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.”

Some Miami Heat player notes from the season

Had the global coronavirus pandemic not put a stop to things, today was to be the final day of the 2019-20 NBA regular season.

The Miami Heat were having an excellent season, and while Jimmy Butler is their most well-known player, plenty of other guys share the credit, including do-it-all first-time All-Star forward Bam Adebayo, and talented young guards Duncan Robinson, Kendrick Nunn and Tyler Herro. Here’s the Miami Herald with some notes:

Adebayo: If this is the end of the regular season, Adebayo will join Oscar Robertson as the only players to average at least 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists before turning 23.

Robinson: No player other than Steph Curry has ever hit as many three-pointers in a season at such a high rate of accuracy. Let that marinate for a minute.

Nunn: With 972 points, Nunn scored more in his first 62 games than any other undrafted player during the common draft era (post-1966) except Connie Hawkins (1,494).

Herro: Among players with at least eight clutch three-pointers this season, only Joe Harris shot better than Herro on threes in clutch time, among all NBA guards this season.

With games on hold, if the regular season was declared over but the playoffs to begin, the Eastern conference No. 4 Heat would be playing the No. 5 Pacers in the first round.

Devin Booker has selected the organizations who will receive his NBA 2K tournament win money

Here’s the Arizona Republic reporting which organizations Devin Booker has chosen to support thanks to his recent video game touranment win:

Phoenix Suns all-star Devin Booker will split the $100,000 grand prize for winning last week’s NBA 2K Players Tournament between #FirstRespondersFirst and Arizona Food Bank Network, the Suns announced Wednesday.

Booker defeated teammate Deandre Ayton in the finals Saturday to win $100,000 to give to his charity of choice in support of coronavirus relief efforts.

#FirstRespondersFirst provides “essential supplies, equipment and resources for the protection of frontline healthcare workers” while Arizona Food Bank Network is “a non-profit organization serving five regional food bank members across the state of Arizona and a network of nearly 1,200 food pantries and agencies.”

Veteran forward Trevor Booker announces retirement from NBA

Forward Trevor Booker has announced his retirement from the NBA, calling it a career by tweeting out the news in video format Tuesday evening.

He played in the league between 2010-18, and wasn’t on a squad last season or the currently-suspended one.

Overall, Booker averaged 6.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, spending the most time on the Wizards, and also playing for the Jazz, Nets, Sixers and Pacers.

Booker has famously been involved in business, for years. Fans can expect to keep hearing his name on that front.

ESPN reportedly asking on-air personalities to take pay cut, for coronavirus pandemic reasons

With pro sports on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, fallback continues, especially in the direction of those whose job is to write or talk about sports. Here’s the New York Post reporting:

ESPN is asking its top 100 on-air personalities to take a 15-percent pay cut for the next three months — Stephen A. Smith, Scott Van Pelt and Dick Vitale are among those who have agreed, The Post has learned.

ESPN executives are selling the idea to its highest paid employees, like Smith, Van Pelt and Mike Greenberg, that taking the temporary pay cut will help others keep their paychecks during the coronavirus pandemic.

“We are asking about 100 of our commentators to join with our executives and take a temporary salary reduction,” ESPN said in a statement. “These are challenging times, and we are all in this together.”

And here’s Deadline.com reporting:

Pay cuts and furloughs have been moving across Disney divisions. On March 30, Disney told its staff that executive chairman Bob Iger will forgo his entire salary, that new CEO Bob Chapek will take a 50% pay cut, and that other executives would see reductions on a sliding scale as of April 5. VPs, SVPs, and EVPs and above were in for cuts of, respectively, 20%, 25% and 30%.

Then on April 2 the giant conglom announced it would furlough all employees whose jobs “weren’t immediately necessary” as of April 19, although it would continue to provide health benefits and pay premiums.

This isn’t surprising at all. Many companies are being forced to take similar actions, or to cut some jobs altogether.

Karl-Anthony Towns’ mother Jacqueline passes away due to complications from COVID-19

The Minnesota Timberwolves today issued the following statement regarding the passing of Karl-Anthony Towns’ mother Jacqueline Towns:

“The Timberwolves organization is incredibly saddened to hear of the passing of Jacqueline Towns due to complications from COVID-19. In the four-plus years we were fortunate to know Jackie, she became part of our family. Her passion for life and for her family was palpable. As Karl’s number one fan, Jackie provided constant and positive energy for him and was beloved by our entire organization and staff at Target Center as she supported her son and the Timberwolves. The League, teams, and players have come together in their support of Jackie and Karl and we are grateful for our NBA family. We would like to thank all the doctors, nurses and medical personnel who cared for Jackie during her illness and all of Karl’s fans who sent their support this past month. Our deepest condolences go out to Karl and his family during this difficult time.”

From the St. Paul Pioneer Press:

Karl-Anthony Towns first revealed his mom’s battle with the virus in late March via an Instagram video in an effort to spread awareness about the potential severity of the virus and the need for everyone to take proper safety measure to minimize its impact.

In the days after Jackie and Karl Towns Sr., Towns’ father, first had symptoms of the virus, Towns watched as his mother’s condition continued to get worse. Her cough worsened and her fever was constant.

“She was deteriorating in front of our eyes,” he said.

In that video, Towns shared that his mother was on a ventilator and in a medically-induced coma.