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Atlantic Notes: Robinson, Knicks, Sixers, Celtics

April 20th, 2020 at 9:28am CST by Luke Adams

Despite playing in just his second NBA season, Knicks big man Mitchell Robinson is already on his fifth agent since going pro, as Marc Berman of The New York Post details. Robinson signed with Rich Paul and Klutch Sports earlier this year, and Paul is confident that he can provide the sort of stable representation that will alleviate some concerns for the young center.

“When you get the right representation, there’s an ease that comes to your mind that allows you to focus on other things,” Paul told Berman. “It’s hard to sleep with both eyes closed in this business. It’s a lot more mental than people think.”

With a non-guaranteed salary for 2020/21 and a team option for ’21/22, Robinson is still a ways away from reaching free agency. However, Paul sounds as if he’s looking forward to eventually negotiating a second contract for the big man with new Knicks president of basketball operations Leon Rose, who previously represented Klutch’s current star client, LeBron James.

“He’ll shoot me straight when it comes to Mitchell and I’ll shoot him straight,” Paul said of Rose. “The Knicks know what’s best for him. They see him as a future guy. Leon knows the game. He’ll handle that properly.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

  • After declaring for the 2020 draft, potential lottery pick Cole Anthony – who grew up in New York – told Zach Braziller of The New York Post that he’d welcome the chance to play for the Knicks. “It would be pretty cool,” Anthony said. “I was a fan for a good amount of time. I do like the Knicks. I think they definitely can use a guard, a good scoring point guard.” As Braziller notes, the former Tar Heel added that he’d be fine dropping several spots in the draft if it means landing with a team that’s an ideal fit for him.
  • Appearing on The Sixers Beat podcast with Derek Bodner and Rich Hofmann of The Athletic, former Sixers sharpshooter J.J. Redick said he doesn’t believe head coach Brett Brown should be made the scapegoat for any issues in Philadelphia (audio clip). “I would love to play for Brett again,” Redick said. “I don’t think Brett is the problem, if there’s a problem. Sometimes things maybe just don’t work.”
  • A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston revisits the Celtics‘ 2019 draft decisions, exploring whether the team should have gone in a different direction with any of its four selections.
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UNC’s Cole Anthony Declares For 2020 NBA Draft

April 17th, 2020 at 12:15pm CST by Luke Adams

UNC freshman guard Cole Anthony has declared for the 2020 NBA draft, officially announcing his decision on Twitter.

A potential lottery pick, Anthony averaged 18.5 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 4.0 APG in 22 games (34.9 MPG) as a freshman. His first and only college season was derailed for a few weeks by a partially torn meniscus, but he returned to the Tar Heels’ lineup following that injury.

Draft guru Mike Schmitz, who – along with Jonathan Givony – has Anthony ranked 11th on ESPN’s big board, notes that the young point guard is more of a scorer than a facilitator at this point, and is a streaky shooter, having made just 38.0% of his field goals (34.8% from three) at UNC.

However, Schmitz praises Anthony’s offensive confidence and versatility, as well as his competitiveness and ability to fight through screens on defense.

[RELATED: 2020 NBA Draft Early Entrants List]

The 2020 draft class looks heavy on point guards, so despite being ESPN’s 11th overall prospect, Anthony ranks just fifth at his position, behind LaMelo Ball, Tyrese Haliburton, Killian Hayes, and RJ Hampton. NBA teams eyeing point guards early in the draft may also consider the likes of Nico Mannion and Theo Maledon.

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Knicks Notes: Thibodeau, Perry, Atkinson, Anthony

April 12th, 2020 at 12:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

Tom Thibodeau should have plenty of opportunities to return to the NBA next season, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Thibodeau, who was fired by the Timberwolves in the middle of the 2018/19 season, is frequently mentioned among the candidates to take over the Knicks. However, the Nets and Rockets are two other teams that might be interested, Bondy notes, while the Pelicans, Bulls and Hawks may also be in the market for a new coach, along with the Spurs if Gregg Popovich retires.

Sources tell Bondy that Thibodeau is confident he will be a head coach somewhere next season and has been getting advice around the league on the best opportunity. Bondy argues that Thibodeau doesn’t deserve all the blame for all that went wrong in Minnesota, suggesting that he had a good relationship with Andrew Wiggins, but couldn’t find a way to motivate Karl-Anthony Towns.

