Greyhounds

The champions of each continent are set to compete for a global basketball title when the annual FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2024 commences in Singapore on September 12-15.
A historic FIBA Hall of Fame Class of 2024 enshrinement ceremony will also take place in the same island country with several basketball legends from different countries honored for their national team contributions and basketball performances.
Representing the USA is NBA G-League United, a team comprised of select G-League prospects &amp; stars who will represent the G in domestic and international competitions. The roster is yet to be revealed in the coming days as the competition draws near.&nbsp;
The FIBA Intercontinental Cup will be played at the Singapore Sports Hub in Singapore and will feature clubs from all five FIBA regions for the first ever time.
This would be the tournament&rsquo;s 34th edition and will comprise 6 teams including Unicaja (Spain, Europe); Petro de Luanda (Angola, Africa); and Al Riyadi (Lebanon, Asia) in Group A while United (USA, North America); Quimsa (Argentina, South America); and Tasmania Jackjumpers (Australia, Oceania) make up Group B.
The three teams in each group will play in a round-robin format with the champions facing off in the Final on September 15, while the runners-up for each group battle for third place.
The FIBA Hall of Fame Class of 2024 enshrinement ceremony will take place on the eve of the Final, on September 14 with USA's Reggie Miller and Serbia's Predrag Stojakovic headlining the 2024 inductees. The list also includes fellow former players Miao Lijie of China, Danira Nakic-Bilic of Croatia, Kirk Samuel Penney of New Zealand, Romain Sato of Central African Republic, Skaidrite Smildzina-Budovska of Latvia, and Italian-American coach Dan Peterson.
In a press release by FIBA, FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis expressed his delight in the historic event. &ldquo;The FIBA Intercontinental Cup is a unique global experience in club basketball, but the 34th edition will set a remarkable milestone in basketball history,&rdquo; Zagklis said.
&ldquo;It's only fitting that Singapore, which ushered in the new era of the competition last year, will also provide the stage for its expansion to Oceania and for the FIBA Hall of Fame induction ceremony,&rdquo; Mr. Zagklis added.

The champions of each continent are set to compete for a global basketball title in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2024.

NBA G-League United set to compete in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2024

NBA free agency has died down and the 2023-24 NBA season is nearly three months away. This is why August is known as the dog days of the NBA calendar.
However, NBA fans will be able to watch some of their favorite players in action very soon, as the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup tips off tomorrow.
From Nov. 2021 through Feb. 2023, 80 countries battled for a spot in the World Cup but only 32 national teams qualified. There are a ton of NBA players participating, as Team USA has a talented young roster and they'll be facing stars such as Luka Doncic, Karl-Anthony Towns, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lauri Markkanen and Rudy Gobert.
Here's everything you need to know about the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
WHEN IS IT?
World Cup games will be played Aug. 25 through Sept. 10. There have been a number of warm-up games in recent weeks, but the real action tips off tomorrow.
First Round (Group Phase): Aug. 25-30 Second Round (Group Phase): Aug. 31 - Sept. 4 Quarterfinals: Sept. 5-6 Semifinals: Sept. 8 Final: Sept. 10 Third-Place Game: Sept. 10
The <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/fiba-basketball-world-cup-2023-schedule" target="_blank" rel="noopener">full schedule of games can be found here</a>.
WHERE IS IT?&nbsp;
For the first time ever, the FIBA Basketball World Cup will feature three host countries: the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.
WHICH COUNTRIES QUALIFIED?
These are the 32 countries that will be participating in the 2023 FIBA World Cup: Angola, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, China, Cote d&rsquo;Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iran, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, Montenegro, New Zealand, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Serbia, Slovenia, South Sudan, Spain, United States and Venezuela.
These are the groups for the first round:
Group A:&nbsp;Angola, Dominican Republic, Philippines, Italy
Group B:&nbsp;&nbsp;South Sudan, Serbia, China, Puerto Rico
(Groups A and B will play their games at Araneta Coliseum in the Philippines)
Group C:&nbsp;Team USA, Jordan, Greece, New Zealand
Group D:&nbsp;Egypt, Mexico, Montenegro, Lithuania
(Groups C and D will play their games at Mall of Asia Arena in the Philippines)
Group E:&nbsp;Germany, Finland, Australia, Japan
Group F:&nbsp;Slovenia, Cape Verde, Georgia, Venezuela
(Groups E and F will play their games at Okinawa Arena in Japan)
Group G:&nbsp;Iran, Spain, Cote d&rsquo;Ivoire, Brazil
Group H:&nbsp;Canada, Latvia, Lebanon, France
(Groups G and H will play their games at Jakarta Arena in Indonesia)
WHICH NBA PLAYERS ARE COMPETING?
There are quite a few NBA players participating in this tournament. The <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/fiba-world-cup-roster-tracker-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">full list can be found here</a>, but below are the national teams that feature notable NBA players:
Group A
Dominican Republic: Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves), Lester Quinones (Golden State Warriors)
Philippines: Jordan Clarkson&nbsp;(Utah Jazz)
Group B
China: Kyle Anderson&nbsp;(Minnesota Timberwolves)
Serbia: Bogdan Bogdanovic (Atlanta Hawks), Aleksej Pokusevski (Oklahoma City Thunder), Nikola Jovic (Miami Heat)
Group C
Greece: Thanasis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/gettyimages-1608113478-2.jpg" alt="" width="736" height="414" />
United States: Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic), Mikal Bridges (Brooklyn Nets), Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks), Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers), Josh Hart (New York Knicks), Brandon Ingram (New Orleans Pelicans), Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies), Cameron Johnson (Brooklyn Nets), Walker Kessler (Utah Jazz), Bobby Portis (Milwaukee Bucks), Austin Reaves (Los Angeles Lakers)

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

Group D
Lithuania: Jonas Valanciunas (New Orleans Pelicans)
Montenegro: Nikola Vucevic (Chicago Bulls)
Group E
Australia: Josh Giddey (Oklahoma City Thunder), Patty Mills (Atlanta Hawks), Matisse Thybulle (Portland Trail Blazers) Josh Green (Dallas Mavericks), Joe Ingles (Orlando Magic), Dyson Daniels (New Orleans Pelicans), Dante Exum (Dallas Mavericks), Jock Landale (Houston Rockets), Xavier Cooks (Washington Wizards)
Finland: Lauri Markkanen (Utah Jazz)
Germany: Franz Wagner (Orlando Magic), Dennis Schroder (Toronto Raptors), Moritz Wagner (Orlando Magic), Daniel Theis (Indiana Pacers),&nbsp;
Japan: Yuta Watanabe (Phoenix Suns)
Group F
Georgia: Goga Bitadze (Orlando Magic), Sandro Mamukelashvili (San Antonio Spurs)
Slovenia: Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
Group G
Brazil: Raul Neto (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Spain: Santi Aldama (Memphis Grizzlies), Usman Garuba (Atlanta Hawks)
Group H
Canada: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder), R.J. Barrett (New York Knicks), Dillon Brooks (Houston Rockets), Lu Dort (Oklahoma City Thunder), Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Minnesota Timberwolves), Dwight Powell (Dallas Mavericks)
France: Rudy Gobert (Minnesota Timberwolves), Nicolas Batum (Los Angeles Clippers), Evan Fournier (New York Knicks), Frank Ntilikina (Charlotte Hornets)
Latvia: Davis Bertans (Oklahoma City Thunder)
HOW TO WATCH
FIBA recently announced that all 92 World Cup games will be available across ESPN's platforms. Six games will air on ESPN2 (including Team USA's three first-round games), while the other 86 games will be available on ESPN+.
FIBA&rsquo;s official streaming service, <a href="https://www.courtside1891.basketball/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Courtside 1891</a>, will also air the games live and on-demand. If you're interested in Courtside 1891, FIBA is offering our readers 20% off their World Cup bundle. Follow the instructions below if you'd like to use the 20% discount:
<ul style="font-weight: 400;">
<li><a href="https://www.courtside1891.basketball/choose-a-package" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click this link</a> and you&rsquo;ll get a prompt to register</li>
<li>You&rsquo;ll then be redirected to the choose-a-package page</li>
<li>Select the &lsquo;Max &ndash; World Cup Bundle&rsquo;&nbsp;</li>
<li>Use the discount code FIBAWCAK to get 20% off</li>
</ul>
Enjoy the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, and hopefully the dog days of summer will fly by quickly!

The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup tips off tomorrow. Here's everything you need to know about the tournament.

Everything you need to know about the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup

The 2023 NBA Draft could go down as a special class, with talented prospects such as Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson, Brandon Miller and the Thompson twins as well as some interesting depth pieces.
But will it ever be considered one of the best draft classes in NBA history? That remains to be seen.
Today, we're going to identify the cr&egrave;me de la cr&egrave;me of NBA draft classes.
The 2003 NBA Draft
The 2003 NBA Draft featured multiple generational talents that would come to define the NBA for the next two decades. Led by LeBron James, this class also included household names such as Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Not only did this draft have star power, it was also very deep. Twenty-seven players from the 2003 class played at least 10 seasons in the NBA: James, Wade, Anthony, Bosh, Kyle Korver, David West, Zaza Pachulia, Nick Collison, Boris Diaw, Kendrick Perkins, Leandro Barbosa, James Jones, Chris Kaman, Kirk Hinrich, Dahntay Jones, Steve Blake, Mo Williams, Luke Ridnour, Willie Green, Matt Bonner, Travis Outlaw, Keith Bogans, Darko Milicic, Mickael Pietrus, Sasha Pavlovic, Josh Howard and Luke Walton. This class featured nine All-Stars and plenty of quality role players.
The 1984 NBA Draft
The 1984 NBA Draft stands as a legendary class, and some might argue that it's the greatest draft of all-time. Two of the top three picks &mdash; Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon &mdash; would ultimately etch their names in the annals of basketball history and redefine greatness. In addition to Jordan and Olajuwon, players like Charles Barkley, John Stockton and Alvin Robertson showcased their immense talent as well. This class produced five Hall-of-Famers and seven All-Stars.
The 1996 NBA Draft
The 1996 NBA Draft changed the landscape of the league, heralding the arrival of future Hall-of-Famers and icons. Led by the legendary Kobe Bryant and the enigmatic Allen Iverson, this class boasted an array of talent that reinvigorated the game. This class also featured Ray Allen, Steve Nash, Jermaine O'Neal, Ben Wallace, Stephon Marbury, Peja Stojakovic, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Antoine Walker, Marcus Camby, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Derek Fisher. The 1996 NBA Draft was deep, producing 10 All-Stars and five Hall-of-Famers. Jon Finkel recently revisited this star-studded class in his book "1996," and he <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/revisiting-the-starstudded-1996-nba-draft-kobe-bryant-ray-allen-steve-nash-allen-iverson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ran a terrific excerpt on Basketball News</a>.
The 1985 NBA Draft
The 1985 NBA Draft was certainly special. This class featured 10 All-Stars including Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin, Joe Dumars, Detlef Schrempf, Xavier McDaniel, Charles Oakley, &nbsp;AC Green, Terry Porter and Michael Adams. The class also featured Arvydas Sabonis, an overseas legend and terrific Portland Trail Blazer. Like the 1996 NBA Draft, this class has the star power and depth to be considered one of the best drafts in NBA history.
The 2009 NBA Draft
While not as immediately illustrious as some of the other classes on this list, the 2009 NBA Draft proved to be a treasure trove of talent. This class exemplified the importance of patience and player development, as Stephen Curry, James Harden, Blake Griffin, DeMar DeRozan, Jrue Holiday and Jeff Teague would all go on to become All-Stars. Griffin missed his rookie year with an injury, but dominated as soon as he stepped on an NBA court. Curry battled injuries early in his career, but would become a four-time champion and two-time MVP. Harden went from being an elite sixth man to an MVP once he got the opportunity in Houston. This class also featured Brandon Jennings, Ricky Rubio, Tyreke Evans, Darren Collison, Ty Lawson, Patty Mills, Danny Green, Taj Gibson and Patrick Beverley among others.
Which class is the greatest in NBA history? <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tweet us your thoughts</a>!&nbsp;

Basketball News examines the crème de la crème of draft classes throughout NBA history.

