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Kings

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

The NBA announced that 242 players have filed as early-entry candidates for the 2023 NBA Draft. Here is the complete list.

NBA announces 242 early-entry candidates for 2023 NBA Draft

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) &mdash; Anthony Edwards had 33 points in 25 minutes and the Minnesota Timberwolves routed San Antonio 151-131, the most points allowed in regulation under Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, on Saturday at the Moody Center.
Minnesota shot 56% on 3-pointers while making a season-high 24 3s.
&ldquo;From the beginning of the game I feel like everybody was hitting and it just carried over,&rdquo; Edwards said.
Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points, Mike Conley had 20 points and Rudy Gobert had 10 points and 13 rebounds for Minnesota.
The Timberwolves won for the sixth time in nine games. Minnesota will finish no lower than ninth in the Western Conference but still have a chance of finishing eighth ahead of New Orleans, who they host Sunday.
Julian Champagnie had 24 points to lead San Antonio, which will finish with one of the league&rsquo;s three worst records. Keita Bates-Diop added 22 points and Tre Jones had 21 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.
The Spurs&rsquo; final home game of the season was played in Austin. The Spurs played their final two games at the Moody Center on the campus of the University of Texas as part of the Spurs&rsquo; regional outreach initiative.
San Antonio struggled offensively with its entire starting lineup out with injury except for Jones.
&ldquo;Minnesota was really hot from 3,&rdquo; Popovich said. &ldquo;They must have had close to 25 3s. I mean, big, but guys did well. They had 21 assists in the first half. Played physically, lot of guys got minutes that normally don&rsquo;t get those minutes. Great learning situation for everybody.&rdquo;
Minnesota led by as many as 33 points in the second half after being tied at 35 in the first quarter.
&ldquo;Come out and be aggressive (in the second half)," Edwards said. "Do what we normally do, blow stuff up. In the first half we were just kind of letting them get into their action. Came out and blew stuff up and that pretty much changed the intensity of the game.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Timberwolves: Minnesota co-owner Alex Rodriguez was sitting courtside near former San Antonio star Tony Parker. Popovich greeted Rodriguez prior to tip-off. &hellip; The Timberwolves split their four-game series with the Spurs this season. The average margin of victory in each game was 12.5 points.
Spurs: Washington scored the most points against San Antonio under Popovich, defeating the Spurs 157-153 in double overtime on Feb. 25, 2022. &hellip; Popovich said the team sent C Zach Collins home after the finger he recently received stitches on began swelling. &ldquo;Looks like some sort of infection,&rdquo; Popovich said. Collins will not play in the Spurs&rsquo; finale Sunday in Dallas. &hellip; Starters Keldon Johnson (sprained right foot), Jeremy Sochan (sore right knee) and Devin Vassell (injury management for left knee) all sat out with injuries. Also missing were reserve wings Doug McDermott (sprained right ankle) and Devonte&rsquo; Graham (left adductor strain). &hellip; San Antonio honored former All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge following the first quarter. Aldridge recently announced his retirement after playing 16 seasons in the league, including 5 1/2 with the Spurs. Aldridge starred at Texas before being drafted by the Portland Trailblazers in 2006. &hellip; San Antonio finished 14-27 at home this season. The Spurs were 16-25 at home last season.
WE&rsquo;LL BE BACK
Popovich said the Spurs are eager to return to Austin after selling out both games at the Moody Center.
The Spurs had 16,023 attend Thursday&rsquo;s game and attracted 16,148 Saturday after allotting more standing-room only tickets.
&ldquo;Obviously, people enjoy it,&rdquo; Popovich said of a return. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s great to see the place packed like that. It&rsquo;s a great town, so hopefully we will be doing it more.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Timberwolves: Host New Orleans on Sunday.
Spurs: At Dallas on Sunday.

Anthony Edwards had 33 points in 25 minutes and the Minnesota Timberwolves routed the San Antonio Spurs 151-131 on Saturday.

Anthony Edwards scores 33, Timberwolves beat Spurs

On Wednesday afternoon, Ed Cooley was introduced as the new head coach for the Georgetown Hoyas.&nbsp;
This move follows 12 successful seasons at Providence, including seven NCAA tournament bids in the past nine years it has been held and a Big East regular-season championship in 2021-22.
"I am excited for the opportunity to lead the men's basketball program at Georgetown University," Cooley said in a statement. "I plan on hitting the ground running, getting to work on the court and cultivating relationships in and around the District. Accepting this opportunity with Georgetown is not a decision I took lightly."
In an <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/college-basketball/exclusive-ed-cooley-on-why-he-left-providence-for-georgetown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exclusive interview with John Fanta of FOX Sports</a>, Cooley described his reasons for leaving Providence.
"When I did a deep dive of what's important &mdash; I always said yes to everybody, and I always said no to Ed. Coach Cooley did everything, but Ed needed a change," Cooley said. "I thought Georgetown was the place for me to make that change. As hard as it was because it's in-conference, and because a lot of people look at that as villainous or betrayal, I hope people give me an opportunity to serve Ed. And it sounds selfish, it sounds real selfish, but sometimes change is need on both sides and I felt for me change was needed...
"The Big East has a lot to do with the change even though it's tough because it's in-conference. I love the Big East. I love basketball-centric places. They're the recruiting fertile ground of the DMV area that expands.&rdquo;&nbsp;
I caught up with two Georgetown Hoya legends in Jerome Williams (a.k.a. Junk Yard Dog) and Michael Sweetney to discuss their thoughts on the changing of the guard at their alma mater and the direction of the program.&nbsp;
Jerome Williams (JYD)&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/280613766_5301049609946020_6743750996342787581_n.jpg" alt="" width="515" height="515" />
Etan: Talk to me about your first thoughts on the new hire Ed Cooley for Georgetown.
JYD: "From first impressions, he hit the ball out the park. He really ushered in the alumni. He even got people like Reggie Williams commenting positivity about him taking over the reins of Georgetown&rsquo;s basketball program, and that&rsquo;s a long-term Hoya alumni who helped bring a national championship to the hilltop. So right now, all of the alumni, myself included, we're very excited.
"We&rsquo;ve always supported every regime that has been at Georgetown since I&rsquo;ve been here, and that includes Coach Patrick (Ewing), Coach JT3 (John Thompson III), Coach (Craig) Esherick. And obviously, I was blessed to have Coach John Thompson. So Ed Cooley is no different in terms of the support that he will receive from me, and the Junk Yard Dog Dogg Pound. I&rsquo;m here to support this alma mater through thick and thin. But like I said, Ed Cooley&rsquo;s first impression has really gone over well with everyone. And add to that &mdash; he has the resume of what he accomplished at Providence that has really energized this entire Georgetown community, with him being a Big East Champion and Coach of the Year, so that all helps. So yeah, we&rsquo;re all definitely excited."
Etan: Yeah, people are really buzzing here in the DMV. This seems like this was the coach that a lot of people wanted. You heard the chatter even during the tournament before Providence lost. But the electricity around the program seems to have been reignited. Would you say that&rsquo;s an accurate description?&nbsp;
JYD: "Definitely, the electricity is back. When he says he wants to sell out the arena which holds 20,000 [people], that&rsquo;s exactly what needs to happen. And that starts with the alumni, it starts with the students and it starts with the overall community. So that&rsquo;s the key."
Etan: Now, of course, programs don&rsquo;t turn around overnight and it&rsquo;s been a tough few years for Georgetown just as far as wins and losses. So what would your advice be to Hoya fans as far as patience?&nbsp;
JYD: "My advice would definitely be that everything is a process and Rome wasn&rsquo;t built in a day. But, with the world the way it is around college sports and the transfer portal, you look at teams like Missouri, who transformed very quickly into a winning program. And that was largely due to the transfer portal."
Etan: Yeah, the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/is-the-ncaas-transfer-portal-getting-out-of-control" target="_blank" rel="noopener">transfer portal is definitely a game changer</a>, but it&rsquo;s like musical chairs; you lose four players and then you get four new players. It&rsquo;s an interesting dynamic right now that we&rsquo;re in with college basketball.
JYD: "That's absolutely correct. In some ways it&rsquo;s damaging, and in other ways, it can be transformative."
Etan: Very true. So let&rsquo;s talk about the history of Georgetown and why it&rsquo;s so historically special as a program and what it means to the DMV area and really all of college sports.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
JYD: "Well, it helps when the Georgetown University basketball program is in a good place. It helps all of college basketball. And Georgetown has meant so much to the Black community from what Coach Thompson has built not only as an individual for himself, not only as a program and a university, but for what he has done for other Black coaches who helped build other programs. The John Chaneys and Nolan Richardsons and countless others who he has helped open doors for, including Ed Cooley. So that&rsquo;s where, when Georgetown is in a good place, they represent a larger piece to the masses."
Etan: That&rsquo;s great. So are we going to see you at some of the games? Can fans expect to see you and the Junk Yard Dog Dogg Pound representing on the sidelines this season?
JYD: "Yes sir, you saw me at many of the games this season supporting Patrick (Ewing) and the program. I was able to move back to the area this year. My son [Jeremiah] goes to St. Albans now and plays for Team Takeover, so I&rsquo;m here ready to continue to support the program. My daughters [Gabby and Giselle] are playing volleyball for Georgetown, so I&rsquo;m here."
Etan: That&rsquo;s great, and what year is your son? I&rsquo;ve seen some of the clips you&rsquo;ve posted on social media. He looks like he&rsquo;s gonna be good&nbsp;
JYD: "Thanks I appreciate that, and your son [Malcolm] as well. But my son is a little younger. He&rsquo;s [in the] 2029 [class] and he is just loving the game, working hard, and getting better and better. And that&rsquo;s all you can ask at this age. But let me say, thank you for writing this and showing some love to your school&rsquo;s biggest rival historically."
Etan: No problem, it&rsquo;s always been nothing but respect for Georgetown.
Michael Sweetney&nbsp;
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/97028325_3148150111902658_5846889772051595264_n.jpg" alt="" width="517" height="641" />
Etan: Okay, so how do you feel about the new hire of Coach Ed Cooley and the new direction that Georgetown is going in? What were your first initial thoughts?&nbsp;
Sweetney: "Well, first let me say that it was sad for me personally to see how it went for Patrick (Ewing) these last couple of years. Winning trumps everything, and we&rsquo;ve had it tough for his last few years, so I was definitely sad to see Patrick struggle the way that he did. He loves Georgetown so much and had such a special relationship with Coach Thompson, and I know he really wanted to be successful. So that part was definitely sad for me to see."
Etan: Yeah, I grew up a Patrick Ewing fan. I was a Knicks fan. I actually <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-rematch/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-48-nba-hall-of-famer-patrick-ewing-talks-knicks-days,-turning-the-hoyas-around,-charles-oakley,-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interviewed him on The Rematch last year.</a> It was just an honor to be able to sit down with him. I mean, Patrick is a legend.&nbsp;
Sweetney: "Exactly, I definitely feel the same way. And he&rsquo;s a great guy all around. But to answer your question about the Ed Cooley hire, I think everyone is excited about what&rsquo;s to come. I personally really respected the way he immediately connected with the alumni and made a concerted effort to make the point clear that he wanted the alumni to be involved, and that&rsquo;s important. It&rsquo;s no secret that, for a long time, a lot of the guys felt distant from the program. So for him to come in and that&rsquo;s one of the first things on his agenda was to reach out to the alumni, it made a lot of ears throughout the Georgetown community perk up. It was a great first impression for all of us, so we&rsquo;re all excited about that aspect for sure."
Etan: Now, I&rsquo;ve heard that from a few guys that over the last decade or so, there has been distance from the program. I don&rsquo;t understand why, but I&rsquo;ve heard quite a few former players mention that.&nbsp;
Sweetney: "Yeah, that&rsquo;s pretty accurate, because a lot of guys have been feeling like that. I don&rsquo;t think it was intentional. It&rsquo;s just a lot of people from the program never reached out and said, 'Hey guys, come to the games,' or, 'We&rsquo;re going to have this special program to bring the alumni back together and back into the fold of the program.' It was really no interaction. It was almost like, 'Hey if you want to come to the game, you have to jump through hoops.'
"Luckily for me, I had direct access. So I would just call Pat Jr. and he would always look out. But it was never anyone from Georgetown who ever contacted me and said, 'Hey, come around. We have this event.' I don&rsquo;t even know if they had anyone assigned to do that &mdash; not really sure why. I don&rsquo;t think it was personal. But yeah, a lot of guys felt they weren&rsquo;t embraced the way alumni who have given so much to the program should be."
Etan: And what did Coach Cooley do differently? You and JYD both mentioned this, so I'm just curious. What exactly did he do?&nbsp;
Sweetney: "Well, for example, he held a Zoom [meeting] just yesterday and JYD was on there. But it was just with a lot of Georgetown former players and he introduced himself to us, told all of us how honored he was to be given this opportunity for a program he has so much respect for. He was knowledgeable of the history of the program, and he specifically told us, 'Hey, I want you all to be involved. This is a family thing and whatever I have to do to make things comfortable for you all, just let me know because I want you to be a part of this entire process.'
"And a few players &mdash; I don&rsquo;t want to say their names because it wasn&rsquo;t a public meeting &mdash; but a few guys specifically said that, for years, they thought the program didn&rsquo;t like them or respect them, so this was a breath of fresh air. So yeah, Coach Cooley definitely started off on the right foot with all of us."
Etan: You know, the DMV is really excited about the direction of the program. Do you get that same feeling?&nbsp;
Sweetney: "Definitely. And a large reason for that is because Cooley is saying all the right things. And what he did at Providence, when he got there, the program was where it was, and he&rsquo;s shown that he can turn programs around. He has the resume to support that, and people in the DMV are hoping that he can do the same thing here. And also, with the DMV being a hotbed as far as recruiting, it&rsquo;s one of the top places in the country for high school players going on to play Division I. So hopefully, he can get in and develop those relationships in the DMV and get some of this local talent."
Etan: So you mentioned that, and that&rsquo;s something else that&rsquo;s always brought up. One of the biggest criticisms you hear around the DMV is that two of the biggest schools in the area &mdash; Georgetown and Maryland &mdash; haven&rsquo;t kept the local DMV talent local. You saw Coach Kevin Willard came in on Day 1 last year and made a concerted effort to recruit guys from the DMV: Jamie Kaiser, Deshawn Harris-Smith and Jahnathan Lamothe. All of them are from the area.
Do you expect that same level of focus from Coach Cooley? People don&rsquo;t understand the level of talent in this area, but for a long time, so many have left to play somewhere else. I just watched Jordin Hawkins for UConn light up Arkansas for 24 points last night. They&rsquo;re headed to the Sweet 16 and he&rsquo;s from right here and went to DeMatha.
Sweetney: "Definitely, that&rsquo;s one of the things Coach Cooley mentioned. He&rsquo;s definitely aware of it and he told us specifically that he wanted to focus on and develop those relationships in the DMV and get some of this local talent to stay home. And I hope that&rsquo;s the case because there is so much talent in this area."
Etan: There definitely is. It&rsquo;s really amazing. KD made that documentary a few years ago &mdash; "Basketball County: In The Water.&rdquo; So I think that really showed the world how special the DMV is.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Sweetney: "Now, let me ask you a question if you don&rsquo;t mind?"
Etan: Oh, you&rsquo;re gonna take over the interview? (Laughing) Sure, go ahead.
Sweetney: (Laughing) "No, but seriously. Because we were discussing the DMV talent and I&rsquo;ve seen your son Malcolm play, he is a tremendous talent and can do a lot on the basketball court. But would you be open to him coming to Georgetown? I know we&rsquo;re a rival school and you&rsquo;re Syracuse royalty, but 'What If' you know?"
Etan: Oh, you just gonna put me on the spot huh? (Laughing) Well honestly, and people ask me this all the time, that&rsquo;s one of the reasons <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/high-school-basketball-malcolm-thomas-qa-dematha-stags-season-acit-championship-recruiting-maryland-dmv-etan-thomas-prospect" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I did an article with Malcolm</a>. We sat down and discussed this because so many people say to me, "So Malcolm is definitely going to Syracuse?" And I always respond with, "He&rsquo;s going to whatever situation is best for him, whether that&rsquo;s Syracuse or somewhere else." Of course, both his parents went there, so yes, there is history there. But I was glad to hear him echo that he wants to go to the best place for him.&nbsp;
Sweetney: "So it wouldn&rsquo;t be weird for you to cheer for Georgetown if he came to us?"
Etan: Not at all. Listen, I bleed Orange, make no mistake, but I genuinely want him to go to the situation that&rsquo;s best for him. My situation at Syracuse worked out for me, but it has to be the right situation for him.&nbsp;
Sweetney: "That makes total sense."
Etan: I mean, Malcolm grew up here. He&rsquo;s a PG County kid. Although he has his love for Syracuse because both his parents went there, he grew up watching Georgetown, Maryland and all the DMV schools and surrounding schools like all of the other kids who grew up here. What do you think with your sons? I know they&rsquo;re a little young now, but when they get older.
Sweetney: "It&rsquo;s funny because people always say that to me too. They say they&rsquo;re future Hoyas and I&rsquo;m like, 'Well I don&rsquo;t know, we&rsquo;ll see.' But like you said, I want them to do whatever is best for them. Whatever fits their needs and their happiness. So I get it. Just had to ask you that, and honestly, that&rsquo;s good to hear because your son can play. So I'm glad to hear that you&rsquo;re open to it.
"But yeah, we&rsquo;re in a good place as a program and going in a good direction, so I think fans can expect an entire wave of local talent coming to Georgetown and exciting times in the near future."

