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John Collins Talks Capela, Contract, Hawks’ Potential

May 14th, 2020 at 4:43pm CST by Luke Adams

A dark-horse playoff sleeper entering the 2019/20 season, the Hawks failed to take a step forward, entering the NBA’s hiatus with a 20-47 record. A 25-game drug-related suspension for big man John Collins early in the season contributed to Atlanta digging an early hole for itself, which it couldn’t climb out of after Collins’ return.

With an eye toward the 2020/21 campaign, however, Collins tells Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the Hawks aren’t “as far away as you think” from turning the corner, expressing optimism about the team’s short- and long-term potential.

“This is just to me, with the roster moves, with the experience that we have gained and are going to gain over the summer, and chemistry,” Collins said. “I keep on hearing us being talked about as a fringe playoff team (for next season), and I just want to start pushing our team and our discussion in the mental spaces of people as a playoff contender every year.”

By the time the ’20/21 season gets underway, the Hawks are hoping to have a healthy Clint Capela in their lineup. They’re also on track to add another top-eight draft pick to their roster and will have plenty of flexibility to add veteran talent this offseason — no NBA team projects to have more cap room than Atlanta. Throw in the fact that Collins, Trae Young, and the rest of the Hawks’ youngsters will be another year older, and some optimism is justified.

During his conversation with Spencer, which is worth checking out in full, Collins addressed several other topics, including his new frontcourt partner and his contract situation. Here are some highlights:

On his fit with Capela:

“I’m pretty versatile, so I feel (like) for the people who don’t watch, when they do watch, it’s like ‘OK, John can stretch the floor. Oh wow, John and Clint can play well (together).’ Clint’s still doing his thing rolling and playing above the rim, and I’m still playing above the rim, because we have elite play-makers out there on the court… Clint fits right in to what we do, so it’s not like he comes in and messes anything up on my end.”

On Collins’ next contract (he’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason):

“When we’re talking max numbers and money, I feel like I definitely (am in) the conversation to have earned that money with the Hawks specifically, but obviously I know there’s business and we don’t always get exactly what we want. But I want to be a Hawk, I want to stay with the Hawks.”

On whether it’s important that he signs an extension this year rather than waiting until restricted free agency in 2021 to get a new deal:

“I feel like we’ve both invested ourselves in each other… I feel like we both want to see our investments in each other pay off. In that sense, I just want to know where I am. I want to know I’m locked in as soon as I can rather than having to wait, which I know happens. But when you do wait, a lot of other stuff mentally creeps in during the season while I’m tired, while I’m playing, ups and downs, injuries, but that’s also a part of just being a pro athlete.”

Southeast Notes: Magic, Hawks, Heat, Jones

May 13th, 2020 at 11:34am CST by Luke Adams

After initially targeting Tuesday as the date for the potential reopening of their practice facility, the Magic delayed that target date to Wednesday, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic.

While there’s a chance that the team hits that target date and opens its facility today, Orlando is still waiting on coronavirus test results for some of its asymptomatic players and staffers, according to Robbins, who tweets that the Magic are in a “holding pattern” for the time being.

Although their plans remain fluid, the Magic appear likely to allow players to conduct individual workouts at their facility soon, something the Hawks did earlier this week.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has questioned the need to reopen his team’s facility, since his players have their own workout equipment and hoops, and the NBA is limiting players to an hour at a time at practice facilities. But Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk sees value in making his team’s facility available to players, as Chris Kirschner of The Athletic writes.

“You can certainly get a lot out of this,” Schlenk said. “You can get individual skill work, form stuff. For us, the focus this week is to really just get the guys back in the building and be able to get out of the house. It’s more the mental side than the physical side of things that we can get out of this. I’ve told the coaches that this isn’t the week to prove you’re the best individual coach in the league. This week is about getting the guys in here, getting their bodies moving.”

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

Outside of the young core building blocks on their roster, it’s not clear how many of the Hawks‘ current complementary pieces might be keepers. Chris Kirschner of The Athletic digs into that subject by examining which of the team’s free-agents-to-be are most (and least) likely to return. In Kirschner’s view, Skal Labissiere and Jeff Teague are at least decent candidates to re-sign, but DeAndre’ Bembry, Treveon Graham, and Damian Jones probably aren’t.
Speaking at a “virtual luncheon” earlier this week, Hawks CEO Steve Koonin said the franchise has committed to paying all of its full-time and part-time employees through at least the end of the fiscal year on June 30, per Tim Tucker of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
In his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel explores what it would take for the Heat to lose Derrick Jones in free agency this offseason and how the team would replace his minutes in that scenario.
We rounded up a handful of Wizards-related items earlier today.

