International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Brett Brown Steps Down As Australia’s Head Coach

October 13th, 2020 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

After losing his NBA position earlier this year, former Sixers head coach Brett Brown has now elected to step down from his international coaching job as well. Brown has resigned from his role as Australia’s head coach and won’t lead the Boomers at the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics, the program announced today in a press release.

“Whilst I have a deep and long-standing passion for Australian Basketball, I am currently unable to commit to coaching the Boomers at next year’s Olympic Games,” Brown said in a statement. “The uncertainties around the direction of my professional future unfortunately mean that I cannot commit to the time and preparation that this job deserves and requires. The difficulties around traveling internationally with my family during the pandemic have also contributed to my decision.”

Basketball Australia CEO Jerril Rechter said in a statement that the program is “naturally disappointed” that Brown will no longer be coaching the team, but understands his decision.

Brown initially finalized a deal to coach the Australian national team last November, after the club had clinched a spot in the Tokyo Olympics with its fourth-place finish at the 2019 World Cup. Those Olympics had originally been scheduled to begin on July 24, 2020. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the new start date for the Tokyo games is July 23, 2021.

Aron Baynes, Matthew Dellavedova, Joe Ingles, and Patty Mills are among the notable players expected to represent Australia in Japan next summer, as long as they’re able to work around the revamped NBA schedule. The selection of Brown as the Boomers’ head coach led to speculation that Sixers star Ben Simmons may elect to participate as well — it’s not clear if Brown’s resignation will influence Simmons’ decision one way or the other.

And-Ones: Pekovic, Georges-Hunt, Scouting, Monroe

October 10th, 2020 at 11:13am CST by Dana Gauruder

Family members have refuted a report that former Timberwolves center Nikola Pekovic was in serious condition after contracting COVID-19, Nikola Lupo of Sportando relays.

The Serbian website Telegraf indicated that Pekovic was in intensive care at a hospital in Podgorica, Montenegro and required a ventilator to breathe. Pekovic’s family said he’s in stable condition and breathing independently without a respirator.

Minnesota waived Pekovic in 2017 after several injury-riddled seasons. Pekovic played 271 games for the Timberwolves, averaging 12.6 PPG and 6.7 RPG.

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Former NBA guard Marcus Georges-Hunt is signing with the Jiangsu Dragons of the CBA, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reports. Georges-Hunt also spent last season in China with Guangzhou, averaging 24.4 PPG, 7.6 RPG and 3.6 APG. He lasted appeared in the NBA with the Timberwolves during the 2017/18 season, when he came off the bench in 42 games.
NBA teams will be allowed to scout college games during the upcoming season that are open to the general public but won’t be permitted to attend practices, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. The restrictions are a safety precaution due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The college basketball is scheduled to begin in late November during Thanksgiving week.
Former NBA center Greg Monroe, who is now playing for BC Khimki Moscow, has tested negative for COVID-19 after a positive test on Friday, Lithuanian journalist Donatas Urbonas tweets. Monroe signed with the Russian team after spending last season in Germany after appearing in 632 NBA games with six teams.

Pau Gasol Talks Recovery, Plans, Barcelona Rumors

October 8th, 2020 at 11:49am CST by Luke Adams

Pau Gasol was sidelined for the entire 2019/20 season due to a left foot injury, but has stated repeatedly that he hopes to play professionally for one more season and represent Spain in the Tokyo Olympics before calling it a career. In an interview with Efe (link via Marca.com), Gasol restated that desire and said he expects to determine soon, as he ramps up his workouts, whether or not it will be possible.

“This pandemic, with all the bad it has brought us, is giving me a little more time to recover from my foot injury,” Gasol said, per Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. “The progression is being positive. In the next month or month and a half, my level of demand on the court will be very high, and then I will find out if I can compete again.”

Gasol suffered a stress fracture in his left foot during the fall of 2018. He was able to return to the court later that season, appearing in 18 more games for the Spurs and three for the Bucks, but ongoing issues with the foot have prevented him from playing at all during the last year.

Speaking to Spanish media in June, Gasol said he hoped to play one more season in the NBA or Europe, citing two of his former teams – the Lakers and FC Barcelona – as potentially attractive spots to finish his playing career.