Exploring the 5 best draft classes in NBA history

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

Women&rsquo;s basketball seems to have found a winner with its new Sweet 16 format in March Madness and the timing couldn&rsquo;t be better with looming TV contract negotiations on the horizon.
There were record-setting attendance at the two sites &mdash; Greenville, South Carolina and Seattle &mdash; along with record numbers for TV ratings. It fueled the momentum heading into a star-packed Final Four lineup in Dallas.
NCAA selection committee chair Lisa Peterson expects the format success to help in upcoming contract negotiations. The current NCAA TV deal ends next summer.
&ldquo;It has to,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m very much looking forward to seeing those conversations. It only can be good for the game. People are talking about it.&rdquo;
TV ratings for games on Friday and Saturday averaged 1.2 million viewers, a 73% increase over last year. Saturday afternoon&rsquo;s Ohio State and UConn matchup on ABC was the most watched women&rsquo;s Sweet 16 game on record with an average of 2.4 million.
Ratings were also up for the games Sunday and Monday on ESPN &mdash; up 43% gain and averaged 2.2 million. Sunday night&rsquo;s Iowa-Louisville contest which featured dynamic guard Caitlin Clark led the way at 2.5 million, making it the most watched Elite Eight game on record.
Tag Garson, Wasserman&rsquo;s senior vice president of properties, said this year&rsquo;s ratings will be one of many pieces that factor into what path the NCAA will take.
&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re looking at how ratings are performing as you&rsquo;re preparing for a negotiation you don&rsquo;t just look at one year,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re looking at the historical value while projecting out the future value.&rdquo;
The NCAA is expected to decide by this fall whether to separate the women&rsquo;s tournament or keep it as part of the championships TV package that includes at least 24 sports.
Peterson and her group will have a lot to review.
Arenas in Greenville and Seattle were mostly full which created an entertaining atmosphere. While attendance was expected to be high in Greenville with the undefeated Gamecocks there. the closest team to Seattle was Colorado &mdash; 1,300 miles away.
The distance didn&rsquo;t stop fans from flocking to Seattle, with strong support from basketball fans around the city thanks in part to the success of the WNBA&rsquo;s Storm over the last two decades. In the end, the Seattle region outdrew its South Carolina counterpart by a few thousand. Overall 82,275 fans took in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games, including 43,556 in Seattle.
&ldquo;It really was a great atmosphere to play in. You love to play in these kind of atmospheres with this kind of crowd and play in a great building like this,&rdquo; said UConn coach Geno Auriemma whose team played in Seattle.
The NCAA also hopes the success leads to more cities bidding to host the regional games and eventually the Final Four.
&ldquo;The number of cities that had bid (in the past), we didn&rsquo;t have that many more options,&rdquo; Peterson said. &ldquo;With the success we&rsquo;ve had hopefully it opens up new doors so we don&rsquo;t keep going to the same cities.&rdquo;
The local organizing committee in Seattle said that they expected the tournament to generate more than $8.3 million to the city.
&ldquo;When we host events like this there&rsquo;s no playbook to say it&rsquo;s a guaranteed success,&rdquo; Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell told The Associated Press. &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t know how the fans are going to come out, but what has been proven time and time again, particularly around women&rsquo;s sports is that they come from all over the state even come from Canada. ... The revenue is incredible for our tax base.&rdquo;
Harrell threw Seattle&rsquo;s hat in the ring for a future women&rsquo;s Final Four, saying he would love it if his city got that opportunity.
One of the next steps the NCAA is planning for upcoming two regional sites is to turn them into &ldquo;mini Final Fours.&rdquo;
Many fans seemed to enjoy the new format going to more than just their team&rsquo;s games. Dave Lichliter, who is from Pennsylvania, went to games both Friday and Saturday and enjoyed the expanded field.
&ldquo;You get to see more teams,&rdquo; said Lichliter, who was wearing an LSU championship football shirt from 2019. &ldquo;Next year is Albany (New York) and Portland (Oregon), so we&rsquo;ll see how that goes.&rdquo;
So will the NCAA.
The two-city format will be in place at least another three years. The next bid cycle starts in July where regional hosting will be decided from 2027-31.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re doing this for three years. It&rsquo;s not a permanent deal,&rdquo; Peterson said. &ldquo;As always we&rsquo;ll evaluate it. If we feel it doesn&rsquo;t work, we&rsquo;ll see what we need to do to change it. Whether it&rsquo;s changing formats, or if that&rsquo;s adding a day, Whatever that looks like, we&rsquo;ll keep looking at it.&rdquo;
There were a few logistical bumps with the two sites.
With eight schools at one venue required some adjustments by teams and arena staffs. Practice time on the court was cut from 90 minutes to 60 to allow all eight time on the court. It also required a little more coordination when it came to the locker rooms with teams having to double up.
But none of it seem to bother the players. Some said it felt like an AAU tournament from their younger days with so many teams in the same place.
&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s fun. I think it&rsquo;s cool,&rdquo; said Clark, before he Hawkeyes guard added: &ldquo;Obviously we&rsquo;re not going to be coming to all the games, that&rsquo;s just not really how it works, but I think I like the two regional sites.&rdquo;
___
AP Sports Writers Tim Booth in Seattle, Pete Iacobelli in Greenville, South Carolina and Joe Reedy contributed to this story.

There were record-setting attendance at the two sites — Greenville, South Carolina and Seattle — along with record numbers for TV.

Women making case in tourney for own March Madness TV deal

Women&rsquo;s college basketball believes it has the makings for a hit reality TV show with star power driving a marketable product that has a growing audience.
So they&rsquo;re taking the ensemble on the road for the Sweet 16.
The NCAA changed the format of the tournament this year, featuring two regional sites instead of the traditional four. The games in Greenville, South Carolina, and Seattle are the latest step to grow the sport and show the ladies can stand on their own.
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley believes the question of whether women&rsquo;s hoops merits its own March Madness TV contract has already been answered, even though the women&rsquo;s tournament loses money under the current deal.
&ldquo;Somebody&rsquo;s watching women&rsquo;s basketball,&rdquo; Staley said. &ldquo;Somebody feels like we&rsquo;re in high demand, and obviously the decision-makers that put us on now realize that they&rsquo;ve got to keep putting us on.&rdquo;
The women&rsquo;s title game will be broadcast on ABC &mdash; the first appearance on network television since 1995. Women&rsquo;s basketball is part of a current contract that bundles all NCAA championships under one deal except for men&rsquo;s basketball and football.
The NCAA is expected to decide by the fall if the women&rsquo;s tournament will become a separate entity after hiring Endeavor, a consulting firm, to determine how to take championships to market.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s an exciting time. Year over year, we continue to demonstrate the value that women&rsquo;s basketball brings to that space,&rdquo; said Lynn Holzman, the NCAA vice president of women&rsquo;s basketball. &ldquo;It&rsquo;ll be exciting to see what the results are of this for the sport itself, but also for the NCAA more broadly in our championships.&rdquo;
TV ratings have been trending up over the last two years. This year&rsquo;s regular season was the most viewed on ESPN networks in eight years and was up 11% from last season. That came on the heels of last season&rsquo;s title game between South Carolina and UConn that averaged 4.85 million viewers &mdash; the most for a women&rsquo;s championship game since 2004. The first round had a 27% ratings increase from last year.
&ldquo;People enjoy watching close games. They like the fact that there&rsquo;s some semblance of uncertainty of who&rsquo;s going to win,&rdquo; UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s been so many changes in the top 10 all year long. ... Teams are in, they start out at the top they go out they come back in. I think all that creates a level of excitement.&rdquo;
People aren&rsquo;t just tuning in during March Madness, they have also been showing up.
Attendance at the NCAA Tournament has continued to rise the past five seasons, growing by 60% in the first two rounds from an average of 4,464 in 2016 to 7,240 this year. This season had the highest attendance ever for the first two rounds.
&ldquo;It makes us very bullish on women&rsquo;s basketball,&rdquo; Holzman said. &ldquo;It is demonstrative of the growth we&rsquo;ve been seeing in the sport.&rdquo;
Now the NCAA hopes that growth is reflected in increased television revenue.
ESPN pays $34 million per year for the championships package, which it agreed to in 2011, including women&rsquo;s basketball. But the law firm the NCAA hired to investigate equity issues in 2021 said in its report that estimated women&rsquo;s basketball annual broadcast rights would be worth $81 million to $112 million.
The NCAA said the 2019 women&rsquo;s tournament lost $2.8 million and those losses have multiplied the last two years since the the sports governing body increased spending after disparities between the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s tourneys were pointed out.
If the NCAA can get close to the numbers projected in the 2021 report, it might be able to offer revenue shares &mdash; known as financial units &mdash; to women&rsquo;s teams in the tournament in a structure similar to what the men receive from their March Madness tournament.
Men&rsquo;s teams earn a slice of the money pie for their conference for every game they play excluding the championship. Each unit is paid by the NCAA over a six-year cycle. This year the NCAA will dole out $170 million to conferences from the men&rsquo;s tournament.
It&rsquo;s fair to say the women have a lot riding on this weekend at the two regional sites.
The NCAA is hoping the success of the Final Four &mdash; which sells out every year &mdash; translates to its new &ldquo;mini Final Fours.&rdquo;
Holzman believes the new format gave fans a better chance to know where their teams would be headed. The NCAA vice president of women&rsquo;s basketball also anticipated greater economic impact on host cities would lead to more bids to host in the future.
But for some coaches, it&rsquo;s all about location.
The regional sites the next two years will again be held in cities on opposite coasts. The closest team playing in Seattle this year is Colorado, located 1,300 miles away.
Texas coach Vic Schaefer is &ldquo;a little concerned&rdquo; about the distance some teams will have to travel, but eager to see how the tournament unfolds.
&ldquo;The powers that be believe it&rsquo;s going to be great, and I&rsquo;m hopeful that it will be,&rdquo; Schaefer said. &ldquo;Those are two opposite ends of the spectrums, west and east, three time zones between both of them. And there&rsquo;s just nothing in the Midwest. And we have a lot of teams in the Midwest. We&rsquo;ll see.&rdquo;

The NCAA is expected to decide by the fall if the women’s tournament will become a separate entity.

