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Ja’Kobe Walter Declares For NBA Draft

April 15th, 2024 at 10:09am CST by Arthur Hill

Baylor guard Ja’Kobe Walter has decided to enter the 2024 NBA draft, announcing his intentions in an interview with Shams Charania of The Athletic (video link).

“After praying and just talking to my family about it, I’ve just decided that I’m going to declare for the 2024 NBA draft,” Walter said. “My reasoning for that, all my life I’ve been working super hard and this has always been a goal of mine. … I’m pretty proud of how I did this past season, and I’m just confident, so after just talking, that’s what I decided to do.”

The 6’5″ Walter was one of the top recruits in the nation heading into college. He made an immediate impact with the Bears as a freshman, starting all 35 games he played and averaging 14.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting 37.6% from the field and 34.1% from three-point range. He was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year and earned third-team all-conference honors.

Walter is viewed as a potential lottery pick heading into the early stages of the draft process. ESPN has him listed at No. 12 on its list of the top 100 prospects, stating that his explosive scoring combined with his defensive prowess could make him a valuable pickup.

“The biggest thing I want (NBA teams) to know is that I’m a competitor offensively and defensively,” Walter told Charania. “I’m going to give everything I’ve got. Unselfish player, if I’ve got to just rebound and crash the glass and dive on the floor to win, then I’m going to do that to win, but I think there’s a lot more to my game, especially my shooting. I think I’m the best shooter in the draft, and these past few weeks I’ve been working on my shooting more. Just a very elite shooter who can space the floor, and my handle is getting better so I’m going to be able to create my own shots off the dribble and get to my mid-range.”

Ott, Stackhouse, Ivey To Interview For Hornets Job

April 14th, 2024 at 8:13pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Hornets have added Lakers assistant Jordan Ott and former Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse to their list of head coaching candidates, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Ott has been with the Lakers since Darvin Ham brought him in as an assistant in September 2022. He was previously on the Nets’ staff.

Stackhouse was hired by the Commodores in 2019 and fired last month. The former All-Star guard has also been an assistant with the Raptors and Grizzlies and was also the head coach of the G League 905 Raptors.

Rockets assistant Royal Ivey will also be interviewed, according to the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen. Ivey was also a Nets assistant for three seasons before joining coach Ime Udoka with the Rockets this season. Ivey has also been an assistant with the Thunder and Knicks.

Denver’s David Adelman, Boston’s Charles Lee, Sacramento’s Jordi Fernandez, the Clippers’ Jay Larranaga, Phoenix’s Kevin Young and Kings G League coach Lindsey Harding have also been identified as candidates to be interviewed for Charlotte’s position. Steve Clifford announced prior to the end of the season that he’d be stepping down.

NBA’s Play-In Field, Top-Six Playoff Seeds Set

April 14th, 2024 at 5:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA wrapped up its 2023/24 regular season on Sunday, and the teams and seeds for this year’s play-in tournament have been set.

Boston secured the top seed in the Eastern Conference and home court advantage throughout the playoffs early this month. The top seed for the Western Conference playoffs went down to the wire, with upstart Oklahoma City securing that status on Sunday afternoon.

Here are the play-in matchups:

Eastern Conference

Wednesday, April 17

Game 1: Miami Heat (8) at Philadelphia 76ers (7), 7:00 pm ET
- Winner secures No. 7 seed; loser plays on Friday.

Game 2: Atlanta Hawks (10) at Chicago Bulls (9), 9:30 pm ET
- Winner plays on Friday; loser is eliminated.

Friday, April 19

Winner of Game 2 at Loser of Game 1, TBD
- Winner secures No. 8 seed; loser is eliminated.

Western Conference

Tuesday, April 16

Game 1: Los Angeles Lakers (8) at New Orleans Pelicans (7), 7:30 pm ET
- Winner secures No. 7 seed; loser plays on Friday.

Game 2: Golden State Warriors (10) at Sacramento Kings (9), 10:00 pm ET
- Winner plays on Friday; loser is eliminated.

