An NBA rule that threw a wrench into the Rockets‘ plan on a holiday weekend last season has been altered, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.
Previously, the league required teams interested in completing a trade on a weekend or holiday to inform the NBA of its plans on the preceding business day. That practice will still be encouraged, but it will no longer be required, according to Feigen, who says the league will now look to approve and process trades on weekends or holidays even without prior notice.
On Martin Luther King Day last January, the Rockets needed to open up a roster spot to sign Kenneth Faried and had agreed to a trade sending Carmelo Anthony to Chicago. However, the NBA didn’t approve the trade on the holiday, and Houston instead waived James Nunnally to create room for Faried. If a similar situation arises in 2019/20, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- The Rio Grande Valley Vipers have named a new general manager and head coach for the coming season, the club announced in a press release. Travis Stockbridge, who is just 25 years old, will be the GM of the Rockets‘ G League affiliate, while Mahmoud Abdelfattah will coach the team.
- Despite the program’s disappointing World Cup turnout, there has been no shortage of NBA stars this fall expressing interest in playing for Team USA at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. “The reality is the World Cup, although it’s very big around the world, it doesn’t have the same status in the States,” USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo told Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “Our focus is apparently on the Olympics, and I expected a different response.”
- Veteran NBA free agents Norris Cole and Brandon Rush are joining Maccabi Haifa for the Israeli team’s upcoming exhibition contests against the Grizzlies, Trail Blazers, and Timberwolves, reports Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link). Those games will take place on October 6, 10, and 13, respectively.
- Former first-round pick Archie Goodwin has signed a contract with Turkish team ITU Basket, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando relays. The 29th overall pick in the 2013 draft, Goodwin appeared in 165 regular season games with three NBA teams, but hasn’t played in the league since 2017.
Players should head over the the NBL is Australia and NZ instead of Europe, China and the Middle East.
Atleast fitting into the team, the city, the country and stuff is easier being an English speaking country. The NBL doesn’t pay as much as the other league buts the season runs a lot better next to the NBA. You can play a full season of NBL and still move over to the NBA for the playoffs if someone wants to sign you. Just look at Bogut he played in the NBL and led the league in rebounds then joined GSW and help contribute to a playoff run at the end of the year.
Players like Shumpert, Melo, Noah, Devin Harris, Jonothan Simmons and others who could be useful come playoffs could use the NBL to stay fresh during the year and wait to be picked up by NBA teams.
Why couldn’t Houston just wait a day in that situation?
They wanted Faried for their game on MLK Day (he ended up playing 23 minutes).
But also, Nunnally was only a 10-day deal at the time, so it just meant waiving him about 5 days into that contract. If he’d been on a full-season deal, they probably would’ve been more inclined to just wait the extra day.
Also Clint Capela was hurt a week earlier and was already out for the 3 previous games before they signed Faried.
Fun stat:
James Nunnally had a +/- of -62 in the 140-71 loss to Houston yesterday.