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Ante Zizic In Celtics’ Plans For Next Season

March 14th, 2017 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics plan to add 2016 draft pick Ante Zizic to their roster next season, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe.

Zizic, the 23rd player selected, is currently playing for Darussafaka Dogus in Turkey. His performance so far has convinced Boston’s front office that he is ready for the NBA.

“July 1 just has to roll over on the calendar, and we’ll sign him,” said Celtics director of player personnel Austin Ainge. “He wants to be here, and we want him here.”

Zizic has only played 11 games, but is putting up 9.7 points and 7.1 rebounds in just 23 minutes per night. At 6’10”, he can help fill the void in the paint that has plagued Boston this season.

“He just turned 20 in January, and he punishes grown men physically,” Ainge added. “He hits hard and he’s a physical presence out there. As much as I loved Ante and believed in him, I was surprised how much success he had this early in Euroleague.”

Zizic had hoped to join the Celtics right away and was disappointed to learn that the organization wanted him to spend a year overseas. He is working to improve his midrange jump shot and sees himself as both a power forward and a center when he comes to Boston.

The young center is learning the NBA game from David Blatt, who coached the Cavaliers for the first half of last season before being dismissed. In a question-and-answer session with Himmelsbach, Blatt said Zizic is benefiting from his time in the Euroleague.

“Without a doubt, in my mind, the Celtics made a tremendous 23rd pick in the draft,” said Blatt, who compares Zizic to Oklahoma City center Steven Adams. “This guy, at that number is in my mind just a great pick, a great pick. And I do know a little bit about the NBA, so I can tell you that with confidence.”

And-Ones: Tarczewski, Green, Fegan, MVP Race

March 13th, 2017 at 10:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Center Kaleb Tarczewski is leaving the Thunder’s D-League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, to play for Italy’s Olimpia Milano. He is signing a three-month contract to join the Italian champions with an option for next year, Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia relays via La Gazzetta dello Sport. As Chris Reichert for The Step Back tweets, this is a big loss for the Blue with the D-League playoffs on the horizon. He was averaging 10.0 PPG and 7.3 RPG for the Blue. Tarczewski went undrafted last June after he averaged 9.4 PPG and 9.3 RPG in his senior year at Arizona.

In other news around the NBA:

Former Nuggets and Jazz guard Erick Green, who is playing for the Euroleague’s Olympiacos, could get another shot with an NBA team this offseason as a backup point, Trevor Magnotti of FanSided.com reports. Backup point guards will be at a premium this summer, Magnotti continues, and Green is a solid defender who has improved his offensive play. Green is also believed to have an opt-out clause if an NBA club comes calling, Magnotti adds. Green played in a combined nine games for the Nuggets and Jazz last season and 43 with Denver in 2014/15.
Agent Dan Fegan has been sued by his former employer, Independent Sports & Entertainment, for alleged unfair business practices, according to Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Daily. One of the claims in the suit filed in Los Angeles by Independent Sports & Entertainment is that Fegan operated a side business which steered business away from ISE, Mullen continues. Howard Weitzman, Fegan’s attorney, called the side business claim “a total fabrication,” Mullen tweets.
A survey of NBA executives puts James Harden ahead of the pack for the MVP race but it’s close, Sam Amick of USA Today writes. The newspaper polled 32 executives, including 20 GMs or team presidents, and 12 voted for Harden. Russell Westbrook received eight votes, Kawhi Leonard garnered seven and LeBron James picked up five.

Bogdanovic Unsure About Joining Kings Next Season

March 2nd, 2017 at 6:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

European star swingman Bogdan Bogdanovic will not yet commit to joining the Kings next season and has signed with his Turkish team, Fenerbache, through next season. The 6’6” Bogdanovic posted on his Twitter feed that he hasn’t made a decision about his future plans, a post that was relayed by CSNBayArea.com’s James Ham. This may come as a surprise to Kings GM Vlade Divac, who said in recent interview that Bogdanovic would be “coming over next season as another asset.”

Bogdanovic has signed with his current Euroleague team through next season and has a contract buyout in excess of $1MM, international journalist David Pick tweets. Per the collective bargaining agreement, Sacramento can pay up to $675,000 of the buyout, according to Ham.

Bogdanovic and the Kings have operated as if he’ll played in the NBA next season since Sacramento acquired him from the Suns in a draft-night trade, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee tweets, though Bogdanovic’s Twitter post at least throws some doubt into that expectation.

