International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bruno Caboclo Signs With Ratiopharm Ulm

January 5th, 2023 at 9:04am CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA first-round pick Bruno Caboclo has signed with Ratiopharm Ulm, the German team announced today in a press release. According to the club, Caboclo’s deal runs through 2023/24, so he’ll be under contract with Ratiopharm Ulm for another season beyond the current one.

The 20th overall pick in the 2014 draft, Caboclo appeared in a total of 105 NBA regular season games across seven seasons with the Raptors, Kings, Grizzlies, and Rockets. Although the Brazilian forward had tantalizing physical tools, he never put them together at the NBA level, averaging 4.2 PPG and 2.6 RPG on .403/.308/.836 shooting in 12.3 minutes per contest.

Caboclo finished the 2020/21 season in France, then returned to his home country for the ’21/22 campaign, signing with Sao Paolo FC. The 27-year-old led the club to a BCL Americas title and earned MVP honors in the Novo Basquete Brasil, which is Brazil’s top basketball league.

The Celtics signed Caboclo to a training camp contract this past offseason, but waived him in September before camps got underway. He has spent the first part of the 2022/23 campaign playing for the Mexico City Capitanes in the G League, averaging 15.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, and 2.3 BPG on 55.6% shooting in 16 games (26.8 MPG) in the NBAGL’s Showcase Cup this fall.

In addition to playing in the Basketball Bundesliga, Germany’s top basketball league, Ratiopharm Ulm also competes in the EuroCup. The team has gone 5-4 in EuroCup action but is just 5-8 in BBL play, so it will be looking for a boost from Caboclo.

And-Ones: Campazzo, Vildoza, Two-Ways, Rookies

January 4th, 2023 at 10:04am CST by Luke Adams

Serbian team Crvena Zvezda has been sanctioned by the EuroLeague for overdue payments to players and will be prohibited from registering new players until February 28, per BasketNews.com.

That means that former Nuggets and Mavericks point guard Facundo Campazzo, who reached a contract agreement with the team after being waived by Dallas, may not be able to suit up in EuroLeague games until March.

Crvena Zvezda issued a statement calling the sanctions “extremely severe” and announcing that they intend to fight them (link via BasketNews).

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

Argentinian guard Luca Vildoza, currently a member of Crvena Zvezda, spent time with the Knicks and Bucks from 2021-22, but injuries and timing prevented him from ever getting a real chance to earn a rotation spot. While Vildoza has some good memories from his time in the NBA, including practicing with Giannis Antetokounmpo, he’s disappointed that things didn’t work out for him stateside. “It’s painful that I didn’t have the right chance,” Vildoza said (link via Eurohoops). “But I’m here now, and I try not to think about it.”
NBA teams seem more inclined this season to use their two-way contract slots to churn through back-of-the-roster players, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link), who notes that the Heat have signed five different players to seven total two-way deals since July. That trend may continue even when the 10-day contract signing period opens on Thursday, since two-way players don’t count against the cap or tax, Marks writes.
In the latest update to his rookie rankings for 2022/23, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic has moved Thunder guard Jalen Williams and Hawks forward AJ Griffin into third and fourth place, respectively. Both players are providing relatively steady and efficient production as starting wings, Vecenie says, adding that Griffin’s floor spacing, in particular, has been crucial in Atlanta.

International Notes: Parker, Dorsey, Vildoza, Antetokounmpo, Doncic

January 2nd, 2023 at 8:05am CST by Arthur Hill

The EuroLeague may be the next stop for Jabari Parker, according to a Eurohoops story. Parker spent eight years in the NBA, including 12 games with the Celtics last season, but he hasn’t played since being released last January.

“Jabari is looking for overseas opportunities now,” Parker’s agent, Nuno Pedroso, said in an interview with Mozzart Sport. “He was close to signing with two NBA teams, but it didn’t work out and now we (are) checking options overseas.”

Pedroso also denied a recent report linking Parker to Partizan Belgrade, saying, “Regarding Partizan, nothing is on the table or close to it. We just inform them that he’s available. News that there are advanced talks is not true.”

Parker, 27, was the second pick in the 2014 draft, but a pair of torn knee ligaments hampered his career. After spending his first four seasons with Milwaukee, he bounced around the league with short stays in Chicago, Washington, Atlanta, Sacramento and Boston. He averaged just 9.3 minutes per game with the Celtics in 2021/22 before being released in January in advance of his contract becoming guaranteed.

