Week in Review

If you missed any of this past week’s biggest headlines from around the NBA, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Here are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days:

Magic Johnson went on the offensive and ripped the Lakers’ organization. Johnson said in an ESPN interview that GM Rob Pelinka backstabbed him by badmouthing him to other league executives. Johnson also revealed that he decided to step down from his post as president of basketball operations when owner Jeanie Buss wouldn’t let him fire then-coach Luke Walton during the season.

The Timberwolves removed the interim tag from Ryan Saunders and named him their head coach. Saunders had a losing record after replacing Tom Thibodeau but he formed a strong bond with star Karl-Anthony Towns and impressed new president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas during extensive talks. Many of the assistant coaches were not retained.

The league revealed its All-NBA Teams. Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden led the way as the two unanimous selections for the First Team. Kevin Durant was relegated to the Second Team while teammate Stephen Curry, Paul George and Nikola Jokic grabbed the other First Team spots. Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and Kemba Walker became eligible for super-max extensions while Bradley Beal, Klay Thompson and Nikola Vucevic failed to reach that status because they didn’t make the cut.

The league moved up the start of free agency to the evening of June 30. Instead of starting free agency at the stroke of midnight ET on the first day of July, negotiations can begin at 6 p.m. the previous night. The change, which was agreed upon by the league and the players’ union, will also allow teams to communicate and schedule meetings with free agents or their agents at 6 p.m. ET on June 29. Those meetings can’t take place before free agency officially opens on the evening of June 30.

The Trail Blazers handed coach Terry Stotts a two-year contract extension. The Blazers reached the conference finals despite the late-season loss of center Jusuf Nurkic and rewarded their coach for the accomplishment. Stotts is the fourth longest-tenured coach in the NBA.

Here are 10 more top headlines worth passing along this week:

• New Pelicans president of basketball operations David Griffin insisted he’ll try to convince Anthony Davis to drop his trade request.
• The Blazers gave president of basketball operations Neil Olshey a contract extension through 2024.
• The Wizards continued their search for a new GM after Nuggets president Tim Connelly turned them down.
• The Warriors remain hopeful that both Durant and DeMarcus Cousins will return at some point in the NBA Finals.
• The league cancelled its global camp for international prospects.
• Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert maintained his franchise got the better of the Kyrie Irving deal with the Celtics.
• LeBron James reportedly has already begun recruiting free agents to Los Angeles.
• Heat assistant Juwan Howard was named head coach of his alma mater, the University of Michigan.
• Jazz big man Rudy Gobert headed the list of players on the All-Defensive Teams.
• Led by Luka Doncic and Trae Young, the league’s All-Rookie Teams were unveiled.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

If you missed any of this past week’s biggest headlines from around the NBA, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Here are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days:

The Suns have agreed to hire Sixers’ assistant coach Monty Williams as the franchise’s next head coach. Williams, who first interviewed with the Suns on April 26, was the first candidate that Phoenix brought in after parting ways with Igor Kokoskov. He was also reportedly always the Suns’ prime candidate for the job. Williams will stick with Philadelphia until the end of the club’s playoff run before officially making the move to Phoenix and signing a five-year deal. Williams, 47, previously served as head coach for the Pelicans from 2010-2015 where he posted a modest record of 173-221.

In other head coaching news, the Lakers have no plans to interview any other candidates and will reach out to Tyronn Lue in the coming days to offer him the team’s head coaching position. Lue, who met with Lakers’ brass for a second time last week, has not yet heard from L.A., but reports suggest it’s only a matter of time. The hire will reunite Lue with Lakers’ forward LeBron James, a coupling that brought the Cavaliers their first-ever NBA championship back in 2016.

The Timberwolves plan to hire Rockets’ executive Gersson Rosas as their new president of basketball operations. Rosas, who has spent the better part of two decades with the Rockets under Daryl Morey, has been a popular target in recent years for teams with openings in their front office. He was reportedly considered by the Hornets, Pistons, and Sixers in 2018 and he interviewed with both the Pelicans and Wizards this spring. It remains to be seen whether or not Rosas will retain GM Scott Layden and/or head coach Ryan Saunders.

Nets’ shooting guard Allen Crabbe has exercised his player option for the 2019/20 season, thereby locking in his $18.5MM salary for next year and putting the 27-year-old veteran on track to reach unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2020. Crabbe, whose cap hit could derail some offseason free agency plans for the Nets, may find himself on the trade block, or the Nets could waive and stretch his salary over the next three seasons. Doing so would create dead cap hits of $6.17MM for the 2019/20, 2020/21, and 2021/22 seasons.

