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Michael Porter Jr. showed nice flashes of talent for Nuggets this season

At 43-22, good for third best in the Western conference, the Denver Nuggets were one of the best teams in the league this season. Here’s the Denver Post on a talented young member of the squad’s supporting cast, Michael Porter Jr:

On Oct. 31 in New Orleans, Porter scored a team-high 15 points in his professional debut, but it came during an embarrassing pummeling to the Pelicans. It was unsettling because his personal triumph came amid a painful loss. To his credit, he struck the right tone.

For the next two months, he was a part of the revolving door at small forward, splitting time with Craig and Hernangomez. None of them found much rhythm, and Porter wasn’t getting the consistent minutes that would allow him to maintain confidence on offense or develop as a defender. Finally, in late December, he had his breakout game (19 points, 8-of-10 shooting) in his first start vs. the Kings. Two games later, at Indiana, he had the highlight of his season.

Porter hung a career-high 25 points against the Pacers and served as the catalyst for a significant road win. The degree of difficulty on some of the shots he hit that night validated some of the rumors that had trickled out of the Nuggets’ practice court.

Porter played sparingly, averaging 7.5 points and 4.1 rebounds in 14.0 minutes per game, but he shot well: 49.5% from the field and 42.2% from three-point range. There’s every reason to believe he’ll keep improving.

The NBA season remains on hold due to the global coronavirus pandemic.

Spencer Dinwiddie onto Team Nigeria?

Here’s some interesting international basketball news, via the New York Post:

Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie is planning to acquire a Nigerian passport to play for Nigeria in the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, according to The Athletic.

Dinwiddie, who was not among the 44 players who were announced as finalists for spots on Team USA, can be eligible to play for Nigeria if he is successful in his quest for a passport. He confirm The Athletic’s report with a simple reply on his Twitter page.

“Well now y’all know lol,” Dinwiddie tweeted.

Dinwiddie had a good season for the Nets in 2019-20, and for many weeks was considered a contender to make the All-Star team.

Anthony Davis reportedly selling his house in Los Angeles

Here’s the Los Angeles Daily News with some NBA-related real estate news:

Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis, scheduled to become a free agent this summer, has listed his contemporary Mediterranean-style home in Westlake Village.

The asking price is $7.995 million.

Set atop two-plus acres in guard-gated North Ranch Country Club Estates, the five-bedroom, 15,815-square-foot house was built in 1996 and recently expanded and remodeled.

And more from the New York Post:

Dealt to the Lakers last summer, the 27-year-old Chicagoan can become an unrestricted free agent after the season if he declines his player option for 2020-21. Back in January, Davis turned down a maximum contract offer from the Lakers worth $146 million over four years, as he would be eligible for a larger contract with the Lakers by first becoming a free agent. The Lakers at the time maintained optimism they would be able to retain Davis, according to USA Today, while the superstar has danced around questions about his future.

And the Los Angeles Times:

The contemporary Mediterranean mansion sits behind gates with a guesthouse and a $1-million infinity-edge swimming pool complete with dual waterslides, a baja deck and a spa. But perhaps even more impressive: an attached basketball gymnasium featuring its own viewing box.

Custom-built in 1996 and later expanded, the roughly 16,000-square-foot house features a two-story entry with a curved staircase, a wood-paneled office and a movie theater. The kitchen is equipped with two islands. There are five bedrooms and seven bathrooms including a multi-room master suite.

The house is a bit small for our tastes, but feel free to place a bid if you don’t mind a cozy lifestyle.

No timetable yet for possible NBA season restart

The waiting game continues.

Except, this particular wait isn’t a game. It’s a global pandemic that has put many things on hold, including the NBA season, which has been paused since March 11.

Here’s NBC Sports Washington reporting Friday’s words of league commissioner Adam Silver:

It’s been over a month since the 2019-20 season was suspended following Rudy Gobert’s positive test for COVID-19 and commissioner Adam Silver was unable to give the update hoops fans are looking for Friday.

“As I sit here today, there’s too much unknown to set a timeline and even too much unknown to say, ‘Here are the variables,'” Silver said. “I would just say everything is on the table.”