Friday, April 19

Winner of Game 2 at Loser of Game 1, TBD
- Winner secures No. 8 seed; loser is eliminated.

Once the Nos. 7 and 8 seeds in each conference are set later this week, the eight first-round matchups will be finalized. Those first-round series will tip off on April 20 and 21.

Here are the top six seeds in each conference, along with the matchups that are locked in so far (and Game 1 info, per the NBA):

Eastern Conference

Boston Celtics (1) vs. No. 8 seed (play-in) ^
New York Knicks (2) vs. No. 7 seed (play-in) *
Milwaukee Bucks (3) vs. Indiana Pacers (6) ^
Cleveland Cavaliers (4) vs. Orlando Magic (5) *

* Series begins on April 20.
^ Series begins on April 21.

Western Conference

Oklahoma City Thunder (1) vs. No. 8 seed (play-in) ^
Denver Nuggets (2) vs. No. 7 seed (play-in) *
Minnesota Timberwolves (3) vs. Phoenix Suns (6) *
Los Angeles Clippers (4) vs. Dallas Mavericks (5) ^

* Series begins on April 20.
^ Series begins on April 21.

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Eastern Conference’s Top Six, Play-In Tournament Set For 2024

April 14th, 2024 at 3:23pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

It came down to a blown DeMar DeRozan overtime buzzer beater attempt, but the Knicks finally clinched the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed by winning a nationally broadcast ESPN clash against the Bulls this afternoon.

Earlier in the day, several other East playoff and play-in clubs wrapped up their 2023/24 regular seasons, thus cementing the conference’s top 10 heading into the postseason. Six teams won between 47 and 50 games, with three clubs sporting identical 47-35 records.

Obviously the Nos. 7 and 8 seeds will be determined by the play-in tournament, which will tip off mid-week. That will thus dictate the 1-8 and 2-7 matchups of the first round.

Here is the finalized order of the Eastern Conference’s top 10 for the 2024 postseason:

Boston Celtics (64-18)
New York Knicks (50-32)
Milwaukee Bucks (49-33)
Cleveland Cavaliers (48-34)
Orlando Magic (47-35)
Indiana Pacers (47-35)
Philadelphia 76ers (47-35)
Miami Heat (46-36)
Chicago Bulls (39-43)
Atlanta Hawks (36-46)

Two matchups are now locked in, while two are yet to be determined.

The No. 3 Bucks will square off against the No. 6 Pacers. Indiana owns a 4-1 season record against Milwaukee (they faced off during the semifinals of this year’s inaugural in-season tournament). Milwaukee’s two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out the team’s final three games of the regular season due to a left calf strain, and his status for the beginning of the playoffs is unclear.

The No. 4 Cavaliers will play the No. 5 Orlando Magic. Those two teams have split their season series, 2-2.

Per the NBA, here is the breakdown of this year’s Eastern Conference play-in tournament schedule, slated to start this Wednesday, April 17 via ESPN:

No. 7 Philadelphia will host No. 8 Miami at 6 p.m. CT. The victor will advance as the No. 7 seed to play the Knicks, who will be without All-Star power forward Julius Randle for the duration of the playoffs.
No. 9 Chicago will host No. 10 Atlanta at 8:30 p.m. CT. The winner will advance to play whichever team loses the 7-8 matchup.
The loser of the Sixers/Heat matchup will host the winner of Bulls/Hawks on Friday, April 19. That contest’s winner will move on to play the Celtics as the East’s No. 8 seed.

The first round of the playoffs will officially tip off on Saturday, April 20.

Clippers Sign Kai Jones, Waive Josh Primo

April 14th, 2024 at 1:00pm CST by Tristan Tucker

APRIL 14: The Clippers have officially waived Primo and signed Jones.

APRIL 13: The Clippers are signing center/forward Kai Jones to a multiyear contract, adding him to their playoff roster, per Shams Charania and Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link). Jones recently completed a 10-day contract with the Sixers.

In order to make space on the roster for Jones, the Clippers are waiving Joshua Primo (Twitter link).