Etan Thomas talks to Jerome "Junk Yard Dog" Williams and Michael Sweetney about their first impressions of Ed Cooley at Georgetown.

Georgetown legends Jerome Williams, Michael Sweetney on Ed Cooley hire

Now in his eighth season with the Indiana Pacers, Myles Turner is easily the team&rsquo;s longest-tenured player. In fact, no other Pacer on the current roster has been in town longer than four seasons.
Turner arrived in Indiana as a wide-eyed teenager who was selected with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. In the years that followed, Turner would watch as the team continually changed around him. He has played for four different head coaches &mdash; Frank Vogel, Nate McMillan, Nate Bjorkgren and Rick Carlisle &mdash; and witnessed a ton of roster turnover. But despite Turner&rsquo;s name surfacing in trade rumors annually, he has been the one constant in Indiana.
As a rookie, Turner suited up alongside stars like Paul George and Monta Ellis. During his sophomore campaign, he called Al Jefferson, Thaddeus Young, Jeff Teague and Lance Stephenson teammates. The following year, Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis, Bojan Bogdanovic and Darren Collison joined the squad. Turner has also played with veterans such as Tyreke Evans, Ty Lawson, Rodney Stuckey, Caris LeVert, Doug McDermott, T.J. Warren and C.J. Miles over the years.
However, one could argue that no teammate has had a greater impact on Turner&rsquo;s game than his current star running mate: Tyrese Haliburton.
When the Pacers <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-interview-tyrese-haliburton-indiana-pacers-chad-buchanan-bennedict-mathurin-myles-turner-sacramento-kings-domantas-sabonis-trade-drew-hanlen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acquired Haliburton from the Sacramento Kings</a> prior to last year&rsquo;s trade deadline, Turner was ecstatic. He was a fan of Haliburton&rsquo;s game and potential, and couldn&rsquo;t wait to team up with the pass-first point guard. Unfortunately, Turner wasn&rsquo;t able to play alongside Haliburton in the second half of last season due to a stress reaction in his foot.
This year, the Pacers&rsquo; one-two punch of Haliburton and Turner has been on full display, and they have become one of the most productive pick-and-roll duos in the NBA.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
pretty.😍 Tyrese Haliburton to Myles Turner for two. <a href="https://t.co/TupiSM909t">pic.twitter.com/TupiSM909t</a>
&mdash; Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pacers/status/1629656051175026688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2023</a></blockquote>

