NBA G League Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Notes: Dort, Nuggets, Lillard, Jazz

August 14th, 2020 at 10:14am CST by Luke Adams

Thunder wing Luguentz Dort, who suffered a right knee sprain this week, will miss Friday’s regular season finale against the Clippers, according to Royce Young of ESPN (Twitter link). Dort will be listed as day-to-day going forward, so his availability for the start of the postseason next week remains unknown. Oklahoma City’s first-round series vs. Houston gets underway on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, as Young adds, Thunder guard Chris Paul will also miss Friday’s seeding game due to a left hand sprain. That injury isn’t believed to be an issue that will compromise Paul’s postseason availability at all — he’s simply getting a rest before the playoffs get underway.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Will Barton (knee) and Gary Harris (hip) will remain sidelined for the Nuggets‘ final seeding game on Friday, tweets Mike Singer of The Denver Post. There had previously been some optimism that Barton and Harris – who haven’t played yet this summer – might be available for today’s contest. Their playoff availability remains up in the air.
In an appearance on TNT, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (video link) reported that Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard and Clippers forward Paul George touched base to clarify that there were no hard feelings on other side in the wake of their recent war of words.
Following the departure of G League Coach of the Year Martin Schiller, the Salt Lake City Stars – the Jazz’s G League affiliate – have promoted assistant Nathan Peavy to become their new head coach. Andy Larsen and Julie Jag of The Salt Lake Tribune have the story and the details on Peavy’s ascension.
As a result of the seeding games in Orlando, the 2020 first-round pick that the Timberwolves will receive from the Nets will land at No. 17 overall. Minnesota was assured of receiving that lottery-protected pick once Brooklyn clinched its playoff spot.

And-Ones: G League, Bubble, Landale, Munford

August 3rd, 2020 at 5:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA G League’s new Select Team will play in Walnut Creek, California, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). While the squad was always expected to be based out of California, previous reports suggested the Los Angeles area was most likely — Walnut Creek is in the Bay Area.

The Select Team is expected to be made up of a combination of noteworthy prospects and veteran mentors. Five-star recruits Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Daishen Nix, and Isaiah Todd have signed on to be part of the team, as have intriguing international big men Kai Sotto and Princepal Singh.

It remains to be seen which vets might fill out the roster, but Brian Shaw will be the club’s head coach. The Select Team won’t be part of the NBAGL’s traditional regular season schedule, but is expected to play exhibition games against G League teams, as well as against foreign national teams and NBA academies, as the program focuses on helping top prospects prepare for the NBA.

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

It’s too early to declare it a complete success, but the NBA’s “bubble” experiment is off to a great start, as Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press writes. “Seriously, it’s a great stage to play,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “There’s not a lot of distractions. It’s the same court every night, so you get your shooting depth perception and all of that. It’s pure basketball. So, you see some of the talents these guys have are coming out.”
Big man Jock Landale has officially parted ways with Zalgiris Launas, the Lithuanian team announced today in a press release. As the club noted in its announcement, Landale will be seeking an NBA job this fall when free agency opens.
Former Grizzlies and Bucks guard Xavier Munford has joined Turkish team Bursaspor Basketbol, according to the club (Twitter link; hat tip to Sportando). A former Rhode Island standout, Munford has appeared in just 20 NBA games, though he’s a G League veteran, having logged 209 NBAGL appearances, including 43 this past season with the Delaware Blue Coats.

Tom Thibodeau Notes: Butler, G League, Knicks

August 1st, 2020 at 10:24am CST by marksuleymanov

The Knicks officially named Tom Thibodeau the new head coach earlier this week, ending a long search for the next person to hopefully propel New York back into title contention. Thibodeau, a former assistant coach with the Knicks, brings a winning pedigree, evidenced by his strong run as Bulls head coach.

Now that the Knicks’ future is clearer, Thibodeau’s hiring has and will continue to draw analysis and reaction from around the league. Like every coach, Thibodeau has faced his share of criticism while at the head coaching helm with the Bulls and Timberwolves.

