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And-Ones: 2025 Storylines, Media News, G. Davis

August 30th, 2024 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

With few major offseason storylines left to resolve in 2024, Bobby Marks of ESPN (Insider link) takes an early look at the 2025 landscape, forecasting which stories will dominate NBA headlines next summer.

As Marks details, LeBron James will be one of the top free agents to watch for a second straight offseason, since he holds a 2025/26 player option. However, the rest of the 2025 free agent class isn’t particularly star-studded, with Jimmy Butler, Julius Randle, and Brandon Ingram among the top players to keep an eye on.

Barely any teams project to have 2025 cap room at this point, Marks notes, so high-level free agents who want to change teams may require a sign-and-trade. The one team that projects to have significant cap space is Brooklyn, so it could be a big summer for the Nets, who will be in position to be one of the league’s most active teams even if they don’t pursue top free agents.

Cooper Flagg‘s destination, the ongoing impact of the 2023 Collective Bargaining Agreement, and a 2025 rookie scale extension class headlined by Paolo Banchero are a few of the other storylines previewed by Marks.

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

A pair of notable NBA news-breakers are making career changes ahead of the 2024/25 season, according to reporting from Ryan Glasspiegel of The New York Post. Shams Charania is leaving Stadium, while Chris Haynes is parting ways with TNT Sports, per Glasspiegel, who says Charania remains under contract with The Athletic and FanDuel TV, though those deals are up soon as well. As Glasspiegel points out, NBC and Amazon Prime Video will likely be seeking NBA reporters and analysts as they prepare to broadcast games beginning in 2025, so it’s possible Charania and/or Haynes could be targeted by one of those new league partners.
In other NBA media news, Grant Hill, Richard Jefferson, Tim Legler, and Jay Bilas are among the top candidates to replace J.J. Redick on the top ABC/ESPN broadcast crew for the NBA Finals, sources tell Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. It’s possible ABC/ESPN will try a two-person booth of Mike Breen and Doris Burke, but the network would ideally like a three-person broadcast team, Marchand adds.
Amazon has scrapped its plans to make a $115MM investment in Diamond Sports Group to help lift the company out of bankruptcy, as Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal reports. Friend and Evan Drellich of The Athletic explores what that lost investment means for Diamond, which still controls regional sports networks that air games locally for 13 NBA teams.
A New York judge ruled this week that former NBA forward Glen Davis can wait until October 22 to begin serving his 40-month prison sentence for fraud, Larry Neumeister of The Associated Press. That judge postponed Davis’ deadline to report to prison by seven weeks to allow him to finish a documentary film project about his life.

Olympic Notes: Kawhi, Durant, Coulibaly, Germany

July 12th, 2024 at 11:59am CST by Luke Adams

The decision to remove Kawhi Leonard from the roster for the U.S. Olympic team was made by USA Basketball, managing director Grant Hill told reporters this week (story via Tim Bontemps of ESPN). Reports on Wednesday suggested that Leonard’s camp had expressed concerns to Team USA about the forward’s knee, but Hill took responsibility for the move to replace Leonard with Derrick White.

“We just felt that we had to pivot, and not to get into the particulars, in terms of what went into the decision, but we just felt it was in our best interest, but also in the Clippers’ and Kawhi’s best interest, to move into a different direction,” Hill said. “We tried. I think we all tried and we gave it a valiant effort, and unfortunately, we have to move forward.”

Asked directly if Team USA made that call, Hill replied, “We did. Ultimately he was sent home, but we were in conversation with the Clippers on that.”

Another one of Team USA’s forwards – Kevin Durant – is dealing with an injury of his own, but Hill expressed optimism that KD’s calf strain won’t keep him sidelined for much longer. It’s unclear if Durant will actually play in either of the team’s exhibition games in Abu Dhabi, per Marc J. Spears of Andscape (Twitter link). However, it sounds like he’ll return to practice soon.

“Durant will be on the plane, unless you know something,” Hill said. “He has been working, rehabbing, he’s looked great. I think we’re just being cautious and conservative. I think we expect to see him on the court when we’re in Abu Dhabi.”

