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Rockets’ Rafael Stone, Eli Witus Received Contract Extensions

April 16th, 2024 at 12:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Rockets general manager Rafael Stone and assistant GM Eli Witus signed multiyear contract extensions with the franchise earlier this season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The deals were agreed to in January, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required).

Stone and Witus were promoted to their current basketball operations roles back in 2020 when longtime head of basketball operations Daryl Morey left the Rockets. The revamped front office immediately faced trade requests from veteran stars Russell Westbrook and James Harden and launched a full-fledged rebuild after having made eight consecutive playoff appearances.

That rebuild began to pay dividends this season, as third-year center Alperen Sengun enjoyed a breakout year while third-year guard Jalen Green had a big second half. Other young players, including rookies Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore, as well as second-year big man Jabari Smith, showed promise in regular roles for Houston.

Additionally, free agent additions like Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks fit in well with the Rockets, and new head coach Ime Udoka led the team to a 41-41 record following three straight seasons between 17 and 22 wins.

All of those positive developments were factors in ownership’s decision to extend both Stone and Witus, according to Wojnarowski.

“It became clear that the Rockets had executed our plan to draft and develop young potential cornerstones for the franchise, stabilized the team with veterans that translated to winning games and found our coach for the present and future,” Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta said, per Feigen. “We wanted to show them as well as the public we’re excited with the direction the Rockets were going.”

The Rockets are projected to control at least one lottery pick this June, and Sengun and Green will become extension-eligible in July, so Stone, Witus, and the rest of the front office will have plenty of big decisions to make in the coming months.

Jazz Hire Avery Bradley As VP Of Player Development

April 16th, 2024 at 12:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz have hired Avery Bradley, announcing in a press release that he will assume the role of vice president of player development.

According to the team, Bradley’s role will involve evaluating personnel and “guiding the collaboration” between the locker room, front office, and coaching staff.

“When you get the opportunity to bring in someone with the wealth of experience and insight that Avery has, it’s always an exciting addition,” Jazz general manager Justin Zanik said in a statement. “He’ll bring an important perspective working with our team as well as our coaches and players as we move forward in our ultimate goal of winning an NBA Championship.”

A former NBA guard, Bradley was the 19th overall pick in the 2010 draft. He spent his first seven NBA season with the Celtics, then bounced around the league for several years, spending time with the Pistons, Clippers, Grizzlies, Lakers, Heat, Rockets, and Lakers (again) from 2017-22.

The 33-year-old never officially announced his retirement as a player, but hasn’t been on an NBA roster since becoming a free agent in July 2022 and hasn’t competed in any other leagues during that time.

Bradley earned a pair of All-Defensive nods over the course of his 12-year NBA career, including a spot on the First Team in 2016. He was also technically a member of the Lakers team that won a championship in 2020, though he opted out of participate in the Disney World bubble that year and wasn’t with the club during its postseason run.

Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 4/16/2024

April 16th, 2024 at 11:30am CST by Arthur Hill

Hoops Rumors hosted a live chat today at 11 a.m. Central time (noon Eastern).

Click here to read the transcript.

Categories:
Hoops Rumors Chats

Blake Griffin Announces Retirement

April 16th, 2024 at 11:09am CST by Luke Adams

Former No. 1 overall pick Blake Griffin, who spent 14 seasons in the NBA, has announced his retirement as a player. Griffin published a post on Instagram revealing his decision.

“I never really envisioned myself as the guy who would have a ‘letter to basketball’ retirement announcement,” Griffin wrote. “And I’m still not going to be that guy. But as I reflected on my career, the one feeling I kept coming back to and the one thing I wanted to express was thankfulness.

“I’m thankful for every single moment — not just the good ones: the wins, the awards, the dunks, and the memorable times spent with family, friends, fans, teammates, and coaches.. I could continue on about the people in my life who have contributed immensely to my career, but in this short non-letter, I have to acknowledge my parents, Tommy and Gail, and my brother, Taylor, for their unconditional support and guidance. Lastly, my agent Sam Goldfeder, who has been a steadfast voice of reason and my wartime consigliere — thank you.

