The HoopsHype Weekly: The NBA is postponing both their draft lottery and combine, both scheduled for May
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LOTTERY AND COMBINE POSTPONED: The NBA will be pushing back the draft lottery and combine, both of which were scheduled for May, to a later, as-of-yet unconfirmed date. The announcement came yesterday courtesy of the league and led to a host of questions.
Could this be a good sign as far as the NBA believing they’ll be able to resume the rest of the 2019-20 season, since, theoretically, if the league were ready to call it quits on the current campaign, they’d just hold the lottery virtually in May and keep the offseason schedule the same as last year? Or is the NBA just delaying the decision as to whether or not to return this summer to as late of a date as possible?
The answer is likelier more of the latter than the former, but we’ll take any silver lining we can at this point. Other minor signs of hope as to the season being resumed include Miami mayor Carlos Gimenez saying that the entire Heat team will be allowed to work out at AmericanAirlines Arena starting on May 8, as long as the players work out individually, as well as Woj reporting that a vast majority of high-level league officials remain encouraged about basketball returning this season.
DIPO WATCH: Teams are reportedly keeping a close eye on Pacers All-Star Victor Oladipo, who is set to hit free agency in the summer of 2021 — and who will cost Indiana a ton of money to keep around. What’s more, the fact that Oladipo and the Pacers reportedly couldn’t come to terms on an extension makes his upcoming free agency all the more interesting.
One thing is for sure: If Oladipo is able to regain his pre-injury form as he continues to recover, he should get a very nice contract from whoever does sign him. Currently, Oladipo is just the 50th highest-paid player in the league.
DRAY ON THE MOVE? Execs around the NBA reportedly believe the Warriors should consider moving Draymond Green since they owe the already-30-year-old a lot of money through the 2023-24 season.
POTENTIAL BULLS TARGETS? If new Bulls shot-caller Arturas Karnisovas and recently hired general manager Marc Eversley decide against keeping Jim Boylen around as head coach, two current assistants who reportedly could interest Chicago to fill the position are Toronto’s Adrian Griffin and Philadephia’s Ime Udoka.
ANOTHER BULLS 2-GUARD: Our own Alex Kennedy recently had a nice Q-and-A session with Bulls shooting guard Zach LaVine, who told us he isn’t miffed by being an All-Star snub this season because he has bigger goals than that, among a lot of other stuff.
OFFSEASON PREVIEWS: We look ahead to the upcoming offseasons for two franchises: the New York Knicks and the Atlanta Hawks. Both teams are quite young but have an opportunity to make a splash this summer (or fall).
NOT SO BAD: 11-year NBA veteran BJ Armstrong, who won three titles during his time with the Bulls in the early ’90s, recently joined USA Today to discuss the positive impact the much-maligned Jerry Krause had on the team.
DO-OVER: The 1984 NBA Draft is widely considered one of the best in league history. We did a re-draft of that year’s class to figure out how things should have shaken out. One thing is certain, though: Michael Jordan won’t be falling to third again.
FREE SPIRIT: Besides his tenacious defense and rebounding, Dennis Rodman is remembered most for his wacky on-court hairstyles. We picked some of our favorite looks by the unforgettable power forward and put them together in a fun gallery for you.
FOLLOW THE LEADER: With the G League now giving elite prospects another pathway to the NBA, potential 2021 No. 1 pick Jalen Green told USA Today he feels like a leader since he was the first to choose that path before others started to join.
DRAFT INTERVIEW: Arkansas draft prospect Mason Jones put up an impressive 22.0/5.5/3.4 stat line last season, and although our latest aggregate mock draft does not have him among the Top 60 prospects for 2020, he believes he has the potential to be a future NBA All-Star or MVP.