There’s more international news to pass along:

Tyler Dorsey, who was waived by the Mavericks last week, will see if he can land a 10-day NBA contract before considering his options overseas, sources tell Aris Barkas of Eurohoops. Barkas cites three EuroLeague teams — Fenerbahce, Olympiacos and AS Monaco — that have shown interest in Dorsey, a 26-year-old wing who was averaging 24.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 17 games this season with the G League Texas Legends. Teams can begin offering 10-day contracts on Thursday.
Luca Vildoza, who appeared in seven games for the Bucks during last year’s playoffs, has earned EuroLeague Player of the Month honors for December, according to another Eurohoops story. Vildoza signed with KK Crvena Zvezda in mid-October when Milwaukee released him before the start of the regular season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic will square off in Athens, Greece, this summer before the start of the FIBA World Cup, per a Eurohoops report. Antetokounmpo’s Greek team will host Slovenia in an August 4 exhibition game that will mark the stars’ first meeting in an international competition.

And-Ones: Wembanyama, L. Miller, Elam Ending, Lin

December 30th, 2022 at 11:52am CST by Luke Adams

While it’s not as if he needed to further cement his place as the top prospect in the 2023 draft class, Victor Wembanyama put on a dazzling performance in the LNB’s All-Star Game, per an Associated Press report.

Wembanyama was named the MVP of the LNB showcase, which pits the league’s top French players against its non-French stars. The big man racked up 27 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists, leading the French team to a 136-128 victory. The game was Wembanyama’s last as an 18-year-old — he’ll turn 19 next Wednesday before his Metropolitans 92 resume play on January 9.

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

Canadian forward Leonard Miller, currently a member of the G League Ignite, is planning to enter the 2023 NBA draft and go pro, he tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Miller is viewed as a potential first-round pick and currently ranks 26th overall on ESPN’s big board of 2023 prospects.
Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports is the latest reporter to take a closer look at the G League’s experimentation with a “target score” (also known as the Elam Ending). The NBAGL has used a target score in overtime all season long and employed it in the fourth quarter of games during its Winter Showcase in Las Vegas. The new overtime format has “strong supporters” in NBA front offices and the league office, according to Fischer. When we asked you last week whether the NBA should adopt the Elam Ending for overtimes, more of our poll respondents were against it than for it.
Veteran point guard Jeremy Lin, who had been playing for the Guangzhou Loong Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association, has left the CBA for the rest of the season, he announced in an Instagram post. “I’m gonna go back to the U.S. to rest and reset before I make a decision with my family for my next step,” Lin wrote. He has appeared in 480 total NBA regular season games, but hasn’t played in the league since 2019, when he was a member of the champion Raptors.

And-Ones: G League Ignite, Henderson, Wembanyama, Thornwell

December 27th, 2022 at 2:08pm CST by Luke Adams

After attending the G League’s Winter Showcase in Las Vegas last week, John Hollinger of The Athletic came away curious about the long-term future of the G League Ignite.

A handful of top prospects – like Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga, and Dyson Daniels – have played for the Ignite before entering the NBA draft in recent years, and current Ignite guard Scoot Henderson may end up being the best of the bunch. But many of the prospects on the Ignite’s roster only project to be borderline NBA players, as Hollinger observes.

“Why are we paying almost half a million (dollars) for a two-way guy?” one league source said to Hollinger.

Even if the Ignite were attracting only elite prospects, people around the NBA have questioned why the league is paying significant salaries to develop prospects who would simply develop elsewhere if the Ignite didn’t exist, Hollinger writes. The Ignite aren’t playing in front of packed houses and haven’t become must-see television relative to college basketball, where NIL money has helped the NCAA maintain a recruiting edge.

Hollinger adds that most people he has spoken to don’t believe the Ignite are particularly well coached or well run, with prospects like Jaden Hardy looking much better once he left the program.

For what it’s worth, Henderson told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype that he thinks his year with the Ignite has been good for him and that it has helped him develop “as a person” in addition to helping him develop as a player.