Here’s more on Team USA and the upcoming Olympics:

Team USA looked just fine without Leonard and Durant on Wednesday in an exhibition game against Team Canada. While the U.S. struggled offensively, the team played excellent defense against a strong Canadian roster led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray and won by a comfortable 86-72 margin. A panel of ESPN experts shares their takeaways from that game, while Bontemps passes along post-game quotes from head coach Steve Kerr and a handful of U.S. players about their performance.
Speaking to Bontemps (YouTube link), Durant pushed back on the idea that he, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry are viewing the 2024 Olympics as a “last hurrah” or “farewell tour” playing for Team USA. “These guys are still playing at an elite level,” Durant said. “I feel like ‘Bron could play four or five more (seasons), he might be here in 2028 in L.A. Steph’s still playing great ball. I’m doing alright too. So I don’t want to look at it that way. I think we’ve still got some good ball in the tank.”
Still just 19 years old, Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly will get the opportunity this summer to represent the French national team at the Olympics in his home country. He tells Sapna Bansil of The Washington Post that he views it as a “once-in-a-lifetime moment” and that he’s enjoying being able to reunite with former Metropolitans 92 teammate Victor Wembanyama. “I forgot how easy it was to play with him,” Coulibaly said. “… Even with the friendly games, he’s been doing his thing, I’ve been doing my thing. We just complement each other very well.”
Coming off a gold medal at the 2023 World Cup, Germany has finalized its roster for the Paris Olympics, formally announcing the 12-man group in a press release. As expected, NBA veterans Dennis Schröder, Franz Wagner, Moritz Wagner, and Daniel Theis are among the headliners.

And-Ones: Team USA, Tiebreakers, W. Bynum, J. Parker, Barton

April 17th, 2024 at 1:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The Olympics are still three months away, but Grant Hill – USA Basketball’s managing director for the men’s team – didn’t see any reason to wait until the summer to announce the team, given that the program already knew which 12 players it wanted to take to Paris, Hill said on a conference call on Wednesday, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

“We knew,” Hill said. “We didn’t necessarily plan it that way, but we knew this was the team that we wanted and we also know that there’ll be a lot of interest and a lot of people who will want to be along for this incredible journey we’re about to be on. So if we know, why wait?”

Of course, with two months of NBA playoff basketball on tap, it’s possible that one or more of the players Team USA selected for its roster will suffer an injury that prevents him from suiting up in France. Hill said USA Basketball is prepared for that possibility, pointing out that there will be plenty of time to name any necessary replacements.

“We have shown in years past that we’ve had to make changes, and we do have time in the event that something unforeseen were to happen, that we have a contingency plan and we have that at every position,” Hill said. “We hope that that doesn’t happen. But you think back to [the Tokyo Olympics in] 2021, that was the case. And I think, going through this process, you have to learn to expect at times the unexpected, be able to adapt and adjust.”

Hill said that naming the 12-man roster early will allow Team USA to begin the chemistry-building process sooner rather than later. As Bontemps writes, Hill suggested that if schedules allow for it, he’d like to have the U.S. players and coaches “jump on a Zoom” in the not-too-distant future.

We have more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

The NBA intends to tweak its end-of-season seeding tiebreaker rules to include the results of that year’s in-season tournament, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links). According to Charania, the league’s general managers will vote on whether to make advancement in the NBA Cup the first tiebreaker or whether to make it the second tiebreaker after head-to-head results.
Will Bynum, the former NBA guard who appeared in 360 regular season games for the Warriors, Pistons, and Wizards from 2005-15, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for his role in a scheme to defraud the NBA’s health and welfare benefit plan, according to an Associated Press report. Bynum joins Keyon Dooling (30 months) and alleged ringleader Terrence Williams (10 years) as former NBA players who have been sentenced to prison time so far as a result of the fraud case.
Former No. 2 overall pick Jabari Parker, who signed with FC Barcelona, has agreed to extend his stay in Spain, signing a new contract with Barca Basquet that runs through 2026, the team announced in a press release.
Will Barton‘s stint with CB Granada in Spain is over after just three games, according to a press release. Barton signed with the Spanish team just over a month ago, but has since returned stateside. Granada said in its statement that it “appreciates the attitude and professionalism” the veteran wing showed in his brief time with the club.

