USA Basketball Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: USA Basketball, Felder, Bentil, Draft

June 6th, 2016 at 3:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Following this morning’s report that Stephen Curry would skip the 2016 Olympics in Brazil for health reasons, the Warriors and Curry issued a statement confirming that decision. And, as ESPN’s Marc Stein tweets, Curry isn’t the only USA Basketball star who won’t be available this summer due to injury. Stein says that Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Anthony Davis, John Wall, and LaMarcus Aldridge, who is dealing with a recent finger/hand injury (Twitter link), also won’t be a part of Team USA’s roster.

As we wait to see which other players may drop out of the 2016 Olympics due to health or safety concerns, let’s round up some odds and ends from around the NBA…

Former Oakland University point guard Kay Felder is working out for the Lakers today, and has a workout with the Pistons lined up for next Wednesday, tweets Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press.
Former Providence forward Ben Bentil will work out for the Magic this Friday after having worked out for the Hawks and Bulls, a source tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
Virginia’s Malcolm Brogdon and Louisville’s Chinanu Onuaku are among the draft prospects whom Sam Vecenie of CBSSports.com views as potential second-round steals later this month. Vecenie also identifies three other players who fit that bill.
Former Michigan State forward Deyonta Davis has hired BDA Sports for representation, according to Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (Twitter link). Hoops Rumors readers voted on Sunday to send Davis to Chicago with the 14th overall pick in our community mock draft.
In other player representation news, Serbian bigs Miroslav Raduljica and Ognjen Kuzmic have hired agent Chris Patrick of Relativity Sports for representation, per HoopsHype (Twitter link).

Pacific Rumors: Curry, Olympics, Clippers, Suns

June 6th, 2016 at 11:34am CST by Luke Adams

Stephen Curry is just two wins away from his second consecutive NBA championship, but whether or not the Warriors finish off the Cavaliers, this year’s MVP reportedly won’t try to add a 2016 Olympic gold medal to his résumé. According to Marcus Thompson of The Bay Area News Group, Curry has decided not to play in this year’s Olympics in Brazil, opting instead to let his right knee heal.

While Curry’s decision to get healthy doesn’t come as a surprise, it remains to be seen how many other NBA players will back out of the Olympics in Brazil due to health or safety concerns. Thompson writes that other Warriors players like Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson could opt out due to concerns about the Zika virus epidemic, but neither has informed USA Basketball of such a decision at this point. For his part, Draymond Green tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link) that he “would love to play” in Rio this summer.

Let’s check out a few more updates from out of the Pacific…

The Clippers are telling player agents that they’re trying to move up in the first round of the draft, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). It’s not clear whether or not Los Angeles, currently slated to pick 25th and 33rd, is eyeing a particular prospect.
Former California forward Jaylen Brown, projected as a potential top-10 pick, has a solo workout today with the Suns, who hold the No. 4 and No. 13 picks in this year’s draft (Twitter link).
Manhattan’s Jermaine Lawrence‘s pre-draft workout with the Warriors was originally scheduled to take place today, but it has been pushed back to June 11th, a source tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link).

And-Ones: USA Basketball, Richardson, Murray

May 15th, 2016 at 12:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Paring the USA Basketball roster from 20 to 12 players will be difficult and controversial, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes. Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and Anthony Davis will sit out the Rio Olympics because of injuries but managing director Jerry Colangelo has added young players like Damian Lillard, Andre Drummond, DeMarcus Cousins, Kawhi Leonard, and Kyrie Irving to the mix, complicating the selection process. Colangelo told Washburn and other members of the media that players will be selected based on position need as well as their performance in recent NBA seasons.