A subsequent report suggested that a return to Barcelona appeared to be in the cards for Gasol, but that story was quickly shot down, and the 40-year-old reiterated this week that there’s nothing to it. Gasol told Efe that he was surprised by how the rumor – and another report suggesting that his brother Marc Gasol was signing with Barcelona – spread without any confirmation from the player or team.

“I do not know if they have come from the same source… but if in the end things do not come out of the player or the club, they are only rumors,” Gasol said, referring to the stories as “fake news.”

The Tokyo Olympics, which were pushed back from 2020 to 2021, are currently scheduled to begin on July 23, with Spain among the eight countries that have qualified so far for the men’s basketball tournament.

Gasol was part of the Spanish squads that earned silver medals in 2008 and 2012 and a bronze in 2016, so if he’s able to play in Tokyo and Spain finishes in the top three, he would claim his fourth Olympic medal.

Jonathon Simmons To Sign With Chinese Team

October 7th, 2020 at 10:56am CST by Luke Adams

After participating in the Warriors’ recent in-market mini-camp, free agent swingman Jonathon Simmons has lined up a new deal with the Liaoning Flying Leopards of the Chinese Basketball Association, reports Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Simmons, 31, began his NBA career with the Spurs before signing with the Magic in 2017. He was subsequently traded to the Sixers in 2019 and then was acquired and waived by the Wizards during the ’19 offseason.

In four NBA seasons with three teams, Simmons averaged 8.3 PPG and 2.4 RPG with a .443/.317/.756 shooting line in 258 games (20.5 MPG). He had a reputation as a strong defender early in his career in San Antonio, though that rep wavered to some extent in Orlando and Philadelphia.

Simmons attempted to make an NBA comeback in February by joining the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s G League affiliate. That comeback effort was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic, but his solid showing at the team’s mini-camp helped him earn an overseas opportunity.

Although Simmons will be heading to China for the 2020/21 season, it seems likely that the CBA season will end well before the NBA’s does, so a return stateside could be a possibility next year. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said last week that he thinks the veteran wing “still has years to offer in the NBA.”

And-Ones: Fans In Stands, Dotson, Barnes, Harris

October 6th, 2020 at 8:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA has pushed back next season until January with the hope of having fans in the stands but the expectation of crowds may be optimistic, Mark Medina of USA Today reports. It’s unlikely a COVID-19 vaccine will be widely available at that point and having large crowds in an indoor facility could lead to a super spreader event, according to multiple health experts who spoke to Medina. Rapid testing could make it more feasible to allow fans into indoor arenas, the story adds.

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Western Carolina’s Carlos Dotson has agreed to a deal in France with JSA Bordeaux, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors tweets. The 24-year-old big man averaged 15.5 PPG and 9.7 RPG last season while receiving SoCon First Team All-Conference honors.
The Players Association has made committee appointments for the NBA Foundation, created in partnership with the league, as well as the new Social Justice Coalition formed when the players agreed to continue the season in late August, Shams Charania of The Athletic writes. Kings forward Harrison Barnes and 76ers forward Tobias Harris will serve as player reps on the NBA Foundation, while Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony and Bucks guard Sterling Brown will serve on the Social Justice Coalition.
NBPA executive director Michele Roberts anticipates that free agency will begin no later than December 1st. Get the details here.

Barcelona Coach: No Talks With Marc Gasol

September 30th, 2020 at 5:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite rumblings that a reunion with his old team in Spain could be in the cards for veteran center Marc Gasol, Barcelona head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius told Spanish outlet Gigantes Del Basket that the team hasn’t spoken to Gasol, as Ennio Terrasi Borghesan of Sportando relays.

Spanish podcast host Sergi Carmona (Twitter link) reported earlier today that Gasol had reached an agreement with Barcelona, but Ernest Macia of Catalunya Radio (Twitter links) hears there’s nothing currently happening between the two sides, and Jasikevicius’ comments also suggest no deal is done. Carmona has locked his Twitter account since publishing his initial report.