“I will not discuss the NBA or make a decision on my future until after my season with Fenerbahce is finished,” Bogdanovic wrote on Twitter. “I always live in the present day and love playing for Fenerbahce.”

Bogdanovic was the 27th overall pick of the 2014 draft and has lived up to the billing of a draft-and-stash prospect. The Kings acquired his rights, along with the 13th and 28th overall picks in last year’s draft and a future second-rounder, from the Suns in exchange for the No. 8 overall selection. Phoenix used it to draft power forward Marquese Chriss.

Even though he’s under contract overseas through the 2017/18 season, Bogdanovic has financial incentives to pursue a buyout and join the Kings. Bogdanovic will no longer be bound by the restrictions of the NBA’s rookie scale. By waiting this long to make the jump to the NBA, he will be free to negotiate any amount.

It’s natural to speculate whether the DeMarcus Cousins trade has given Bogdanovic second thoughts about joining Sacramento. Not only did the Kings trade away their franchise player, but the centerpiece of the deal for Sacramento was rookie shooting guard Buddy Hield. That would seemingly take away any hope of Bogdanovic securing a starting spot, unless the Kings use him as an undersized small forward.

Bogdanovic is a member of the Serbian national team, which captured a silver medal at the Olympic Games in Rio. The Serbian-born wing is averaging 13.3 PPG, 4.3 APG and 2.9 RPG in 28 MPG this season, though he missed 23 games with an ankle injury. He’s generally considered one of Europe’s top perimeter shooters.

And-Ones: Doncic, Seattle, Jeff Van Gundy, Draft

February 17th, 2017 at 2:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Seventeen-year-old Real Madrid star Luka Doncic has a new agent, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein, who reports (via Twitter) that Doncic has signed on with BDA Sports, and will be represented by Bill Duffy. Doncic won’t be eligible for the 2017 draft, but the investment by BDA has a chance to pay off in a big way down the road — the Slovenian guard is considered one of the best European prospects in years, and is currently viewed as the favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft.

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

Chris Hansen‘s efforts to build a new NBA- and NHL-ready arena in Seattle have been going on for more than five years, but the investor is still confident that it will eventually happen, according to an Associated Press report (link via USA Today). Hansen’s group has increased the private funding in its arena plan and re-submitted it to Seattle City Council, per The Associated Press.
Will ESPN and ABC analyst Jeff Van Gundy ever return to the sidelines to coach an NBA team? His brother thinks it’s still a real possibility. “Yeah, with the right situation, absolutely. I don’t know if he will, but I definitely can see it,” Stan Van Gundy said, per Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times. “He misses parts of it (coaching), but he also has a real good job, so it goes both ways.”
Within his latest draft notebook for The Vertical, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress passes along several interesting notes, writing that player agents aren’t enthusiastic about the NBA’s new two-way contracts and suggesting that 2017 will be a weak draft class for NCAA upperclassmen and international players.
Terrance Ferguson is the mystery man of the 2017 draft class, according to Neil Johnson of ESPN.com, who takes a closer look at the 18-year-old who is playing professional ball in Australia.

Jeff Ayres Bolts D-League, Heads To Japan

February 16th, 2017 at 5:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Ex-NBA big man Jeff Ayres has signed with Toyota Alvark in the Japanese League, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.

Ayres, 29, had been playing for the Lakers’ D-League affiliate, the D-Fenders. He has left that team to pursue overseas opportunities, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. Ayres appeared in 22 games this season, averaging 12.5 PPG and 7.2 RPG.

He had another overseas journey last year, signing with CSKA Moscow, but the Russian team decided not keep him. Ayres changed agents — hiring BDA Sports — after that experience and then hooked on with the D-League in December.

The fact that Ayres opted to go overseas in the midst of the D-League season was an apparent concession that he wasn’t getting any NBA nibbles, despite his respectable stats.

Ayres, formerly known as Jeff Pendergraph, was part of the Spurs’ 2014 championship team, but wasn’t re-signed after the 2014/15 season. He was the first player selected in the 2015 D-League draft and spent much of the season in Idaho before joining the Clippers last January.

After playing on two 10-day contracts, Ayres signed with the Clippers for the remainder of the 2015/16 season. He appeared in 17 games for L.A., averaging 1.8 PPG and 1.3 RPG in limited playing time. Ayres has also played for the Trail Blazers and Pacers over the course of his NBA career.

