NBA Blog – NBA Basketball Blog
NBA Blog: The NBA basketball news blog section of Inside Hoops
NBA news blog
Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey announced today that the team has acquired the No. 53 overall selection in the 2021 NBA Draft from New Orleans in exchange for cash consideration.
The pick originally belonged to Dallas and was acquired by the Pelicans on March 25, 2021.
The Sacramento Kings have extended a qualifying offer to guard Terence Davis II, making him a restricted free agent, General Manager Monte McNair announced today.
By extending a qualifying offer to Davis, Sacramento obtains the Right of First Refusal on any offer sheet he may sign with another team.
Acquired by the Kings on March 25, 2021, Davis averaged 11.1 points (.442 FG%, .372 3pt%, .784 FT%), 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.0 steals and 21.5 minutes per game in 27 games for Sacramento.
The NBA Board of Governors today approved a proposal to continue the Play-In Tournament for the 2021-22 NBA season.
The Play-In Tournament for the 2021-22 season, which was also agreed to by the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), will follow the same format as the Play-In Tournament for the 2020-21 season. The teams that finish the regular season with the seventh-highest through the 10th-highest winning percentages in each conference will compete to fill the seventh and eighth playoff seeds in each conference.
Like all new ideas, the tournament has its critics. But it was definitely a fun event that brought something extra to the table. The play-in tournament games this past season felt as intense as any playoff game. It’s a cool setup. We approve.
For the 2021-22 season, the Play-In Tournament will take place April 12-15, 2022, between the last day of the regular season on April 10 and the start of the playoffs on April 16.
The Toronto Raptors have extended qualifying offers to guards Gary Trent Jr. and Nando de Colo.
What this means is that both players are now restricted free agents.
Trent Jr., 6-foot-5, 209 pounds, averaged career highs of 15.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists 1.0 steals and 31.1 minutes in 58 games (38 starts) last season with Toronto and Portland. He shot .408 (320-785) from the field, including .385 (165-429) from three-point range, and scored 20+ points in 15 games. The Raptors acquired Trent Jr. from the Trail Blazers on March 25.
A native of Columbus, Ohio, Trent Jr. owns career averages of 11.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 24.2 minutes in 134 career games (47 starts). He played one season at Duke (2017-18) prior to being picked 37th overall by Sacramento in the 2018 NBA Draft and traded to Portland on draft night.
De Colo appeared in 21 games with the Raptors during the 2013-14 season, averaging 3.1 points, 1.6 assists, 1.3 rebounds and 9.2 minutes. Since departing Toronto, de Colo has played professionally overseas with CSKA Moscow (2014-19) and Fenerbahçe (2019-20).
ESPN.com: “Team USA’s invincibility in men’s basketball is long gone, and the journey to a fourth consecutive gold medal is already fraught with adversity. France gut-punched the Americans with a brilliant finish for a 83-76 victory to open the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday. It snapped a 25-game Olympic winning streak dating back to 2004 for Team USA. The final blow came when Evan Fournier drilled a 3-pointer with a minute to play to give the French the lead for good, completing a comeback after the U.S. had a six-point lead with four minutes to play. It was the biggest of his 28 points, one of the finest games he’s played in his career. It was followed by an incredible American possession in which they managed to get five shots and missed them all. The final three were wide open 3-pointers by Zach LaVine, Kevin Durant and Jrue Holiday.”
WashingtonPost.com: “Evan Fournier was the hero for France, scoring a game-high 28 points on 11-for-22 shooting and hitting a crucial go-ahead three-pointer in the game’s final minute. Nando de Colo added 13 points, including a pair of clutch free throws with 21.8 seconds left. It was an agonizing night for Durant, who finished with 10 points on 4-for-12 shooting but was forced to the bench for long stretches after picking up four first-half fouls. Durant missed a pair of three-pointers in the game’s final minute and scored only one point in the fourth quarter. The Brooklyn Nets’ star fouled out with 15.5 seconds to play after playing just 20 minutes.”
