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And-Ones: Ignite, 2024 Draft, Unsuccessful Pairings, Eddy Curry

September 7th, 2023 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The G League Ignite’s impressive collection of talent was on display Wednesday night in Nevada, writes John Hollinger of The Athletic. Six players who may be selected in next year’s draft were on the court for the Ignite, and a seventh, Thierry Darlan of France, missed the game against Perth, Australia, with an ankle injury.

The biggest attraction was guard Ron Holland, whom Hollinger considers the “betting favorite” to be the top pick in 2024. Hollinger adds that Holland isn’t a clear-cut No. 1 choice like Victor Wembanyama was this year, but he looked good in his first pro game, using a mix of explosiveness and ferocity to put up 23 points.

“Ron is very, very competitive” Ignite coach Jason Hart said. “So now I’m wanting to channel it to where the opposition doesn’t know if you’re mad or you’re happy. I just told him to relax, calm down … I think he heard me. But that’s going to be a process because he’s so competitive, and I don’t want to take that from him. That’s his thing; he’s just has to learn how to use it.”

Matas Buzelis and Izan Almansa, who are projected to be top-10 picks, also showed off their skills, Hollinger adds, along with Tyler Smith, London Johnson and Perth prospects Alex Sarr and Ben Henshall. The teams will meet again on Friday.

There’s more from around the basketball world:

Buzelis tops the first mock draft posted by Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. O’Connor sees the 6’9″ point forward as a comfortable fit for any team because he’s capable of running the offense and reliably hitting mid-range jumpers. Buzelis will have to get stronger and improve his defense throughout the season to keep his No. 1 ranking, O’Connor adds. Rounding out O’Connor’s top five are Holland, Baylor’s Ja’Kobe Walter, UConn’s Stephon Castle and Almansa.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report looks at NBA combinations that haven’t worked out, starting with the Timberwolves‘ pairing of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns. He also mentions Trae Young and Dejounte Murray in the Hawks‘ backcourt, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George with the Clippers, Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland with the Cavaliers, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving with the Mavericks and Joel Embiid and James Harden with the Sixers.
Former No. 4 overall pick Eddy Curry talks to Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic about how he was able to find peace by helping others after a tumultuous playing career. At age 40, Curry is working as a consultant in Texas, advising young players as they deal with the challenges of basketball stardom.

Jayson Tatum Wants To Be On Celtics’ “Mount Rushmore”

September 7th, 2023 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

In an interview with Jeff Goodman of The Messenger, Jayson Tatum talks about his desire to add his name to the long list of Celtics legends.

Tatum is off to a strong start, with nearly 10,000 career points, four All-Star appearances and several long playoff runs by age 25. But he understands that being an all-time great in Boston requires championship banners, and he hopes to win a few of those before he’s done.

“I would love to be on the Mount Rushmore of Celtics,” Tatum says. “(Larry) Bird, (Bill) Russell, Paul Pierce and those guys. They paved the way. The one thing all those guys have is chips. I have to get to the top of the mountain to even be considered as one of those guys. I want to be an all-time great, I want to be known as a winner, and I believe I will be.”

A year ago, the Celtics appeared to be in a strong position to win their 18th title as they prepared to report to training camp. They were coming off a tough Finals loss to the Warriors and had added Danilo Gallinari to an already impressive roster.

Things began to unravel when head coach Ime Udoka was suspended on September 22. Gallinari suffered an ACL tear that wound up sidelining him for the entire season, and an injury kept Robert Williams out for the early part of the year.

“It was a lot, a lot to process and deal with,” Tatum said. “And I give us credit, we came together. I think it brought us together as a team. We had the second-best record. We could have had every excuse to start off slow and make excuses.”

Tatum touches on several other topics in the lengthy interview:

On head coach Joe Mazzulla, who was frequently the target of criticism, especially as Boston fell behind 3-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals:

“I think it was unfair. I don’t know what more Joe could have done. He wasn’t out there turning the ball over and missing free throws. That was us.”

On the loss of Marcus Smart, who was sent to Memphis in the Kristaps Porzingis trade and had been the team leader since Tatum arrived in 2017:

“I am for sure going to miss Smart. He was my teammate for six years and we’ve been through it all. We had good moments together, we had bad moments together. He’s somebody that I wish was going be my teammate forever.”