“I am equally thankful for the not-so-good-moments: the losses, the injuries, the wayyyy too many surgeries, the lessons, the heartbreaks, and it wouldn’t be (a) sports retirement letter without acknowledging the ‘haters.’ All of these experiences made my 14 years in the league truly unforgettable, and I can’t help but to just feel thankful.

“The game of basketball has given me so much in this life, and I wouldn’t change a thing. Last but certainly not least, here comes the obligatory ‘I’m excited for my next chapter’ part: just kidding, I’m done.”

Selected by the Clippers with the first overall pick in the 2009 draft after being named the national college player of the year at Oklahoma, Griffin missed his first NBA season due to a knee injury. However, he exploded onto the scene in 2010/11, averaging 22.5 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game en route to an All-Star berth, a Slam Dunk Contest title, and a Rookie of the Year award.

Griffin earned four more All-Star nods as a member of the “Lob City” Clippers teams that enjoyed several playoff appearances but could never break through to advance further than the Western Conference Semifinals.

After signing a five-year contract with the Clippers in 2017, Griffin was traded just six months later to Detroit, where he spent the next three years. He made his sixth and final All-Star team for the Pistons in 2019, but injuries sapped him off his explosiveness during the home stretch of his career. He was bought out by the Pistons in 2021 and joined the Nets for the next season-and-a-half before spending the 2022/23 season in Boston.

Celtics players tried to recruit Griffin to join this season’s version of the team, but the 35-year-old forward/center opted to sit out to spend more time with his family. Now he has decided to hang up his sneakers for good.

For his career, Griffin averaged 19.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, and 4.0 APG in 765 total regular season contests (31.9 MPG). In addition to his Rookie of the Year award and six All-Star appearances, he made the All-NBA Second Team three teams and the Third Team twice.

Northwest Notes: Thunder, Dieng, Murray, Blazers, Lofton

April 16th, 2024 at 10:57am CST by Luke Adams

The Thunder‘s 57-25 record and No. 1 finish in the Western Conference represents an ahead-of-schedule arrival for a team that looked two years ago like it might be rebuilding for a few more seasons, writes Tim Cato of The Athletic. Still, Oklahoma City isn’t doing a victory lap after going from 24 wins in 2021/22 to 40 last season to 57 this year.

“When we wake up Tuesday morning, we’re 0-0,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on Sunday. “It’s a new season. Everything that we did in the regular season doesn’t matter except opponent and seeding. … We’ll go into it with great respect for our opponents, but great respect for ourselves.”

While the Thunder prepare for their first playoff series since 2020, the team’s G League affiliate – the Oklahoma City Blue – won its first ever championship on Monday, closing out the Maine Celtics in Game 3 of their best-of-three series (story).

As Cato points out, the Thunder’s entire starting lineup consists of players aged 25 or younger, but not all of the team’s recent lottery picks are playing major roles at the NBA level. Ousmane Dieng, the 11th overall pick in 2022, played limited minutes in just 33 games for the Thunder this season, but he helped the Blue secure its NBAGL title on Monday, earning Finals MVP honors by putting up 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting to go along with six rebounds, four assists, and two blocks in the deciding game.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Speaking to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Nuggets guard Jamal Murray explained why he wants to spend his entire career in Denver, how he feels about not having made an All-Star team, and why he thinks he and Nikola Jokic are the best duo in the NBA. “I think (other duos are) in a bigger market and people have more interest in LeBron and AD in L.A., or what Dame and Giannis could be, or what Luka and Kyrie could do,” Murray said. “If we’re talking about the best duos in getting the job done and how they play for each other and with each other, I think me and Jokic are undoubtedly number one.”
Bill Oram of The Oregonian (subscriber link) looks ahead at some of the difficult decisions facing the Trail Blazers this offseason, including whether the front office wants to push for a play-in spot in 2024/25 or rebuild slowly and seek another high draft pick. If Portland takes the latter route, the club may need to look into moving some veterans, including perhaps Anfernee Simons, Oram suggests. Blazers management will also have to make sure it’s on the same page as head coach Chauncey Billups, Oram adds, given that he has talked about wanting to get the club back to the playoffs next season.
Kenneth Lofton Jr.‘s play down the stretch was a bright spot for the Jazz, writes Riley Gisseman of The Salt Lake Tribune. Lofton averaged 16.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 6.3 assists off the bench in the final three games, making a strong case for a spot on next season’s roster. Lofton’s deal with Utah includes non-guaranteed salaries for two seasons after this one, so if he continues to show promise, the team is in position to retain him on the cheap.

