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Bucks Notes: Griffin, Coach Search, Giannis, Budenholzer, More

May 11th, 2023 at 12:56pm CST by Rory Maher

The Bucks have been granted permission to interview Raptors assistant coach Adrian Griffin for their head coaching vacancy, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter).

After a nine-year NBA career, Griffin quickly made the transition to coaching. He actually got his start as an assistant with Milwaukee back in 2008/09, Wojnarowski notes.

Griffin has also been an assistant with Chicago, Orlando, Oklahoma City. He has been with Toronto since ’18/19.

The 48-year-old has interviewed (or was expected to interview) for nearly every open head coaching job over the past season-plus, including the vacancies that popped up after the ’22/23 season concluded for the Rockets, Pistons, Raptors and now the Bucks. Griffin just completed his 15th season as an assistant.

Here’s more on the Bucks:

  • While general manager Jon Horst has shown an openness to interviewing a wide range of candidates, the fact that he went with an experienced head coach who’d had previous success during Milwaukee’s coaching search in 2018 might inform how he’ll approach the process this time around, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Horst has stated that expectations are much higher now than five years ago, so he will likely once again value experience and winning, Nehm notes.
  • Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo took to Instagram to thank former head coach Mike Budenholzer, posting photos of the two embracing after winning the championship in 2021, according to Jamal Collier of ESPN. “Thank you for five meaningful years Coach,” Antetokounmpo wrote. “We accomplished something unbelievable and I’m forever grateful.”
  • Antetokounmpo had been named to the All-Defensive First Team for four straight seasons prior to ’22/23, but despite finishing sixth in Defensive Player of the Year voting, he didn’t make either of the two All-Defensive teams this season. He took to social media again to voice his apparent displeasure at the snub, per Christopher Kuhagen of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I’m tired of the disrespect. I’m coming,” the former Defensive Player of the Year wrote.
  • Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently joined Michael Scotto on the HoopsHype podcast to discuss the Bucks’ coaching search, possible offseason moves, how the new CBA will affect the team, and more.
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Raptors Interview JJ Redick For Head Coaching Job

May 10th, 2023 at 11:15am CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA sharpshooter and current ESPN analyst JJ Redick is among the candidates who have interviewed for the Raptors‘ head coaching vacancy, according to Redick’s ESPN colleague Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca was the first to report Toronto’s potential interest in Redick.

Redick played in the NBA for 15 seasons from 2006-21, appearing in 940 total regular season games for the Magic, Bucks, Clippers, Sixers, Pelicans, and Mavericks. Known for his ability to make outside shots, he had a career three-point rate of 41.5%.

Since retiring two years ago, Redick has served only as a commentator, analyst, and podcaster, but he has previously discussed his interest in possibly getting into coaching, according to Grange.

It seems unlikely that the Raptors would hire Redick as Nick Nurse‘s replacement, given his lack of experience. Still, the fact that he got a meeting is an indication that the team is casting a wide net and keeping an open mind in its head coaching search.

As our tracker shows, Redick is at least the 11th candidate to reportedly secure an interview with Toronto.

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Rival GM Thinks Ujiri Is "Really Frustrated"

May 10th, 2023 at 10:00am CST by Luke Adams
  • A rival general manager believes Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri is “really, really frustrated,” pointing to Toronto’s disappointing season and Fred VanVleet‘s looming free agency as sources of Ujiri’s supposed discontent, according to Bulpett. “(VanVleet) hasn’t shown him any indication that he wants to stay. So I think he’s really down about that situation,” the GM told Heavy.com. “Maybe it’s because everything’s still so fresh, but there’s a lot they have to get done there. It didn’t surprise anyone that (head coach) Nick (Nurse) moved on.” The GM added that the Wizards, who are in the market for a new head of basketball operations, may pursue Ujiri again this spring.
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Contract Implications Of Today’s All-NBA Announcement

May 10th, 2023 at 9:13am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA will announce its All-NBA teams for the 2022/23 on Wednesday night, unveiling the First, Second, and Third teams during a TNT broadcast beginning at 6:00 pm Central time (Twitter link).