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ohm Youngmisuk, Primo suffered a season-ending ankle injury that’s expected to sideline him through the summer (Twitter links). Primo’s agent Todd Ramasar describes the injury as a stress fracture in the navicular bone of the left ankle.

Jones, the 19th overall pick in the 2021 draft, played two seasons for the Hornets, averaging 2.7 points in 67 games. He signed with the Sixers on a 10-day deal but didn’t appear in a game for them. He has been more productive in the G League over the course of his career, averaging 16.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 48 career regular season and Showcase Cup G League games.

Jones made a series of unusual social media posts before this season. A report ahead of training camp indicated that the big man wouldn’t be reporting to the Hornets for personal reasons. He subsequently requested a trade and then was waived by the club shortly thereafter.

The Clippers previously brought Jones in for a visit in November.

Primo was the 12th overall pick by the Spurs in 2021. He appeared in two games with the Clippers this season after they signed following him being waived by San Antonio last year for engaging in “inappropriate and offensive behavior by exposing himself to women.” The NBA imposed a four-game suspension in response to Primo’s behavior, which allegedly included multiple incidents with a long-time sports psychologist who worked for the Spurs during his time with the organization.

As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, the Clippers will carry $1MM in dead money for Primo next season, since his 2024/25 salary was partially guaranteed.

Warriors Convert Usman Garuba To Standard Contract

April 14th, 2024 at 11:52am CST by Tristan Tucker

APRIL 14: The Warriors have officially converted Garbua to a standard deal, per a press statement (Twitter link).

APRIL 13: The Warriors intend to convert two-way big man Usman Garuba to a standard NBA contract for the rest of the season, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). The Warriors had an open roster spot to fill and are thus making Garuba eligible for the playoffs by promoting him.

The 23rd overall pick in the 2021 draft by the Rockets, Garuba played two seasons in Houston before being traded in the five-team deal that brought Dillon Brooks to the Rockets. He was then re-routed again from Atlanta to the Thunder, who waived him prior to the season.

Garuba, touted as a strong defender, has barely played for the Warriors this season after signing his two-way deal. In five games and just 12 minutes, he has totaled two points and three rebounds this year.

Still just 22 years old, Garuba has been more productive in the G League. This season with Santa Cruz, he averaged 12.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.4 blocks in 35 regular season and Showcase Cup games.

Across his three seasons in the NBA, Garuba holds averages of 2.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in 104 games (three starts).

The Warriors will have a full 15-man roster after signing Garuba to his standard deal. Golden State also has two players, Jerome Robinson and Pat Spencer, on two-way contracts. Because the deadline to sign two-way players passed in March, the Warriors aren’t eligible to sign another two-way player this year. Players on two-way contracts aren’t eligible to suit up in the postseason.

Raptors Re-Sign Malik Williams For End Of Season

April 13th, 2024 at 7:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

After his 10-day contract expired on Friday, Malik Williams has signed with the Raptors for the rest of the season, tweets Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca. The new deal only covers Sunday’s game and doesn’t extend to 2024/25, Murphy adds.

Williams appeared in six games and made two starts for Toronto during his first 10 days with the team. He averaged 2.2 points and 5.7 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per night while shooting 22% from the field. His best game was Wednesday against Brooklyn when he scored seven points and collected 14 boards in 24 minutes of action.

The 25-year-old center is playing in the NBA for the first time after going undrafted out of Louisville in 2022. He played one season in Poland before joining Miami’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, for the start of this season. He averaged 10.1 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 42 Showcase Cup and NBAGL regular season games with Sioux Falls.

Williams’ future with the organization is uncertain after the Raptors close the season tomorrow at Miami. The new contract suggests he made a positive impression on the front office, so he could be part of Toronto’s Summer League team in Las Vegas.

Pistons Sign Jaylen Nowell To Second Hardship Deal

April 13th, 2024 at 5:17pm CST by Luke Adams

APRIL 13: Nowell’s signing is official, the Pistons announced in a press release.