Bucks Preparing To Be Without Giannis For Start Of Playoffs

April 16th, 2024 at 9:39am CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks are preparing to be without star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo when they tip off their first-round series vs. the Pacers on Sunday, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Antetokounmpo missed the final three games of the regular season due to an injury that the Bucks diagnosed as a left soleus (calf) strain. Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on Monday that there was some “real doubt” about Giannis’ ability to return for Game 1 this weekend, so Wojnarowski’s update today doesn’t come as a major surprise.

According to Woj, the Bucks are hopeful that treatment on Antetokounmpo’s calf strain will allow the two-time MVP to return sometime later in the series. He has been undergoing treatment “around the clock,” sources tell ESPN.

It’s a bit of déjà vu for the Bucks, who saw their superstar go down with a back injury in Game 1 of their first-round series vs. Miami a year ago. That injury cost Antetokounmpo two-and-a-half games of a series that the Heat ultimately won in five.

Milwaukee, which went 4-5 without Giannis this season, won’t want to put its franchise player at risk of a more serious injury by rushing him back too soon, but will want to do everything in its power to avoid a repeat of that 2023 scenario in this year’s playoffs.

Antetokounmpo is expected to show up on most MVP ballots this spring after averaging 30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, and a career-high 6.5 assists in 35.2 minutes per game across 73 games for the Bucks. His 61.1% mark on field goal attempts this season also represented a career high.

Ryan Dunn, Nikola Djurisic Enter 2024 NBA Draft

April 16th, 2024 at 9:08am CST by Luke Adams

Virginia forward Ryan Dunn has opted to enter the 2024 NBA draft following his sophomore season and suggested in a statement to Jonathan Givony of ESPN that he’s prepared to forgo his remaining college eligibility to go pro.

“I had an amazing two years at UVA,” Dunn said. “I’m focused on the next step in my life now. I got really good feedback from the NBA and am ready for the next level. I am all in.”

As Givony details, Dunn was considered one of the best defensive players in all of college basketball this past season, but his shot didn’t develop as NBA evaluators had hoped. The 6’8″ forward averaged just 8.1 points per game while making 7-of-35 three-pointers (20.0%) and 41-of-77 free throws (53.2%). He told ESPN that he plans to focus on improving his shooting during his workouts this spring.

Despite some shortcomings on offense, Dunn is still the No. 31 prospect on ESPN’s board and is viewed as a possible first-round pick after averaging 8.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, and 1.3 steals in 27.5 minutes per game as a full-time starter as a sophomore.

[RELATED: 2024 NBA Draft Early Entrants List]

Meanwhile, Serbian wing Nikola Djurisic has also declared for the 2024 NBA draft, per agent Misko Raznatovic (Twitter link).

The No. 78 prospect on ESPN’s board, Djurisic has been under contract with Mega Basket in Serbia since 2020. The 20-year-old, who was named the ABA League Top Prospect a year ago, has averaged 14.4 PPG, 3.4 APG, and 2.8 RPG in 26 games (30.7 MPG) this season, with a shooting line of .454/.330/.739.

The rules governing eligibility for NCAA players don’t apply to international prospects, so Djurisic will have the option of removing his name from the draft anytime up until the NBA’s June 16 withdrawal deadline. He also tested the draft waters a year ago before pulling out in June.

And-Ones: Kawhi, Team USA, FAs, Musa, Coaches, More

April 16th, 2024 at 8:20am CST by Luke Adams

With 11 of 12 roster spots reportedly locked in for USA Basketball’s 2024 Olympic roster, the program could go in a number of different directions with the 12th and final slot. The list of players in contention for that final roster spot includes plenty of big names, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports that Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard is currently viewed as the leading candidate.

Leonard’s teammate Paul George, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Magic forward Paolo Banchero, and Nets forward Mikal Bridges are also in the mix, sources tell Charania.

