In case you missed any of this past week’s top stories from around the league, we have you covered with our Week in Review. Below are the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days.
The Grizzlies filled their head coaching job by signing interim J.B. Bickerstaff to a three-year contract. Bickerstaff took over after David Fizdale was fired early in the season and posted a 15-48 record in 63 games. This is the second head coaching opportunity for the long-time assistant, who spent most of the 2015/16 season as the interim in Houston.
The Hawks and head coach Mike Budenholzer reached a mutual decision to end their relationship. Budenholzer had interviewed for coaching jobs with the Suns and Knicks, and wasn’t interested in staying in a rebuilding situation in Atlanta. He received the full $13MM+ salary for the two seasons left on his contract.
The Pelicans elected to pick up the option on coach Alvin Gentry for next season. Gentry’s job was considered in jeopardy coming into this season, but he solidified his standing with management by leading the team to the sixth seed and a first-round sweep of the Trail Blazers.
Wizards forward Otto Porter missed the final game of the series with Toronto after having a procedure done on his left leg. Porter was listed as out indefinitely after the “lower leg fasciotomy for compartment syndrome,” which was performed to ease the build-up of blood flow around a contusion.
Veteran center Andrew Bogut signed a two-year deal to play for the Sydney Kings in his home country of Australia. The 33-year-old had a brief NBA comeback after fracturing his tibia late last season, but played just 23 games for the Lakers before being waived in January.
Here are eight more headlines from last week:
- Mavericks guard Wesley Matthews plans to exercise his option for next season. He played 63 games this year before suffering a fractured fibula in March.
- Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic had a “minimally invasive” procedure done on his left knee to repair a slight tear of his medial meniscus. He is expected to make a full recovery well before training camp.
- Nuggets center Mason Plumlee had surgery to fix a core muscle injury that bothered him for much of this season. The team expects him to be cleared for full basketball-related activities this summer.
- Jay Wright’s agent informed NBA teams that he has no plans to leave Villanova. Two clubs reportedly reached out to Wright, and there is speculation that the Knicks were one of them.
- The Nets added two former players to their staff. Pablo Prigioni was hired as an assistant coach and Tiago Splitter was named as a pro scout with additional duties related to on-court player development.
- Mike James, who held two-way contracts with the Suns and Pelicans, signed a three-year contract to play in Italy. He played a combined 36 games in his rookie NBA season.
- The Commission on College Basketball recommended an end to the NBA’s one-and-done rule regarding draft eligibility. The commission, headed by former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, was created after a federal investigation into corruption in the college game.
- Kentucky coach John Calipari, also an advocate of eliminating the one-and-done system, met with the NBA Players Union to discuss his ideas.