2024 Olympics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: J. Howard, Canada, Player Participation

September 16th, 2023 at 4:27pm CST by Rory Maher

Former NBA big man and current Michigan head coach Juwan Howard underwent successful heart surgery on Friday, writes Tom Wywrot of the team’s website.

After a routine medical exam, it was discovered that Howard had an aortic aneurysm, which was successfully resected. His aortic valve was also repaired. The surgeon who performed the operation said Howard is expected to make a full recovery in six-to-12 weeks and could return to coaching in four-to-six weeks.

Associate head coach Phil Martelli will be the interim head coach while Howard recovers, according to Wywrot.

Howard, 50, played 19 years in the NBA, making his lone All-Star appearance in 1995/96. He won a pair of championships in a minor role with the Heat at the end of his playing career.

Howard’s son, Jett Howard, played under his father at Michigan and was selected 11th overall in June’s draft by Orlando.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca recently sat down for a lengthy interview with Canadian national team executive VP and GM Rowan Barrett following Canada’s historic bronze medal at the World Cup. When asked if the team would change its roster ahead of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Barrett said it would be “irresponsible” to speculate at this point, because there are external factors at play, including the long NBA season. However, he did discuss what the national team would be looking for in broader terms. “Our focus is not to create an All-Star team,” Barrett said, per Grange. “We need to create the best team. And I think the proof of that was this summer. Our team was not an All-NBA, All-Star team. We had guys mixed in from the summer core and the winter core. There were some guys that just set screens; some guys, they were there just to pass the ball. Some guys weren’t going to play a lot, but they were there to scream out assignments and coverages to help guys execute the game plan. Some guys, the majority of their energy was in practice to make sure the practice level was high. And you can have subtraction by addition, too. So, we’ve got to be very careful, and very thoughtful and very strategic about how we’re going to build this team.”
Will the NBA strictly implement its new player participation policy? Or will the league take a lax stance under certain circumstances? Brian Windhorst of ESPN explored that topic on NBA Today (YouTube link), noting that the rules will drastically impact some teams but others won’t have to worry about it at all, since those clubs haven’t had any All-Stars or All-NBA players for the past three seasons.
In case you missed it, we published another And-Ones post yesterday and also passed along some international notes.

And-Ones: Team USA, Prospects, Load Management, Porter

September 15th, 2023 at 8:32pm CST by Rory Maher

It was reported earlier this week that LeBron James was recruiting stars for the 2024 Olympics, with several players planning on joining the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in Paris.

Kevin Pelton of ESPN (Insider link) recently crafted a 12-man roster for Team USA next summer by following three criteria: An ideal team, not necessarily the best individuals; prior success with USA Basketball; and young players who can continue with the national team in the future.

Pelton’s starting five features Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, James, Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid, with Tyrese Haliburton, Anthony Edwards, Mikal Bridges, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Davis, Bam Adebayo and Evan Mobley coming off the bench. Donovan Mitchell was “perhaps the single toughest cut” from Pelton’s ideal roster.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

John Hollinger of The Athletic attended the G League Fall Invitational between G League Ignite and the Perth Wildcats to scout prospects for the 2024 NBA draft and beyond. While next year’s class isn’t considered particularly strong, Hollinger writes that several players stood out at the event, including Ron Holland, Alexandre Sarr and Izan Almansa. Ignite forward Tyler Smith was another standout who may have moved up draft boards, according to Hollinger, who notes that Perth guard Ben Henshall will be closely monitored going forward as well, perhaps for 2025 or 2026.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has a difficult balancing act when it comes to star players resting, with fans, revenue, and player health among the key factors to consider. But the new player participation policy is a step in the right direction, contends Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. Having more stars on the court should make for a more compelling regular season, and Silver said at his press conference he had been weighing the advice of retired players, Goodwill notes. “You know, a lot of older players — by that I mean now, at this point, retired players — when I first came in the league, used to believe that they were more likely to get injured if they took nights off, that they would get out of rhythm,” he said. “In some cases, maybe (they) played fewer minutes, but they played. That’s something we want to look at as well.”
Kevin Porter Jr. was arrested this week on felony charges of assault and strangulation, but he’s far from the first NBA player to be accused of domestic violence. If the horrific allegations are proven true, Porter’s career in the league could be over, considering his history of off-court incidents. Chris Herring of Sports Illustrated believes the NBA should have a zero-tolerance policy for violence against women, though he concedes it would be a challenging rule to implement and would likely take several years. According to Herring, since salaries are rising across the board, players should be held to “extremely high behavioral standards.”