On the record-setting five-year, super-max extension that Jaylen Brown received this summer:

“I was excited for Jaylen, and I wasn’t surprised. That was a no-brainer for me because he deserves it. He had a hell of a year, the best year of his career, and he was rewarded for that. It was the right time. People make a big deal of $300 million. The NBA makes a lot of money. Contracts will be $350 and then $370 million. That’s the way it’s going. I was happy for him. I knew it was going to happen, it was a no-brainer, but I still reached out to him and told him he should be proud of himself and his family. Don’t take it for granted. This is generational.”

On his own NBA future and whether he wants to spend his entire career with one team:

“Just recently I started to feel the connection with Boston. I have spent my adult life here, my son has grown up here, I’ve grown up here. I’ve accomplished so many things. … You never know what can happen, but I love playing for the Celtics. I figured out my space in the city and have grown to really enjoy it. I love the fans. It would be really hard to leave this place.”

Poll: Who Will Win World Cup Semifinals?

September 7th, 2023 at 8:00am CST by Luke Adams

The race for 2023 World Cup gold is down to just four teams, and they’ll all be in action in Friday’s semifinals, battling for the right to play in the championship game.

With less than 24 hours to go until the first of those semifinals tips off, let’s take a closer look at the matchups…

Canada vs. Serbia

Canada has had no shortage of NBA talent over the last two decades, but has finally put it all together in a World Cup, reaching its first ever semifinal. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been the main reason for the club’s success, leading the Canadians in categories across the board, including points (25.0), rebounds (7.2), assists (5.0), and steals (1.7) per game.

It hasn’t just been the SGA Show though. RJ Barrett (14.7 PPG) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (10.0 PPG) been reliable secondary scoring options, Dillon Brooks and Luguentz Dort have played stifling defense, and Kelly Olynyk and Dwight Powell have allowed the Canadians to match up with bigger teams. Even without players like Jamal Murray, Andrew Wiggins, Trey Lyles, Shaedon Sharpe, and Cory Joseph, this is a very talented roster.

Serbia, meanwhile, is missing star center Nikola Jokic and point guard Vasilije Micic. In their absence though, Bogdan Bogdanovic has emerged as an effective leading man, averaging 18.8 points, 4.8 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per night.

Big man Nikola Milutinov, whose NBA draft rights are held by Brooklyn, has provided the Serbians with a consistent presence up front, averaging 13.2 PPG and 8.8 RPG. Current NBA players like Nikola Jovic (10.7 PPG) and Filip Petrusev (9.8 PPG) have chipped in too, as has former NBAer Marko Guduric (8.3 PPG, 3.8 APG).

Canada has more high-level NBA talent than Serbia and is currently listed as a 5.5-point favorite, per BetOnline.ag. But the Serbians have more experience playing together in international events, so this one could go either way.

United States vs. Germany

Even without its A Team, the United States is the heavy frontrunner to win the World Cup as the only squad in Manila made up entirely of NBA players. Team USA’s roster is deeper than any others at the World Cup, so head coach Steve Kerr has plenty of options if certain players are struggling.

Anthony Edwards (17.3 PPG) has been USA’s go-to scorer so far, but he had just three of the team’s 100 points in a blowout quarterfinal win over Italy, with Mikal Bridges, Tyrese Haliburton, Austin Reaves, Jalen Brunson, Brandon Ingram, and Paolo Banchero providing the necessary offense. While a total of nine Team USA players have averaged at least 16 minutes per night so far, none have played more than 23 MPG, as Kerr has taken advantage of the depth available to him.

Still, the U.S. isn’t unbeatable. The club lost to Lithuania in the second round of the World Cup and only narrowly defeated Germany in an exhibition game prior to the tournament.

The Germans are the only undefeated squad left at the World Cup, having been led by NBA players Dennis Schröder (18.0 PPG, 6.3 APG), Moritz Wagner (12.8 PPG, 5.7 RPG), and Daniel Theis (10.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG). Franz Wagner also made his return from an ankle injury in Wednesday’s quarterfinal and will be a key factor in Friday’s semifinal.

Like the U.S., Germany showed on Wednesday that it can win even when its top scorer has an off night. Schröder was just 4-of-26 from the field, but the Germans pulled out a two-point victory over a tough Latvian team.

Only Two Of Our Top 50 Free Agents Remain Unsigned

September 6th, 2023 at 10:03pm CST by Rory Maher

After big man Christian Wood officially signed with the Lakers on Wednesday, only two players on our list of 2023’s top 50 free agents remain unsigned: Kelly Oubre and Hamidou Diallo.

The 15th pick of the 2015 draft, Oubre has earned at least $12MM in each of the past four seasons. He averaged a career-high 20.3 points in 48 appearances with the Hornets last season while snatching 5.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.

