International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Young Point Guards, Henson, Holmgren, Draft

March 9th, 2022 at 11:08am CST by Luke Adams

Rising Grizzlies star Ja Morant has enjoyed a breakout year in Memphis, but 11 of 15 scouts and executives polled by Tim Bontemps of ESPN would still take Mavericks star Luka Doncic over Morant if they were picking a young point guard to build around.

Bontemps asked those 15 scouts and execs to rank Doncic, Morant, Trae Young, LaMelo Ball, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Darius Garland, and got some interesting responses. Doncic was the overwhelming top pick, with Morant (who had the other four first-place votes) coming in second, followed by Young in third. Ball and Gilgeous-Alexander were neck and neck for the fourth spot, with Garland bringing up the rear.

The question engendered plenty of debate, according to Bontemps, who notes that the respondents’ evaluations of certain prospects varied significantly. For instance, one Eastern Conference executive believes that Gilgeous-Alexander could be “potentially be doing a lot of the same things” as Morant if their situations were flipped, while an East scout said SGA is “clearly last” of the six in his view, since the others are better at passing and making plays for teammates.

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

Former NBA lottery pick John Henson has signed with Mets de Guaynabo for the upcoming season in Puerto Rico, tweets agent Christian Santaella. Henson, who has appeared in 445 regular season NBA games, signed a 10-day contract with the Knicks last April, but hasn’t played in an NBA game since the 2019/20 season.
In an Insider-only story for ESPN, Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz explore why Gonzaga big man Chet Holmgren is such a polarizing player for NBA scouts. As ESPN’s duo explains, Holmgren is a one-of-a-kind prospect who can’t be easily compared to current or former NBA players, making it more difficult to evaluate both his potential upside and his potential risk.
Givony and Schmitz have also updated their top-100 prospect list for the 2022 NBA draft and discussed some of the players who have recently risen up that big board.
Jeremy Woo of SI.com takes an in-depth look at Amen Thompson and Ausar Thompson, identical twins who are candidates to be drafted in the lottery in 2023. The Thompson twins, who are currently playing for Overtime Elite, both went in the top 10 of ESPN’s most recent 2023 mock draft.

James Ennis To Sign With Israeli Team

March 7th, 2022 at 7:37am CST by JD Shaw

Free agent forward James Ennis has agreed to a lucrative deal in Israel with Hapoel Haifa, sources told Hoops Rumors. Ennis will head overseas for the first time since the 2013/14 season.

Ennis, who has signed 10-day contracts with the Nets, Clippers and Nuggets since December, plans to leave the door open for an eventual NBA return, sources said.

After being selected with the 50th overall pick in the 2013 draft, Ennis began his professional career as a draft-and-stash player, spending a year in Australia and Puerto Rico before coming stateside in 2014.

An eight-year NBA veteran, Ennis has since appeared in 395 regular season games. In addition to Brooklyn, Los Angeles and Denver, he has also made stops in Miami, Memphis, New Orleans, Detroit, Houston, Philadelphia and Orlando since making his NBA debut.

In 41 games with Orlando last season, Ennis averaged 8.4 points per game and made 43.3% of his three-point attempts, the second-highest mark of his career. The 31-year-old also showed versatility by guarding multiple positions defensively.

Hapoel Haifa currently ranks seventh in the 12-team Israeli Basketball Premier League with a 9-8 record, putting the club on track to qualify for the eight-team postseason. Ennis will join former Celtics and Knicks guard Kadeem Allen as the players on the roster who have NBA experience.

And-Ones: Brantley, NBA Awards, Seattle, Brogdon

March 5th, 2022 at 11:59am CST by Dana Gauruder

Former NBA player Jarrell Brantley has been sued by Russia’s UNICS Kazan after he left the country, Ian Begley on SNY.tv tweets. The Russian club has sued Brantley for $250K after he returned to the U.S. with his wife and infant daughter. The forward will pursue G League opportunities but he could be blocked from playing in that league because he requires permission from Kazan. Brantley played 37 games with the Jazz from 2019-21.

