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Olympic Notes: Ivey, Deng, Embiid, Fernandez

August 3rd, 2024 at 8:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

South Sudan’s remarkable run to the Olympics ended Saturday with a loss to Serbia, but the small nation plans to be a power on the international basketball scene for years to come, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. South Sudan gained its independence 11 years ago and didn’t participate in its first AfroBasket tournament until 2021. It earned a spot in last year’s FIBA World Cup, where it qualified for the Olympics by finishing 17th, the highest of any African country.

The most significant names in building South Sudanese basketball are former NBA players Luol Deng, who financed and oversaw the creation of the team, and Royal Ivey, who serves as head coach. Ivey, an assistant with the Rockets, compares the experience, which included a victory over Puerto Rico in the team’s Olympic debut, to being in a movie.

“A lot of hard work, togetherness, commitment from the president to bring these guys together,” he said. “There were a lot of years where we weren’t productive. [Three] years ago, we were at AfroBasket. I didn’t have the same amount of talent. I was able to conjugate all this talent and now we’re rolling. We’ve got a style of play and it’s been fun.”

Ivey admits that building a competitive program hasn’t been easy given the limitations in South Sudan. There are no indoor basketball courts in the country, so his team had to train in Rwanda, which meant long plane rides and flight delays, but the experience brought the team closer.

“These guys are brothers. It’s a band of brothers,” Ivey said. “It’s a togetherness. They play cards together. They play dominoes together. We eat together. It’s communal. Guys love each other. When guys are doing wrong, we hold guys accountable. That’s what real team is. And that’s what real family is. That’s what family looks like, South Sudan.”

There’s more from Paris:

Deng was incensed after Saturday’s loss, pointing to a disparity in foul calls that resulted in a 31-6 free throw advantage for Serbia, relays Sam Amick of The Athletic. Deng also objected to the fact that there’s only one referee from Africa among the Olympics’ 30-person officiating crew. “I don’t know why there (are) no African referees in the Olympics,” he said. “It’s 2024. I don’t know what’s the reason for that. You can say whatever you want to say, but if we’re representing the continent then we’ve got to be representing it fully.”
Joel Embiid has been getting booed throughout the Olympics because he opted to play for Team USA rather than France, but he explained to reporters, including Joe Vardon of The Athletic, that familiarity with his American teammates played an important role in his choice. “It was a tough decision, but it is all about comfort level, and like I said, I’ve known these guys (Team USA players) for a long time and I just felt more comfortable than on the other side (France),” Embiid said. “There was some concern with the other side. Comfort level was huge. I always say I’m going to be where I’m wanted and these guys wanted me.”
Canadian head coach Jordi Fernandez talked to Marc J. Spears of Andscape about the experience of trying to bring the country its first Olympic basketball medal. “The support has been unbelievable and these guys deserve it,” Fernandez said. “The program needs it. All I can say is thanks because we’ve been very supported by the country. And basketball now is one of the fastest growing pro sports in Canada.”

Heat Notes: Adebayo, Olympics, Butler, Morris

August 3rd, 2024 at 6:32pm CST by Arthur Hill

The three-year max extension that Bam Adebayo signed last month signals that it’s time for him to take over as the face of the Heat, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. At 27, Adebayo represents the future of the franchise, Winderman adds, which means personnel decisions should be made based on what’s best for him rather than Jimmy Butler.

Butler will turn 35 soon and his days in Miami may be numbered, regardless of whether he chooses to pick up his $52.4MM player option for the 2025/26 season. The Heat have explored trade possibilities involving Butler, and they may be ready to focus on a younger team built around Adebayo after years of short-term veteran additions.

Winderman observes that Adebayo and Butler have rarely exhibited much chemistry, as it often seemed they were “competing for the same spots on the court.” He also points out that although Kyle Lowry was brought in on Butler’s behalf, Adebayo seemed to benefit more from having an experienced point guard running the offense. This year’s Olympics have provided more evidence of what Adebayo can do when he’s surrounded by high-level talent, Winderman adds.

