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Nets

Japan&rsquo;s best professional teams Hiroshima Dragonflies and Ryukyu Golden Kings have qualified and will represent the country in the upcoming East Asia Super League 2024-2025 season, announced the league in a press release.
Champions Dragonflies and runners-up Golden Kings of Japan&rsquo;s top-flight league &ldquo;B.League&rdquo; will compete with other champions and runners-up from different East Asian leagues to be called champions of East Asia.
Among the teams they will be facing are Taiwan&rsquo;s P.League+, Korea&rsquo;s Korean Basketball League (KBL), and the Philippines&rsquo; Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
Already qualified are Korea&rsquo;s champions and runners-up Busan KCC Egis and Suwon KT Sonicboom. Teams from the P.League and PBA are yet to be determined.
EASL CEO Henry Kerins said, &ldquo;EASL is delighted to have the B.LEAGUE champions and runners-up competing once again to be the champions of East Asia. We&rsquo;re looking forward to returning to Okinawa with the Ryukyu Golden Kings, after a tremendous series of games there last season. And we can&rsquo;t wait to see what the Hiroshima Dragonflies will bring to the 2024-25 Season.&rdquo;
B.LEAGUE Chairman Shinji Shimada said, &ldquo;The 2023-24 season champions Hiroshima Dragonflies and runners-up Ryukyu Golden Kings will represent the B.LEAGUE in the EASL next season.&nbsp;
&ldquo;After a year of battling it out in the B.LEAGUE, which is improving year by year, and achieving impressive results as champions and runners-up, they have proved that they are Japan&rsquo;s two best teams.
&ldquo;Last season, the Chiba Jets were crowned EASL champions. We hope that one of these two teams will bring the EASL championship to Japan again.&rdquo;
The draw for the EASL 2024-25 Season Group Stage was made earlier this year in agreement with the participating leagues. The eight participating teams will be divided into two groups, containing four teams each.
As B.LEAGUE champions, the Dragonflies have been placed into Group A. The Golden Kings have been placed into Group B.&nbsp;
Hiroshima will match up in Group A against Korean Basketball League (KBL) runners-up Suwon KT Sonicboom, the P. LEAGUE+ runners-up, and one of the best-performing teams from the Philippine Basketball Association&rsquo;s (PBA) 2023-24 conferences.
In Group B, Ryukyu will face KBL champions the Busan KCC Egis, the P. LEAGUE+ champions, and a second top-performing PBA team.
&mdash;
About East Asia Super League
East Asia Super League (EASL) is the Champions League of East Asian basketball. Combining the best clubs, from the best leagues, with best-in-class production values, EASL&rsquo;s vision is to become one of the world&rsquo;s top professional basketball leagues. At the same time, the league aims to elevate the sport of basketball across the East Asia region.
EASL operates with a 10-year agreement with FIBA, the world governing body for basketball, granting FIBA Asia&rsquo;s recognition. It also operates under agreements with the East Asia region&rsquo;s leading basketball leagues, securing the participation of their teams. Those leagues are the Japan B.LEAGUE, the Korean Basketball League (KBL), the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), and Chinese Taipei&rsquo;s P. LEAGUE+.&nbsp;
For more information about the East Asia Super League, please visit <a href="http://www.easl.basketball/">www.EASL.basketball</a>.

Japan’s best professional teams Hiroshima Dragonflies and Ryukyu Golden Kings have qualified for the EASL 2024-2025 season.

Japan B.League top two teams to compete in EASL 2024-2025 season

Soon, the world will know about the East Asia Super League.
The rapidly growing league across East Asia is set to have its biggest event yet: the EASL Final Four happening March 8-10 in Cebu, Philippines.
Dubbed the "Champions League" of East Asian basketball, the EASL combines the best clubs from the top leagues in East Asia with elite production value. The teams in the Final Four are Korea&rsquo;s Seoul SK Knights and Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters, Taiwan&rsquo;s New Taipei Kings, and Japan&rsquo;s Chiba Jets. The Red Boosters come in as the defending champions following their win over their Korean neighbors, SK Knights, in last year&rsquo;s inaugural championship in Japan.&nbsp;
EASL&rsquo;s vision is to become one of the world&rsquo;s top professional basketball leagues. At the same time, EASL aims to elevate the sport of basketball across the East Asia region.&nbsp;
But what makes the league different is the style of play and the brand of basketball each team employs. While leagues like the NBA lean on athleticism, teams in the EASL use a lot of running and transition as well as relying on spacing.
&ldquo;Our play style is fast, and pretty open court. We use dynamic guards a lot and rely on spacing,&rdquo; New Taipei Kings&rsquo; Joseph Lin told BasketballNews in the opening press conference of the league&rsquo;s Final Four tournament. 
The 6-foot-1 Lin, the brother of former NBA player and champion Jeremy Lin, will attempt to bring the title to Taiwan as they go up against the Chiba Jets in the semifinals.
Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters&rsquo; Filipino import Rhenz Abando echoed the younger Lin&rsquo;s sentiments as he came home to play in front of Filipino fans in Cebu: &ldquo;[Our play style] is also the same with Taipei, we are also fast and have a lot of ball movement and spacing.&rdquo;
Going up against Abando and the Red Boosters are the SK Knights in a rematch of last year&rsquo;s finals matchup. Star player Oh Jae Hyun reflects the opinions of the basketball played in the EASL.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Our team&rsquo;s main strength is fast-paced basketball, which requires rebounding and pressing the defense so we can force turnovers and push it on the other side,&rdquo; Hyun added.
Aside from Lin, a number former NBA players have played in the EASL including <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/east-asia-super-league-inside-a-basketball-startup-with-a-unique-vision">Lance Stephenson (Liaoning Flying Leopards), Shabazz Muhammad (Shenzhen Leopards), KJ McDaniels (TNT KaTropa), Jared Sullinger (Shenzhen Aviators), Jameel Warney (Seoul SK Knights) and Domantas Motiejunas (Shandong Golden Stars).</a> Austin Daye, a 2014 NBA champion with the San Antonio Spurs, is a teammate to Lin on New Taipei.
With the league&rsquo;s Final Four event aiming to have massive success in the Philippines, EASL CEO Henry Kerins is optimistic that the EASL will grow even more and increase the number of teams soon.
&ldquo;Our ambition is to expand from eight teams to 16 teams and that will include new geographies and new clubs,&rdquo; Kerins shared. &ldquo;Obviously, there&rsquo;s a huge amount of development and expansion for us to do and that&rsquo;s where the top basketball talent is right now &ndash; Asia.&rdquo;
Kerins further noted that this is only the start for EASL as it looks to increase its global market and viewership in the coming months and years.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Our focus right now is developing and expanding that and deepening both our penetration on the media partnerships. This is the beginning, and in 2025 you&rsquo;re going to see a much more mature and aggressive strategy for expanding that," Kerins said. "We will be expanding our presence and that will lead to more clubs participating &ndash; so hold for that in terms of our announcements but that&rsquo;s our vision and plan going forward.&rdquo;

Soon, the world will know about the East Asia Super League, which is about to hold its Final Four in the Philippines.

East Asia Super League set to have its biggest event yet in Cebu

Today, the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) announced their continued partnership in hosting the fifth&nbsp;annual Top 50 Basketball Camp. The camp will take place July 27&ndash;29 at Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, GA. &nbsp; The best players from each conference will be featured at the camp in a model like the NBPA's Top 100 Camp. Players at the Top 50 Camp will participate in basketball skill training exercises and attend leadership and life development sessions off the court. &nbsp; "NBPA members have a true appreciation for HBCUs, and the Top 50 Camp is a great way for the NBPA to continue strengthening its connection with the HBCU community," said Purvis Short, the NBPA's Chief of Player Programs. "Our partnership with the SIAC and SWAC has given us a unique opportunity to host a productive learning experience for HBCU athletes to better themselves as men on and off the court." The camp also aims to cultivate and create coaching and talent pipelines for current and retired NBA players exploring the transition into careers in intercollegiate athletics. &nbsp; "The Southwestern Athletic Conference is elated to continue our partnership with the NBPA Top 50 Camp," said SWAC Commissioner Dr. Charles McClelland. "This partnership is an amazing opportunity for our student-athletes to participate in athletic and professional development initiatives that will positively impact them both on and off the court. This event has steadily grown and has quickly become a signature event that our student-athletes look forward to participating in on an annual basis." &nbsp; In addition to skill development and on-court drills, the camp will include a series of highly-competitive scrimmages and games, allowing the players to showcase their talent against the best of their neighboring conference. &nbsp; "I commend the NBPA for its commitment to HBCUs as The Top 50 Camp serves as a basketball combine for our student-athletes to showcase their talents while receiving instruction from current and former NBA players," said SIAC Commissioner Anthony Holloman. &nbsp; Camp participants from the SIAC include:
<table border="0" width="432" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">First Name</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Last Name</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">College or University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Aziel</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Blackwell</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Kentucky State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Devin</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Booker</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Tuskegee University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Eleik</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Bowles</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Savannah State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Gregg</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Boyd II</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Tuskegee University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Steven</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Dulley</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Tuskegee University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Ashton</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Hawkins</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Spring Hill College</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Martez</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Jones</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Tuskegee University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Robert</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Kendrick</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Fort Valley State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Kong</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Kong</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Kentucky State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Myson</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Lowe</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Fort Valley State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Steven</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Lyles</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Spring Hill College</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Chris</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Martin</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Clark Atlanta University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Joemel</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">McNair</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Morehouse College</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Jamir</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Moore</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Albany State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Sean</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Paige</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Central State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Ayjay</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Plain</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Savannah State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Antwoin</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Reed Jr</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Central State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Kerry</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Richardson</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Morehouse College</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Jordan</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Simpson</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Albany State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Raevon</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Thomas</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Central State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Terin</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Wofford</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Albany State University</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<div>&nbsp; &nbsp; Camp participants from the SWAC include: &nbsp;</div>
<table border="0" width="432" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">First Name</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Last Name</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">College or University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Chase</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Adams</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Jackson State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Jaylen</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Bates</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Florida A&amp;M University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Eric</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Coleman</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Alabama State</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Zeke</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Cook</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Jackson State university</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Dhashon</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Dyson</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Bethune Cookman University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Ken</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Evans Jr.</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Jackson State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Jeremiah</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Gambrell</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Alcorn State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Kolby</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Granger</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Texas Southern University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Zion</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Harmon</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Bethune Cookman University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">P. J.</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Henry</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Texas Southern University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Elijah</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Hulsewe</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Bethune Cookman University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Byron</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Joshua</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Alcorn State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Jeremiah</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Kendall</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Alcorn State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">T. J.</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Madlock</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Alabama State</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Romelle</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Mansel</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Jackson State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Kylen</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Milton</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">University of Arkansas Pine Bluff</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Zytarious</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Mortle</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Texas Southern University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Festus</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Ndumanya</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Southern University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Omari</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Peek</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Alabama A&amp;M</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Dailin</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Smith</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Alabama A&amp;M</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">D. K.</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Thorn</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Alcorn State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Cameron</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Tucker</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Alabama A&amp;M</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Ernest (EJ)</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Williams</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Alabama A&amp;M</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Rashad</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Williams</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">University of Arkansas Pine Bluff</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Coltie</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Young</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Jackson State University</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

The NBPA, SIAC and SWAC will host the fifth annual Top 50 Basketball Camp from July 27-29 in Atlanta.

NBPA, SIAC and SWAC to host 5th annual Top 50 Basketball Camp

Aaron Rodgers was sitting alone in the dark two months ago, pondering his future while many speculated about his next move.
Now, the New York Jets quarterback is the toast of his new town, bonding with the Big Apple and his excited teammates.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s a legend right there, that&rsquo;s a Hall of Fame player,&rdquo; wide receiver Garrett Wilson said Wednesday during a video call. &ldquo;This is something 20 years from now, 30 years from now, I can tell my kids, &lsquo;You know, I played with Aaron Rodgers.&rsquo; I try not to think about it too much at this point, you know, just because we&rsquo;re going to work and he&rsquo;s my teammate and that&rsquo;s got to be the mindset.
&ldquo;But the reality of it is it&rsquo;s awesome, man.&rdquo;
After an offseason that included Rodgers going on an isolation retreat in Oregon and deciding to continue his playing career &mdash; and with the Jets &mdash; the four-time NFL MVP was&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/aaron-rodgers-new-york-jets-nfl-0a298bb72384d01d8ed5b0bcae9e340e">formally introduced by New York last Wednesday</a>&nbsp;after acquiring him from Green Bay. The deal&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/aaron-rodgers-trade-jets-packers-0a6b5e68c1c3d5c2ab1b9e59312dd181">brought one of the league&rsquo;s greatest players</a>&nbsp;to a franchise frustrated by 12 straight seasons without a playoff appearance and hungry for a winner.
And Rodgers is already making an impact.
&ldquo;We know that all of the sudden, all eyes are on us,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to back it up every time we take the field, you know, practice or game.&rdquo;
Rodgers is also enjoying his turn as New York&rsquo;s newest celebrity while taking in Knicks and Rangers games at Madison Square Garden.
&ldquo;I met Spike Lee, Martha Stewart and Patrick Ewing,&rdquo; Rodgers&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/1653473013109755905?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said Tuesday on &ldquo;The Pat McAfee Show&rdquo;</a>&nbsp;on YouTube and SiriusXM. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m sitting next to Jack Harlow. So much fun. Just having a ball.&rdquo;
He was there&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/jets-allen-lazard-aaron-rodgers-nfl-free-agency-b2e191509441f98a7dc54ef62d77b758">with former Packers teammate Allen Lazard</a>&nbsp;and running back Breece Hall for the Rangers&rsquo; 5-2 win over the Devils in Game 6 last Saturday. Rodgers and Lazard were back the next day for the Knicks&rsquo; playoff loss to Miami in Game 1. On Tuesday night, Rodgers and cornerback Sauce Gardner sat courtside next to actor Jerry Ferrara and former Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist for the Knicks&rsquo; victory in Game 2.
&ldquo;It was great being around a veteran guy like him, a down to earth guy who &mdash; I didn&rsquo;t know he was that funny,&rdquo; Gardner said.
&ldquo;Everybody knew who he was and I was able to just be in his shadow a little bit.&rdquo;
Rodgers, who&rsquo;s 39, teased the 22-year-old Gardner about his age at times during their night out on the town &mdash; which started with the QB picking up the tab for dinner at Carbone restaurant.
&ldquo;We were getting seated (at the Garden) and he was like, &lsquo;We&rsquo;re about to sit by Jessica Alba,&rsquo;&rdquo; said Gardner, last season&rsquo;s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. &ldquo;I was like, &lsquo;Oh, I don&rsquo;t know who that is.&rsquo; He looked at me like I&rsquo;m crazy.&rdquo;
Rodgers probably would&rsquo;ve had a similar look a few months ago if someone had told him he&rsquo;d be calling the New York/New Jersey area home &mdash; as a member of the Jets.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just pinching myself a lot of days,&rdquo; Rodgers said. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t believe it&rsquo;s real sometimes. It&rsquo;s been a dream, for sure, just to be here.&rdquo;
Rodgers is participating in offseason workouts, something he hadn&rsquo;t done the past couple of seasons in Green Bay while he feuded with the Packers&rsquo; front office. A&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/nyjets/status/1653096952236503041?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">slow-motion video posted Monday by the Jets</a>&nbsp;of Rodgers throwing a pass to Wilson, last season&rsquo;s AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, has gotten more than 9.6 million views.
&ldquo;I ain&rsquo;t gonna lie to you, I was kind of starstruck at first,&rdquo; linebacker Quincy Williams said with a smile. &ldquo;I was like, &lsquo;Hold on, coach, let me just take a little minute to just take this in,&rsquo; just to watch a few throws and seeing him in the green.
&ldquo;And it was like, all right, let&rsquo;s get to work so we can give him more opportunities to throw the ball.&rdquo;
The Jets are counting on Rodgers doing that and jumpstarting an offense that ranked near the bottom of the league in several categories the past two years with Zach Wilson struggling in then-coordinator Mike LaFleur&rsquo;s system. Rodgers is reunited with Nathaniel Hackett, his offensive coordinator for three years in Green Bay, including the last two of his four MVP awards in 2020 and 2021.
Hackett isn&rsquo;t the only former Packers teammate joining Rodgers in New York. The Jets signed Lazard, backup quarterback Tim Boyle and&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/jets-billy-turner-aaron-rodgers-hackett-a6c3c931ddc16822cd7db87f8226ac3b">offensive lineman Billy Turner</a>&nbsp;in free agency. They also already had wide receiver Malik Turner and offensive lineman Adam Pankey.
The Jets also&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/jets-randall-cobb-aaron-rodgers-a4d1e5166dd1bd02cf034294ca3c290a">signed wide receiver Randall Cobb</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday night. Cobb had two stints as Rodgers&rsquo; teammate in Green Bay and walked off the field with the quarterback after the Packers&rsquo; season-ending loss to Detroit at Lambeau.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s like the first day of school every single day,&rdquo; Rodgers said on &ldquo;The Pat McAfee Show.&rdquo; &ldquo;Everything&rsquo;s new and exciting and fun.&rdquo;

The New York Jets quarterback is the toast of his new town, bonding with the Big Apple and his excited teammates.

