Knicks may be interested in RJ Hampton for 2020 NBA draft

The Knicks drafted RJ Barrett in the lottery last year. Will they take another RJ in the 2020 NBA draft? here’s the New York Post reporting:

According to a source, RJ Hampton, who skipped college to play in New Zealand, is another point-guard-type under consideration by the Knicks if they select between sixth and 10th in the draft currently slated for June 25.

NBA insiders believe the speedy 6-foot-5, 19-year-old combo guard has been under the radar as a top-10 player because the Dallas native played on the other side of the world and saw his season cut short by a hip injury.

Leon Rose strongly pursued Hampton as a client when Rose was a superagent for Creative Artists Agency before accepting the Knicks’ presidency. Now Rose could join forces with him in a different manner in pairing Hampton with shooting guard RJ Barrett.

The Knicks have nine players on guaranteed contracts signed through the 2020-21 season, but only one guaranteed contract for 2021-22.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra discusses his career

Here’s the Miami Herald reporting what Heat coach Erik Spoelstra had to say to Ernie Johnson via the NBA’s Twitter feed:

Spoelstra addressed other topics in a wide-ranging interview with Johnson:

▪ He said this week marks his 25th anniversary with the Heat after joining the team as an intern to help with the 1995 draft.

Pat Riley was hired as Heat coach and president that summer and Spoelstra said “the only reason I survived that turnover was it was September, and they just needed somebody to cut tape” and didn’t want to train someone from the outside.

“I had a one-year leeway to prove myself,” he said. “Twenty-five years later, they haven’t found a way to get rid of me.”

▪ How did Riley tell him he was being promoted to head coach in 2008?

“It would be like you imagined, a Godfather scene,” Spoelstra said. “He brought me in on a Saturday, after we won 15 games. … The lights were down. I sat on the other side of the desk. I could barely make out his face; he could see me.

“He said, ‘I’m done. You’re ready for it. This will be like you’re in a bird’s nest and I’m going to push you off the branch and you are going to have to figure out how to fly. You have enough experience, you’ve worked for great people. This is happening. Take a couple days to get your S-H-I-T together and Monday is the press conference.’”

Spoelstra’s story is pretty fantastic. His rise up the Heat ranks would make a great documentary.

Bulls hire Pat Connelly and JJ Polk to front office jobs

The Chicago Bulls have hired Pat Connelly and JJ Polk, naming Connelly as Vice President of Player Personnel and Polk as Assistant General Manager.

Connelly will primarily be responsible for the structure and processes of the scouting department.

Polk will primarily be responsible for strategic planning and salary cap management, in addition to being involved in all player personnel matters.

“Pat and JJ both bring valuable experience that will enhance our basketball operations department,” said Arturas Karnisovas, Bulls Executive Vice President – Basketball Operations. “I know that the skills these two possess will be an asset in building out our program. JJ’s expertise with cap management and negotiations will help us be creative in our deals and contracts, while Pat’s great eye for talent, global contacts and networking capabilities will organize our scouting department in a productive way. Combined, these two basketball minds will help increase functionality and implement our vision of moving this program forward.”

Per the Chicago Sun-Times, “the Bulls announced last week that Marc Eversley was named general manager, bringing the number of front office hires to three for Karnisovas. Expect that number to grow, as the plan all along has been to build out each department in the front office, as well as adding depth to each one.”

Connelly was most recently the Director of Pro Personnel with the Denver Nuggets, a position he held for one season in 2019-20. Prior to his time in Denver, Connelly spent five seasons with the Phoenix Suns as Assistant General Manager from 2013-18 and seven seasons with the Washington Wizards from 2006-13. He joined the Wizards as a part-time advance scout and worked his way to Director of Player Personnel, becoming one of the team’s top scouts for college and international play. Prior to his time in the NBA, Connelly was a graduate assistant for the men’s basketball team at Baylor University from 2004-06, where he also earned a master’s degree in speech communication. He earned his undergraduate degree in business from Mount St. Mary’s University in 2002. Connelly spent one season as an assistant coach on Nick Nurse’s staff for the Brighton Bears of the British Basketball League in the 2003-04 season, helping guide the team to the league title.