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

Turner has set 814 picks for Haliburton, which is the third-most of any pick-and-roll duo in the league, per Second Spectrum. The only tandems who have run the pick-and-roll more are Philadelphia&rsquo;s James Harden and Joel Embiid (893 picks) and Phoenix&rsquo;s Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton (897). Possessions featuring a Haliburton-Turner pick-and-roll have generated 1.063 points per possession &mdash; the fifth-best PPP of the 24 duos with at least 500 picks.
&ldquo;This has been a wonderful opportunity for Myles to play with a playmaking guard of Tyrese&rsquo;s caliber,&rdquo; Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle told Basketball News. &ldquo;A couple weeks ago, we checked and they were top-five or top-six in the league as a successful pick-and-roll connection, and that&rsquo;s pretty amazing. Myles is getting all different kinds of stuff &mdash; he&rsquo;s getting rolls for dunks, he's getting a little bit of mid-range, he's getting good looks for threes and he's getting some late passes underneath for dunks as well.
"I just love the force that he&rsquo;s playing with. Tyrese has had a wonderful impact on Myles and certainly the rest of the team, but the connection those two guys have has been special.&rdquo;
The partnership has been mutually beneficial. Turner gets easy looks from an elite floor general who ranks second among all players in assists per game (10.2) and assist percentage (46.9%), while Haliburton gets a unique big-man partner who can score inside (62.8% on twos) and out (40.3% on threes). It&rsquo;s no coincidence that both players are having career years.&nbsp;
Turner is averaging career-highs in points (18.2), rebounds (8.0), field-goal percentage (54.9%), three-point percentage (40.3%) and made threes (1.7), while also contributing 2.3 blocks, 1.4 deflections and 0.6 steals per game. Turner's dominance shows up in his analytics too, as he's posting personal bests in win shares per 48 minutes (.157), Box Plus/Minus (+2.6), True Shooting percentage (65.8%), Player Efficiency Rating (20.6) and total rebound rate (14.7%).
&ldquo;Myles has blossomed this year. We've seen the relationship with him and Ty; they're one of the best pick-and-roll [duos] in the league right now,&rdquo; Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard said recently. &ldquo;This is the beginning of a nice core &mdash; no, a great core.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Meanwhile, Haliburton <a href="bit.ly/3AyPKHC" target="_blank" rel="noopener">became a first-time All-Star</a> after averaging career-highs in points (20.1), assists (10.1) and threes (2.8), while also contributing 3.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals per contest. Haliburton is also posting personal bests in advanced stats like assist percentage (46.9%), PER (23.0), VORP (3.8), BPM (+6.9) and WS/48 (.189).
&ldquo;It was unfortunate that I didn&rsquo;t get a chance to play with him last year and really start to develop that synergy, but I think we&rsquo;ve really picked it up quickly,&rdquo; Turner told Basketball News. &ldquo;Ty is someone who&rsquo;s easy to play with. Obviously, he sees the floor well. And as the season has progressed, we&rsquo;ve done a better job of communicating with each other. It&rsquo;s been a fun experience.&rdquo;
Despite the fact that they&rsquo;ve only played 44 games together, they have developed a strong connection and can often anticipate each other&rsquo;s next move.
&ldquo;I think I know what he&rsquo;s going to do before he does it in a sense,&rdquo; Turner said. &ldquo;I think that just comes with playing with him.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
this sequence.🔥 a huge block by Myles Turner followed by a huge dunk by Tyrese Haliburton.👀 <a href="https://t.co/4MpAf4Kp0B">pic.twitter.com/4MpAf4Kp0B</a>
&mdash; Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pacers/status/1630770909442191360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2023</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;We just needed time together, that&rsquo;s all,&rdquo; Haliburton told Basketball News. &ldquo;I feel like I&rsquo;ve had pretty good chemistry with my bigs throughout my NBA career, and I knew that playing with Myles wasn&rsquo;t going to be any different. He brings a different dynamic than what I&rsquo;m used to, with his ability to space the floor. And he&rsquo;s the best shot-blocker that I&rsquo;ve ever played with, so that gives me confidence on the defensive end to be able to take more risks and get into the ball a little bit more.
"I think it&rsquo;s a mutual relationship where he&rsquo;s got my back and I&rsquo;ve got his.&rdquo;
Not too long ago, Turner&rsquo;s days in Indiana seemed numbered. After all, the team traded away nearly all of its veterans last season (including Sabonis, LeVert, Torrey Craig, Justin Holiday and Jeremy Lamb), and Turner&rsquo;s name continued to pop up in trade rumors. However, since Turner is only 26 years old, the Pacers&rsquo; brass felt that he could be on a similar timeline as Haliburton, who is 23.
It certainly seems that the Pacers are building around this duo, especially after Turner was given a two-year, $60 million extension in January.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad that we got it done. I think it was a win-win for both sides,&rdquo; Turner said. &ldquo;I think I have a good relationship with (Pacers owner) Herb Simon, and I think he has a big belief in what I&rsquo;m capable of as well. I&rsquo;m glad that we were able to come to terms on an agreement. Behind the scenes, for me personally, I was open to the idea of free agency, but I also wanted to at least give Indy a fair chance, and both sides came to an agreement.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m comfortable. I&rsquo;m where I want to be. I&rsquo;m growing with a young team that&rsquo;s hungry. I think we&rsquo;re just trying to get better and better every day, and that&rsquo;s the main goal of this whole thing. I have a lot of belief in this city, a lot of belief in this program and a lot of belief in the guys in this locker room, so that was a big initial factor in me wanting to stay here.&rdquo;
Since Turner was a popular trade candidate, many fans of other teams got excited about the possibility of him joining their favorite squad. When Turner inked his extension with the Pacers, some of these fans reacted negatively &mdash; upset that he was no longer on the market.&nbsp;
&ldquo;What fans don&rsquo;t realize is that this is a business, and both sides have to do what&rsquo;s best for them,&rdquo; Turner said. &ldquo;Sometimes it doesn&rsquo;t work out where you&rsquo;re able to stay with the same team, but I&rsquo;ve been blessed and fortunate enough to be with the same team for my entire career. That&rsquo;s not something that happens a lot, and I never take that for granted. That was obviously something that went into my decision as well. For the casual fan, they have to realize that while basketball may be a fun game, the business aspect of it will always reign supreme.&rdquo;
As Turner mentioned, not many players stay with one NBA team for the entirety of their career. He admits that retiring in Indiana would mean a lot to him.
&ldquo;Yeah, obviously, it&rsquo;s something that would be very special,&rdquo; Turner said. &ldquo;Like I always talk about, the business of basketball always reigns supreme, but my loyalty is with the organization that drafted me and the city that took me in, and hopefully it&rsquo;s able to stay that way for years to come.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Turner has been a part of many different iterations of Pacers basketball. Now, looking at the current pieces around him, he&rsquo;s excited about the team&rsquo;s promising future.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve seen the growth in a lot of our young guys throughout the entire year,&rdquo; Turner said. &ldquo;The best thing for them was getting a chance to play early. For <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-feature-interview-indiana-pacers-rookie-andrew-nembhard-rick-carlisle-tj-mcconnell-gonzaga-florida" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drew [Nembhard]</a>, Ben [Mathurin] and those guys, playing heavy minutes early was big for their development, and not every rookie has a chance to do that. The fact that they&rsquo;re getting battle-tested so early is going to bode well for them.
"I&rsquo;ve just enjoyed the overall spirit and fight of this team. We&rsquo;ve got a lot of guys who clock in and work hard day in and day out, and they&rsquo;re coming in here and getting a chance to compete after working their whole life to get here.&rdquo;
While playing alongside Haliburton has certainly helped Turner, the big man does deserve a lot of credit for the leap he has taken this season. He&rsquo;s put in a lot of hard work behind the scenes to maximize his potential and make the most of his opportunity.
&ldquo;I attribute [my career year] to patience and obviously the hard work I put in over the offseason to prepare for these moments,&rdquo; Turner explained. &ldquo;I also attribute it to just the years that I&rsquo;ve been in the league, where I&rsquo;ve been able to play out on the perimeter at the 4 position and now I&rsquo;m able to play my natural position (the 5).
"I&rsquo;m thankful that I was able to just stick it out those years that I was here and see what the other side of basketball was like, outside of just getting what you want when you want it. I think I waited my turn and, obviously, I&rsquo;m thriving now, and I&rsquo;m only hoping to get better from here.&rdquo;
Nekias Duncan contributed to this article.

Alex Kennedy catches up with Pacers big man Myles Turner to discuss his extension, playing with Tyrese Haliburton and more.

Pacers' perfect pairing: Turner, Haliburton form dominant 1-2 punch

ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Trae Young had 24 points and a season-high 17 assists, De&rsquo;Andre Hunter added 24 points and the Atlanta Hawks beat the reeling San Antonio Spurs 125-106 on Saturday night.
The Spurs (14-43), losers of a season-high 12 straight, are a half-game ahead of last-place Houston (13-43) in the Western Conference. Atlanta (29-28) has won two straight and four of six. The Hawks are eighth in the East.
The losing streak is San Antonio&rsquo;s longest since the 1988-89 club dropped a team-record 13 in a row.
&ldquo;They play their (butt) off,&rdquo; Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. &ldquo;They do everything they can. We&rsquo;ll just keep forming good habits and hope that this builds and builds as the weeks and months and next season come along.&rdquo;
Atlanta never trailed after Young&rsquo;s layup early in the third made it 65-64. The Hawks went on a 12-0 run to take a 75-64 lead, the game&rsquo;s first in double digits, on a pair of free throws by John Collins. A dunk by Clint Capela made it 82-70 at the 4:39 mark of the third, and the Spurs called timeout.
&ldquo;San Antonio is always going to play hard and always play the right way, meaning there&rsquo;s going to be five guys out there connected,&rdquo; Atlanta coach Nate McMillan said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re going to be moving the ball. They&rsquo;re going to be working hard trying to outscrap you. That&rsquo;s just the way they play.
&ldquo;It took us 24 minutes to start establishing and coming with that urgency that we needed on both ends of the floor.&rdquo;
Young hit two free throws to make it 93-77 entering the fourth with Atlanta&rsquo;s biggest lead. San Antonio was just 5 for 22 from the field in the third and was outscored 32-17. The lead swelled to 23 in the fourth.
&ldquo;I think we just picked up the pressure defensively and got out and ran more and got some better shots and some faster shots,&rdquo; Young said. &ldquo;I think we were going too slow in that first half, and they were pushing the pace and pushing it at us. We just knew we had to pick up the pressure.&rdquo;
Keldon Johnson, San Antonio&rsquo;s leading scorer this season, was back in the lineup after missing Friday&rsquo;s double overtime loss at Detroit with left ankle soreness and finished with 25 points. Jeremy Sochan added 18.
Capela finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Collins added 17 points for the Hawks.
The Hawks led 61-60 at halftime as Hunter had 17 points, Capela had 12 points with eight rebounds and Young 12 points with 10 assists. Johnson and Sochan each scored 18 before intermission for San Antonio.
Atlanta outscored the Spurs 25-12 in points off turnovers.
TIP-INS
Spurs: One night after scoring 31 points to set a franchise record in a San Antonio debut, Devonte&rsquo; Graham, acquired in Thursday&rsquo;s trade with New Orleans, finished with nine points off the bench. ... G Tre Jones was back in the lineup after missing four straight games with left foot soreness and scored eight points. ... Sochan returned after missing four straight games with lower back soreness. He scored 11 points in the first quarter and finished with a career-high nine rebounds.
Hawks: In his first game against his former team, Dejounte Murray scored 18 points. ... Young passed Lenny Wilkens for fourth place on the Hawks&rsquo; career assists list with 3,050. ... Newly acquired C Bruno Fernando and G Garrison Mathews were not in uniform, but McMillan hopes they will be ready to debut Monday at Charlotte. ... Hunter had 12 points and Young had six assists in the first quarter.
ON SITE
McMillan said Saddiq Bey sat on the bench as the newly acquired swingman was in limbo with Thursday&rsquo;s four-team trade uncertain because Gary Payton II allegedly failed a physical with Golden State. Payton was supposed to return to the Warriors from Portland. Bey was acquired from Detroit. Golden State has until Sunday to decide whether to go forward with the deal or nix it.

Trae Young had 24 points and a season-high 17 assists, and the Atlanta Hawks beat the reeling San Antonio Spurs 125-106.

Young, Hunter pace Hawks past reeling Spurs 125-106

Since entering the NBA in 2015, Myles Turner has seen his name surface in trade rumors constantly. One could argue that he's been featured in the rumor mill more than any other NBA player over that span.
Despite all of the rumblings, Turner has never actually been dealt. Even when the Indiana Pacers blew up their roster last season &mdash; trading away veterans like Domantas Sabonis, Caris LeVert, Torrey Craig, Justin Holiday and Jeremy Lamb &mdash; they ultimately decided to keep Turner.
Now, after signing a two-year, $60 million extension with the Pacers (that includes a $17.1 million renegotiation of his 2022-23 salary), it would seem that Turner isn't going anywhere.&nbsp;
On Monday, the team held a press conference to announce the extension and Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard was asked if Turner is finally off the trade block.
"Yes, he's off the trade block!" Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle immediately chimed in.
"One of the things that we've always believed in here is that if you sign a player, it's to sign a player; we don't sign a player to trade a player," Pritchard said. "And Myles has blossomed this year. We've seen the relationship with him and Ty [Haliburton]; they're one of the best pick-and-roll [duos] in the league right now. This is the beginning of a nice core &mdash; no, a great core &mdash; and we signed Myles to be here. That's our goal."
"I'm here to stay," Turner added with a smile.
This season, Turner is averaging career-highs in points (17.5), rebounds (7.8), three-pointers (1.6), field goal percentage (54.4%) and three-point percentage (39.3%). Meanwhile, he continues to dominate defensively, averaging 2.4 blocks (fourth-most in the NBA) and 0.6 steals.
Looking at Turner's advanced stats, he's also posting career-bests in True Shooting percentage (64.8%), total rebound percentage (23.0%) and player efficiency rating (19.8).
"I'm gonna tell ya'll right now: I'm just getting started. The best version of myself is yet to come," Turner said. "I'm just leveling up each and every day."
"We've seen him play some of his best basketball this year and it really makes me proud to see Myles sitting here and accomplishing what he's accomplished," Pritchard added. "And I think his best is still to come."&nbsp;
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Carlisle praised Turner's development and said that he and his coaching staff "were hoping that this day would come very desperately."
&ldquo;Myles&rsquo; values and what he stands for really align with what we&rsquo;re trying to do here," Carlisle said. "His love of the game, his loyalty to his teammates and to this city and to our vision, and his commitment to growth has been something that&rsquo;s been great to see. And over the last year-and-a-half, he&rsquo;s transitioned back to his natural position as a full-time five man and we&rsquo;ve seen him flourish."
Pritchard revealed that the two sides had extension talks last year, but Turner chose to bet on himself and wait. One month ago, the negotiations started back up and they were able to reach an agreement.
&ldquo;Give Myles a ton of credit here because he took a risk,&rdquo; Pritchard said. &ldquo;We talked about an extension in the past, but he wanted to wait another year. He wanted to be in a position where he was playing the right position, the one that he&rsquo;s most comfortable with."
"This has been a really great example of a player having a vision and having the discipline and patience to wait it out and put himself in this great position with the right players [surrounding him]," Carlisle added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
the squad pulled up to celebrate Myles Turner's contract extension.💙 <a href="https://t.co/ZTuB7BwYbP">pic.twitter.com/ZTuB7BwYbP</a>
&mdash; Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pacers/status/1620207893328039936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2023</a></blockquote>
Many of Turner&rsquo;s teammates came in during their day off to show their support at the press conference and put in some extra work. Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Trevelin Queen, James Johnson and Oshae Brissett were all in attendance &mdash; a testament to the Pacers&rsquo; culture. Turner believes that this organization is building something special.
&ldquo;I think that that&rsquo;s a huge reason why I stayed here: I really truly believe that we can accomplish something here," Turner said. "You&rsquo;ve got to start from somewhere. We have a team that&rsquo;s on the up and up. Today was supposed to be our blackout day, but I see countless players here getting their work in. That&rsquo;s the type of stuff I respect and the type of stuff that I came up on... That made the decision really easy.&rdquo;
Pritchard acknowledged that the Pacers have exceeded expectations this year, which factored into the decision to extend Turner. Despite having one of the league&rsquo;s younger teams, Indiana is 24-28 &mdash; which is just a half game back from the Play-In Tournament and two games back from the Eastern Conference&rsquo;s eighth seed.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Turner has been with the Pacers since he was 19 years old, and he appreciates the fact that he's been able to stick with one team up to this point in his NBA career.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s still very surreal. Growing up here, I&rsquo;ve spent my entire 20s here," Turner said. "It&rsquo;s incredible to still see the same faces from the beginning of my journey. I have such a strong belief in this organization and this city&hellip;&nbsp;
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m still here where I started, and that&rsquo;s very special to me. I want to continue to grow here, continue to grow this organization, continue to grow with my team and put Indiana back on the map."