World Cup/Team USA Notes: Paul, Embiid, SGA, Canada, Bertans

September 11th, 2023 at 8:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Add Chris Paul to the list of stars who might join Team USA for the 2024 Olympics. The Warriors point guard is considering another Olympic appearance, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. Paul won gold medals during the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.

Joel Embiid would be an even bigger catch for Team USA, which lost three times in the World Cup in large part due to its lack of interior size. However, the Sixers’ big man, who holds both United States and French citizenship, remains noncommittal.

As reported earlier in the day, LeBron James is trying to round up a number of All-Stars for the Olympics.

We have more World Cup-related info:

Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who led Canada to a bronze medal, believes the World Cup experience will have a positive impact on the upcoming NBA season, according to George Efkarpides of Eurohoops.net. “I think this whole tournament will help me be ready for the next season,” he said. “I’ll be in shape, I’ve played basketball, so it won’t be as much of an adjustment next season.”
Team Canada’s coach, Jordi Fernandez, hopes the roster assembled for the World Cup returns for the Olympics, Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.net writes. We have a great program and we will decide about the Olympic roster when this time comes. But they made this happen, those guys have the number one ticket. We will hold on to those guys,” Fernandez said.
Latvia had a strong run in the World Cup and Thunder forward Davis Bertans hopes it becomes a turning point for his country’s basketball program, he told Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops.net. “Hopefully, that inspires the kids back home,” he said. “There are a lot bunch of videos back home where instead of studying the kids were watching our games. Probably a better lesson than the one they could learn in school. It’s an unbelievable feeling.”

LeBron James Recruiting NBA Stars For 2024 Olympics

September 11th, 2023 at 8:52am CST by Arthur Hill

LeBron James wants to play in the 2024 Olympics and has started recruiting other veteran stars to join him, multiple sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.

James reached out to Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum and Draymond Green, who are all planning to be part of the team next summer in Paris, Charania adds. Devin Booker, Damian Lillard, De’Aaron Fox and Kyrie Irving are also interested in participating, according to Charania’s sources.

Team USA is coming off a fourth-place finish at the World Cup, but Charania reports that James’ team-building efforts started well before that tournament and aren’t related to the disappointing result. Charania points out that although the U.S. has failed to medal in the last two World Cups, it has won four straight Olympic golds and James wants to see that streak continue.

James was part of gold medal teams in 2008 and 2012, but he hasn’t played in the Olympics since then. He will be 39 in December, and sources tell Charania that he and Durant, who will turn 35 later this month, are viewing the 2024 Games as their “last dance” with USA Basketball.

They have both talked to Curry, who will be 36 next summer, about forming the core of the U.S. team, Charania adds. Curry has never played in the Olympics, but he has two World Cup gold medals.

Charania states that USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill refused to comment on the reported interest from James and other stars, but he is aware of it.

World Cup Notes: Brooks, Field Size, Olympic Qualifier, Bogdanovic

September 10th, 2023 at 6:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Dillon Brooks‘ NBA season didn’t end well, as LeBron James and the Lakers dismissed the Grizzlies in the playoffs. The offseason has gone a lot better. Brooks signed a lucrative contract with the Rockets, then he played well enough to earn Best Defensive Player honors at the FIBA World Cup, Sportando tweets.