Below you can check out some more news and reaction on New York appointing Thibodeau as the one to lead the Knicks into the future.

Heat All-Star Jimmy Butler, who developed from a bench player into the NBA’s elite, is among those most familiar with Thibodeau. Butler, coached by Thibodeau in Chicago and Minnesota, believes his former coach will help the Knicks. “He’s going to do great. He’s going to turn those young guys into some real players; some superstars, some All-Stars,” Butler said to ESPN’s Nick Friedell (Twitter link). “I know he’s been itching for this. I know he’s been preparing for it. When you talk about Thibs and the big stage, I think they go hand in hand.”
One policy change under Thibodeau that could change is how the Knicks utilize the G League, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. During his introductory press conference, Thibodeau said the team would like to have players who are not getting sufficient minutes with the Knicks see more floor time in Westchester with the G League squad. Berman notes that giving underutilized players significant G League minutes was a contentious issue between the former vice president of player development/G-League operations Craig Robinson and GM Scott Perry.
In an earlier post this week, we relayed some other tidbits on Thibodeau’s hiring, particularly hinting at him being open to changing his coaching style to give ample rest.

Pistons To Purchase G League Team From Suns

July 29th, 2020 at 10:20am CST by Arthur Hill

The Pistons have reached an agreement to purchase the Northern Arizona G League franchise from the Suns, tweets Marc J. Spears of The Athletic. An announcement was made this morning by the Pistons, the Suns, and the G League.

The team will be given a new name and is expected to play in an arena currently under construction at Wayne State University, starting in the 2021/22 season. Grand Rapids will continue to serve as the Pistons’ G League affiliate next season, while the Suns will operate the Northern Arizona franchise for another year (Twitter link).

The Drive plan to stay in their current location and remain in the G League as an unaffiliated team, a source tells James Edwards III of The Athletic (Twitter link). The Trail Blazers and Nuggets are the only other NBA teams without a direct G League affiliate, so it’s possible they could emerge as eventual options for the Drive, Edwards adds (Twitter link).

“The Drive remain committed to the city of Grand Rapids and we look forward to our continued future here in West Michigan within the NBA G League,” the Drive stated in a press release (Twitter link from Rod Beard of The Detroit News). “We’ve begun discussions about the future of our affiliation; details of which we hope to have in the coming weeks. Our focus has been, and will continue to be, providing the people of West Michigan with a great professional basketball experience.”

The Pistons’ contract with the G League team expires after next season, and Grand Rapids officials had said they weren’t interested in moving the franchise to Detroit, according to Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link).

Phoenix GM James Jones released a statement on the deal, saying ownership of the Northern Arizona team “does not align with the Phoenix Suns’ strategic plan for player development over the next three-to-five years,” tweets Adam Johnson of 2 Ways and 10 Days. Jones said the G League team will play in Phoenix next season at an undetermined venue before being sold to the Pistons.

Princepal Singh Opts For G League Professional Path

July 28th, 2020 at 9:17am CST by Luke Adams

Princepal Singh, a 6’10” forward from India and a graduate of the NBA Academy, has signed a contract to play in the G League in 2020/21, the NBAGL announced today in a press release. Singh will “train and compete alongside” the new Select Team, according to today’s announcement.

Singh, who joined The NBA Academy India in 2017 and transitioned to the league’s Global Academy in Australia in 2018, will be the first graduate of the program to sign a professional contract and the first to sign with the G League.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer Princepal the opportunity to begin his professional basketball journey in the NBA G League,” NBAGL president Shareef Abdur-Rahim said in a statement. “We’ve long hoped that our development pathway for elite high school players would include roster spots for emerging international talent, including players who have participated in the NBA Academy program, and we’re excited to have Princepal forge this new path and develop his skills in our league.”