Rick Carlisle and Kevin Pritchard confirmed that Myles Turner is "off the trade block" after signing a two-year extension with the Pacers.

Following extension, Pacers take Myles Turner 'off the trade block'

Basketball News highlights the reporting, analysis and podcasts that defined a year of basketball in 2022.

Best of Basketball News: Spotlighting our top content from 2022

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Cole Anthony had 23 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, Franz Wagner added 21 points and the Orlando Magic beat the San Antonio Spurs 133-113 on Friday night for their eighth victory in nine games.
Paolo Banchero had 18 points and six rebounds, and Mo Bamba broke open a close game with three 3-pointers in a 51-second span in the fourth quarter.
Keldon Johnson led San Antonio with 17 points. Tre Jones had 16 points and eight assists.
The Magic made 17 of 32 3-point shots and scored 72 points in the second half. Anthony, who came off the bench with 4:49 left in the first quarter, led everyone on both teams in points, rebounds and assists, finishing an assist shy of his first triple-double since high school.
&ldquo;Obviously, he was flirting on the triple-double, but the one thing I love the most is he didn&rsquo;t chase a stat,&rdquo; Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. &ldquo;He respected the game and just went after what we needed to win.&rdquo;
&ldquo;When it happens, it&rsquo;s going to happen naturally. I wasn&rsquo;t going to force it,&rdquo; Anthony said. &ldquo;I tried to distribute the ball and they made the shots. But all the credit goes to the team. They got me a lot of easy shots and they put me in position to get those rebounds.&rdquo;
Johnson scored eight points and Doug McDermott hit a couple of 3-pointers in a 24-10 run that gave the Spurs a nine-point lead late in the first half. But the game got away from them quickly in the third quarter.
&ldquo;We played two and three quarters quarters well," said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, &ldquo;but we have a hard time putting together a 48-minute game. We saw that when the defense collapsed at the end of the third quarter into the fourth when they outscored us in a 10-minute period 46-20. So we&rsquo;ve seen it before and we saw it tonight.&rdquo;
Banchero had a 3-pointer and a layup and set up Wendell Carter and Wagner with assists to help the Magic regain the lead late in the third quarter, and Bamba and Anthony quickly stretched it to double figures early in the fourth.
Bamba and Anthony scored 14 points in a 17-1 run that turned a two-point lead into an 18-point advantage with 8:31 remaining.
TIP-INS
Spurs: F Jeremy Sochan and C Jakob Poeltl played the second half in foul trouble. ... Keldon Johnson played 31 minutes after missing two games with a tight right hamstring. ... G Blake Wesley (MCL strain) was back with the team for a second game after being brought up from the G League, but did not play.
Magic: Carter played for the first time since Nov. 18, having missed 18 games due to right plantar fascia. He played 19 minutes, contributing eight points and four rebounds. &ldquo;The sky is the limit for this team,&rdquo; Carter said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just excited to be part of it.&rdquo; ... G Gary Harris had nine points in 21 minutes after missing 11 games with a right hamstring strain. ... Wagner had a plus/minus of plus-36, and Anthony had a plus-22.
UP NEXT
Spurs: Host Utah on Monday night.
Magic: Host Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Cole Anthony had 23 points, Franz Wagner added 21 points and the Orlando Magic beat the San Antonio Spurs 133-113.

Magic beat Spurs 133-113 for 8th victory in 9 games

Offenses have never been more lethal than they are in this era. With primary ball-handlers becoming larger, the collective shooting range expanding and teams leaning further into the importance of spacing, it&rsquo;s becoming even more difficult to keep the ball out of the basket.
With the game expanding, screening has become even more important. A well-placed off-ball pick can free a movement shooter for a triple or a catch-and-drive. On-ball screens can make shifty ball-handlers even harder to deal with in pick-and-roll and open the door for dump-offs, lobs and fruitful catch-and-shoot opportunities.&nbsp;
Screeners come in all sizes these days, ranging from the burly centers to mismatch-causing smalls. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/changing-of-the-guard-the-future-of-screening-is-here" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I can&rsquo;t overstate how important guard-screening has become</a>, especially late in games.
This season, I want to keep tabs on who is &mdash; and isn&rsquo;t &mdash; getting the job done as screeners. Every week, I&rsquo;ll be highlighting a handful of the most powerful (and shameful) screen-setters in the league.
Let&rsquo;s get into volume three.
*All stats are through games played between November 19 and November 25, unless noted otherwise.*
BIG OF THE WEEK: JUSUF NURKIC
It can be easy to pick at some of the holes in Jusuf Nurkic's game &mdash; ask me how I know &mdash; but sometimes you have to get back to the obvious. There is value in being an incredibly large and strong human being.
The backcourt of Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons can win games with their filthy pull-ups. Josh Hart can puncture defenses with drives. Shaedon Sharpe is becoming an artist curling from the corner and flowing into pull-ups or taking an extra dribble to float towards the rim. All of that is made easier when Nurkic is the guy springing them free.
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Nurkic had "Brick Wall" on Gold this week, connecting on nearly 78% of his on-ball screens and 68% of his off-ball ones, per Second Spectrum. In both contexts, the Blazers generated well over 1.0 points per possession (PPP). The connection between Simons and Nurkic was particularly fruitful.&nbsp;
Keep an eye on them moving foward.&nbsp;
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SMALL OF THE WEEK: JOSH GREEN
Prying star players open is an important, but often thankless job. Being the mismatch-hunter guy is especially tedious; you know you're in the action because the opponent has put their weakest defender on you, and your star teammate wants to attack.
This phenomenon is even more prevalent for the Fightin' Lukas, where their games consist of countless ball screens and isolations aimed at weak links. No team has faced more switches against their pick-and-rolls than the Mavericks (534 total, 32.9 per 100 possessions) this season. Shockingly, Luka leads the NBA on the individual level (304, 25.9 per 100 possessions).&nbsp;
It would be easy to go through the motions &mdash;&nbsp;let me just get in the way so Luka can get his matchup &mdash;&nbsp;but I'd like to applaud the buy-in from Josh Green. He's still screening with juice, regardless of if he gets the ball or not. It warms my heart when he does&nbsp;get rewarded with a touch. I really enjoyed his work against Denver earlier this week.
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It's been a quietly-successful third-year campaign for Green, who looks more comfortable and confident on both ends of the floor. The (lack of) coverage he saw during the Mavs' first round series with the Utah Jazz must've weighed on him.
WHAT'S GOING ON HERE: KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS
It's still hard to get a feel for who these Wolves are. They wax between harmony, confusion, indifference, and dominance. That leads to sentences like "Huh, they're on a five-game winning streak" and "Wait, they lost to those&nbsp;Hornets???"
If there's one thing clear, this isn't a team that can afford to skirt past the little things. That includes screening, which brings me to Karl-Anthony Towns. For someone with his blend of shooting, driving power and overall footwork (offensively), I frankly never know what to expect when he trots up to D'Angelo Russell or Anthony Edwards.
Sometimes it's a well-placed screen. It could be a slip. It could be an illegal screen because he leaned in, or because his base was too wide. And then there are the possessions like this:
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Towns seems unsure if Austin Rivers is even going to use his pick, seems late to set one, and ultimately doesn't do any real damage. The action swings to the other side and Edwards jets downhill before Towns can really lay the lumber. Towns ends up with the ball and scores, but how do you grade the process?
Statistically, I don't even know if you can call it a bad week. The Wolves generated a solid 1.02 PPP on trips featuring an on-ball screen from Towns. He connected on a shade under 54% of his on-ball screens, a low mark (29th percentile), but one that makes sense considering his slip or flare usage when paired with Rudy Gobert. Like this:&nbsp;
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But even on those possessions, there's room for Towns to make contact before flaring out. Like most things Wolves-related right now, I just wish there was more consistency.&nbsp;
WE SEE YOU TOO: JEREMY SOCHAN
Not too much on the young buck, who the Spurs are allowing to do a little bit of everything to start the season. I do think there's some low-hanging fruit for him to grab when he's off the ball.
Sochan already maps the floor well for a guy his age. He buzzes off the ball and often makes himself available for cuts. He'll either get hit for easy shot attempts, or his well-timed cut will open an opportunity for another teammate. It's genuinely good stuff.
He also seems to recognize when flare screens or pin-in screens are appropriate to set. It would help if he ... actually&nbsp;set them&nbsp;more consistently. He had some notable whiffs or cancel-outs on film this week.
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Too many "get behind me" points, not enough contact being made. If a bozo like me can point this out, I'm sure it's been mentioned elsewhere. He should be fine.
Screen Time will be back next Saturday! <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/screen-time-vol4-highlighting-the-nbas-best-and-worst-screeners" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Check out last week's edition of Screen Time here</a>.

Nekias Duncan highlights Jusuf Nurkic and Josh Green, among others, for their screening successes this week.

Screen Time Vol. 5: Highlighting the NBA's best and worst screeners

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Jordan Poole's bobblehead doll was a big hit &mdash; and the real guy himself sure shined, too.
Back in the starting lineup for a night, Poole scored a season-best 36 points and led the Golden State Warriors past the San Antonio Spurs 132-95 on Monday.
&ldquo;I loved it. Everything,&rdquo; he said.
A performance fitting of a Poole Party, indeed: He shot 13 for 20 and knocked down five 3-pointers. With 10:36 left, Poole fired a 3 under pressure and the ball bounced high against the backboard before falling through. He converted the free throw for a four-point play.
Poole received a warm ovation when he exited for good at the 8:04 mark of the fourth quarter following his 13th career game with 30 or more points.
&ldquo;Jordan was pretty amazing offensively,&rdquo; Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;He got it rolling right away.&rdquo;
Stephen Curry added 16 points, five rebounds and five assists in 27 minutes. Andrew Wiggins scored 10 for the Warriors in the second game of a back-to-back after they lost 122-115 at Sacramento on Sunday to fall to 0-7 on the road.
Golden State grabbed an early lead and ran away from the Spurs for a 61-45 advantage at the break. That allowed Kerr to use his reserves in extended stretches. Anthony Lamb scored 17 points and Jonathan Kuminga contributed 15 off the bench.
Keldon Johnson scored 15 points for injury-plagued San Antonio, warming up in the second half. The Spurs snapped a five-game losing streak by beating the Milwaukee Bucks 111-93 on Friday night.
RUN TMC
The Hall of Fame trio of Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin served as the broadcast team for the &ldquo;Run TMC Takeover.&rdquo;
&ldquo;It was very special. When I was here as an assistant I got to enjoy Timmy and Mully &mdash; Mitch was gone," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "It was cool, it was fast-paced, it was creative. The people really bought into it. It was a wonderful time in the NBA. These guys were one of the best shows available, for sure.&rdquo;
The Warriors hadn't opened 0-7 on the road, though, since that group lost its initial nine away games in 1989-90.
On the broadcast, Hardaway made a reference to rape while describing a defensive play by Draymond Green, and later apologized for his poor choice of words.
POOLE PARTY
Poole started in place of Klay Thompson and was thrilled with his first bobblehead doll.
&ldquo;I love it, it&rsquo;s absolutely amazing," Poole said. "It&rsquo;s really a special accomplishment. It&rsquo;s an honor. I&rsquo;m glad it came out the way it did.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Spurs: G Tre Jones missed the game with a stomach illness. Jeremy Sochan moved into the starting lineup. ... Johnson has made a 3-pointer in 30 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in franchise history behind Danny Green&rsquo;s 32 straight in 2012. ... The Spurs had won the previous two on Golden State&rsquo;s home floor.
Warriors: Curry was selected Western Conference player of the week for the 19th time. He became the oldest player with back-to-back 40-point performances since Michael Jordan in 2002. ... Thompson rested as he typically does during one of the back-to-back games as the Warriors use caution given his right Achilles tendon surgery that kept him out until January. ... C James Wiseman will report to the G League Santa Cruz Warriors for an extended period of perhaps 10 straight days, Kerr said.