Women hope Sweet 16 next step to own March Madness TV deal

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.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
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.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/stow87" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
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.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/fxarqr" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
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.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/lkow4u" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
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.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
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

The Los Angeles Clippers have gotten their 2022-23 season off to a great start with a 103-97 win over their local rival, the Lakers, and everybody played a part.
In his first game since June 2021, Kawhi Leonard produced 14 points and 7 rebounds off the bench in 21 minutes. In another return over 18 months in the making, John Wall added 15 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in 24 minutes.
Paul George registered a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double to go along with 4 dimes, Marcus Morris dropped 14 points and Ivica Zubac had his own double-double with 14 points and 17 boards.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Entering this year, there was a multitude of questions hovering over the entire Clippers organization:
<ul>
<li>How will Kawhi Leonard look after missing the entire last season? Did he put on too much muscle? How will load management be handled with him this season?</li>
<li>How will the acquisition of John Wall work after he missed almost two years of action? Will the Clippers be getting the old John Wall or just an older John Wall?</li>
<li>How will Paul George fare after also coming off of an injury that derailed what was a very productive season in 2021-22?</li>
</ul>
I caught up with two former Clippers greats, Darius Miles and Maurice Taylor, to explore these questions and much more.
Darius Miles
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot-2022-10-21-at-16-14-10-540845-jpg-0-jpg-webp-image-2120-1413-pixels-scaled-59_.png" alt="" width="751" height="376" />
Etan Thomas: The Clippers really looked good in their first few games. A lot of people are saying they could win it all. How good do they look to you?
Darius Miles: "I don&rsquo;t wanna jump out there too quickly; it&rsquo;s still early, but I think they look really good. Seeing the pieces, the depth, having Kawhi back, PG. I&rsquo;m so excited for John Wall. He&rsquo;s always been one of my favorites. I saw him get a little frustrated there at the end against the Lakers. This is a different kind of role; he wanted the ball in his hands at the end like he was back in D.C. So he is adjusting to the new role, and I think it&rsquo;s gonna be just fine."
Etan: One of the things with John Wall people were wondering was if he can he get back to the Washington Wizards-level version of himself on the court after sitting out two seasons, but he looks good to me so far.&nbsp;
Miles: "He definitely looks good, I really want John to embrace this new role because if he does, the sky's the limit. And he&rsquo;s been saying all the right things. I heard one interview and he kept saying, 'I&rsquo;m so excited that I don&rsquo;t have to do it myself.' So he has to really embrace the fact that, sometimes down the stretch, you&rsquo;re not going to have the ball in your hands. You may have to go to the corner and spot up and let Kawhi and PG run this two-man game like they were doing against the Lakers. And sometimes, they may need (John) to speed dribble it up and initiate the offense, but other times it may be something different. And he just has to fully embrace the different times, whatever they are, because really, he can &mdash; and I believe will &mdash; be vital for this team."
Etan: You know, I&rsquo;m really rooting for PG to have a great year. He has taken a lot of criticism really since the Bubble season.
Miles: "I think last season while Kawhi was out, he really just put his head down and went to work. He wasn&rsquo;t saying much, wasn&rsquo;t getting into too much, and, before the injury, he was having a great season. I think this year is gonna be the same thing. He came out and said, 'Yeah this is Kawhi&rsquo;s team, so I&rsquo;m not gonna let the media play that game with us of whose team it is.' He squashed all that. 'This is Kawhi&rsquo;s team, and that&rsquo;s going to go a long way for us.' Because it cuts down on the chatter, you know?"
Etan: Definitely, like how Magic Johnson did with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Miles: "Exactly, just so there&rsquo;s no discussion. I&rsquo;m very, very excited for the Clippers. I wanna see the Clippers win a chip in L.A. Now, of course we don&rsquo;t have the ridiculous number of championships like the Lakers have, but this year, I think this team could really pull it off. And we&rsquo;re not talking about the best team in L.A. &mdash; we already got that. We&rsquo;re talking about winning it all."
Etan: Let&rsquo;s stay on PG for a minute. Why do you think he receives so much criticism? He was really getting criticized heavily I thought.
Miles: "That&rsquo;s just this day and age. As soon as someone sees a vulnerable spot, they jump on it. That&rsquo;s just how it is unfortunately."
Etan: It&rsquo;s interesting though because PG talked about struggling with his mental health while in the Bubble, and it was like, people got mad at him. Other players like Kevin Love and DeMar DeRozan talked about their mental health, and they were praised for their courage, given awards and sitting on panels. I mean, PG just announced not long ago that he was <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/clippers-paul-george-giving-away-3-million-in-free-therapy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">giving away $3 million in free therapy</a>.
I just co-wrote <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Finding-My-Voice-Grieving-Pushing/dp/1642598313/ref=nodl_?dplnkId=64d1657e-59d6-4718-87b6-89b40eb80095" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Emerald Garner&rsquo;s book</a> (Eric Garner&rsquo;s daughter), "Finding My Voice," and she talked about how costly therapy is and how much her entire family should&rsquo;ve had it for their mental health, and he is giving away $3 million of free mental health therapy for people!
Miles: "Yeah, how could anyone be mad at that? I don&rsquo;t know. I never really understood it myself. I&rsquo;m happy when any athlete has the courage to talk about their mental health because them saying that gives other people the comfort that they don&rsquo;t have to be ashamed. So yeah, I agree with you. It should&rsquo;ve been praised not mocked."
Etan: You mentioned Russell Westbrook earlier, and that&rsquo;s my guy. I played with him in OKC for a year, but they got him in the matrix right now, nonstop criticism. It&rsquo;s like he is taking the heat for a poorly-constructed team.
Miles: "Man, I love Westbrook. And I&rsquo;m glad [Charles] Barkley said something about it. But people don&rsquo;t understand how the slander, the politics of the game, the wrong situation or construction of a team, like you said, how that can take away someone&rsquo;s love for the game, and it looks like that with Westbrook. His body language, that 'lion' that makes Westbrook, Westbrook you know? Now, he&rsquo;s second-guessing himself; not sure if he should pass or shoot, just everything is off. I hate to see my man go through this."
Etan: So last question, there have been built-up expectations before for the Clippers. The year in the Bubble and the season before the Bubble, everyone was waiting for them to match up with the Lakers. It seemed like those years could&rsquo;ve been the Clippers' years as well. And I know a lot of teams always say this, but this season, it does really feel like this could be the Clippers year to win it all.
Miles: "I hear you. I just don&rsquo;t want to get too ahead of myself &mdash; especially with guys coming off of injuries &mdash; but then, we came out the gate looking really good this year. And we have a really deep bench, like 10-11 deep. I&rsquo;m super excited for this season, but I don&rsquo;t wanna jump out there too soon. I appreciate the support from Barkley, but not yet. But do I feel like we could be a contender? Absolutely.
"Also, we gotta see what happens with Kawhi&rsquo;s injury and his load management, and if that is a plus or a minus. I love the team, love the coach, Ty Lue; they have the team built to win the championship. They have the ability to beat any team &mdash; Golden State, Portland, Phoenix, Denver, anyone in the West or the East. Of course a lot has to go right, but yes, I&rsquo;m excited. (It's) gonna be a great year for us."
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Maurice Taylor&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot-2022-10-21-at-16-14-49-maurice-taylor-net-worth-jpg-jpeg-image-1200-600-pixels.png" alt="" width="750" height="375" />
Etan Thomas: How good can the Clippers be this season?&nbsp;
Maurice Taylor: "I think they could be really good, top-tier even. If you look at how the team is constructed, they really have everything you need in today&rsquo;s game. They&rsquo;re a really good defensive team, they can run, they can shoot threes, they&rsquo;re athletic. They can play iso ball, but don&rsquo;t have to rely on iso ball in order to be productive. And they have an incredibly deep bench. And they&rsquo;re big. They had a lineup out there with [Nic] Batum, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George; those are 6-6 to 6-8 wing players. And for Kawhi and Paul George to be the elite defenders they are, what other team has guys that size who can all defend and score at that level at the same time?
Etan: And how much do you think John Wall can help this team? Here in D.C., we&rsquo;re all rooting for him to do well. I <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/marcin-gortat-a-lot-of-people-owe-john-wall-an-apology" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interviewed his former teammate Marcin Gortat</a>, who also echoed those sentiments, especially taking into consideration everything he went through that he detailed over the summer. But how great of an addition was Wall to this team?&nbsp;
Taylor: "I don&rsquo;t understand why there weren&rsquo;t more teams in line to get John Wall, especially contenders. The only knock against him was that he hasn&rsquo;t played in two seasons for whatever reason &mdash; still not sure what was going on in Houston &mdash; but he looks good so far. He looked quick. He didn&rsquo;t look like he lost a step at all, which was what so many people were worried about. But I was definitely impressed. If he can be that for us, I don&rsquo;t see anyone in the East who would be able to stop us if we make it to the Finals.
Etan: Yeah I saw Charles Barkley picked the Clippers to win it all and doubled down after the game against the Lakers. So he is sticking with his pick. He may have even said, "GUARANTEED!" (Laughing)
Taylor: "Well, I&rsquo;m not going that far (laughing). But remember, I was with the Clippers during the down years. The bad old days (laughing). So for us, the guys I talk to from my era, it&rsquo;s amazing to be discussing the Clippers in terms of championship favorites. But yes, they could definitely win it all this season."
Etan: I agree, and does T-Lue get enough credit for his coaching? Especially the way he was able to keep the team together last season when Kawhi was out. I know he was my former teammate, so I may be a little biased, but I do think he doesn&rsquo;t get the recognition he should for the job he has done coaching.&nbsp;
Taylor: "I think he is definitely underrated. In today&rsquo;s NBA, the notion is almost that you don&rsquo;t really need a coach because of the level of talent. We heard that when he took over in Cleveland and was coaching LeBron [James]. You heard that in Brooklyn with Steve Nash..."
Etan: Well, that may not be the best example because of how disgruntled it seems Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are with Steve Nash, but continue.
Taylor: "Yeah that&rsquo;s true. But, point being, I think good coaches sometimes fall through the cracks because players are so good now. But in reality, coaching is the X-factor for each team. That&rsquo;s why Miami was so good, that&rsquo;s why Boston with Ime Udoka overachieved the way they did last season. But to answer your question, no, Ty Lue definitely doesn&rsquo;t get the credit he deserved, and for the very reason you mentioned. He held everything together while his star player was out for the entire season. And he really pieced together a team. Like, they have a great unit. If you look at the Lakers, they just have a bunch of guys who got signed together. That&rsquo;s a pickup game, what the Lakers have."
Etan: And no proven shooters. They have some developing shooters, but they need proven shooters who can contribute immediately, right?&nbsp;
Taylor: "Absolutely, I don&rsquo;t know what they&rsquo;re thinking over there, but that&rsquo;s not my problem. We&rsquo;re constructed as a complete team, and you have to give credit to Steve Ballmer &mdash; when you have a team governor who goes all out for his team? I mean, the Clippers haven&rsquo;t had that in history, at least not while I was there. We&rsquo;re in arguably the best market in the league, so to have an organization that&rsquo;s willing to invest in their players and open their checkbooks the way Steve Ballmer is, it&rsquo;s going to be attractive to free agents to come to the Clippers. And they&rsquo;re making moves to win the whole thing. They&rsquo;re not penny-pinching or trying to spend the bare minimum. They are investing the way a team is supposed to."
Etan: If only someone could&rsquo;ve recorded Donald Sterling earlier while you were there (laughing).
Taylor: "Man, don&rsquo;t get me started (laughing). It&rsquo;s a night and day difference, but that&rsquo;s why they are in the position they are in. People always say players make the team, and that&rsquo;s true, but the ownership, the way the organization is run makes all the difference. So a lot of this credit, like I said, has to go to Steve Ballmer."
Etan: I hear you, so last question: Kawhi Leonard. I don&rsquo;t know how they&rsquo;re going to do with the load management for the entire season. Against the Lakers he came off the bench well into the second quarter. I&rsquo;m sure that&rsquo;s not going to be the strategy for the entire season, but how good did Kawhi Leonard look to you?&nbsp;
Taylor: "He looked really good. He moved well. With wing guys, when they come back from injury, you wanna see how their lateral movement is, if they have that pop back, and he had all of that. He definitely looked strong. And he&rsquo;s only going to get better as the season progresses. But the thing I am a little concerned with is the very load management (subject) you mentioned.
"A team can load management themselves right out of the playoffs if they&rsquo;re not careful. Is it going to get to a point where he&rsquo;s back and he&rsquo;s at full strength and he is their main guy this season? Or is it going to be an ongoing situation where, 'Okay, we have a back-to-back, we&rsquo;re going to rest him this second game?' If you do that enough times, that could change the dynamic of your playoff run or position. Because Golden State doesn&rsquo;t have any load management players, and that&rsquo;s who you have to be eyeing on the way to the Finals. So I am a little concerned, to be honest. But, other than that, things look very good for the Clippers this season."
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/violalogo1.png" alt="" width="750" height="375" />

Etan Thomas speaks with former Clippers greats Darius Miles and Maurice Taylor about LA's opening night win and the upcoming year.