While we have no confirmation that any agreement between Barcelona and Gasol is imminent, there’s reason to believe it could be a possibility at some point this offseason. Previous reports have indicated that the 35-year-old big man may consider a return to Europe as a free agent this year. And Barcelona would be a familiar setting — Gasol spent three seasons with the club from 2003-06 before eventually making the move to the NBA.

For what it’s worth, Marc’s brother Pau Gasol was also said to have a deal in place with Barcelona back in July, but that report was shot down by the team and there have been no updates on Pau since then.

If Marc does elect to head back overseas, it would help simplify the Raptors’ decision-making process in this offseason. The team may not be able to re-sign all of its key free agents, including Gasol, Fred VanVleet, and Serge Ibaka. A Gasol exit would allow the team to focus its efforts on retaining Ibaka in the frontcourt in addition trying to re-sign VanVleet.

And-Ones: Roberts, China, Coronavirus, Gibson

September 30th, 2020 at 1:30pm CST by Luke Adams

NBPA executive director Michele Roberts turned down a seven-figure annual bonus earlier this year, a source tells Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic. As Kaplan explains, Roberts’ total compensation during the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2020 amounted to $1.47MM, down $2.85MM from the year before. Kaplan hears that Roberts’ base salary wasn’t reduced and that the difference was a result of her forgoing a bonus.

Roberts is one of a number of notable basketball executives whose earnings were affected by the coronavirus pandemic. NBA commissioner Adam Silver and about 100 of the league’s top executives accepted pay cuts of 20%, Kaplan notes.

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From the conflict with China to the deaths of Kobe Bryant and David Stern to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2019/20 NBA season has been one of the most turbulent in league history. With the help of a few players, Scott Cacciola of The New York Times takes a look back at a very strange NBA year.
In his own NBA year in review, ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz cites sources who estimate that the league’s potential losses as a result of the China conflict will amount to at least $200MM.
Appearing today on CNBC (video link), Nets owner Joseph Tsai expressed optimism about the NBA’s future, indicating that COVID-19 rapid testing and – eventually – a vaccine will allow fans to eventually return to arenas. “Next season is going to be a little bit tricky, because we don’t anticipate having a lot of fans or having full buildings into the arena anytime soon,” Tsai said. “But guess what? The following season, 2022, 2023, we look for a very nice rebound.”
Former Mavericks and Celtics guard Jonathan Gibson is signing with the Beijing Ducks, a source tells Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Gibson, who appeared in 21 NBA games between 2016-18, spent most of last season with another Chinese team, the Jiangsu Dragons.

And-Ones: Olympics, Playoff Pay, Coronavirus, J. Young

September 28th, 2020 at 8:54pm CST by Luke Adams

With the start and end dates for the 2020/21 NBA season still very much up in the air, USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo is having a hard time planning for next year’s Olympics in Tokyo, as Chris Sheridan of BasketballNews.com writes. Colangelo tells Sheridan that Lakers forward LeBron James and other U.S. stars have conveyed interest in participating in those Olympics, but haven’t been able to commit to anything due to the uncertainty of the schedule.

“I was told the NBA season would start in December, and then it was Christmas, and then after January 1, and that keeps pushing the schedule for me,” Colangelo said. “The NBA season typically takes 170 or 171 days to complete, so that creates a conflict on paper.”

The Tokyo Olympics are scheduled to begin on July 23, with qualifying tournaments for the final four spots in the men’s tournament set to tip off on June 29. If the ’20/21 season runs deep into the summer again, it will compromise the availability of NBA players for Team USA and other countries, but Colangelo remains hopeful that many of those players will be able to participate.

“If the (NBA) season conflicts with the Olympics, I might have 14 non-playoff teams to choose from, but then other players will become available as the NBA playoffs progress,” Colangelo told Sheridan. “The problem is that the ICO has a rule mandating an early submission of a 12-man roster. But with a pandemic, the hope would be that you’ve got to set aside outdated rules. I assume people will be reasonable and come up with some kind of a program that works.”