And-Ones: Dumars, Silver, 2024 Draft, Hill, Snell

February 2nd, 2024 at 9:24pm CST by Rory Maher

In an interview with Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports, NBA executive vice president Joe Dumars said that while he has sympathy for injured players, such as Joel Embiid and Tyrese Haliburton, who may miss out on postseason awards due to the 65-game requirement, he noted the rule was collectively bargained and approved by the National Basketball Players’ Association last year.

“You’re always gonna have unintended consequences, that’s the first thing,” Dumars told Yahoo Sports. “The second thing, you kind of knew that the first couple of guys that were going to get close to that mark, it will become an issue. So it probably was going to become a talking point at some point. It could’ve been a month from now. The number is what the number is. I’m not surprised, (though).”

Dumars also said the NBA has been talking to coaches, general managers and the competition committee about the rise in scoring over the past decade.

“The question is posed to each one of those groups: Is the balance out of whack? Do we need to balance this more to allow defenses to defend more, to do more on the defensive end of the court? And by and large, people are saying it wouldn’t be bad to have a little bit more defense,” Dumars said.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

The Ringer’s staff listed what they view as the 15 biggest challenges facing NBA commissioner Adam Silver over his next 10 years in office. Silver recently signed a contract extension that will keep him in charge of the league office through the rest of the decade. Perhaps the biggest challenge? According to Howard Beck, that will be finding the next “face of the league” when LeBron James and Stephen Curry retire.
Jonathan Givony of ESPN (subscriber link) recently released an in-depth notebook from a 10-day scouting trip across Europe, with potential 2024 No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher among the players covered. At 6’10”, Risacher possesses a tantalizing blend of two-way skills and has excellent basketball instincts, according to Givony, who says the French 18-year-old has an “incredibly high floor” due to his “confidence, productivity and efficiency” while also having considerable upside.
Grant Hill, a Hall of Fame player who is currently managing director of USA Basketball as well as a minority owner of the Hawks, is among a group of noteworthy investors who have agreed to buy the MLB’s Baltimore Orioles, per The Associated Press (link via ESPN.com). Longtime Orioles star Cal Ripken Jr. is another investor in the team. Hill has ties to the area, as he’s from northern Virginia, not far from Washington D.C.
Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports explains why former NBA wing Tony Snell has family and health reasons for wanting to make it back to the league. Snell needs one more year of service (10) to qualify for the union’s premium medical insurance plan for families; he’s currently the only one covered, but he has two sons with autism spectrum disorder (Snell is also on the spectrum). The 32-year-old has spent the past two seasons with the Maine Celtics, Boston’s G League affiliate.

LeBron James Recruiting NBA Stars For 2024 Olympics

September 11th, 2023 at 8:52am CST by Arthur Hill

LeBron James wants to play in the 2024 Olympics and has started recruiting other veteran stars to join him, multiple sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.

James reached out to Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum and Draymond Green, who are all planning to be part of the team next summer in Paris, Charania adds. Devin Booker, Damian Lillard, De’Aaron Fox and Kyrie Irving are also interested in participating, according to Charania’s sources.

Team USA is coming off a fourth-place finish at the World Cup, but Charania reports that James’ team-building efforts started well before that tournament and aren’t related to the disappointing result. Charania points out that although the U.S. has failed to medal in the last two World Cups, it has won four straight Olympic golds and James wants to see that streak continue.

James was part of gold medal teams in 2008 and 2012, but he hasn’t played in the Olympics since then. He will be 39 in December, and sources tell Charania that he and Durant, who will turn 35 later this month, are viewing the 2024 Games as their “last dance” with USA Basketball.

They have both talked to Curry, who will be 36 next summer, about forming the core of the U.S. team, Charania adds. Curry has never played in the Olympics, but he has two World Cup gold medals.

Charania states that USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill refused to comment on the reported interest from James and other stars, but he is aware of it.

Rockets Notes: Green, Stone, Sengun, Smith

August 11th, 2023 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Jalen Green made a positive impression during his time scrimmaging against Team USA in Las Vegas, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Green helped the Select Team pick up an early victory in the competitions, and Grant Hill, managing director of USA Basketball, liked what he saw from the Rockets‘ young guard.

“He played well,” Hill said. “He was one of the few guys that I had not seen in person. I obviously had seen him in highlights and on videos, even going back to high school. He’s dynamic. He’s explosive. He’s very confident.”