Oubre certainly has positive traits, with prototypical size for a guard/forward (6’7″ with a 7’2″ wingspan) and plus athleticism. However, he has struggled to score efficiently throughout his career, posting a subpar 53.4 true shooting percentage in 2022/23. He also averaged 17.1 shot attempts against 1.1 assists last season — an alarmingly poor ratio.

There haven’t been many rumors regarding potential suitors for Oubre, with the Cavaliers, Mavericks and Heat among the teams that have been mentioned, though all three can only make relatively modest financial offers.

There has been even less buzz for the No. 43 player on our list, former Pistons wing Diallo. Like Oubre, Diallo is a high-flying athlete who struggles at times with decision-making, and his role was cut back somewhat in 2022/23.

Diallo converted a career-high 57.3% from the field last season after basically abandoning the three-ball. He’s also a plus defender and rebounder who plays with a lot of energy, but his game is certainly unconventional for a wing.

Detroit renounced the 25-year-old’s cap hold to operate below the cap and use room, so a reunion is unlikely. It might be difficult for Diallo to match the $5.2MM he made each of the past two seasons at this point, given how much money has been spent and how few roster spots are available around the league.

Jaylen Nowell (Wolves), Kendrick Nunn (Wizards), Terence Davis (Kings) and Javonte Green (Bulls) are among the other free agents we considered for our top-50 list who remain unsigned.

Eastern Notes: Washington, Bryant, Heat, Pistons, Mykhailiuk

September 6th, 2023 at 8:21pm CST by Rory Maher

Following a press conference to talk about his new three-year contract, Hornets forward P.J. Washington gave an exclusive interview to Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer.

Washington, who was the last standard restricted free agent left on the board, said he was relieved to finally re-sign with Charlotte, nearly two full months after free agency opened at the end of June. He also touched on Miles Bridges‘ return, playing under head coach Steve Clifford, rookie additions Brandon Miller and Nick Smith, and what he’s been working to improve on this offseason, among other topics.

As far as the team’s goal, Washington says the Hornets are focused on something he has yet to achieve in his four-year career — making the playoffs.

“That’s the main focus for us,” Washington told Boone. “Since I’ve been here I haven’t been in the playoffs at all. So I want to get a taste of that. I want to see how it feels, and I want to eventually win in the playoffs. I think we have a good coaching staff, we have a good front office, we have good players. So, I think we have everything it takes to be there. It’s just about us being consistent each and every day and trying, but we have to fight and make it happen.”

Here’s more from the East:

Veteran center Thomas Bryant says he prioritized the Heat in free agency because “they really wanted me,” according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. A skilled scorer, Bryant thinks his offensive versatility will help Miami. “I feel like I can help this team based on what I’ve seen as an interior presence, interior scoring, my versatility out there to be able to shoot the three and make mid-range jump shots and score at the rim,” Bryant said. “But I feel like the versatility that I will bring to the table will really help the team in a great way.” Bryant, who signed a two-year deal with the Heat that includes a player option, will be competing for backup center minutes, Chiang notes.
The Heat have a full 21-man offseason roster at the moment, but five players are on Exhibit 10 training camp deals, three are on two-way deals, and Orlando Robinson‘s contract is only partially guaranteed for $75K. In practical terms, that means the Heat only have 12 players with guaranteed standard contracts. Assuming Robinson makes the roster out of camp, Miami will still need to add at least one player to its standard regular season roster, Chiang adds in the same article. As Chiang writes, in the new CBA teams can carry fewer than 14 players on standard deals for a total of 28 days in a season, and only up to 14 consecutively.
The Pistons have an intriguing blend of youth combined with veterans who can shoot. While the young core gains more experience, Detroit’s depth should provide new head coach Monty Williams plenty of options ahead of training camp, per Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.
Svi Mykhailiuk recently signed a one-year deal with the Celtics that — for now — is partially guaranteed at $200K. Jared Weiss of The Athletic examines what the veteran wing might provide for Boston, writing that Mykhailiuk is a talented if inconsistent offensive player who has some defensive limitations. Still, his size, shooting and complementary play-making could be useful off the bench, according to Weiss.

Sixers Notes: Harden, Harris, Petrusev, Green, More

September 6th, 2023 at 6:33pm CST by Rory Maher

Despite another second-round playoff exit, which has been followed by another drama-filled offseason, Sixers owner Josh Harris believes Philadelphia is in an enviable position, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.