Silver said on TNT a few weeks ago that the NBA wouldn’t be able to make a decision on the 2019-20 season before at least May 1. So don’t sound the alarms based on Silver’s uncertainty at this juncture.

The 2019-2020 regular season had been scheduled to end this past Wednesday. The playoffs had been scheduled to begin today, on Saturday.

Could Cole Anthony be the right pick for Knicks?

Here’s the New York Post reporting on guard Cole Anthony, who is going pro after one season at UNC:

The Knicks need a point guard and there is a highly rated one who lives just a few subway stops from the Garden. It could be a perfect match, one that Cole Anthony — the son of former Knicks guard Greg Anthony — would welcome.

“It would be pretty cool,” the Upper West Side native and one-and-done former North Carolina star told The Post in an exclusive interview. “I was a fan for a good amount of time. I do like the Knicks. I think they definitely can use a guard, a good scoring point guard. If that happens, it would be pretty cool to play in front of my little brother.” …

If the Knicks did take Anthony, he would join a young core that includes RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson and Kevin Knox. A lot of pressure would come with staying home, expectations to get the once-proud franchise back on track. But Anthony has dealt with pressure for most of his life, as the son of Greg Anthony and an elite recruit dating back to his freshman year of high school.

The draft is scheduled for June 25.

2020 WNBA Draft first round results

The 2020 WNBA draft is ongoing right now, and the first round was completed moments ago. Here’s how it went down:

1) NEW YORK LIBERTY
Sabrina Ionescu
OREGON
Guard

2) DALLAS WINGS
Satou Sabally
OREGON
FORWARD

3) INDIANA FEVER
Lauren Cox
BAYLOR
FORWARD

4) ATLANTA DREAM
Chennedy Carter
TEXAS A&M
GUARD

5) DALLAS WINGS (FROM PHOENIX)
Bella Alarie
PRINCETON

6) MINNESOTA LYNX
Mikiah Herbert Harrigan
SOUTH CAROLINA
FORWARD

7) DALLAS WINGS (FROM SEATTLE – VIA CONNECTICUT, PHOENIX)
Tyasha Harris
SOUTH CAROLINA
GUARD

8) CHICAGO SKY
Ruthy Hebard
OREGON
FORWARD

9) NEW YORK LIBERTY
Megan Walker
CONNECTICUT
FORWARD

10) PHOENIX MERCURY (FROM LOS ANGELES – VIA CONNECTICUT)
Jocelyn Willoughby
VIRGINIA
GUARD/FORWARD

11) SEATTLE STORM (FROM CONNECTICUT)
Kitija Laksa
OVERSEAS (LATVIA)
GUARD/FORWARD

12) NEW YORK LIBERTY (FROM WASHINGTON)
Jazmine Jones
LOUISVILLE
GUARD

Instead of playing college hoops, high school senior Isaiah Todd signs with G League

High school senior Isaiah Todd has signed to play in the NBA G League next season, it was announced today by NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Todd is ranked by ESPN as the top player in Virginia and No. 13 in the nation in the Class of 2020.

The NBA G League gives top young prospects a chance to begin their professional careers while receiving mentorship and life skills training.

A forward at Word of God Christian Academy in Raleigh, N.C., Todd was named a McDonald’s All-American and Jordan Brand Classic selection this year.

“We’re excited to have Isaiah begin his professional career in the NBA G League,” said Abdur-Rahim. “With his skill and drive to succeed, I’m confident that he will thrive in the NBA G League and use all of our available resources to prepare for the next stage in his career.”

Todd joins fellow five-star recruit Jalen Green in signing to play in the NBA G League for the 2020-21 season. The two have played together on the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team, winning a gold medal at the 2017 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship.

In the NBA G League, Todd will have the opportunity to accelerate his on-court development as he learns NBA-style basketball alongside veterans of the professional game while focusing heavily on life skills development. Details of the new team Todd and Green will play for, which will be unaffiliated with any existing NBA G League franchise or NBA team, are forthcoming.

