning to return for the postseason, but the NBA’s hiatus has allowed him to heal while missing hardly any games.
Brogdon has made an impact in his first season with Indiana after coming from the Bucks in a sign-and-trade deal. He’s averaging 16.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists through 48 games and has the Pacers tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Precious Achiuwa Entering 2020 NBA Draft
One of the most notable college prospects who had yet to announce his draft intentions has now made his decision. Memphis freshman forward Precious Achiuwa tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN that he is entering the 2020 NBA draft and will go pro, hiring an agent in the process.
In his first and only college season, Achiuwa emerged as one of the nation’s most impressive freshmen, averaging 15.8 PPG, 10.8 RPG, and 1.9 BPG while shooting 49.3% from the floor in 31 games (30.4 MPG). He was named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and currently ranks 12th among 2020 prospects on ESPN’s big board.
In his scouting report on Achiuwa, ESPN’s Mike Schmitz says that the youngster’s feel for the game is a “major work in progress,” noting that he finished the season with 87 turnovers and just 30 assists. However, Schmitz praised Achiuwa’s physical profile, defensive versatility, and his potential to improve as a shooter. Givony suggests that the strides the 6’9″ forward has made as a shooter, passer, and ball-handler have evaluators optimistic about his potential development at the NBA level.
For his part, Achiuwa suggested his freshman year at Memphis showed NBA teams what he’s capable of doing on the court.
“I’d summarize my season as spectacular. Even though a lot of things were thrown at us early and we had a lot of ups and down, we found a way to be successful,” Achiuwa told ESPN. “I think I was able to show NBA teams my versatility on defense and that I am able to adjust to whatever role that is given to me and still find a way to be successful. We all had to adjust to different roles because of the uncertainty that was thrown at us early in the season.”
Knicks’ Rose Considering Keeping GM Perry Beyond Draft
Even as new Knicks president of basketball operations Leon Rose begins to reshape the front office by bringing aboard Brock Aller as a VP of strategy, incumbent general manager Scott Perry is still expected to move forward with running the team’s draft, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post.
[RELATED: Knicks to hire Brock Aller to front office role]
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the NBA’s calendar isn’t set in stone. Perry’s contract is set to expire on June 30, five days after the June 25 draft. And while the draft may end up being held as scheduled if the NBA is forced to cancel the remainder of its 2019/20 season, resuming the season would almost certainly mean postponing the draft — and pushing back the expiration date on Perry’s deal.
Whenever the draft ends up being held, there’s no guarantee that Perry – who was the team’s general manager in the former regime under former president of basketball operations Steve Mills – will be let go afterward. According to Berman, Rose is considering retaining Perry beyond the expiration of his current contract.
“The impression is Leon will do his due diligence,” a source told Berman.
As for Aller’s role, sources tell Berman he’ll likely look to rework and perhaps streamline the Knicks’ “massive” scouting/basketball operations department. The club has already parted ways with consultant David Blatt and figures to make more changes in the coming weeks or months.
Lue, Kidd, JVG, Jackson Among Nets’ Coaching Candidates
Tyronn Lue, Jason Kidd, Jeff Van Gundy, and Mark Jackson are among the names on the Nets‘ developing list of potential head coaching candidates, reports Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link). According to Stein, interim coach Jacque Vaughn, who replaced Kenny Atkinson last month, will also receive consideration for the permanent job.
As Stein explains (via Twitter), the Nets aren’t expected to complete their search and name a head coach until the 2019/20 season has been completed or canceled, so presumably this list of candidates is preliminary and figures to evolve in the coming weeks and months.
Still, the names are worth noting, as are the ones noticeably absent. For instance, Stein says that Tom Thibodeau is believed to be “solely a Knicks candidate” for the time being, despite some rumblings linking him to the Nets.
There has been speculation that Brooklyn will target a veteran coach who would be comfortable leading a veteran roster that aims to be a title contender in 2020/21. As such, it makes sense that all the candidates identified by Stein have previous head coaching experience, with Kidd having already served as the Nets’ head coach once, albeit not under the current ownership or management group.
Currently, Kidd works as a Lakers assistant under Frank Vogel, while Lue is on Doc Rivers‘ Clippers staff. Van Gundy and Jackson are analysts for ESPN and ABC.
Lue, who was said earlier this week to have interest in Brooklyn’s coaching job, would reunite with Kyrie Irving if he were to land the job. Citing that Irving connection, Stein adds (via Twitter) that Warriors assistant Mike Brown – another former Cavaliers coach – is another name to monitor.