Xavier Munford Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Bazley, Garnett, Two-Way Players, Munford

September 7th, 2018 at 8:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Darius Bazley’s curious summer decisions have hurt his draft stock, according to Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated. The 6’9” Bazley backed out of a commitment with Syracuse in order to play in the G League. He then announced he would simply train on his own until next year’s draft. Other than Bazley’s length and defensive effort, there are a lot of question marks about his game, Woo continues. He’s unpolished with a thin build and needs plenty of work on his offensive game, so he would be better off playing competitively for the next nine months. He now has the look of a second-round flier, Woo adds. Woo takes a closer look at several risers and droppers among 2019 draft prospects.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Kevin Garnett is filing a federal malpractice lawsuit against accountant Michael Wertheim and his firm, alleging they helped a wealth manager steal $77MM from him, according to Associated Press report. The suit claims the accountant and his firm enabled Charles Banks IV of Atlanta to defraud Garnett through businesses in which Garnett and Banks shared an interest. Banks, who was sentenced last year to four years in federal prison for defrauding retired Spurs star Tim Duncan, was not named in Garnett’s suit.
The maximum amount a two-way player can earn in training camp with an NBA team is $50K. The G League salary of a two-way player is $77,250, a mild increase from $75K last season. Those are some of the nuggets offered by Adam Johnson of 2Ways10Days in an examination of maximum earning power for players on two-way contracts during the upcoming season.
Free-agent guard Xavier Munford is mulling a move to the Chinese Basketball Association, according to Amico Hoops. The 6’4” Munford played on a two-way contract with the Bucks last season and appeared in six NBA contests. Munford, who also played 14 games with the Grizzlies during the 2015/16 season, is a restricted free agent within the NBA after receiving a qualifying offer from Milwaukee early this summer.

Jabari Parker Receives Qualifying Offer From Bucks

June 30th, 2018 at 8:09am CST by Dana Gauruder

JUNE 30th, 8:09am: The qualifying offers to Parker, Plumlee and Munford have officially been made, according to the RealGM transactions log.

JUNE 29th, 4:37pm: The Bucks have extended a qualifying offer to forward Jabari Parker, making him a restricted free agent, Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets.

The qualifying offer of $4,333,932 comes as no surprise despite Parker’s star-crossed career in which he’s suffered two major knee injuries. He returned from his latest one to play in 31 games last season, including three starts. He averaged 12.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG and 1.9 APG in 24.0 MPG and should be poised to contribute more with a full training camp under his best this fall.

Parker posted averaged of 20.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 2.8 APG in 51 games during the 2016/17 season before he tore his left ACL in early February.

It will be interesting to see if the No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 draft received a substantial offer sheet despite his injury history. Parker is still just 23 years old after completing four seasons in the league.

The Bucks also extended qualifying offers to their two-way players from last season, center Marshall Plumlee and point guard Xavier Munford, making them restricted free agents.

And-Ones: Brown, Motiejunas, Broekhoff, USA Basketball

June 15th, 2018 at 10:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Longtime NBA coach Larry Brown will sign his contract to become the head coach of the Euroleague’s Fiat Torino on Sunday, according to a Sportando report. Brown’s agent, Massimo Rizzo, said his client has already signed a letter of intent to coach the club but won’t ink the official contract until his press conference this weekend, the report adds. The 77-year-old will be taking his first head coaching position since resigning from Southern Methodist two years ago.

We have more international and domestic basketball news:

Forward Donatas Motiejunas will remain in China next season, Sportando relays. He re-signed with Shandong for approximately $3MM, the report adds. Motiejunas played 34 games with the Pelicans in 2016/17 after beginning his career with the Rockets, but long-terms concerns over the soundness of his back sidetracked his NBA career.
Australian swingman Ryan Broekhoff has visited several teams this week hoping to land an NBA contract, HoopsHype tweets. Broekhoff, who went undrafted out of Valparaiso in 2013, was scheduled to visit and work out for the Wizards, Timberwolves, Bucks and Nets, HoopsHype adds.
Reggie Hearn, Jonathan Holmes, Amile Jefferson, David Stockton and Xavier Munford are among the 14 players who will be on the training camp roster for the USA World Cup Qualifying Team, according a USA Basketball press release. Training camp begins on Wednesday and the final roster will be pared to 12 players. In the FIBA World Cup Qualifying games, the U.S. will face Mexico on June 28th in Mexico City and Cuba on July 1st in Havana.
The Hornets and Raptors are interested in adding Sergio Scariolo, who is currently the head coach of the Spanish national team, to their staffs, according to another Sportando post.

Central Notes: Jackson, Antetokounmpo, Bower

February 16th, 2018 at 4:53pm CST by Austin Kent

When Pistons guard Reggie Jackson sprained his ankle on Boxing Day, he was given a six-to-eight week recovery timeline. Seven weeks in, head coach Stan Van Gundy is noncommittal about Jackson’s return, Rod Beard of The Detroit News writes.