Polk joins the Bulls after spending 10 seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans, most recently as Executive Director of Basketball Administration. He was initially hired to the Pelicans as the Director of Player Contracts and Basketball Administration, working two seasons in that role from 2010-12. Before joining the NBA, Polk practiced law at Bryan Cave LLP for six years as an associate in the Real Estate and Banking Practice Group. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law. As an undergraduate at Rice University, Polk earned a political science and managerial studies degree. He played professional basketball in Sweden, Latvia and China from 1997-2000.

Catch up with the Utah Jazz through VP Dennis Lindsey

Here’s the Salt Lake Tribune with an update from Utah Jazz VP Dennis Lindsey:

Lindsey also cited the synergy between the player development/health performance side and the bench coaches. Individual players have been evaluated, as have collective units. He noted that, with no playoffs ongoing and no Chicago combine to attend, he personally has been doing a deep dive into video and statistical work — that is, when he’s not on one of the myriad general managers’ calls or board of governors’ calls that are increasingly taking place…

As for whether it’s even a worthwhile endeavor at this point to try to salvage anything of the 2019-20 campaign, Utah’s key decision-maker is of the opinion that it is.

“As far as my opinion, whether the league should try to come back, it’s overlaid simply by, ‘Can we come back safely?’ If the health permits, then let’s try to come back,” Lindsey said. “I’m all for naming a champion, even if it’s a truncated champion. Those teams that are in the midst of playoff chases and championship chases, we want to compete and name a champion.”

The NBA’s decision on how to handle the remainder of the 2019-20 season and of course the playoffs, comes down to input from doctors, science and health professionals as much as it does anyone else.

Nuggets practice facility to be made available for players

Progress is being made on the NBA player workout front. On an individual level, that is. Not on a team level just yet. Here’s the Denver Post reporting:

Beginning Friday, the Nuggets’ practice facility will be available to players for voluntary individual workouts, a league source confirmed, but it’s unclear how many players will take advantage. A significant portion of the players aren’t currently in Denver.

If they do choose to take advantage – the first tentative step toward a potential return-to-play – there will be rigorous rules in place at the Pepsi Center practice court. No more than four players will be permitted at the facility at any time, and for any individual workout, only one team staff member can work with the player.

The fate of the currently-suspended NBA season will probably be known in the coming weeks. There’s no deadline for the NBA to make a decision, but conventional wisdom suggests more will be known sometime in May.

Pelicans season ticket-holders offered refund for remaining home games

We’re all waiting to see what will happen with the remainder of the NBA season, and the playoffs. Here’s the New Orleans Times Picayune with a Pelicans-related update:

Pelicans season-ticket holders now have the option of receiving a refund for the nine home games postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

On Monday, the team told season-ticket holders they could get their money back or receive credit toward next season for games New Orleans was supposed to host between March 16 and April 13.

“While we await a decision from the league office, we wanted to begin proactively communicating with you now in an effort to present you with options for a refund or credit toward future ticket purchases,” the email to season-ticket holders read.

The Pelicans are one of the NBA’s hot young teams to watch, due to a talented core that should only get better.

But for now, we wait.

Some insight on the state of the Timberwolves

Truly changing a franchise starts at the top. The front office dictates the direction. Then comes roster changes. Then comes player development, team chemistry, etc. Here’s the Minnesota Star Tribune reporting on the Timberwolves:

When Gersson Rosas became president of the Timberwolves, he promised to remake the roster by making it younger and finding talent that could play an up-tempo style of basketball. He added that one of the primary ways he would accomplish that was through trades.

Rosas wasn’t hiding much in those statements, because as Rosas marks his one-year anniversary on the job, the Wolves roster looks nothing like the one he inherited — and even nothing like the one he assembled after his first free-agent cycle. Just Josh Okogie and Karl-Anthony Towns remain from the roster Rosas inherited. Several came in the days preceding the trade deadline: Malik Beasley, Juancho Hernangomez, James Johnson and the apple of Rosas’ eye from the moment he took the job, D’Angelo Russell.