Hawks Reopen Practice Facility

May 11th, 2020 at 11:34am CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks formally reopened their practice facility in Brookhaven’s Executive Park on Monday for individual workouts, according to Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

While many NBA teams play in states where stay-at-home orders are still in effect, that’s not the case for the Hawks — Georgia was one of the first states to lift many of those restrictions. Although the Hawks didn’t immediately reopen their facility when the NBA allowed teams to do so on Friday, they’ve now become one of the first clubs to reopen their building to allow voluntary workouts for players.

The Trail Blazers and Cavaliers reopened their facilities on Friday. Besides Atlanta, the Raptors, Nuggets, and Kings are also expected to reopen their respective buildings today, with a number of restrictions in place.

The NBA informed teams last week that they’ll now be permitted to test asymptomatic players for COVID-19 before they enter their facilities, as long as they’re in areas where testing is readily available to at-risk health care workers and receive written authorization from local health authorities. Having not received that authorization, the Hawks will just perform health and temperature checks on anyone entering their building, as Spencer tweets.

New York Notes: Knicks, Perry, Nets, Levy

May 7th, 2020 at 4:51pm CST by Luke Adams

A report last month indicated that Knicks management believes the team is well positioned to trade for a disgruntled star if one becomes available, given its surplus of first-round picks and cap flexibility going forward. However, even if the Knicks are right, it’s not clear which star player may be the next to push for a trade — or when that will happen.

Looking to identify a possible target to monitor, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News zeroes in on second-year Hawks guard Trae Young as one option. As Bondy explains, Atlanta has a 49-100 (.329) record since Young entered the league and at least one report has suggested the young star hasn’t always been on the same page as head coach Lloyd Pierce. Bondy also points to some positive comments Young made about the Knicks before the 2018 draft, when the youngster said it would be a “blessing” to be selected by New York.

While Knicks fans may enjoy dreaming about Young lighting up Madison Square Garden, Bondy’s proposal – which earned an “LOL” from Hawks beat writer Chris Kirschner of The Athletic – seems far-fetched at this point.

Young is under contract through at least 2022 and young stars rarely leave their teams at the end of their four-year rookie contracts, since they can’t reach unrestricted free agency unless they’re willing to accept a modest fifth-year qualifying offer instead of a lucrative long-term deal. That’s such a rarity that few teams even take the threat seriously — the Knicks, who dealt Kristaps Porzingis before he reached restricted free agency, are one of the only teams in recent history to trade a fourth-year star amidst rumors he’d sign his QO, and that deal hasn’t worked out especially well for them.

There’s nothing wrong with the Knicks keeping an eye on Young, but I imagine they’ll have to look elsewhere if they want to acquire a star in a trade during the next year or two.

Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York teams:

Having received a one-year extension from the Knicks, GM Scott Perry may only be a short-term solution for the team under new president of basketball operations Leon Rose. Danny Leroux of The Athletic takes a look at how that decision to retain Perry for a bridge year could backfire.
The Nets parted ways with former CEO David Levy back in November, just two months after hiring him. As Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News reports, Levy’s stint with the franchise was short-lived because his contract stated he’d have some influence in the basketball operations department and that didn’t sit well with members of the team’s front office. According to Bondy, the “pushback” Levy received led to the Nets essentially buying him out.
Neither the Knicks nor Nets will open their practice facilities on Friday, and neither team has specified a target date for when that may happen, per Jeff Zillgitt and Mark Medina of USA Today.

Hawks Notes: Carter, Huerter, Practice Facility

May 7th, 2020 at 3:30pm CST by Luke Adams

With his retirement right around the corner, Hawks forward Vince Carter hopes to stay connected to the NBA even once he’s no involved in the action on the court, as he told T.I. this week on the rapper’s expediTIously Podcast (video link).

Asked about what’s next for him once he officially hangs up his sneakers, Carter pointed to broadcasting and team ownership as two areas he’s interested in, though he admitted he doesn’t have the kind of net worth to become the majority owner of an NBA franchise like Michael Jordan.

“I want to do some broadcasting. I want to stay around the game,” Carter said, per Paul Kasabian of Bleacher Report. “I want to continue to be a mentor in some capacity. I have aspirations of being a part of an ownership group. I don’t make that kind of money to own a team outright like MJ … but at some point, I want to be a part of an ownership group where I can still be that mentor that (players) need, and I want to be the middle man to bridge the gap for the ownership/executive side.”