“I don’t have any preconceived notion at all of when he’ll be back,” Van Gundy said. “When [Pistons doctors] tell me he’s back, he’s back.”

Though the Pistons guard hasn’t suffered a setback, the lack of enthusiasm doesn’t bode well. Per Beard, the 27-year-old may need a few more weeks to get to a point where he’s practicing heavily.

When Jackson does make his return, it will be to a Pistons lineup much different than the one he left in December. Jackson, of course, figures to be one of Detroit’s top offensive options in addition to Andre Drummond and recently acquired Blake Griffin.

There’s more from the Central Division:

While Giannis Antetokounmpo has shown that whatever he does to improve his game in the offseason seems to be working just fine, the 23-year-old Bucks forward has an interest in training with Kobe Bryant in the summer. “When I go to [All-Star Weekend], I’m going to try to sneak an opportunity to talk to him,” he told ESPN’s Eric Nehm.
Second-year Bucks guard Xavier Munford, among the NBA’s first class of two-way players, has bounced between the big league club and its G League affiliate so far this season. He spoke with Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype about his new role.
There’s more that goes into pulling off an NBA trade than simply cold calling a fellow executive ahead of the trade deadline. Pistons general manager Jeff Bower spoke about the process that unfolded ahead of the Blake Griffin trade with Rod Beard of The Detroit News.

Bucks To Sign Xavier Munford To Two-Way Deal

January 6th, 2018 at 11:21pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bucks will sign guard Xavier Munford to a two-way contract, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical. Munford is currently playing for the organization’s G League affiliate, where he is averaging 24 points per game.

Milwaukee already has both of its two-way slots filled with Joel Bolomboy and Sean Kilpatrick, so at least one more move will have to be made before Munford can be added. Either player could be released or have his contract converted to a standard NBA deal as the Bucks plan to open a roster spot by waiving guard DeAndre Liggins on Sunday.

Munford signed with the Bucks in early October, but was waived a week later. He has extensive experience in the G League since going undrafted in 2014, but his only time in the NBA was 14 games with the Grizzlies during the 2015/16 season.

And-Ones: A. Miller, Bennett, N. Robinson, Rookies

December 6th, 2017 at 3:36pm CST by Luke Adams

As we outlined earlier today, ASM Sports president Andy Miller has relinquished his certification as an agent after his agency was raided by the FBI as part of an investigation into college basketball corruption. Miller’s roster of NBA clients features a number of notable names, including some All-Stars, so what’s next for them?

According to Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (Twitter links), Miller’s clients have been told that their contracts with Miller are no longer in effect, allowing them to sign new deals with other certified NBA agents. As Mullen notes, there’s usually a 15-day waiting period when a player changes agents, but that 15-day period is waived when an agent relinquishes his certification. As such, players like Kyle Lowry, Kristaps Porzingis, and Serge Ibaka will be free to hire new representation immediately.

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

Although he’s widely viewed as one of the biggest NBA draft busts of the last decade, former No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett hasn’t given up on his efforts to get back into the league and make an impact. Bennett recently spoke to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders about his career and about playing in the G League.
Veteran NBA guard Nate Robinson is looking for an opportunity to return to the NBA, suggesting that a team like the Bulls could use him, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando details.
While Lonzo Ball and Markelle Fultz stole most of the pre-draft headlines, many of the stars of this year’s rookie class came off the board a little later. Alex Squadron of The New York Post examines some of the more unsung rookie standouts of the 2017/18 season, including John Collins (Hawks), Lauri Markkanen (Bulls), and OG Anunoby (Raptors).
Former Grizzlies guard Xavier Munford, who was in camp with the Bucks in October, has hired agents Happy Walters and George Langberg of Catalyst Sports for representation, tweets Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders. Munford has played well for Milwaukee’s G League affiliate this season, averaging 24.4 PPG and 5.3 APG with a .551/.641/.737 shooting line for the Wisconsin Herd.

USA Basketball Announces Roster For First World Cup Qualifiers

November 14th, 2017 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

USA Basketball has announced its 12-man roster for the first round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Americas Qualifiers, bringing back four members of the squad that won gold earlier this year in FIBA’s AmeriCup tournament.

Here’s Team USA’s full 12-man roster:

Semaj Christon, PG (FA)
Larry Drew II, PG (Sioux Falls Skyforce)
Reggie Hearn, SG (Reno Bighorns)
Elijah Millsap, SG (Iowa Wolves)
Xavier Munford, SG (Wisconsin Herd)
Markel Brown, G (Oklahoma City Blue)
Donald Sloan, G (Texas Legends)
Jarell Eddie, SF (Windy City Bulls)
Amile Jefferson, PF (Iowa Wolves)
Jameel Warney, PF (Texas Legends)
Travis Wear, F (South Bay Lakers)
Kennedy Meeks, C (Raptors 905)

The squad, which will be coached once again by Jeff Van Gundy, is comprised almost entirely of G League players, since most of the qualifying tournaments take place during the NBA season, preventing NBA players from participating. Team USA’s goal is for Van Gundy’s squad of G Leaguers to qualify for the 2019 World Cup, which will take place in August and September, when NBA players will be free to participate.

