LaMelo Ball Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Mock Draft, Maker, G League Union, Bethea Jr.

February 17th, 2020 at 10:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Georgia guard Anthony Edwards heads to Cleveland in the latest mock draft compiled by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. Former Memphis center James Wiseman (Golden State), Auburn swingman Isaac Okoro (Atlanta), guard LaMelo Ball (New York) and Israeli swingman Deni Avdija (Charlotte) round out the top five. USC big man Onyeka Okongwu has firmly moved into the top 10 after a couple of big performances against top competition and Givony has him going to Detroit at No. 7.

We have more from the basketball world:

Makur Maker has been declared eligible for this year’s draft, Evan Daniels of 247Sports reports. The 6’11” Maker is a five-star recruit currently at Hillcrest Academy in Phoenix but he doesn’t plan to play any more games there, Daniels continues. The question about his eligibility stemmed from not receiving his diploma following his senior year of high school. Maker plans to play in the Iverson Classic All-Star game and the Nike Hoop Summit, Daniels adds.
NBA players have voted to support the formation of a union for G League players, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. The vote was held at the NBPA meeting on Monday. Formal approval at the G League level will have to take place before the union can be formed (Twitter links).
Raptors 905 guard Michael Bethea Jr. is the subject of a feature story by The Athletic’s Blake Murphy on the life of a G League player.

LaMelo Ball Leaves Australian Team

January 29th, 2020 at 10:11am CST by Luke Adams

Top draft prospect LaMelo Ball has returned stateside after an abridged season with the Illawarra Hawks in Australia, according to a report from Timothy Fernandez of ABC Illawarra (hat tip to NBC Sports).

Ball’s season came to an early end when he suffered a foot injury in December and was subsequently shut down in January. Although he wasn’t going to suit up again for the team, it sounds like the Hawks were caught off guard by the timing of Ball’s departure. According to Fernandez, captain Todd Blanchfield didn’t know about it until he was asked for comment by ABC Illawarra.

“It’s news to me, but [Ball’s camp has] got an agenda they have to take care of,” Blanchfield said. “At the end of the day he’s thinking of the bigger picture and has bigger things in mind. … We were teammates for half the season while he was playing, and we had our ups and downs, but it would have been good to say goodbye.”

Team owner Simon Stratford said he was “really disappointed” that Ball didn’t say goodbye to his teammates or coach, per Fernandez. Still, when the Hawks officially announced Ball’s departure, they wished him the best in his preparations for the draft.

“LaMelo has had a big impact on our club and the league and we thank him for everything he has done for the Hawks and the Illawarra community,” Hawks general manager Mat Campbell said in a statement. “He has a very bright future ahead of him and the Hawks are proud to have played a part in that journey. LaMelo and his team will always be a part of the Hawks family and we wish him the very best ahead of the NBA Draft.”

Ball averaged 17.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 6.8 APG in the 12 games he played prior to his injury, making himself a contender for the No. 1 overall pick in 2020. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony currently has Ball ranked atop his big board, though he notes that the guard’s work ethic and level of focus have been called into question. Ball’s abrupt departure from the Hawks could be another factor for NBA teams to consider as they evaluate his draft stock this spring.

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.

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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.

And-Ones: Mavs, All-Star Draft, China, Ball

January 20th, 2020 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks announced in a press release that they’ve partnered with Chime Banking for a jersey sponsorship deal. While the exact terms of the agreement aren’t known, Mark Medina of USA Today reports that it’s worth “just under eight figures.”

Dallas previously had a jersey sponsorship deal with the company 5miles, but terminated it last year. Following the end of that partnership, the Mavericks had been the only team without a uniform patch in place, as our tracker shows.

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

As it did a year ago, the NBA’s All-Star draft will take place on the day of the trade deadline, with the league announcing in a press release that the event will air on TNT at 7:00pm ET on February 6, four hours after the deadline. The top vote-getter in each conference will be an All-Star captain, and those two captains will select their teams from the pools of All-Star starters and reserves.
Nets owner Joseph Tsai recently said in an interview with YES Network that the NBA is working to get its relationship with China back on track (hat tip to NetsDaily). “The key thing is we need be broadcast on TV back in China,” Tsai said. “There’s talk NBA ratings are kind of down for various reasons. But we don’t want to see ratings go down globally. We need the NBA games to be back on TV in China.” Tsai faced some criticism in the fall when he wrote a Facebook post essentially defending China’s reaction to Daryl Morey‘s infamous tweet supporting Hong Kong protestors.
Ethan Strauss of The Athletic takes a look at LaMelo Ball‘s National Basketball League film as he attempts to assess the youngster’s value, ultimately concluding that he wouldn’t feel comfortable making Ball a top-five pick in the 2020 NBA draft.

Knicks Notes: Barrett, Ivey, LaMelo, Morris

January 19th, 2020 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Steve Nash didn’t get to watch his godson, RJ Barrett, play last night because of an injury, but he has faith that Barrett will develop into a franchise cornerstone for the Knicks, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News.