We have more from around the basketball world:

It’s a coin flip between Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic in the race for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award, Zach Harper of The Athletic opines. Ja Morant has moved up to the third spot with his offensive outbursts in recent weeks. Harper updates his rankings on numerous postseason awards in his column.
Seattle mayor Bruce Harrell is confident the NBA will return to the city, but the league denied that any expansion plan is in the works, Kurt Helin of NBC Sports writes. “The odds are high,” Harrell said. “We’re very intentional about it. I chase down rumors and I chase down actual people in a position to make that happen. I feel good about our opportunity.” A league spokesman told NBC Sports that there’s “no truth” to a report that expansion is on the front burner this offseason.
Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon has some interest in playing for the Polish national team and the country’s basketball federation will try to make it a reality, according to a Eurohoops.net report. Brogdon’s connection to Poland comes from his wife, who has Polish roots and relatives who live in the country.

And-Ones: Brown, Brogdon, Biyombo, Udoka, Snyder, Russia, Smith

March 3rd, 2022 at 11:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jaylen Brown, Malcolm Brogdon and Bismack Biyombo have been re-elected as VPs on the National Basketball Players Association’s Executive Committee, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. They’ll serve new three-year terms, according to the players’ union.

We have more from around the basketball world:

The Celtics’ Ime Udoka and Jazz‘s Quin Snyder were named Coaches of the Month for February, NBA Communications tweets. Boston had a 9-2 record during the month, while Utah went 8-1.
In the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the NBA has suspended all activities in Russia, Mark J. Burns of the Sports Business Journal tweets. According to Burns’ source, that includes activities related to content distribution such as digital and broadcast. There is no timeline on when business activities will resume in Russia.
Forward Roscoe Smith, who has appeared in 149 G League games, has signed in Palestine with Orthodoxi Beit Jala, agent Derek James of Global Pipeline Agency told JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link).

And-Ones: Boylen, Buyout Market, I. Cousins, Murry

March 3rd, 2022 at 9:58am CST by Luke Adams

Jim Boylen‘s stint as the Bulls’ head coach was short-lived and ultimately unsuccessful, as he led the team to a record of just 39-84 (.317) from 2018-20. After his tumultuous tenure in Chicago, Boylen was extremely appreciative to get the chance to coach Team USA’s qualifying team for the 2023 World Cup, as he tells Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

“This opportunity, you kind of get your sea legs back. I got my voice back,” Boylen said. “It was a godsend to come and do this, and also, this is the biggest challenge I’ve ever had.”

Boylen has led Team USA to a 3-1 record in the qualifiers to date, picking up wins in February over Puerto Rico and Mexico. There are four more qualifying windows to come, with the next one scheduled for June.

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

When many of the top players available on the 2021 buyout market joined the Nets or Lakers, some league observers and fans pushed for changes that would prevent big-market teams from scooping up veteran talent essentially for free. However, ESPN’s Bobby Marks (video link) argues within a recap of 2022’s relatively quiet buyout market that the impact of buyout signings is generally overstated — none of last year’s moves were difference-makers and it’s unlikely that any of this year’s will be either, says Marks.
Former Oklahoma guard Isaiah Cousins has signed an NBA G League contract and is joining the Maine Celtics, according to our JD Shaw (Twitter link). Cousins was a second-round pick in the 2016 draft, but has yet to appear in a regular season NBA game, having spent most of his professional career in Europe.
One of the former NBA players who had been playing in Ukraine this season, Toure’ Murry spoke to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today about his stressful experience leaving the country following Russia’s invasion last month. “There was risk of going to the Poland border and getting sent back. There were no guarantees. So we took a leap of faith going through Romania,” said Murray, explaining that he was eventually able to get a train to Bucharest, a flight to Amsterdam, and then a flight home to Houston. “It worked out in terms of getting across the border. But going through the situation, we had no idea if we would get out.”

International Notes: Musa, Russia, FIBA, EuroLeague, Goodwin

March 1st, 2022 at 1:38pm CST by Luke Adams

After being selected with the No. 29 pick in the 2018 draft, swingman Dzanan Musa spent just two seasons in the NBA with Brooklyn before being waived and returning to Europe. He’s currently thriving with Rio Breogan in Spain, averaging 19.8 PPG on .504/.441/.776 shooting in 19 Liga ACB games (31.7 MPG) this season.

Asked during an interview with Israel Hayom about his fellow Bosnian, former NBA forward Mirza Teletovic said he’s confident that Musa, who is still just 22 years old, will return stateside sooner or later.

