Michael Jordan could have played for the Oakland A’s, says former GM

Here’s NBC Sports Chicago reporting on some interesting insight into a turn Michael Jordan’s brief pro baseball career could have taken:

Michael Jordan’s departure from his life as the greatest basketball player in the world to play minor league baseball with the White Sox is the stuff of Chicago legend.

But it might have gone quite differently. And with a different organization altogether.

Former Oakland Athletics general manager Sandy Alderson told ESPN’s Buster Olney on a recent edition of the Baseball Tonight podcast that he offered Jordan a spot on his major league roster in 1994.

“You recall when Jordan stopped playing basketball and decided to try baseball, and ultimately went down to the Birmingham Barons — the Chicago White Sox affiliate,” Alderson said. “When I heard that was happening, or about to happen, I called his agent right away and said, ‘Hey look, I understand he may be going to Double-A. I don’t even know who the 25th man is on our major league team right now, I will sign him and put him on the major league roster. He’ll be part of our 25-man team. Tomorrow.'”

Just speculating here, but unless Jordan had somehow magically been better at the major league level than he was in the minors, he’d still probably have wound up back in the NBA around the same time as he did. But this could have potentially been an even more fascinating detour.

Like the rest of us, Danny Ainge is waiting to see what happens

Here’s the Boston Herald with an update on what Celtics front office guru Danny Ainge is thinking these days as we all wait to see what happens with the NBA season and playoffs in the wake of the global coronavirus pandemic:

“This is a time for the really self-motivated that are going to be able to take advantage of this opportunity in their career to get stronger, to get in greater condition,” [Ainge] said. “We’re approaching this like we’re going to return to play and that we’re going to be playing playoff basketball. And we are staying in touch. We are having conference calls where we have guest speakers, motivational speakers, that address all of our guys on Zoom. We are doing workouts with the coaches and with the strength coaches via Zoom and so forth.

“So we’re trying to do all we can. Some players are better than others at doing things on their own and doing extra work, and some players are more compliant than others, some are harder to reach than others, but for the most part, I’ve been impressed with how our players have bought in and the work that’s going on behind the scenes.”

The NBA regular season was suspended six weeks ago today. And the 2020 playoffs were due to start this past Saturday. But for now, everything remains on hold.

New Notre Dame coach is Niele Ivey, who had been with Memphis Grizzlies

Here’s the Memphis Commercial Appeal with some news on the coaching front:

Notre Dame named Niele Ivey its new women’s basketball coach Wednesday.

Ivey spent the 2019-20 season as an assistant coach on Taylor Jenkins’ Memphis Grizzlies staff, becoming the ninth active female coach in the NBA.

Ivey becomes the fourth women’s basketball coach in Notre Dame history, succeeding Muffet McGraw, who announced Wednesday she was stepping down after 33 seasons.

And per UND.com:

There’s no place like home under the Golden Dome. James E. Rohr Notre Dame Director of Athletics Jack Swarbrick announced Niele Ivey (‘01) as the fourth head coach in women’s basketball history on Wednesday.

Ivey was the common link to all nine of the program’s Final Four appearances, two as a player and seven as an assistant coach, logging a combined 17 years on Notre Dame’s campus. Ivey spent the past season honing her craft as an assistant coach with the Memphis Grizzlies, before returning to follow in Muffet McGraw’s footsteps.

On Andrew Wiggins and the Warriors

Here’s NBC Sports Bay Area reporting on Andrew Wiggins:

Wiggins came to the Warriors in the February trade that sent D’Angelo Russell to the Minnesota Timberwolves, in large part for his better-perceived fit alongside Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. A talented but inconsistent wing, Wiggins had worn out his welcome in Minnesota following four years of failed expectations and sub-par defense.

But he was successful in his short time in the Bay Area, averaging 20.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists over his last five games. In a 112-106 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Feb. 12, he finished with 27 points, four rebounds and five assists and four blocks. Three weeks later, in his first game playing with Curry, he notched 20 points, 10 rebounds and two assists against the Raptors.