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

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Insider link) has updated his 2023 mock draft and provided fresh scouting reports for a handful of his non-lottery prospects, including UCF’s Taylor Hendricks, Ohio State’s Brice Sensabaugh, and Pepperdine’s Maxwell Lewis.
According to Givony, a number of NBA executives who attended last week’s G League Winter Showcase said they wouldn’t be surprised if Scoot Henderson, who is out with a nasal fracture, doesn’t play another game this season, since his spot near the top of the 2023 draft is already assured. However, Givony says G League Ignite officials “emphatically” shot down that line of thinking and said Henderson should be back on the court relatively soon.
Henderson is the consensus No. 2 prospect in the 2023 class behind Victor Wembanyama, who continues to impress fans and evaluators with his two-way talent. The young French star racked up 26 points and 18 rebounds for Metropolitans 92 in his last game of the calendar year on Monday (link via ESPN).
After signing in October with Frutti Extra Bursaspor, veteran guard Sindarius Thornwell has mutually parted ways with the Turkish team two months later, the club announced (via Twitter). Thornwell has appeared in 160 total NBA games, but hasn’t been in the league since 2020/21, when he played for New Orleans and Atlanta.

And-Ones: Suns’ Sale, Expansion, Udoh, Ignite, Warkentien

December 24th, 2022 at 10:47am CST by Luke Adams

There wasn’t a ton of trade chatter at the G League Winter Showcase in Las Vegas this past week, but the news of the Suns‘ sale to Mat Ishbia generated plenty of discussion, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic. Specifically, the franchise’s $4 billion valuation raised eyebrows, given how far above recent projections it was.

As Hollinger explains, that eye-popping sale price led to speculation on two fronts. For one, there were conversations about whether other franchises could find their way onto the market — for instance, Paul Allen‘s estate appears content to exercise patience before eventually opening the bidding on the Trail Blazers, but it’s possible the Suns’ valuation could help expedite that process. Hollinger adds that there have also been whispers over the years about whether Michael Jordan will sell the Hornets.

Perhaps more importantly, the Suns’ high sale price could be good news for the prospect of NBA expansion. As Hollinger observes, the existing 30 team owners are more likely to agree to bring in two new partners if their cut of the expansion fee high enough to offset their losses from splitting the NBA’s TV deal and other sources of revenue 32 ways instead of 30 ways. The Suns selling for $4 billion increases the odds of expansion fees for teams in cities like Seattle and Las Vegas reaching the neighborhood of $4-5 billion, says Hollinger.

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

Former NBA lottery pick Ekpe Udoh is resuming his playing career in Japan, according to Alessandro Maggi of Sportando, who relays that the big man has signed with the Shimane Susanoo Magic. The No. 6 overall pick in the 2010 draft, Udoh appeared in 384 total NBA games, but hasn’t played in the league since the 2018/19 season.
Scoot Henderson wasn’t available for the G League Ignite during the league’s Winter Showcase event in Las Vegas this past week, but Jeremy Woo of SI.com got a chance to scout several other Ignite players, including London Johnson, Leonard Miller, Sidy Cissoko, and Mojave King. Woo shares several of his key takeaways on the Ignite’s non-Henderson prospects, identifying Miller and Cissoko as players who have a chance to be selected in the first round of the 2023 NBA draft (Johnson will be draft-eligible in 2024).
Veteran NBA executive Mark Warkentien, who won an Executive of the Year award in 2009 as the Nuggets‘ head of basketball operations, has passed away at age 69 (Twitter link via the Nuggets). Warkentien most recently worked in the league as a special assignment evaluator for the Thunder. We at Hoops Rumors send our condolences to his family and friends.

And-Ones: OT Target Score, G League, Korkmaz, Bitadze

December 21st, 2022 at 11:56am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA G League has been experimenting this fall with its overtime period by using a variation of the “Elam Ending,” as Kevin Pelton writes for ESPN. Instead of following up regulation with a two-minute overtime period, G League teams have played to a target score — the first team to score seven points in overtime wins the game.

The NBA has used the Elam Ending in its All-Star Game in recent years and could explore the idea of adjusting its own overtime periods if the G League experiment gets positive feedback. As Pelton notes, the idea of playing to a target score in OT holds appeal because beginning from a tie makes the concept simpler, and it could help avoid prolonged double- or triple-overtime games that result in players logging heavier minutes than teams would like.