There’s more from Miami:

Adebayo is displaying his versatility for Team USA, per Walter Villa of The Miami Herald, with NBC broadcaster and former Heat star Dwyane Wade noting that Adebayo is filling the same role that he did during the 2008 Games. “I got an early text from (Miami head coach and Team USA assistant Eric Spoelstra) and, for me, ‘early’ was about 11 a.m.,” Wade said during Saturday’s game. “Spo said Bam’s role on this team is similar to mine in (2008, when USA won gold). You are coming in off the bench, and your role can change every night. That’s how valuable Bam has been, playing his role very well.”
It’s unlikely that Butler will be traded before the start of the season, Winderman states in a mailbag column. He adds that the team would have needed to pursue a Butler deal around the draft or the start of free agency if it was serious about unloading him. There probably won’t be any movement on a Butler trade until at least December 15, when most free agents who signed this summer become eligible to be dealt, and nothing may happen until closer to the February 6 trade deadline.
Despite rumors of interest in Marcus Morris, the Heat are likely done with significant transactions for the offseason, Winderman adds in the same piece. The only exception may be if they can get a rotation player at the veteran’s minimum.

Olympic Men’s Basketball Quarterfinal Matchups Set

August 3rd, 2024 at 5:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

With Olympic pool play now complete, the men’s basketball quarterfinal matchups have been determined. All four games will take place Tuesday, and the competition will be single-elimination from now on.

Germany will face Greece at 5 a.m. Eastern time, followed by Serbia vs. Australia at 8:30 a.m., France vs. Canada at noon and the U.S. vs. Brazil at 3:30 p.m. The Germany-Greece winner will face the France-Canada winner in one semifinal, with the Serbia-Australia winner taking on the U.S.-Brazil winner in the other.

It’s the best possible draw for Team USA, which clinched the top seed with a 21-point win over Puerto Rico earlier today. The Americans, who were 3-0 in Group C, won’t have to face the unbeaten Germans or Canadians or the host French until the gold medal game.

They’ll start with a Brazilian team that went 1-2 in Group B, with its only win coming against Japan. Vitor Benite is Brazil’s leading scorer in the Olympics at 14.3 PPG, while Bruno Caboclo leads in rebounds at 7.3 per game and Yago Santos is tops in assists at 6.0 per game.

Germany breezed through the competition in Group B, compiling a +47 point differential that was second only to Team USA. Led by Dennis Schröder, Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner, the reigning FIBA world champions are trying to cement their place as an international basketball power. To advance, they’ll have to get by a Greek team led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has been dominant in the Olympics, averaging 27.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists in three games.

Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic leads Serbia, which went 2-1 in Group C and lost only to the United States. Jock Landale has been Australia’s top player so far, averaging 17.7 points and 9.7 rebounds, but the Boomers feature a roster loaded with NBA talent such as Josh Giddey, Dyson Daniels, Dante Exum and Patty Mills.

Canada, which is trying to win its first-ever Olympic basketball medal, also has a roster packed with NBA players. RJ Barrett (21.0 PPG), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (19.0) and Dillon Brooks (14.3) have been the leading scorers as they swept through Group A, which was billed as the toughest grouping. The host French have been mildly disappointing, even at 2-1, but they’ll have a chance to exploit the size of Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert against the smaller Canadian team.

Olympic Notes: Holiday, Germany, Canada, Daniels

August 3rd, 2024 at 2:24pm CST by Luke Adams

With its win on Saturday over Puerto Rico, Team USA clinched the top seed entering the quarterfinals of the men’s basketball tournament at the Olympics and will face Brazil in the first game of the single-elimination portion of the event on Tuesday.

According to head coach Steve Kerr, Jrue Holiday will be ready to go on Tuesday after not playing against Puerto Rico on Saturday, tweets Marc J. Spears of Andscape. Holiday was ruled out due to an ankle injury, but it sounds like the issue is relatively minor.

At least one or two stars on the U.S. roster were DNP-CDs in each of the club’s first two games, so not having Holiday active allowed all 11 other players to see the floor on Saturday. Anthony Edwards led the way with a team-high 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting, while five other Americans scored in the double-digits.