“Dzanan is a great talent, who has already done some beautiful things in his career,” Teletovic said, according to EuroHoops.net. “He may have gone to the NBA too soon and been burned, but I believe he will return to the U.S. soon because he just needed more experience and more games to deal with the players. He saw what he was missing and now he is working on it in Europe. … He must be patient and go step by step and he is guaranteed a bright future because he has the qualities of a leader and everything it takes to be successful.”

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

FIBA announced today in a press release that Russian teams and officials won’t be permitted to participate in any international FIBA competitions until further notice. Russia was off to a 3-0 start in the qualifiers for the 2023 World Cup.
Euroleague Basketball announced on Monday that it has suspended the participation of all Russian teams in the EuroLeague (CSKA Moscow, UNICS Kazan, Zenit St. Petersburg) and the EuroCup (Lokomotiv Kuban). The organization will continue to monitor the situation and says that if things don’t improve, “all regular season games versus Russian teams will be annulled to configure the leagues’ standings.”
Former NBA first-round pick Archie Goodwin has signed with Israeli team Maccabi Rishon, according to an announcement from the club (Twitter link). Goodwin, the 29th overall pick in 2013, appeared in 165 regular season games for Phoenix, New Orleans, and Brooklyn, but hasn’t played in the NBA since 2017. He had been playing in Ukraine this season, but recently left due to the Russian invasion.

Dante Exum To Remain With Barcelona For Rest Of Season

February 28th, 2022 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA lottery pick Dante Exum will be staying in Spain and completing the 2021/22 season with Barcelona, the team announced today in a press release.

After being waived by the Rockets in October, Exum signed a three-month contract with Barcelona in December. That deal ran through February 28 and there was some talk last month about the 26-year-old planning to return to the NBA once it expired. However, Exum and Barcelona reached an agreement to extend the contract through June 30, according to the club.

The fifth overall pick in the 2014 draft, Exum appeared in a total of 245 regular season NBA games for Utah and Cleveland, dealing with a handful of injuries after he played all 82 games as a rookie.

This season in Europe, Exum has been a productive rotation player for Barcelona, averaging 6.0 PPG and 2.7 RPG on .500/.538/.905 shooting in 11 EuroLeague contests (16.5 MPG). Barcelona currently sits atop the EuroLeague standings with a 20-5 record.

Exum’s next opportunity to return to the NBA will come during the 2022 offseason.

And-Ones: NBPA, Tremaglio, Sessions, Russia, EuroLeague

February 28th, 2022 at 7:48am CST by Luke Adams

More than 120 candidates were considered and 40 were interviewed to become Michele Roberts‘ successor as executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, who takes an in-depth look at what the new union leader, Tamika Tremaglio, brings to the role.

As Vorkunov details, the NBA’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement will expire after the 2023/24 season, and the league and the union both have the ability to opt out in December of 2022. However, Tremaglio doesn’t anticipate a contentious negotiation with the NBA when the time comes to put a new CBA in place.

“There is no benefit for any of us to opt out,” she said, per Vorkunov. “There is always the opportunity for us to work together. I do think Michele has been able to build a really great relationship with the league and I cannot see that not continuing. I think [NBA commissioner] Adam [Silver] has been incredibly welcoming. Michele helped to set up a really great transition for me.

“I think I’m coming in at a time that is needed, for certain, but I also feel I am coming in at a time that we can continue the path that we have already been on. Which is the path certainly of least resistance and much more partnership in terms of what we can accomplish. We’re not back in the ’60s where we’re looking for ways to be adversarial to each other. We recognize that we can get more done together.”