Green has experienced individual success during his first two NBA seasons, averaging 17.3 and 22.1 points per game, but the rebuilding Rockets have been among the NBA’s worst teams. Houston aggressively upgraded its roster this summer, and Hill sees a brighter future for Green and the organization.

“He’s had a couple of seasons to really understand what the NBA is, and that’s important,” Hill said. “I like the moves the Rockets made this offseason bringing in veteran guys, guys who have been around the league, guys who have had success — Fred (VanVleet) has been a champion — but can still play. You bring in coach (Ime) Udoka, who brings in a level of accountability and teaching. All of that, for a guy like Jalen, is a great chance for him to really grow. I think he’s ready and that team is ready to take a step this season.”

There’s more from Houston:

NBA teams don’t have full control over whether their players take part in international competitions, but Rockets general manager Rafael Stone is happy to see so many of his players involved, Feigen adds. Australia’s Jock Landale and Canada’s Dillon Brooks will both participate in the FIBA World Cup. “If we were in a position to have more control, it would be a very player-by-player thing,” Stone said. “This summer, I’m really happy for our guys. They’re at points in their careers the additional reps are very valuable. … I can see where teams have concerns. In our case this summer, we’re comfortable, and we’re encouraging those guys not just to play but to play great and come back as better players.”
Another Rockets player getting international experience is center Alperen Sengun, who is on Turkey’s roster for an Olympics pre-qualifying tournament that begins Saturday, per Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops. The Turkish team will face Bulgaria, Iceland and Ukraine.
A survey conducted by Kelly Iko of The Athletic finds that fans are optimistic about the Rockets’ chances to improve and are expecting a breakout season from Jabari Smith Jr.

Team USA Rumors: Young, Beal, Allen, Embiid

October 25th, 2022 at 9:22am CST by Luke Adams

Under former USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo, continuity was a top priority for the men’s national team. Colangelo required players to make two-year commitments to the program, maintained a pool of about 40 Team USA players, and conducted training camps in summers when there was no major international competition.

However, as Joe Vardon of The Athletic details, new managing director Grant Hill has decided to take a different approach, having concluded – along with new Team USA head coach Steve Kerr – that it’s not realistic to expect NBA superstars to commit back-to-back summers to the national program.

The plan for Team USA is to spend the next several months, into the spring, building the team that will represent the country at the World Cup in the Philippines next fall. USA Basketball will then repeat that process the following year in preparation for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Vardon writes.

While it remains to be seen which players will ultimately suit up for Team USA at those two events, Vardon’s article includes some additional info on potential candidates. Here are some highlights:

Hawks star Trae Young has long wanted to play for Team USA at a World Cup or Olympics, but hasn’t gotten the chance to do so yet. He’s optimistic he’ll get that chance now that Hill – a minority owner of the Hawks – is so involved in the process. “It’s exciting, knowing someone who has more of a say,” Young told Vardon.
Wizards star Bradley Beal missed the last World Cup due to the birth of his son and also had to sit out of the Olympics after contracting COVID-19, but he’s interested in playing for the team going forward. “I definitely see myself playing for USA,” Beal told Vardon. “That’s always been a goal of mine, obviously to play in the Olympics, but there’s a step to get there (the World Cup). So if it’s available to me, for sure.”
Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen is receiving “heavy consideration” from Team USA officials, according to Vardon. Allen would be interested if he’s invited to take part, telling Vardon he would “take a lot of pride in representing us on a stage in front of the world.”
Confirming a previous report from Marc Stein, Vardon says Team USA is very interested in Joel Embiid, a native of Cameroon who has French and U.S. citizenship. USA Basketball hasn’t begun a formal recruitment of Embiid, but doesn’t want to see him join a French frontcourt that already features Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama.
Jayson Tatum, Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker, Khris Middleton, and Zach LaVine are among the players who won gold with Team USA in Tokyo and would be welcomed back if they want to play in the 2023 World Cup, says Vardon.

And-Ones: Antetokounmpo, Hill, Blakeney, Ukraine

March 19th, 2022 at 12:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Managerial members of the Greek national team are expected to meet this week with the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo and Thanasis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee to discuss their participation in this summer’s EuroBasket, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net. Both have a history of playing for the national team.