If the NBA were to adopt an Elam Ending for overtime, it would likely have to increase its target score to about 11 points to better approximate its five-minute overtime period, Pelton adds.

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

Alex Kenendy of BasketballNews.com spoke to NBA G League commissioner Shareef Abdur-Rahim about several topics, including whether the league plans to experiment with any other rule changes and whether expansion to international markets besides Toronto and Mexico City is in the cards.
Following an investigation into a confrontation between Turkish and Georgian players at a EuroBasket game earlier this year, FIBA announced discipline for a handful of the players involved, including Sixers guard Furkan Korkmaz and Pacers center Goga Bitadze. Both players were fined and have been placed on a three-year probation period for international competition. If they commit a similar offense during that probation period, Bitadze would be suspended five games and Korkmaz would be suspended for three.
In an Insider-only feature for ESPN.com, Bobby Marks takes a look at the trade restrictions, trade assets, and trade targets for all 30 NBA teams.

Facundo Campazzo Joins Serbian Team

December 19th, 2022 at 8:57am CST by Arthur Hill

Former Nuggets and Mavericks guard Facundo Campazzo is officially a member of Crvena Zvezda, writes Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. The Serbian team issued a press release to confirm the deal, which will run through the 2023/24 season and includes a third-year player option.

Real Madrid, Campazzo’s team before he came to the NBA, had an opportunity to match the offer of 1.8 million Euros for the rest of this season and 2.8 million Euros for next season, but didn’t act before last week’s deadline.

Campazzo was a star with Madrid from 2014-20, helping the team capture two EuroLeague championships and three ACB titles.

The veteran point guard signed with Denver in 2020 and appeared in 130 games over two seasons, mostly in a reserve role. After spending the entire offseason as a free agent, the 31-year-old got an opportunity with Dallas in mid-October. He played just eight games for the Mavericks, averaging 1.3 points and 1.1 assists in 6.5 minutes per night, before being waived November 29 when the team added Kemba Walker.

Kostas Antetokounmpo Signs With Fenerbahce

December 19th, 2022 at 7:55am CST by Arthur Hill

After clearing waivers on Sunday, Kostas Antetokounmpo has signed with Fenerbahce in Turkey for the rest of the season, according to Eurohoops.

Panathinaikos and Maccabi Tel Aviv also had interest in Antetokounmpo, per Eurohoops, but Fenerbahce had an advantage because of coach Dimitris Itoudis, who also coaches the Greek national team. Fenerbahce needs help at power forward because of injuries to a pair of former NBA players, Johnathan Motley and Nemanja Bjelica.

Antetokounmpo, 25, began the season on a two-way contract with the Bulls, but was waived Friday to make room for Carlik Jones. He didn’t appear in any games after signing with Chicago shortly before the start of training camp, but averaged 11.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in 12 games with the G League’s Windy City Bulls.

Antetokounmpo saw limited NBA action after being selected with the 60th pick in the 2018 draft. He got into two games during his lone season with the Mavericks and 20 combined games during two years with the Lakers.

And-Ones: Richardson, Black, Stoudemire, Durant

December 18th, 2022 at 9:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Malachi Richardson has signed with Poland’s Tauron GTK Gliwice, according to Sportando. Richardson was the 22nd overall pick of the 2016 draft. He also played in Poland last season with King Wilki Morskie Szczecin. Richardson hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2018/19 season.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Arkansas freshman guard Anthony Black is trending toward being a top-10 pick in the next draft, according to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report. That’s due to his ball-handling as a big guard (6’7”), his facilitating ability, and his defensive tools and instincts. Wasserman looks at a number of college freshmen and evaluates whether their draft prospects are rising or falling.
Former NBA All-Star and assistant coach Amar’e Stoudemire was arrested in Miami on Saturday, Fox Sports talk show host Andy Slater tweets. Stoudemire was charged with battery after he allegedly struck and slapped his daughter, according to another Slater tweet. His bond was listed at $1,500.
Kevin Durant feels the EuroLeague is a viable option for NBA hopefuls, BasketNews relays. “I try to tell a lot of guys that they should pursue that route as well along with trying to get to the NBA,” Durant said, adding that he has a lot of respect for the EuroLeague and enjoys watching its games.