Darius Miles and Maurice Taylor have high praise for the Clippers

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

LAS VEGAS (AP) &mdash; Victor Wembanyama&rsquo;s favorite players in the NBA right now are Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo. That makes sense, given that they&rsquo;re both taller than just about everyone else in the league and have all-world all-around games.
He might see some similarities there.
But comparisons to them, or anyone else, are not what Wembanyama is seeking. When the 7-foot-2 French teen comes to the NBA next season &mdash; by most accounts, he would be the No. 1 pick if the draft was held today &mdash; he isn&rsquo;t interested in trying to become the next Durant, or Antetokounmpo, or Dirk Nowitzki.
The path he wants to take, he said in an interview with The Associated Press, will be all his own.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m gonna tell you something that&rsquo;s been going on in my life, like for my whole life, since I&rsquo;ve been a kid, even before I played basketball,&rdquo; Wembanyama said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always tried to do (something) different. I&rsquo;m not even talking about sports, whatever. Any field, I&rsquo;m always trying to be original, something original, something one of one, something that&rsquo;s never been done before. And this is really how it worked in my life. I don&rsquo;t know where it comes from. I think I was born with it. I&rsquo;ve always been trying to be original. Unique, that&rsquo;s the word.&rdquo;
Unique, indeed, is the word.
&ldquo;My goal,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;is to be like something you&rsquo;ve never seen.&rdquo;
He might already be that.
He is why Metropolitans 92, a team from the top league in France, flew 5,500 miles this week <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-paris-las-vegas-draft-7cd6f8dbdda1b6aac3b2005464d8c3a9">to play a pair of exhibition games against the G League Ignite and another top draft prospect in Ignite guard Scoot Henderson.</a> The Ignite haven&rsquo;t started their season yet. The Metropolitans have already played three games, and are interrupting their regular season to play these exhibitions on Tuesday and Thursday in the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson, Nevada largely to help introduce Wembanyama to the U.S. basketball audience.
Tuesday night will, quite simply, be an event. About 200 scouts are credentialed; every NBA team will be in attendance, most sending multiple people to watch. Some clubs had executives watching practice Monday afternoon. There are journalists who flew in from France, Brazil and Canada for these games that don&rsquo;t count toward anyone&rsquo;s standings. The Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns play a preseason game in Las Vegas on Wednesday night; some players from those clubs are expected to come get a look at Wembanyama, as are some members of the WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s good for the game,&rdquo; Ignite coach Jason Hart said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s good for our program as well as theirs. I&rsquo;m so excited.&rdquo;
Wembanyama is just a big deal. Clearly. And literally.
They list him at 7-foot-2, some say he&rsquo;s 7-foot-4, his wingspan is nearly 8 feet and he can nearly grab the rim &mdash; 10 feet in the air &mdash; without even jumping. He shoots 3-pointers with ease, almost always unbothered by the efforts of defenders whose flailing arms come nowhere near the ball or his field of vision. He can run the floor. He handles the ball. Passes the ball. Creative. Athletic, blessed with the genes passed along from Felix Wembanyama and Elodie de Fautereau; his dad was a track star, his mom was a basketball standout.
Few, if any, prospects since LeBron James in 2003 have had this big of a can&rsquo;t-miss label on their shoulders as an 18-year-old.
&ldquo;I was built for this, I guess,&rdquo; Wembanyama said. &ldquo;All of what happens to me, I expected for myself. So it&rsquo;s just a checklist of expectations. I&rsquo;m not surprised by what&rsquo;s happening to me. And yeah, this is happening, this is how I can manage it and I think I managed it well.&rdquo;
He already speaks almost-perfect English, which will come in handy considering next June, then at the age of 19-1/2, he&rsquo;ll be getting selected by a team and moving to the U.S. (or Canada, if Toronto secures the pick that will land Wembanyama). It&rsquo;s hard for him to fathom that he has just a few months left living in his native France.
But he&rsquo;s also unbothered by what&rsquo;s happening, and what&rsquo;s coming. He speaks confidently, plays even more confidently, and truly seems to enjoy all the attention that comes with being one of the tallest human beings on the planet. That confidence, however, doesn&rsquo;t come with arrogance. He knows he&rsquo;s good. He wants to get better.
That&rsquo;s where Metropolitans 92 coach Vincent Collet comes in. The coach of France&rsquo;s national team is tasked with taking Wembanyama and making sure he&rsquo;s as NBA-ready as possible by next summer.
&ldquo;Many people around him are always telling him &lsquo;It&rsquo;s great, what you do is fantastic.&rsquo; And me, I am the coach, so I am the one that most sometimes say &lsquo;This is not good, this you could do better,&rsquo;&rdquo; Collet said. &ldquo;And for me, this is the most important, to teach him.&rdquo;
On the court, Wembanyama tries to be all business.
Off the court, he tries to still be a kid when he can.
He loves to read. Loves to draw. Yes, he plays video games. He showed off soccer moves with a basketball on Monday, expertly juggling &mdash; in soccer, that means to flick the ball in the air with one&rsquo;s foot and leg without letting it hitting the ground &mdash; while talking and walking. He also is working on some projects that he said &ldquo;have nothing to do with basketball,&rdquo; and when pressed to give some hints on what that meant, he offered a slight smile and said, &ldquo;if they&rsquo;re successful, you&rsquo;ll hear about them for sure.&rdquo;
After this week in Vegas, the French season resumes at home. Every Metropolitans 92 game will be followed because of him. This spring, draft talk will intensify. Then, on June 22, 2023, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is scheduled to walk to a lectern and say &ldquo;with the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft ... &ldquo; and if all goes to plan, Wembanyama will take the stage seconds later for the ceremonial handshake.
That&rsquo;s when his path, the path to being &ldquo;one of one,&rdquo; will truly begin.
&ldquo;At the end of the day, regardless of what position you get picked in the draft, I think the most important is to have the best career afterwards,&rdquo; Wembanyama said. &ldquo;But as an athlete and as a competitor, I can&rsquo;t accept not to be No. 1.&rdquo;

Top 2023 NBA Draft prospect and French pro Victor Wembanyama speaks with the AP about the upcoming year, his goals and more.

Victor Wembanyama: 'My goal is to be like something you've never seen'

James Harden and Joel Embiid are beefing over who has been the most unbeatable Sixer during 1-on-1 competition at training camp. The smack talk escalated this week after a recent practice, each one badgering the other over who really is the alpha dog in Philly.
Who&rsquo;s the better scorer? Rebounder? Nah, the thorny topic in this instance: gaming.
Harden tells Embiid he can beat him in FIFA.
&ldquo;Of course,&rdquo; Harden said.
&ldquo;He said &lsquo;OF COURSE,&rsquo;&rdquo; Embiid said, unable to stifle his laughter.
&ldquo;How many games we play?&rdquo; Embiid said. &ldquo;Five games?&rdquo;
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t remember,&rdquo; Harden retorted. &ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t played in four years. I used to be really, really good.&rdquo;
So The Beard pokes reporters to quiz Embiid about his skills in Madden. Embiid insisted he doesn&rsquo;t play the football video game on a regular basis, but conceded of Harden, &ldquo;he&rsquo;s good.&rdquo;
&ldquo;But give me two weeks,&rdquo; Embiid said, &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll be the best.&rdquo;
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-76ers-nba-sports-basketball-joel-embiid-84c7239b1fd373687d0e4efba7688623" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Embiid already is the 76ers' go-to guy</a> once the controllers go down and the basketball is tossed up. The question that looms over the Sixers is can they get the two to mesh in their first full season together so they can contend for a title -- especially when Harden has to defer to last season's MVP runner-up?
No longer needed to average 30-plus points a game as he did when he starred as one of the NBA&rsquo;s great isolation scorers, Harden is now the No. 2 in the Philadelphia's 1-2 punch. Embiid is the reigning NBA scoring champion and the face of the franchise.
The 33-year-old Harden, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/houston-rockets-sports-basketball-ap-top-news-north-america-9ab9bfc14fff43f4979c661edde8385d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the 2018 MVP</a>, is trying to prove he&rsquo;s recovered from lingering tightness in his left hamstring last season that decimated his explosiveness and forced him into &ldquo;tough times, lot of dark moments.&rdquo; He took less money to return to the Sixers and dropped some weight over the summer. He's in better condition and serving as a mentor of sorts to blossoming talent, like Tyrese Maxey.
&ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got to be a leader,&rdquo; 76ers coach Doc Rivers expressed to Harden after Thursday&rsquo;s practice. &ldquo;Get them to do it right.&rdquo;
Rivers told Harden he needs to act as a facilitator, and &ldquo;be the aggressive James&rdquo; like he was at the end of practice.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to come. It&rsquo;s going to take a while," Rivers told the veteran. "But when it clicks, James, we&rsquo;re going to be unbeatable. Unbeatable. But you&rsquo;ve got to keep your spirit up.&rdquo;
Spirits up, even with the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-76ers-nba-sports-basketball-los-angeles-a297da25dd2fb953d20f6c8800dc6e3c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wine connoisseur&rsquo;s new role</a>.
&ldquo;You&rsquo;ve been the President,&rdquo; Rivers said.
&ldquo;I ain&rsquo;t the President no more,&rdquo; Harden replied.
Hey, VP isn&rsquo;t so bad. And given Embiid&rsquo;s injury history, Harden just might have to rise again to the elite level he reached in eight-plus years with the Houston Rockets, where he was a three-time scoring champion and league assists leader. The seven-time All-NBA player was also named last year a member of the league&rsquo;s 75th anniversary team. But his reputation was smudged when he in large part orchestrated trades out of Houston and Brooklyn over a 14-month span that eventually parked him in Philly at last year&rsquo;s trade deadline.
The Nets had acquired Harden from the Rockets in a January 2021 trade, with the idea that he would form a Big 3 with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. The expected title never materialized and the Nets gave up on a disgruntled Harden <a href="https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-76ers-brooklyn-nets-nba-sports-james-harden-2fea364a5cc35aa3515508d518cc08bc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">and traded him</a> for Philly&rsquo;s own disgruntled Ben Simmons.
Harden has mostly kept quiet on his previous two trade demands.
&ldquo;For the most part, I&rsquo;m to myself,&rdquo; Harden said. &ldquo;Media, whoever, they talk and say their little jabs or shots at me and I never respond because I know who I am and what I&rsquo;m about.&rdquo;
Harden averaged 21 points in 21 games with the Sixers. It was the postseason that struck reasonable doubt that all the NBA miles on his body might taken a toll.
The fake beards fans wore when the Sixers acquired Harden and crazed excitement stirred by his arrival dimmed in the postseason. Harden had four turnovers, four baskets and did not score in the second half in a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-76ers-miami-heat-nba-sports-butler-7adab9036a51147926e92d9650810e64" target="_blank" rel="noopener">season-ending Game 6 loss</a> to Miami. He scored just 14 points in a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-heat-philadelphia-76ers-nba-sports-joel-embiid-a7e7f3ef3a0cb646317e685a44975400" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Game 5 blowout loss</a> at Miami. Harden said several issues that kept him from his full potential in Philadelphia were resolved this summer over meaningful conversations with Rivers and Embiid.
&ldquo;I think me learning them, and vice versa, them learning me and who I am and what I&rsquo;m about, this summer was really good for that,&rdquo; Harden said.
In Harden&rsquo;s 2017-18 MVP season, he joined Michael Jordan as the only players to average at least 20 points, eight assists, five rebounds and 1.7 steals in a season. He led the league in scoring, 3-pointers and 50-point games with four and led the Rockets to an NBA-best 65 wins.
&ldquo;If you start judging him, well he averaged 30 at Houston, but he only averaged 20 here, that&rsquo;s insane,&rdquo; Rivers said. &ldquo;We have a lot of guys that can score. At Houston, he had to score. All the time. Here, the No. 1 option is Joel. James has never been the second option.&rdquo;
At least not since his early years in Oklahoma City. If he adapts in Philly, it could go long a way toward bringing the Sixers their first championship since 1983.