“(Barrett’s) shown very much of what I thought he’d show. He’s an incredibly talented, well-rounded basketball player. He does a bit of everything. I think he will evolve into a great playmaker because that’s a natural ability for him that he doesn’t necessarily get to shine in at this stage of his career and on this stage of this team,” Nash said. “That’s exciting for Knicks fans that he still produces, he’s versatile, he can score. He’s growing defensively. And for me, he’s a natural playmaker and that hasn’t been a part of his upside yet that’s highlighted. So for the franchise, that’s exciting.”

Barrett was a primary ballhandler in college, but the Knicks quickly gave up on their experiment of using him at point guard, Bondy notes. Still, his usage rate is high at 23.2% and he is often utilized as a secondary initiator of the offense.

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The Sixers expressed interest in hiring New York assistant Royal Ivey after the end of last season, but the Knicks blocked the move because they thought Ivey might help attract Kevin Durant in free agency, Bondy adds in a separate story. Ivey is a close friend with Durant and was a former teammate in Oklahoma City. A source tells Bondy that the Knicks refused to allow the Sixers to interview Ivey, but did give him a pay raise.
The Knicks never made it to Australia to see LaMelo Ball in person before he was shut down for the season with a foot injury, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. The front office was planning a trip this month, but Berman points out that it might not matter because president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry may not be with the team by draft time.
The Knicks will be wasting an opportunity if they don’t trade Marcus Morris by the deadline, contends Tommy Beer of Forbes. Morris is enjoying his best statistical season, averaging 19.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.7 3-pointers per game, but may not be a long-term fit at age 30. Not only would the Knicks be better off with whatever assets they can obtain in return, Beer adds, trading Morris takes away any chance they will overpay to re-sign him this summer.

LaMelo Ball Shut Down For Rest Of NBL Season

January 16th, 2020 at 9:42am CST by Luke Adams

Despite initial optimism that he’d return before the end of the season from the foot injury that sidelined him last month, top prospect LaMelo Ball won’t play any more games for the Illawara Hawks, manager and trainer Jermaine Jackson told Olgun Uluc of Fox Sports Australia.

According to Jackson, Ball is now healthy after dealing with a bone bruise in his foot, but would require several weeks of training and rehab before he’s cleared to return to game action. Australia’s National Basketball League concludes its regular season on February 14 and the 5-17 Hawks won’t make the playoffs, so the team isn’t pushing Ball to return.

Many NBA decision-makers didn’t have a chance to evaluate Ball in person during his time in Australia, but weren’t surprised by the decision to shut him down to avoid the risk of further injury, says Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

Ball averaged 17.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 6.8 APG in the 12 games he did play in the NBL, boosting his stock and making himself a contender for the No. 1 overall pick in 2020. However, he struggled with his shot (.377 FG%, .250 3PT%) and there are still concerns related to his “reportedly erratic work ethic,” according to Givony, who did note that some scouts believe the 18-year-old is the most talented prospect in the 2020 draft class.

One NBA scouting executive who spoke to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com gave a mixed review on Ball’s time with the Hawks, suggesting that he prefers James Wiseman as a potential top pick.

“(Ball’s) got everything you’d like to see in a point guard because he is so big,” the exec said. “He is probably going to be 6’8″ and that kind of size, that sets you apart. … [But] there are times if you watch him where it looks like he is collecting his own numbers and not helping the team win. For a point guard, you don’t want to see that.”

Ball is currently the top prospect on ESPN’s big board, followed by Georgia’s Anthony Edwards and Wiseman.

Lonzo Ball On LaMelo Being A Fit For Knicks: “For Sure”

January 11th, 2020 at 11:23am CST by marksuleymanov

As Lonzo Ball‘s younger brother LaMelo Ball prepares for the NBA Draft this summer, the elder Ball brother believes the potential first overall pick would be a fit for the Knicks, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes.

“Whoever has the No. 1 pick, I feel like that’s who’s gonna get him,” Lonzo said to the Post scribe. “He’s been in the spotlight since he was 15, plus I went through everything he’s gonna go through. So he always has me to fall back on.

“But what he did overseas, what he did in high school, I think it’s a fair choice [as the No. 1-overall pick], honestly. He’s been killing grown men in Australia, which is a very good league. So I expect the same thing here. It’s different for everybody. Hopefully, it happens from the first game. That’s what I’d love to see.”

LaMelo, 18, is currently in Australia with the National Basketball League but is sidelined with a foot injury. However, the injury is not considered serious enough to put his draft status in jeopardy.

It’s possible the Knicks — who landed R.J. Barrett with the third overall pick last year — could land the first overall selection this summer. The team currently sits third in the lottery standings, as our Reverse Standings show.

“Wherever he lands, he’s gonna help out a lot. Anybody could use him,” Lonzo said of his brother.

And-Ones: 2020 Draft, Giannis, Curry, Silver

January 10th, 2020 at 11:22am CST by Luke Adams

The 2019 NBA draft, like many in recent years, had an obvious hierarchy at the top, with No. 1 prospect Zion Williamson followed by clear top-tier options like Ja Morant and RJ Barrett. However, things don’t project to be quite so simple in 2020, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Insider link), who suggests that the this year’s draft might be the weirdest one in years.

