Category: General NBA insight

General NBA insight

Knicks head coaching job candidates

The Knicks need a new head coach. Whoever gets the job will be in a rebuilding situation, and presumably focused primarily on developing young talent, because that’ll be a more realistic goal than one that involves racking up lots of wins. It’s a high-profile job, regardless of the players on the roster. New York City and the Knicks will always be in a spotlight.

Here’s the New York Post:

Leon Rose and the Knicks are widening their net for prospective head coaches, adding fresh names to an experienced pool that has grown to seven known candidates.

Having already been linked to established names such as favorite Tom Thibodeau, former Nets coach Kenny Atkinson, interim coach Mike Miller and former Knicks coach Mike Woodson, they are now planning to interview a trio of assistant coaches: Ime Udoka of the 76ers, Pat Delany of the Magic and Chris Fleming of the Bulls, according to The Athletic and ESPN…

The 62-year-old Thibodeau, who previously coached the Timberwolves and the Bulls, is considered the front-runner for the job.

The Knicks this past season were led in scoring by forward Marcus Morris (19.6 PPG), forward Julius Randle (19.5 PPG) and rookie shooting guard RJ Barrett (14.3 PPG).

The team’s primary young talent is Barrett and center Mitchell Robinson.

Expect the Knicks to at least attempt big moves in the free agency department. Many of the team’s best players last season were on short-term contracts. Much of the roster is subject to change.

Bill Russell responds to Kendrick Perkins on most athlete NBA player ever

Here’s Boston.com reporting on a fun interaction between NBA legend Bill Russell and retired player Kendrick Perkins:

Bill Russell led the Celtics to 11 NBA championships, and also won a 1956 gold medal with the U.S. men’s basketball team. He’s also not afraid to make his own case when the discussion of “most athletic player in NBA history” is brought up.

After fellow former Celtics center Kendrick Perkins tweeted his opinion that LeBron James is the league’s most athletic player ever, Russell responded.

“In ’56 I could have made the Olympics in high jump but turned it down to play basketball instead,” Russell reminded Perkins.

While a student at the University of San Francisco, Russell competed in several track and field events, excelling in the 400 meters and the high jump…

Perkins reacted to Russell with a new realization: He agreed.

Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver likes to use a flip phone

Here’s the Arizona Republic reporting on Phoenix Suns Managing Partner Robert Sarver’s regular use of a flip phone, as opposed to something a bit more technical and modern:

Sarver recently revealed why he chooses to use a flip phone in an interview with the Suns’ Lindsey Smith in a recent entry of the team’s video production: The Outlet.

“I know, people make fun of that,” Sarver said during the interview. “Here’s the honest reason. The honest reason is I don’t want to have a device on me that I can get on the internet and I can look at emails, because it is too distracting. And for someone like me who has a little ADD, if I am with people, I need to be with people. I can’t be constantly looking at my phone. Listen, the technology of these phones and everything are great, they do a lot of stuff, but they also sometimes can interfere with your ability to have one-on-one conversation in meetings.”

The larger point here is worth considering. Whatever your prime focus is during a given moment, whether something fun like watching basketball or serious like a business deal, it’s always effective to eliminate additional distractions.

WNBA plans to play 2020 season at IMG Academy in Florida

After significant discussions with the league’s key stakeholders, including the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA), the WNBA today announced elements of plans to return to the court to begin the WNBA 2020 season. The league is finalizing a partnership that would make IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, the Official Home of the 2020 WNBA season highlighted by a competitive schedule of 22 regular-season games followed by a traditional playoff format.

Beginning in July, IMG Academy will be the home for each of the league’s 12 teams and serve as a single site for training camp, games and housing. The top priority continues to be the health and safety of players and staff, and the league is working with medical specialists, public health experts, and government officials on a comprehensive set of guidelines to ensure that appropriate medical protocols and protections are in place. Due to the fluid situation resulting from the pandemic, the league and players will continue to review the appropriate health and safety protocols and make necessary changes to the plan prior to arriving on site for the start of training camp and throughout the season.

“We are finalizing a season start plan to build on the tremendous momentum generated in the league during the offseason and have used the guiding principles of health and safety of players and essential staff to establish necessary and extensive protocols,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “We will continue to consult with medical experts and public health officials as well as players, team owners and other stakeholders as we move forward with our execution plan. And, despite the disruption caused by the global pandemic to our 2020 season, the WNBA and its Board of Governors believe strongly in supporting and valuing the elite women athletes who play in the WNBA and therefore, players will receive their full pay and benefits during the 2020 season.”

“As home to some of the world’s leading athletes, coaches and performance experts, IMG Academy is thrilled to partner with the top basketball players in the world and the entire WNBA family,” said Tim Pernetti, Executive Vice President, IMG Events & Media. “We are truly looking forward to becoming the Official Home of the 2020 WNBA Season and working closely with the league in providing our best-in-class training and competition environment.”