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

Former NBA point guard Ramon Sessions has become a certified player agent, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who tweets that Sessions is launching On Time Agency, an independent firm. Sessions is currently advising Jordan Walsh, a five-star recruit who has committed to Arkansas, Charania notes.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has thrown the EuroLeague into disarray. As EuroHoops relays in a pair of stories, a decision was made last week to move all games scheduled to be played in Russia to neutral venues, but the leaders of Lithuanian team Zalgiris Kaunas didn’t think stance went far enough. “We don’t want to play with clubs from a country that is using military aggression and we this is a position that we suggested to the EuroLeague and its clubs,” Zalgiris director Paulius Motiejunas said.
Meanwhile, a flurry of players are departing from the EuroLeague clubs based in Russia. Former NBAers Joel Bolomboy and Tornike Shengelia are among those leaving CSKA Moscow, per the team, while UNICS Kazan forward Jarrell Brantley is also expected to leave the country, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com. An SDNA report relayed by Sportando suggests that Zenit St. Petersburg is allowing all its non-Russian players, coaches, and staffers to return to their respective home countries, while another SDNA report (via Sportando) says CSKA, UNICS Kazan, and Zenit have jointly asked the EuroLeague to postpone their games for a month.

And-Ones: Mock Draft, King, Napier, Summer League

February 26th, 2022 at 11:58am CST by Dana Gauruder

Gonzaga big man Chet Holmgren remains atop ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz’s latest mock draft, with Auburn’s Jabari Smith moving up one notch to No. 2. The G League Ignite’s Dyson Daniels has moved into the lottery while Milwaukee Panthers forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. has dropped from No. 15 to No. 25.

We have more from around the basketball world:

The G League’s Westchester Knicks are acquiring forward Louis King, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets. King had been on a two-way contract with Sacramento but was waived by the Kings on February 17th. In 16 career games with Sacramento, including 10 this year, King averaged 5.6 PPG, 1.9 RPG, and 1.1 APG in 11.8 MPG.
Former NBA guard Shabazz Napier has left Russia and Zenit Saint Petersburg, according to EuroHoops.net. Napier, who has been sidelined most of the season with an ankle injury, was already preparing to return to the United States prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine because he did not feel he was ready to play.
The NBA will hold its annual Summer League in Las Vegas on July 7-17, Shaw adds in another tweet.

Western Notes: Lillard, Blazers, Kings, Lakers, Micić

February 25th, 2022 at 7:37am CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on Draymond Green‘s podcast, Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard expressed some enthusiasm about the team’s direction, singling out teammates Anfernee Simons, Nassir Little, Jusuf Nurkic, and Josh Hart, and suggesting Portland has “got some pieces to the puzzle” and just needs to keep adding to those pieces.

As Casey Holdahl of Blazers.com relays, Lillard also pushed back against the idea that Portland can’t be an appealing free agent destination, arguing that if the Blazers have a chance to seriously contend, they’ll attract talent.

“No offense, but people (are) going to Oklahoma City, people going to Milwaukee, you know what I mean?” Lillard said. “People are going places and Portland ain’t what people think it is, otherwise I wouldn’t have been living here this long. If you just couldn’t live here, I wouldn’t be living here this long.

“I think that’s part of it, but at the end of the day, people are going places that’s like ‘You went there?’ (Carmelo Anthony) went to OKC when we was trying to get ‘Melo to come here. Ask ‘Melo where he would go first. And I’ll say this: not just because of the living situation.”

Here are a few more notes from around the Western Conference:

The Kings‘ trade deadline shake-up create a more positive vibe around the organization, point guard De’Aaron Fox said this week, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. “I think the mood is definitely a bit better,” Fox said. “It’s definitely different when guys come into new situations, guys coming from Indiana, guys coming from Detroit and Donte [DiVincenzo] coming from Milwaukee … it’s like a breath of fresh air when you have a change of scenery.”
Lakers head coach Frank Vogel shared a series of injury-related updates on Thursday, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link). Most notably, Kendrick Nunn (knee) has begun his ramp-up process again following a setback last month, Anthony Davis (foot) is off his crutches, and Carmelo Anthony (hamstring) is probable to return on Friday after missing the team’s last five games.
Speaking to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com, veteran international agent Misko Raznatovic expressed dissatisfaction with the rules governing draft-and-stash players like his client Vasilije Micić, whose NBA rights are held by the Thunder. “One team gets your rights and then, (even if) you’re the best player in Europe, they don’t want to trade you and they don’t want to give you (a fair contract) offer,” Raznatovic said. “And then you never play in the NBA, (even if) you’re better than 80% of the guys who are there. I don’t believe this is fair.” Raznatovic did note that Micić has an annual NBA escape clause in his contract with Anadolu Efes, so he’ll talk to the Thunder again this summer to see if they can work something out.