Aaron Rodgers bonds with new Jets teammates at Knicks playoff games

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced the list of eligible candidates for the Class of 2023, including several high-profile, first-time nominees including Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Gregg Popovich, Dwyane Wade and the 1976 U.S. Olympic Women&rsquo;s Basketball Team. &nbsp; A first look at the list of eligible nominees was provided by &ldquo;NBA Today&rdquo; on ESPN; the complete list of eligible candidates can be found below. &nbsp; Finalists from the North American and Women&rsquo;s committee for the Class of 2023 will be announced on February 17, at 5:30 p.m. ET in Salt Lake City, Utah, during NBA All-Star Weekend. &nbsp; The entire Class of 2023, including those selected by the direct-elect committees, will be unveiled during the NCAA Final Four in Houston, Texas, on April 1, in a nationally televised broadcast at 11 a.m. EST.
NORTH AMERICAN NOMINATIONS &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Ken Anderson (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; John Beilein (COA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Gene Bess (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Chauncey Billups (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tom Chambers (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; John Clougherty (REF) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Michael Cooper (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Joey Crawford (REF) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jack Curran (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Mark Eaton (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Cliff Ellis (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Michael Finley (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Pau Gasol (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Leonard Hamilton (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lou Henson (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Ed Hightower (REF) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; David Hixon (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Mark Jackson (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Marques Johnson (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Gene Keady (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jim Larranaga (COA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Maurice Lucas (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Shawn Marion (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Rollie Massimino (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dick Motta (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dirk Nowitzki (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jake O&rsquo;Donnell (REF) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tony Parker (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jim Phelan (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Gregg Popovich (COA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bo Ryan (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Stan Spirou (COA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Reggie Theus (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dwyane Wade (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Buck Williams (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; John Williamson (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Paul Westhead (COA)
WOMEN&rsquo;S NOMINATIONS &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Leta Andrews (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jennifer Azzi (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Gary Blair (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Doug Bruno (COA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Becky Hammon (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Becky Martin (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Debbie Miller-Palmore (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kim Mulkey (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Valerie Still (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Marian Washington (COA) &nbsp; INTERNATIONAL DIRECT-ELECT &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jackie Chazalon &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Mirza Delibasic &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dusan Ivkovic &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Semen Khalipski &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Vladimir Kondrashin &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Eduardo Lamas &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Marcos Leite &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Shimon Mirrahi &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Amaury Pasos &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Manuel Sainz &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Togo Soares &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Ranko Zeravica &nbsp; WOMEN&rsquo;S VETERANS DIRECT-ELECT &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; 1976 US Olympic Team (TEA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; 1982 Cheyney University NCAA Final Four Team (TEA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Alline Banks Sprouse (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Edmonton Commercial Grads (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; John Head (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Yolanda Laney (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Nashville Business College (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lometa Odom (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Harley Redin (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Hazel Walker (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Valerie Walker (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dean Weese (COA)*
CONTRIBUTOR DIRECT-ELECT &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Pete Babcock &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dick Baumgartner &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Henry Bibby &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Marty Blake &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Vic Bubas &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Doug Collins &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Wayne Duke &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bill Foster &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bob Gibbons &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Simon Gourdine &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tim Grgurich &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Junius Kellogg &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Johnny &ldquo;Red&rdquo; Kerr &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tom Konchalski &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bobby Lewis &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Fred McCall &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jack McCloskey &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jon McGlocklin &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Speedy Morris &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dennis Murphy &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Curly Neal &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jack Powers &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Will Robinson &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Gene Shue &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jim Valvano &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Donnie Walsh &nbsp; VETERANS DIRECT-ELECT &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; 1936 US Olympic Team (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; 1972 US Olympic Team (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dick Barnett (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tom Blackburn (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Sid Borgia (REF) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Charles Brown (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Freddie Brown (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jack Coleman (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Charles Eckman (REF) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Leroy Edwards (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Leo Ferris (CONT) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Hy Gotkin (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Travis Grant (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jack Hartman (COA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Cam Henderson (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Robert Hopkins (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Charles Keinath (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Greg Kelser (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kentucky Wesleyan 1966, 1968, 1969 (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bob Love (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Loyola of Chicago (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Billy Markward (CONT) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Ed McCluskey (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jack McKinney (CONT) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Bill Melchionni (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Francis Meehan (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lucias Mitchell (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Donald &ldquo;Dudey&rdquo; Moore (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Joe Mullaney (COA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Willie Naulls (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; North Catholic High School Junior Varsity (Philadelphia, PA) (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Don Otten (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Philadelphia SPHAS (TEA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kevin Porter (PLA)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Glenn Roberts (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lennie Rosenbluth (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Kenny Sailors (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Fred Schaus (CONT) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Sam Schulman (CONT) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Paul Silas (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dick Van Arsdale (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tom Van Arsdale (PLA) &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lambert Will (CONT)* &bull; &nbsp; &nbsp; Max Zaslofsky (PLA)

Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Gregg Popovich and Dwyane Wade are among the candidates for the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Basketball Hall of Fame announces candidates for Class of 2023

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Brandon Miller scored 24 points, including 21 in the second half, to lead No. 4 Alabama to a 91-88 win over Memphis on Tuesday night.
Miller hit a 3-pointer and then dunked after rebounding his own miss on the next possession in the final two minutes for the Crimson Tide (9-1), sporting the program&rsquo;s highest ranking in 15 years.
Led by Kendric Davis&rsquo; 30 points, the Tigers (8-3) stayed close most of the way for a second upset of a Top 10 Alabama team in as many years and closed the gap in the final seconds.
Alabama had just climbed into the Top 5 after becoming the first team to beat two No. 1 teams &mdash; North Carolina and Houston &mdash; before January since Duke in the 1965-66 season.
Miller had eight rebounds, five assists and four 3s to help the Tide fight off the challenge this time. Marc Sears scored 12 of his 18 points in the first half and was 9 of 13 from the free throw line.
Noah Clowney, who has won the past two Southeastern Conference freshman of the week honors, fouled out with 11 points and nine rebounds. Jaden Bradley scored 10.
DeAndre Williams had 15 points and nine rebounds before fouling out with 6:18 left for Memphis. Davis also fouled out late.
NO. 5 HOUSTON 74, NORTH CAROLINA A&amp;T 46
HOUSTON (AP) &mdash; Ja&rsquo;Vier Francis had career highs of 17 points and 15 rebounds, Marcus Sasser scored 17 points, and Houston rebounded from its first loss.
Sasser, a preseason All-American, was 6 of 10 from the field after shooting 2 of 11 and scoring nine points in Houston&rsquo;s 71-65 loss to Alabama on Saturday. Francis was 7 of 10 as Houston (10-1) shot 50% on the night.
Kam Woods scored 26 points to lead the Aggies (4-5). Woods scored 17 of North Carolina A&amp;T&rsquo;s 21 first-half points and finished 10 of 18 from the field.
NO. 9 ARIZONA 99, TEXAS A&amp;M-CORPUS CHRISTI 61
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Azuolas Tubelis had 20 points and 13 rebounds and Arizona hit a season-high 15 3s to beat Texas A&amp;M-Corpus Christi.
Tubelis, a 6-foot-11 junior from Lithuania, early in the game became the 53rd player in school history to reach 1,000 career points. He shot 9 of 16 and also had four assists.
Henri Veesaar scored a career-high 16 points off the bench, Oumar Ballo had 13 points and eight rebounds, and Cedric Henderson Jr. had 11 points for the Wildcats (9-1).
Corpus Christi (5-4) got 12 points from Simeon Fryer but overall shot only 30.7%. One of the smallest teams in Division I, the Islanders were outrebounded 52-32.

A recap of Tuesday night's men's college basketball slate includes a close one between the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide and Memphis.

Brandon Miller, No. 4 Alabama outscore Memphis 91-88

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd knew there was talent on his roster. He wasn&rsquo;t exactly sure how good the team would be.
The former longtime Gonzaga assistant had a similar view of last year&rsquo;s team and that one turned out to be pretty good, running all the way to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
This year&rsquo;s team could end up being even better.
Buoyed by transfers and improved returning players, Arizona has rolled through the early part of its schedule, climbing to No. 4 in this week&rsquo;s AP Top 25 after winning the Maui Invitational.
&ldquo;I learned that we&rsquo;re good,&rdquo; Lloyd said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re tough. We&rsquo;re gritty. I think there&rsquo;s going to be some great things for us to really double down on and some things to show our guys where we went the wrong way.&rdquo;
Lloyd had a superb first season in the desert, earning coach of the year honors last season with a team that lost three players to the NBA.
The Wildcats (6-0) had to replace three NBA players again this season. Again, they made a seamless transition.
Improvement on the part of the returning players has been a big part of it.
Oumar Ballo, considered a project as a freshman at Gonzaga, has transformed into one of the nation&rsquo;s best big men. The 7-foot, 260-pound center from Mali has vastly improved his footwork and developed patience in the post, setting himself up for good shots instead of trying to bull his way to the basket.&nbsp;
Ballo is averaging 19 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 76.7% from the field, fourth-best nationally. He was named Maui Invitational MVP after finishing with 30 points and 13 rebounds against No. 7 Creighton in the title game.
Not bad for a player who averaged 2.5 points and 6.3 minutes per game two years ago at Gonzaga.
&ldquo;When he struggled, I still believed in him,&rdquo; Lloyd said. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t need for him to be instantly successful for me to reaffirm my belief in him. When he struggled, we continued to love him and work with him and then he continued to hang in there and I think it is a great story.&rdquo;
Fellow big man Azuolas Tubelis has made a few strides of his own, adding strength and toughness to his athletic, fluid game. The 6-10 forward leads Arizona with 19.3 points per game while grabbing 8.0 rebounds.
Fiery point guard Kerr Kriisa has rounded into a reliable floor leader, averaging 15.3 points and 7.5 assists while shooting 51% from the 3-point arc.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t pay attention to the antics because they don&rsquo;t mean anything to me,&rdquo; Lloyd said. &ldquo;I know maybe that draws attention to him from other people but when it comes to just pure basketball, I mean he is doing a good job and I think he is really showing something.&rdquo;
So is Courtney Ramey.
The Texas transfer has given the Wildcats a huge boost in his first season in Tucson, providing hounding defense, leadership and another scoring option. He&rsquo;s averaging 16 points per game and has hit 10 of 16 from 3-point range so far this season.
Campbell transfer Cedric Henderson Jr. has provided an athletic lift off the bench and 7-foot Estonian Henri Veesaar has given Arizona solid minutes.
The mix of new and old has helped Arizona lead the nation with 97.5 points a game and rank second with 21.8 assists per game. The Wildcats climbed 10 spots in this week&rsquo;s poll after wins over Cincinnati, No. 24 San Diego State and Creighton.
Arizona opens Pac-12 play Thursday at Utah.
&ldquo;It was good to get the recognition, but we&rsquo;re not satisfied,&rdquo; Ramey said. &ldquo;Our ultimate goal is to be No. 1 at the end of the season and be the final two teams playing, so I think the regular season matters but it&rsquo;s not the ultimate goal for us.&rdquo;
The Wildcats are certainly off to a good start.

Buoyed by transfers and improved returning players, Arizona has rolled through the early part of its schedule.

No. 4 Arizona turning heads early in the season

Jim Boylen has not spent any time thinking about what the World Cup qualifying standings might look like after USA Basketball&rsquo;s game against Brazil on Friday.
He just keeps thinking how the Americans have four qualifying games left.
&ldquo;And in my brain, I&rsquo;m acting like we&rsquo;ve got to win four to get in,&rdquo; Boylen said.
He knows differently. The U.S. (7-1 in qualifying) can clinch a berth in next year&rsquo;s World Cup with a win Friday, when it hosts Brazil (5-3) in Washington. The national team will be wearing the nation&rsquo;s colors in the nation&rsquo;s capital on Veterans Day, with a chance to lock up one of the 32 spots for the tournament to be played next summer in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.
For the U.S., qualifying started nearly a full year ago in late November. For some teams in the FIBA Americas region, it started in April 2021.
It&rsquo;s been a long road, but Boylen and the Americans are finally in position to clinch.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s never easy,&rdquo; said Boylen, who has coached the eight previous U.S. qualifying games &mdash; all held in two-game windows, often with a different roster each time. &ldquo;Expect the unexpected. Expect to make adjustments. You just roll with it, keep it simple. I believe we have to be superior at the defensive end of the floor. You hope shots go in, but we have to defend and rebound. That&rsquo;s what we can control.&rdquo;
The World Cup provides the most direct path for teams to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Americans have used primarily G League players in qualifying games; those players know top NBA players will take their roster spots in the World Cup and the Olympics.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s very humbling when we have repeat guys and they said, &lsquo;Yeah, Coach, I loved it and I want to be part of it,&rsquo;&rdquo; Boylen said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s really hard. It&rsquo;s almost a thankless job. If we win, nobody talks about it and if we lose, it&rsquo;s on the ticker. But I don&rsquo;t sell it like that. I sell it as, in the last 30 years, there are 293 guys who have worn the senior men&rsquo;s national jersey. They&rsquo;re part of the most elite group of guys in the history of the game. People don&rsquo;t realize that.&rdquo;
The Americans have used 37 different players so far in the qualifying cycle. That number will rise Friday; only five players on the roster for both the Brazil game and Monday&rsquo;s game against Colombia have appeared in 2023 qualifying.
Langston Galloway, DaQuan Jeffries, David Stockton, Will Davis II and Michael Frazier II all have played with the U.S. previously in this qualifying cycle; Galloway has the most appearances with six. The rest of the roster is Charlie Brown Jr., Chris Chiozza, Rodney Hood, Alize Johnson, Elijah Pemberton, Henry Sims and Craig Sword.
There are 12 teams remaining &mdash; two groups of six &mdash; from the Americas region, all vying for seven World Cup spots.
The U.S. leads its qualifying group (Group F) by two games with four remaining on the qualifying schedule; the last two-game window of qualifiers is in February. Brazil, Mexico and Uruguay are all 5-3; Puerto Rico is 4-4 and Colombia is 3-5.
Canada leads Group E at 8-0, followed by Venezuela (7-1), Argentina (6-2), the Dominican Republic (5-3), Panama (2-6) and the Bahamas (2-6).
The top three teams in each group, along with the best fourth-place team, will receive World Cup berths. The World Cup draw takes place in Manila in March and the tournament runs from late August through mid-September.

The U.S. (7-1 in qualifying) can clinch a berth in next year’s World Cup with a win Friday, when it hosts Brazil (5-3) in Washington.