James Harden is prepared to adapt in Philadelphia as a leader and Joel Embiid's right-hand man.

James Harden knows he's no longer the man in Philadelphia

In his "Blazing the Trail" series, Mat Issa analyzes the offensive splendor of Dirk Nowitzki and the dramatic evolution of his career.

Blazing the Trail: Dirk Nowitzki, the unicorn that became world champion

Is the NBA ready to add an expansion team? Evan Sidery explores what kind of team you could build in a present-day expansion draft.

NBA Expansion Mock Draft: What would a new expansion team look like?

Veteran NBA forward Semi Ojeleye has reached a two-year deal to play for Virtus Bologna in Italy, the <a href="https://www.virtus.it/news/semi-ojeleye-e-un-nuovo-giocatore-di-virtus-segafredo-bologna/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">team announced in a press release</a>.
Ojeleye was the 37th pick in the 2017 draft, playing his first four seasons in the NBA with the Boston Celtics. In 2021, he signed with the Milwaukee Bucks and was traded midseason to the Los Angeles Clippers before being waived.
<div class="post-bd">
<div class="userContent">
The 27-year-old has averaged 3.4 points and 2.2 rebounds in his five NBA seasons. He now joins the Virtus Bologna club that plays in Italy's LBA and the EuroLeague, a team that also includes former NBA players Marco Belinelli, Milos Teodosic, Nico Mannion, and Jordan Mickey.
</div>
</div>
<div class="post-ft">
<div class="post-like">
<div id="div-gpt-ad-1520443578103-2" class="center prevent-click-outside-ads" data-google-query-id="CNXh0sG8nPkCFQIWPwodEk0Jdw"></div>
</div>
</div>

Veteran NBA forward Semi Ojeleye has reached a two-year deal to play for Virtus Bologna in Italy

Semi Ojeleye signs with Virtus Bologna on two-year deal

The NBA's free-agency period tips off today at 6 p.m. ET! Who are the top players available? Here's a look at 15 notable players who could be on the move.
Check out <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/nba-free-agency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews' 2022 NBA Free Agency page</a> for our complete rankings, the latest rumors, a glossary of relevant terms and more.
ZACH LAVINE, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Zach LaVine bet on himself instead of signing a four-year, $105 million extension last offseason, and the gamble has certainly paid off. He averaged 24.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.8 made three-pointers while shooting 38.9% from downtown and a career-high 85.3% from the free-throw line. Steph Curry is the only player in the NBA to match or exceed LaVine in those statistical categories last season. With LaVine playing at such a high level, he'll want a max deal that pays approximately $200 million over five years. The most any other team can offer LaVine is around $160 million over four years. LaVine is expected to return to the Chicago Bulls when all is said and done.
JAMES HARDEN, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
James Harden declined his $47.4 million player option for the 2022-23 season and he's now an unrestricted free agent. However, all signs point to Harden remaining with the Philadelphia 76ers on a new deal. The 32-year-old struggled during the playoffs, especially in the second round when he averaged 18.2 points, 7.0 assists, 6.3 rebounds, 4.8 turnovers and 2.5 threes, while shooting 40.4% from the field, 33.2% from three and 76.1% from the free-throw line. Harden turns 33 years old in August and he seems significantly less explosive. Harden is&nbsp;
BRADLEY BEAL, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
In February, Bradley Beal underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist. Prior to the injury, Beal's scoring average had dipped dramatically (from 31.3 points per game in 2020-21 to 23.2 this season), and he was shooting just 30.0% from downtown. However, the three-time All-Star averaged a career-high 6.6 assists. Beal declined his $36.4 million player option for the 2022-23 season, but he's expected to re-sign with the Washington Wizards barring a sudden change of heart.
DEANDRE AYTON, RESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Deandre Ayton is the crown jewel of this year's free-agent center crop. Although the Phoenix Suns surprisingly chose not to offer him a max extension last offseason (worth approximately $173 million over five years), Phoenix can match any offer the former No. 1 overall pick receives this summer. However, an up-and-down postseason has raised questions about the 23-year-old&rsquo;s future with the team. In Phoenix&rsquo;s embarrassing Game 7 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, Ayton had just 5 points and 4 rebounds, leading Monty Williams to bench him after only 17 minutes. Ayton is a young, improving player and he's widely regarded as one of NBA's best young centers. If the Suns don&rsquo;t want to give Ayton the max, they may weigh their sign-and-trade options.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
MILES BRIDGES, RESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Charlotte reportedly offered Miles Bridges an extension worth $60 million over four years this past summer, but he rejected it. With Bridges exploding this season &mdash; averaging a career-high 20.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.9 threes and 0.9 steals &mdash; the Hornets' front office likely regrets not upping that offer, as the stud forward is now in line for a massive pay raise. He is one of only five players in the NBA this season who knocked down at least 125 three-pointers while also averaging at least 20-7-3. The other five players? LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum and Karl-Anthony Towns. It's worth noting that Bridges was arrested for domestic violence on the eve of free agency, which could impact his negotiations.
JALEN BRUNSON, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Jalen Brunson took a significant step forward during the 2020-21 season, averaging 12.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 threes in 25.7 minutes, while shooting 52.3% from the floor and 40.5% from downtown. The Villanova product continued to improve in 2021-22, averaging career-highs in points (16.3), assists (4.8) and rebounds (3.9). Brunson also showed he could shoulder increased responsibility by stepping up when Luka Doncic missed time during the regular season and playoffs. In the first round, Brunson helped Dallas Mavericks eliminate the Utah Jazz despite being without Doncic for the first three games of the series. In six games against Utah, Brunson averaged 27.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.0 threes and just 0.7 turnovers on 48.1/32.9/84.8 shooting. The New York Knicks are currently the front-runners to add Brunson.
ANFERNEE SIMONS, RESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Anfernee Simons increased his value a ton with his play during the 2021-22 season. After averaging a modest 7.8 points per game during the 2020-21 season, Simons averaged 17.3 points last year, which was the largest year-over-year leap in the NBA last season. He also chipped in 3.9 assists, 3.1 threes and 2.6 assists, while shooting 40.5% from beyond the arc. In the 30 games he started, he was even more productive &ndash; putting up 22.0 points, 5.5 assists, 4.1 threes and 2.8 rebounds on 45.2/41.5/87.1 shooting splits. The 22-year-old has a bright future in the NBA. One of the primary reasons the Blazers traded away CJ McCollum, Norman Powell and Robert Covington prior to the deadline was to clear up cap space to give Simons a big payday, so it would be very surprising to see him change teams.
JUSUF NURKIC, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
After a disappointing 2020-21 campaign, Jusuf Nurkic bounced back impressively last season, averaging 15.0 points, a career-high 11.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 53.5% from the floor. Nurkic&rsquo;s season ended early due to plantar fasciitis. However, he'll likely be ready to return by the start of training camp in September. Due to Nurk's tight bond with Blazers point guard Damian Lillard, many pundits expect Portland to re-sign the big man to a multi-year deal.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17028675_690w.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="434" />
COLLIN SEXTON, RESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Collin Sexton injured his left knee in early November, and an MRI revealed a torn meniscus. He had surgery a week later, sidelining him for the entirety of the 2021-22 campaign. It will be <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-trade-rumors-offseason-free-agency-examining-potential-destinations-collin-sexton-cleveland-cavaliers-washington-wizards-san-antonio-spurs-dallas-mavericks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fascinating to see what offers he receives on the open market</a>. During the 2020-21 season, Sexton averaged 24.3 points and 4.4 assists while shooting 47.5% from the floor, 37.5% from downtown and 81.5% from the free-throw line. However, he struggled defensively, and the Cavs registered a league-worst 60-159 record over the first three years of his career. With Sexton out of action this season, Cleveland went 44-38 and made the Play-In Tournament. Darius Garland emerged as an All-Star in Sexton&rsquo;s absence. Because he is a restricted free agent, the Cavs can match any offer he receives this summer.
BOBBY PORTIS, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
With Brook Lopez sidelined for most of the 2021-22 season, Bobby Portis stepped up for the Milwaukee Bucks, starting 59 games. He averaged career-highs in scoring (14.6 points), rebounds (9.1), blocks (0.7) and made three-pointers (1.8). Portis declined his $4.6 million player option for the 2022-23 season, and he is expected to search for a significant raise.
BRUCE BROWN, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
If you want to find a truly "positionless" NBA player, look no further than Bruce Brown. The 25-year-old shifted fluidly between roles for the Brooklyn Nets &mdash; the textbook glue guy that any playoff contender would love to have. In 22 games after the All-Star break, Brown averaged 14.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.1 blocks and 1.1 threes on 53.0/47.2/77.5 shooting splits. During the Nets' first-round series against the Boston Celtics, he continued to produce at this level, averaging 14.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.5 threes, 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks on 56.8/42.9/80.0 shooting splits. Brown proved he can be an initiator, a connective passer, a multi-faceted off-ball player and a primary defender, so he is due for a payday.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
MITCHELL ROBINSON, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
The New York Knicks technically have until June 30 to ink Mitchell Robinson to an extension worth up to $48 million over four years. However, the two sides have not yet reached an agreement, so it appears Robinson will be able to test the market. While he has flashed All-Defensive upside in short spurts throughout his four-year career, Robinson has battled numerous injuries and baffling inconsistency. His regression at the free-throw line (shooting below 50% in each of the past two seasons) is worrisome as well. Nevertheless, few big men can supply the type of high-flying athleticism and rim-protection he brings to the table. Robinson is expected to re-sign with the Knicks, but <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-free-agency-rumors-examining-potential-destinations-for-mitchell-robinson-new-york-knicks-chicago-bulls-pistons-trail-blazers-magic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">we'll see if any other team can make things interesting</a>.
LU DORT, RESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Lu Dort established himself as one of the league's elite young defenders early in his career. Last season, he proved that he is also capable of putting up points on the offensive end. Before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery, Dort was averaging 17.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.5 made threes. Over his final eight games, he averaged more than 23.0 points per game. Dort has one of the biggest bargains in the NBA, as he earned $1,782,621 last season. The Thunder decided to decline his team option, making him a restricted free agent.&nbsp;
TYUS JONES, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
Tyus Jones has proven to be a reliable, efficient backup point guard. Last season, he averaged 8.7 points, 4.4 assists, 2.4 rebounds, 1.1 threes, 0.9 steals and 0.6 turnovers on 45.1/39.0/81.8 shooting splits. However, he has also shown that he can step into the starting lineup and take on more responsibilities. In 23 games as a starter, Jones averaged 12.7 points, 6.6 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 1.6 threes and 1.1 steals on 45.0/39.6/83.8 shooting splits. He turned heads at times during the playoffs too. In Memphis' Game 6 win over the Warriors, he posted 21 points, 9 assists, 4 threes, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block and 0 turnovers (on 66.7/57.1/100.0 shooting) in just 24 minutes.
MO BAMBA, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT
After struggling over his first three years in the NBA, Mo Bamba just enjoyed the best year of his pro career. He became the first player in Magic franchise history to average more than 1.5 blocks and 1.0 made three-pointers per game over an entire season. However, it remains to be seen if Bamba has a long-term future in Orlando. The Magic just selected Paolo Banchero with the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Also, Orlando inked center Wendell Carter Jr. to a four-year, $50 million contract extension back in October (and lineups with both Carter and Bamba have not performed well). Orlando didn't extend a qualifying offer to Bamba, making him an unrestricted free agent.
&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/nba-free-agency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here for BasketballNews' complete free-agency rankings</a>. And check out <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-rumors-live-notebook-all-the-latest-news-trades-and-intel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our NBA rumor tracker</a>, which we'll continue to update throughout free agency.
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com. <a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

The NBA's free-agency period tips off today at 6 p.m. ET! Who are the top players available?