Brooks, who played for bronze medalist Canada, enjoys his reputation as a villian, according to Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.net.

“It’s just a persona. People love him, I have grown to love him myself. It’s like Kobe created Black Mamba. That’s my persona but only on the court. I love my kids, my family, my teammates,” Brooks said.

We have more tidbits from the World Cup:

FIBA is pleased with how an expanded field has led to more parity and unpredictability, according to The Associated Press. FIBA expanded the World Cup field to 32 teams in 2019, while 80 teams took part in the qualification process leading up to 2023’s event. “Parity is good,” FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis said. “It’s good because it means competitiveness. It is excellent if it comes together with a higher level of play all the time. What we have achieved is we have reached a greater depth in the roster of countries. Nine of the 32 that came to this World Cup did not play in the previous World Cup.”
FIBA plans to announce the hosts of the four FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments at the end of November, Eurohoops.net relays. Those tournaments, which will determine the last four qualifiers for the Paris Olympics, will be held in early July.
Hawks swingman and Serbia’s Bogdan Bogdanovic helped lead his national team to a silver medal for the second time, having accomplished the feat in 2014 as well. He’s hoping to get at least one gold medal before his international career is through, according to George Efkarpides of Eurohoops.net. “I was second once. I’ll be happy to get the gold as well. To finish the tournament with a win,” he said. “Unfortunately, sometimes luck is not on your side. We missed some shots, we missed some opportunities. That’s the game of basketball. That’s how it works.”

Team USA Notes: Haliburton, Bridges, Next Steps

September 10th, 2023 at 3:14pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Despite Team USA’s failure to earn even a bronze medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton would like to keep playing for the program, writes George Efkarpides of Eurohoops. The Paris Olympics next summer would mark the next big opportunity to do so.

“If they want me back, it’s a no-brainer for me,” Haliburton said of a return to Team USA. “You want to end on a high note; we didn’t do that, so it’s obviously disappointing. But it was a fun experience. Every time you can play for the USA, it’s a privilege and an honor.”

Haliburton, a reserve for the U.S. behind Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, proved to be a key contributor for the club. His passing and scoring were critical contributions for the Americans this summer, though they fell far short of their ambitions.

There’s more from the Team USA fallout:

Haliburton may have some company from another Team USA comrade in the future. Nets small forward Mikal Bridges indicated after the club’s 127-118 overtime loss to Team Canada that he would be open to an encore appearance for his country in international play, writes Aris Barkas of Eurohoops. “I think I will never say no, it’s an honor every time,” Bridges said. “No matter the result, I wouldn’t trade those six weeks. The biggest thing is the relationship we built. That’s what I take away from this.”
Although Team USA has won the gold medal in its last four consecutive Olympic appearances, it has failed to enjoy that same success during the FIBA World Cup, which it hasn’t won in nine years. Noting that the club’s roster will have more decorated players at the Olympics in Paris next summer, Joe Vardon of The Athletic pinpoints problems with defense and rebounding as the biggest reasons behind the club’s failure this summer.

Community Shootaround: 2024 U.S. Olympic Roster

September 9th, 2023 at 11:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Two losses this week in World Cup competition offered another reminder that USA Basketball isn’t as far ahead of the rest of the world as it used to be.

The Americans couldn’t overcome a huge early deficit on Sunday against Lithuania as bigger and stronger opponents continue to cause problems for the U.S. team. After blowing out Italy on Tuesday in the start of the elimination round, the same issues emerged on Friday against Germany, which held on for a two-point victory that sent Team USA into the bronze-medal game.

It might be easy to dismiss the losses as a result of not having its best players participating, but that’s true for a lot of nations with the Olympics looming in 2024. Only two All-NBA players took part in the World Cup — Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — and neither represented the U.S.