USA on brink of clinching spot in 2023 Basketball World Cup

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Arizona is a bit of an unknown quantity, with a key returning core surrounded by talented newcomers who hope to make up for the loss of NBA talent.
If it sounds familiar, that&rsquo;s just where the No. 17 Wildcats were heading into last season, Tommy Lloyd&rsquo;s first as a head coach.
That one turned out pretty well, so no reason to think it won&rsquo;t happen again.
Arizona enters its second season under Lloyd with several new players, but it&rsquo;s a mix that&rsquo;s expected to make the former longtime Gonzaga assistant two for two in NCAA Tournament opportunities.
&ldquo;We have some really good players,&rdquo; Lloyd said. &ldquo;As a team we still have to put everything together, but at the end of the day we&rsquo;re going to be really hard to beat.&rdquo;
Arizona proved that last season. Arizona lost three players to the NBA, but Lloyd added some key components to the players who opted to return. Arizona won 33 games, reached the Sweet 16 and Lloyd won multiple national coach of the year honors, including from The Associated Press.
The Wildcats have a similar feel this season.
Bennedict Mathurin, Christian Koloko and Dalen Terry are now in the NBA. Azuolas Tubelis, Kerr Kriisa, Pelle Larsson and Oumar Ballo are all back. The cast of new players Lloyd added are impressive.
Guard Courtney Ramey arrives after playing four seasons at Texas, most of the time as a starter. Cedric Henderson Jr. was a proven scorer at Campbell, averaging 13.7 points in three seasons.
Serbian forward Filip Borovicanin and Estonian forward Henri Veesaar have proven themselves against international competition. Arizona also added two highly touted freshmen, big man Dylan Anderson and point guard Kyland Boswell, who will be eased into the rotation after offseason foot surgery.
It may take the new crew time to gel, but the talent and pieces appear to be in place for another March run.
BAL&rsquo;S PROGRESS
Arizona could get a big boost from a player who was already on its roster: Adama Bal.
The 6-foot-6 French wing played a limited role last season, averaging 4.5 points in 23 games, but he played well for France in the FIBA under-20 championships this summer. Given a bigger role this season, Bal could be ready for a breakout season.
&ldquo;By the time November rolls around, I figure he&rsquo;s going to be a mainstay and have a chance to impact every single game,&rdquo; Lloyd said.
GETTING PHYSICAL
One of Lloyd&rsquo;s goals within his program is to add toughness after the Wildcats were manhandled by Houston in the Sweet 16.
Lloyd has pushed his players to be more physical in practice, particularly in the paint. He&rsquo;s also urged players like the 6-11, 245-pound Tubelis and 7-foot, 260-pound Ballo to use their size and leverage more to their advantage.
&ldquo;To me, there&rsquo;s nothing that bums me out more than physically being overmatched,&rdquo; Lloyd said. &ldquo;So what do we have to do to make sure when we tee it up we can physically bring the fight. To me, therein lies toughness. That&rsquo;s the price of entry: you&rsquo;ve got to be tough.&rdquo;
LARSSON&rsquo;S CLIMB
Larsson got a late start to his first season in Tucson due to offseason foot surgery. The Swedish transfer from Utah had a solid year, averaging 7.2 points and 3.4 rebounds, but Lloyd would like him to play with more confidence and ramp up his defense.
&ldquo;Pelle has to manifest a bit of his success and have more belief in himself,&rdquo; Lloyd said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a really good basketball player and definitely trending in the right direction.&rdquo;
SCHEDULE
Lloyd likes to schedule tough, something he learned from Gonzaga coach Mark Few. The Wildcats had a few games fall through for various reasons, but will still have some tough nonconference games.
Arizona&rsquo;s first big test will come at the Maui Invitational. The Wildcats open against Cincinnati, with potential games against No. 10 Arkansas, No. 25 Texas Tech, Louisville, Ohio State and No. 19 San Diego State later in the bracket.
Arizona also plays Indiana in Las Vegas and has a home game against No. 11 Tennessee.
&ldquo;I definitely think we scheduled well enough to give ourselves a chance to win an at-large bid, and if we perform well in our schedule, we probably have a chance to get a decent seed in the (NCAA) tournament,&rdquo; Lloyd said.

Ben Mathurin, Christian Koloko and Dalen Terry are in the NBA. Azuolas Tubelis, Kerr Kriisa, Pelle Larsson and Oumar Ballo are back.

No. 17 Arizona aims to keep momentum in Lloyd’s second season

MILAN (AP) &mdash; The stars showed up at EuroBasket on Tuesday in a big way.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 41 points in 27 minutes for Greece, Luka Doncic had 36 points for Slovenia and two-time reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic scored 29 points for Serbia &mdash; three of the world&rsquo;s best players all leading their teams to big group-stage wins at the European championships.
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Ain&rsquo;t nothing but a little Luka Magic 🪄 36 PTS 10 REB 4 AST<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroBasket?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroBasket</a><a href="https://t.co/hIo3xZOABm">pic.twitter.com/hIo3xZOABm</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1567255650132004865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2022</a></blockquote>

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There&rsquo;s one more group-stage game left for each to play, and then a trip to Berlin awaits since Greece, Slovenia and Serbia have all clinched spots in the 16-team knockout round that begins Saturday.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Nikola Jokic had himself a night at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroBasket?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroBasket</a>. 🃏👀 29 PTS, 11 REB, 5 AST<a href="https://t.co/yqgLLMI2AS">pic.twitter.com/yqgLLMI2AS</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1567261660729032706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s point total was the most in a EuroBasket game since Dirk Nowitzki had 43 for Germany in 2001. And when he heard that stat, all Antetokounmpo did was nod.
&ldquo;I try not to rate my performance,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said. &ldquo;I just try to go out there and have fun as much as possible, try to focus as much as I can on what I can control, try to bring energy any way possible. ... But I&rsquo;ll say this: I think this is one of the years where I feel very, very excited to go out there on the court and play with my teammates.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Giannis went OFF today in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EuroBasket?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EuroBasket</a>. 41 PTS 9 REB 72% FGM On fire. 🔥<a href="https://t.co/XRF620yKBK">pic.twitter.com/XRF620yKBK</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1567208097826963458?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2022</a></blockquote>

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As Antetokounmpo did, Doncic also deflected credit after the game. Told that Germany&rsquo;s postgame reaction was &ldquo;Luka Doncic happened,&rdquo; Doncic replied by saying &ldquo;Slovenia happened.&rdquo;
&ldquo;The whole team was ready,&rdquo; Doncic said. &ldquo;Everybody who stepped on the court was fighting, whether they played one minute or 30. I&rsquo;m really proud of this team.&rdquo;
Doncic was asked after the game if he or Antetokounmpo was in a better position to break the EuroBasket single-game scoring record.
Doncic didn&rsquo;t hesitate with his answer: He picked Antetokounmpo.
&ldquo;I would bet on Giannis,&rdquo; Doncic said. &ldquo;Why? Because he&rsquo;s Giannis Antetokounmpo.&rdquo;
GROUP C
GREECE 99, UKRAINE 79
At Milan, Antetokounmpo simply overpowered Ukraine and ensured that Greece would finish atop its group.
Antetokounmpo &mdash; who got Monday off to rest &mdash; had his 41 points and nine rebounds in just 27 minutes to lead Greece (4-0).
He was 13 for 18 from the floor, 15 for 18 from the foul line.
&ldquo;It was very easy to prepare the team because it is absolutely clear what Greece does when Giannis is out there,&rdquo; Ukraine coach Ainars Bagatskis said. &ldquo;They play really aggressive basketball. And if you don&rsquo;t put against them the same aggressiveness, even higher aggressiveness, then you have big problems.&rdquo;
Nick Calathes and Tyler Dorsey had 13 apiece for Greece.
Issuf Sanon and Svi Mykhailiuk each scored 16 for Ukraine (3-1), while Alex Len and Illya Sydorov added 10 apiece. Ukraine led by seven at the half, before Greece won the third quarter 32-11.
ESTONIA 94, GREAT BRITAIN 62
Henri Drell scored 20 points, Siim-Sander Vene added 18 and Estonia had no trouble on the way to its first win of the tournament.
Maik-Kalev Kotsar scored 15, Kristjan Kitsing added 14 and Janari Joesaar finished with 11 for Estonia (1-3).
Myles Hesson scored 14 for Great Britain (0-4), with Carl Wheatie and Patrick Whelan each scoring 12.
ITALY 81, CROATIA 76
Simone Fontecchio and Nicolo Melli each scored 19 points to lead Italy (2-2).
Bojan Bogdanovic led Croatia (2-2) with 27 points, while Ivica Zubac scored 13 and Dario Saric added 10.
Both teams are headed to the knockout round.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
GROUP B
SLOVENIA 88, GERMANY 80
At Cologne, Germany, Doncic&rsquo;s 36 points came with him making 14 of 25 shots. He also had 10 rebounds for Slovenia (3-1).
Goran Dragic scored 18 points and Mike Tobey added 10 for Slovenia.
&ldquo;We showed what we are made of,&rdquo; Dragic said.
Dennis Schroder scored 19 points, Andreas Obst had 14 and Maodo Lo added 13 for Germany (3-1).
LITHUANIA 87, HUNGARY 64
Lithuanian basketball is known for a lot of things, including passionate fans.
They go everywhere to cheer for their national team. And Tuesday, they even cheered for France &mdash; for good reason.
Lithuania topped Hungary and that, combined with France&rsquo;s win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, means the last qualifying spot out of Group B is still unclaimed. It&rsquo;ll be decided Wednesday when Lithuania plays Bosnia and Herzegovina, the winner moving on to Berlin and a round-of-16 game, the loser heading home eliminated.
&ldquo;Lithuanian fans are the best,&rdquo; France guard Evan Fournier said.
If France had lost Tuesday, Lithuania would have been eliminated. Instead, those Lithuanian fans serenaded the French with cries of &ldquo;Merci!&rdquo; for keeping their national team&rsquo;s hopes alive.
&ldquo;It feels amazing,&rdquo; Lithuania forward Domatas Sabonis said. &ldquo;They travel to every championship to support us. It&rsquo;s sad we couldn&rsquo;t give them a win over the weekend, but we&rsquo;re glad we could give them one today and the goal is to give them another one tomorrow.&rdquo;
Jonas Valanciunas scored 21 points on 10-of-13 shooting and Sabonis added 19 for Lithuania (1-3).
Marius Grigonis had 15 points and Rokas Jokubaitis added 10 for Lithuania. Zoltan Perl scored 16 for Hungary (0-4), while David Vojvoda and Rosco Allen each finished with 10.
FRANCE 81, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 68
Thomas Heurtel&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 5:49 left put France ahead to stay and started a game-ending 22-7 run for the winners, who were already assured of a spot in the round of 16.
Guerschon Yabusele scored 15 for France (3-1), while Heurtel and Fournier each had 14 and Rudy Gobert posted an 11-point, 12-rebound performance.
Jusuf Nurkic, Miralem Halilovic and Dzanan Musa all had 14 for Bosnia and Herzegovina (2-2), while John Roberson had 13 and Edin Atic finished with 10.
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GROUP A
TURKEY 78, BELGIUM 63
At Tbilisi, Georgia, Alperen Sengun scored 24 points, Furkan Korkmaz had 16 and Turkey (3-1) remained tied atop Group A.
Ercan Osmani added 12 for Turkey.
Haris Bratanovic scored 15 for Belgium (2-2) and Hans Vanwijn scored 11.
SPAIN 82, MONTENEGRO 65
Spain (3-1) clinched its berth in the round of 16, with Dario Brizuela leading the way with 18 points.
Willy Hernangomez scored 14 for Spain, while Jaime Pradilla and Lorenzo Brown added 12 apiece.
Vladimir Mihailovic scored 18 for Montenegro (2-2), which got 11 from Marko Simonovic and 10 from Kendrick Perry.
BULGARIA 92, GEORGIA 80
Dee Bost had 33 points and 12 assists, Aleksandar Vezenkov finished with 28 points and 14 rebounds, and Bulgaria kept its hopes alive.
Pavlin Ivanov scored 17 for Bulgaria (1-3).
Goga Bitadze scored 21 for Georgia (1-3), while Thaddus McFadden had 19, Alexander Mamukelashvili scored 13, and Giorgi Shermadini and Duda Sanadze scored 10 apiece.
GROUP D
SERBIA 89, ISRAEL 78
At Prague, Jokic was 11 of 13 from the floor and also grabbed 11 rebounds for Serbia (4-0), while Vasilije Micic added 19.
Nikola Kalinic and Ognjen Jaramaz each scored 10 for Serbia.
Yam Madar scored 20 for Israel (2-2), while Deni Avdija had 14 and Roman Sorkin added 11.
POLAND 75, NETHERLANDS 69
Poland was down by 13 in the third quarter before closing the game on a 39-20 run to tune up for its knockout-stage appearance.
Michal Sokolowski scored 24 for Poland (3-1), which got 16 from Aleksander Balcerowski and 10 from Jakub Garbacz.
Charlon Kloof led the Netherlands (0-4) with 26, and Yannick Franke scored 13.
FINLAND 98, CZECH REPUBLIC 88
Lauri Markkanen continued his strong tournament with 34 points and 10 rebounds, and Finland clinched its berth in the round of 16.
Sasu Salin scored 23 and Petteri Koponen added 14 for Finland, with Elias Valtonen finishing with 11.
Vojtech Hruban scored 22 for the Czech Republic, with Jan Vesely adding 15 and Patrik Auda and Jaromir Bohacik scoring 13 apiece. The Czechs play Israel on Thursday and, according to FIBA, could reach the knockout stage with a win.
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WEDNESDAY&rsquo;S SCHEDULE
First-round play in Groups A and B concludes, with Groups C and D getting the day off before they finish their round-robins on Thursday. Friday is an off day and the knockout round in Berlin starts Saturday.
Group A: Turkey (3-1) vs. Spain (3-1), Bulgaria (1-3) vs. Belgium (2-2), Georgia (1-3) vs. Montenegro (2-2). The Turkey-Spain winner will win the group. Bulgaria and Georgia are in must-win scenarios.
Group B: Lithuania (1-3) vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina (2-2), France (3-1) vs. Slovenia (3-1), Hungary (0-4) vs. Germany (3-1). France, Slovenia (which wins the group with a victory) and Germany have already qualified, Hungary is eliminated and the Lithuania-Bosnia game is the one that matters most.

Antetokounmpo scored 41 points in 27 minutes for Greece, Doncic had 36 points for Slovenia and reigning MVP Nikola Jokic scored 29 points for Serbia.