For many of this year’s All-NBA candidates, earning a spot on one of the three teams will simply bolster their career résumés, perhaps increasing their chances of being inducted into the Hall of Fame down the line.

But there are a handful of players who have – or could have – a significant amount of money riding on tonight’s announcement. Those players would become eligible for a more lucrative contract by making an All-NBA team.

The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement typically restricts players who have six or fewer years of NBA experience from signing deals worth more than 25% of the salary cap. However, earning an All-NBA berth at the right time can make those players eligible to sign for up to 30% up the cap.

Similarly, players with between seven and nine years in the league are usually limited to signing contracts worth up to 30% of the cap, but an All-NBA nod can make them eligible to receive up to 35% of the cap instead.

We have more specific details on how Rose Rule deals and Designated Veteran contracts work in a pair of glossary entries, so you can check those out for more information. Here are the players who could be the most financially impacted by this year’s All-NBA voting results:

Jayson Tatum (Celtics)

Tatum will only have six years of NBA experience at the end of this season, so he’s not yet eligible to sign a super-max extension. However, assuming he makes an All-NBA team – which is a virtual lock – he’ll have met the performance criteria for a Designated Veteran extension.

Players who have seven years of NBA experience and who made the All-NBA team in two of the last three seasons are super-max eligible. That means that an All-NBA nod tonight would put Tatum in position to sign a five-year DVE (worth 35% of the 2025/26 cap) in the 2024 offseason regardless of whether he makes an All-NBA team next season, since he’ll have done so in both 2022 and 2023.

Jaylen Brown (Celtics) / Pascal Siakam (Raptors)

We’re grouping Brown and Siakam together here, since they’re in identical situations. Both members of the 2016 draft class are finishing up their seventh year in the NBA and have contracts that expire in 2024.

If they earn All-NBA honors this season, both Brown and Siakam would be eligible to sign five-year Designated Veteran extensions that begin in 2024/25 and start at up to 35% of that season’s cap.

Unlike Tatum, neither Brown nor Siakam is a slam dunk to make an All-NBA team. The odds of both players making the cut are probably slim, but they each have a chance at a Third Team spot. I’d view Brown as the slightly stronger candidate, given Boston’s regular season record relative to Toronto’s.

Ja Morant (Grizzlies)

Morant has actually already signed a rookie scale extension, completing that deal with the Grizzlies last offseason. However, its exact value will look drastically different depending on whether or not Morant makes an All-NBA team tonight. If he earns a spot, his contract would start at 30% of the 2023/24 salary cap; if he misses out, his deal would start at 25% of next season’s cap.

Based on a $134MM salary cap, the difference between Morant’s two possible deals is nearly $40MM — he’ll earn a projected $233MM across five years if he’s named to an All-NBA team and about $194MM if he’s not.

Morant looked like a safe bet to earn All-NBA honors during the first half of the season, but an eight-game suspension for waving a gun in a Colorado strip club derailed his second half and made him more of a borderline candidate. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he doesn’t make it.

Pelicans forward Zion Williamson and Cavaliers guard Darius Garland also signed Rose Rule rookie scale extensions last summer and would have salaries worth 30% of the 2023/24 cap (instead of 25%) if they make an All-NBA team. That won’t happen for Williamson, who was limited to 29 games this season. It probably won’t happen for Garland either, though he has a far better chance to show up on some ballots.

Non-eligible candidates

To be eligible for a super-max extension worth 35% of the cap, a player can’t have been traded since his second NBA contract began. That rule will make Kings center Domantas Sabonis ineligible for a super-max deal even if he shows up on the All-NBA Third Team tonight.

Several other All-NBA candidates, including Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, could become super-max eligible down the road, but don’t have enough NBA experience to qualify yet. They would each need to make at least one more All-NBA team in a future season to become eligible, regardless of what happens this year.