UNC guard Cole Anthony declares for 2020 NBA draft

Here’s the Raleigh News and Observer reporting a story that won’t come as a surprise: North Carolina freshman guard Cole Anthony, son of former NBA player Greg Anthony, is going pro:

Anthony, 6-3, 190 pounds, led the Tar Heels last season with 18.5 points and 4 assists per game. His brief college career got off to a hot start. He scored 34 points in UNC’s season-opening win against Notre Dame. The Tar Heels started the season 6-3.

But injuries, and the team’s lack of on-court chemistry, led to the Tar Heels’ struggles.

Anthony missed 11 games in the middle of the season after having surgery to repair a partially torn meniscus. During that stretch, the Tar Heels went 4-7.

Their style of play changed dramatically after. Anthony was the primary ball handler, and without him, the Tar Heels had to spread the ball around more. When he returned Feb. 1 after missing those 11 games, UNC”s new style of play clashed with the old one. The Tar Heels lost seven consecutive ACC games and Anthony shot 38 percent from the floor.

Anthony remains a projected upper lottery pick. His final stats for his one college basketball season were 18.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game, shooting 38% FG and 34.8% from three-point range.

The 2020 draft is scheduled for June 25.

We may see Devin Booker play a bit more PG for Suns

Here’s Arizona Sports reporting on the Suns backcourt, which features Ricky Rubio at point guard and scoring star Devin Booker at shooting guard:

So, on a team where its net rating went from 3.8 when starting point guard Ricky Rubio was on the floor to a team-worst -6.5 when he was off, you’d surely want to fill in some of those spot minutes with Booker in control, especially with the inept backup point guard play, right?

Nope. The Suns’ top lineup in minutes featuring Booker without Rubio, Elie Okobo, Ty Jerome, Tyler Johnson or Jevon Carter played a total of six minutes. (And let the record show they scored 21 points in those six minutes).

There, of course, was a reason for this. Booker got worn down by those minutes with the burden of the entire offense on him, and preserving Booker over a full season was a priority for [head coach Monty] Williams.

But after year one of locking Point Book away in the basement, Williams wants to bring him back upstairs next season.

“Anything I would like to explore would probably be putting Devin at the point guard position a bit more than I did last year,” he said on a conference call Thursday. “I think he’s at a point in his career where he’s making the right plays consistently.”

After a hot start to the season, the Suns were 26-39 when the league was put on hold in mid March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Booker averaged 26.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game, while Rubio put up 13.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 8.9 assists per outing.

High school senior Jalen Green signs to play in G League next season

High school senior Jalen Green has signed to play in the NBA G League next season, league President Shareef Abdur-Rahim announced today. Green is ranked by ESPN as the No. 1 basketball recruit in the Class of 2020.

Green, a guard from Prolific Prep in Napa, Calif., brings an impressive basketball résumé to the NBA G League, including his status as a consensus five-star recruit and a 2020 McDonald’s All-American. As a member of the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team, Green earned gold medals at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 and 2018 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cups and the 2017 FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship. He was named MVP of the 2018 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup in Argentina.

It’s a bold move. And in a normal situation, it would probably be smarter for a player to play college hoops and stand out there rather than entering the G League, which is much stronger competition. But in this case, the NBA and G League are changing the game, and giving top prospects a reason to no longer go the one-and-done college route.

And in Green’s case, this sounds like a smart move.

Some details from ESPN.com, are here:

California high school star Jalen Green, the No. 1 prospect in the 2020 ESPN 100, is making the leap to a reshaped NBA professional pathway program — a G League initiative that sources say will pay elite prospects $500,000-plus and provide a one-year development program outside of the minor league’s traditional team structure.

Green — a potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft — announced Thursday that he is bypassing college to become the professional pathway’s first participant, a decision that likely clears the way for more commitments from elite prospects…

The NBA’s talks remain stalled with the National Basketball Players Association on an agreement to end the one-and-done draft model, leaving this revamped pro pathway program as a bridge to what is believed will be the eventual elimination of the rule requiring American players to wait a year after high school graduation before entering the draft.

“We’re thrilled to welcome a player and a person of Jalen’s caliber to the NBA G League,” said Abdur-Rahim. “He represents the next generation of NBA players, and we couldn’t be more excited to have him develop his professional skills in our league. Jalen will learn from an NBA-caliber coaching and player development staff as he begins his professional basketball journey in the NBA G League.”