Stars shine bright: Giannis, Luka, Jokic lead at EuroBasket

LAS VEGAS (AP) &mdash; James Wiseman returned and Jonathan Kuminga had a big night, but the San Antonio Spurs beat the Golden State Warriors 85-84 on Sunday night at the Las Vegas Summer League behind 23 points from Blake Wesley.
Recovering from April 2021 surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right knee, Wiseman didn&rsquo;t play in the NBA this season and appeared in just three G League games in March before being shut down. The 21-year-old Wiseman, a 7-foot center taken with the No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft, had 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting with two blocks in 19 minutes.
Darius Day had 17 points and 13 rebounds, Josh Carlton had 10 points and 11 rebounds &mdash; seven offensive &mdash; and Josh Primo had 10 points or San Antonio. Primo, taken 12th by the Spurs in the 2021 draft, shot just 2 of 15 from the field and 1 of 5 from 3-point range.
Kuminga had 28 points on 10-of-22 shooting with seven rebounds and four assists but made just 1 of 7 from 3-point range and shot 7 of 18 at the free throw line. Mac McClung added 22 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Moses Moody, who scored 34 points in a loss to the New York Knicks on Friday, did not play for Golden State (0-2).
KINGS 103, PACERS 96
Keegan Murray, picked No. 4 overall by Sacramento in June&rsquo;s draft, scored 23 points and hit four of the Kings&rsquo; 18 3-pointers in their win over Indiana.
Sacramento (1-1) took Murray over Purdue&rsquo;s Jaden Ivey and the 6-foot-8, 225-pound forward out of Iowa is averaging 21.5 points and hitting 40% of his 10 attempts per game from 3-point range in Las Vegas. The 21-year-old Murray averaged 19.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals while shooting 51.1% from the field and 43.8% from 3-point range in three games at the California Summer League earlier this month.
Terry Taylor had 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds. Bennedict Mathurin, the No. 6 pick in last month&rsquo;s draft, had 15 points but made just 6 of 16 from the field for Indiana (1-1).
Sean McDermott hit three 3s and finished with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting and Frankie Ferrari scored 16 and made 4 of 6 from behind the arc for the Kings.
NETS 91, 76ERS 84
Cam Thomas made 15-of-15 free throws and finished with 26 points and seven assists, David Duke Jr. scored 21 points and Day&rsquo;Ron Sharpe had a double-double to help Brooklyn beat Philadelphia.
Sharpe had 13 points &mdash; including&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://twitter.com/BrooklynNets/status/1546239575709732864" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dunk</a>&nbsp;while being fouled to open the fourth quarter &mdash; with 11 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks. Kessler Edwards added 10 points for the Nets (1-1).
There were 15 ties and 17 lead changes, the last of which came when Sharpe made a reverse layup with 6:23 to play.
Brooklyn made 28 of 32 (87.5%) from the free-throw line, including 6 of 6 in closing seconds. Duke finished 9 of 10 from the foul line.
Cassius Winston led the 76ers (0-2) with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting and added five rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Charlie Brown Jr. scored 15 points and Charles Bassey had 11 points and nine rebounds.
KNICKS 101, BULLS 69
Quentin Grimes hit four 3-pointers and finished with 23 points, Jericho Sims scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds and New York never trailed against Chicago.
Sims, who played 41 games for the Knicks (2-0) on a two-way contract as a rookie last season, had his second consecutive double-double. The 6-foot-9 center out of Texas signed a three-year contract worth about $6 million.
New York opened the game with a 13-0 run, led by 16 points at the end of the first quarter and scored 32 in the second to make it 59-24 at halftime. The Knicks finished with 42 points in the paint, scored 35 points off 21 Chicago turnovers, and led by as many as 39 points.
Miles McBride added 14 points, six assists and three steals, and DaQuan Jeffries scored 13 points for New York.
Dalen Terry &mdash; picked No. 18 overall in June&rsquo;s draft &mdash; and Carlik Jones scored 13 points apiece for Chicago (1-1). Terry made 3 of 7 from the field, 1 of 6 from 3-point range and committed seven turnovers. Henri Dell added 11 points and three steals.
WIZARDS 97, SUNS 72
Vernon Carey Jr. had 15 points and 11 rebounds, Jaime Echenique scored 12 points and Washington led by double figures for nearly 30 minutes in its win over Phoenix.
Isaiah Todd hit a 3-pointer that gave the Wizards (1-1) a 23-13 lead with 9:31 left in the second quarter and the Suns trailed by at least 10 the rest of the way. Davion Mintz made a step-back 3 to give Washington its biggest lead at 89-56 with 3:55 to play.
Johnny Davis, the No. 10 pick in last month&rsquo;s draft, and Tyler Hall scored 11 points apiece. Davis, a 6-foot-5 guard out of Wisconsin, went 1 for 9 from the field and finished with six points, five rebounds and two assists in Washington&rsquo;s 105-99 loss to Detroit on Friday.
Tyson Carter led the Suns (1-1) with 12 points. Ish Wainright added 11 points and Louis King scored 10.
NUGGETS 84, CAVALIERS 76
Peyton Watson scored 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds, and Collin Gillespie added 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists as Denver beat Cleveland.
Christian Braun had 10 points, five assists and three steals, Ismael Kamagate also scored 10 points to go with nine rebounds and Jack White had eight points, 15 rebounds and three blocks for Denver (1-1).
RJ Nembhard Jr. led the Cavaliers (1-1) with 19 points, Cam Young scored 16 and Amar Sylla 11. Ochai Agbaji, who Cleveland picked No. 14 overall in June&rsquo;s draft, had eight points on 3-of-11 shooting with six rebounds, three assists and a steal.
Cleveland Browns All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett warmed up with the Cavaliers before the game,&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1546273107631128579?s=20&amp;t=f2i3RbuemsDwOW2Pjb155Q" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dunking in the layup line while wearing a No. 95 jersey</a>.

James Wiseman returned and Jonathan Kuminga had a big night, but the Spurs beat the Warriors 85-84 on Sunday night.

James Wiseman returns, but Warriors fall to Spurs in NBA Summer League

It was the slap heard around the world.
Juwan Howard was involved in a verbal altercation with Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard following the Badgers' 77-63 win over the Michigan Wolverines on Sunday.
From the video, it appeared as though Howard was grabbed and stopped by Coach Gard as he attempted to walk by him in the handshake line, which set off a series of events &mdash; including Howard slapping Wisconsin assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Some context with Juwan Howard and Joe Krabbenhoft <a href="https://t.co/lHNeJOklCQ">pic.twitter.com/lHNeJOklCQ</a>
&mdash; ᗩᑎT ᗯᖇIGᕼT (@itsAntWright) <a href="https://twitter.com/itsAntWright/status/1495552481836912640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

There have been a lot of questions and speculation as to what Krabbenhoft said to provoke Howard that has not been confirmed as of yet.&nbsp;
But looking at the slow motion video, you can clearly see that Krabbenholft did in fact push two Michigan players &mdash; sophomore Terrance Williams II and senior forward Jaron Faulds. Not excusing his slap, but it appears as though Juwan was coming to his players' defense.
However, Monday night, the verdict was handed out. Howard will be suspended for the remainder of Michigan&rsquo;s regular season (which equates to five games) and was fined $40,000. Conversely, none of the Wisconsin coaches have been suspended and Coach Gard was only fined $10,000.
Coach Howard issued this statement:
<blockquote>
After taking time to reflect on all that happened, I realize how unacceptable both my actions and words were and how they affected so many. I am truly sorry. I am offering my sincerest apologies to my players and their families, my staff, my family and the Michigan fans around the world. I would like to personally apologize to Wisconsin assistant coach Joe Krabbenhoft and his family too. Lastly, I speak a lot about being a Michigan man and representing the University of Michigan with class and pride. I did not do that, nor did I set the right example in the right way for my student athletes. I will learn from my mistake, and this mistake will never happen again. No excuses!
</blockquote>
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Juwan Howard accepted the punishment, took full responsibility for his actions, made no excuses and apologized to everyone who was involved.&nbsp;
I caught up with his former Fab Five teammate Ray Jackson to discuss the incident, the callings for him to be fired, the punishment handed out and the public backlash by Dick Vitale and others, as well as who Juwan Howard is as a coach and a person.&nbsp;
Etan: What were your thoughts after seeing what took place after the Michigan/Wisconsin game? I saw your Facebook post saying you definitely supported your former Fab Five teammate, but what was your reaction to seeing so many people calling for Juwan to be fired immediately?
Ray Jackson: "People calling for him to be immediately fired definitely wasn&rsquo;t surprising. I always felt that they never loved us and we had no room for error. But, they never look at what&rsquo;s prompting us. There has always been something attached with the presence of the Fab Five and what Juwan Howard brings, what he stands for, what he represents, his knowledge, his experience, and they&rsquo;ve let that boil over way past common respect. To be honest, the entire way they approach the game is different when they coach against Juwan.
"I&rsquo;m not saying Juwan&rsquo;s reaction was right, let me be clear, but the other coach (Greg Gard) should have never put his hands on him in the first place; he should&rsquo;ve never grabbed him or stopped him. He should&rsquo;ve walked past him, gave him the brush by, said he&rsquo;s gonna remember that and kept it moving. They are going to suspend Juwan, but Coach Gard definitely needs to be held accountable for his role in this too."
Etan: So, let&rsquo;s talk about this for a minute, because I agree. there is no reason for a coach to grab another coach like he&rsquo;s a child. Like you said, he grabbed him and stopped him. Juwan was walking past him. He initiated everything.
Jackson: "But here is the issue, E &mdash; a big Black man putting his hands on a white man in America is one of the scariest things white America can see. And it&rsquo;s always been like that. So, no matter what they do to us, how wrong they are in whatever they do, we can not be aggressive back as a response. They want us to always remain passive. No matter what. When I saw how he grabbed Juwan, the first thing I thought was, 'I wonder how many of his players he grabs like that regularly? Is there a reason why Wisconsin only gets a certain kind of Black players? But Juwan is not a boy, he&rsquo;s a full grown man, and you can&rsquo;t approach a man like a boy period."
Etan: And then, the assistant coach (Joe Krabbenhoft) came over, and it didn&rsquo;t look like he was trying to de-escalate anything. I would&rsquo;ve thought the assistant coach would&rsquo;ve come over and been more concerned with pulling his players back, but it looked like &mdash; at least from the angles of the video &mdash; not only was he talking smack to Juwan, but he actually put his hands on some Michigan players.&nbsp;
Jackson: "You are absolutely correct in your assessment. You saw what I saw, E. And I&rsquo;m going to keep saying it: Juwan has these white coaches feeling a certain type of way about him. He was one of the only Black coaches for awhile; he came in getting recruits, all of the praise, all of this notoriety. They didn&rsquo;t feel he was qualified for the position in the first place. Remember, a few media people simply echoed publicly what many of the actual coaches were saying privately and amongst themselves. So that all was a problem for him.
"Yes, he&rsquo;s put five guys in the NBA. But more than that, he has developed a culture where he cares about the players beyond what they can do on the court, so they have a different level of respect for him. Not to mention all he has done for the program as a whole. So no, one situation or reaction, I'll say, from Juwan doesn&rsquo;t put a black eye on the totality of Juwan Howard, nor should it."
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17667013_lg.png" alt="" width="648" height="324" />
Etan: Glad you brought up the black eye, because it&rsquo;s interesting how this keeps coming back up. I interviewed all of you for my book, "<a href="http://www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/we-matter-athletes-and-activism/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">We Matter: 'Athletes And Activism</a>.'&rdquo;
You all talked about how much the media was always coming down on y&rsquo;all. Saying that you all were putting a "black eye" on the University of Michigan as a whole, on the alumni, on the entire NCAA; that expressed sentiment kept coming up in all of your interviews. So I know how much that bothers y&rsquo;all. And now, I&rsquo;m hearing that kind of talk again after this situation, so i&rsquo;m thinking... there was this doctor at Michigan who was charged with sexually abusing students.
Jackson: "You&rsquo;re talking about Dr. [Robert E.] Anderson."
Etan: Yes, and Michigan had a $490 million settlement for thousands of student-athlete victims that were abused &mdash; not allegedly abused, but actually abused &mdash; by this cat who was the athletic team doctor for decades, between the years of 1966 and 2003. And they hardly talked about that. So that&rsquo;s not a "black eye" to the university, but y&rsquo;all wearing baggy shorts and black socks was a "black eye?" This situation with Juwan coming to the defense of his players, of being accosted by this coach &mdash; this is a "black eye?"
Jackson: "I see you&rsquo;re going there today. But you&rsquo;re absolutely right again. They hardly talked about that. They paid the lawsuit and swept it all under the rug and just didn&rsquo;t really talk about it. There was one little series that came on TV, but that was really it. And for it to be as egregious of a crime as it was? Yeah, I can&rsquo;t disagree with anything you said. No Michigan student, nobody&rsquo;s child should&rsquo;ve ever been exposed to a clown like that. He preyed on children. That whole situation was just disgusting.
"But yeah, that seed of resentment toward us, that seed was planted when we were 17, 18-year-old kids at Michigan. So they always couldn&rsquo;t wait for us to do something wrong so they could pounce on us. We weren&rsquo;t allowed [to make] mistakes, we had to be perfect. Juwan should&rsquo;ve never been put in that position to have to control his emotions. A coach grabbing you? Pushing your players? That just doesn&rsquo;t happen, and they can&rsquo;t pretend that that&rsquo;s normal activity."
Etan: You know it&rsquo;s interesting, a few people on Twitter &mdash; and I suspect they were Michigan State fans &mdash; but they tweeted me an <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/apr/06/tom-izzo-aaron-henry-abuse-michigan-state" target="_blank" rel="noopener">old article I wrote back in 2019 about Tom Izzo abusing and bullying a player on his team</a>, Aaron Henry. And they were saying mockingly, "If Tom Izzo is a bully and a coward, what does that make Juwan Howard?" And saying, "Are you going to publicly condemn Juwan&rsquo;s actions?" Etc.
Jackson: "I remember that article, and yeah they were pissed when you wrote that, but those are two completely different situations. One is with a coach in a power dynamic over a teenage college player, and the other is man-to-man. You can&rsquo;t even compare the two. Besides you writing that article, I don&rsquo;t think Izzo received an enormous amount of criticism after that happened. But this is what it boils down to: They&rsquo;re okay with old, white men doing exactly what Izzo did to Aaron Henry. They can verbally abuse, mishandle our babies [and] chastise our young men or young women."
Etan: They were definitely okay with Bobby Knight&rsquo;s abuse for years.&nbsp;
Jackson: "Right! But that image of a Black man doing anything aggressive toward a white man, that&rsquo;s why you see the reactions that we were seeing to immediately fire Juwan. I even saw some on social media say arrest him. Then use language like, 'He physically assaulted him,' or 'attacked' him. First of all, if Juwan wanted to, he could&rsquo;ve laid Coach Gard and Krabbenhoft completely out. He opened his hand, so let&rsquo;s not put too much on this. He slapped him. Not saying it was right, but that&rsquo;s what he did."
Etan: And, I didn&rsquo;t want to say anything about Dick Vitale &mdash; and everyone has been praying for him with his battle with cancer, and his emotional videos so we&rsquo;re all pulling for him &mdash; but his immediate tweets were so targeted and his language was so menacing. I was like, "Is he tweeting this from the hospital bed?" I just commented on one of his posts that I was keeping him in my prayers a week or so ago as he was showing himself going into surgery. I don&rsquo;t know, I was just shocked seeing his tweets.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
It&rsquo;s sad thinking about what I watched in that handshake line as the coach of a gr8 Univ. ala UM could not control his temper &amp; nearly set off a full blown riot. INEXCUSABLE behavior by Juwan Howard MUST LEAD TO SEVERE PUNISHMENT. UM President &amp; AD should take ACTION NOW!
&mdash; Dick Vitale (@DickieV) <a href="https://twitter.com/DickieV/status/1495503996051722245?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
Then, after Juwan did his initial address to the media explaining what happened and why he was upset, Vitale followed up with another tweet.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Pls Juwan defend yourself from a guy half your size who wanted to explain y he called an ABSURD T/O. with 15 sec. Say what u want but be a REAL MAN &amp; admit ur action representing one of the great State Universities was INEXCUSABLE .
&mdash; Dick Vitale (@DickieV) <a href="https://twitter.com/DickieV/status/1495542363485315072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2022</a></blockquote>
And I was just like "Whoa, be a real man?" Juwan Howard&rsquo;s actions must lead to severe punishment? Mocking him saying he was defending himself? Why all that, and from the hospital bed, Dickie V?&nbsp;
Jackson: "Well, going back to our college days, Dickie V and Bill Walton were two of the first ones to call us all thugs. All of us. Me, Jimmy [King], Juwan, Chris [Webber], Jalen [Rose]. They labeled all of us. Our mothers and fathers and grandparents and family had to hear that. We were thugs? Because we had a different style and swag with us? So that came as no surprise to hear him say that now. And I haven&rsquo;t heard anyone call him out on it and don&rsquo;t expect to. So thank you for saying something.
"But Juwan owned up to everything &mdash; apologized for his reaction, took all responsibility &mdash; but none of the other parties involved, who caused the chain of events to take place, were held accountable? Why was Juwan the only one who got suspended?&nbsp; Gard&rsquo;s little $10K fine isn&rsquo;t a punishment. Why didn&rsquo;t they suspend the other coaches like you suspended Juwan, especially when he was coming to the defense of his players? Gard and Krabbenhoft didn&rsquo;t even apologize like Juwan did. People wanna talk about being men and owning up to what you did, but that only pertains to one side?
Etan: That&rsquo;s ridiculous, and people are still saying Juwan got off light and should&rsquo;ve been fired.
Jackson: "I see it too. I was reading a few articles this morning, and yeah, that&rsquo;s just absurd. That's why I appreciate what you do. There are so many folks still calling for Juwan to be fired, and to be honest, I was worried. I spoke to C-Webb the night it happened and he was worried too, because we know they&rsquo;re waiting for any reason to throw the book at Juwan, and we know why. But hopefully, everyone can put this story and this issue behind them and we can move on, and Juwan can get back to continuing to do an amazing job as the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines. But he shouldn&rsquo;t have been the only party held accountable for what took place."
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/violalogo1_lg.png" alt="" width="652" height="326" />
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Ray Jackson and Etan Thomas share passionate thoughts on Juwan Howard and the double standard regarding people's reactions.