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Hammon Deserves Serious Consideration

May 9th, 2023 at 9:12pm CST by Dana Gauruder
  • Becky Hammon has earned serious consideration for the Raptors’ job, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca writes. The Raptors aren’t looking to make history by hiring a female head coach, he adds. If they choose Hammon, she will have to emerge as the best candidate for the job. Toronto is looking for a coach that will make his or her presence felt quickly and be judged by the win-loss mark.
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NBA Announces 2022/23 All-Defensive Teams

May 9th, 2023 at 1:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has officially announced its All-Defensive teams for the 2022/23 season.

A total of 100 media members vote on the All-Defensive awards, with players receiving two points for a First Team vote and one point for a Second Team vote. This year’s All-Defensive teams are as follows:

First Team

Second Team

Unsurprisingly, Jackson – who was this season’s Defensive Player of the Year – received the most First Team votes (96) and showed up on the most overall ballots (99). Only one voter didn’t have Jackson on either All-Defensive team.

Milwaukee teammates Holiday (94) and Lopez (85) received the second- and third-most First Team votes. No other player earned more than 50.

While the Bucks have two players on the First Team, it’s a bit surprising to see former DPOY Giannis Antetokounmpo miss out altogether. Antetokounmpo earned 16 First Team votes and 28 Second Team votes for a total of 60 points, the most of any player who didn’t earn All-Defensive honors. Although he received more total points than Brooks or Adebayo, Giannis didn’t make the cut because there were four forwards with more points than him.

Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (40 points), Celtics guard Marcus Smart (35), Nets guard Mikal Bridges (33), and Nets center Nic Claxton (25) would have joined Antetokounmpo on a hypothetical All-Defensive Third Team as the highest vote-getters who fell just short.

A total of 38 players showed up on at least one ballot — the full voting results can be viewed here.

Being named to an All-Defensive team will benefit a pair of players financially, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter). White earned a $250K bonus for his Second Team nod, while Holiday will receive $129,600 for making the First Team.

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David Adelman To Interview For Raptors’ Coaching Job

May 7th, 2023 at 8:34pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Raptors are interviewing the Nuggets’ top assistant, David Adelman, for their head coaching job this week, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. Adelman has spent the past six seasons with Denver.

Adelman filled in for head coach Michael Malone for a couple games this season when Malone was placed in the league’s health and safety protocols. The veteran assistant impressed Denver’s franchise player.

“I really think that DA’s a guy who’s gonna be next head coach because he has that, I’m gonna say ‘head’ for a head coach,” star center Nikola Jokic said at that time. “… He knows the answers. He reads, reacts.”

Adelman signed a two-year extension prior to the season.

Toronto has already interviewed Bucks assistant Charles Lee as it searches for Nick Nurse’s replacement. Kings associate head coach Jordi Fernandez has also been interviewed. The Raptors are looking at a wide variety of candidates for the job.

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And-Ones: NBA Media Rights, Kuzma, Poeltl, Blanks

May 6th, 2023 at 2:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Analysts at JPMorgan recently issued a report stating that the exponential growth of sports media rights is unsustainable in the long term, according to Mike Ozanian of Forbes, but the NBA remains on track to do extremely well on its next deal. The league’s nine-year, $24 billion agreement with its current partners expires in 2025 and the NBA will reportedly look to double or triple that amount on its next rights contract.

With some regional sports networks around the country struggling to make payments to teams, the NBA’s next media deal may lean more heavily on broadcast television and/or streaming platforms, creating alternatives for teams when their current agreements with RSNs expires, per Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic explores the same topic, citing a source with knowledge of the situation who says the NBA would like to get more games on broadcast television and fewer on cable in its next media rights deal. Vorkunov confirms that NBC has displayed interest in getting the NBA back and adds that several streamers – led by Amazon and Apple – are believed to have interest in broadcasting NBA games.