Here’s more on the Hawks:

Second-year Hawks guard Kevin Huerter, who was sidelined for 10 games in the fall with a shoulder injury, tells Chris Kirschner of The Athletic that he played through some “nagging” issues the rest of the year and was proud not to miss any more time. “One thing that bothered me, I would go on Twitter, and you get tagged in every little thing. Everyone’s always like, ‘Kevin is always hurt,'” Huerter said. “From December until when our season stopped, I didn’t miss a single game. I was still getting tagged with always being hurt. I just played 40 or 50 games in a row. What do you mean I’m always hurt? That was a big thing for me. I played through a lot to just be on the court.”
Huerter, who told Kirschner that he’s “so sick of losing,” believes the Hawks’ young core players complement one another and is excited to see what they’re capable of as they continue to grow and commit to improving on defense. “Trae (Young) is a dynamic scorer,” Huerter said. “I think I’m a facilitator, shot-maker and spacer. Cam (Reddish) can do it all on both ends. De’Andre Hunter is a bigger small forward who can move up position-wise on defense. John (Collins) can shoot and rebound and do everything. I think all of our pieces fit.”
The Hawks have yet to announce a specific target date for when they’ll attempt to reopen their practice facility, and it won’t happen on Friday. However, GM Travis Schlenk said the club is looking at the possibility of moving forward with reopening as early as next week, as Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes.

Multiple Teams Plan To Reopen Facilities On Friday

May 6th, 2020 at 3:29pm CST by Luke Adams

3:29pm: The Rockets have now postponed the target date for reopening their facility to May 18, according to Medina (via Twitter).

2:03pm: Although the NBA is still expected to allow teams to reopen practice facilities for individual voluntary workouts this Friday, only a small handful of clubs are expected to take advantage right away. The Rockets, Trail Blazers, and Nuggets intend to reopen their facilities on May 8, according to USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt and Mark Medina. The Cavaliers will do so as well, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

Not all players have remained in their teams’ respective cities since the NBA suspended its season in March, so some Rockets, Blazers, Nuggets, and Cavs players may have to return from out of state before they can resume working out at their clubs’ facilities.

As Zillgitt and Medina detail, several other teams – including the Hawks, Heat, and Bucks – could reopen their facilities as early as next week. However, clubs like the Celtics, Mavericks, Grizzlies, and Timberwolves haven’t shared details on their plans, and many other teams will remain in limbo for the foreseeable future, deferring to local government ordinances and health experts.

The Warriors, for instance, are following the City of San Francisco’s lead, as Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. USA Today’s report suggests that Golden State is unlikely to reopen its facility until at least June, since the city’s stay-at-home order runs through May 31.

As for the teams that are opening this Friday, they’ll face strict regulations on the number of players who will be permitted into their facilities at a time (four), and how their workouts will be conducted (no group activities are allowed). The league recently issued a long, detailed memo outlining the safety measures that teams must put in place to reopen their buildings.

“This isn’t a hangout session for the guys,” a Cavaliers source told Fedor. “We’ve read the riot act – so to speak – to these guys. I think they are appreciative of us trying to find the right way to get the building open because they need the outlet and want to work out and this is the safest place for them to do it.”

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter links), the NBA informed teams this week of updated measures on cardiac screening for certain players prior to their voluntary workouts. Clubs have also still been told not to conduct COVID-19 tests on asymptomatic players, since the league is sensitive to an ongoing shortage in some areas of the country. If and when the NBA is able to open camps for a resumption for the 2019/20 season, there’s an understanding those testing protocols would change, Woj adds.

Southeast Notes: Magic, Wizards, Bertans, Hawks

April 28th, 2020 at 7:25pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Magic head coach Steve Clifford knows his team is going to need some time to get back in shape in the event that the NBA resumes the season, writes Roy Parry of the Orlando Sentinel.

“This is going to be, whatever, six, seven weeks for these guys having not touched a basketball,” Clifford said. “Look, I played Division III [basketball]. I don’t think in my life I ever went six weeks without doing that,” Clifford said. “I think that you can guess, and then when you take that [layoff] and try to envision an NBA game, or an NBA playoff game, it’s going to take some time for sure.”