Leonard hasn’t represented Team USA at the Olympics or a World Cup before, but has support from some of the stars on the roster, including Kevin Durant and LeBron James, says Charania. George won gold with Team USA in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, while Brunson, Banchero, and Bridges competed in the 2023 World Cup.

It’s possible that more than one player in that final group of candidates could ultimately make the cut if any of the top 11 have to drop out due to an injury or for personal reasons. Of course, Leonard is currently dealing with a nagging knee issue of his own, though there’s no indication at this point it would prevent him from playing in July.

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

Danny Leroux of The Athletic takes a look at the NBA’s 2024 free agent class, evaluating what sort of stars, starters, and rotation players will be available. As Leroux observes, a handful of stars are on track for potential free agency, but few – if any – are good bets to change teams. That group includes LeBron James, Paul George, James Harden, Pascal Siakam, and Tyrese Maxey.
In an interview with Dean Sinovcic of Nacional.hr, former first-round pick Dzanan Musa, who spent two seasons in Brooklyn from 2018-20, didn’t rule out the possibility of returning to the NBA as early as this offseason, but said he’s focused for now on trying to win Liga ACB and EuroLeague titles with Real Madrid (hat tip to Sportando).
Sam Amick of The Athletic considers what’s at stake for each NBA head coach in the postseason, suggesting that the pressure will be on Joe Mazzulla (Celtics) to at least reach the NBA Finals. Jason Kidd (Mavericks), J.B. Bickerstaff (Cavaliers), and Darvin Ham (Lakers) are among the others who will be motivated to avoid early exits, Amick adds.
In a conversation about end-of-season awards, a panel of five ESPN experts weren’t in agreement on who should win Most Improved Player or Sixth Man of the Year. Three different players – Malik Monk, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Naz Reid – earned votes from the five-man panel for Sixth Man honors.
Which NBA players were the most underpaid this season? Despite being on a maximum-salary contract, Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tops the list from Frank Urbina of HoopsHype.

Poll: Who Will Win Tuesday’s Play-In Games?

April 16th, 2024 at 7:13am CST by Luke Adams

It has been a fiercely competitive race for the postseason in the Western Conference, where it took 50 wins to clinch a top-six seed while Sacramento and Golden State were unable to secure more than a spot in the lesser play-in game after racking up 46 victories.

The Rockets’ fate this season epitomizes just how tough the path to the playoffs was in the West — at 41-41, Houston didn’t come particularly close to earning a play-in spot, ending up five games behind the No. 10 seed. But the Rockets finished comfortably ahead of the East’s bottom two play-in teams, with a full five-game cushion over the No. 10 Hawks.

This is a roundabout way of saying that while two good teams will be sent home this week, we should be in store for a terrific week of play-in games in the Western Conference, starting with a pair of matchups on Tuesday that could go either way.

In the early game, the No. 7 Pelicans will host the No. 8 Lakers for the second time in three days. The results of Sunday’s contest weren’t particularly encouraging for the Pelicans, who could have clinched the No. 6 seed in the West with a victory, but trailed all afternoon en route to a 16-point loss.

It was the third time in four games this season that New Orleans lost to Los Angeles, and none of those games were particularly close. Back in December, the Pelicans were blown out by the Lakers by 44 points in an embarrassing performance on a national stage in the in-season tournament semifinal.

Still, this is a talented Pelicans team that did beat the Lakers by 20 points in the clubs’ other game in New Orleans at the end of December. The Pelicans were above-average on both ends of the courts this season, ranking 11th in offensive rating and sixth on defense for a +4.6 overall net rating that was the No. 6 mark in the NBA. By comparison, the Lakers were just 15th in offensive rating and 17th on defense, for an overall +0.6 net rating (No. 19 in the league).

The Pelicans also have the cleaner injury report for Tuesday’s game, with all of their players available. However, Brandon Ingram has only been back from a knee injury for one game and wasn’t at his best on Sunday — New Orleans was outscored by 28 points during his 23 minutes of action.