Veteran NBA shooting guard Gerald Henderson has ended his comeback effort and officially announced his retirement. Henderson  underwent multiple surgical procedures on his hip last summer to treat ongoing arthritis and when he was finally able to work out again, he tore his Achilles tendon during a pickup game. Henderson, still only 31, joined the Hornets’ broadcast team at FOX Sports Southeast in January for the second half of the 2018/19 season.

Here are 10 more NBA-related headlines worth passing along this week:

• The Grizzlies, continuing to revamp their front office, promoted former NBA champion Tayshaun Prince to the title of Vice President of Basketball Affairs within the franchise’s basketball operations department.
• Head coach Doc Rivers officially signed his long-term contract extension with the Clippers after hinting at the same in March in an effort to quell rumors that had begun to swirl about his interest in the Lakers.
• Despite a relatively disappointing 2018/19 season, the Thunder have no plans to move on from head coach Billy Donovan, with general manager Sam Presti telling reporters that he expects Donovan to be back in Oklahoma City for the 2019/20 season.
• While it remains to be seen for what team, veteran shooting guard Vince Carter, now 42, has confirmed that he intends to continue his playing career into the 2019/20 season.
• It’s looking more and more likely that Spurs’ head coach Gregg Popovich will return next season, and if he does, he is expected to sign a three-year contract that will ensure he remains the NBA’s highest-paid coach.
• The Wizards, looking for a someone to replace Ernie Grunfeld atop the front office, met with former Pelicans’ interim GM Danny Ferry on Tuesday to discuss the opening. They also met with Rosas before he took the head position in Minneapolis and with Troy Weaver, the VP of basketball operations for the Thunder.
• The Mavericks plan to target both Kemba Walker and Bucks’ swingman Khris Middleton in free agency this summer to solidify the team’s starting lineup around Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis.
• Beginning as early as the 2021/22 season, the Pistons’ G League franchise will begin playing in Detroit at a new $25MM athletic facility that will house the Wright State University basketball teams.
• Celtics’ president of basketball operations Danny Ainge suffered a mild heart attack on Tuesday night in Milwaukee. Ainge, 60, has since returned to Boston and is expected to make a full recovery.
• The Bulls and head coach Jim Boylen agreed to terms on a deal that will extend Boylen’s contract beyond the 2019/20 season. Despite a rough year record-wise, Chicago’s front office views Boylen as the teacher that the club’s young roster needs, and love the way he was able to build relationships with his players.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

If you missed any of this past week’s biggest headlines from around the NBA, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Here are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days:

Recently hired Kings head coach Luke Walton has been sued by former Spectrum Sportsnet LA reporter Kelly Tennant for an alleged sexual assault that occurred in a Santa Monica hotel room back in 2014. The suit alleges that Walton forcibly kissed Tennant and rubbed his body against her despite her pleas to stop. The Kings and the NBA have since announced a joint investigation into Tennant’s allegations against Walton. Meanwhile, the Kings have maintained that until the investigation uncovers more facts, they will take an “innocent-until-proven-guilty” approach with Walton.

The Suns parted ways with head coach Igor Kokoskov after he led Phoenix to a conference-worst record of 19-65 in his first season at the helm. The first ever European-born head coach in the NBA, Kokoskov was hired last May after an extensive hiring process by former GM Ryan McDonough. While it’s not clear exactly what prompted the Suns’ change, the team just revamped its front office yet again and it’s possible new GM James Jones wanted to make his own hire.

Pistons’ All-Star forward Blake Griffin underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Griffin, 30, had the procedure done to address the issue that caused soreness in the knee late in the regular season and the playoffs. He is not expected to miss any planned offseason training for next season, but this continues a pattern of left leg injuries for Griffin. He has also suffered a sprained MCL, broken kneecap, meniscus tear, partially torn quadriceps and bone bruise in the same leg during his career.

Celtics’ all-time leading scorer John Havlicek passed away at the age of 79 after a battle with Parkinson’s Disease. The Celtics have since announced their plan to memorialize Havlicek with a black patch on the team’s jerseys with the No. 17 on them. Havlicek’s eight NBA Championships are third all-time, but he’s perhaps best known for his game-clinching steal and the resulting iconic broadcast line, “Havlicek stole the ball” at the close of Game 7 of the 1965 Eastern Conference Finals.

Trail Blazers’ big man Enes Kanter is questionable to appear in the team’s second-round series against the Spurs or Nuggets after suffering a separated left shoulder in Portland’s Game 5 win over the Thunder. Game 1 is not until Monday night, so the team has some time to treat the injury, and the Blazers remain hopeful that Kanter will be able to go.