Jordan Poole scored a season-best 36 points and led the Golden State Warriors past the San Antonio Spurs 132-95.

Poole scores 36 on bobblehead night, Warriors rout Spurs

This is not a declaration that James Wiseman is a bust, or some irredeemable player. He is not the only issue with the Golden State Warriors, or even the Warriors' bench unit.
Conversely, this won't be a Warriors slander piece. If you were looking for either of those conclusions, you can close the tab (and thank you for the click).
Now that we have that out of the way: Wiseman being with the Warriors doesn't appear to benefit either party right now. A center with enough face-up and shooting flashes to raise your brow probably shouldn't be relegated to only screen-and-roll duties.
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And a win-now team spearheaded by one of the greatest players of all-time in Stephen Curry, who's still playing at an all-time level, shouldn't be tasked with being superhuman because the team bleeds points every time he sits.
It's important to note that point isn't solely on Wiseman; we're all waiting on Jordan Poole to regain his form (53.5% True Shooting, 59.8% TS last season) and confidence, for example. Head coach Steve Kerr has recently alluded to leaning on more experienced role players like [check notes] Anthony Lamb and Ty Jerome instead of the trio of Wiseman, Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
"The thought process is when you're struggling, you don't have a rhythm, you don't have consistency, veteran players are going to be able to provide that more than young players are." -Steve Kerr on playing Anthony Lamb &amp; Ty Jerome more than Warriors youngsters. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DubNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DubNation</a>
&mdash; Kylen Mills (@KylenMills) <a href="https://twitter.com/KylenMills/status/1590455066267615232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

But think about who the Warriors are at their best. Quick, versatile, shape-shifting. It's a buzzsaw of cuts, relocations, ball-movement and switchability, We've seen how Moody fits into that. We've seen how Kuminga can fit into that, especially when he's able to log minutes at the 4 (or 5).
Have we really seen that from Wiseman? Part of the appeal was that he&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;fit snugly into that; his vertical presence and overall athleticism was a stark difference to what the Warriors had in their frontcourt room. In theory, being able to mix in his dynamic would make the Warriors even more difficult to deal with.
We've seen flashes of that: the Warriors generated 1.03 points per possession (PPP) on trips featuring a Curry-Wiseman ball screen during Wiseman's rookie season, per Second Spectrum. It's easy to see how Wiseman's downhill juice could vibe with the flamethrowing of Curry.
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But in order for him to carve out a more consistent role, there had to be growth in the more "Warrior-like" elements. That growth hasn't happened at an ideal rate, mostly because Wiseman hasn't been able to stay healthy.
They rarely use Wiseman as the hub for their patented post-split action, mostly because he has limitations as a passer. That would be okay if he had more juice as an off-ball screener, but he's still trying to master the details of timing and angles. His results are spotty right now.
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Defensively, Wiseman is even more of a mixed bag. Because of his size and length, he can act as a true deterrent at the rim. He has legtimately good reps in drop on film. But because of his footwork, drop seems to be the only coverage he's truly comfortable in.
Add in the process of figuring out the gap in drop &mdash; how far he should play back, when to step up to ball-handlers, and not giving away easy reads in the process &mdash; and you get more messiness than positivity. Pull-up shooters can find pockets to attack; drivers often have space to chew up.
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He'll often find himself slightly out of position, which alters the strength of his contests. For a guy with his gifts, it's kinda wild how often you'll see ball-handlers driving through his chest &mdash; or drawing fouls.
The numbers aren't great. Opponents are generating over 1.2 PPP on trips featuring a ball screen defended by Wiseman. Among players defending at least three shots at the rim per game, Wiseman's efficiency allowed (70.3% FG) is one of the worst marks in the league. On top of that, he's averaging 6.8 fouls per 36 minutes &mdash; a mark higher than his rookie campaign (5.2).
The Warriors would operate better with a veteran 5; it's part of why they brought JaMychal Green into the fray over the offseason. And frankly, I'd like to see Wiseman with a team that can really prioritize his development without championship pressure.
I'd make a call if I were the Oklahoma City Thunder, just by virtue of having 1.5 true centers on the roster. With Chet Holmgren done for the year, you can afford to give Wiseman a bit of a runway. And for the Warriors, there are vets (hello, Mike Muscala and Kenrich Williams) worth inquiring about. Heck, there are also younger players (hello, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Aaron Wiggins) who may be better equipped for what they want to do than Wiseman is right now.
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There could be similar appeal in San Antonio, who may be willing to take another young flier in the frontcourt in light of the Zach Collins injury news. They've already spun the tires on Charles Bassey; I'd at least see what the interest level would be. There are vets to inquire about (Josh Richardson, Doug McDermott, Gorgui Dieng), though it's worth noting that the Warriors might have to add something minor to the pot to pry Richardson or McDermott out of there.
(This is likely a no-go because of how the draft went, but Wiseman under the tutelage of Steve Clifford in Charlotte would also intrigue me.)
Again: none of Wiseman's issues are impossible to overcome. With continued health, I'd honestly bank on him overcoming most of them. There's a good player in there; even the archetype he's been kinda pigeonholed into thus far &mdash; a rim-running dunkaholic who can man the fort in drop &mdash; has value on good teams.&nbsp;
Considering the Warriors are getting blitzed in his minutes &mdash; a <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/wowy-combos/nba?TeamId=1610612744&amp;Season=2022-23&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;PlayerIds=1630164" target="_blank" rel="noopener">minus-22.4 net rating</a> with opponents converting nearly 59% of their twos &mdash; I'm just not sure if the Warriors can give him the time to work through those growing pains while also trying to compete. It would behoove both parties to look for an alternative.

Should the Golden State Warriors and James Wiseman go their separate ways? It may benefit both parties, writes Nekias Duncan.