Here are a few more Olympic notes:

While they’ve been somewhat overshadowed at the Olympics by teams with more NBA players or more recognizable stars, the Germans are the reigning World Cup champs and went undefeated in their three pool-play games, with a point differential (+47) that ranks second behind Team USA. Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com lays out the reasons why Germany remains a serious medal threat, starting with rising star Franz Wagner.
Canada faced a tough lineup of games in pool play, but after registering wins over Australia, Spain, and Greece, head coach Jordi Fernandez believes those challenging first-round matchups better equipped his team for what’s to come. “We’ve played with a Game 7 mentality because we played the toughest pool in the Olympics,” Fernandez said. “We’re more prepared than other teams who probably had big leads. We haven’t had those big leads, and even at times when we had them, these teams were so competitive that came back. I like where we’re at. This ‘group of death’ will help us be more prepared for the quarterfinals.”
Australia went just 1-2 in the so-called group of death, but their point differential was strong enough to earn them a spot in the quarterfinals. Olgun Uluc of ESPN shares his takeaways from the Boomers’ performance through three games and considers what areas they’ll need to improve to have a shot at a medal. On the plus side, Dyson Daniels has been a revelation so far this summer, Uluc writes — in addition to handling the most challenging defensive assignment on the perimeter, the Hawks guard has averaged 11.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game with a .417 3PT%.

NBA, FIBA Have Discussed Idea Of New League Or Tournament In Europe

August 3rd, 2024 at 1:22pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has ramped up talks with FIBA and has considered the idea of launching a new league or annual tournament in Europe, commissioner Adam Silver confirmed in a conversation with Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

While the discussions between the NBA and FIBA aren’t new, Silver referred to them as “much more serious” than they’ve been in the past, according to Reynolds, who notes that the league may feel the time is right to take advantage of the sport’s popularity in Europe. The level of European basketball star power has never been higher than it is right now and the NBA recently finalized a media rights deal that will run through 2036, opening the door for the league office to focus on new endeavors.

“We certainly haven’t made any definitive decisions,” Silver said from the Olympics in France. “I continue to believe there’s enormous opportunity here. It’s not something where we’ll transform a league structure in the short term. But I think that there’s an appetite among our team owners for additional investment in global basketball. We have a huge initiative in China. We have a huge initiative in Africa. Given the quality of the basketball here in Europe, it would seem to make sense that we should be doing something here as well.”

According to Reynolds, Silver said he has no preference on whether to pursue the establishment of a league or a tournament in Europe. For now, he and deputy commissioner Mark Tatum are using their trip overseas as an opportunity to get feedback from FIBA officials, league executives, and other stakeholders about the NBA’s potential options.

“We want to make sure we have a true grasp of the opportunity,” Silver said. “We’ll take the time we need to before we decide to move forward on any initiative.”

As Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic writes, many existing European teams compete separately in domestic and international leagues, so a new international league run by the NBA could give teams across the continent additional options beyond established competitions like the EuroLeague and EuroCup.

According to Vorkunov, many top European basketball clubs lose money or at least don’t turn a significant profit, so there’s a sense that an NBA-run league could provide an “improved economic structure.” However, there’s also concern that the quality of the product could suffer as a result — with no salary cap currently in place in the EuroLeague, some teams are in the red because they’re spending aggressively in pursuit of championships.

“The fear has always been if the NBA comes in, it’s going to be what the NBA is in the States: it’s business and it’s entertainment, and then it’s sports,” one EuroLeague source told Vorkunov.

As Vorkunov observes, the NBA has shown with its Basketball Africa League that it’s capable of effectively organizing and maintaining an international competition that incorporates teams from several countries and operates separately from those teams’ domestic leagues.

“No one was waiting for the NBA to come in but at this point, there’s a certain need to structure the markets and the competitions in a certain way,” a EuroLeague team president said to Vorkunov. “There is one brand that has proven they can do that.”

According to Reynolds, Silver stressed that if the NBA were to launch a league in Europe, the goal wouldn’t be to replace the EuroLeague or other top competitions.

“We certainly don’t want to do damage to the strong bones of the basketball infrastructure that are in place,” Silver said. “On the other hand, in terms of regional and pan-regional competition here in Europe, it would be my sense — and again, I’m still studying — that lots of investors are losing significant amounts of money every year. And while this isn’t just about money, most things that continue to lose money without a trajectory towards profitability ultimately do not survive. And so, whatever we do here, I think it’s important that it’s additive to the European basketball structure.”

Cole Swider Agrees To One-Year Contract With Pacers

August 3rd, 2024 at 11:16am CST by Dana Gauruder

Cole Swider has agreed to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract with the Pacers, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

Swider played on a two-way contract with the Heat last season. He became an unrestricted free agent when Miami withdrew its two-way qualifying offer.