Singh, who has a 7’2″ wingspan, is a good athlete with solid offensive versatility, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, who tweets that the youngster was receiving interest from major U.S. college programs. Givony isn’t convinced that Singh is an NBA-caliber player, but the Indian prospect remains focused on making it to the Association, as he told Anirudh Menon of ESPN earlier this year.

As a result of joining the NBAGL professional path, Singh will get the opportunity to train and play alongside top prospects such as Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Daishen Nix, and Isaiah Todd, among others.

NBA G League Players Form Union

July 21st, 2020 at 10:17am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s G League players have organized and formed a union, temporarily named the Basketball Players Union (BPU), the National Basketball Players Association announced in a press release. Shams Charania of The Athletic first reported the news (via Twitter).

According to today’s announcement, approximately 80% of players voted to unionize, and the NBA G League has agreed to voluntarily recognize the BPU as the players’ representative.

The newly-formed union will represent players on all NBA G League teams, including the Select Team that will be launched in 2020/21. However, players on two-way contracts or on NBAGL assignments from NBA rosters will continue to be repped by the NBPA.

“We are extremely pleased that our brothers in the G League elected to form their own union,” said Anthony Tolliver, a member of the NBPA’s executive committee. “The many NBA players with prior experience in the G League can personally attest to the value an organized union brings to players’ careers. We would like to especially thank Andre Ingram and John Holland who gave so much of their personal time to the organizing process.”

G League players earn $35K per season and don’t have anywhere near the same number of benefits enjoyed by NBA players. Now that they’re unionized, the BPU will have the opportunity to collective bargain salaries, benefits, and other working conditions with the NBAGL, so those negotiations will be worth keeping an eye on.

Jonathan Kuminga Opts For G League Professional Path

July 15th, 2020 at 8:52pm CST by Luke Adams

8:52pm: Kuminga’s deal is expected to be in the $500K range, tweets Charania.

8:35pm: 17-year-old forward Jonathan Kuminga has decided to forgo college and will take the NBA G League professional path for the 2020/21 season, reports Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com (Twitter link). Kuminga confirmed the decision to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Kuminga is one of the top prospects in the 2020 recruiting class, ranking fourth overall on ESPN’s list, — he also comes in at No. 4 on ESPN’s early 2021 mock draft. He becomes the fifth notable prospect to opt to join the G League’s new Select Team — No. 1 recruit Jalen Green will also be part of that squad, as will Daishen Nix, Isaiah Todd, and Kai Sotto.

The 6’8″ Kuminga announced on social media last week that he would reveal his decision this Thursday, but ended up doing so a day early.

A native of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kuminga attended The Patrick School in Elizabeth, N.J. He had narrowed his college options to Auburn, Duke, Kentucky and Texas Tech, but was always considered a good bet to go the G League route. He’ll be eligible to enter the draft as early as 2021.

Jonathan Kuminga Going G League Route?

July 10th, 2020 at 8:37pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The top-rated prospect in the Class of 2020, Jalen Green, passed on college opportunities to join the G League. Two other highly-regarded prospects made the same commitment, as did one from overseas.

Now, Jonathan Kuminga — ranked No. 4 in his class by ESPN — may join them, Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com tweets. All signs point to Kuminga joining the G League’s new Select Team and receiving as much as $500K, according to Zagoria.

The 6’8” Kuminga announced on social media he would reveal his decision on Thursday. A native of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kuminga attended The Patrick School in Elizabeth, N.J. He narrowed his college options to Auburn, Duke, Kentucky and Texas Tech.

Kuminga is currently training in Miami, Zagoria continues, and was recently seen playing pickup ball with Michael Beasley, who just signed with the Nets as a substitute player, as well as another of the prospects headed to the G League, Isaiah Todd.

Todd is ranked No. 15 by ESPN while the other prep player who went the G League route, guard Daishen Nix, is rated No. 21. Kai Sotto, a 7’2″ center from the Philippines, is also committed to the Select Team.