A James Wiseman-Warriors split would be best for both parties

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Jeremy Roach scored 16 first-half points to help seventh-ranked Duke open Jon Scheyer&rsquo;s coaching tenure with a 71-44 win over Jacksonville on Monday night.
Freshman Mark Mitchell had a team-high 18 points for the Blue Devils, who used a 25-4 run spanning halftime to blow the game open.
It was a quality start to a season of massive change for the Blue Devils, starting with Scheyer taking over for retired Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski. Duke has 11 new players, including the nation&rsquo;s No. 1-ranked recruiting class and two power-conference transfers. The Blue Devils didn&rsquo;t have top freshmen Dereck Lively II and Dariq Whitehead for this one as they recover from preseason injuries.
Mike Marsh scored 15 points to lead the Dolphins, who shot 34% and missed 18 of 19 3-pointers before making two meaningless 3s late.
NO. 1 NORTH CAROLINA 69, UNC WILMINGTON 56
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Caleb Love and RJ Davis scored 17 points apiece and North Carolina began a season of grand expectations by pulling away from UNC Wilmington.
Armando Bacot added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Tar Heels, who were perhaps most impressive at the defensive end. UNCW shot 29.8% from the field.
The Tar Heels, who were the NCAA Tournament runner-up in April, began the new season with the top ranking for the first time in seven years. It&rsquo;s a record 10th time that North Carolina has been ranked No. 1 to start a season &mdash; one more than rival Duke.
Trazarien White scored 19 points for UNCW, which faced a top-ranked team for the first time in program history.
NO. 2 GONZAGA 104, NORTH FLORIDA 63
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) &mdash; Drew Timme scored 22 points, Julian Strawther added 16 and No. 2 Gonzaga used a big first-half run to beat North Florida in both teams&rsquo; opener.
Anton Watson had 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and five steals for Gonzaga, which won its 68th consecutive home game, the nation&rsquo;s longest such streak.
Carter Hendricksen scored 16 points, Jadyn Parker 13 and Jose Placer 12 for North Florida, a veteran-laden team from the Atlantic Sun Conference that returned its top four scorers from last season.
NO. 3 HOUSTON 83, NORTHERN COLORADO 36
HOUSTON (AP) &mdash; Marcus Sasser scored 21 points, J&rsquo;Wan Roberts added 12 points and six rebounds, and Houston opened the season by beating Northern Colorado.
Sasser, a preseason All-American, scored 11 points in the first half. He finished 7 of 14 from the field and made 4 of 8 3-pointers. The senior guard missed the second half of last season and all of Houston&rsquo;s run to the Elite Eight with a toe injury.
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson won his 700th career game and 200th with the Cougars.
Matt Johnson II, Riley Abercrombie and Caleb Shaw each scored eight points for the Bears.
NO. 4 KENTUCKY 95, HOWARD 63
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) &mdash; Antonio Reeves scored 22 points, CJ Fredrick had 20 and Kentucky beat Howard with All-American Oscar Tshiebwe and two other players sidelined.
Tshiebwe had a procedure last month on his right knee. Point guard Sahvir Wheeler (right leg) and sophomore forward Daimion Collins (personal reasons) were also out, but the Wildcats still shot 55% against the overmatched Bison.
Jacob Toppin and freshman Cason Wallace each added 15 points for Kentucky.
Kobe Dickson scored 17 points and Elijah Hawkins had 14 for Howard, which shot 34%.
NO. 5 KANSAS 89, OMAHA 64
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Jalen Wilson had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Gradey Dick added 23 points in his debut, and Kansas began defense of its national championship without suspended coach Bill Self by routing Omaha.
Bobby Pettiford Jr. added 13 points, Dajuan Harris had 11 points and eight assists, and Texas Tech transfer Kevin McCullar Jr. scored 10 for the Jayhawks, who broke open a close game in the second half with two big runs.
Self served the first of a four-game punishment along with assistant Kurtis Townsend as part of the fallout from a 2017 federal investigation into college basketball corruption.
Jaeden Marshall scored 13 points and Luke Jungers had 12 for the Mavericks.
NO. 5 BAYLOR 117, MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE 53
WACO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Adam Flagler scored 21 points to lead six players in double figures as Baylor won the opener of its 20th season with coach Scott Drew.
Flagler, a preseason All-Big 12 pick who also was the Bears&rsquo; leading scorer last season, also had eight assists and one of his four 3-pointers started a 24-0 run midway through the first half.
LJ Cryer had 16 points and Dale Bonner, another returning guard, had 14.
Alvin Stredic scored 14 points and Terry Collins 10 for Mississippi Valley State in its first game for new coach George Ivory.
NO. 9 CREIGHTON 72, ST. THOMAS 60
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) &mdash; Baylor Scheierman made back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the second half to give Creighton the lead for good.
Arthur Kaluma scored 17 points, Trey Alexander had 12 and Scheierman added 11 as the Bluejays won their 25th opener in 26 years.
St. Thomas, a Summit League member beginning its second season in Division I, gave the Bluejays all they could handle until the last few minutes. Andrew Rohde had 15 points to lead the Tommies.
NO. 10 ARKANSAS 76, NORTH DAKOTA STATE 58
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) &mdash; Trevon Brazile had 21 points and 12 rebounds in his debut as Arkansas won its season opener.
Brazile, a sophomore transfer from Missouri, scored six straight points during an 11-0 run early in the second half that gave Arkansas a 16-point lead with 15 minutes left.
Wichita State transfer Ricky Council led the Razorbacks with 22 points on 9-for-14 shooting.
Grant Nelson and Boden Skunberg had 17 points apiece to lead North Dakota State.
NO. 11 TENNESSEE 75, TENNESSEE TECH 43
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Tyreke Key came off the bench to score 17 points and Tennessee beat Tennessee Tech in both teams&rsquo; opener.
Key, an Indiana State transfer, connected on 4 of 8 3-pointers to ignite a sluggish Volunteer offense. Zakai Zeigler scored all but two of his 12 points in the second half.
Brett Thompson led the Golden Eagles with 15 points.
NO. 12 TEXAS 72, UTEP 57
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) &mdash; Tyrese Hunter scored 18 points to lead Texas past UTEP in the debut of its new arena.
Hunter, a transfer from Iowa State, was 6-of-8 shooting and added five rebounds. Ze&rsquo;Ri Onyema led UTEP with 10 points.
Texas this season moved to the $375 million Moody Center on the edge of campus, leaving behind the old Frank Erwin Center after 45 years.
NO. 13 INDIANA 88, MOREHEAD STATE 53
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Preseason All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis and freshman Malik Reneau each scored 15 points, helping Indiana beat Morehead State in the season opener for both teams.
The Hoosiers have won all six matchups in the series and are 26-0 all-time against Ohio Valley Conference foes.
Mark Freeman led the Eagles with 14 points, and Drew Thelwell had 11 for the OVC favorites.
NO. 14 TCU 73, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 72
WACO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Mike Miles hit a 3-pointer with 51 seconds remaining to finally put TCU ahead to stay against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, which built an early 20-point lead in the season opener for both teams.
Miles, the preseason Big 12 player of the year, hit from deep beyond the top of the key for a 71-68 lead.
Emanuel Miller had 15 of his 19 points in the second half, and Miles finished with 15 points for the Horned Frogs. They returned all five starters and five other scholarship players after winning their first NCAA Tournament game since 1987.
Shaun Doss had 25 points with four of Arkansas-Pine Bluff&rsquo;s 13 3-pointers.
NO. 15 AUBURN 70, GEORGE MASON 52
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Wendell Green Jr. scored 16 points while K.D. Johnson and Johni Broome each had 12 to lead Auburn to a season-opening win over George Mason.
The Tigers weren&rsquo;t really challenged much in their first game since losing NBA first-round draft picks Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler.
Ronald Polite III led George Mason with 10 points, and Victor Bailey Jr. had nine.
NO. 16 VILLANOVA 81, LA SALLE 68
VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) &mdash; Caleb Daniels scored 24 points to make coach Kyle Neptune a winner in his Villanova debut.
Neptune replaced Hall of Famer Jay Wright, who retired in the offseason. The Wildcats returned three starters (a fourth, Justin Moore, was injured) from the team that lost a national semifinal game to Kansas. Eric Dixon added 20 points for Villanova.
Daniels made his first five 3-pointers and the Wildcats used an early 10-0 run to put away their city rival and spoiled 74-year-old coach Fran Dunphy&rsquo;s return to the bench.
Josh Nickelberry scored 22 points to lead the Explorers.
NO. 17 ARIZONA 117, NICHOLLS STATE 75
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Azuolas Tubelis scored 23 points and Arizona went on a massive opening run to begin its second season under coach Tommy Lloyd with a rout.
Ballo scored 18 points, helping Arizona set a school record with 71.7% shooting from the floor against the reigning Southland Conference regular-season champions. The Wildcats opened the game with a 30-4 run.
Micah Thomas led Nicholls State with 20 points.
NO. 18 VIRGINIA 73, NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL 61
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) &mdash; Kihei Clark and Reece Beekman sparked a 15-2 second-half run, and Virginia beat North Carolina Central after blowing a 16-point first-half lead.
Armaan Franklin led Virginia with 21 points in the season opener for both teams, and Francisco Caffaro had 10.
Justin Wright scored 20 and Eric Boone had 18 for the Eagles, who used a 12-0 run just after halftime to go ahead. But Clark hit a 3 and Beekman followed with a steal and a breakaway.
NO. 19 SAN DIEGO STATE 80, CAL STATE FULLERTON 57
SAN DIEGO (AP) &mdash; Darrion Trammell hit three 3-pointers during a 29-10 run to open the second half and finished with 18 points as San Diego State beat Cal State Fullerton.
Fellow newcomer Jaedon LeDee and Lamont Butler scored 11 points apiece and Nathan Mensah had 10 for the Aztecs, who won their 10th straight season opener and their 17th in 18 seasons.
Vincent Lee scored 11 and Jalen Harris 10 for the Titans, the defending Big West Conference champions.
NO. 20 ALABAMA 75, LONGWOOD 54
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Freshman Brandon Miller had 14 points and 13 rebounds in his debut as Alabama beat Longwood.
Fellow freshman Rylan Griffen also scored 14 for the Crimson Tide, and point guard Mark Sears had 12 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Freshman guard Jaden Bradley added 11 points and six boards.
Alabama held Longwood to 27% shooting and blocked nine shots. Michael Christmas led Longwood with 12 points.
NO. 21 OREGON 80, FLORIDA A&amp;M 45
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) &mdash; N&rsquo;Faly Dante had 16 points and 10 rebounds as Oregon opened with an easy win over Florida A&amp;M.
Keeshawn Barthelemy added 13 points for the Ducks, ranked to start the season for the ninth straight year. Will Richardson scored 11.
Jordan Tillmon and Jordan Chatman had eight points apiece for the Rattlers, who have 11 new players. Florida A&amp;M coach Robert McCullum was on Oregon coach Dana Altman&rsquo;s staff from 2014-17.
NO. 22 MICHIGAN 75, PURDUE FORT WAYNE 56
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) &mdash; Hunter Dickinson had 22 points and 12 rebounds, and freshman Jett Howard added 21 points in Michigan&rsquo;s season-opening win.
After Purdue Fort Wayne opened an 8-4 lead, Michigan went on a 20-0 run to take control.
Quinton Morton-Robertson scored 15 points and Bobby Planutis added 13 for the Mastodons.
NO. 23 ILLINOIS 87, EASTERN ILLINOIS 57
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) &mdash; Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 24 points and Coleman Hawkins had 23 points and 12 rebounds as Illinois cruised past Eastern Illinois.
Dain Dainja added 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Illini, who outrebounded the Panthers 53-30 in the opener for both teams.
Kinyon Hodges scored 14 points and Yaakema Rose added 10 for Eastern Illinois.
NO. 24 DAYTON 73, LINDENWOOD 46
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) &mdash; Mustapha Amzil scored 14 points, DaRon Holmes II and R.J. Blakney each had 13 and Dayton beat Lindenwood in a sluggish opener for both teams.
Dayton was without injured point guard Malachi Smith and didn&rsquo;t play particularly well until late, but it had a large margin for error against Lindenwood, which was playing its first game after moving up to Division I.
Chris Childs had 15 points for the Lions, who shot 33% from the field.
NO. 25 TEXAS TECH 73, NORTHWESTERN STATE 49
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) &mdash; Daniel Batcho had 12 points and 10 rebounds as Texas Tech rolled past Northwestern State in both teams&rsquo; opener.
Texas Tech broke it open late in the first half and led 42-23 at halftime.
Isaac Haney led Northwestern State with 16 points.

It was a quality start to a season of massive change for the Blue Devils, starting with Jon Scheyer taking over Duke's program.

Roach leads No. 7 Duke past Jacksonville in Scheyer’s debut

SAN ANTONIO (AP) &mdash; With All-Star guard LaMelo Ball out with a sprained left ankle, Terry Rozier stepped up with 24 points and six others scored in double figures as the Charlotte Hornets routed the San Antonio Spurs 129-102 on Wednesday night.
The Spurs opened their 50th season in San Antonio inauspiciously, losing a season opener for only the third time under Gregg Popovich.
&ldquo;You start with the fact that we got thumped and you don&rsquo;t avoid it, you don&rsquo;t hide from it,&rdquo; Popovich said. &ldquo;We got our butts kicked. And from there, you can look to improve.&rdquo;
This year&rsquo;s squad bears no resemblance to the veteran-led teams that won five NBA championships and appeared in a league-record 22 straight postseasons under Popovich.
Averaging 23.4 years, this is the youngest roster in Popovich&rsquo;s 27 seasons as San Antonio coach.
Charlotte took advantage of the inexperience.
The Hornets set franchise records in a season opener for points in the first half (68) and opening quarter (38).
&ldquo;If you&rsquo;re going to have a good year, you need a lot of good players,&rdquo; Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said. &ldquo;So, every guy that you have is comfortable in their role and playing with confidence gives you a better chance.&rdquo;
And Charlotte demonstrated their comfort against San Antonio, shooting 51% from the field and 45% on 3-pointers.
P.J. Washington had 17 points and Gordon Hayward added 15 as all five Hornets starters scored in double figures. Charlotte reserve center Nick Richards had a career-high 19 points.
Keldon Johnson had 20 points, 11 rebounds and four assists to lead San Antonio in all three categories. Jakob Poeltl and Tre Jones added 14 points each.
Charlotte raced out to a double-digit lead in the opening five minutes as San Antonio missed its first seven 3-pointers and had more turnovers (three) than assists (one).
&ldquo;They missed a lot of open 3s in the first quarter,&rdquo; Clifford said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s what I just shared with the guys: You&rsquo;ve got to be able to watch the film and you&rsquo;ve got to be able to say, &lsquo;What if they shot in the first quarter like they did in the third quarter?&rsquo; Because you want to be able to win and make progress or lose. We did do some good things. I thought our ball pressure was good. They&rsquo;re hard to guard, but I was feeling, watching them play, they missed a lot of open shots, too.&rdquo;
San Antonio thrilled the sell-out crowd with a 13-2 run capped by Johnson&rsquo;s 3-pointer in closing to 76-64 with 7 minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Charlotte&rsquo;s lead never dipped below double figures in the second half, though.
The Hornets went on a 19-1 run after another Johnson 3-pointer pulled the Spurs within 85-75 with 4:46 remaining in the third quarter.
TIP-INS
Guard James Bouknight played 10 minutes hours after the Charlotte Mecklenburg County Police released details of his DWI arrest on Sunday morning. Bouknight was found intoxicated, unconscious and holding a gun with his vehicle in drive. Bouknight has a pending concealed carry permit, so he was not charged for possession of a gun. Bouknight was scoreless, going 0 for 3 from the field. ... San Antonio is 23-3 in its season openers under Popovich. &hellip; Jeremy Sochan is just the fifth rookie to start on opening night for San Antonio, joining Tim Duncan (&rsquo;97), David Robinson (&rsquo;89), Sean Eliott (&rsquo;89) and Willie Anderson (&rsquo;88).
MANU WHO?
San Antonio paid tribute to Manu Ginobili&rsquo;s Hall of Fame induction with a halftime ceremony.
Ginobili&rsquo;s retired jersey was updated to include the Hall of Fame designation. The sell-out crowd interrupted Ginobili&rsquo;s speech twice with shouts of &ldquo;Manu.&rdquo;
Still, Pop didn&rsquo;t miss the chance to playfully dig at Ginobili.
&ldquo;If I could have played him tonight, then I would care, but he doesn&rsquo;t play, so screw him,&rdquo; Popovich said with a wry grin. &ldquo;What has he done for us lately? Nothing.&rdquo;
ID REQUIRED
Popovich is widely known as sommelier, enjoying a bottle of wine while gathering with players, coaches and friends.
The menu is going to have to change this season since the Spurs have six players that are under the legal drinking age of 21.
&ldquo;I was at dinner with one of my players, which who will not be named, just the two of us. And I ordered a glass of wine, and he tried to order it too,&rdquo; Popovich said. &ldquo;I said, &lsquo;Wait a minute, what is your mom and dad going to say if you went to dinner with Coach Pop and you are out there drinking? And it&rsquo;s illegal for you to drink. We can&rsquo;t do that.&rsquo; He said, &lsquo;Oh, yeah. OK.&rsquo; So, he had bubble water or sparkling water, whatever the hell that awful stuff is.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Hornets: Host New Orleans on Friday.
Spurs: Open a three-game road trip Friday at Indiana.