Bondy adds that interim coach Mike Miller remains a candidate to get the job on a full-time basis as new team president Leon Rose is impressed with his performance since taking over, while Kentucky coach John Calipari shouldn’t be counted out because of his close ties to Rose.

There’s more Knicks news to pass along:

  • The NBA shutdown has increased the chances that general manager Scott Perry will remain with the team, Bondy adds in the same column. The Knicks aren’t making personnel moves during the hiatus and are preparing for the draft with the current front office, which includes Gerald Madkins, Michael Arcieri and Harold Ellis, who all came to New York with Perry in 2017.
  • Kenny Atkinson isn’t the best choice for the Knicks despite his previous ties to the organization, contends Marc Berman of The New York Post. The former Nets coach hails from Long Island and served as an assistant with the Knicks under Mike D’Antoni, but a source tells Berman that Atkinson’s management late in games is considered questionable and he wasn’t able to win the respect of Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn. Berman expects Rose to seek a more experienced coach with a better track record.
  • Zach Braziller of The New York Post examines the divided opinions on North Carolina’s Cole Anthony, whom the Knicks may consider drafting, given their need for a point guard.
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Draft Notes: Anthony, Scrubb, Hunt, Edwards

March 25th, 2020 at 11:25am CST by Luke Adams

North Carolina freshman point guard Cole Anthony is viewed as a surefire lottery pick for the 2020 NBA draft, but he’s not yet ready to commit to actually declaring for the draft and leaving UNC, as Myron Medcalf of ESPN writes. Anthony said on Instagram that he’s currently focused on the coronavirus pandemic and relief efforts in New York.

“Living in New York City, the coronavirus hits hard,” Anthony said. “My family and I know many people directly affected by the coronavirus — many hospitalized, a few in critical condition, and one person who has died. … So, my biggest concern right now is trying to figure out how I can help during this crisis.”

While Anthony has yet to officially put his name in the 2020 draft pool, UNC head coach Roy Williams expected the young guard to do so, as he tells Evan Daniels of 247Sports. Asked if he expects any of his players to leave school for the NBA, Williams replied, “I don’t think there is any doubt in my mind that Cole will be leaving.”

Here are a few more draft-related notes:

  • Kentucky head coach John Calipari said on Tuesday that he expects the NBA to move back both the combine and the draft due to the coronavirus situation (Twitter link via Ian Begley of SNY.tv). Calipari hopes that – in that scenario – the date for college players to make final decisions about their draft eligibility would be pushed back too.
  • Junior college star and Louisville commit Jay Scrubb is entering the 2020 draft without forgoing his college eligibility, his father Jason Scrubb tells Evan Daniels of 247Sports. “Jay’s focus right now is trying to be a pro player, and we want the NBA to take him seriously,” the elder Scrubb said. “Some execs aren’t sure if he’s going to go to school or try for the NBA. With the timeline we don’t know when we would hear from the NBA. He wants to be a pro athlete, but he does love Louisville.”
  • SMU sophomore forward Feron Hunt is testing the draft waters this spring, he announced on Twitter. Hunt is coming off a 2019/20 campaign in which he averaged 11.0 PPG and 6.7 RPG in 30 games (28.2 MPG) for the Mustangs.
  • Toledo junior guard Marreon Jackson recently announced on Twitter that he’s entering the 2020 draft pool while retaining his college eligibility. He averaged 19.8 PPG and 5.4 APG in 32 games (35.3 MPG) in 2019/20.
  • Jeremy Woo of SI.com takes a closer look at Anthony Edwards, exploring why the Georgia guard has emerged as the leading candidate to be the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA draft and what question marks still surround him.
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Knicks To Target Scoring Point Guard In 2020 Draft?

February 18th, 2020 at 1:20pm CST by Luke Adams

With the Knicks‘ playoff chances for 2019/20 essentially dead, the team has its eye on the 2020 draft class. And according to Marc Berman of The New York Post, the Knicks’ scouting staff has been informed that the top priority for the club’s lottery pick is a scoring point guard.

Despite using their 2017 lottery selection on Frank Ntilikina and acquiring former top-10 picks such as Elfrid Payton and Dennis Smith Jr., the Knicks have been unable to secure a long-term answer at the point guard spot in recent years. It remains to be seen whether New York will find its answer in this year’s draft, but there should be some options, especially if the team remains in position to pick in the top half of the lottery.