In other news around the league:

Syracuse freshman forward Malachi Richardson saw his stock rise higher than any other player during the draft combine, ESPN Insider Chad Ford reports. Richardson is one of the few wings in this draft with the size, speed and skills to get his own shot, according to Ford. He also has potential as a long-range shooter and that’s why his draft stock has elevated to the 12-20 range, Ford continues. On the other end of the spectrum, California forward Jaylen Brown made have damaged his chances of going in the top 10 with poor interviews, Ford adds.
There’s still very little separation between LSU forward Ben Simmons and Duke small forward Brandon Ingram regarding the No. 1 overall pick, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com tweets. Some teams are leaning toward Simmons, while others favor Ingram heading into the lottery, Howard-Cooper adds.
Kentucky point guard Jamal Murray interviewed with the Timberwolves during the draft combine, Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News tweets. Murray is currently rated No. 6 by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and No. 3 on Ford’s Big Board.
Iowa State power forward Georges Niang interviewed with the Nets, according to NetsDaily.com (Twitter link). Niang is considered a late second-round prospect.

Atlantic Notes: Colangelo, Rambis, Galloway, Clarke

March 28th, 2016 at 3:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Sixers chairman of basketball operations Jerry Colangelo has an in with plenty of NBA stars as managing director of USA Basketball, but it’s off-base to suggest marquee players will flock to the Sixers anytime soon because of that, contends Derek Bodner of Philadelphia magazine. The Sixers are too far from contention to become the rare NBA team capable of convincing top-flight free agents to take discounts to sign with them, Bodner argues, suggesting the onus instead is on Colangelo and the rest of the Philly front office to make wise choices without any inherent advantage. The year ahead is critical for Colangelo and the Sixers, as Liberty Ballers managing editor Jake Pavorsky detailed Friday in the latest edition of our Top Bloggers series.

See more from the Atlantic Division:

Kristaps Porzingis has broken out of his slump, as Fred Kerber of the New York Post examines, and the numbers show he’s putting up essentially the same sort of production under Knicks interim coach Kurt Rambis as he did under the fired Derek Fisher, notes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. That dismisses one of the arguments against the team removing the interim tag from Rambis’ title, Begley suggests.
The Knicks have reportedly given up on the idea of Langston Galloway as a point guard, but Rambis insists the team is still high on the soon-to-be free agent, Newsday’s Al Iannazzone relays. New York can make him a restricted free agent with a qualifying offer of about $1.18MM. “We like his defense, we like his ability to organize and execute our offense,” Rambis said. “We just continue to challenge him to broaden his game . . . He’s just not playing at his best right now.”
A versatile forward is what the Celtics probably want if they’re to fill their roster vacancy, coach Brad Stevens said today, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter link). Coty Clarke, whom the team has elected not to re-sign following the expiration of his second 10-day contract, would ostensibly fit that bill, but Boston prefers the flexibility of an open roster spot over another deal for him, wary of the possibility that an injury will create a need at another position, Himmelsbach wrote this weekend. Any new deal for Clarke would have to cover the rest of the season and the playoffs.

Anthony Davis Out For The Season

March 24th, 2016 at 7:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

THURSDAY, 7:37pm: Davis underwent successful surgery today on his left knee, the team announced via press release. The power forward won’t require surgery to repair a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder, the team also relayed. The timetable given for Davis’ return to action is three to four months, per the release.

5:37pm: Davis has been diagnosed with a torn labrum in his left shoulder and a left knee injury, tweets Justin Verrier of ESPN.com. He will have surgeries on both.

SUNDAY, 3:35pm: The Pelicans will shut down Anthony Davis for the remainder of the season, tweets John Reid of The New Orleans Times Picayune. Coach Alvin Gentry made the announcement this afternoon after reviewing medical information on the injured big man.

New Orleans has been considering the move since Davis banged his left knee while setting a pick in Friday’s game. Add that to a shoulder problem that has been bothering Davis for weeks, and the Pelicans decided it was best to shut him down now, rather than take any chances with his long-term health. New Orleans’ disappointing season may also have factored into the move. At 25-43, the Pelicans are eight and a half games out of the final playoff spot in the West.

Gentry said Davis will undergo surgery that could affect his participation in this summer’s Olympics, tweets Brett Dawson of The New Orleans Advocate. “That I don’t know,” Gentry said, “but if I was a betting man, probably so.” The coach refused to be specific about which procedures Davis might have done on his knee or shoulder (Twitter link).