Hawks Name Tori Miller GM Of G League Team

July 9th, 2020 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have promoted Tori Miller to the role of general manager of the College Park Skyhawks, the team announced today in a press release. The move makes Miller the first woman to ever hold the title of GM in NBA G League history.

Miller, a native of Decatur, Georgia, began her career as a basketball operations intern with the Suns. She eventually joined Atlanta’s G League affiliate – then the Erie BayHawks – as the club’s manager of basketball operations before being named the Skyhawks’ assistant GM in July 2019.

Chris Kirschner of The Athletic published a profile of Miller shortly after last summer’s promotion, noting that her goal is to eventually become the general manager of an NBA team.

“I want to create that path,” Miller told The Athletic at the time. “I want to be the one person where others say, ‘Hey, Tori Miller did it. I want to do it as well.'”

In addition to Miller’s promotion, the Hawks and Skyhawks announced a handful of other promotions and hires. Notably, former Skyhawks GM Derek Pierce will remain in the organization and will continue to oversee Atlanta’s scouting department as the Hawks’ VP of player personnel.

Atlanta also promoted Dwight Lutz to senior director of basketball strategy and analytics and Zac Walsh to director of team operations, among other moves.

NBA G League Announces 2019/20 All-NBAGL Teams

June 26th, 2020 at 12:45pm CST by Luke Adams

After being named the G League’s Most Valuable Player on Thursday, Wisconsin Herd guard Frank Mason III – who is on a two-way contract with the Bucks – headlines the All-NBA G League First Team, as the league announced today in a press release.

Mason was joined on the All-NBAGL first team by teammate Jaylen Adams, as well as Salt Lake City Stars forward Jarrell Brantley, South Bay Lakers big man Devontae Cacok, and Memphis Hustle forward Jarrod Uthoff. Mason, Brantley, and Cacok are currently on two-way contracts with NBA teams.

That’s a common theme for this year’s All-NBAGL teams. The majority of the 15 players named to the three squads are either currently on two-way contracts or have had NBA experience in the past.

The complete list of the 2019/20 All-NBA G League teams, along with the All-Rookie and All-Defensive squads, is below. Players currently on two-way contracts are noted with a caret (^).

All-NBAGL First Team:

Jaylen Adams (Wisconsin Herd)
Jarrell Brantley (Salt Lake City Stars) ^
Devontae Cacok (South Bay Lakers) ^
Frank Mason III (Wisconsin Herd) ^
Jarrod Uthoff (Memphis Hustle)

All-NBAGL Second Team:

Donta Hall (Grand Rapids Drive)
B.J. Johnson (Lakeland Magic) ^
Josh Magette (Lakeland Magic)
Johnathan Motley (Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario) ^
Tremont Waters (Maine Red Claws) ^

All-NBAGL Third Team:

Justin Anderson (Long Island Nets)
Dusty Hannahs (Memphis Hustle)
Jemerrio Jones (Wisconsin Herd)
Vic Law (Lakeland Magic) ^
Marial Shayok (Delaware Blue Coats) ^

NBAGL All-Rookie Team:

Jarrell Brantley (Salt Lake City Stars) ^
Devontae Cacok (South Bay Lakers) ^
Donta Hall (Grand Rapids Drive)
Marial Shayok (Delaware Blue Coats) ^
Tremont Waters (Maine Red Claws) ^

NBAGL All-Defensive Team:

Tacko Fall (Maine Red Claws) ^
Tra-Deon Hollins (Grand Rapids Drive)
Christ Koumadje (Delaware Blue Coats)
Sir’Dominic Pointer (Canton Charge)
Kenny Wooten (Westchester Knicks) ^

Of the 20 players who earned a spot on one of the G League’s All-NBAGL or All-Defensive teams this year, only four – Adams, Jones, Koumadje, and Hollins – haven’t been on some form of standard, two-way, or 10-day NBA contract since the ’19/20 season began.

Adams and Jones have previous NBA experience, while Koumadje and Hollins have yet to make their regular-season NBA debuts.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.