Berman singles out LaMelo Ball as one possible target, noting that Leon Rose was expected to be Ball’s agent at CAA before Rose agreed to become the Knicks’ next president of basketball operations. Cole Anthony (UNC), Tyrese Haliburton (Iowa State), Tyrese Maxey (Kentucky), and Killian Hayes (France) are other young guards who figure to be on the Knicks’ radar on draft day, says Berman. All those players are projected to come off the board between No. 4 (Ball) and No. 12 (Hayes) in ESPN’s latest mock draft (Insider link).

With the Knicks’ front office in a transition period, it can be tricky to know what to make of reports like these, since it’s unclear whether they reflect the preferences of interim head of basketball operations Scott Perry or incoming head of basketball operations Rose.

However, Berman writes that the Knicks’ aggressive pursuit of D’Angelo Russell at this month’s trade deadline was under Rose’s “consultation,” which suggests the veteran agent has had a voice in the front office even before he finishes tying up loose ends at CAA and officially joins the franchise. Russell, of course, would have perfectly fit the description of a scoring point guard.

According to Berman, the Knicks’ other priority in the draft will be a swingman with three-point range, something that RJ Barrett (.318 3PT%) hasn’t yet shown. Berman notes that New York could use the Clippers’ first-round pick to target that sort of player.

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And-Ones: 2020 Draft, Powell, Trade Market, Reed

January 24th, 2020 at 9:16pm CST by Dana Gauruder

A trio of guards — Georgia’s Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball and North Carolina’s Cole Anthony — top The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie’s latest draft board. Another guard, 18-year-old Killian Hayes, made the biggest move among the top 20 prospects. Hayes, who is playing in Europe, jumped from No. 16 to No. 7.

We have more from around the basketball world:

  • The Nuggets’ Malik Beasley, the Spurs’ Lonnie Walker and the Celtics’ Robert Williams are among five buy-low trade targets for teams seeking to fortify their benches, according to ESPN’s Mike Schmitz.
  • Dwight Powell‘s season-ending Achilles injury was not only a major setback for the Mavericks but also Team Canada, Michael Grange of SportsNet Canada notes. Powell was expected to be a foundation piece for Canada’s Olympic push and his size, smarts, and athleticism will be hard to replace, according to Grange.
  • Veteran center Willie Reed has signed with the G League and returned to the Salt Lake City Stars, Hoops Rumors’ JD Shaw tweets. Reed, 29, was playing in Greece but parted ways with Olympiacos earlier this month.
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And-Ones: Two-Way Deals, 2020 Draft, Tournament

December 25th, 2019 at 2:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The two-way contract didn’t exist prior to 2017, but it’s now in its third year of existence and has injected some additional talent into the G League, writes Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.

“It’s added a lot of depth. The talent and skill level are at a different point than when I first came into the league as a player and as a coach,” South Bay Lakers coach Coby Karl said. “Over the last three years, it’s a completely different experience. … The young, talented guys were going overseas because there wasn’t enough money in the G League.”

While a two-way player still won’t earn as much as an NBA rookie on a standard, minimum-salary contract, that two-way player can earn up to about $411K this season if he maxes out his 45 NBA days, per cap expert Albert Nahmad (Twitter link). It also gives more young players a chance to enter an NBA team’s developmental program.

“I don’t love those contracts. They don’t really do anything for me,” one agent told Pincus. “They’re not very agent-friendly, but they’re a necessary vehicle. … [My clients] are getting in the door with an organization. They’re able to see the floor, to be a priority guy in the G League program while developing.”

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

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Top Prospect Cole Anthony Out 4-6 Weeks With Knee Injury

December 17th, 2019 at 2:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Yet another top 2020 prospect will be sidelined into the new year with an injury, as the University of North Carolina announced today in a press release that freshman point guard Cole Anthony is expected to miss the next four-to-six weeks. According to the school, Anthony underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee to treat a partially torn meniscus.

Anthony is the third player viewed as a probable top-10 pick who has gone down with an injury this month, joining LaMelo Ball (foot) and R.J. Hampton (hip). Like Ball and Hampton, who are both playing in Australia, Anthony intends to return to action before the end of his team’s season, sources tell Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link).

Anthony averaged 19.1 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 3.4 APG in his first nine games as a Tar Heel, though he has struggled at times with his efficiency, posting a .368/.355/.679 shooting line.