“Building an organization, building a foundation, the DNA and the values of who we’re going to be, I feel like we’ve done that in a very tangible way after Year 1,” Rosas said in a phone interview. “Rosterwise, our front office staff deserves a ton of credit because as we sit here, we’ve changed over 13 out of 15 roster spots. … That typically takes organizations two to three years. That we were able to do it by the trade deadline was quite an achievement for our staff.”

Right now, the Timberwolves core is Karl-Anthony Towns up front and D’Angelo Russell in the backcourt. Roster-wise, there’s much work to be done, and it won’t happen overnight.

Some Suns players may soon begin working out at team facility

Actual pro basketball games aren’t returning just yet. Neither is any total team activity. But as for some individiual players making use of team facilities, that could happen soon. In limited fashion. Here’s the Arizona Republic:

The Phoenix Suns are looking to take advantage of the NBA allowing teams to use their practice facilities and arenas to train as the 2019-20 season remains on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Team officials said they’re prepared to have controlled, voluntary workouts May 16 at the earliest at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum as Gov. Doug Ducey announced last week the stay-at-home order would, with some modifications, be in place until May 15.

Talking Stick Resort Arena is under renovations as part of a $230-million project and the new state-of-the-art indoor practice facility on 44th and just north of Camelback Road has been under construction…

The NBA informed teams last week that as numerous state and local governments make “modifications of stay-at-home orders and other restrictions on non-essential business activity beginning”, the league plans to “modify its guidance regarding the use of team practice facilities and player training.”

This mainly means that the individual players will be better able to train. We’re still nowhere near games resuming. But it’s a positive step.

Nets swingman Joe Harris is now recovered from sprained ankle

Here’s Virginia.edu reporting on Nets swingman Joe Harris, who says he suffered a serious sprained ankle just before NBA play was put on hold back in mid March due to the coronavirus pandemic:

Brooklyn’s final game last month was a road win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Harris, a 6-foot-6 swingman, scored 12 points in the Nets’ 104-102 victory, but severely sprained his left ankle at Staples Center that night.

“So I was going to be out a month, no matter what, and then [the NBA shutdown] went down literally the next day,” Harris said. “I wasn’t even with the team. I flew back to New York with one of our trainers, and we were supposed to play at Golden State [on March 12]. The rest of the team was in San Francisco, and they just had to pack up their stuff and leave from there.”

His ankle has healed, Harris said, but he still reports to the Nets’ practice facility to work on his mobility and stability.

“The only loophole that I have right now is that the NBA allowed guys that were in the midst of rehab go into the facility and work with the trainer, so I’ve been able to do that for the last few weeks,” Harris said. “But when I go in, I have to wear a mask and gloves the entire time, and only you and the trainer are allowed in there.”

The Nets were 30-34 this season, which may or may not resume. They’re 7th in the East. Sometime this month, more information on how 2019-20 may resolve should be known.

Some insight on NBA draft prospect Cole Anthony

Here’s the New York Post reporting on 2020 NBA draft prospect Cole Anthony, with insight from trainer Chris Brickley:

While the knee injury is considered a negative to some, Brickley termed it “a pivotal moment.” Anthony returned on Feb. 1 after a six-week absence.

“Ninety percent of projected lottery picks, with the team not doing well, they’re not going to come back,” Brickley said. “That spoke volumes. He came back the first few games, took charges and sacrificed his body. It was a testament to his toughness and how much he cares.”

Brickley started training Anthony when he was 16 and playing for Archbishop Molloy in Queens. Anthony transferred to basketball factory Oak Hill Academy, where in 2018-19 he averaged a triple double (18.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 10.2 assists).

Though he logged UNC numbers of 18.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and four assists per game, he shot an inefficient 38 percent. Criticism also surfaced about him not being a good enough playmaker who makes teammates better.

The big draft news lately is that both the draft lottery and combine, which were to take place later this month, have been postponed. It remains to be seen if the actual draft will take place in late June as per usual.