Throughout this unique season format where all players will be at the same place, at the same time, a first in the league’s history, the WNBA will build on its commitment to social justice and will support players in launching a bold social justice platform as a call to action to drive impactful, measurable and meaningful change. The WNBA 2020 season will include a devoted platform led by the players that will aim to support and strengthen both the league and teams’ reach and impact on social justice matters. As recently announced, this began with the WNBA making donations from sales of its “Bigger Than Ball” women’s empowerment merchandise to the Equal Justice Initiative. “The WNBA opposes racism in all its forms, and George Floyd and Breonna Taylor are the latest names in a list of countless others who have been subject to police brutality that stems from the systemic oppression of Black Lives in America, and it is our collective responsibility to use our platforms to enact change,” said Engelbert.

“In our discussions with the league, we emphasized and they agreed that a strong commitment to a 2020 season will give the WNBA the chance to show the world that it’s taking the steps needed to secure our livelihood and well-being, while also providing the opportunity to amplify our collective voice,” said WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike. “We have always been at the forefront of initiatives with strong support of #BlackLivesMatter, #SayHerName, the LGBTQ+ community, gun control, voting rights, #MeToo, mental health and the list goes on. This is not only necessary from a humanitarian perspective, but it may be one of the biggest opportunities that this league has and will ever have.”

“As in recent CBA negotiations, the WNBPA Executive Committee worked tirelessly to represent the interests of all players as the league planned to launch a 2020 season,” said WNBPA Executive Director Terri Jackson. “Our society has learned or perhaps has been reminded of an important lesson: women are integral to the economic stability of their families and their communities. The league and the teams’ commitment makes a statement.”

Under the current plan, teams will report to IMG Academy in early July and regular-season action will tip off in late July after a team training camp period. Although the WNBA 2020 season will be played without fans in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league will continue to build on the current momentum around the WNBA and the players, while offering fans a front row seat at home thanks to broadcast partners ESPN, CBS Sports Network and NBA TV and their ongoing commitment to women’s sports. Regular season matchups and times for WNBA 2020 Tip-Off presented by AT&T, will be announced at a later date.

Patrick Beverley says if LeBron James wants NBA to resume play, it’ll happen

Clippers guard Patrick Beverley believes in Lakers forward LeBron James. Not to beat the Clippers, of course. But in regard to LeBron’s wishes for the future of the 2019-20 NBA season and playoffs. Here’s the New York Post:

If LeBron James wants the NBA to return, then that’s what will happen. That’s Patrick Beverley’s prediction, no matter what Kyrie Irving, Dwight Howard or anyone else says.

The Clippers’ pesky defensive-minded guard went on Twitter to make that clear, writing Sunday that “Hoopers say what y’all want. If @King James said he hooping. We all hooping. Not personal only BUSINESS.”

James, who reportedly was not on the call, is believed to be in favor of the plan to return to action.

So far, the only official thing in the NBA’s possible return to action this summer has been the competitive format, including the number of teams (22) playing a limited number of games leading to what will hopefully be a complete playoffs.

Brian Shaw to coach G League Select Team

In recent years, the standard route for top high school basketball players has been to go to college, play one NCAA season, then head to the pros.

But now, with the introduction of the G League “Select” team, a handful of high school stars will now have the chance to skip college and head straight to a special, brand new G League team that exists just for their purposes, with their goal of making the NBA in mind.

As of today, that G League team has its first head coach: Brian Shaw.

More info: Brian Shaw named head coach of new G League Select Team

A look at possible Lakers and Clippers opponents when NBA season resumes

If all goes according to plan — and in today’s world, all plans are currently subject to change — 22 of the NBA’s 30 teams will resume 2019-20 season play this summer. Including, of course, Los Angeles’ two championship-contending teams, the Lakers and Clippers. Here’s the OC Register with a look at what’s in store for them when action does resume:

Who will the Clippers and Lakers play?

For the eight games ahead of the playoffs, every team will pick up its schedule where they left off. When a game comes up against a team that isn’t one of the 22 invited to Orlando, or against a team that’s already played its final eight games, they’ll skip over that opponent and move on to the next.

The Lakers are one of four teams — along with Miami, Orlando and Portland — whose remaining schedule won’t accommodate eight games by the conclusion of their schedule. The league conceivably will fill in those teams’ final games by pitting them against one another, although that’s not been determined officially.

So the Lakers’ schedule will look like this: Rockets, Nuggets, Jazz, Jazz, Raptors, Pacers, (and possibly the Trail Blazers, Heat or Magic).