2022 NBA Free Agency: The top 15 players who are available

Although the Charlotte Hornets are publicly stating their willingness to do whatever it takes to re-sign Miles Bridges, free agency always presents interesting situations on the fly. Charlotte could see such a curveball with Bridges, a restricted free agent who had yet another breakout campaign, averaging 20.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists per contest on a 59.3% True Shooting percentage.
Will the Hornets actually be comfortable dipping their toes near the luxury tax waters? Over the years, most notably in the Kemba Walker saga, Charlotte has been notoriously frugal. If a team makes an aggressive push for Bridges that makes Charlotte uncomfortable, I will be very curious to see how they operate in the short term.
&ldquo;We love Miles. We&rsquo;re going to bring him back,&rdquo; Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak said at Steve Clifford's introductory press conference.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Let&rsquo;s further explore scenarios where Bridges could bolt on the Hornets.
INDIANA PACERS
As far as the best potential fits for Bridges away from LaMelo Ball and the Hornets, Indiana immediately comes to mind as a similar situation. Tyrese Haliburton is one of the best young playmakers in the league, and he would be able to consistently set up Bridges as a top-flight scorer in transition. Bridges and Bennedict Mathurin is also a fun, score-first combination to envision in Indiana.
All of a sudden, the Pacers would become a very enticing team with Bridges aboard. If everything were to click together, Indiana&rsquo;s starting lineup could help create some Play-In Tournament buzz immediately with a quintet of Haliburton, Mathurin, Chris Duarte, Bridges and Myles Turner.
According to Cleaning The Glass, Indiana can create upwards of $29 million in cap space with relative ease, and in turn, make the Hornets sweat early on with an offer that approaches its max-allotted space. What about throwing Bridges an offer sheet at $115 million over four years? With the salary cap going up, this deal wouldn&rsquo;t impede much on Indiana&rsquo;s long-term trajectory. And from an on-court fit, Bridges would be excellent, and should address a serious concern on the wing in Indiana.
Although it may seem unlikely Bridges leaves Charlotte this week, the Pacers are the one team I would keep my eye on in pursuit of him.
DETROIT PISTONS
Thanks to the recent additions of Nerlens Noel and Alec Burks, Detroit is no longer a serious threat to sign either Bridges or Deandre Ayton in restricted free agency at the moment. But that could quickly change with one trade that sheds Kelly Olynyk&rsquo;s salary. Moving Olynyk would open max-level room once more for Detroit to make an aggressive push to accelerate its young core's growth.
Alongside Cade Cunningham, similarly to Ball and Haliburton, Bridges would be consistently fed and convert those opportunities with efficiency. Also, Bridges wouldn&rsquo;t need to have a lot of the scoring load on his shoulders thanks to the presence of Cunningham and No. 5 overall pick Jaden Ivey.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rwFkotroulo" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
The Pistons&rsquo; core with Bridges added into the mix becomes a fun team to monitor over the next few years. Cuningham and Ivey as the lead ball-handlers, with the yin-yang wing combination of Bridges and Saddiq Bey sounds like pure perfection.
Bridges, a Michigan native, would certainly welcome a homecoming opportunity for the right price as well.
SAN ANTONIO SPURS
The Spurs seem very intent on the tanking path following their blockbuster trade that sent Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday. Would pursuing Bridges on a near-max salary really make sense on their new timeline? It&rsquo;s unlikely, but this is where finding potential fits for Bridges outside of Charlotte becomes difficult.
Bridges would certainly get his looks as the No. 1 option in San Antonio, but I don&rsquo;t see why either side would pursue this potential free-agent partnership. Expect to see San Antonio linked to a lot of players over the next week thanks to its immense amounts of cap space now available.
In the end, I would wager on Bridges returning to the Hornets on a new lucrative multi-year deal. However, we&rsquo;ve seen crazier things happen in the NBA at this time of the year.
Wherever Bridges eventually lands, his scoring will be well coveted in a wing-first league nowadays.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com. <a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

Will Miles Bridges actually return to the Hornets? Evan Sidery explores three potential fits for the restricted free agent wing.

Examining potential free-agency destinations for Miles Bridges

Exiting the 2022 NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons were widely regarded as one of the biggest winners. Not only did Detroit find a dynamic scoring guard at No. 5 overall in Purdue&rsquo;s Jaden Ivey, they maneuvered the board to their advantage and secured another lottery pick with Memphis&rsquo; Jalen Duren.
After adding Ivey and Duren to an already strong nucleus led by 2021 No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham, the Pistons are ushering in the next successful era of Detroit basketball.
A full-on revival is underway in the Motor City, with general manager Troy Weaver calling the shots. The Pistons had an eventful week, beginning with veteran forward Jerami Grant being traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. While the return was a bit lighter than expected, the move created significant cap space and the added artillery was then used to acquire Duren. This calculated move by the Pistons&rsquo; front office shows their vision and how determined they are to build the best ecosystem around Cunningham.
Ivey, the Boilermakers' electric lead guard who took the NCAA by storm, averaged 17.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists on 57.9% True Shooting. With his aggressive scoring mentality, Ivey should form a terrific one-two punch alongside Cunningham in the Pistons' backcourt. Both 20-year-olds will feed off of each other&rsquo;s best attributes, and they can both play on- or off-ball.
Ivey checks every box as a perfect running mate for Cunningham. Not only will he take pressure off Cunningham, the No. 5 overall pick will keep defenses honest on every single possession. Defenses will have to pick their poison when guarding this backcourt, and the ceiling for this duo is immense.
&ldquo;Absolutely he blends with Cade,&rdquo; Weaver said of Ivey. &ldquo;Both competitive spirits, [and] he&rsquo;ll help generate easy buckets, play on the second side, be able to create for others on the floor as well. We think it&rsquo;s a big-time fit... What he brings to the table is he&rsquo;s got electric speed, and he&rsquo;ll create opportunities offensively for us because of his speed. And he has the measurables to become a big-time defender. His athletic gifts along with the tenacity he brings to the floor and competitive spirit are things that attracted us to Jaden.&rdquo;
Although Ivey isn&rsquo;t from Michigan, the Detroit roots are profound. This is why Ivey was so comfortable ending up with the Pistons, only working out for them and the Orlando Magic during the pre-draft process.
Ivey&rsquo;s grandfather, James Hunter, played for the Detroit Lions. Ivey&rsquo;s mother, Niele Ivey, played for the WNBA&rsquo;s Detroit Shock during her professional career (and is now the head coach of Notre Dame women&rsquo;s basketball team). Ivey&rsquo;s father, Javin Hunter, played high-school basketball at Detroit Country Day School as well. Ivey was born and raised in Indiana, but given his family's history in Detroit, the Pistons treated his arrival as a pseudo homecoming &mdash; presenting him with each of his relative's Detroit jerseys during his introductory press conference.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
During Jaden Ivey&rsquo;s introductory press conference, the Pistons presented him with jerseys his grandfather, father and mother wore during their playing days in Detroit ❤️<a href="https://t.co/efu8dHOSJH">pic.twitter.com/efu8dHOSJH</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1540495919535341571?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re trying to construct your team, you want to make sure you fill certain holes,&rdquo; Weaver said. &ldquo;First of all, [Ivey] is a tremendous young man. Tremendous family background. Strong Detroit roots. Obviously, his grandfather was a Detroit Lion. His grandmother still lives here, has a clothing store. So, it&rsquo;s a homecoming for him."
In the modern NBA, elite guard play is what wins you games at a consistent clip. Pairing Cunningham with Ivey could quickly become a mismatch nightmare for opposing defenses, especially once they gain a rapport.
&ldquo;Versatility, length, athleticism, competitive spirit,&rdquo; Weaver said of the backcourt duo of Cunningham and Ivey. &ldquo;Looking forward to watching both of those guys playing together.&rdquo;
Once the Sacramento Kings decided to pass on Ivey and select Iowa wing Keegan Murray at No. 4, a ton&nbsp;of teams were calling the Pistons about their No. 5 selection. Weaver said he's never experienced that much trade activity at any other point in his career. However, even with strong overtures from multiple teams, the Pistons were not going to pass up an opportunity to pair two potential star guards together for the foreseeable future.
&ldquo;We said, &lsquo;Okay, one of our guys is on the board. Let&rsquo;s cash in,'' Weaver said.
After securing Ivey, the Pistons weren't done. Detroit's front office shifted their attention to adding Duren, who was the cherry on top of a historic night for the organization. In a three-team deal with the New York Knicks and Charlotte Hornets, the Pistons received Duren in exchange for the pick they just grabbed from Portland in the Grant trade less than 48 hours earlier.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Early on, Weaver identified Ivey and Duren as the team's primary targets. In the end, the Pistons' dream scenario played out. For Duren, he had his eyes on Detroit shortly after his pre-draft workouts began.
&ldquo;I worked out for the Pistons; they were my first pre-draft workout," Duren said. &ldquo;For me, I fell in love with the organization. From there, I actually told my agent this is where I wanted to be. I knew this was where I wanted to be.&rdquo;
Duren, who entered this past season as a potential top-five selection, slipped down the board to No. 13 where Detroit took full advantage. When looking over his freshman campaign with the Memphis Tigers, Duren was plagued by super inconsistent point-guard play coupled with consistent off-court distractions related to head coach Penny Hardaway&rsquo;s job security. Duren still produced amidst the chaos, averaging 12.0 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks on 60.8% True Shooting.
With Detroit, Duren enters a situation where his development doesn&rsquo;t have to be rushed. Instead, with Isaiah Stewart and Kelly Olynyk in place, the Pistons can allow Duren to develop at whatever pace is best for him.
Adding Duren also throws water on the fire related to Deandre Ayton&rsquo;s potential fit in Detroit. <a href="https://theathletic.com/3381739/2022/06/24/pistons-draft-jaden-ivey-jalen-duren/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to The Athletic&rsquo;s James Edwards III</a>, the Pistons are more likely to pursue multiple veteran additions compared to focusing on one single splash to cap off a strong offseason. If that&rsquo;s the case, it might be best to pivot away from Ayton and instead focus on the high ceiling Duren possesses.
When looking at the Pistons&rsquo; young core, it&rsquo;s hard not to feel giddy about their long-term outlook. Ivey and Duren are perfect complementary pieces for Cunningham, allowing him to take the next step forward as the bonafide face of the franchise.&nbsp;
If everything clicks for Detroit, look out for them taking a serious jump forward within the next calendar year. I&rsquo;m already extremely high on the fit between Cunningham and Ivey, but Duren&rsquo;s value as a pick-and-roll monster will be felt immediately as well. The pieces are beginning to fall into place for the Pistons, and now patience is the next step of the process with three key building blocks age-20 or younger.
&ldquo;I mean, we&rsquo;re trying to build this thing the right way,&rdquo; Weaver said. &ldquo;Continue to restore the franchise, so the community and city can be proud of what we put on the floor.&rdquo;
Detroit is still a few steps away from really hitting the turbo button on their rebuild, but it&rsquo;s hard to argue with the results as of late. The hardest part of the process is over with Cunningham onboard, and now Ivey and Duren have the makings of real accelerants who can make an impact as early as this season.
Right now, the Pistons' momentum is hard to ignore. At the press conference, the franchise handed out shirts that said "RESTORE," which wasn't lost on their recent additions.
&ldquo;Detroit said it about 'RESTORE,' I think that&rsquo;s the biggest thing. We want to restore, get the city of Detroit back to winning,&rdquo; Ivey said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s something I want to get to. I want this team to win. I&rsquo;m just gonna do whatever it takes to win, and having a guy like Jalen (Duren), Cade (Cunningham), Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart &mdash; those guys want to win. I feel like I can help a team win.&rdquo;
Armed with ample amounts of salary flexibility this offseason, the Pistons have countless scenarios to improve their roster. If it&rsquo;s not chasing Ayton on a max contract, Michigan native and current Charlotte Hornets wing Miles Bridges certainly makes sense as a potential free-agency target to slot in as a starter.
Beyond this offseason, the Pistons have flexibility over the next few seasons as they develop their young stars and wait for them to break out. Once that occurs, look out for the Motor City Revival to be in motion
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com. <a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

After nailing the 2022 NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons' rebuild could take off. Evan Sidery breaks down the Pistons' young core.