Here are 9 more headlines worth passing along in what was a busy week for the NBA:

• Despite suffering a torn ACL in Auburn’s Sweet 16 win over No. 1 seed North Carolina in this year’s NCAA Tournament, sophomore forward Chuma Okeke has entered his name into the 2019 NBA Draft pool.
• Clippers’ general manager Michael Winger has decided to withdraw his name from consideration for the role of president of basketball operations with the Timberwolves, opting instead to remain in Los Angeles.
• ESPN’s No. 19 ranked prospect, Georgian center Goga Bitadze, has declared for the 2019 NBA Draft. Bitadze broke the record for best PER by a teenager in EuroLeague history this season, breaking the record set by Luka Doncic last year.
• Nets’ general manager Sean Marks was fined $25K and suspended for Brooklyn’s Game 5 loss to the Sixers after going into the referees’ locker room following the team’s Game 4 loss.
• The Lakers currently have no plans in place to hire a replacement for former president of basketball operations Magic Johnson. GM Rob Pelinka is currently leading the franchise’s search for a new head coach.
• The Lakers and head coaching candidate Tyronn Lue met for a second interview earlier this week. The Lakers are also considering Monty Williams and Juwan Howard to be the team’s next head coach.
• In addition to the aforementioned candidates, the Lakers also interviewed former Bucks’ head coach Jason Kidd. Reports suggest he’s not as serious of a candiate as the other three, however.
• 233 early entrants declared for the 2019 NBA Draft. The prospects, 175 from college and 58 international players, have until May 29 and June 10, respectively, to pull their name from the draft pool.
• Jazz sharpshooter Kyle Korver, now 38, will once again consider retirement this offseason after going through the same decision last summer. His $7.5MM 2019/20 salary is only partially guaranteed for $3.44MM.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

If you missed any of this past week’s biggest headlines from around the NBA, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Here are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days:

After nearly three years away from the NBA, Jimmer Fredette has returned with the Phoenix Suns. Fredette developed into a star in China, leading the CBA in scoring this season at 36.9 PPG. He will be trying to revive his NBA career after being the 10th player taken in the 2011 draft.

The Suns’ search for a new GM heated up this week with a couple of prominent names rumored to be candidates. Phoenix has reportedly spoken to TNT analyst Kevin McHale and has interest in Bulls consultant Jim Paxson. The Suns have been operating without a full-fledged GM since firing Ryan McDonough in October.

Clippers coach Doc Rivers pledged his loyalty to the franchise, saying he plans to remain in his position for a “long time.” Rivers shot down rumors that he might consider joining the Lakers, saying he still has work left to do with the Clippers.

The Bucks were hit with three significant injuries this week as they try to hold on to the top spot in the East. Malcolm Brogdon is expected to be sidelined through at least the first round of the playoffs with a minor plantar fascia tear in his right foot, Nikola Mirotic will miss 2-4 weeks with a fractured thumb and Pau Gasol is out for about a month with an injured ankle.

The Trail Blazers may have sidestepped a major injury when C.J. McCollum was diagnosed with a popliteus strain in his left knee. McCollum will be re-evaluated this week to determine how much time he will miss.

Here are 10 more headlines from the past week:

• The Lakers got good news about Brandon Ingram, who underwent surgery on his right arm for a blood clot condition. Surgeons removed the clot and he is expected to recover within 3-4 months.
• Timberwolves guard Derrick Rose had arthroscopic surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow. Rose stayed healthy for most of this season and averaged 18.0 PPG, putting him in the race for Sixth Man of the Year.
• In addition to Rose, the Timberwolves declared Robert Covington and Jeff Teague out for the season. Covington hasn’t played since December 31 due to a right knee bone bruise, while Teague is dealing with an injured left foot.
• Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. will miss the rest of the season because of a stress reaction in his left tibia. He played just 19 games for Dallas after being acquired from the Knicks.
• The Grizzlies will finish the season without C.J. Miles, who has a stress reaction in his left foot. Miles appeared in 13 games for Memphis after being acquired from the Raptors in the Marc Gasol trade last month.
• The Pelicans claimed Christian Wood off waivers and parted ways with veteran forward Jason Smith. The Bucks waived Wood to make room for Tim Frazier, who was cut by New Orleans last month.
• A report suggested that the Jazz and Grizzlies may revisit trade talks this summer involving Mike Conley. Utah was considered among the front-runners to land Conley, but the teams couldn’t work out a deal before the deadline.
• The Spurs are close to bringing Donatas Motiejunas back to the NBA after two seasons in China. The 28-year-old is reportedly nearing a deal with San Antonio.
• Sophomore center Daniel Gafford of Arkansas will enter the NBA draft and hire an agent. He was considered a possible first-round pick last year, but now projects at the top of the second round.
• Jason Terry is the latest former NBA star to join the BIG3. The 41-year-old had hoped to play another NBA season, but never received an offer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.