The stakes will be much higher in Paris next summer, as Olympic gold medals are considered the greatest prize in international basketball. Few of the 12 players who made up the World Cup team may get Olympic invitations, as the USA will have its traditional collection of All-Stars to pick from. But with opening ceremonies only about 10 months away, it’s not too early to think about who should be there.

With Steve Kerr serving as head coach, Warriors star Stephen Curry will be an obvious target. Curry hasn’t played in an international tournament since the FIBA World Championship in 2010, but the NBA’s best-ever three-point shooter would be a perfect weapon in the international game.

Kerr may also push for Klay Thompson, who’s also a deadly shooter but hasn’t been as effective since missing two full seasons with injuries. Draymond Green, who was part of the gold medal winners in the last Olympics, provides versatility and aggressive defense in the frontcourt, but he’ll turn 34 next year.

Age is an issue for several traditional USA Basketball standouts. LeBron James will turn 39 in December, and although he still plays at a high level, it may be tough for him to commit to an Olympic schedule if the Lakers make another long playoff run. The same goes for Kevin Durant, the leading scorer for the 2021 gold medalists, who will celebrate his 35th birthday this month.

Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, Damian Lillard and Bam Adebayo are the most obvious candidates to return from the last Olympic team, and Zach LaVine and Jrue Holiday should get consideration as well. That provides plenty of wing scoring, but leaves the U.S. at risk of being undersized.

Joel Embiid would solve the center problem if he commits to the U.S., but he also has French citizenship and France may be aggressive in its pursuit after failing to advance past pool play at the World Cup. Anthony Davis might be the best option if the U.S. can’t land Embiid.

Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton and Austin Reaves have all impressed in World Cup play and may be asked back for the Olympics. Jimmy Butler, Jaylen Brown, Donovan Mitchell, Julius Randle, Paul George and Ja Morant are current All-Stars who might receive consideration, along with anyone who has a breakout performance in the upcoming season.

We want to get your opinion. If you were putting together USA Basketball’s Olympic roster for 2024, who would make up the core of your team? Please leave your answer in the space below.

24-Team Field Set For 2024 Olympic Qualifying Tournaments

September 6th, 2023 at 12:07pm CST by Luke Adams

As we outlined in a story earlier today, eight men’s basketball teams have secured their spots for the 2024 Olympics in Paris so far.

The host nation automatically qualifies. Additionally, seven berths were handed out at the World Cup to the top two FIBA Americas teams, the top two European teams, and the top team from each of Asia, Oceania, and Africa.

Those eight qualifiers are as follows:

Australia (Oceania)
Canada (Americas)
France (host)
Germany (Europe)
Japan (Asia)
Serbia (Europe)
South Sudan (Africa)
United States (Americas)

That leaves four spots up for grabs for the 12-team Olympic tournament in Paris.

Twenty-four teams will be vying for those openings in a series of four qualifying tournaments next summer. They’ll be split into groups of six clubs apiece and will have to come out on top of their six-team group in order to make the Olympics.

Five teams won Olympic pre-qualifying tournaments this summer to earn spots in next year’s qualifiers. The other 19 participants were determined based on the World Cup results — of the squads who didn’t already qualify for the Olympics, the top team from each of Africa, the Americas, and Asia and Oceania earned automatic entry to the qualifiers. Those three clubs will be joined by the other 16 best finishers in the World Cup.

Here’s the full 24-team list of nations that remain in the hunt for a spot in the Olympic men’s basketball tournament:

Angola
Bahamas
Bahrain
Brazil
Cameroon
Croatia
Dominican Republic
Egypt
Finland
Georgia
Greece
Italy
Ivory Coast
Latvia
Lebanon
Lithuania
Mexico
Montenegro
New Zealand
Philippines
Poland
Puerto Rico
Slovenia
Spain

Cape Verde, China, Venezuela, Iran, and Jordan are the only World Cup teams who have been fully eliminated from Olympic contention.

The full details on next summer’s Olympic qualifying tournaments – including the groups, dates, and locations – will be announced at a later date. They typically take place in late June or early July, after the NBA’s postseason ends, so healthy NBA players with interest in representing their respective countries will be available to do so.