APRIL 12: The Pistons will re-sign Jaylen Nowell to a second hardship contract following the expiration of his first 10-day deal, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Nowell’s initial contract will expire after Friday’s game, so Detroit figures to re-sign Nowell on either Saturday or Sunday in advance of Sunday’s regular season finale. Since it will be completed using a hardship exception, the deal will technically be considered a 10-day contact, but it will expire immediately after Sunday’s game.

A 24-year-old shooting guard who spent his first four NBA seasons with the Timberwolves from 2019-23, Nowell was on a pair of 10-day contracts with the Grizzlies earlier in the season, but has spent most of the year out of the NBA. He has performed well for the Pistons since signing with the team last week, however, averaging 8.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in 16.7 minutes per game and making 57.9% of his field goal attempts across three appearances off the bench.

The Pistons qualified for a hardship exception because they have four players (Isaiah Stewart, Ausar Thompson, Quentin Grimes, and Stanley Umude) who are out for the season. That allows them to carry an extra player beyond the 15 on their standard roster, but they won’t have any form of Bird rights on Nowell this offseason as long as he’s signed to a hardship contract and not a standard deal.

Matt Ryan Gets Standard Contract From Pelicans

April 13th, 2024 at 4:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pelicans have converted Matt Ryan‘s two-way contract to a standard deal, the team announced (via Twitter).

No details were provided on whether Ryan’s new contract will extend beyond the rest of this season, but the signing makes him eligible for postseason play. New Orleans had been carrying an open roster spot, so no corresponding move was necessary.

The 26-year-old forward has appeared in 27 games in his first season with the Pelicans, averaging 5.6 points and 1.5 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per night while shooting 43.4% from the field and 45.1% from three-point range. He underwent elbow surgery in December that sidelined him for a significant part of the season.

New Orleans claimed Ryan off waivers in October, inheriting the two-way contract he signed with Minnesota shortly before the start of training camp. He also had brief stints with the Celtics and Lakers earlier in his career.

The move leaves the Pelicans with a full 15-man roster, along with Dereon Seabron and Malcolm Hill as two-way players. The deadline for signing two-way contracts was in March, so New Orleans won’t be able to fill Ryan’s spot.

Budenholzer, Fernandez, Young Finalists For Nets’ Coaching Job

April 13th, 2024 at 1:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Mike Budenholzer, Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez, and Suns assistant Kevin Young are finalists for the Nets‘ head coaching job, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The Nets, who parted ways with Jacque Vaughn in February and replaced him with interim head coach Kevin Ollie, opted not to wait for the end of the season to begin their head coaching search. NetsDaily reported earlier today (Twitter link) that Brooklyn’s search process has been ongoing for more than a month and is believed to have been “extensive,” which Charania confirms.

According to Charania, Ollie received consideration for the permanent job, as did several other outside candidates, including Heat assistant Chris Quinn and Pelicans assistant James Borrego.

However, the franchise appears to have zeroed in on Budenholzer, Fernandez, and Young as its finalists. Sources tell The Athletic that team owner Joe Tsai will hold in-person meetings with all three candidates, with a final decision to be made sometime in the not-too-distant future.

A two-time Coach of the Year, Budenholzer compiled a 484-317 (.604) regular season record across 10 seasons as an NBA head coach from 2013-23 — five in Atlanta and five in Milwaukee. He also owns a 56-48 (.538) overall postseason record and won a championship with the Bucks in 2021. Budenholzer was an assistant in San Antonio when Nets general manager Sean Marks joined the Spurs’ front office in 2012.

Fernandez, who technically holds the title of associate head coach on Mike Brown‘s staff in Sacramento, served as an assistant in Denver from 2016-22 before making the move to the Kings. He has long been considered a future NBA head coach and led the Canadian national team to a bronze medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. He’ll coach the Canadians at this summer’s Olympics in Paris.

Young is another veteran assistant who has been promoted to associate head coach and has received NBA head coaching consideration in recent years. He reportedly interviewed with the Rockets, Bucks, Raptors, and Suns a year ago. Young was an assistant with the Sixers from 2016-20 before spending the last four seasons in Phoenix.

The Nets are one of three teams in the market for a permanent head coach, along with the Hornets and Wizards.