Despite that, Swider was a member of the Heat’s Summer League squad. The 6’9” forward played well in the Heat’s run to a Las Vegas title, averaging 13.5 points while shooting 49.1% on 3-point attempts.

The Heat filled their two-way slots with three other players and don’t want to add another player to the official roster during the offseason due to second tax apron restrictions.

Swider, who played seven games with the Lakers in 2022/23, saw action in 18 Heat games last season.

His stints were mostly cameos but he saw extensive action in the G League. He impressed with his long-distance marksmanship, averaging 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists on .485/.471/.846 shooting in 21 Showcase Cup and regular season contests for the Sioux Falls Skyforce (38.3 MPG).

The addition of Swider will give the Pacers 18 players on the roster, including 16 on standard contracts, though four of those deals are partially or non-guaranteed. They have two players signed to two-way deals.

Additionally, the Pacers have an unsigned draft pick in Enrique Freeman as well as restricted free agent Oscar Tshiebwe, who was on a two-way deal last season. Josiah-Jordan James and Keisei Tominaga are also expected to sign Exhibit 10 contracts.

Mavericks Sign Spencer Dinwiddie To One-Year Deal

August 3rd, 2024 at 10:07am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks have officially signed veteran point guard Spencer Dinwiddie to a one-year contract, according to a team press release. The agreement was previously reported on July 22.

“We welcome having Spencer back with us in Dallas,” Mavericks GM Nico Harrison said in a statement. “Spencer is an experienced teammate, who understands what we are trying to accomplish. His energy, versatility, and playmaking from the guard position adds invaluable depth to our roster and leaves us well positioned going into next season.”

The terms of the Mavs’ agreement with Dinwiddie have yet to be reported. While Dallas could technically offer more than the veteran’s minimum using the mid-level or bi-annual exception, the team doesn’t have a ton of wiggle room below the first tax apron, so a minimum-salary deal seems more likely.

Dinwiddie, 31, was previously a Maverick from 2022-23 for almost exactly one year. He was traded from Washington to Dallas at the trade deadline in February 2022 as part of the return for Kristaps Porzingis, then was sent to Brooklyn at the 2023 deadline as part of the package for Kyrie Irving.

Dinwiddie played well during his first stint in Dallas, averaging 17.1 points, 4.9 assists, and 3.1 rebounds in 32.3 minutes per game across 76 outings (60 starts). He posted a shooting line of .466/.404/.788 during that time — those field goal and three-point percentages are well above his career marks.

The veteran guard was less effective in 2023/24 across 76 appearances (52 starts) for the Nets and Lakers, posting averages of 10.5 PPG, 4.7 APG, and 2.7 RPG in 28.3 MPG while shooting .392/.337/.805.

The hope is that a return to Dallas will help fuel a bounce-back season for Dinwiddie, who still has a home in Texas and whose partner is from the state, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post (Twitter link). The move also reunites Dinwiddie with Irving — the two guards played together in Brooklyn from 2019-21.

Assuming Dinwiddie’s salary is fully guaranteed, he’d be the 14th Maverick on a guaranteed contract for 2024/25. A.J. Lawson, the 15th man, has a non-guaranteed deal and would need to be waived in order to make room on the regular season roster for veteran forward Markieff Morris, whose return is considered likely.

Mavericks Sign Jamarion Sharp To Training Camp Deal

August 3rd, 2024 at 9:53am CST by Arthur Hill

AUGUST 3: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

AUGUST 2: Former Mississippi center Jamarion Sharp has agreed to a one-year contract with the Mavericks, agent Scott Nichols of Rize Management tells Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report (Twitter link).

Sharp, the tallest player in college basketball at 7’5″, was a part-time starter with the Rebels last season, averaging 3.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 31 games while playing 15.8 minutes per night. He spent the previous two seasons at Western Kentucky, where he blocked 4.4 shots per game and was named Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year in both 2022 and 2023.

Sharp, 22, played for Dallas in the Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 2.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in five games.

The Mavericks already have 13 fully guaranteed contracts, along with A.J. Lawson on a non-guaranteed deal and the expected signing of Spencer Dinwiddie, so Sharp will be a long shot to make the roster in training camp. Assuming his contract contains Exhibit 10 language, he will have the opportunity to earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K by staying with Dallas’s G League affiliate for at least 60 days.