With LaMelo Ball out with a sprained left ankle, Terry Rozier stepped up with 24 points and six others scored in double figures.

Rozier scores 24 as Hornets rout youthful Spurs, 129-102

Before every season, I do my best to predict how I think the season will unfold &mdash; where teams will finish and who&rsquo;ll win each individual award. Heck, I even try my hand at predicting the All-NBA/Rookie/Defensive Teams.
Those efforts are generally meaningless; you can never truly account for injuries or transactions, for example, which makes it nearly impossible to truly nail these things down. Still, it&rsquo;s incredibly fun to take a look at the landscape of the league and make educated guesses.
Normally, I&rsquo;d thread my predictions on Twitter since it&rsquo;s a quick and easy way to get those thoughts out into the world. The issue is explaining controversial picks with a character limit; if you&rsquo;ve been on the app for any amount of time, you know how quickly discussions can go left.
Instead, I&rsquo;ve turned my predictions into an article. It&rsquo;ll be easier to track my predictions, and I have the space to explain my reasoning in a more thorough manner.&nbsp;
If you want to laugh at last year's edition &mdash; in which I had the Milwaukee Bucks beating the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals &mdash; you can do so <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/202122-nba-season-and-award-predictions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
If you want deeper thoughts on your favorite team, read our season previews for the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-23-nba-season-preview-atlantic-division-boston-celtics-brooklyn-nets-new-york-knicks-philadelphia-76ers-sixers-toronto-raptors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Atlantic Division</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-23-nba-season-preview-northwest-division-denver-nuggets-minnesota-timberwolves-oklahoma-city-okc-thunder-portland-trail-blazers-utah-jazz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Northwest Division</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-23-nba-season-preview-central-division-chicago-bulls-cleveland-cavaliers-detroit-pistons-indiana-pacers-milwaukee-bucks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Central Division</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/202223-nba-season-preview-pacific-division" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pacific Division</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/202223-nba-season-preview-southeast-division" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Southeast Division</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/202223-nba-season-preview-southwest-division" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Southwest Division</a>.
Without further ado, here&rsquo;s how I see things going this season.
Individual Awards
Most Valuable Player: Joel Embiid (PHI)
Defensive Player of the Year:&nbsp;Bam Adebayo (MIA)
Rookie of the Year: Paolo Banchero (ORL)
Sixth Man of the Year: Jordan Poole (GSW)
Most Improved Player: Precious Achiuwa (TOR)
Coach of the Year: Ty Lue (LAC)
- This kinda has to be the year for Embiid, no? Back-to-back second-place finishes set the stage for him to grab one if he proves healthy. This is arguably the most talented cast he's had around him. If he's healthy and commits defensively like he said he wants to, an MVP-DPOY combo isn't out of the question.
- Adebayo is the&nbsp;switch big in the NBA, one of a handful of players that can legitimately defend all five positions. Missed games hurt his case last season, but I think the award is his if he plays 65-plus games.&nbsp;
- Banchero should lead all rookies in scoring &mdash; well, unless Bennedict Mathurin pulls it off. The bucket-getting, plus playmaking chops, on a team that I think will be better than most people expect should give him a clear pathway to the award.
- I have a couple of sleepers-that-aren't-sleepers; keep an eye on <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-feature-intreview-bruce-brown-feeling-secure-in-new-role-denver-nuggets-nikola-jokic-jamal-murray-brooklyn-nets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bruce Brown</a> and Brandon Clarke. Ultimately, Poole should lead all bench players in scoring &mdash; and do so efficiently &mdash; while racking up wins on one of the best teams in the league.
- Lue's been a top-three coach for a while now. Getting a 10-plus win improvement (even if it's health-related) while sorting out the rotation of a roster with 13 NBA-level talents would be a pretty strong case.
Team Awards
ALL-NBA FIRST TEAM:&nbsp;Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid
ALL-NBA SECOND TEAM:&nbsp;Trae Young, Ja Morant, Paul George, Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic
ALL-NBA THIRD TEAM:&nbsp;Devin Booker, Jimmy Butler, Pascal Siakam, LeBron James, Bam Adebayo
ALL-DEFENSIVE FIRST TEAM: Marcus Smart, Mikal Bridges, Draymond Green, Bam Adebayo, Joel Embiid
ALL-DEFENSIVE SECOND TEAM: Jrue Holiday, Herb Jones, Jimmy Butler, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Rudy Gobert
ALL-ROOKIE FIRST TEAM: Jaden Ivey, Bennedict Mathurin, Keegan Murray, Jabari Smith, Paolo Banchero
ALL-ROOKIE SECOND TEAM:&nbsp;Jalen Williams, Jake LaRavia, Jeremy Sochan, Tari Eason, Jalen Duren
- For the All-NBA Teams, apologies are due, but not limited to: Kawhi Leonard (rest days, deep class), Rudy Gobert (deep class), Karl-Anthony Towns (deep class), Anthony Davis (injury, deep class), Chris Paul (deep class, likely regression), Kyrie Irving (deep class), Brandon Ingram (deep class), Zion Williamson (missed time), Bradley Beal (team record), Jaylen Brown (deep class) and Anthony Edwards (deep class).
- Until the ballot becomes positionless &mdash; or at least until they give us two backcourt and three frontcourt options like the All-Star ballot &mdash; a center will get screwed. I think Embiid gets MVP this year, so Jokic falls to the Second Team. They aren't forwards, and won't be played as forwards. I'm not goin'.
- This will be the Herb Jones year if he's healthy. Should've been last year, but I'll save that rant for another day. While we're on second-year players, it wouldn't shock me at all if Evan Mobley makes serious noise in this regard too.
- The All-Rookie First Team seems pretty straightforward. A solid mix of talent and opportunity on the board.
- The LaRavia pick might be spicy, especially if the defense doesn't come along quickly enough. I do think there's enough shooting and connective playmaking there that he could earn consistent ticks in Memphis.
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Eastern Conference
TOP SIX
<ol>
<li>PHILADELPHIA 76ERS</li>
<li>BOSTON CELTICS</li>
<li>MILWAUKEE BUCKS</li>
<li>MIAMI HEAT</li>
<li>CLEVELAND CAVALIERS</li>
<li>TORONTO RAPTORS</li>
</ol>
- This should be a darn good year for the Sixers. Talented top-four &mdash; I'm really here for this decisive version of Tobias Harris &mdash; and more defensive talent on the roster.
- I get the depth/age concerns for the Bucks, but, like, Giannis. Top-10 offense and defense should be in play for them.
- Questions at the 3 aside, the Cavs should be incredibly annoying to deal with. All that size defensively, then the pull-up chops on the other end from Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell? Whew.
PLAY-IN TERRITORY
<ol start="7">
<li>BROOKLYN NETS</li>
<li>ATLANTA HAWKS</li>
<li>CHICAGO BULLS</li>
<li>NEW YORK KNICKS</li>
</ol>
- Seventh feels right for Brooklyn considering the strength of the conference and the early absences of Joe Harris and Seth Curry. I must say, though, I like what they're establishing scheme-wise. A top-four seed wouldn't surprise me at all.
THE REST
<ol start="11">
<li>ORLANDO MAGIC</li>
<li>WASHINGTON WIZARDS</li>
<li>DETROIT PISTONS</li>
<li>CHARLOTTE HORNETS</li>
<li>INDIANA PACERS</li>
</ol>
- I'm prepared to take my L, but I'm high on the Magic this year. There's so much skilled size on the roster. The defense should be solid, and there's enough playmaking and shot creation to make things interesting offensively.
- Already making a change from the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-dunker-spot/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-145-southeast-division-preview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Southeast Division preview pod</a>; I think the Hornets will be worse than the Wizards. Post-pod, I felt I was too harsh on Washington. Since then, we've gotten a LaMelo Ball ankle turn and a James Bouknight arrest, and we've still heard nothing on the Miles Bridges front (he shouldn't be there). They're closer to the bottom for me now.
- I entered training camp ready to plant the "Pistons make the Play-In" flag, but I feel really uneasy about their switching scheme. That, and the half-court offense is going to take some time to come together. Next year, though!
Western Conference 
TOP SIX
<ol>
<li>GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS</li>
<li>PHOENIX SUNS</li>
<li>DENVER NUGGETS</li>
<li>LA CLIPPERS</li>
<li>MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES</li>
<li>DALLAS MAVERICKS</li>
</ol>
- An uptick of shooting from Curry, a healthier version of Klay Thompson and growth from the youth should lead to bundles of regular-season wins.
- Despite the ugly postseason ending and offseason hoopla, the Suns have a formula (and talent, obviously) to churn out regular-season wins. Let's not overreact.
- Early spoiler: I think the Clippers have the most talented roster in the league. I think star maintenance and lineup tinkering have them closer to No. 6 than No. 1 in the standings.
PLAY-IN TERRITORY
<ol start="7">
<li>MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES</li>
<li>NEW ORLEANS PELICANS</li>
<li>LA LAKERS</li>
<li>PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS</li>
</ol>
- The Pels! They should be electric offensively. Defensively, they have pieces I like &mdash; hello Mr. Jones, Jose Alvarado and Larry Nance Jr. &mdash; but we'll see how they hold up as a unit.
- I have some real questions about the Lakers' shooting talent and the Westbrook fit &mdash; and how long he'll even be there. There's an obvious upside for more if things break right.
- It hasn't been from a lack of effort, but trying to build a defense around a Damian Lillard-Anfernee Simons-Jusuf Nurkic core is just a tough thing to do.&nbsp;
THE REST
<ol start="11">
<li>SACRAMENTO KINGS</li>
<li>HOUSTON ROCKETS</li>
<li>OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER</li>
<li>UTAH JAZZ</li>
<li>SAN ANTONIO SPURS</li>
</ol>
- If the Fightin' KZs Kings are able to defend well enough &mdash; and by that, I mean, like 21st in Defensive Rating &mdash; don't be surprised if they nab 10th. The offense should be good enough to make a push.
- The Rockets are a year of development (and roster consolidation) away from making a Play-In push, I think.
Eastern Conference Playoffs
PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT
Nets &gt; Hawks for 7th.
Bulls &gt; Knicks for 9th.
Hawks &gt; Bulls for 8th.
- A sad end for the Bulls here, but this is simply the strength of the conference. It'll be tremendous fun watching Young try to create space against Alex Caruso or Ayo Dosunmu at the point of attack.
FIRST ROUND
(1) Sixers &gt; (8) Hawks in 5.
(4) Heat &gt; (5) Cavs in 6.&nbsp;
(2) Celtics &gt; (7) Nets in 7.
(3) Bucks &gt; (6) Raptors in 6.&nbsp;
- With the Sixers adding to their defensive personnel and the Hawks looking a little worse in the shooting department, I think the chances of an(other) upset are pretty slim.
- The Nets fare better the second time around against Brooklyn, but I still don't think they have enough defenders to deal with Boston. Should be the best series of the first round, though.
- Bucks-Raptors will be a slugfest; ultimately, I don't know if the Raptors will have the half-court juice to pull things out.&nbsp;
SECOND ROUND
(1) Sixers &gt; (4) Heat in 6.
(3) Bucks &gt; (2) Celtics in 7.
- A pair of second-round sequels with the results flipped! Having Khris Middleton back &mdash; and a little more size, shooting and playmaking with Joe Ingles &mdash; gives the Bucks the boost they need to squeeze by. If Philly's healthy, I struggle to see Miami containing all three of Embiid, Harden and Maxey.
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
(3) Bucks &gt; (1) Sixers in 6.
- Bucks steal home court in Game 1 and close the deal at home in Game 6. They have the size to make Embiid think and a defender in Holiday to either hound Maxey or absorb some of Harden's strength-based drives.
Western Conference Playoffs
PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT&nbsp;
Pelicans &gt; Wolves for 7th.&nbsp;
Lakers &gt; Blazers for 9th.&nbsp;
Wolves &gt; Lakers for 8th.
- I went back and forth on the Lakers-Wolves game. Still don't feel great about it, but I think the Wolves take care of business at home.
FIRST ROUND
(1) Warriors &gt; (8) Wolves in 4.
(4) Clippers &gt; (5) Grizzlies in 6.
(3) Nuggets &gt; (6) Mavericks in 6.
(2) Suns &gt; (7) Pelicans in 6.
- Clippers-Grizzlies feels like Storm-Mystics from this year's WNBA playoffs; there's no way one of these teams should be knocked out of the first round. I'd worry about the Grizzlies' half-court offense against LA's defense.
- Sign me up for all the half-court goodness Luka and Jokic would provide. Denver's just better if they're healthy.
-&nbsp;I wouldn't be shocked at the Suns/Pelicans result being flipped, but I have too many questions about New Orleans' defense right now to give them a series win.
SECOND ROUND
(4) Clippers &gt; (1) Warriors in 6.
(3) Nuggets &gt; (2) Suns in 7.
- Might be the most controversial pick on the board, but I trust the Clippers' length and switchability to make life a little difficult in the half-court. With Kahwi in the fold, they should be able to mismatch hunt late and eke out a close series.
- Deandre Ayton has defended Jokic well in the past; I think the added/healthy firepower around him may make the Nuggets' offense too much to deal with.
WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
(4) Clippers &gt; (3) Nuggets in 6.
- A bubble rematch! Jokic likely wrecks havoc, but I think the depth and shooting of the Clippers shine through.
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NBA Finals
(3) Bucks &gt; (4) Clippers in 6.
- Deepest team in the league facing an experienced group headlined by the best player in basketball. I think interior size swings it for Giannis and the Bucks.