And-Ones: 2017 Draft, Trade Rumors, J. Anderson

February 7th, 2017 at 3:06pm CST by Luke Adams

With the NBA’s All-Star Game around the corner, the trade deadline nearing, and the home stretch of the 2016/17 season not far off, it may not be the time to focus on June’s draft. But don’t tell that to ESPN’s Chad Ford (Insider link), who has published his newest 2017 mock draft, based on the current projected draft order.

In Ford’s latest mock, Markelle Fultz (Celtics), Lonzo Ball (Lakers), Josh Jackson (Suns), Malik Monk (Sixers), and Dennis Smith (Magic) are the first five players off the board. As ESPN’s draft guru explains, teams like the Celtics and Lakers don’t necessarily need another point guard, as their rosters feature bigger holes elsewhere. However, Ford thinks it will be hard for any team in the top two to pass up Fultz or Ball, based on their potential.

Here are a few more odds and ends from across the NBA:

Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype spoke to a handful of current and former NBA players, including Caron Butler, Garrett Temple, and Rashard Lewis, about what it’s like to have one’s name mentioned in trade rumors, and how NBA players deal with those reports. “A lot of times, guys just want to be told the truth – no matter what that is,” Temple said. “What upsets guys the most is when the GM or personnel people are saying one thing to their face and doing something totally different behind the scenes.”
James Anderson, who has appeared in 247 NBA games, including 51 for the Kings last season, is believed to be drawing NBA interest, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The 6’6″ wing has spent the season with Turkish team Darussafaka Dogus, with whom he has a two-year deal. However, Carchia writes that the club may be willing to let him out of that pact in the event of an NBA offer.
Former Mavericks center Bernard James has been cut by French club Limoges just two games into his contract with the team, a source tells international basketball reporter David Pick (Twitter link). It’s not exactly an ideal birthday gift for James, who turns 32 today.

Celtics’ Stashed 2016 Draftees Drawing Interest

February 1st, 2017 at 11:38am CST by Luke Adams

Most Celtics-related trade speculation focuses on players on their current roster, or their collection of future draft picks, but the team has another group of assets that is drawing trade interest around the NBA, reports Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. According to Deveney, potential trade partners are keeping a close eye on the Celtics’ 2016 draft-and-stash players, including Ante Zizic and Guerschon Yabusele.

“They did a nice job of getting guys they could develop, and if you know you can’t get the big picks they have this year or next year, [then] the players they took last year, that is where you can get a lot of value,” one NBA general manager told Deveney.

Zizic, in particular, has attracted attention from teams and scouts around the league. After starting the season with Cibona Zagreb in Croatia, the 20-year-old made the move to Darussafaka, David Blatt‘s team in Turkey. It was a step up in competition for Zizic, who was selected 23rd overall in the 2016 draft, and he has responded well so far. In fact, the GM who spoke to Deveney believes Zizic would be a lottery pick if he were draft-eligible in 2017, even though this year’s draft class is viewed as deeper than 2016’s.

As for Yabusele, the 16th overall pick in 2016 has played second fiddle to Jimmer Fredette on the Shanghai Sharks this season, as Fredette has averaged a CBA-best 37.0 PPG. However, Yabusele has been a key piece for the CBA’s top team, averaging 21.1 PPG and 9.4 RPG in 31 contests.

“He is built sort of like Jae Crowder, he is big up top and is a physical player,” an international scout said of the French forward. “But he has more offensive potential. He is already a pretty good shooter from the perimeter, and he is athletic, but he needs to get smoother with his game. He is not going to back anyone down, even at his size, so he needs to work on his ballhandling. But he can rebound and he can score, he will be a very solid NBA player.”

In addition to their two first-round draft-and-stash prospects, the Celtics selected Abdel Nader in the second round of last year’s draft and had him sign an NBADL contract, stashing him in the D-League. Nader isn’t receiving the same sort of trade interest as Boston’s first-round selections, but he has arguably been the D-League’s best rookie so far this season, averaging 22.6 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 3.6 APG.

The Celtics, already stacked with young players and future picks, are unlikely to overload their roster next season with more first-year players, so Zizic and Yabusele will be worth keeping an eye on as this month’s trade deadline nears.

NBA Reaches Out For Clarification On Trump’s Executive Order

January 28th, 2017 at 8:28pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The NBA reached out to the State Department to understand how President Donald Trump’s immigration ban may affect players from impacted nations, as Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today relays via Twitter. Here is the statement from NBA spokesperson Mike Bass:

“We have reached out to the State Department and are in the process of gathering information to understand how the executive order would apply to players in our league who are from one of the impacted countries. The NBA is a global league and we are proud to attract the very best players from around the world.”