Ray Jackson: Juwan Howard shouldn't be the only one held accountable

The WNBA has announced a $75 million capital raise &mdash; the largest-ever for a women&rsquo;s sports property.
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/FOS/status/1489219199612424193" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Front Office Sports</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;The report adds that those who invested will each receive an equity stake in the league, the first time the WNBA has ever done such a raise. The league has seen tremendous growth in recent years. This past year's WNBA Finals averaged 548,000 viewers on television, up 63% from 2020.&nbsp;
Official press release:
NEW YORK &ndash; The WNBA announced today the largest-ever capital raise for a women&rsquo;s sports property, featuring new investors and existing WNBA and NBA owners. &nbsp;This groundbreaking transaction is part of a multi-faceted financial growth strategy designed to generate new revenue through increased investment in priority areas as part of the league&rsquo;s long-term business transformation.
Proceeds from this transaction are expected to be used for brand elevation and marketing; globalization of the WNBA; innovation, digital, and growth of consumer touchpoints; and human capital and operational optimization as part of an overall effort to address some of the league&rsquo;s obstacles to growth and generating new revenue.
&ldquo;We are incredibly fortunate to be able to capitalize on the current momentum around women&rsquo;s sports and are grateful to the investors who have chosen to support the WNBA in an unprecedented way and to our team governors who continue to invest in the players and teams,&rdquo; said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. &nbsp;&ldquo;Our strategy is to deploy this capital to continue to drive the league&rsquo;s brand as a bold, progressive entertainment and media property that embodies diversity, promotes equity, advocates for social justice, and stands for the power of women. &nbsp;Having just completed our historic 25th season, with this access to additional capital, we are setting the WNBA up for a successful future and it represents a sign and signal of the future direction of women&rsquo;s sports as a whole.&rdquo;
As part of its ongoing commitment to empowering women athletes and women&rsquo;s sports, NIKE, Inc., one of the league&rsquo;s current premier partners and inaugural WNBA Changemaker, has made a significant equity investment in the WNBA. &nbsp;Nike&rsquo;s investment further deepens the company&rsquo;s support for women&rsquo;s basketball and enables the WNBA to elevate the marketing and storytelling of WNBA athletes.
&ldquo;Women&rsquo;s sport is one of the best investments, with great potential to impact and grow the next era of basketball,&rdquo; said Sonja Henning, VP, North America League Partnerships, NIKE, Inc. &ldquo;Nike has always been more than a sponsor with the WNBA &ndash; we&rsquo;re a strategic partner. And we&rsquo;re proud to be part of a movement to redefine the future of sport for a new generation &ndash; for WNBA players, fans and girls.&rdquo;
The initial investors are: Micky and Nick Arison, Carnival Corporation and Miami HEAT; Bill Cameron, CEO and President, American Fidelity, Dallas Wings; &nbsp;Swin Cash, WNBA legend and current New Orleans Pelicans Vice-President of Basketball Operations and Team Development; Baron Davis, NBA legend; Michael and Susan Dell, Dell Technologies and minority investors, San Antonio Spurs; Karen Finerman, CEO and Co-Founder, Metropolitan Capital Advisors; Pau Gasol, NBA legend and Member of the IOC Athletes&rsquo; Commission; Ginny Gilder, Seattle Storm; Dee Haslam and Whitney Johnson, Haslam Sports Group, Cleveland Browns and Columbus Crew; Linda Henry, Boston Globe, Boston Red Sox, Liverpool Football Club; Brad Hilsabeck, former CEO, Grantham, Mayo Van Otterloo &amp; Co. and minority investor, Dallas Wings; Eric Holoman, President and CEO, EquiTrust Life Insurance, Los Angeles Sparks; Mark Walter, CEO, Guggenheim Partners, Los Angeles Sparks; Laurene Powell Jobs, Founder and President, Emerson Collective; Ted Leonsis, Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Monumental Sports &amp; Entertainment, Washington Mystics and Washington Wizards; James and Heather Murren, former Chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International; NIKE, Inc; Condoleezza Rice, Stanford University and 66th US Secretary of State; Angela Ruggiero, CEO and Co-Founder, Sports Innovation Lab; Herb and Steve Simon, Fever Basketball, LLC; and Joe and Clara Tsai, New York Liberty and Brooklyn Nets.
&ldquo;Susan and I are excited about the growth opportunity in women&rsquo;s sports and specifically the WNBA,&rdquo; said Michael Dell, CEO, Dell Technologies and minority investor, San Antonio Spurs. &ldquo;We also are proud to support a league that is committed to empowerment, and we look forward to supporting Cathy and all the accomplished and diverse women of the WNBA to make a positive impact in the world.&rdquo;
Both the WNBA and NBA Boards of Governors approved the transaction. Allen &amp; Company LLC served as the financial advisor for the transaction.
The 2021 season marked the WNBA&rsquo;s 25th anniversary and featured new partnerships with Google, the latest WNBA Changemaker, as well as Amazon Prime Video, Dick&rsquo;s Sporting Goods and Coinbase. &nbsp;The companies joined a growing lineup of partners led by WNBA Changemakers AT&amp;T, Deloitte and NIKE, Inc. &nbsp;The league also introduced an innovative in-season competition &ndash; the WNBA Commissioner&rsquo;s Cup &ndash; which will continue with the upcoming 2022 season.
About the WNBA
Having concluded its historic 25th season in 2021, the WNBA is a bold, progressive basketball league that stands for the power of women. &nbsp;Featuring 12 teams, the W is a unique sports property that combines competition and entertainment with a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and social responsibility. &nbsp;Through its world-class athletes, the in-game fan experience, TV and digital broadcasts, digital and social content and community outreach programs, the league celebrates and elevates the game of basketball and the culture around it.
In 2020, the WNBA and the Women&rsquo;s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) signed a groundbreaking eight-year CBA that charts a new course for women&rsquo;s basketball &ndash; and women&rsquo;s sports overall &ndash; with a focus on increased player compensation, improvements to the player experience, expanded career development opportunities and resources specifically tailored to the female professional athlete. &nbsp;Key elements of the agreement are supported through the league&rsquo;s new platform, WNBA Changemakers, with AT&amp;T, the WNBA&rsquo;s Marquee Partner and inaugural Changemaker, as well as fellow inaugural Changemakers Deloitte and NIKE, Inc, and the recent addition of Google. During the 2020 season, the WNBA and WNBPA launched the WNBA Justice Movement forming the Social Justice Council with the mission of being a driving force of necessary change and continuing conversations about race and voting rights, among other important societal issues.

The total is the highest ever for a women's sports property.

WNBA announces $75 million capital raise

When 12-year-old Jayden Jones becomes overwhelmed by the idea of tackling his schoolwork, he remembers what Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II taught him.
&ldquo;Never give up.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Don't be afraid to ask for help.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Block out the bullies."
The Bay Area sixth-grader has dyslexia, severe attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and dysgraphia, a neurological disorder that can make writing difficult. At times, he feels completely intimidated at school. Payton's words help him.
The Warriors fan favorite spoke to Jayden and more than 80 other children with learning challenges in December during a video webinar as part of a Read to Achieve event, then the boy got to meet Payton at a recent home game.
&ldquo;I really appreciated it,&rdquo; Jayden said while sitting courtside at Chase Center on Jan. 18. &ldquo;He was really encouraging. He said it was hard and he got bullied. He said to ignore the bullies.&rdquo;
Payton understands, because he was that boy years ago. He endured similar lows to reach his recent triumphs with the Warriors and now share his experiences to try to help others.
&ldquo;Just because you learn a different way than everybody else doesn&rsquo;t mean you don&rsquo;t learn,&rdquo; said Payton, who was diagnosed with dyslexia at age 8. "You&rsquo;ve still got to fight through it. Once you find your way how to learn it, it becomes more clear and more positive.&rdquo;
Payton's mother, Monique Payton, used to require her kids to read 30 minutes every night, not always monitoring them during that time, and she didn't initially know of her son's challenges. It wasn't until Payton's second-grade teacher urged his parents to have him assessed for a learning disability that they realized the extent of it.
&ldquo;Little Gary would always mumble. I would say, &lsquo;Son, speak up, I can&rsquo;t hear you,&rsquo;" Monique Payton said. &ldquo;I would be so harsh, &lsquo;What are you saying?&rsquo;&rdquo;
So once he was diagnosed she felt terribly, yet she was determined for Payton to persevere. No more daily reading rules. They would adjust their expectations on some things.
His greatest struggles and frustrations as a boy were when he had to read in front of his class or a group. Everything got mixed up and &ldquo;my parents were so hard on me,&rdquo; thinking he wasn't doing enough to understand the work.
&ldquo;Some parents don't know about it early and then you're just really on your own,&rdquo; Payton said. &ldquo;You don't know yourself so you don't know why it's difficult for you to learn just like other kids in the class. We identified it and when we did, I got help. After that I understood that it's OK to ask for help."
When the Paytons moved to Los Angeles as the elder Gary Payton spent a season with the Lakers in 2003-04, Monique reached out to anyone of notoriety she could find who dealt with dyslexia &mdash; determined to show her son how far he could go in spite of it all.
She went to see &ldquo;Happy Days&rdquo; actor Henry Winkler.
&ldquo;I took little Gary to his office and he spoke to little Gary, &lsquo;You&rsquo;re not dumb, it&rsquo;s just a different way of learning,&rsquo;&rdquo; she recalled. &ldquo;He had people give him his lines because he couldn&rsquo;t read them.&rdquo;
Now, Payton is the one providing light for others.
The high-flying journeyman guard and defensive stopper overcame his struggles and a bumpy basketball road to stick in the NBA at last, shining alongside Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.
The kids went wild when Payton hurried out to greet them with handshakes, to pose for photos or offer some encouraging words before that Jan. 18 game against Detroit where he met Jayden. Payton helped host a group with support from the grassroots organization Decoding Dyslexia California.
Lisa and Danny Neith, Jayden's grandparents and legal guardians, are beyond grateful. They're also optimistic Payton's involvement will bring much-needed awareness for continued strides in early intervention and universal screening that might help so many others facing similar challenges.
Other parents are also appreciative. Megan Bacigalupi <a href="https://twitter.com/meganbaci/status/1483878517473366019">posted a photo of her dyslexic 9-year-old son</a> Josh at a Dec. 23 game against the Grizzlies holding a sign thanking Payton that read, &ldquo;You're a role model for kids w/dyslexia!&rdquo;
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s so inspired after hearing (at)Garydwayne talk to Dyslexic kids and share his story!&rdquo; the mother said.
Stephen Curry can imagine what Payton's efforts mean.
&ldquo;It's all about whatever you represent, in terms of your upbringing and your experience in life. Everybody knows the amazing opportunities that basketball creates in terms of the platform that you have,&rdquo; Curry said. &ldquo;You've got to find different ways to use it. For him that's a great thing to do, to try to make an impact and be inspirational and maybe change the course of somebody's life in some way.&rdquo;
Jayden will probably forever cheer Payton.
The boy attends a special education school called Star Academy in nearby San Rafael and is being raised by the Neiths, who adopted him. Jayden &mdash; who won the raffle for a basketball signed by Payton that he keeps safely in his bedroom &mdash; wasn't diagnosed until "he was already way behind, years behind," his grandmother said.
&ldquo;This is big and huge for him to see somebody like Gary Payton. Jayden is just starting basketball himself as a beginner, so this is going to spur him on to know that he's not alone with the challenges,&rdquo; Lisa Neith said. &ldquo;We're just beyond the moon.&rdquo;

When 12-year-old Jayden Jones becomes overwhelmed by the idea of tackling his schoolwork, he remembers what Gary Payton II taught him.

Warriors' Payton shares stories of dyslexia to help children

Are we absolutely sure that Greg Monroe should&rsquo;ve been&nbsp;out of the league&nbsp;prior to Monday night?
May 12, 2019 is the last time we saw Monroe in an NBA game, when he logged fewer than two minutes of play in the Philadelphia 76ers&rsquo; Game 7 loss to the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals. And while he only logged 9.0 minutes per contest in Philly's 12-game playoff run that spring, he had&nbsp;just&nbsp;been signed on April 4, and played three regular-season games to end the season. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywCh-CFaW2c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">He played pretty well, too</a>.)
But despite averaging 13.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 51.4% shooting from 2010 to 2019 in 632 career NBA games, Monroe found himself out of the league for over two-and-a-half years until the Minnesota Timberwolves signed him this week. And fresh off the flight, he put up an 11-9-6-2-1 line against his former Boston Celtics.
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The vet hasn&rsquo;t lost a step! Greg Monroe went for 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists in his <a href="https://twitter.com/Timberwolves?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Timberwolves</a> debut. This was his first game in the NBA since 2019. 👏 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBACallUp?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBACallUp</a> <a href="https://t.co/XAiJh53Tw7">pic.twitter.com/XAiJh53Tw7</a>
&mdash; NBA G League (@nbagleague) <a href="https://twitter.com/nbagleague/status/1475679537065349122?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Monroe, by the way, doesn&rsquo;t turn 32 until June, and when we last saw him, he was one month away from turning 29.&nbsp;
On opening night, the average age of an NBA roster&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/lakers-oldest-nba-teams-entering-season/1gvfecopluvy71rmj43y8ezgtf">for 2021-22 was 26.1</a>. Though the number precedes what we&rsquo;ve seen regarding roster reshuffling due to COVID and injuries, the 26.1 median age is the youngest the league has been this century. It&rsquo;s also roughly where we&rsquo;ve been&nbsp;for at least a few seasons.
Ten seasons ago, <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2012.html">the average age was 26.7</a>. In 2001-02,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2002.html">we were at 27.4</a>, with five teams hovering around 30 years old on average and only two leveling at 25 or under. Entering the new millennium, <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2000.html">the average was up at 27.8</a>.
Over the last several years, we&rsquo;ve also experienced <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2020/11/16/21566647/nba-undrafted-alex-caruso-duncan-robinson">a boom in undrafted talent making NBA rosters</a>. Many four-year college players are entering the league between the ages of 22 and 24, occasionally older, which &mdash; along with the continual record amount of one-and-dones &mdash; contributes to what generally is a less-experienced league than what we&rsquo;ve seen previously.
Think about this: You already can&rsquo;t have a &ldquo;Greatest Undrafted NBA Player of All-Time&rdquo; discussion without mentioning Fred VanVleet. And he&rsquo;s one of the many reasons NBA teams keep trying to find those possible diamonds in the rough instead of signing a 30-year-old veteran who's been around. The VanVleet revelation doesn&rsquo;t happen often, and he&rsquo;s also a Toronto Raptor; they don&rsquo;t exactly suck at development. Nevermind that a VanVleet or a Wesley Matthews is rare; if the Sacramento Kings had scooped up Gabe Vincent in 2019, he might be guarding Shane Larkin in the EuroLeague right now instead of Tyrese Maxey or... *checks Dec. 26 notes* ... Hassani Gravett. 
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
It&rsquo;s something that magnifies an even larger societal complication &mdash; eliminating much of the middle class in any profession. We&rsquo;re increasingly watching decision-makers seek to hire fewer advanced and/or experienced employees in favor of entry-level labor, or shapeshifting transactions with those of the one percent with little in-between. It has long been reported on, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2021/03/18/the-pandemic-stalls-growth-in-the-global-middle-class-pushes-poverty-up-sharply/">the gap is continually increasing</a>. The NBA, as a business, isn&rsquo;t much different. Look up your favorite team and see how many guys are on minimum deals or minimum-adjacent (think rookie-wage scale) contracts.
No one with Monroe&rsquo;s career production and resume should&rsquo;ve been out of the whole-ass league by age-29. It&rsquo;s not to say he should&rsquo;ve been on a contender&rsquo;s starting five, or even in a playoff rotation, but out of the NBA entirely? Forced to play (<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/international/players/greg-monroe-1.html">and play well, by the way</a>) elsewhere? In his case, he had been productive in the EuroLeague since leaving the NBA.
(As an aside: In Europe, it&rsquo;s harder to score, rotations are deeper and you don&rsquo;t play as much, so numbers will be lower. Look at <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/international/players/luka-doncic-1.html">Luka Dončić&rsquo;s MVP 2017-18 season</a> or <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/international/teams/barcelona/2021.html">Liga ACB champion FC Barcelona&rsquo;s 2020-21 stats</a> for example.)
Jeremy Lin ranted about this last season where, after averaging 19.8 points and 6.4 assists on 51/43/88 splits in the G League during a shortened season, he was the only top-10 G League scorer to <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3161207/coronavirus-omicron-spreads-global-gloom-over-new-years-celebrations?module=perpetual_scroll_2&amp;pgtype=article&amp;campaign=3161207">not earn an NBA 10-day contract</a> last season. The players who did include Henry Ellenson, 24, Justin Harper, 23 at the time, Tyler Cook, 23, Oshae Brissett, 22, and Ignas Brazdeikis, 22.
Lin, 32 then, 33 now, never received an offer, he said.
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❤️ <a href="https://t.co/7socHMLMkH">pic.twitter.com/7socHMLMkH</a>
&mdash; Jeremy Lin (@JLin7) <a href="https://twitter.com/JLin7/status/1394798832542699521?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2021</a></blockquote>