Nekias Duncan gives his way-too-early predictions for the 2022-23 NBA season.

Nekias Duncan's 2022-23 NBA season and award predictions

This marks the first time that NBA opening-night rosters have at least 120 international players in consecutive seasons

NBA features 120 international players from 40 countries, 6 continents

Nekias Duncan previews the Mavericks, Rockets, Grizzlies, Pelicans and Spurs ahead of the 2022-23 NBA campaign.

2022-23 NBA Season Preview: Southwest Division

Patrick McCaw has three NBA championship rings from the start of his career with Golden State and Toronto. Norris Cole was part of two title-winning teams in Miami.
And right now, both have the same plan: Take the USA&rsquo;s call, while awaiting the NBA&rsquo;s call.
McCaw and Cole are on USA Basketball&rsquo;s roster for the FIBA AmeriCup tournament that starts Friday in Recife, Brazil. The tournament runs through Sept. 11, or about two weeks before NBA training camps begin, and both McCaw and Cole are hoping that these games lead to two things &mdash; a gold medal, and a springboard back to the league.
&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s more about representing the USA for me right now,&rdquo; McCaw said. &ldquo;I want to make it back to the NBA. I know that&rsquo;s a process. And I know one day, whenever, next week, next month, next year, when it&rsquo;s supposed to happen, it&rsquo;ll happen. But right now, I&rsquo;m just focusing on this USA, wearing these three letters, giving my all to this team and representing the United States of America.&rdquo;
McCaw has appeared in only five NBA games in the last 2 1/2 years, his career largely derailed by a series of injuries that he says are no longer concerns. Cole last played in an NBA game in April 2017 and has spent the last five seasons overseas &mdash; with Israel, China, Montenegro, Italy, France and Puerto Rico among some of the places where his passport has been stamped.
&ldquo;I still have the ability,&rdquo; Cole said. &ldquo;God has still blessed me with the ability. I still have the fire, the hunger and I still feel like I have something to prove, things that I would like to accomplish as a player. That feeling of winning a championship, the mission, the goal, the work to try to get to that point again, that&rsquo;s what drives me as a competitor. And I want that feeling again.&rdquo;
They are at different points in their careers. McCaw, a 6-foot-7 wing, turns 27 on Oct. 25. Cole, a speedy 6-foot-2 point guard, turns 34 on Oct. 13.
But they have plenty of similarities. Golden State raved about McCaw when he broke into the NBA there and was part of championship teams in 2017 and 2018 with the Warriors; McCaw then was part of the Toronto title the following season, when the Raptors beat Golden State. Cole also won championships in his first two NBA years, during the LeBron James years in Miami.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been around winning,&rdquo; Cole said. &ldquo;Patrick has that working for him. He knows what winning looks like and anytime you&rsquo;re around winning it rubs off on you. He has that, he has a fun personality, and I think he definitely deserves another shot. I definitely believe that he deserves to be on an NBA roster.&rdquo;
AmeriCup is the championship for the teams in the FIBA Americas region. There were 12 nations that made it through qualifying; those 12 are split into three groups of four. The top two finishers in each group, plus the best two third-place teams, make it to the quarterfinals.
McCaw, Cole and Jodie Meeks &mdash; also part of that 2019 Raptors team &mdash; all bring NBA titles to this roster. The other nine players selected: Zylan Cheatham, Gary Clark Jr., Will Davis II, Anthony Lamb, Frank Mason III, Jeremy Pargo, Elijah Pemberton, Craig Sword and Stephen Zimmerman.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a good mixture of guys,&rdquo; said U.S. AmeriCup coach Alex Jensen of the Utah Jazz. &ldquo;You get the balance. And a big thing is, this sounds simple, but getting guys who enjoy the chance to play. They enjoy playing. So, they come here and it means more to them. And that should help bring us together.&rdquo;
In training camp at Las Vegas, Cole won just about every sprint he was in and was clearly the on-court quarterback at point guard. And McCaw&rsquo;s talent was obvious, even in a gym alongside plenty of other highly skilled players. Spine and knee issues, he insists, are behind him, and that means his confidence is returning &mdash; which will only help his quest to get back to the NBA.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been off the radar,&rdquo; McCaw said. &ldquo;I think this is a huge step because people are going to be able to watch these games and see where I&rsquo;m at now. That&rsquo;ll help, for sure. It was injuries that set me back. It wasn&rsquo;t anything else in the way, or life, or me changing the type of person I am. It was injuries. And it was tough dealing with them. But this trip to Brazil, I definitely think it'll open up some doors again."
Cole hopes for the same opportunity.
&ldquo;Just a chance, that's all I ask," Cole said. &ldquo;I have a lot I can bring to a team. I want to continue to show that."

Right now, both Patrick McCaw and Norris Cole have the same plan: Take the USA’s call, while awaiting the NBA’s call.

For McCaw, Cole, AmeriCup may provide a road back to NBA

The calendar is about to flip to September, which means NBA training camps will get underway in a few weeks. It's now been two months since the 2022 NBA free-agency period tipped off, but there are still a number of notable players who remain unsigned.
Editor's Note: Collin Sexton agreed to a four-year, $72 million contract in a sign-and-trade that sent him to Utah, so he is no longer on this list.
Here's a look at nine players who are still available:
MILES BRIDGES, RESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Miles Bridges is coming off a breakout season, averaging a career-high 20.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.9 threes and 0.9 steals. The forward seemed due for a massive payday, and Charlotte Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak even said that the team would re-sign him. Then, Bridges was arrested for domestic violence on the eve of free agency. Bridges' wife, Mychelle Johnson, <a href="https://twitter.com/TheNBACentral/status/1542723880619581440/photo/4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoke out</a> about Bridges' alleged abuse and documented her serious injuries. Not only has this situation understandably scared teams away, but it's also very possible that the NBA will suspend Bridges.
MONTREZL HARRELL, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Montrezl Harrell just delivered another productive and efficient season as a reserve, averaging 13.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 23.1 minutes per game, while shooting 64.5% from the field. Harrell started the season with the Washington Wizards and then got traded to the Hornets before the deadline. However, it's worth noting that the 28-year-old is facing felony drug charges after officers claimed to find three pounds of marijuana in his car during a traffic stop back in May. That's likely why the former Sixth Man of the Year is still available.
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DENNIS SCHRODER, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Last offseason, Dennis Schroder signed with the Boston Celtics at a significant discount. After struggling during the first half of the season, he was traded to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Daniel Theis. He finished last season averaging 13.5 points, 4.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 threes per game, while shooting 43.1% from the field, 34.4% from three-point range and 85.3% from the free-throw line. The Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly considered signing Schroder again.
HASSAN WHITESIDE, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Hassan Whiteside is a solid center who can come off the bench and protect the rim. Last season, while backing up Rudy Gobert on the Utah Jazz, he averaged 8.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 17.9 minutes per game. In eight starts, the 33-year-old averaged 11.5 points, 11.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks while shooting 63.5% from the field.
CARMELO ANTHONY, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Last season, a 37-year-old Melo put up 13.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.2 threes, 0.8 blocks and 0.7 steals in 26.0 minutes per game with the Lakers. In recent years, he has shot the ball much better from three-point range, knocking down 37.5% of his three-point attempts last year and 40.9% from deep the year before. Earlier this offseason, Anthony was working out with his son, Kiyan, at Impact Basketball in Las Vegas while preparing for next season.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Carmelo Anthony (<a href="https://twitter.com/carmeloanthony?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@carmeloanthony</a>) working out at <a href="https://twitter.com/impactbball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@impactbball</a> in Las Vegas: <a href="https://t.co/Rnz8Bam7EO">pic.twitter.com/Rnz8Bam7EO</a>
&mdash; Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1547693404414365702?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2022</a></blockquote>

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DEMARCUS COUSINS, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Cousins became a key contributor after joining the Denver Nuggets in February, averaging 8.9 points and 5.5 rebounds in 13.9 minutes per contest. He looked great at times during the playoffs, scoring an efficient 19 points in 15 minutes during Game 5 against the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the postseason. The 31-year-old can still help a team.
&ldquo;I belong in this league,&rdquo; Cousins said after Denver was eliminated. &ldquo;I was given the opportunity; I'm thankful for Mike Malone. I spoke with him before. A lot of doors closed for me. Mike looked out, gave me an opportunity. I just tried to take the best advantage of it as I could. That's what I did.&rdquo;
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JEREMY LAMB, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Last season, the Indiana Pacers traded Lamb to the Sacramento Kings as a part of the Domantas Sabonis deal. In 56 games, Lamb averaged 7.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 three in 16.7 minutes a night. The 30-year-old struggled with his shot, knocking down just 38.3% of his attempts from the field and 32.4% of his threes (after shooting 45.1% from the field and 40.6% from three the previous year).&nbsp;
TRISTAN THOMPSON, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Last season, Thompson suited up for the Kings, Pacers and Chicago Bulls, averaging 6.0 points and 5.1 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game. At this stage of his career, the 31-year-old is a solid backup big man who can provide frontcourt depth.
ANDRE IGUODALA, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Last season, Iguodala rejoined the Golden State Warriors, averaging 4.0 points, 3.7 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 0.7 blocks in 19.5 minutes across 31 games. Entering his 19th season in the league, the 38-year-old is mainly a veteran leader and strong locker-room presence, but he can still produce in limited reserve minutes. Don't be surprised if he re-signs with Golden State.

NBA training camps will get underway in a few weeks, but there are still a number of notable free agents who are unsigned.