The new-look USA Basketball program is off to a good start, having gone 5-0 this summer to win a gold medal at the AmeriCup tournament. Drew, Hearn, Munford, and Warney were all part of that team.

This time around, Team USA will face Puerto Rico on November 23 and then Mexico on November 26. After those contests, the first round of World Cup qualifiers will resume in February before concluding in July. The top three teams in each first-round group will advance to the second round, which begins in September 2018 and concludes in February 2019, so the qualifying process will take some time to play out.

Meanwhile, the G League teams temporarily losing players to Team USA will be permitted one free move per lost player from the available player pool, tweets Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days.

Central Notes: Pistons, Maker, Munford

October 15th, 2017 at 7:29pm CST by Austin Kent

Only two of the Pistons‘ opening day starters are set in stone, the other three have yet to be determined, Keith Langlois of the team’s official website writes. With Avery Bradley at the two and Andre Drummond in the middle, head coach Stan Van Gundy is hard-pressed to figure out who will join them at tip-off.

“Everything’s a consideration,” Van Gundy said, before implying that Tobias Harris would probably start for the Pistons but, then, again might not. “I thought he was good off the bench last year. I’m really not locked in to anything.”

As Langlois explains, what Van Gundy decides to do with Harris will impact the other decisions he’ll have to make with the Pistons’ lineup. If the 25-year-old forward plays the three, they’ll look to somebody like Jon Leueur to fill in at the four. If they pencil Harris in at the four, they could turn to someone like Stanley Johnson to man the three.

Another decision that the Pistons will need to come to terms on ahead of opening day is who to start at the point. On one hand the idea of a healthy Reggie Jackson working in tandem with Drummond is tantalizing but there’s no guarantee it plays out that way in the first game of the season.

Langlois writes that Ish Smith could get serious consideration to start for the Pistons. “We found out last year just about anybody’s going to play pretty well with Ish,” Van Gundy said.

There’s more from the Central Division:

The Pacers will have their work cut out for them adapting to a new life without Paul George but it will be interesting to see whether their first year starts off promising or discouraging, Clifton Brown of the Indianapolis Star writes. The scribe notes that there’s a palpable enthusiasm in the team’s locker room but their will be plenty of questions to answer when the season begins.
With his rookie season in the books, Bucks center Thon Maker immediately set out to bulk up and add weight. The 20-year-old will use the extra muscle to stand his ground on defense and withstand contact while making moves around the basket, Lori Nickel of the Milwuakee Journal Sentinel writes.
The G League affiliate of the Bucks acquired the returning rights to Xavier Munford, Mallory Steinberg of the Wisconsin Herd’s official site writes.

Bucks Waive Xavier Munford

October 12th, 2017 at 5:27pm CST by Austin Kent

The Bucks have waived Xavier Munford, the team announced on Twitter. The guard had been signed earlier this month after bouncing around NBA circles over the course of the past two seasons.

Munford played 15 games for the Grizzlies in 2015/16 but hadn’t played a game of big league action since.

The news brings Milwaukee’s roster down to 18 players.

Bucks Sign Xavier Munford

October 5th, 2017 at 12:31pm CST by Luke Adams

12:31pm: The Bucks have officially signed Munford, the team announced today in a press release. The club’s roster is now full once again.

10:54am: After clearing a spot on their 20-man preseason roster, the Bucks are expected to sign free agent shooting guard Xavier Munford, a source tells international basketball reporter David Pick (Twitter link).

Munford, 25, made his NBA debut in 2015/16, appearing in 14 games for the Grizzlies. He hasn’t seen NBA action since then, having spent time last season in the G League and with a team in Spain.

Although Munford, who received a camp invite from the Clippers last fall, had yet to catch on with an NBA team this year, he had an eventful summer. The University of Rhode Island alum was part of the USA Basketball squad that won a gold medal at the FIBA AmeriCup tournament last month.

The Bucks created an opening on their roster by waiving James Young on Wednesday night. Still, the timing of their deal with Munford is somewhat unusual. At this point, Munford is unlikely to earn a spot on the Bucks’ regular season roster, with players like Brandon Rush, Gerald Green, and Gary Payton II likely ahead of him in the pecking order, and the Bucks don’t hold his G League rights.

Milwaukee may envision Munford as a player whose contract can be converted to a two-way deal later this month. Currently, the Bucks don’t have any players on two-way contracts, so both of those spots are up for grabs.