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COVID accelerated and exposed <a href="https://time.com/5888024/50-trillion-income-inequality-america/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">much of the nationwide economic imbalance</a>, but a deep dive on that is for another discussion. (Etan Thomas, if you&rsquo;re reading this...)
One of the only good things to come from this particular COVID surge is the temporary <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-four-10day-veterans-who-can-revitalize-their-nba-careers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revitalization of some NBA careers</a>. It includes James Ennis, Lance Stephenson, Joe Johnson, Langston Galloway and Monroe, along with Alfonzo McKinnie (<a href="https://www.latinorebels.com/2021/12/06/prosportslatinamerica/">Mexico&rsquo;s own &hellip; kinda!</a>), who is the first 10-day to full-timer this season.
In more recent days, <a href="https://www.hoopsrumors.com/10daytracker">we&rsquo;ve seen Al-Farouq Aminu, Brandon Knight and Darren Collison get deals</a>, too. But plenty of the guys we&rsquo;re seeing get these calls probably should&rsquo;ve been in the league longer than they were over some of the undrafted guys who probably aren&rsquo;t true NBA players. Even if they don&rsquo;t play much, the locker room presence and leadership, if you find the right veteran, is priceless.
But hey, <a href="https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2021/12/salaries-for-10-day-contracts-in-2021-22.html">it saves a billionaire money</a> to go entry-level instead, and I&rsquo;m over hear bitching about it on the internet during the holiday week while trying to recover Dr. Dre&rsquo;s phone in the new GTA V: The Contract, so what do I know?

Bryan Fonseca dives into how veterans should hold more importance in the NBA over younger players on smaller contracts.

NBA teams need to show more respect to veterans, and we're seeing why

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; There were times when Tyler Herro felt overwhelmed last season.
The Miami Heat guard would see his name linked to trades all over Twitter along with questions about his personal life and how he wasn&rsquo;t taking basketball seriously. He also was preparing to become a father for the first time.
Herro said it wasn&rsquo;t fun. But those days, he believes, are over. His daughter is here, he said his head is clear and as Heat camp looms, the 21-year-old guard is planning for this to be his best season.
&ldquo;For me, one of the biggest things was hearing people say that I partied too much, that I&rsquo;m not in the gym, that I don&rsquo;t love the gym,&rdquo; Herro said Thursday in an interview with The Associated Press. &ldquo;If you knew me, you&rsquo;d know I try to be the hardest-working dude out here. So, I think you&rsquo;ll see that this year.&rdquo;
The Heat surely hope that&rsquo;s the case.
Herro should be one of the keys for Miami this season, with the Heat looking to return to the form that sent them to the 2020 NBA Finals in Herro&rsquo;s rookie season out of Kentucky. Herro took &mdash; and passed &mdash; the Heat conditioning test Thursday, which in Miami always serves as the precursor to the season. Practice officially starts Tuesday.
His daughter, Zya Elise Herro, was born Sept. 14. The middle name is an homage to the baby&rsquo;s mother, Herro&rsquo;s girlfriend Katya Elise Henry. Mother and baby are doing well, and Herro said he feels like a huge weight has been lifted heading into this season.
&ldquo;I just feel good,&rdquo; Herro said. &ldquo;I feel like I have a reason now. Not that I didn&rsquo;t before, but now I have another reason to be motivated every single day when I walk into the arena. I have to be the best I can every single day because I have a daughter now. And I&rsquo;m in a very good spot right now.&rdquo;
That wasn&rsquo;t the case at times last season.
Most of Herro&rsquo;s numbers improved a bit from Year 1 to Year 2: His field-goal percentage ticked upward from 43% to 44%, he raised his rebounding (5.0 from 4.1) and assist (3.4 from 2.2) averages and his points per game rose from 13.5 to 15.1. He became only the fifth player in Heat history to have those scoring averages in his first two NBA seasons, and the first to do so without starting most of the time.
What didn&rsquo;t see improvement was his 3-point percentage, falling from 39% to 36%. And there was a 10-game stretch in March where he really struggled &mdash; shooting 32% from the field, 22% from 3-point range, averaging just 11.3 points.
But more than anything else, he simply wasn&rsquo;t happy.
&ldquo;Last year, it was all mental,&rdquo; Herro said. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t enjoy coming into work every day.&rdquo;
That seems to have changed. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CTi8BtGDkBS/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=ceb3f389-7c46-4d37-abe2-21ce80b8f640" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A picture provides some of the proof.</a>
He posted the picture to Instagram on Sept. 7, an image of him about to take a shot inside the Heat practice facility. He didn&rsquo;t exactly look the way he did in his first two seasons; his arms were chiseled, along with his quads and calves. Even teammates couldn&rsquo;t resist making comments.
&ldquo;That picture, it&rsquo;s not edited,&rdquo; Herro said. &ldquo;I guess the angle, the light, it all looks right.&rdquo;
He would be extension-eligible next summer; he&rsquo;ll make $4 million this season, then about $5.7 million in 2022-23, and be in line for a much bigger payday starting in 2023-24. The size of that next contract &mdash; and where it comes from &mdash; might hinge on how this season goes.
Herro is fine with that. He knows this will be a telling season, and going into it happier than he was a year ago is a good start.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s motivation for me,&rdquo; Herro said. &ldquo;You see the rest of the guys that have gotten paid, and rightfully so. Everyone earns their check. I feel like this is an opportunity where I have everything in front of me and I&rsquo;m willing to go get it. I know I want to be in Miami. I love it here, the Heat culture and everything that comes with it. This is a prime opportunity. They&rsquo;re giving me the ball and letting me prove myself.&rdquo;

Tyler Herro spoke with the Associated Press on Thursday about the mental challenges of last season and what's to come next.

Heat's Tyler Herro in 'very good' place mentally

Perhaps the biggest frenzy of the NBA Draft cycle comes after the draft is completed.&nbsp;
Mere minutes after pick No. 60 is revealed, newsbreakers are reporting out fully-guaranteed deals, two-way contracts and Summer-League additions around the NBA. We've created a place for you to keep track of these moves.
Below are the notable reported agreements, listed by team.
Atlanta Hawks
Ibi Watson (G), Dayton --&nbsp;agrees to Exhibit 10 deal, per <a href="https://twitter.com/JShawNBA/status/1421137851316592641" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JD Shaw/HoopsRumors</a>
Boston Celtics
Sam Hauser (F), Virginia&nbsp;-- two-way contract agreement, per <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1420983228396101637" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania/The Athletic</a>
Brooklyn Nets
David Duke (G), Providence --&nbsp;agreed to unspecified deal, per <a href="https://twitter.com/John_Fanta/status/1420974779868266496" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Fanta/Fox Sports</a>
Brandon Rachal (F), Tulsa --&nbsp;agreed to unspecified deal, per <a href="https://twitter.com/TUMBasketball/status/1421125766197047296" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tulsa Athletics</a>
Charlotte Hornets
DJ Carton (G), Marquette --&nbsp;agrees to Exhibit 10 deal, per <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1420986452947648515" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania/The Athletic</a>
Chicago Bulls
Ethan Thompson (G), Oregon State --&nbsp;agrees to Exhibit 10 deal, per <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeAScotto/status/1420978552816738304" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michael Scotto/HoopsHype</a>
Cleveland Cavaliers
Chandler Vaudrin (F), Winthrop --&nbsp;Summer League agreement, per <a href="https://twitter.com/Winthrop_MBB/status/1421089611539955715" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Winthrop Athletics</a>
Dallas Mavericks
Carlik Jones (G), Louisville --&nbsp;agrees to unspecified deal, per <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1420991380395073537" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
Eugene Omoruyi (F), Oregon --&nbsp;agrees to unspecified deal, per <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1420979430927777792" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
E.J. Onu (F), Shawnee State --&nbsp;agrees to training camp deal, per <a href="https://twitter.com/JeremyWoo/status/1420979723069427713" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jeremy Woo/Sports Illustrated</a>
Feron Hunt (F), SMU --&nbsp;agrees to unspecified deal, per <a href="https://twitter.com/GrantAfseth/status/1420993320994721799" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Grant Afseth/Sports Illustrated</a>
LJ Figueroa (G), Oregon --&nbsp;Summer League agreement, per <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamZagoria/status/1421280618210603009" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adam Zagoria</a>
Denver Nuggets
Giorgi Bezhanishvili (F), Illinois -- Summer League agreement, per <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamZagoria/status/1421113026917412871" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adam Zagoria</a>
Detroit Pistons
Chris Smith (F), UCLA&nbsp;-- agrees to unspecified deal, per <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1420979150559535104" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
John Petty (G), Alabama --&nbsp;Summer League agreement, per <a href="https://twitter.com/mikerodak/status/1421109144896032776" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Rodak/AL.com</a>
Anthony Tarke (F), Coppin St. --&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/AnthonyTarke/status/1420988333094801412" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agrees to unspecified deal</a>
Spencer Littleson (G), Toledo --&nbsp;Summer League agreement, per <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeAScotto/status/1420998599605985284" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michael Scotto/HoopsHype</a>
Golden State Warriors
Jaquori McLaughlin (G), UCSB&nbsp;-- agrees to unspecified deal, <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1421072913881567233" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
Jordan Schakel (F), San Diego State -- Summer League agreement, <a href="https://twitter.com/BryanKalbrosky/status/1420999272997261313" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per Bryan Kalbrosky/USA Today</a>
Colbey Ross (G), Pepperdine --&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/cdot_ross/status/1421145317387366410" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Summer League agreement</a>
Houston Rockets
Matthew Hurt (F), Duke -- <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1421275019322306560" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agrees to two-way contract, per Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
Indiana Pacers
Terry Taylor (G), Austin Peay -- agrees to training camp deal, per <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1420984014735872000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
Duane Washington Jr. (G), Ohio State --&nbsp;agrees to two-way contract, per <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1420969644601614337" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
Los Angeles Clippers
-- None reported so far --
Los Angeles Lakers
Mac McClung (G), Texas Tech --&nbsp;agrees to training camp deal, per <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1420976989918441472" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania/The Athletic</a>
Joel Ayayi (G), Gonzaga --&nbsp;agrees to two-way contract, per <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1420969546995933186" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
Austin Reaves (G), Oklahoma --&nbsp;agrees to two-way contract, per <a href="https://twitter.com/BryanKalbrosky/status/1420972297150779394" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bryan Kalbrosky/USA Today</a>
Chaundee Brown (G), Michigan --&nbsp;agrees to Exhibit 10 contract, per <a href="https://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/1420984245250674693" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jonathan Givony/ESPN</a>
Alan Griffin (G), Syracuse --&nbsp;Summer League agreement, per <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamZagoria/status/1421204946226143232" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adam Zagoria</a>
Memphis Grizzlies
Romeo Weems (F), DePaul -- agrees to Exhibit 10 deal, per <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1420969722217209856" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania/The Athletic</a>
Yves Pons (F), Tennessee&nbsp;-- agrees to unspecified deal, per <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1420972279698231296" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
Keaton Wallace (G), UTSA --&nbsp;Summer League agreement, per <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1421143975965175811" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alex Kennedy/BasketballNews.com</a>
Miami Heat
RJ Nembhard (G), TCU --&nbsp;agrees to unspecified deal, per <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1420989119702970369" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
AJ Lawson (G), South Carolina --&nbsp;agrees to unspecified deal, per <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1420987461744959489" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
Javonte Smart (G), LSU -- agrees to unspecified deal, per <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1420981941042622464" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
D.J. Stewart (F), Mississippi St. -- Summer League agreement, per <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1420974202774040576" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alex Kennedy/BasketballNews.com</a>
Marcus Garrett (G), Kansas --&nbsp;agres to unspecified deal, per <a href="https://twitter.com/IraHeatBeat/status/1421138197623492618" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ira Winderman/South Florida Sun Sentinel</a>
Dejon Jarreau (G), Houston&nbsp;-- agrees to unspecified deal, per <a href="https://twitter.com/IraHeatBeat/status/1421138197623492618" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ira Winderman/South Florida Sun Sentinel</a>
Micah Potter (C), Wisconsin -- agrees to unspecified deal, per <a href="https://twitter.com/IraHeatBeat/status/1421138197623492618" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ira Winderman/South Florida Sun Sentinel</a>
Dru Smith (G), Missouri --&nbsp;Summer League agreement, per <a href="https://twitter.com/BryanKalbrosky/status/1421127877521707011" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bryan Kalbrosky/USA Today</a>
Milwaukee Bucks
Mike Smith (G), Michigan -- Summer League agreement, per <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeAScotto/status/1420974489488314371" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michael Scotto/HoopsHype</a>
Jalen Crutcher (G), Dayton --&nbsp;Summer League agreement, per <a href="https://twitter.com/JonChep/status/1421174764979298307" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jon Chepkevich/Rookie Scale</a>
Minnesota Timberwolves
McKinley Wright IV (G), Colorado -- agrees on two-way contract, per<a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1420970500071858176" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
Isaiah Miller (G), UNC Greensboro --&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/Nike_Beast23/status/1420982966201749506" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agrees to unspecified deal</a>
Matt Lewis (G), James Madison --&nbsp;agrees to unspecified deal, as announced on Instagram
New Orleans Pelicans
Jose Alvarado (G), Georgia Tech --&nbsp;agrees to two-way contract, per <a href="https://twitter.com/ksugiuraajc/status/1420975067232718850" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ken Suguira/Atlanta Journal-Constitution</a>
New York Knicks
Aamir Simms (F), Clemson -- agrees to unspecified deal, per <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1421068449963548676" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
Oklahoma City Thunder
-- None reported so far --
Orlando Magic
Asbjorn Midtgaard (C), Grand Canyon -- Summer League agreement, per <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1420993281954045954" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania/The Athletic</a>
Jeremiah Tilmon (F), Missouri --&nbsp;Summer League agreement, per <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1420977542056534017" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alex Kennedy/BasketballNews.com</a>
Philadelphia 76ers
Aaron Henry (G), Michigan State --&nbsp;agrees to two-way contract, per <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1420968768130404353" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
Daishen Nix (G), G League Ignite --&nbsp;Summer League agreement, per <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamZagoria/status/1421183526666481668" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adam Zagoria</a>
Phoenix Suns
-- None reported so far --
Portland Trail Blazers
Trendon Watford (F), LSU --&nbsp;plans to sign two-way contract, per <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1420972774269628423" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
Mark Vital (F), Baylor --&nbsp;Summer League agreement, per <a href="https://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/1421126065183985671" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jonathan Givony/ESPN</a>
Sacramento Kings
D.J. Steward (G), Duke --&nbsp;agrees to training camp deal, per <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1420981965608693760" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania/The Athletic</a>
Matt Coleman (G), Texas --&nbsp;agrees to training camp deal, per <a href="https://twitter.com/JeremyWoo/status/1420979002383142914" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jeremy Woo/Sports Illustrated</a>
Damien Jefferson (F), Creighton --&nbsp;Summer League agreement, per <a href="https://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/1421098072759799810" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jonathan Givony/ESPN</a>
San Antonio Spurs
Justin Turner (G), Bowling Green --&nbsp;Summer League agreement, per <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1420986657222897667" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania/The Athletic</a>
Matt Mitchell (F), San Diego Sate --&nbsp;Summer League agreement, per <a href="https://twitter.com/BryanKalbrosky/status/1420996575120314368" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bryan Kalbrosky/USA Today</a>
Biram Faye (F), Gran Canaria --&nbsp;Summer League agreement, per <a href="https://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/1421100846201417733" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jonathan Givony/ESPN</a>
Toronto Raptors
Justin Champagnie (F), Pittsburgh --&nbsp;agrees to unspecified deal, per <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1420978690935169027" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN</a>
Moses Wright (F), Georgia Tech --&nbsp;Summer League agreement, per <a href="https://www.ajc.com/sports/georgia-tech/moses-wright-going-to-summer-league-with-raptors/DUKAEVIODRFQ7BUBD56U6VUDO4/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ken Suguira/Atlanta Journal-Constitution</a>
Utah Jazz
MaCio Teague (G), Baylor --&nbsp;agrees to Exhibit 10 contract, per <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeAScotto/status/1420974669235200005" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michael Scotto/HoopsHype</a>
D.J. Funderbunk (F), NC State --&nbsp;Summer League agreement, per <a href="https://twitter.com/JShawNBA/status/1421212803151671312" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JD Shaw/HoopsRumors</a>
Washington Wizards
Jay Huff (C), Virginia -- agrees to Exhibit 10 contract, per <a href="https://twitter.com/FredKatz/status/1420983981667983361" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fred Katz/The Athletic</a>
Jordan Goodwin (G), St. Louis --&nbsp;agrees to Exhibit 10 contract, per <a href="https://twitter.com/FredKatz/status/1420983666877075457" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fred Katz/The Athletic</a>

