April 2018 NCAA Wiretap
The Cleveland Cavaliers could have interest in pursuing Avery Johnson as head coach.
Dan Gilbert has had interest in hiring a college coach for several seasons with offers in the past to Tom Izzo, Bill Self and John Calipari. Johnson is in his fourth season at Alabama and has coached in the NBA previously with the Dallas Mavericks and Brooklyn Nets.
Johnson also coached Collin Sexton at Alabama.
Officials from the Cavaliers spent time with Johnson in advance of drafting Sexton.
Rick Pitino is hoping to become a candidate for an NBA job next offseason. Pitino has hired Drew Rosenhaus to represent him.
Just a month ago, Pitino said he was "finished coaching."
"I just want to be a part of an organization," Pitino told ESPN. "I want to develop young players. I want to be part of a team. I miss it terribly. I'm using this time to really study the NBA. If something opens up with a young basketball team, I'd have deep interest in it.
"I think the league is going to get younger and player development will become even more important to every organization. That's my forte. I believe I can help an organization find a pathway to success."
Pitino was fired at Louisville in the aftermath of the FBI probe into college basketball.
Pitino was previously a head coach with the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics.
Michele Roberts reacted to an announcement from the NBA that the G League will have "Special Contracts" available for top prep stars who wish to forego college and make $125,000 for one season in the G League. The goal of the plan is to offer an alternate path for prospects who would rather not to go college before the one-and-done rule is eliminated, which will likely be by 2022.
“Everybody wants to stay at home. That’s natural instinct,” National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts told Yahoo Sports. “Going overseas is lonely. The G League, at least historically, has been a more profitable option … most of the time, guys are making more money, having access to family and friends.”
Roberts wasn't involved in the union when the one-and-done rule was enacted.
“I don’t know how many slots we’re talking about [for elite G League players with special contracts], I don’t know what additional conditions are attached to it,” Roberts said. “This is not something we’ve [the NBPA] negotiated. [The prospects] are not members of the union. I have more questions about that contract. The six figures will get some guys’ attention.”
Roberts told Yahoo Sports that unionization of G League players could be on the horizon.
Jontay Porter will miss the entire upcoming season after tearing his ACL and MCL on Sunday.
Porter suffered the injuries during a scrimmage on Sunday against Southern Illinois.
Porter was expected to be a mid-first round pick in 2019. Porter tested the draft waters last spring.
Knee problems have been an issue for the Porter siblings in recent years. Bri Porter, Jontay and Michael's sister, retired from basketball before last season at Missouri after suffering her fifth ACL tear.
Host Danny Leroux (@DannyLeroux) and draft expert Sam Vecenie of The Athletic (@Sam_Vecenie) break down the 2019 NBA Draft prospects and the overall player development system.
They discuss the NBA’s new G League payment path, the top players in the 2019 draft class, the overall strength of the last few drafts and much more.
Sponsored by All American on The CW, Simple Contacts (simplecontacts.com/realgm), Betonline.ag, Pluto TV and TrueCar
The NBA and National Basketball Players Association are struggling to reach an agreement on lowering the league's minimum age to 18.
The NBA is attempting to attach two conditions: requiring player-agents furnish all teams with medical information on draft prospects and also mandating players' attendance and some level of participation in the pre-draft combine.
The NBA hopes to have a deal with the NBPA to remove the one-and-done rule in time for the 2022 NBA Draft.
The league and union must collectively bargain any changes to a CBA that was ratified in 2016.
The G League is creating a new venture as an alternative to the current one-and-done route for the best American basketball prospects.
As part of a newly formed "professional path" starting in the summer of 2019, the G League will offer "Select Contracts" worth $125,000 to elite prospects who are at least 18 years old but not yet eligible for the NBA draft.
The rule will target recent or would-be high school graduates who would otherwise likely spend just one season playing college basketball. They will receive a six-figure salary and benefit from the NBA's infrastructure.
Without the restrictions of the NCAA's amateurism rules, players will also be free to hire agents, profit off their likeness and pursue marketing deals from sneaker companies.
While changes to the NBA's age limit likely won't be implemented until the 2022 draft, the league considers this an immediate response.
The USA Basketball Men’s National Team coaching staff today was finalized with the announcement that NBA head coaches Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors) and Nate McMillan and Villanova University head coach Jay Wright have been selected as assistant coaches for the 2019-20 USA Basketball Men’s National Team.
Kerr, McMillan and Wright join USA and San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich to complete USA National Team coaching staff. The coaches will lead the USA National Team in 2019-20, which, if the USA qualifies, could include the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China (Aug. 31-Sept. 15, 2019) and the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan (July 24-Aug. 9).
"Led by coach Popovich, we have assembled an incredible coaching staff for the USA National Team, and we are excited to have Steve Kerr, Nate McMillan and Jay Wright join the team as assistant coaches," said Jerry Colangelo, who has served as the managing director of USA Basketball Men’s National Team program since 2005. "It’s special that each coach has prior USA Basketball experience as either a player or coach, and each coach has compiled a successful and impressive resume. I’m very confident that the USA Basketball National Team is in excellent hands the next two years."
"I am honored and fortunate to have such gifted coaches share this USA Basketball responsibility with me," said Popovich, a 1970 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. "Steve Kerr, Nate McMillan and Jay Wright are not just knowledgeable, dedicated individuals, but they exhibit the creativity, tenacity and respect for the game needed to compete in the international arena.
"I look forward to joining them as USA Basketball attempts to extend the stellar success they've enjoyed over the past 12 years."
NCAA Wiretap RSS Feed