“The situation with James Harden is unfortunate,” Harris told ESPN. “I want this to work out for all sides, including James. But we have to keep our eye on the big picture, which is that we’re still a contending team and most teams in the NBA would change places with us in five minutes.”

Here’s more on the 76ers:

Harden took to Instagram in response to Shelburne’s report that he was “pouting” earlier this year over a perceived All-Star snub. The former league MVP’s message was simple: “Lies,” he wrote.
Sixers big man Filip Petrusev had an impressive performance for Serbia in the team’s World Cup quarterfinal victory over Lithuania, notching 17 points (on 7-of-8 shooting) and six rebounds in just 17 minutes of action. However, the 2021 second-round pick says his right ankle still isn’t 100%, per Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops. “I had the injury in the first game. So, I am not where I am supposed to be physically,” said Petrusev, who missed two games in the first round of group play. “I was just glad I could help (Nikola) Milutinov. He had so much work on defense guarding (Jonas) Valanciunas. He did a great job. That was the opportunity for me to step in, especially in the offense, and contribute.”
The uncertainty surrounding Harden’s situation has created question marks up and down the roster, Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes (subscriber link). How new head coach Nick Nurse will construct the offense, Tyrese Maxey‘s role, and how Joel Embiid might adjust without Harden are among the most pressing questions posed by Mizell.
In an opinion piece for The Philadelphia Inquirer, David Murphy shares some thoughts on the reported addition of Danny Green, and how the lead guard spot might be handled sans Harden.

Knicks Waive Obadiah Noel

September 6th, 2023 at 5:05pm CST by Rory Maher

The Knicks have released Obadiah Noel, according to NBA.com’s official transactions log (hat tip to Blake Stern of ldsport.com).

The move was expected. Noel was signed to an Exhibit 10 contract, which means he’ll earn a bonus if he spends at least 60 days with the Westchester Knicks, New York’s NBA G League affiliate.

Noel went undrafted in 2021 after four college seasons at UMass-Lowell. Since turning pro a couple years ago, the 6’4″ guard has been playing in the NBAGL.

Noel, 24, spent the 2022/23 regular season with Westchester, averaging 10.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals on .487/.382/.689 shooting in 29 games (26.8 minutes).

By waiving Noel, the Knicks have created a roster opening, which will most likely be used to sign more players to Exhibit 10 deals. They now have 20 players under contract, one shy of the offseason maximum.

Christian Wood Signs Two-Year Contract With Lakers

September 6th, 2023 at 4:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

SEPTEMBER 6: Wood is officially a Laker, the team announced (Twitter link via Jovan Buha of The Athletic).

SEPTEMBER 5: Unrestricted free agent Christian Wood has agreed to a two-year contract with the Lakers, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. The second year includes a player option.

The Lakers’ interest in Wood was reported weeks ago and now the two parties have finally come to an agreement. Wood and the Mavericks failed to reach an extension agreement last season and Wood wound up on the open market. However, he didn’t get the type of offers normally conveyed to players who averaged 16.6 points and 7.3 rebounds during their walk year.

He had to settle for the veteran’s minimum, which is all the Lakers could offer. As ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (Twitter link), Wood will make $2,709,849 this upcoming season and $3,036,040 in 2024/25, if he doesn’t opt out.

Wood gives the Lakers 14 players with guaranteed contracts and there’s a good chance they’ll leave the other roster spot open to maintain roster and financial flexibility.

Los Angeles already looked solid in the frontcourt and the addition of Wood gives the Lakers plenty of quality depth. He joins Anthony Davis, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaxson Hayes and Rui Hachimura at the power forward and center spots. LeBron James and Taurean Prince could also see minutes at the ‘4’ position.

Wood appeared in 67 games, including 17 starts, in his lone season with the Mavericks. He was acquired in an offseason deal from Houston.

Wood put up big numbers during his two seasons with the Rockets, including a career-high 21.o points per game during the 202o/21 season. He signed a three-year, $41MM contact with Houston in 2020 after a breakout season with Detroit.

The Lakers will be the eighth NBA franchise on Wood’s resume.

Team Canada Notes: QF Win, SGA, Brooks, Nurse

September 6th, 2023 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

In addition to qualifying for the 2024 Olympics, the Canadian men’s national team has earned a spot in the FIBA World Cup semifinals for the first time in the history of the event. However, star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his teammates aren’t happy to simply leave the Philippines with a spot in the final four.

“It feels good, but we are not satisfied,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after Wednesday’s victory over Slovenia, according to Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops.net. “We didn’t come here only to get to the semifinals, we came here to try to get gold.”