As Givony explains, James Wiseman‘s departure from the University of Memphis, Anthony Edwards‘ inconsistency at Georgia, and a handful of unknowns surrounding LaMelo Ball have ensured there’s no clear-cut favorite to be the No. 1 pick in June. Wiseman’s absence, along with injuries to Ball, Cole Anthony, and R.J. Hampton, have also resulted in a dearth of opportunities for evaluators to scout many of this year’s top prospects.

With so much uncertainty about the top of the 2020 class, a chaotic draft night is possible, according to Givony, who thinks teams might have big boards that look very different.

Despite Givony’s assertions, there seems to be at least a rough consensus among experts on the top of the draft order for now. In their latest mock drafts, Givony and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic each have Edwards, Wiseman, and Ball going 1-2-3, in that order. The two mock drafts do diverge significantly from there, however.

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

After his postgame conversation with Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo on Wednesday went viral, Warriors Stephen Curry claimed to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (video link) that he wasn’t talking to Giannis about teaming up in Golden State in the future — he was giving him his gamer tag for the online game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. “Don’t shoot the messenger,” Haynes said, perhaps recognizing that some fans will find Curry’s explanation dubious.
Former NBA first-round pick Jared Cunningham, who had been playing for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League, has opted to return to China and sign with the Shanghai Sharks, tweets Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. Cunningham, who has appeared in 84 regular season NBA games, played in the Chinese Basketball Association for Jiangsu in 2016/17.
Ethan Strauss of The Athletic identifies five issues facing commissioner Adam Silver in the coming years, including the NBA’s next TV rights deal and the league’s delicate relationship with China.
The National Basketball Players Association is creating an accelerator program to help current and former players invest in and create startup companies. Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg has the story and the details.

And-Ones: LaMelo Ball, Hampton, Guarantee Deadline

January 3rd, 2020 at 12:16pm CST by Luke Adams

NBA teams hoping to scout LaMelo Ball in Australia will have to wait a little longer, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN, who reports that the Illawarra Hawks guard remains out indefinitely due to a foot injury. Ball is still in a walking boot and has been instructed not to put any weigh on his injured foot for at least two more weeks, sources tell Givony.

With the Hawks unlikely to make the National Basketball League playoffs in Australia, it remains to be seen whether Ball will actually return for the team this season. The regular season ends on February 14, so if the youngster isn’t cleared for several more weeks, it may not make sense to have him suit up for the team’s final games.

Givony provides a more positive update on R.J. Hampton, the other probable 2020 lottery pick who is playing in Australia’s NBL this season. According to Givony, Hampton has been cleared to resume full basketball activity as he recovers from a hip injury. The New Zealand Breakers are expected to reintegrate the 18-year-old with a minutes restriction once he’s ready to return, which should happen soon.

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

With non-guaranteed salaries around the NBA set to become guaranteed next week, John Hollinger of The Athletic explores which players are safe and which ones might be at risk. Alfonzo McKinnie (Cavaliers), Derrick Walton (Clippers), and Dragan Bender (Bucks) are among the players in danger of being waived, in Hollinger’s view.
In an interesting piece for ESPN.com, Jackie MacMullan and Kirk Goldsberry examine the debate over the modernization of NBA big men, speaking to several Hall-of-Fame centers who object to the way that current bigs like Joel Embiid are used.
Chris Mannix of SI.com published a mailbag in which he discussed the odds of the Celtics making a deadline deal, the Trail Blazers‘ future, the potential return of Darren Collison, and more.

And-Ones: I. Taylor, Wiseman, Draft, World Peace

December 30th, 2019 at 11:16am CST by Luke Adams

Free agent guard Isaiah Taylor was one of the Raptors’ final cuts this fall, having been waived just two days before the regular season began in order to create room on the roster for the team to retain Malcolm Miller. Now, Taylor is headed to the G League, where he has joined the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets‘ NBAGL affiliate, a source tells JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link).

Taylor, who received a $50K guarantee from Toronto on his training camp deal, has logged 71 regular season NBA games. Most of those came in 2017/18, when he appeared in 67 contests with the Hawks, but the other four occurred in 2016/17 with the Rockets. Taylor has previously signed multiple NBA contracts with Houston and has spent time with the Vipers, so he’ll be re-entering a familiar environment as he looks to play his way back to the NBA.

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

James Wiseman, a candidate to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, has officially left the University of Memphis and signed with Excel Sports for representation, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links). Woj notes that the seven-footer met with several agents before deciding on Excel.
Speaking of the 2020 draft, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic recently shared some of the draft-related tidbits he heard of this month’s G League Showcase. According to Vecenie, draft evaluators are split over who should be the top pick — Anthony Edwards was mentioned most, but Wiseman and LaMelo Ball also have backers.
According to a report out of Puerto Rico relayed by Alessandro Maggi of Sportando, Puerto Rico’s new Mets de Guaynabo expansion team was interested in Metta World Peace as its head coach, but the former NBA forward declined an offer.