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Lloyd Pierce Finalizing Deal To Be Carlisle’s Top Assistant

July 1st, 2021 at 6:12pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pacers are finalizing a contract with Lloyd Pierce that would make him Rick Carlisle’s top assistant, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.

Pierce was reportedly under consideration for a similar job with the Warriors. Pierce was replaced by Nate McMillan as the Hawks’ head coach on March 1 after the team began this season with a 14-20 record. Multiple players reportedly pushed for a coaching change.

Pierce previously served as an assistant coach in Cleveland, Golden State, Memphis, and Philadelphia before being hired as the Hawks’ head coach in 2018. Pierce led Atlanta to a 63-120 (.344) record in two-and-a-half seasons, with no playoff appearances.

Pierce is also on Gregg Popovich’s Team USA staff for this month’s Olympics.

Former Knicks coach David Fizdale reportedly turned down an offer from Indiana to join Frank Vogel’s staff with the Lakers.

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Kevon Looney Opting In For 2021/22 Season

June 29th, 2021 at 11:57am CST by Arthur Hill

Warriors big man Kevon Looney is picking up his $5.1MM option for next season, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The 25-year-old averaged 4.1 points and 5.3 rebounds this season as a part-time starter. He split time in the starting lineup with rookie center James Wiseman and took over the job after Wiseman was injured in April.

Looney has spent six years with Golden State after being taken with the 30th pick in the 2015 draft. He’s a 56.6% shooter from the floor in his career and played significant minutes on the Warriors teams that reached the NBA Finals for five straight seasons.

Looney’s player option was the only one facing the team for 2021/22.

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Lloyd Pierce Could Join Kerr's Bench; Cost-Effective Free Agent Options

June 28th, 2021 at 8:02pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum
  • Former Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce is being eyeballed for a potential position as an assistant coach under Warriors head coach Steve Kerr,  tweets Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. Poole notes that both coaches will serve on the US Olympic Team’s bench under Gregg Popovich this summer. Pierce was let go by Atlanta after the team began the 2020/21 season with a disappointing 14-20 record. He had been the head man for the Hawks since 2018. A longtime NBA assistant, Pierce previously logged time as a Warriors assistant during 2010/11 under then-head coach Keith Smart.
  • With Klay Thompson poised to return after missing two full seasons due to lower-body injuries, the Warriors appear to be gearing up for a deep playoff run once again. Kendra Andrews of NBC Sports Bay Area considers four free agent wings the team could add on affordable deals to fill out its bench.
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Hollinger’s Latest: Draft, Wiseman, Siakam, Trent, Combine

June 28th, 2021 at 12:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Sources who have spoken to John Hollinger of The Athletic are skeptical that the Pistons, Rockets, or Cavaliers will trade out of the top three spots in the draft.

As Hollinger notes, there are a lot of teams that figure to have interest in moving up in the draft, including several holding multiple first-round picks, such as the Magic, Thunder, and Knicks. However, it’s more difficult to find teams that will give serious consideration to moving down. Any trade up may require a substantial overpay, Hollinger adds.

Here are a few more tidbits from Hollinger following his time at the pre-draft combine in Chicago:

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Rosters Announced For Olympic Qualifying Tournaments

June 28th, 2021 at 9:16am CST by Luke Adams

Four qualifying tournaments to determine the final four teams in the men’s basketball pool at the Tokyo Olympics are set to tip off on Tuesday. In advance of the Olympic qualifiers, the 24 teams involved have officially set their 12-man rosters, according to a press release from FIBA.

More than two dozen current NBA players are participating in the tournament, and 11 of the 24 teams competing for Olympic spots have at least one current NBA players on their respective rosters. Of those clubs, Team Canada has the biggest contingent of NBA players — eight of the 12 players on Nick Nurse‘s squad finished the season on an NBA roster. Turkey is next with four NBA players.

The four qualifying tournaments will take place in Serbia, Lithuania, Croatia, and Canada. Only the winner of each six-team group will advance to Tokyo. Those four winners will join Japan, Nigeria, Argentina, Iran, France, Spain, Australia, and the U.S. in the 12-team Olympic tournament.

The teams that move onto the Olympics may tweak their rosters for Tokyo, depending on the availability of certain players. For instance, if Greece were to win its qualifying tournament, perhaps Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo – who remains active in the playoffs for now – would make an effort to join the team in Tokyo next month.