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

  • After previously breaking down this summer’s free agent market for guards, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report shifts his focus to 2023’s free agent wings and big men. Pincus suggests this year’s crop of wings isn’t especially deep and that most of the market’s top players – such as Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma – are far more likely to stay put than to change teams. Within his story on bigs, Pincus says multiple sources view the Raptors as a “lock” to re-sign Jakob Poeltl.
  • John Hollinger of The Athletic shines a spotlight on the minimum-salary players who are making a difference for playoff teams, including Lakers guard Austin Reaves, Suns forward Josh Okogie, and Heat guard Gabe Vincent, among others. Those players will all be free agents this summer and are in position to receive significant raises.
  • Lance Blanks, a former NBA player for the Pistons and Timberwolves, died on Wednesday at age 56, per The Detroit News. After retiring as a player, Blanks worked as a scout with the Spurs, then was later hired by the Cavaliers as an assistant general manager and by the Suns as their GM. Most recently, he served in a scouting role for the Clippers. “Lance was a light for all those who knew him,” former Pistons star Joe Dumars said in a statement. “It’s been a privilege to have called him one of my closest friends. I’m eternally grateful for all the support he has shown me throughout the years.” Mike Finger of The San Antonio Express-News has more on Blanks’ passing.
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Community Shootaround: Open Head Coach Jobs

May 6th, 2023 at 9:29am CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets completed their head coaching search a week-and-a-half ago, hiring Ime Udoka to replace Stephen Silas. However, there are still three NBA teams still in the market for new coaches.

[RELATED: 2023 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker]

Interestingly, those three clubs – the Bucks, Pistons, and Raptors – are at very different stages in terms of their development, so even if they consider some of the same candidates, they’ll likely have very different expectations for their new hires, especially in the short term.

Milwaukee won a title in 2021 and expected to make it back to the NBA Finals in each of the last two seasons. The fact that they only won a single playoff series during that stretch is why Mike Budenholzer is out of work — his replacement will be expected to make deeper postseason runs with a roster headed by two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

While the Bucks’ roster has championship upside, the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement will limit the front office’s flexibility going forward and could hamstring the team’s ability to make additional upgrades. It also may force management to make difficult decisions on upcoming contracts for key contributors on the wrong side of 30, including Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez.

Detroit is on the opposite side of the spectrum, having won no more than 23 games in a season in any of the last four years. There are some promising young pieces here – including Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, and whichever player the team drafts in the top five next month – but the Pistons are all about unrealized potential.

No one on the roster has made an All-Star team, and the next step for the club will be contending for a play-in spot, not a championship. So while a new head coach will be expected to help Detroit take a step forward right away, there won’t be any immediate expectations of winning playoff series.

The Raptors are somewhere in the middle of those two extremes. The team’s 41-41 record this past season was a disappointment, given the presence of former All-Stars like Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet, along with 2022 Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes and three-and-D standout OG Anunoby. But the roster probably lacks the star power and depth necessary to legitimate vie for a championship.

Toronto traded away its 2024 first-round pick with minimal (top-six) protection, so the team won’t want to take a step back next season, even if it makes some significant roster changes. The new head coach will be expected to get the Raptors back to the postseason and not just to make a quick exit.

We want to know what you think: which of the NBA’s three current head coaching vacancies do you view as the most and least appealing jobs? What sort of candidates do you think would be good fits in Milwaukee, Detroit, and Toronto?

Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!

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Raptors Interviewed Charles Lee On Thursday

May 5th, 2023 at 1:12pm CST by Luke Adams
  • The Raptors interviewed Bucks assistant Charles Lee for their head coaching position on Thursday, league sources tell Stein (Twitter link). ESPN previously reported that Toronto met with Lee, who is also in the mix for the head coaching opening in Detroit and could emerge as a candidate in Milwaukee if the Bucks are willing to consider an in-house replacement for Mike Budenholzer.
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