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

Iowa State’s Tyrese Haliburton would be a good fit with the Wizards. Chase Hughes of NBC Sports contends. The 6’5″ guard has a chance to go in the top five of the upcoming NBA Draft.
Hughes (in a separate piece), examines Davis Bertans‘ first season with the Wizards. Bertans, who was traded to the team last summer, told Hughes that he felt like he fit in with the team “right away,” and suggested he’d be a good fit with John Wall if he were to re-sign with the club this offseason.
Chris Kirschner of The Athletic takes a look at a handful of possible free agent targets for the Hawks this summer. Brandon Ingram would be a great addition for the club, though he is a restricted free agent and New Orleans is likely to match any offer.

NBA To Allow Reopened Team Facilities No Earlier Than May 8

April 27th, 2020 at 2:22pm CST by Luke Adams

After a weekend report suggested the NBA was aiming to allow teams to reopen their practice facilities as early as May 1, the league has told teams that its new target date is Friday, May 8, league sources tell Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link). The league’s full announcement can be found right here.

The NBA is hoping to allow teams to open facilities for voluntary individual workouts if the stay-at-home orders in their respective home states allow, but will wait at least another week-and-a-half to move forward with that plan.

Assuming it sticks to the May 8 target date, the league will allow up to four players in a facility at a time, with no more than one team staffer in attendance, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Group activities will remain prohibited and head and assistant coaches can’t participate. Additionally, players would be required to wear face masks at all times except when engaged in physical activity, and staffers working with players must wear gloves and practice social-distancing of at least 12 feet, according to Charania (Twitter link).

The NBA had received “significant pushback” from teams about the idea of reopening facilities in select states and municipalities on May 1, officials tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). While competitive imbalance is a potential issue – given the disparity between how certain states are handling the pandemic – teams are more concerned about player and staff safety, says Wojnarowski.

The Hawks were one team that appeared to be a strong candidate to reopen their facilities this Friday, if permitted, since Georgia is among the first states to roll back stay-at-home restrictions. However, as general manager Travis Schlenk first told TV host Matt Stewart (Twitter link), the Hawks didn’t plan to reopen their facilities this week, preferring to play it safe and assess the effects of the loosened restrictions in the area.

“We’re going to put the health of our players and staff at the forefront,” Schlenk told Sarah Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Despite the Hawks’ reticence and some league-wide pushback on the initial May 1 date, there have been other teams embracing the idea of reopening their facilities, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link). As Woj explains, those clubs would prefer players to be in a “clean, safe, and monitored team environment” rather than risking those players working out at public gyms.

Relatedly, clubs were reminded today that their players remain prohibited from using non-team facilities such as public health centers and gyms for workouts, as Charania reports (via Twitter).

Some NBA Teams Can Reopen Facilities May 1

April 25th, 2020 at 6:35pm CST by Arthur Hill

6:35pm: Group workouts and organized team activities will still be prohibited, Wojnarowski adds in a full story. In areas where longer stay-at-home orders are in place, the league will try to help teams find other arrangements so their players can train.

5:17pm: The NBA will let some teams reopen their practice facilities to players beginning Friday, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The permission will only apply in cities and states where governments have relaxed their stay-at-home orders, Woj adds.

The league ordered all 30 teams to shut down their facilities effective March 20 in an effort to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Several teams had announced voluntary closures before that mandate was issued.

Georgia was one of the first states to begin relaxing restrictions, with some businesses reopening yesterday. Several players were asking their teams if they should find a way to get to the state to work out, according to Wojnarowski, but teams want to make sure their athletes are in safe, clean and controlled environments (Twitter link).

Wojnarowski cautions that the NBA’s decision doesn’t mean plans are in place to restart the season, but the league wants players to be able to safely return to their team’s gyms (Twitter link). A source tells ESPN that commissioner Adam Silver and the owners believe they need more time to determine whether the season can be salvaged.

A few writers examine how the decision will affect the teams they cover:

The Hawks haven’t heard anything official from the league, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic (Twitter link), and there’s no plan in place to begin using the team facility again.
May 8 is the earliest date the Hornets could reopen, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has issued a stay-at-home order for the state through then, with plans to begin phasing it out.
Michigan is under a stay-at-home order until at least May 15, so the Pistons have nearly three weeks before they can reopen, adds Rod Beard of The Detroit News (Twitter link).

Partnow Preaches Caution In Collins Extension Talks

April 23rd, 2020 at 2:32pm CST by Luke Adams

In a conversation with Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, former NBA executive Seth Partnow says that he’d be wary of offering a maximum-salary extension to John Collins this offseason if he were running the Hawks. Partnow would be comfortable with a deal in the four-year, $80MM range, which may not be enough to lock up Collins before he reaches restricted free agency in 2021.