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony notes in his scouting report that Anthony can be a streaky shooter and is more of a scorer than a facilitator for now. However, Givony praises Anthony’s ball-handling ability, athleticism, and effort on defense, ranking him as the No. 4 prospect in the 2020 class.

Anthony is one of a handful of players who should receive consideration for the top pick, along with Ball, Memphis center James Wiseman, and Georgia shooting guard Anthony Edwards.

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And-Ones: E. Okafor, Trade Season, 2020 Draft, Cacok

December 12th, 2019 at 3:11pm CST by Luke Adams

Former No. 2 overall pick Emeka Okafor made an NBA comeback during the 2017/18 season, appearing in 26 regular season contests for the Pelicans after being out of the league for nearly five years. Although Okafor made 19 starts for a New Orleans team that ultimately made it to the Western Conference Semifinals, the veteran big man hasn’t appeared in the NBA since then.

Still, that doesn’t mean Okafor is giving up on his professional career. As Emiliano Carchia of Sportando relays, the former UConn star has found a new home in South Korea, where he has already appeared in a pair of games for Mobis Phoebus. At age 37, Okafor may not return to the NBA again, but he’s averaging a double-double so far in the KBL, with 11.5 PPG and 10.5 RPG.

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

  • ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) shares his comprehensive and invaluable trade guide for 2019/20, while John Hollinger of The Athletic provides five reasons why the ’19/20 trade season may turn out to be a dud.
  • Within his article, Hollinger makes a case for why the Warriors may push hard to get out of luxury-tax territory before the end of the season, noting that doing so would allow the team to avoid repeater penalties in 2020/21. It won’t be easy for Golden State to sneak below the tax line, but if the team is willing to discuss a Kevon Looney trade, that could open up one path, Hollinger observes.
  • Jeremy Woo of SI.com and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic have published their first big boards for the 2020 NBA draft. Georgia freshman guard Anthony Edwards tops both lists, but they diverge from there, with LaMelo Ball coming in at No. 2 in Woo’s rankings, while Vecenie has UNC’s Cole Anthony at No. 2.
  • Devontae Cacok‘s new two-way contract with the Lakers is a two-year agreement, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). Cacok is one of six two-way players who is in the first year of a two-year deal.
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And-Ones: LaMelo, Scouting, Pitino, Schedule Changes

November 29th, 2019 at 1:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

LaMelo Ball is the top prospect for the 2020 draft, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. American fans haven’t seen much of the youngest Ball brother because he’s playing in Australia’s National Basketball League, but he’s making a strong impression on NBA scouts.

According to Givony, Ball’s assets include unusual size for a point guard at 6’7″, along with “impressive creativity, flair, poise and instincts operating off a live dribble.” He can pass with either hand and is especially skilled on the pick-and-roll. To improve his game, Givony believes Ball needs to become a more efficient scorer and show a stronger commitment to defense, but he still has the potential to become a franchise-altering player.

The rest of the top five includes Memphis center James Wiseman, Georgia guard Anthony Edwards, North Carolina guard Cole Anthony and combo guard R.J. Hampton, who is also playing in the ABL.

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

  • This week normally marks the unofficial beginning of scouting season, but that’s changing because of the concept of “flight risk,” writes former league executive John Hollinger of The Athletic. Team officials who may be planning a trip to Australia to see Ball or Hampton in late December or January are taking the risk that they could shut down their seasons early to avoid injury if they believe their status as a high lottery pick is secure.
  • Some of the top players in Greece are refusing to play for the national team as long as Rick Pitino is the head coach of Panathinaikos, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Former NBA player Kostas Papanikolaou joined with Georgios Printezis and Antonis Koniaris to write a letter to the Greek federation, protesting Pitino’s recent return to their arch-rival and calling the situation “toxic.” Greece hasn’t earned a spot in the Olympics and will be part of a qualifying tournament in June.
  • Instead of making radical changes to the schedule and the playoffs, the NBA needs to do a better job of promoting its current product, contends Michael Lee of The Athletic. He observes that the league has large number of  “skilled, likable and marketable stars,” along with many international players to attract an overseas audience. Lee opposes a shortened schedule and an in-season tournament, and points out that reason behind declining ratings is that it’s easier than ever for fans to enjoy the league through highlights on social media without dedicating the time to watch a full game.
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