Here are the NBA players on the OQT rosters:

Belgrade, Serbia

Kaunas, Lithuania

Split, Croatia

Victoria, Canada

There are also many former NBA players among the 24 rosters, including Mario Hezonja (Croatia), Milos Teodosic (Serbia), Jan Vesely (Czech Republic), Timofey Mozgov (Russia), and Anthony Bennett (Canada).

To view the full rosters, be sure to visit FIBA’s official site and click through to each team from there.

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Draft Notes: Jones, Mamukelashvili, Wiggins, Edwards

June 27th, 2021 at 3:09pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Stetson guard Christiaan Jones has opted to withdraw his name from consideration in the upcoming 2021 draft and will return to school, tweets Jeff Goodman of Stadium. During the 2020/21 season, the 6’5″ Jones averaged 13 PPG, 5.6 RPG and 1.6 APG, while shooting .458/.350/842.

Here’s more on the upcoming draft:

  • 6’11” Seton Hall star big man Sandro Mamukelashvili may stay local at the next level. He has workouts scheduled for both New York clubs next month, with a Nets session scheduled for July 1 and a Knicks workout penciled in for July 8, writes Adam Zagoria for NJ.com. “It would be great,” Mamukelashvili told reporters during a Zoom call on Friday. “I was born in New York. My first game was in New York. I watched the Knicks when I came here first, so it would be great.” Mamukelashvili averaged 17.5 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 3.2 APG and 1.1 SPG in 27 games for Seton Hall during his senior year, all starts.
  • Hawks swingman Kevin Huerter has helped advise Aaron Wiggins, a guard at Huerter’s alma matter Maryland, as the latter player goes through workouts for several teams ahead of the 2021 draft, per Kevin Brown of NBC Sports Washington. Wiggins is hoping to be a first-round draft selection, and is weighing whether or not to remain in the draft. He has worked out for the Warriors, Celtics, Knicks and Cavaliers thus far. “Obviously, a guarantee of a first-round election would be something no one would pass up on,” Wiggins said. “For me, it’s just based on how I feel with what the teams are telling me and if the teams that like me want to draft me and I’m confident I’d be in a good situation and comfortable there, the teams that I’ve worked out with, the teams that I’ve interviewed with, just depending on how it would benefit me if I were to keep my name in there in the future.” Wiggins is currently the No. 58 prospect on ESPN’s big board. Wiggins averaged 14.5 PPG, 2.5 APG, and 1.1 SPG in 31 games for Maryland, including 30 starts.
  • Pepperdine forward Kessler Edwards intends to sign with an agent and stay in the 2021 draft, tweets Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. Edwards is projected as the No. 48 prospect on the ESPN 2021 draft board. During his 2020/21 junior year at Pepperdine, Edwards averaged 17.2 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 1.2 BPG, and 1.0 SPG across 27 games, including 26 starts.
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Lottery Added To Benefits Of Wiggins-Russell Trade

June 27th, 2021 at 11:57am CST by Arthur Hill
  • Landing the No. 7 pick in Tuesday’s lottery adds to the return the Warriors got in the deal that sent D’Angelo Russell to Minnesota for Andrew Wiggins, notes Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Bay Area. Russell was acquired from the Nets in a sign-and-trade for Kevin Durant, but he wasn’t in Golden State’s long-term plans. The Warriors were able to flip him to the Timberwolves for Wiggins, who is a better fit, and got valuable draft compensation as well.
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Slater Considers Options For Warriors With No. 7, No. 14 Picks

June 25th, 2021 at 1:50pm CST by Luke Adams
  • Anthony Slater of The Athletic weighs what the Warriors could do with the No. 7 and No. 14 picks in this year’s draft, exploring scenarios in which they trade up, move down, or deal one or both of their selections for veteran help.
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Warriors Won't Reveal Plans For Two Lottery Picks

June 23rd, 2021 at 10:09pm CST by Arthur Hill

Suns center Deandre Ayton is playing in the Western Conference finals three years after being the first selection in the draft, but he tells Marc J. Spears of the Undefeated that most fans don’t see him as an elite player. Ayton had the highlight of his career Tuesday night when he dunked off an inbounds pass in the final second to give Phoenix a 2-0 series lead. It put him in the national spotlight after missing the playoffs during his first two NBA seasons.