Greece will participate in 2022 EuroBasket this September.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Team USA managing director Grant Hill doesn’t expect star players to make multi-year commitments to USA Basketball, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Hill said it’s unrealistic to expect current players to give up two consecutive summers to play for the team. Team USA, under Hill, also won’t hold a training camp this summer, another break from tradition. “There’s the notion that we (should) demand or expect two-year commitment from guys, but I’m not sure that necessarily works in this day and age,” Hill said. “People’s willingness and commitment to give two consecutive years to Team USA has changed, so we have to be able to adapt to the times. There’s been a considerable amount of interest from players who have already been a part of this, players who have already won gold medals in recent cycles, and then obviously, young players who want to be a part of this. I’m confident we’ll get the job done.”
Former Bulls guard Antonio Blakeney has signed with Hapoel Be’er Sheva in Israel, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors relays (Twitter link). Blakeney played 76 games with Chicago from 2017-19. He began this season in Bahrain.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may force western sports leagues to reconsider their overseas partnerships, according to Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic. Just as athletes and leagues became more involved in social justice issues in recent years, there may be more of a consideration regarding human rights in choosing which countries they will market and operate their sports and products.

And-Ones: USA Basketball, Mayo, Mejri

September 18th, 2021 at 11:56am CST by Dana Gauruder

Grant Hill has taken over as USA Basketball’s managing director and one of his first tasks is to find a replacement for coach Gregg Popovich. Hill told The Undefeated’s Marc Spears that he plans to hire a new coach before the NBA season begins on October 19.

Candidates that have previous experience with USA Basketball will have the upper hand, according to Spears. That group would include Steve Kerr, Lloyd Pierce, Jay Wright, Doc Rivers, Nate McMillan, Monty Williams, Tom Thibodeau, Erik Spoelstra and Jeff Van Gundy.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Former NBA guard O.J. Mayo has reached an agreement with Russia’s Unics Kazan, Sportando relays. Sport-Business.ru was first to report the news. Mayo was banned by the NBA in 2016 for violating the league’s drug program. Mayo has recently played in China.
Former Mavericks big man Salah Mejri has reached an agreement with Al Jahra in Kuwait, according to Sportando. Mejri appeared in 204 games with Dallas from 2015-19.
In case you missed it, Jarrell Brantley is expected to sign with a Russian team after being waived by the Jazz. Get the details here.

Olympic Notes: Holiday, Middleton, Booker, Hill

July 21st, 2021 at 5:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

The U.S. Olympic team is about to get some reinforcements now that the NBA Finals are over, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. With the Bucks finishing off the Suns Tuesday night, Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton and Devin Booker are all headed to Tokyo and are expected to be ready when the Americans open Olympic play on Sunday against France.

All three players will bring some welcome firepower to a team that went 2-2 in exhibition play. While they didn’t have the benefit of training with their new teammates, coach Gregg Popovich is confident that it won’t take long for everyone to adjust.

“Chemistry is something that we hope forms quickly,” Popovich said. “These guys get along very well. They haven’t played together but they know each other and they’re very happy to be here. They’ve sacrificed a lot under the circumstances to do this. The chemistry builds day by day, you can’t force that issue. It just happens organically. The three guys that are coming in will blend in as best they can and we’ll try to do a good job coaching-wise to put them in situations where they feel comfortable together.”

There’s more on the Olympics:

Despite the difficulty of going from one high-level competition to another, none of the three players in the Finals have any regrets about their Olympic decisions, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “Yes, there is a component of playing for your country, playing for your family,” Holiday said. “My wife (former soccer star Lauren Cheney) being a two-time Olympian, was is also a factor, but I think not having a break and just feeling like, well, we’re in the Finals, why not just continue playing basketball.”
A busy schedule awaits Grant Hill after the Olympics, notes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Hill will replace Jerry Colangelo as managing director of USA Basketball and will have just a few months before qualifying begins for the 2023 Basketball World Cup. Hill won’t be at the Olympics because of limits on personnel that can travel with a team, but he has worked closely with Colangelo to prepare for the new role. “No question, these are big shoes to fill,” Hill said. “Jerry has been incredible. His vision, strategic thinking, his will to make this successful. … I’m amazed at many things I didn’t know about his various contributions to the game of basketball.”
Kevin Durant, Luka Doncic, Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol and Rudy Gobert are the top players to watch in this year’s Games, The Athletic states in its guide to men’s Olympic basketball.