ChicagoTribune.com: “Team USA got off to a rocky start in their first game Sunday, however, dropping their Olympics opener to France 83-76. It’s their first loss in Olympics play since 2004, snapping a 25-game winning streak. [Zach] LaVine, who made the starting lineup in his Olympic debut, scored eight points on 3 of 6 shooting, including a huge 3-pointer with just over four minutes remaining in the 4th quarter to extend the U.S. lead to seven points. Then France finished the game on a 16-4 run.”
The Atlanta Hawks today announced multiple hirings and promotions within the Basketball Operations group, including the additions of Joe Prunty and Jamelle McMillan to Head Coach Nate McMillan’s coaching staff.
Prunty and Jamelle McMillan join Chris Jent, Matt Hill and Marlon Garnett to finalize the coaching staff.
Prunty brings 23 years of experience as an NBA assistant coach, having served as an assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns (2018-19), Milwaukee Bucks (2014-18, including serving as interim head coach over the final 37 games of the 2017-18 campaign and 17 games in 2015-16), Brooklyn Nets (2013-14), Cleveland Cavaliers (2010-13), Portland Trail Blazers (2008-2010), Dallas Mavericks (2005-2008) and San Antonio Spurs (2000-2005) after starting his career as an assistant video coordinator in San Antonio. In addition to his NBA experience, Prunty has extensive coaching experience both overseas and with USA Basketball, spending five summers as head coach of Great Britain’s national team from 2013-2017, qualifying for EuroBasket in 2013 and 2017, before serving as an assistant for the November 2020 USA AmeriCup Qualifying Team and acting as head coach of the USA AmeriCup Qualifying Team for two games (2-0) in the third window – February 2021.
Jamelle McMillan started his career with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2013 in player development as part of now Phoenix Suns Head Coach Monty Williams’ staff. In 2016, McMillan was elevated to assistant coach under Alvin Gentry and in 2017, he served as head coach of the Pelicans’ summer league team. After spending the ’18-19 season in Phoenix, he rejoined the Pelicans as an assistant for two seasons. McMillan played collegiately at Arizona State University (2007 – 2011) where he was teammates with Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden.
To support the coaching staff, the Hawks have promoted Dipesh Mistry from video coordinator to coaching assistant and Paul Jesperson from assistant video coordinator to player development coach.
The Hawks have also hired Tim Dather (DAY-ther) as head video coordinator/player development. Dather served as head manager (2011-13) and graduate manager (2013-15) at Indiana University before breaking into the NBA with the LA Clippers in 2015-16 as a video intern. He returned to Indiana with the Pacers as head video coordinator (2016-2019) and then as Head Video/Assistant Coach for the 2019-20 season. Most recently, he worked for the University of Georgia as director of basketball strategy.
Marty Lauzon joins the Hawks as the team’s director of athletic performance and sports medicine, following an 11-year stint with the Atlanta Falcons where he started as head athletic trainer/physical therapist (2010-13) before being promoted to director of sports medicine and performance (2013-21). Lauzon started his 24-year career at UCLA (1997-99), serving as director of rehabilitation before moving to Cleveland to work for the Cleveland Browns as assistant athletic trainer/physical trainer (1999-2005) and then head athletic trainer/physical therapist (2005-2009). Lauzon had served as a consultant for the Hawks since April.
Takahiro Uchida was hired to the Athletic Performance Team as assistant athletic trainer following his work as a seasonal athletic trainer during the 2020-21 season. Prior to joining the Hawks, Uchida spent two seasons as a graduate assistant athletic trainer at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (2018-20) and one season as a graduate assistant at Stanford University. He graduated from Lindenwood University in 2017, completing summer internships with the Los Angeles Rams (2016) and Stanford (2015) during his undergraduate career.
In the front office, Dotun Akinwale Jr. was promoted to senior director of player personnel. Now in his seventh season with the Hawks, Akinwale previously held the titles of director of scouting and manager of scouting after starting his career with the Orlando Magic as an intern in 2013 before transitioning into a basketball operations coordinator role.
Kira Tillinghast has been hired full-time as the player engagement coordinator after working in the front office as a seasonal assistant from 2019 to 2021. She attended Temple University, serving as team manager in 2015-16 before working at Arete Sports Agency from 2016 to 2019.