BasketballNews.com tracks every report of Summer League signings and pending contracts.

Undrafted Free Agent Tracker: Reported contracts and Summer League deals

Let's start here: We don't know if Damian Lillard wants out of Portland.
There have been recent reports, notably from Henry Abbott of the True Hoop network, that Lillard is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/report-damian-lillard-plans-to-request-trade-from-blazers-in-next-few-days" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on the verge of asking out</a>. The Blazers' stretch of good-but-not-good-enough productivity has begun to weigh on Lillard; a first-round loss to the injury-riddled Denver Nuggets may very well have been the final nail in the coffin.
Lillard has denied wanting to leave, for the most part. Following a recent Team USA practice, Lillard <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/damian-lillard-says-report-he-plans-to-request-a-trade-is-not-true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">denounced the wanting-out rumors</a>. What he didn't do, however, was give the Blazers a strong vote of confidence.
"The best way to put it is be more urgent about our next step and how we move forward,&rdquo; Lillard <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/damian-lillard-says-report-he-plans-to-request-a-trade-is-not-true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told reporters</a>.
&ldquo;We made [the] playoffs a lot of years in a row. We&rsquo;re not a bad team. We&rsquo;re a winning team. We got a great environment, great city, great fans. But we&rsquo;ve reached that point where it&rsquo;s not enough. Do we actually want to win it all? Is that what we&rsquo;re shooting for? We have to do things to show that. We got to put action behind that desire to win at that level."
Lillard has been steadfast in his desire to stay in Portland throughout his career, but it does seem that the wall the Blazers hit this past postseason is weighing on him. If the Blazers aren't able to follow through with a strong summer, they risk falling (further) behind in the Western Conference hierarchy. Any slip may be enough for Lillard to push his way out.
In the event that Lillard does ask out, you'd be hard-pressed to find many teams that wouldn't check in on his availability. We're talking about one of the most dynamic pull-up threats the NBA has ever seen, a strong finisher and a proactive passer with the vision necessary to make scrambling defenses pay.
Shot creation reigns supreme in today's NBA, particularly in a playoff setting. Adding a guy like Lillard, an offense in and of itself, could boost quite a few teams into legitimate contention.
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Beyond that basic premise, The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/sixers-knicks-heat-among-five-aggressive-suitors-for-damian-lillard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that five teams in particular -- the Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets (I would assume they're more likely to be a third team than a landing spot, but who knows?) and Sacramento Kings -- have been the most aggressive in their pursuit of Lillard.
None of this guarantees that the Blazers will make a move, but there's enough smoke to examine what a potential Lillard deal would look like. Here are a few teams that are -- or at least should be -- in the mix for the six-time All-Star.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
We can dub this, "the Ben Simmons section." Simmons-to-Portand has been a popular rumor for a while now; the quibbling is over which backcourt mate he'd be moved for.&nbsp;
If it's for Lillard, more than Simmons would be required. One of Tyrese Maxey or Matisse Thybulle. One of Seth Curry or George Hill. Multiple firsts. It'd take a haul, but it'd be difficult to think of many better duos than Liillard and Joel Embiid.
The half-court scoring prowess of Lillard, Embiid and Tobias Harris could go toe-to-toe with just about anyone in the Eastern Conference. Replacing what Simmons brings defensively would be tough; honestly, it's been a bit undersold when brought up on the interwebs. Retaining Thybulle would help. Bringing back Danny Green, slip as he may, would also help. Scouring the free-agent market for wings and bigs would become a priority.
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For the Blazers, you'd get a strong building block in Simmons. That's slightly different than being a centerpiece; Simmons may not be as bad as his showing in the Atlanta series, but his half-court limitations are real. Still, he remains a transition demon, a strong finisher, one of the best passers in the sport and an elite multi-positional defender.&nbsp;
The Sixers could replicate the James Harden/Brooklyn Nets package in terms of draft picks and swaps with the Blazers. In Maxey or Thybulle, you're either getting a speedy guard with budding pull-up and point-of-attack chops, or one of the most absurd off-ball defenders to hit the league in quite some time. Curry could replace a portion of Lillard's pull-up/movement shooting equity, while Hill could provide a steadying presence on both ends.
NEW YORK KNICKS
The Knicks have all of their picks, plus an extra first from the Mavericks (2023 top-10 protected, extends thorugh 2025 before turning into two second-rounders). They have interesting prospects, headlined by burly wing RJ Barrett.&nbsp;
If they <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-knicks-should-prepare-to-go-allin-for-damian-lillard-new-york-trade-rumors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">want to go all in</a>, they very well could: picks and swaps through 2027, Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Obi Toppin. Kevin Knox if the Blazers want him. A literal all-in move could make fans and the front office alike a bit queasy, but that can be alleviated by the cap space the Knicks would still have this summer.&nbsp;
A Randle-led team gritted its way to a first-round appearance, then sputtered when forced to play more half-court basketball. Adding Lillard would change the math in a very real way. With those two in tow, I find it hard to believe that the Knicks would struggle to attach vets to fill things out.
Barrett began to pop this season, improving as a rim threat while making incredible strides as a spot-up shooter. Being able to force close-outs will only complement the rim pressure he already provides; that added rim volume will open more windows to showcase his underrated passing chops. The Blazers can work with that.
Beyond that, Quickley has already flashed #FloaterGawd potential, and a quick-trigger from deep if defenders don't track him closely enough over screens. I'm intrigued by Toppin playing one, with more pull-up shooters, and two, playing the 4 -- his best position. His upside is a bit lower to me because of where he is defensively, but there's a productive NBA player in there with a better roster construction around him.
OTHER LANDING SPOTS
MIAMI HEAT
The Heat are always sniffing around these kind of rumors, even when they don't have the assets on the surface.
If Portland wants to blow things up, the Heat will be at a massive disadvantage in terms of pick capital. They could get creative and work out a side deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder to try to free up some of their future picks.
Beyond that, the Heat are a bit stuck. Tyler Herro is intriguing, but falls a bit short of "blue chip" status. Precious Achiuwa had an uneven rookie season, though some of his Olympic exhibition flashes should raise some eyebrows.
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What makes the Heat intriguing in the Lillard sweepstakes is that they have the true trump card. They may be stuck if their goal is to create a Big Three with Lillard, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
If the Heat prioritize maximizing Butler's window, however, then the option of using Adebayo as a centerpiece becomes available. And if that big red button is pressed, it's hard to imagine there being a better centerpiece on the table.
DENVER NUGGETS
The Nuggets are likely content with their core. They have the MVP in Nikola Jokic, an All-Star caliber guard with high-level playoff flashes under his belt in Jamal Murray and a bona fide shot-creator in Michael Porter Jr. that can't really be defended when he has it going.
They're mentioned here because Lillard is flat-out better than Murray, and you'd need a 99th percentile outcome from Porter Jr. to reach Lillard status. With Murray coming off an ACL injury and Porter Jr. having questions about his back -- and quietly approaching his pay day -- this would be a unique opportunity for the Nuggets to cash in those chips for a legitimate All-NBAer.
Of course, those health (and money) concerns could turn off the Blazers.
Also, hey, the Nuggets just beat the Blazers and potentially pushed the Lillard situation to the brink to begin with. It's probably nothing; I'm just intrigued by this possibility.
TORONTO RAPTORS
It's worth the call if you're the Raptors. They have their picks moving forward, including the No. 4 pick in this year's draft. The fourth pick, two of Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet or OG Anunoby and swaps is a (starter) package that could be eclipsed by... how many teams, exactly?
BOSTON CELTICS
The Celtics don't have the pick bounty they had a couple of years ago. They do, however, own their picks from 2022 onward. They also have Jaylen Brown, one of the best wings in the NBA on a contract that would classify as a steal at this point.&nbsp;
Portland would ask for more -- I'd guess one of Marcus Smart or Robert Williams plus Payton Pritchard at least -- but the Celtics have enough to make talks interesting.

Nekias Duncan explores potential landing spots for Damian Lillard if he's officially put on the trading block.

Examining potential trade destinations for Damian LIllard

U18 Real Madrid survives!
It took an overall collective effort for Madrid to win the Adidas Next Generation Tournament Final 4 in Valencia. The guard-oriented team faced some adversity and won the tournament without Juan Nunez, who left after their second game, and a limited Matteo Spagnolo, who played with calf pain. But instead of searching for an excuse, Madrid found multiple answers and surprised FC Barcelona in the Final. Here are my takes on some of the best players:
Eli John N'Diaye: 6-foot-8 | U18 Real Madrid | Forward | Age: 16 
MVP Eli John N&rsquo;Diaye played his best basketball, and at the right time! &nbsp;We certainly remember his performance in Istanbul a few months ago, where he averaged 13.3 points and 8.6 rebounds on 55.6% from the field and came up with 28 points and 11 rebounds during the March final vs Stellazzurra.
N'Diaye topped his previous performance by not only showcasing his ability to find scoring opportunities within the offense, but it looks like he is also acquiring the individual skills required to create his offense. He averaged 19.0 points, 13.3 rebounds on 45.2% shooting during the tournament. &nbsp;His touch near the rim, his relentless effort on the glass and his three-point shooting were too much for his direct defender. &nbsp;
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N'Diaye came up with a rock-solid 30 points and 15 rebounds in 38 minutes in a close win vs. U18 ASVEL, reiterated his performance vs, U18 Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade with 18 points and 16 rebounds in 34 minutes. And finally, he overcame the physicality of FC Barcelona (James Nnaji and Teodor Simic), with another solid performance with 17 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals.
Without a doubt, N'Diaye was the best player at the tournament, and even if it seems that he doesn&rsquo;t look like a super-high ceiling player due to his height and set of skills as a power forward, N'Diaye certainly looks like a player that has a lot more to offer if he continues to work on expanding his offense and continues controlling the boards as he has been doing.
Henri Veesaar: 6-foot-10 | U18 Real Madrid | Center | Age: 17 
It was a solid performance overall for Veesaar! He hasn&rsquo;t gained weight, but he tried to be physical, and I loved the fact that he finished with dunks every time he could. His three-ball is becoming a real threat, and he knows where and when he can pull the trigger. As a finisher, he does a good job, but I&rsquo;d like to see him work and create his own shot here and there, as he becomes prone to guards needing to create for him.
As usual, Veesaar used his height and length near the rim to rebound, and protect the paint. What I like the most about him was his fire throughout the tournament; he continuously brought a level of energy every time he stepped on the court. He averaged a productive 12.0 points and 7.0 rebounds on 63% from the field, including 40% from beyond the arc during the tournament in 26 minutes per game.
Sediq Garuba: 6-foot-4 | U18 Real Madrid | Wing | Age: 17 
The unsung hero! It takes more than stats to be able to portray what he brought to his team. Physically capable to defend four positions on the court, as well as help and recover, Garuba brought his A+ defensive game with him. &nbsp;He's still got hours to spend in the gym as an offensive player (1-for-5 from deep), but his defense kept Madrid in the game when the offense wasn&rsquo;t clicking. &nbsp;
Garuba did a great job of cutting and driving the lanes, contesting jumpers and stopping fastbreaks by utilizing his athleticism. His hustles earned him playing time (32 minutes per game), and he was capable of finishing around the rim when it counted the most. &nbsp;If he can develop a steady perimeter shot in the corner, he&rsquo;ll have some solid tools as a pro.
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Baba Miller: 6-foot-9 | U18 Real Madrid | Forward | Age: 17 
I was hoping for him to get more done when Nunez left, but unfortunately, that wasn&rsquo;t the case. He only played five minutes during the Final and averaged 13 minutes in the tournament. Baba was the biggest question mark at the tournament, and I still don&rsquo;t have an answer. &nbsp;I&rsquo;ve seen him in a limited role of shooting threes and slashing from the opposite side where he can either catch a lob and get a quick dunk.
But as a 6-foot-9, athletic, skilled forward, I want to see him get more of an opportunity, as he averaged 2.5 pts and 1.8 rebounds during the tournament. He is still on top of my 2004 board, though, and it will be interesting to follow him when the moment comes for him to get more playing time.
Kostadinov Konstantin: 6-foot-8 | U18 Real Madrid | Forward | Age: 18 
Konstantin's best performance came at the right time, as he had his best game during the Final with 18 points and 12 rebounds. He looks better, being able to play with more responsibility. The advantage of having Nunez is that it allows Kostadinov to finish with a high percentage shot. And by the way, this is probably how his career will go -- threes and dunks. &nbsp;
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But there is still room for improvement, and getting outside of his comfort zone made him look better. Konstantin was a bit stiff with the ball, and still lacks the shiftiness that all players should have if they find themselves isolated at the end of the shot clock. But the more he was aggressive offensively, the more his teammates were able to take advantage of an a slower-reacting opposing defense. He finished the tournament with solid stats: 14.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.
Killian Malwaya: 6-foot-4 | U18 ASVEL | Wing | Age: 15 
Malwaya looked aggressive and showcased his athleticism. While most of his damage was done near the basket by either driving, slashing, or rebounding the ball, I&rsquo;m glad he took the open threes! He didn&rsquo;t make much out of it (1-for-7 from distance), but he will need to become comfortable with these shots if he wants to get close to his potential.
Malwaya's defensive presence and efforts were outstanding, too, and he had some great sequences on the ball. As one of the youngest players on the court, I look forward to watching him next year with more offensive responsibilities. He averaged 11.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in 25 minutes during the tournament.
Zaccharie Risacher: 6-foot-8 | U18 ASVEL | Forward | Age: 16 
Risacher continues to impress me with his all-around effort, and his ability to stay close to the action. He is a true modern forward who can stretch the floor with confidence. He averaged 12.0 points and 4.0 rebrounds during the tournament. He did an excellent job behind the three-point line, shooting 4-for-6 in his two games.
What's more impressive with Risacher is his ability to get into the game "ready." His IQ allows him to put forth a high level of productivity and impact the game on both sides of the court. He is already a good positional defender, and he has a good feel for the game, allowing him to defend all positions on the court. I&rsquo;m still hoping that he will develop some kind of go-to move to create for his teammates.
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James Nnaji: 6-foot-10 | U18 FC Barcelona | Center | Age: 16 
Nnaji is improving! We know about his freakish athleticism and his strength, but he is adding a touch around the rim that allows him to finish without dunking everything. I&rsquo;ve kept a close eye on him, and was happy to witness his progression offensively. He still doesn&rsquo;t look to score outside the paint, and at this moment, he wouldn&rsquo;t win a free-throw competition against Shaq. But if he can develop a short hook shot and learn to pivot on both shoulders, it will do the trick at a high level.
It&rsquo;s rare to see a one-dimensional player with such an interesting ceiling. He did a great job rebounding everything on both sides of the court, and his ability to cover ground defensively and get off his feet was remarkable. If you think about it, Nnaji is the reason why bigs love to stretch the floor, because sometimes it&rsquo;s just too physical down there for them to handle. He averaged 14.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.3 blocks in the tournament. Nnaji's next levels of development are improving his free throws and continuing to better his touch around the rim.
Paulius Murauskas: 6-foot-8 | U18 Zalgiris Kaunas | Forward | Age: 17 
Coming off a minor knee injury, there were some questions if Murauskas was going to be ready for ANGT. He played for a limited time, and couldn&rsquo;t find his rhythm. &nbsp;As one of the top players in the 2004 generation, it was not easy for him to assume the offensive load needed for Zalgiris to win games, and they lost all three contests. He started well by scoring 7 points in the first quarter vs U18 Real Madrid, but finished with 9 points and 5 rebounds in 20 minutes. &nbsp;
All through the tournament, he looked out of sync with the rest of his team, and with his lack of conditioning, he wasn&rsquo;t able to create or make his shots. I could see the disappointment on his face, and as the losses piled up, he started to isolate himself from the rest of the group. Murauskas gave his best efforts against ASVEL, and even if he could have done more, you can see that once he&rsquo;s locked in it&rsquo;s pretty difficult to stop him (27 points and 6 rebounds in that game).
I&rsquo;ll be watching his development closely, and how he is going to bounce back from Valencia. With a player of that level, you might wonder what his transition will be within the next two years, as he needs to step into a program where he can play relevant minutes while facing adequate competition. Murauskas averaged 16.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 24 minutes, making 4 of 15 shots from three.