Team Canada will be in tough in the semifinal against a talented Serbian squad that played in the gold medal game in the 2014 World Cup, and would be an underdog against Team USA in a potential final. However, Slovenia’s head coach Aleksander Sekulić is bullish on the club’s chances after seeing his team fall to the Canadians on Wednesday.

“Canada has a hell of a team,” Sekulić said, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “They can play different lineups, small-ball and two bigs. They have big guards, strong guards. They have guys who can create. So they have everything they need to go all the way. I think they can match up with (the) United States.”

Here’s more on Team Canada:

Although the Canadians made it past Slovenia in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, head coach Jordi Fernandez chided forward Dillon Brooks after the game for his fourth-quarter ejection. “He has to be better,” Fernandez said, per Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com. “We need him on the court. You can’t get disqualified. We have to have better composure as a team.” The head coach did laud Brooks for playing his role “at a high level” prior to his early exit.
Although he’s no longer the head coach of Team Canada, having been replaced by Fernandez when he stepped down earlier this year, Nick Nurse continues to keep a close eye on the club’s performance on the international stage, writes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. “An awesome job by them, so very happy for them,” Nurse said before Wednesday’s semifinal win. “Just in my time, from 2019 to now, it was a big process to get here and I’m just glad to see them realize the vision, the goal, the dream.”
Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman shares his takeaways from the Canada/Slovenia game, noting that Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic entered the World Cup as the consensus top two players in the event and the Thunder guard won their head-to-head battle on Wednesday.

Lowe’s Latest: Lillard, Harden, Raptors, Bucks

September 6th, 2023 at 3:11pm CST by Luke Adams

There has been no forward momentum on the Damian Lillard front, ESPN’s Zach Lowe and Bobby Marks said on the latest episode of The Lowe Post podcast (YouTube link). The Trail Blazers guard requested a trade over two months ago, but the team doesn’t seem any closer to making a deal today than it was at the start of July.

“I’ve heard there’s been nothing. No meaningful dialogue at all,” Lowe said. “More pointedly… I just don’t think there’s been another team. If there is, I don’t know about it. That could very well the case, I may not know. But I have not heard of any other team that has really dove head-long – or even halfway – into the Dame Lillard sweepstakes.”

Marks also hasn’t heard any rumblings about any team besides the Heat that’s prepared to make a run at Lillard, and agreed that Portland and Miami don’t appear to have had substantial discussions or made any progress toward a deal.

“It’s been very quiet, certainly, from the Miami front,” Marks said. “I think the only way we hear more about Dame is if Dame makes it messy. And I don’t think Damian Lillard right now is willing to make it messy in Portland.”

Here are a few more highlights from The Lowe Post:

As is the case with the Heat and Lillard, the Clippers still appear to be the only viable suitor for Sixers guard James Harden, according to Lowe. “I know that Howard Beck and others have stated that there may be two or three other teams that have been sniffing, investigating,” Lowe said. “Certainly, if you talk to the Sixers, they have reason to say, “Oh, there’s a broad, frothy James Harden market out there.’ I really don’t think there is. I think it’s been mostly the Clippers.” However, Lowe added that the teams haven’t had “a whole lot of dialogue” in the last couple months.
While there has been some skepticism that the Clippers are able to offer the sort of package that would appeal to the Sixers for Harden, Lowe believes that Daryl Morey and the Philadelphia front office would be willing to pull the trigger if Los Angeles made the right draft assets available, since those could be flipped for an impact player. “If the Clippers were to put both (of their tradable) first-round picks in, even without (Terance Mann), I think there’s a two-team deal that exists that the Sixers would do,” Lowe said. “I don’t think the two teams have been anywhere close to any of that kind of deal, which is why I think the only play I see for the Sixers here is bring him to camp, hope…he plays pretty well, and the Clippers and some other teams with high expectations sputter over their first 20 games and get desperate.”
Lowe suggests he wouldn’t be surprised if the Raptors make some sort of move in the next six weeks, noting that the team still has multiple key players entering contract years (including Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby) and has yet to complete an extension for Gary Trent Jr. that was rumored to be close back in June. “A lot of balls in the air for the Raptors,” Lowe said.
Marks and Lowe both believe that the Bucks‘ handling of Jrue Holiday‘s contract situation when he becomes extension-eligible in February could be a crucial domino that affects Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s future. Holiday can opt out of his current contract and become a free agent next summer if he doesn’t sign a new deal before then.