The Lakers, meanwhile, will be missing Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) and Christian Wood (knee), while Anthony Davis (back) and LeBron James (ankle) are listed as questionable and probable, respectively. While Davis and James have been banged up in recent weeks, they’ve been very effective when they’ve played, and it’s a safe bet they’ll be suiting up on Tuesday.

One interesting wrinkle in this No. 7 vs. 8 matchup is that the winner earns a date with the defending-champion Nuggets in round one, while the loser will host a do-or-die play-in game on Friday for the right to face the upstart Thunder. While Oklahoma City would be the more favorable matchup, it seems safe to assume neither team will get too cute with Tuesday’s game — no one’s tanking in the postseason, and a victory in a second play-in game is hardly assured.

The oddsmakers at BetOnline.ag view the Pelicans/Lakers game as a toss-up, listing it as a straight pick-em. That’s not the case for the No. 9 vs. 10 game, where the visiting Warriors are 3.5-point favorites over the Kings in Sacramento.

Home underdogs aren’t especially common in the NBA playoffs, but it’s easy to understand why bettors would favor Golden State. The Warriors are an experienced, battle-tested club still headed by the core players – Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green – who have led the franchise to four championships since 2015.

The Dubs also beat the Kings in the first round of last season’s playoffs as a lower seed and have been the hotter team as of late. Golden State enters Tuesday’s play-in game having won 10 of its last 12 games, whereas Sacramento has been reeling in recent weeks. Once well positioned to push for a top-six spot, the Kings lost seven of 11 contests to wrap up their season, with three of their four victories during that stretch coming against lottery teams.

The Warriors are the healthier of the two clubs too. They’re missing Gary Payton II due to a left calf strain, but have more than enough depth to make up for Payton’s absence. The Kings, on the other hand, have had a harder time compensating for their missing wings, Malik Monk (right knee sprain) and Kevin Huerter (left shoulder surgery).

While the fans in Sacramento will create a favorable (and loud) home environment for the Kings, the Warriors have looked like one of the conference’s best teams during the latter half of the season — their 27-14 second-half record and +5.5 net rating during those games both rank third in the West.

We want to know what you think. Will it be the Lakers or Pelicans punching their ticket to the playoffs tonight? Which of the Warriors and Kings will stay alive, and which will see their season end today?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section to share your predictions!

Nets Intend To Hire Jordi Fernandez As Head Coach

April 15th, 2024 at 10:15pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Kings associate head coach Jordi Fernandez is set to become the Nets‘ new head coach for the 2024/25 NBA season, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who hears that Fernandez is Brooklyn’s top choice and that the team is prepared to hire him.

Woj notes that Fernandez became Brooklyn’s preferred candidate following an exhaustively thorough search over the last month that reportedly included dozens of potential fits.

Fernandez, 41, was one of three finalists for the gig, along with 2021 championship-winning former Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer and Suns assistant coach Kevin Young.

The Nets had begun looking for their long-term head coaching solution even prior to the end of the 2023/24 regular season, while the team was still under the tutelage of interim head coach Kevin Ollie, who stepped in after Brooklyn fired former head coach Jacque Vaughn in February. Ollie reportedly received consideration for the permanent job but wasn’t among Brooklyn’s finalists.

Fernandez, an assistant coach under Michael Malone on the Nuggets from 2016-22, has served on Mike Brown‘s Kings staff in the past two years. In 2023, during Brown and Fernandez’s first season with the franchise, Sacramento made the playoffs for the first time in 16 seasons. Brown won Coach of the Year honors for the achievement.

Last summer, Fernandez served as the head coach of a starry Canadian national team to a bronze medal in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. He’s expected to coach the Canadians again at this summer’s Olympics.

Fernandez has long been considered a future NBA head coach and interviewed with multiple teams last spring, including the Suns and Raptors.

Since he has been the Nets’ majority owner in 2019, Joe Tsai has already gone through three permanent head coaches. In that five-season span, Vaughn served as an interim head coach twice.

For what it’s worth, while it looks like Fernandez is on track to be hired by the Nets, the move isn’t official yet — that’s an important distinction, given how Brooklyn’s last head coaching search played out. In that case, it looked like the club was poised to hire Ime Udoka before it pivoted and retained Vaughn.