World Cup Semifinals Set; Serbia, Germany Qualify For Olympics

September 6th, 2023 at 9:32am CST by Luke Adams

Germany completed a comeback win over Latvia on Wednesday to earn a place in the World Cup semifinals, while Canada defeated Slovenia to claim a spot in the final four as well.

The World Cup semifinal games, which will take place on Friday, are as follows:

United States vs. Germany
Canada vs. Serbia

Although Team USA will enter the semifinal as a heavy favorite, Germany is the only undefeated team left in the tournament, having come out victorious in all six of their games so far.

The Germans, who got Magic forward Franz Wagner back on Wednesday following an ankle injury, recovered from an early deficit and overcame an off day from guard Dennis Schröder, who made just four of his 26 shot attempts from the floor. The rest of the team shot 54.5% (24-of-44), with Wagner contributing a team-high 16 points to overcome Davis Bertans (20 points) and the Latvians by a score of 81-79.

The Canadians, meanwhile, pulled away from Luka Doncic and the Slovenians in a strong third quarter and won 100-89, earning their first-ever berth in a World Cup semifinal.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31 points on 8-of-12 shooting) and RJ Barrett (24 points on 9-of-22 shooting) scored more than half of Canada’s points, while Dillon Brooks (14 points on 5-of-7 shooting) chipped in and played tough defense on Doncic, who scored 26 points on 8-of-20 shooting. Both Doncic and Brooks were ejected during a chippy fourth quarter.

While Latvia and Slovenia will join Lithuania and Italy in the classification games to determine the fifth-through-eight seeds, Germany and Serbia have assured themselves of spots in the 2024 Olympics by finishing as the top two European teams in the World Cup, regardless of the semifinal outcomes.

The eight teams that have qualified for the Paris Olympics so far are the United States, Canada, Germany, Serbia, France, Australia, Japan, and South Sudan. The remaining four spots will be claimed next summer in a series of qualifying tournaments.

USA, Serbia Advance To World Cup Semifinals

September 5th, 2023 at 9:30am CST by Luke Adams

After their first loss of the summer against Lithuania on Sunday, Team USA bounced back in convincing fashion on Tuesday, blowing out Italy in a quarterfinal matchup that was never close. The U.S. won by a final score of 100-63, led by Nets forward Mikal Bridges (24 points, seven rebounds) and Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (18 points, five assists).

The victory lines up Team USA for a semifinal showdown on Friday against the winner of Wednesday’s quarterfinal between Germany and Latvia. The German team – which includes NBAers like Dennis Schröder, Daniel Theis, and Moritz Wagner – is undefeated in the World Cup and will be the favorite to win Wednesday’s game, though Latvia has exceeded expectations and is a legitimate threat to make it to the final four.

Meanwhile, the Lithuanian squad that defeated the U.S. on Sunday had a disappointing follow-up contest vs. Serbia on Tuesday, losing by a score of 87-68 in another one-sided quarterfinal.

Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic was Serbia’s best player, pouring in 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting, while Sixers big man Filip Petrusev had 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting in just 17 minutes of action. Heat forward Nikola Jovic also chipped in with eight points on 3-of-5 shooting.

Serbia will face the winner of Wednesday’s Canada/Slovenia game in Friday’s semifinal, while Lithuania and Italy move into the consolation games to determine the fifth-through-eighth place finishers.

Lithuania and Italy will now have to win qualifying tournaments next summer in order to earn one of the final four spots in the 2024 Olympics, while Serbia remains in the running to claim one of the two FIBA Europe Olympic berths up for grabs in the World Cup.

The winner of Germany/Latvia on Wednesday would join Serbia as the two European Olympic qualifiers if Slovenia falls to Canada; if Slovenia wins, three European teams would still be alive for two Olympic berths heading into the semifinals.