The Los Angeles Lakers have extended a qualifying offer to Talen Horton-Tucker, it was announced today.
As a result of the qualifying offer, Horton-Tucker will become a restricted free agent.
Per the Los Angeles Times, “Horton-Tucker, who was drafted 46th overall in 2019, averaged 9.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 65 games last season. The 6-foot-4 wing shot 45.8% from the field and 77.5% from the free-throw line but only 28.2% from three-point range.”
The New Orleans Pelicans have named Willie Green the team’s new head coach, it was announced today by Pelicans Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin. Green becomes the eighth head coach in franchise history.
“After an extensive and collaborative search, Willie stood out among an impressive group of candidates as the best person to lead our team moving forward,” said Pelicans Governor Gayle Benson. “We are very happy to welcome Willie as our new head coach and we look forward to working with him to guide our team on the court as we work towards bringing a championship to New Orleans.”
“Willie has established himself as one of the most respected assistant coaches in the NBA. In large part, this is due to a tireless work ethic and authenticity of character,” said Griffin. “He brings a vast amount of basketball knowledge and experience to our team as both a coach and former player, along with exceptional leadership qualities and an innate ability to connect with players, staff and fans alike. We could not be more excited to welcome Willie and his family to New Orleans.”
“I want to thank Mrs. Benson, David Griffin, and the entire Pelicans organization for having faith in me to lead this talented group of players moving forward,” said Green. “It’s a blessing and an honor to get this opportunity in a special place like New Orleans. I look forward to getting to work and immersing myself and my family into the local community.”
Green joins the Pelicans after spending the previous two seasons (2019-21) as an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns. As a part of head coach Monty Williams’ staff, Green helped guide the 2021 Western Conference Champions to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1993. As the Suns’ defensive coordinator, Phoenix finished the regular season with the NBA’s sixth-best defensive rating. He also served as the Phoenix’s head coach for NBA Summer League in 2019, leading the Suns to a 3-1 record in Las Vegas.
Prior to joining Phoenix, Green spent three seasons (2016-19) as assistant coach/player development for the Golden State Warriors. While on head coach Steve Kerr’s staff, Green helped the Warriors win back-to-back NBA Championships in 2017 and 2018 before returning to the NBA Finals in 2019. He also served as the Warriors’ head coach for NBA Summer League in 2018, leading Golden State to the California Classic’s only 3-0 record.
Green, a 12-year NBA veteran as a player, was selected with the 41st overall pick by Seattle in the 2003 NBA Draft. He appeared in 731 regular season games (297 starts) with Philadelphia, New Orleans, Atlanta, the LA Clippers and Orlando from 2003-15, and qualified for the playoffs seven times in his 12 seasons.
A native of Detroit, Green was a four-year standout at the University of Detroit Mercy, where he won Horizon League Player of the Year as a senior in 2003 and helped the Titans to two NIT appearances in 2001 and 2002, including a trip to the semifinals at Madison Square Garden in 2001. Green remains fifth in program history in career points scored.
Atlanta Hawks forward/center Onyeka Okongwu underwent surgery yesterday in Los Angeles to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Dr. Neal ElAttrache of Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic performed the surgery.
Okongwu will now enter a period of rest and rehabilitation and is expected by the team to make a full recovery in approximately six months.
As a rookie last season, Okongwu averaged 4.6 points in 12.0 minutes per game.
Per ESPN.com, “Okongwu’s role grew as the season wore on for the Hawks, but a lingering injury beginning in May resulted in the need for the procedure.”
USA Basketball Men’s National Team member Zach LaVine has been placed under USA Basketball’s health and safety protocols and will not travel with the team to Tokyo today. Per USA Basketball, this is being done “out of an abundance of caution.”
USA Basketball hopes that LaVine will be able to join the team in Tokyo later this week.
Per ESPN.com, LaVine “is the third player to be affected in the past week, as Bradley Beal had to leave the team because of the protocols and Jerami Grant was in contract tracing quarantine for four days.”