Jacques Vandescure analyzes the 2021 ANGT Final Four in Valencia, the majority of U18 Real Madrid's team and other players that stood out.

Adidas Next Generation Tournament Final 4: Players that stood out in Valencia

With the 2021 NBA Draft approaching, BasketballNews.com is breaking down the best prospects from its <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mock Draft</a>. The Big Ten was one of the top conferences in college basketball last season, and it has a number of pro hopefuls. Here are five players from the Big Ten to keep an eye on.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/franz-wagner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Franz Wagner, Michigan</a>
STATS: 12.4 PTS, 6.5 REB, 3.0 AST, 1.2 STL
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With versatility being the name of the NBA game, Franz Wagner is the archetype many NBA teams covet in 2021. The 6-foot-9, 220-pound forward makes his presence felt by being a menace on the defensive end, using a strong lateral ability and long wingspan to defend up to four positions on the floor. An intriguing point of emphasis for Wagner is his projection as a secondary ball-handler/facilitator, as there were many times he was operating on the wing and finding his teammates in scoring positions.&nbsp;
While his three-point shooting numbers leave something to be desired in today&rsquo;s NBA at 34%, the positives come from his shooting form not being broken; but it will need some tweaks to be ironed out. His 83% from the free-throw line has been consistent over his two college seasons, and it suggests that the touch is there to at least become a league average shooter from beyond the arc. Hours of repetition to find more consistency in his shot will benefit Wagner tremendously.&nbsp;
Wagner has times where he looks brilliant and times that leave you scratching your head. He&rsquo;s had notable trouble when driving with his non-dominant hand, and essentially looks like a less confident player when attacking that side of the floor. If a team puts time into developing him over the course of his first years in the league, it&rsquo;s not difficult to see a time where those moments of trouble will be few and far between.&nbsp;
The best part about Wagner is his willingness to do what&rsquo;s needed for the team to be successful. On-ball, he creates opportunities through his facilitating, or by using his size and length to get past defenders and to the rim. Off-ball, his movement keeps the offense flowing, and he finds many easy baskets as a result. Defensively, he is always willing to get down in a stance and lock-in or provide weakside rim protection from time to time. He&rsquo;s the ultimate glue guy that you can stick into an NBA lineup, and he&rsquo;ll find his way to fit in. Just as Wagner was a great player on one of the best teams in the nation, it&rsquo;s very easy to see Wagner as a high impact role player/starter on a championship contender in the future.
Franz Wagner is currently projected as the No. 12 pick to the San Antonio Spurs in <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com's Mock Draft</a>.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/ayo-dosunmu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois</a>
STATS: 20.1 PTS 6.3 REB 5.3 AST 48% FG
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Ayo Dosunmu was the engine that ran one of the top teams in the nation, the Illinois Fighting Illini. A combo guard with elite size -- standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing in at 200 pounds -- Dosunmu can affect the game in multiple ways, and proved that as a triple-double threat for most of the season. Described as a &ldquo;gym rat&rdquo; by scouts, Dosunmu has shown improvement in each of his collegiate seasons so far. As he transitions into the NBA, he projects as a real bucket-getter with secondary playmaking abilities that can defend up to three positions.&nbsp;
As a scorer, he has potential to fill it up from all three levels, but his strengths lay specifically with attacking the rim and mid-range scoring. Although he&rsquo;s not a freak athlete, on drives and in transition, Dosunmu has a fluid athleticism to showcase tremendous body control and touch to convert around the basket or over the top of the defense. In isolation, he deploys a bag of crossovers and hesitations to beat his defender to the rim, or to get into comfortable spots in the mid-range to then unleash a pull-up jump shot that he seems to favor. Dosunmu shot above 48% from within the arc in each of his three college seasons, and finished this past season at 51% on more than 12 attempts per game.
One of Dosunmu&rsquo;s swing skills will be his three-point shooting. While his percentage improved to 39% on the season, this result came on the lowest volume of three-point attempts in his collegiate career, as it&rsquo;s clear he relied on those aforementioned strengths to score. While not a natural shooter, if Dosunmu can prove to scouts he has more consistency in his release and can hit spot-up threes, his projections to play consistent NBA minutes will rise.&nbsp;
Billed as a point guard coming into college and playing many lead guard minutes for the Illini during his career, Ayo Dosunmu&rsquo;s scoring abilities have outshined his ability as a primary facilitator to the point that he would be better weaponized as a shooting/combo guard in the NBA. Dosunmu was able to create a lot of opportunities out of pick-and-roll situations for himself and his teammates, which should warrant some possessions as a facilitator on the next level. However, at times, he struggled with turnovers from forced passes and poor ball security from pressure as a result.&nbsp;
If Dosunmu can improve his shooting, handling and ability to read defenses on the offensive end, his ceiling as a player will continue to rise through the early years of his NBA career. Defensively, his elite size and wingspan paired together will allow him to guard both backcourt positions and some bigger wings. With the rate he&rsquo;s improved since high school, it is not out of the realm of possibility he could be one of the best two-way role players to contribute to winning basketball in the future.&nbsp;
Ayo Dosunmu is currently projected as the No. 37 pick to the Detroit Pistons in <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com's Mock Draft</a>.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/aaron-henry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Aaron Henry, Michigan State</a>
STATS: 15.4 PTS 5.6 REB 3.6 AST 45% FG
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Aaron Henry is a 6-foot-6 junior wing from the college basketball powerhouse of Michigan State University. While the Spartans ended an uncharacteristic year with an early exit in the NCAA Tournament, Henry wanted to use this year to solidify himself as an NBA Draft pick after testing the waters in last year's draft cycle. His role expanded after Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman&rsquo;s departure for the NBA, and Henry was able to show some improvements to his game that continued to intrigue scouts regarding his projections at the next level. However, MSU&rsquo;s bumpy year may have hindered him from reaching a late first-round grade as some scouts may have expected.&nbsp;
What scouts liked about Henry in 2020 was his major two-way potential as a long, athletic wing that is active on both ends of the floor and willing to do what it takes to win. Playing with Winston kept him off the ball, but it displayed his cutting and ability to attack close-outs to finish around or over the top of defenders at the rim. This season, Henry was given more on-ball opportunities, with his usage jumping from 19.7% to 27.2%, as it seemed he was probably the most trusted with the ball in his hands this year. Part of this is because he developed a herky-jerk style of handle during the last three years that allowed him to flash some off the dribble creativity in his expanded role.
Similar to Dosunmu, Henry relies on getting to the rim and pull-up mid-range jump shots to do his damage on offense, but right now almost exclusively converts on the left side of the court -- aligning with this dominant hand. His long-range jump shot is his swing skill that could still use some work (especially to quicken the release), but the evidence in his improved mid range jump shot and free-throw percentage do provide optimism that he&rsquo;ll improve his three-point shot over time.&nbsp;
Aaron Henry still holds intrigue as a valuable role player who is a plus athlete that can play off of a primary creator, but this season showed that he has the ability to leverage his own strengths on the ball at times. Also, with increasing his steal and block rate to 2.4% and 4.1%, respectively, during his junior season, Henry has doubled down on scouts' confidence that he will make an impact on the defensive end, as he projects to guard up to three perimeter positions on the next level.&nbsp;
Aaron Henry is currently projected as the No. 51 pick to the Detroit Pistons in <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com's Mock Draft</a>.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/luka-garza" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Luka Garza, Iowa</a>
STATS: 24.1 PTS 8.7 REB 1.6 BLK 55% FG
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Luka Garza was one of the most prolific and accomplished players in all of college basketball that is looking to prove he belongs in the NBA. His track record speaks for itself, earning various honors, including the Wooden and Naismith awards, All-American status and multiple Big Ten awards to go along with his Iowa Hawkeyes team finishing as the No. 8 team in the country with a 22-9 record. Garza&rsquo;s blend of size and touch are reflected by his impressive 55% from the field and 44% from three this past season. However, scouts have concerns about Garza&rsquo;s adjustments to the quicker, faster and more athletic play of the NBA.
Offensively, there are things to like with his projections as a stretch five. At 6-foot-11 and 265 pounds with a career average of 37% from three, Garza could be a strong pick-and-pop threat, as he possesses a sturdy frame to give guards and wings trouble to get around on screens. As a roller, he has the touch around the rim to convert open looks. Where he may have issues is going against the best interior defenders in the league, as many of them will be quicker, longer, stronger and more athletic than many of the defenders he faced in college. Garza could be a situational weapon if the team that drafts him wants to play with a change of pace or "four-out, one-in" for parts of a game to take advantage of the more wiry centers around the league. Garza also takes advantage of his large frame on the boards, as he uses his size and strength well to create the space to get rebounds on the offensive and defensive end.
On the defensive side of the ball, the same concerns are apparent, though. Garza&rsquo;s physical attributes could be limiting, as his lack of verticality wouldn&rsquo;t provide tremendous resistance against better athletes at the rim. He also has a slower footspeed than most successful NBA big men that could give him trouble when he&rsquo;s put on an island in switches. NBA spacing will do him a disservice on how he can impact the game defensively.
A strength for Garza is the motor that he plays with throughout the course of a game. In an MSU-Iowa matchup I was able to see live in the 2019-20 season, Garza was a workhorse the whole game vs. Xavier Tillman. Playing all 40 minutes, I was very impressed with how he was able to carry his frame the whole game without looking overly tired. He ran the floor, never seemed to take plays off and always looked to go through defenders in the paint, and finished with 20 points and 9 rebounds against a tough Michigan State team. Even with his physical attributes possibly limiting his translation to the NBA, what could help him see the floor is his work ethic. To this point, Garza&rsquo;s pedigree as a college basketball player does deserve attention on the NBA level, and it is tough to see him not selected come July 29.
Luka Garza is projected as the No. 57 pick to the Charlotte Hornets in <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com's Mock Draft</a>.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/isaiah-livers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Isaiah Livers, Michigan</a>
STATS: 13.1 PTS 6.0 REB 2.0 AST 43% 3FG
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After testing the draft waters in 2020, Isaiah Livers returned to campus with some additional confidence about his potential in the NBA. However, an unfortunate foot injury that required surgery ended his campaign before a deep postseason run for the Michigan Wolverines. Throughout this year&rsquo;s draft process, Livers will need to ease the injury concern of scouts, especially after two seasons of missing fairly significant time.
Fitting the modern combo forward archetype, Livers (6-foot-7, 230 pounds) has what it takes to step in on day one and provide immediate floor spacing and defense all around the court. Before his injury, he was seen as an effective shooter in catch-and-shoot situations, averaging 41% from beyond the arc over his four-year career. While his release could be quicker, his form is fluid, and he shoots an easy ball that projects well to deeper range. With Michigan&rsquo;s pro-style of play, Livers will have one of the smoother transitions to finding open spaces on the floor to shoot the ball. Pre-injury, Livers was also a sneaky athlete, and if he had space to take off, highlight dunks or chasedown blocks would follow. He also showed some flashes of off-the-dribble skills, but he's not a guy you want with the ball in his hands for too long -- since his jump shot off the catch is his greatest weapon. In addition, he could improve with his finishing at the rim, as he&rsquo;s not the strongest at converting in traffic; although, he takes contact very well.&nbsp;
On the defensive end, Livers has been effective on the perimeter and in the paint at times. He had strong sequences of locking down guards in one-on-one situations, and chasing wings around the screens with good contests to force tough shots. He&rsquo;s also been able to use his 230-pound frame to body up 4's and 5&rsquo;s when needed. While he&rsquo;s not the quickest player laterally, he moves very well to stay in front of smaller players, and uses his length to gather blocks and deflections, which makes his switchability very interesting to scouts. Ultimately, he projects to guard big wings while having the potential to not lose ground on quicker guards when switched.
A lot will be riding on Isaiah Livers&rsquo; health going into the draft process, and scouts will want to know how he&rsquo;s progressing. Losing lateral quickness or athleticism could be a major hindrance to his NBA future.&nbsp;
Isaiah Livers is projected as the No. 60 pick to the Indiana Pacers in <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com's Mock Draft</a>.

Blake Hairston breaks down the top NBA draft prospects to keep an eye on from the Big Ten Conference.