On Friday, Trump signed an executive order that restricted immigration from seven countries–Iraq, Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Libya and Yemen. The order prevents Syrian refugees from entering the United States and it bans citizens of the aforementioned countries from entering the U.S. regardless of their visa category. There are currently over 30 active protests of the ban at various airports around the country.

The NBA has several players whom could be impacted by this ban. Lakers small forward Luol Deng was born in Sudan and could be impacted. Bucks rookie Thon Maker was also born in Sudan and the team was in Toronto on Friday night before returning stateside, though Zillgitt (Twitter link) reports that Maker had no issues clearing customs with his Australian passport.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr wouldn’t go into specifics about Trump’s ban when asked earlier tonight, but he described what’s going on as “disturbing and disconcerting,” as Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com (Twitter link) relays.

Hoops Rumors offers our condolences for all those who are impacted by the executive order.

Atlantic Notes: Simmons, Zizic, Vasquez

January 18th, 2017 at 6:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Sixers coach Brett Brown quashed speculation that rookie Ben Simmons might play his first game January 27th, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia’s contest against the Rockets on that date was recently added to ESPN’s national television schedule. A picture of Simmons appeared on Instagram not long after, leading many to believe it was more than a coincidence. But Brown said today that Simmons, who hasn’t played since suffering a fractured bone in his right foot in October, definitely won’t be ready by then. “I am a social hermit,” Brown said when a reporter asked about the possibility. “I have no idea what you are talking about. But I do know there is no chance that he will play then.”

There’s more news from the Atlantic Division:

It’s still not definite that Simmons will be able to return this season, tweets Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders. An unidentified source told Scotto, “Everyone needs to hold their horses and hope he plays at all.”
Celtics draft-and-stash prospect Ante Zizic is ready to try the NBA next season, relays Bugra Uzar of Eurohoops. The 6’11” center is playing for Darussafaka Dogus in Istanbul after being taken with the 23rd pick in the 2016 draft. Zizic is getting an education in the NBA game from former Cavaliers coach David Blatt, who now runs Darussafaka. “I want to prepare for the NBA,” Zizic said. “Because this summer I’m going to the NBA for sure. I think that the best preparation for the NBA is playing at the highest possible level. And EuroLeague provides that.”
Signing Greivis Vasquez was the first mistake by new Nets GM Sean Marks, writes John Schuhmann of NBA.com. Brooklyn gave the 30-year-old point guard a guaranteed $4,347,826 for one season even though he wasn’t completely healed from ankle surgery. Vasquez played just three games for the Nets before being waived November 9th.

Non-NBA Transactions: Marble, Orton, Forbes

January 17th, 2017 at 2:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Magic guard Devyn Marble is headed to Italy, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, who passes along word that the 24-year-old has signed with Aquila Basket Trento. The Italian club made it official, announcing the move in a press release.

A second-round pick in 2014, Marble was part of the deal that sent Arron Afflalo to Denver — Marble headed to the Magic along with Evan Fournier. In 44 NBA games over the course of two seasons in Orlando, Marbles averaged a modest 2.2 PPG and 1.6 RPG in 10.4 minutes per contest. He was more productive in 20 career D-League games for the Erie BayHawks, averaging 14.3 PPG and 5.2 RPG.

An offseason deal last summer sent Marble from the Magic to the Clippers, who subsequently waived him. The former Iowa Hawkeye signed a deal with a team in Greece, but a contract dispute made him a free agent again last month.

Here are a few more recent non-NBA moves involving former NBA players:

Greek team G.S. Kymis has announced the signing of former NBA center Daniel Orton, per Orazio Cauchi of Sportando. A first-round pick (29th overall) in the 2010 draft, Orton played in 51 total contests for Orlando, Oklahoma City, and Philadelphia, but his last NBA game was over three years ago.
Brooklyn’s D-League affiliate, has waived Gary Forbes, according to a press release issued today by the team. Forbes, who appeared in 111 total NBA games for Denver and Toronto, was the Long Island Nets‘ first pick in last year’s NBADL expansion draft.
Ramon Galloway, who was in camp with the Magic this past fall, has been waived from Orlando’s D-League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks, the club announced (Twitter link via Chris Reichert of The Step Back).