After earning first-team All-NBA honors last season, Davis signed a maximum extension over the summer worth about $145MM. He has put up virtually identical numbers to a year ago, averaging 24.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per night, but injuries ended his season after just 61 games.

Anthony Davis Out 4-5 Months, Will Miss Olympics

March 21st, 2016 at 1:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

Pelicans star Anthony Davis expects to be out of action four to five months, tweets Scott Kushner of The New Orleans Advocate. Davis’ recovery time will prevent him from being part of Team USA in the Summer Olympics (Twitter link).

In a press conference this afternoon, Davis said he has been dealing with a torn labrum in his left shoulder since his rookie year, and the knee injury he suffered Friday night convinced him to shut down this season and get the shoulder taken care of. He said the shoulder pain would come and go, being intense on some days, but not hurting every day. Davis didn’t disclose specifics of the knee injury, saying he will find out more when he meets with the doctor who will perform the surgery. He added that there’s a greater emphasis on getting the knee surgically repaired, rather than the shoulder. He said the knee was giving him problems even before the collision Friday.

Davis’ contract includes a bonus for making the All-NBA first, second or third team. However, he said it would have been selfish to keep playing just to pursue that.

The surgery timetable should have Davis fully healthy in time for the Pelicans’ training camp, but he regrets not being able to take part in the Olympics. “I loved playing for Team USA,” Davis said. “It was one of the toughest decisions.”

Pacific Notes: Clarkson, Bryant, Rush, Suns

January 17th, 2016 at 1:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Tonight’s game against the Rockets will trigger the starter criteria for the Lakers‘ Jordan Clarkson and up the value of his qualifying offer, tweets former NBA executive Bobby Marks. This will mark Clarkson’s 41st start of the season and will increase the qualifying offer from about $1.1MM to $3.2MM. The change will take approximately $2MM off L.A.’s projected cap space for the summer, but it could still be more than $50MM (Twitter link). Clarkson will be a restricted free agent this summer, but will be subject to the Gilbert Arenas Provision, which limits the amount that other teams can offer to close to $57MM over four years.

There’s more news from the Pacific Division:

Kobe Bryant‘s decision not to seek a spot on the 2016 U.S. Olympic team prevented a potentially awkward situation, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. A two-time gold medalist and five-time NBA champion, Bryant is highly respected throughout the basketball world, but there’s no guarantee he would have earned one of the 12 spots for the Rio de Janeiro games, Zillgitt writes. “Since my retirement announcement, I’m able to watch these guys in a different light,” Bryant said Saturday. “I’ve come to terms with the fact that they are the future of this game. These are the guys who deserve the spots in Rio.”
Brandon Rush has fought back from two ACL tears to become a productive player for the Warriors, writes Matt Moore of CBSSports.com. The 30-year old, who will be a free agent this summer, is expanding his role with Golden State. “He’s got his confidence back,” said interim coach Luke Walton. “His shooting has been unbelievable, but he’s playing defense, he’s making plays. He’s rebounding the ball and pushing it, where last season he didn’t have the confidence to do that.”
The Suns are having one of their worst seasons ever, and Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic offers a historic reminder that a high draft pick isn’t necessarily a solution. He notes that the seven worst teams in Phoenix history have produced only one star through the draft, Alvan Adams in 1975.

Lakers Rumors: Bryant, Scott, Nance Jr.

January 16th, 2016 at 8:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kobe Bryant will not be part of the 2016 Olympic team, tweets Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. Bryant, who is retiring after this season, said he wants his final game to be in a Lakers uniform. He won gold medals in 2008 and 2012, but decided he’ll leave 2016 to the younger players, saying, “I think it’s their time.” Bryant added that he has no interest in broadcasting once his career is finished (Twitter link).

There’s more Lakers news out of Los Angeles:

Coach Byron Scott may be ready to give more responsibility to the younger Lakers, Medina writes. That means the first-round picks from the last two seasons, Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell, could be called on to close out games along with rookies Larry Nance Jr. and Anthony Brown and second-year combo guard Jordan Clarkson. “It’s all about getting these young guys to continue to develop,” Scott said. “Then the winning part comes into that as well. We’ve been in a bunch of games. Now we have to get to the point where these guys learn how to close these games out.”
Nance has been the most surprising of the youthful Lakers, according to Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times. The 27th overall pick in last year’s draft, Nance has made an impression with his leaping ability and outside shooting. “When it is all said and done and we look at their careers, Larry Nance Jr. may be the more advanced out of all these players,” TNT analyst Reggie Miller said this week. “He has the most energy.”