The Clippers’ seeding schedule: Nets, Pelicans, Mavericks, Nuggets, Suns, Nets, Pacers, Thunder.

NBA play at the single “quarantine bubble” location of Disney Wide World of Sports in Orlando will hopefully begin around July 31.

NBA working out details regarding roster depth in return to play plan

The NBA continues to make plans for league play to resume with 22 teams at Disney World in Orlando this summer. But part of the process is preparing for what might go wrong. One issue is if a team finds itself in need of additional players, as replacements due to injury, sickness, or simply for additional roster depth. Via the Deseret News:

According to reports by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Bobby Marks, the league is planning on having a one-week ‘transaction window’ for all 30 NBA teams beginning on June 22, ahead of the tentative July 31 resumption of games, in which teams can fill open roster spots, sign or waive players, and convert two-way deals to standard NBA contracts…

According to Wojnarowski, teams are pushing back on the league’s preference to limit rosters to 15 players and to leave two-way players out of the bubble unless they are converted to a standard NBA contract before the team arrives in Orlando.

Teams would prefer to have two-way players on hand while in Florida so that if a player suffers an injury or becomes infected with the coronavirus after the ‘transaction window’, a two-way player could be made a substitute without having to go through quarantine before joining the team.

For now, the plan is for action to resume on July 31. We can’t wait.

A reminder of big things Bradley Beal had been doing for Wizards this season

Here’s NBC Sports Washington with a reminder of how well Wizards guard Bradley Beal was playing this season before league play was put on hold March 11 due to the coronavirus pandemic:

Right after a game against the Cavs on Feb. 21 in which he went 1-for-10 from three, Beal took off to average 37.5 points and 6.1 assists in his final 10 games. He did that while shooting 48.1 percent from three on a ridiculous 10.8 attempts.

It started with two 50-point games on back-to-back nights, making him the first player since Kobe Bryant in 2007 to accomplish the feat. That included 55 points against the NBA-best Milwaukee Bucks. Beal also dropped 42 in a game during that 10-game stretch, and in his last outing put 39 on the Knicks.

Beal’s scoring barrage went back to January where soon after returning from injury he caught fire, averaging 35.5 points across 23 games. He also averaged 5.7 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 1.6 steals and shot 40.4 percent from three on 9.3 attempts per game.

The surge began with seven straight games of 34-plus points. Of the 23 games, he dropped 30 or more 17 times, 40 or more six times and 50 or more twice.

Along the way in that 23-game burst, Beal raised his season scoring average from 27.2 points per game to 30.5, placing him second in the NBA and only behind James Harden. Beal is only 1.2 points away setting the franchise’s single-season record, held by Walt Bellamy who averaged 31.6 in 1961-62, the first year of the franchise’s existence.

The NBA has named 22 teams that will resume play on a modified schedule this summer in July, and the Wizards are one of those teams.

Beal’s other star backcourt mate, John Wall, has been injured and, for now, isn’t expected to make his return until 2020-21.

With Wall not having played at all this season, after Beal’s 30.5 points per game leading Wizards scorers have been forward Davis Bertans at 15.4 ppg and rookie Rui Hachimura at 13.4 ppg.

Will Pat Riley not join the Heat at Disney Wide World of Sports this summer?

The NBA this past week nailed down their format for the conclusion of the 2019-20 season, to take place at Disney Wide World of Sports in Orlando this summer. But there is plenty left to figure out. From major things like an exact schedule to smaller details like the very exact number of people each team is allowed to bring into the quarantine bubble setting.

Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel reporting on Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra:

As part of the NBA’s plan to resume the league in a quarantine-like setting is limiting team traveling parties, including players and coaches, to an estimated 35 or so when competition resumes in the absence of fans at the Wide World of Sports complex on the Disney World campus just outside of Orlando.

Already, the league is debating whether players on two-way contracts will be included, which for the Heat could limit the development of guard Gabe Vincent and forward Kyle Alexander. Beyond that, there figure to be difficult decisions with support staff.

“The only thing I’ll say about that is I don’t want to term anything ‘essential’ or ‘non-essential’ staff,” Spoelstra said, limited in his allowable comments, with the NBA’s plan yet to be finalized. “That’s not fair to any of our staff members. These are extreme circumstances. We will plan and act accordingly when we get to that point.” …

With the NBA projecting the season’s resumption will run from July 31 to a potential Oct. 12 Game 7 of the NBA Finals, it could leave the team separated from Heat president Pat Riley for months.

At 75, Riley stands in a high-risk category of contracting COVID-19.

This sort of thing will be a heavy discussion topic in the coming weeks. Better safe than sorry, is a good rule of thumb.

After such details are worked out, and decisions are finalized, and the focus becomes actual basketball games again, it’ll be a very good time.