Motor City Revival: Pistons' draft-night haul accelerates rebuild

It&rsquo;s an annual occurrence in the NBA. Teams change head coaches and the roster of candidates who should get those jobs starts getting bandied about, and especially in recent years those lists almost always included Black candidates.
Case in point: Ime Udoka, who is of Nigerian descent.
For five years, he was one of those can&rsquo;t-miss candidates but never got hired. That is, until the Boston Celtics gave him the opportunity. And all Udoka did in Year 1 was reach the NBA Finals.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t understand what took so long, to be honest,&rdquo; Celtics guard Jaylen Brown said.
Udoka&rsquo;s hiring by the Eastern Conference champion Celtics, who open the NBA Finals on Thursday night against the Golden State Warriors, was part of a transformative year for the league when it comes to diversity within the coaching ranks. In the last 12 months, eight coaching jobs have been filled by Black candidates &mdash; and for the first time, half the league&rsquo;s franchises, 15 of the 30, have Black head coaches.
&ldquo;It means a lot,&rdquo; said Golden State assistant Mike Brown, one of the eight recent Black hires; he&rsquo;s taking over the Sacramento Kings when this series ends. &ldquo;When my son, and my oldest son&rsquo;s about to have his first son, when they turn on the TV and they see people that look like them leading an NBA team on the sidelines, it can be inspiring.
&ldquo;For me, carrying the torch and then passing it to the next generation is something that I think about often &mdash; not just for my family, but for others out there.&rdquo;
Detroit&rsquo;s Dwane Casey, Phoenix&rsquo;s Monty Williams, Cleveland&rsquo;s J.B. Bickerstaff, Philadelphia&rsquo;s Doc Rivers, the Los Angeles Clippers&rsquo; Tyronn Lue, Houston&rsquo;s Stephen Silas and Atlanta&rsquo;s Nate McMillan are the seven Black coaches who had their current jobs last season. They&rsquo;ve been joined in the last year by Udoka, Brown, Portland&rsquo;s Chauncey Billups, Dallas&rsquo; Jason Kidd, Orlando&rsquo;s Jamahl Mosley, Washington&rsquo;s Wes Unseld Jr., New Orleans&rsquo; Willie Green and last week, the Los Angeles Lakers hired Darvin Ham.
Mosley interviewed for nine jobs before getting hired in Orlando. Ham, like Udoka, had been a can&rsquo;t-miss name for years, but never got a chance until now.
&ldquo;Darvin is about as good a guy as you&rsquo;re going to see, a big competitor,&rdquo; Boston&rsquo;s Al Horford said. &ldquo;Extreme competitor. The Lakers are really lucky to have a guy like him. He&rsquo;s the kind of guy that you want.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s been nearly 60 years since Bill Russell broke the NBA coaching color barrier when he became the first Black man to coach a team; he accepted the role as player-coach of the Celtics starting with the 1966-67 season and won a championship in his second season.
Al Attles and Lenny Wilkens were the next two Black coaches to get opportunities; they would eventually become champions as well. There have been roughly 260 different coaches in the NBA, excluding short-term interim fill-ins, since Russell was hired, and 1 out of 3 of those coaches have been Black. But most of those Black coaches have either lasted in their first job no more than three years or not gotten a second chance at leading a team.
Players wanted that to change. Evidently, so did other coaches.
&ldquo;For many years qualified young coaches of color like Ime Udoka, Jamahl Mosley, Willie Green, Wes Unseld Jr., Darvin Ham and Stephen Silas, to name just a few, were not getting consistent opportunities to interview for NBA head coaching positions,&rdquo; said Indiana coach Rick Carlisle, the president of the National Basketball Coaches Association. &ldquo;The last two years changed everything. The league office has tirelessly made franchises more aware of the qualifications and journeys of these talented young coaches. This increased awareness has led to qualified coaches of all backgrounds having greater opportunity to interview and the numbers speak for themselves.&rdquo;
Part of that awareness came from a meeting that three league officials &mdash; Commissioner Adam Silver, chief people and inclusion officer Oris Stuart and president of social responsibility and player programs Kathy Behrens &mdash; had with Carlisle, representing the NBCA, in February 2019.
Out of that meeting, the NBA Coaches Equality Initiative was born. The NBCA worked with the league in many ways to get it started, including the building of a database; in a couple of clicks, teams in need of coaches could get information, including qualifications, experience and even an on-camera interview in some cases, on every available candidate.
&ldquo;You have to talk about these issues all the time,&rdquo; Silver said Thursday. &ldquo;If you care about diversity and inclusion in your workplace ... it has to become a focus.&rdquo;
There are still areas where the NBA can improve in terms of diversity. Most front-office positions are not held by people of color and Michael Jordan is the lone Black principal owner of a franchise; Jordan leads the Charlotte Hornets, the only team that has a coaching vacancy right now.
It&rsquo;s an issue, and while there has been improvement in some areas, Silver wants more.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s more work to be done,&rdquo; Silver said.
That said, the numbers in the NBA wildly exceed the other major U.S. pro leagues.
There are three Black coaches in the NFL: Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Mike Tomlin, Houston&rsquo;s Lovie Smith and Tampa Bay&rsquo;s Todd Bowles. That does not include Miami&rsquo;s Mike McDaniel; his father is Black, but McDaniel identifies as biracial. The person McDaniel replaced in Miami, former coach Brian Flores, is suing the Dolphins and the NFL for what he says is racial discrimination in hiring practices.
&ldquo;Our league leads the charge,&rdquo; Mike Brown said. &ldquo;Hopefully other leagues will follow suit.&rdquo;
But he also points out that he longs for a day when 50% of the coaches in a league being Black won&rsquo;t seem like a milestone, saying that&rsquo;s &ldquo;the dream.&rdquo; And Silver echoed those sentiments.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m particularly proud of numbers and roughly 50% of our head coaches are Black now, the goal is that that&rsquo;s not newsworthy,&rdquo; Silver said. &ldquo;And when people are hired, the first reaction isn&rsquo;t the color of their skin.&rdquo;

“Our league leads the charge,” Mike Brown said. “Hopefully other leagues will follow suit.”