Sixers Hire Jerry Colangelo To Front Office Role

December 7th, 2015 at 10:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

Gary A. Vasquez/USA Today Sports Images

10:28pm: NBA owners have been pressuring the league’s front office since the summer of 2014 to do something about the Sixers’ rebuilding plan, sources told ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst.

7:17pm: League commissioner Adam Silver played a significant role in the Sixers’ decision to hire Colangelo, including placing a call to Colangelo to gauge his interest, sources told USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt.

3:44pm: The Sixers have hired USA Basketball chairman and longtime NBA executive Jerry Colangelo to serve in their front office, the team announced via press release and in a press conference. Colangelo will hold the titles of Special Advisor to the Managing General Partner and Chairman of Basketball Operations. The statement doesn’t specify whether Colangelo will continue with Team USA, but he’s said in the past that he would stay through the 2020 Olympics. Sixers GM Sam Hinkie will continue in his capacity in charge of day-to-day basketball operations, owner Josh Harris said, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter).

Hinkie will still have the final say on personnel, though “a lot of collaboration and discussion” will be involved in the team’s roster moves, Colangelo said, according to Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post (Twitter link). The deal for the 76-year-old Hall-of-Famer to join the Sixers came together within the past week, Colangelo said, according to John Gonzalez of CSNPhilly.com (on Twitter).

“It’s not every day you have the opportunity to work alongside a Hall of Famer with Jerry’s unique set of experiences,” Hinkie said in the team’s statement. “I feel incredibly fortunate to have him as part of our organization.”

Hinkie has served as the team’s GM since May 2013, and with Harris’ support, he’s embarked on an extreme rebuilding project of the likes the NBA has never seen before. Colangelo built the Suns up from expansion as its primary basketball executive from its inception in 1968 until 1994. He won the Executive of the Year award four times.

“This is not a deviation from our plan. … We believe we are entering the next phase of our process,” Harris said, according to Jake Fischer of SI Now (on Twitter).

And-Ones: Bryant, Barnes, Pacers

November 9th, 2015 at 10:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kobe Bryant would be thrilled to play for USA Basketball in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, he told Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press. Bryant, who won gold medals the past two Olympics, could end his competitive basketball career in the Olympics if he chooses to retire after this NBA season, Reynolds adds. “It would mean the world to me to be around those guys,” the veteran Lakers’ swingman said. “I think to be able to have a chance to continue the relationship that I already have with most of those guys, talking and just kind of being around each other and understanding that this is it, it’s just us being together, that would be fun.” The 12-player roster is expected to be revealed in June.

In other news around the league:

Dragan Bender, a 7’0” forward who plays for Maccabi Tel Aviv, heads the list of Top 10 NBA prospects compiled by Kevin O’Connor of DraftExpress.com and Celticsblog.com. The 17-year-old could be a draft-and-stash option for the Celtics, who own the struggling Nets’ 2016 first-rounder. The next three players on his list are also 6’10” or taller — LSU point forward Ben Simmons, Kentucky center Skal Labissiere and Duke forward Brandon Ingram.
Matt Barnes is still furious that Knicks coach Derek Fisher went to the authorities after their October altercation at the home of Barnes’ estranged wife, Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times tweets. “We’re two grown men who should have handled two grown men’s business, but he wanted to run and tell the cops and the NBA,” the Grizzlies’ small forward said. The NBA is still investigating the matter, according to Ryan Lazo of the New York Post.
Indiana’s Capital Improvement Board unanimously approved a contract Monday to allow the Pacers to build a $50MM practice facility, Mark Alesia of the Indianapolis Star reports. The five-story, 130,000-square-foot facility will be located across from Bankers Life Fieldhouse and is scheduled to open in 2017.