In 12 games played for the Warriors, Wiggins averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.4 blocks per game, shooting 45.7% from the field.

The Warriors this season were short-handed. The real test — the chemistry test — comes in the future when the squad is healthy and at full strength.

Knicks will reportedly hire Brock Aller for front office

The Knicks will reportedly soon add to their front office. Here’s New York Newsday:

Leon Rose has been silent since taking over last month as Knicks team president, but he is expected to make his first front office move shortly.

A league source confirmed an SNY.TV report that Brock Aller, who has served as Dan Gilbert’s righthand man in Cleveland with the official title of Senior Director of Basketball Operations, is expected to join the Knicks front office within the next week.

Aller officially joined the Cavs in 2013 after working with Gilbert, the Cavs’ chairman and principal owner, for 10 years. He spent four seasons as the team’s Senior Director, Strategic Planning before being promoted to his current position in July 2017.

The Knicks were an Eastern conference 12th-best 21-45 this NBA season, which has been suspended since mid March due to the global coronavirus pandemic.

Rick Carlisle amused by quick cameo in Michael Jordan documentary

Here’s ESPN.com with a fun item about Mavs coach Rick Carlisle:

Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle responded to his brief, not-so-glamorous appearance in the opening episode of ESPN’s “The Last Dance” with a wry bit of self-deprecating humor.

“There must have been an exhaustive search to find footage of me actually PLAYING in an NBA playoff game,” Carlisle wrote in a text reply to an inquiry about his thoughts on the clip that showed him as a Boston Celtics reserve guard being torched by Michael Jordan for a dunk after a baseline spin.

The first two episodes of The Last Dance were mostly introductory, setting the stage for the real meat of the series. There are eight more episodes, airing over the next four Sunday nights.

TV ratings: The 2020 WNBA Draft averaged 387,000 viewers on ESPN

The 2020 WNBA Draft averaged 387,000 viewers on ESPN, up 123 percent over the 2019 Draft, and up 33 percent from the last time it aired on the network in 2011. This makes it the most-watched WNBA Draft in 16 years, and the second most-watched in ESPN’s history.

Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, this year’s WNBA Draft was held virtually, using Internet video technology, with almost everyone shown on the screen at home.

Unanimous National Player of the Year Sabrina Ionescu of Oregon was selected by the New York Liberty with the first overall pick of the 2020 WNBA Draft. Ionescu, a three-time Nancy Lieberman Award winner as the nation’s top point guard, averaged 17.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and an NCAA-leading 9.1 assists as a senior. She holds the NCAA record for career triple-doubles and is the only NCAA woman or man to reach 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists.

Before the start of the draft, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert named Alyssa Altobelli, Gianna Bryant and Payton Chester as honorary draft picks. The Mamba Sports Academy teammates, who played on a youth basketball team coached by Kobe Bryant, tragically passed away in a helicopter accident in January.

Also, the WNBA introduced the Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award, a new annual honor that will recognize an individual or group who has made significant contributions to the visibility, perception and advancement of women’s and girls’ basketball at all levels. The award will carry on Kobe’ legacy of advocacy and Gigi’s passion for the sport.

Will Kevin Knox be a part of Knicks future?

Here’s the New York Post reporting on young Knicks swingman Kevin Knox, who has a lot of work to do to solidify his place in the league:

I’m told one of team president Leon Rose’s biggest regrets from the suspension of the season’s final 16 games because of the coronavirus was not getting a closer look at his enigmatic second-year forward. According to a source, Rose still doesn’t know what to make of Knox and doesn’t know if the 20-year-old is part of their future. That is despite Kentucky coach John Calipari’s warning not to trade Knox (Calipari and Rose are close.)

Right now, most players on the Knicks roster could very well be wearing different uniforms by the time next season rolls around.

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.