Transformative year: Black coaches now lead 50% of NBA teams

BasketballNews.com's Senior NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock presents a series that will peel back the curtain from his time as a sports agent, giving a glimpse at some of his personal experiences working in the sports agency business for over a decade.
In the fifth entry of his series, Babcock shares his experience of living in Bologna, Italy as an assistant coach of a professional basketball team before becoming a sports agent. &nbsp; A little over 15 years ago, I received a call from sports agent Sam Goldfeder. On that call, he notified me that he had successfully brokered an assistant coaching position for me with the professional basketball team, Virtus Bologna, in Bologna, Italy. He explained that the team's season had already begun, and if I wanted to accept the job, I would need to pack my bags and fly to Italy right away. Although it was an unorthodox approach to chasing my dream of following in my family's footsteps and working in basketball, I decided to take a chance. I accepted the job. Before I knew it, I left my family's home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to travel nearly 5,000 miles to Bologna, Italy without knowing many details. I was 22 years old and set to embark on the adventure of a lifetime.
I vividly remember walking into the gym for my first team practice. I was excited but nervous. The first person I saw had a familiar face: former NBA player Travis Best. I had never met him before, but I had seen him play many times when he was the backup point guard of the great Indiana Pacers teams during the late 1990s and early 2000s, and he also played a role in the basketball movie "He Got Game." Travis approached me, introduced himself and kindly welcomed me to the team. He mentioned that he had gotten to know my uncle, Pete Babcock, the general manager of the Atlanta Hawks, while Travis had been in college at Georgia Tech.
We continued to chat, and it became apparent that he mistakenly thought I was his new teammate. I'm sure he was surprised when I told him I wasn't his teammate but his new assistant coach. Travis was 34 years old at the time and twelve years older than me. Ironically, I was there to start my coaching career as a 22-year-old kid, and he was winding down his playing career, which included ten years in the NBA. Although more of a complementary player while he was in the NBA, Travis was a star in Italy and widely known throughout Bologna as "The Best." He was our team's top player. He treated me well, and despite our age difference, we developed a friendship during my time there.
Following my conversation with Travis, I met the rest of the team. Many of them I had seen play numerous times when they were college stars in the United States. We had big man Kris Lang who had played at North Carolina, Danish forward Christian Drejer who played at Florida, sharpshooter Brett Blizzard from UNC-Wilmington, Ilian Evtimov from North Carolina State and even a fellow Arizona Wildcat, Bennett Davison, who was at U of A before me. He was also a college roommate of my former assistant coach, Josh Pastner. Their team won the National Championship in 1997. Bear Down!
It would be great to say that I finally felt at home in this foreign country once my first practice with the team had started. However, that wouldn't be true. It was quite the opposite, as I quickly found myself out of my element.
Let me explain.
Our team was conducting what is commonly called a "shell drill," which is a traditional exercise for a team to work on their defensive positioning and rotations. I had seen and done the shell drill what felt like a million times at that point. I would have been entirely confident to explain the principles of the drill and provide extensive direction to anyone at any time and without any preparation. Everything started with that drill as I would have expected. The players on offense each took a stationary position around the perimeter and moved the ball from one player to another. Each defensive team member would shift their position depending on the place of the ball. Up to that point, everything was normal. However, one of the players threw a skip pass and drove baseline to force the team to make a more dramatic defensive rotation. That is when things got kooky.
Rather than the nearby post player sliding over to the baseline to cut off the driving ball-handler, which is the standard way of doing it in the United States, the weak side guard sprinted from the opposite end of the court to cut off the man instead. When that happened, my mouth opened, and my jaw hit the ground in disbelief. I had never seen or heard of anything like that before. Travis Best looked at me and started cracking up. He said, "I was waiting for that to happen. I knew that you would be shocked." The other American players caught on, and everyone had a nice laugh before resuming practice. I thought, "This isn't going to be as easy as I thought."
I learned that Europeans do many things differently regarding practicing, playing, coaching and preparing for the game. And although I can't say I agree with all of the philosophies, I am happy I was able to experience something new. As an ambitious 22 year old, I needed to learn and develop. Learning from a coach with significantly different coaching methods challenged me and allowed me to open my mind to new ideas. It also forced me to make decisions internally about how I saw the game and how I thought it should be played.
I had been provided a car by the team, but I was lucky to have my apartment in the "city centre" (downtown), so I could easily walk around the city. It was a short walk from the Piazza Maggiore, the main square in town, and I spent much of my time just wandering and exploring. Rich in history, Bologna was one of the most prominent cities in Europe during the Middle Ages and is the home of the University of Bologna, the oldest university in the world. It's still considered a college town.
Another part worth noting is that Bologna is in the Emilia-Romagna region, which is known for its food and wine in a country famous for its culinary excellence. Yes, the food there really was good! During my time in Bologna, I established a newfound love for gelato, espresso, vino tinto (red wine) and numerous traditional Italian dishes, including ragu alla bolognese (bolognese sauce), which originated in Bologna. I ate so much pasta! My culinary experience while in Italy was indescribably good. However, my off-the-court experiences in Italy can not be summed up that easily.
My eyes were opened more and more as I met new people and experienced different things. I learned that Italians generally choose to intently live every part of their lives with passion. That was something that made an impact on me. I have tried to adopt and apply that approach to my own life and "stop and smell the roses," even today.
Throughout Italy, soccer is the top sport. However, in Bologna, basketball is king. During the 2006-2007 season, that was especially true as my team, Virtus, and our cross-town rival Climamio were the top two teams in all of Italy. To add to the excitement of being a part of that great rivalry, Climamio had the top international NBA prospect on their team, Marco Belinelli, who attracted many NBA personnel to town to evaluate him. The Golden State Warriors selected Belinelli with the 18th pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.
I was regularly invited to dinner by NBA scouts who were in town to see Belinelli,which was a terrific experience for a young guy like myself trying to learn and grow within the basketball world. Ristorante da Nello was the usual choice for NBA folks. I remember on one occasion going to dinner with Jacinto Castillo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Dennis Lindsey of the Houston Rockets. Jacinto, a Spaniard from Malaga, Spain, worked with my dad for years and is one of my favorite people. I did and still do consider him to be "the most interesting man in the world." Dennis Lindsey, the assistant general manager for the Rockets, has been a friend of my family for years and someone I have always respected. He has been an executive in the NBA for years.
I have been fortunate to have had many opportunities like that dinner with people like Jacinto and Dennis. Some of my most valuable learning experiences throughout my life and career have been at dinners where I've been a sponge listening to veteran basketball people share thoughts, opinions, and stories. Those experiences have probably contributed to my development as a basketball person more than anything else, and I'm certainly thankful for them.
Days and weeks passed, and I continued to fall in love with the city, the country and the culture. I also became close with the players and my co-workers on the team. Socially everything was great for me, and I loved living in Bologna. However, I had gone there blindly without really knowing any details about the job. After I arrived, I was informed that I could not travel with the team until I received a coaching license. They talked to me about getting the license and having me commit to a two-year contract. However, I was unsure if I wanted to commit to being away from home for so long. Also, I was given little direction in terms of what the expectations were for my role. In hindsight, I needed guidance and structure, as I was young and immature. Honestly, I wasn't ready for a job like that yet, and I struggled to find my footing workwise.
When winter break came, all of the players went home for a couple of weeks, but the team had me stay in town, although there wasn't any work for me to do. I remember driving around by myself on Christmas night, lost and hungry, desperately searching for somewhere to eat dinner because the restaurant I usually went to was closed. During that pitiful drive, the song by Stevie Wonder, "I Just Called to Say I Love You," came on the radio, and I began to miss my family, and subsequently, homesickness crept in.
It was something I had never dealt with before, and in the following days, I began to look at the glass as half empty and harped on the negatives. I called Sam Goldfeder, who had become my mentor. I talked with him about my frustrations, and over a few weeks, we discussed the idea of me working for him and his agency, Excel Sports Management. He said he would do his best to push the idea through, but for any job to come to fruition, I would need to meet with his partner and the company owner, Jeff Schwartz.
I ultimately decided to leave Bologna, Italy, and fly back to the United States to meet with Sam and Jeff in Los Angeles.
And that's when my career as a sports agent really began.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/my-past-life-as-a-sports-agent-bologna-italy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read the last entry of this series</a>: "My past life as a sports agent: Bologna, Italy" 
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on <a href="https://www.babcockhoops.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BabcockHoops.com</a>.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

Matt Babcock shares his experience living of in Italy as a pro assistant basketball coach before becoming a sports agent.

My past life as a sports agent: Ciao means hello and goodbye

One of the breakout stars of this year&rsquo;s NBA playoffs has been Dallas Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson. He&rsquo;s old-school, unconventional, talented, savy and up for a big pay day this summer. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound guard and Villanova alum was selected No. 33 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft and is one of the better second-round draft picks over the past few classes.
Last year, he was a Sixth Man of the Year candidate, averaging 12.6 points and 5.5 assists on 52/41/80 shooting splits in this third season with the Mavericks. This season, as a full-time starter, while watching his minutes jump from 25.0 to 31.9 per game, his productivity increased to 16.3 points and 4.8 assists per game on 50/37/84 shooting. In the playoffs (35.2 minutes per contest), Brunson jumped to 21.6 points and 3.7 assists per contest on 47/35/80 shooting.
His 2022 postseason included signature performances like a 41-point game in a win over the Utah Jazz in Game 2 without Luka Dončić and a 31-point effort against the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. He also had a meaningful 24 points on 11-of-19 shooting in Dallas&rsquo; shocking Game 7 romping of the Phoenix Suns.
But now, he&rsquo;s an unrestricted free agent. Dallas has a lot of questions to answer. How can they best build around Dončić? What do they do with Tim Hardaway Jr.? If they want to upgrade at center, what's the best answer at that position?
Among the most important questions is: do they extend Brunson? Here are some teams to watch in the Brunson sweepstakes this offseason.
NEW YORK KNICKS
The New York Knicks haven&rsquo;t had a reliable point guard since Raymond Felton in their famed 54-win season back in 2012-13. Since then, it&rsquo;s largely been a revolving door of meh at the point of attack at Madison Square Garden. Jose Calderon was past his peak when he got to New York. Iman Shumpert, though very talented, wasn&rsquo;t a natural point guard. Frank Ntilikina is closer to a three-and-D wing than a true floor general. Jerian Grant never panned out. Neither has Kemba Walker. Derrick Rose has arguably been the best of the bunch.
Walker, Rose, Alec Burks, Immanuel Quickley and Miles McBride make up the Knicks' point guard depth chart for 2022-23, in no particular order. Walker&rsquo;s health can&rsquo;t be trusted for an entire season. Burks isn&rsquo;t a true point guard and might be a trade chip. Quickley, if he starts, is probably better suited next to a natural point, and the same could be said for R.J. Barrett. And McBride is young, raw and inexperienced. Brunson is better than all of them, hard stop.
Because Brunson will be unrestricted, the highest-bidder has a chance. The bad news for the Knicks is that <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/new-york-knicks/cap/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">they&rsquo;re pretty much capped out</a>.
That means getting Brunson to New York would require a sign-and-trade. The good thing is that the Mavericks need a Mitchell Robinson type of center, and for about two years, I've been pushing for Brunson-Robinson swap. The Knicks should throw in something else, be it draft capital and or an additional young piece to make the deal work (for cap purposes too), but that&rsquo;s the framework that can come from this. Robinson gives Luka a lob threat, gives the team a higher upside defensively, and gives the coaching staff a player who can share the floor with just about anyone on the roster.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
If Brunson can play with Dončić and Spencer Dinwiddie, he can share a backcourt with Reggie Jackson. Kawhi Leonard has <a href="https://nba.nbcsports.com/2020/10/19/report-kawhi-leonard-wants-clippers-to-add-point-guard/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wanted a point guard</a>, but the Clippers still don&rsquo;t have one. It&rsquo;s Jackson, and that&rsquo;s it. Norman Powell, Luke Kennard and Terance Mann are guards, but they're all wings. 2021 second-round pick Jason Preston still hasn&rsquo;t played due to injury, and Xavier Moon was a two-way guy last year who played just 10 games. <a href="https://nba.nbcsports.com/2020/10/19/report-kawhi-leonard-wants-clippers-to-add-point-guard/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Leonard&rsquo;s been wanting a point guard for two seasons</a>, and it&rsquo;s time for the Clippers to address that spot since both Leonard and Paul George are due back next season.
Given the Clippers' cap situation, this would most certainly be a sign-and-trade. Powell, Marcus Morris, Kennard and Robert Covington all make between $12 and $16 million next season, and any of them could make sense going to Dallas. Only one or two of them would probably need to go at most, among other compensation (i.e. young players and picks).
Brunson in L.A. would join the starting line-up alongside Jackson, Leonard, George and a center. Ivica Zubac is an expiring $7.5 million contract next season, and he could actually be a piece Dallas wants in return. Assuming he stays in Los Angeles, Zubac rounds out their starting five and gives Los Angeles a true point guard, which they&rsquo;re clearly missing.
DALLAS MAVERICKS&nbsp;
The Mavericks reportedly had multiple opportunities to sign Brunson to a four-year, $55.5 million deal before and during the season, <a href="https://nba.nbcsports.com/2022/04/25/report-mavericks-didnt-offer-jalen-brunson-contract-extension-until-after-trade-deadline/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per reports</a>, but did not. As a result, he could be looking at <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2952513-latest-nba-trade-intel-lakers-realistic-targets-myles-turner-landing-spots?share=sms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">something in the $80 million range</a>, and possibly more after these playoffs.
Clearly, the offense works with him and Luka in the backcourt, blending in Dinwiddie in a natural role as a combo guard off the bench who can finish games. Dallas can keep their core together (those three and Dorian Finney-Smith) and work around the margins.
After losing to the Warriors in Game 5, Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban said that keeping Brunson is a priority, and damn near guaranteed that it&rsquo;ll happen.
"We can pay him more than anybody,&rdquo; Cuban said. "I think he wants to stay, and that's most important. I think [Jason Kidd] has a big part to play in that... JB blossomed as a player as much as anybody on this squad. From where he was last year to how far he came this year is a tribute to how hard he worked. And the support he got from his dad and his family and his girlfriend, but also, what he was able to learn from [Kidd]. I think he recognizes that, and I think he wants to stay."

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

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/mcuban?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mcuban</a> reflecting on the 2021-22 Dallas Mavericks season with Marc Stein. <a href="https://twitter.com/dallasmavs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@dallasmavs</a> | 📺 BSSW | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/dALLasIN?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#dALLasIN</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAPlayoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAPlayoffs</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheSteinLine</a> <a href="https://t.co/YZROfVsnq0">pic.twitter.com/YZROfVsnq0</a>
&mdash; Bally Sports Southwest (@BallySportsSW) <a href="https://twitter.com/BallySportsSW/status/1530038560673435658?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Brunson didn&rsquo;t have the exact same tone, but he&rsquo;ll cross that bridge when he gets there, it seems.
"When it&rsquo;s time, it&rsquo;s time. I&rsquo;m not worried about it right now," Brunson said, <a href="https://twitter.com/sixfivelando/status/1530037759955636242" target="_blank" rel="noopener">via Landon Thomas of Mavs Fans For Life</a>. "I&rsquo;m just really happy I got to play with these guys and what we did this year. I&rsquo;ll think about that later.&rdquo;
For Dallas, this is probably the move. Keep Brunson and build around the margins, particularly on the interior. Four years in, we can now say, as long as you have Luka, you have a chance. You just have to nail what&rsquo;s around him, and Brunson is someone you should want back in Dallas.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

Jalen Brunson was a breakout star for the Mavericks this postseason and is now an unrestricted free agent. Where will he end up?