Northwest Notes: Williams, Filipowski, Blazers Arena, Henderson, Thunder

August 3rd, 2024 at 9:03am CST by Dana Gauruder

Lottery pick Cody Williams was the Jazz’s most impressive player in the Las Vegas Summer League, according to The Athletic’s Tony Jones. Williams displayed an immense skill level there after struggling in the Salt Lake City Summer League. Jones believes Williams should get immediate playing time in the NBA and go through the natural ups and downs of a rookie, rather than being sent to the G League.

Early second-rounder Kyle Filipowski showed enough skill and athleticism to make people wonder why he slid out of the first round, Jones adds. However, the seven-footer had a tough time when he slid over to the power forward spot.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

The Portland City Council will consider two ordinances to extend a short-term lease between the city and the Trail Blazers’ ‘Rip City Management’ for the Moda Center, according to Aimee Plante of koin.com. The current lease is scheduled to end next year but the proposed agreement would keep the Blazers at their current arena through 2030 with a possible extension into 2035. That would give Portland officials more time to develop a major renovation plan for the Moda Center, the oldest NBA arena to have never undergone a significant upgrade.
If the Trail Blazers don’t make any trades before the regular season, 2023 lottery pick Scoot Henderson will likely come off the bench, according to Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Substack link). He’d back up Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe. Deni Avdija, acquired in a trade with Washington, will likely start at small forward with Toumani Camara backing him up, Highkin writes, adding that the Blazers have an open two-way spot but probably won’t fill it until training camp.
The Thunder‘s over/under win total for next season is 56.5, according to BetMGM, the highest among Western Conference teams. The Oklahoman’s Joe Mussatto believes they’ll surpass that figure. Oklahoma City won 57 games last season and Mussatto considers Alex Caruso a short-term upgrade over Josh Giddey. He also sees major free agent acquisition Isaiah Hartenstein as a better backup center than Jaylin Williams.

Olympic Notes: Quarterfinals, Holiday, Durant, Giannis

August 2nd, 2024 at 10:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Six of the eight quarterfinalists have been set for the men’s basketball tournament at the Paris Olympics, with three teams still in contention for the final two spots and the other three teams no longer in the mix.

The U.S., Germany, and Canada are the group winners, while Australia and France have secured top-two seeds in their respective groups and Brazil has clinched one of the two wild-card spots reserved for third-place teams.

The outcome of the Serbia/South Sudan game on Saturday will determine the last two quarterfinalists. If Serbia wins by three or more points, Serbia and Greece will advance to the single-elimination round. If South Sudan beats Serbia or loses by just one or two points, they’ll advance, almost certainly with Serbia. The only scenario in which Serbia would be eliminated (in favor of South Sudan and Greece) is if South Sudan wins Saturday’s contest by 24 or more points.

Puerto Rico, Japan, and Spain have been eliminated from medal contention.

Here are a few more items of interest from the Olympics:

Winning Saturday’s game against Puerto Rico by at least five points would assure Team USA of finishing pool play as the top-seeded team, likely creating a more favorable path to the medal round. That’s a priority, head coach Steve Kerr confirmed on Friday, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. “We want the No. 1 seed,” Kerr said. “It gives you the best matchup in the quarterfinals. So if we drop down to two or three — which I think is unlikely, but we’ve got to take care of our business — we possibly have a much tougher opponent.”
Veteran guard Jrue Holiday may return to the U.S. starting lineup on Saturday, but he’ll have to be cleared to play first. According to Windhorst, Holiday sustained a minor ankle injury in Wednesday’s game vs. South Sudan and is considered questionable for Saturday’s contest.
Kevin Durant has led Team USA in scoring (37 points) and plus-minus (+46) through two games, but he’s comfortable with continuing to come off the bench if that’s what Kerr prefers, Windhorst writes in a separate ESPN.com story. “It’s basketball, it really doesn’t matter who starts,” Durant said. “It’s about really who finished the game, who put their impact on the game while they’re in the game. So I just try to do my best to impact it any way I can.”
Although the Greek national team went just 1-2 in pool play and is in danger of being eliminated before the quarterfinals, Giannis Antetokounmpo is savoring his first Olympic experience, which included serving as Greece’s flag-bearer, writes Sam Amick of The Athletic. “I might win another championship (in the NBA). I might win another MVP. Who knows?” Antetokounmpo said. “But I might never carry the flag again.”

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