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The winner of the NBA Finals between the Lakers and Heat will earn $5,791,041 of this year’s league-wide playoff pool money, notes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. The losing team will divvy up a $4,399,686 share.
The NBA, which is hoping to play games in teams’ home arenas during the 2020/21 season, sent a 32-page manual to clubs outlining the cleaning and disinfecting protocols to “reset” those arenas, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Former Pacers guard Joe Young is returning to the Chinese Basketball Association for the 2020/21 season, signing a deal with the Beijing Royal Fighers, as Nicola Lupo of Sportando relays. After spending three seasons in Indiana from 2015-18, Young has played for the Nanjing Monkey King in China for the last two years.

Hasheem Thabeet Signs In Taiwan

September 25th, 2020 at 12:59pm CST by JD Shaw

Former No. 2 overall pick Hasheem Thabeet has signed a contract in Taiwan with the Hsinchu Lioneers, agent Jerry Dianis told Hoops Rumors.

Thabeet, who has made past NBA stops with Memphis, Houston, Portland and Oklahoma City, will head to Taiwan for the first time in his professional career. He garnered interest from multiple teams in Europe and Asia in recent months, ultimately choosing the Lioneers for a larger playing role, Dianis said.

Thabeet, a 7’3″ shot-blocker who spent three seasons at UConn, believes he’s in the best physical and mental shape of his career. The 33-year-old veteran worked out for teams such as the Knicks, Nuggets, Bucks and Warriors as recently as last year.

“It’s an opportunity for him to play and do well on the international stage,” Dianis said. “Hasheem expects to dominate on both ends of the floor and is excited to help the team win. He’s been busting his ass and personnel across the NBA say he’s in great shape. He took this opportunity because he wants to play and show just how much he’s improved.

“Hasheem is an NBA player. He’s an elite shot-blocker because of his unique size, athleticism and insticts. After a dominant performance in Taiwan, he will have a plethora of new opportunities.”

Prior to signing in Taiwan, Thabeet signed a contract in the NBA G League last fall and was drafted in the first round by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pacers’ G League affiliate. The team concentrated on playing a small-ball brand of basketball in the weeks that followed, ultimately leading to Thabeet’s camp asking for a release.

In addition to being an effective rim-protector, Thabeet has improved offensively and is known for his leadership — Nets superstar Kevin Durant has previously stated that Thabeet was one of the best teammates he has ever had. The big man last appeared in an NBA game during the 2013/14 season when both players were with Oklahoma City.

Joining the Lioneers gives Thabeet a chance to prove his worth, with potential opportunities in China and the NBA still on the table down the road. The veteran center carries several years of experience and has played overseas before, holding a past stint in Japan during the 2017/18 season.

Nikola Mirotic Extends Contract With Barcelona

September 25th, 2020 at 10:40am CST by Luke Adams

After forgoing lucrative NBA offers a year ago to return to his home country of Spain, power forward Nikola Mirotic apparently has no regrets about that decision, having opted to extend his contract with Barcelona. The Spanish club announced today that Mirotic has agreed to an extension through the 2024/25 season.

Mirotic, who was expected to receive three- or four-year offers in the range of $45-50MM last July if he had remained stateside, finalized a deal with Barcelona just a day before the NBA’s 2019 free agent period began.

That contract was a three-year pact with a fourth-year option for the 2022/23 season, so even without his latest extension, Mirotic would’ve been under contract in Spain for multiple years to come. His new deal suggests he’s happy in Barcelona and has no intention of returning to the NBA anytime in the next few years — or perhaps ever.

“The club has trusted in me ever since I arrived,” Mirotic said in a statement. “Everyone knows it is never easy to come back from the U.S., but the club has given me everything. They wanted to bring me here, the fans have been good to me, the energy is great and I have often said how surprised I have seen to be so well received.”

After recording 12.3 PPG and 5.9 RPG in 319 games over the course of five NBA seasons in Chicago, New Orleans, and Milwaukee, Mirotic averaged 20.0 PPG and 5.8 RPG in 20 Spanish League games (26.9 MPG) in 2019/20, adding 19.0 PPG and 6.9 RPG in 28 EuroLeague contests (27.8 MPG). He earned Spanish League MVP honors for his performance, an award he previously won in 2013.