“I still think they doubt me. I still think they don’t believe yet,” Ayton said. “I might be turning some heads with people that know basketball, like front-office types, and people that really know the game. I know I am probably stepping into the right direction. But I don’t think the world truly, truly sees that. But if I can win this whole thing, that is where I can get my reputation. That is where I can be a star.”

Although he has been effective since entering the league, Ayton has mostly been overshadowed — by Chris Paul and Devin Booker on the Suns and by Luka Doncic and Trae Young in his draft class. Ayton was suspended for 25 games during his second NBA season and has been criticized for a casual attitude, but he credits the arrival of coach Monty Williams and the success the team had after last year’s restart with turning that around.

“Winning was contagious and we added pieces like (Paul), Jae (Crowder), E’Twaun Moore, Langston Galloway and Torrey Craig,” Ayton said. “Those are guys who have been in the game and played at high levels like this. That is the best way I can think of how I turned my career into a positive one.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • The Suns have listed Paul as probable for Thursday’s Game 3, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times. Paul has missed the first two games of the series while in the league’s health and safety protocols, but he expects to receive clearance to play tomorrow.
  • The Kings need more help than the draft can provide, so they should be aggressive about trying to get Ben Simmons from the Sixers, contends Jason Jones of The Athletic. He suggests offering Buddy Hield or Marvin Bagley III along with the No. 9 pick.
  • The Warriors have two selections in this year’s lottery, and president of basketball operations Bob Myers won’t say if he plans to hold onto both of them, per Kendra Andrews of NBC Sports. Golden State already has one development project in center James Wiseman and may not have room for two rookies as it hopes to get back into title contention. “We’re not trying to develop players at the risk of losing,” Myers said. “We’re not going to develop and have it cost us games. That’s not the plan.”
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Nets Notes: Udoka, Coaching Staff, Claxton, Durant

June 23rd, 2021 at 6:16pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Nets will have to find a new assistant coach to coordinate their defense now that Ime Udoka is finalizing a deal to become head coach of the Celtics, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Udoka only spent one season with Brooklyn, coming to the team from Philadelphia after the Sixers’ coaching shake-up last offseason, but he quickly earned respect throughout the organization.

Lewis describes Udoka, who spent 10 years as an NBA assistant, mostly in San Antonio, as a “no-nonsense, tough-love” coach who demands the best from his players.

“Ime focuses a lot about defense, because obviously when he played that’s basically what he was, a defender, and he liked to be physical,” Nets guard Mike James said. “Just for me personally, he’s always reminded me to do the little things: sprint back, load up, box out, be physical.

“He’s not like a coach that’ll hold back how he feels. He’s going to tell you how he feels, how you’re playing, what you should be doing better. For somebody like me, obviously that might not be the same what everybody else is doing. But I like coaches to be honest and tell me what they want me to do and it works out.”

There’s more from Brooklyn:

  • The Nets may have to replace two more members of Steve Nash‘s staff this summer, Lewis adds. Mike D’Antoni is a candidate for the Trail Blazers’ vacancy, while Jacque Vaughn has been given permission to interview with the Pelicans. “We have incredible coaches, and they all are really worthy of being head coaches, or already have been. … I’m assuming we will have turnover,” Nash said. “I’m assuming some of these guys will get jobs, because they’re that good and would really add a lot to an organization.”
  • Brooklyn views Nicolas Claxton as its future starting center, according to Michael Scotto and Yossi Gozlan of Hoops Hype. Scotto states that the Nets weren’t willing to move Claxton at the trade deadline unless they got a star in return. He will be eligible for a veteran extension this summer worth up to a projected $55MM+.
  • Kevin Durant‘s trip to the Olympics will reunite him with Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who will be an assistant on Gregg Popovich’s staff. Kerr raved about Durant during a radio interview this week, relays Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area, calling him more talented than Michael Jordan and saying his former team was supporting him during the Nets’ playoff run. “You think about what he did for this organization,” Kerr said, “not only helping us win titles but to come back and try to play through injuries and then suffer the devastating Achilles injury, we all just wanted to see Kevin healthy and to see him in the playoffs playing at the level he reached, it was really, really gratifying for all of us.”
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