Wednesday Summer League Notes: Hawks may have something in Schroder

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LAS VEGAS — Summer League entered the Tournament phase on Wednesday, which really didn’t feel any different yet than the rest of Summer League. Here is some stuff from my notebook…

• Atlanta may have a steal getting German point guard Dennis Schroder at No. 17.

He is 19 and the reports about his length and defense are spot on — you can see why some scouts said he had a Rajon Rondo style game. He defends well already. He has really quick feet that stay in front of the guy with the ball, he keeps his hips square and the long arms let him contest even if he gets beat a little. He’s a very aggressive defender.

“Schroeder has great athleticism,” said Portland’s C.J. McCollum, who was matched up with him Wednesday. “He’s very fast and quick, heady player, smart, good wingspan.”

On offense, he has a great feel for the game and handles that can get him into the paint. When he does drive he almost always dishes out (he is certainly pass first). He did draw fouls and get to the line eight times. His jumper could use a little work, he was 3-of-10 outside the paint and that has ben the norm from the outside (he was 0-of-4 last game, 1-of-5 the game before that).

But you can see him getting 15 minutes a night behind Jeff Teague — Schroder is 19 and he is going to improve. This could be a great pick for Danny Ferry.

• The best battle of the day was Atlanta’s Schroder matched up on Portland’s McCollum — two quick point guards making a mark here in Las Vegas.

McCollum (the No. 10 pick out of Lehigh) has had a good if up and down Summer League so far. Thursday was an up where he had 13 points and 4-of-7 shooting, he set up teammates and he dealt with Schroder’s defensive pressure well.

“I’ve been playing okay,” McCallom said when asked to reflect on his play. “For rookie standards I guess it’s decent. I got to shoot the ball a little bit better and take care of the ball more. This was my fourth game since January so I’m getting back into things, getting a rhythm and choosing when to pick my spots, when to be aggressive and when to sit back and let other guys take over.”

• Jordan Hamilton, who had a limited role on a deep Denver team last season, looked like a guy who wants more time — he owned the opening quarter and dropped 27 on the Pelicans Wednesday. He can finish inside, he knocked down 4-of-7 from three and he grabbed a few boards. There are minutes to be taken on that shaken up Nuggets roster and Hamilton made a little case at Summer League.

• Memphis hasn’t really done anything interesting with their roster this summer (they needed shooters, they didn’t get one). Which means Jerryd Bayless is still backing up Mike Conley. Point guard Tony Wroten put up 23 points to lead Memphis to a win Wednesday and is trying to make his case for a spot. Not sure it’s working (8-of-18 shooting to get those points, 2-of-7 from three). Wroten’s game has matured over the last couple years, but I’m not sure he’s a fit in Memphis.

• Otto Porter was held out of the Wizards game Wednesday with a tight right hamstring. He had a rough Summer League adjusting to the freelancing style of play and the multiple positions the Wizards tried him out at. Porter shot 30 percent in Summer League and missed all of his threes.

• Much like Porter, the pickup feel of Summer League games just does not suit Evan Fournier’s style of play. He looks okay, but some guys don’t thrive in this environment like they do a more structured game.

• I swear I saw Luke Harangody dribble the ball up the wing on the break, cut to the paint, put on a spin move and score over two Pelicans bigs. If I try to tell that story to people someday they will look at me like I’m Baron Davis talking aliens.

Milwaukee Bucks reportedly to hire Adrian Griffin as head coach

Detroit Pistons v Toronto Raptors
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Buzz had been growing for a week that Raptors assistant coach Adrian Griffin was the favorite Bucks coaching candidate of Giannis Antetokounmpo. Nick Nurse had his backers in the organization, but in a superstar-driven league, the wishes of players like the Greek Freak hold a lot of sway (especially with him up for a new contract in a couple of years).

The Milwaukee Bucks are reportedly hiring Griffin as their next head coach, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

This reaction from Fred VanVleet should tell you all you need to know about how the Raptors players felt about Griffin.

This hire is a gamble by the Bucks, turning the keys of a contender over to a rookie coach, but Griffin is more than deserving of a shot. Griffin spent eight years as a role player in the NBA — after going undrafted out of Seton Hall hand having to play in the Philipines — and then got into coaching, starting as an assistant in Milwaukee from 2008-2010. Griffin is seen as a defensive-first coach with a strong player development background (he worked with Jimmy Butler in Chicago). He’s been at or near the top of the “guys who deserve a shot” list for years and was in consideration for the open Raptors job in Toronto.

Instead, he now takes over a contender, although with a roster that is getting older and more expensive fast (free agent center Brook Lopez turns 35 this year, Khris Middleton is 31 and has a $40.4 million player option, Jrue Holiday is 31 and extension eligible come the fall).

Griffin will replace Mike Budenholzer, who was let go despite winning a championship with this team in 2021. Budenholzer is a process guy and was considered too rigid and slow to make adjustments in the playoffs, and this year’s first-round elimination by the No. 8 seed Miami Heat was seen as the culmination of that (even though Antetokounmpo missed two games due to a back injury). Griffin will bring a different voice and some new looks to a Bucks team still in its championship window.

Don’t be surprised if the Bucks hire a former NBA head coach to be Griffin’s lead assistant, to give him a veteran voice as a sounding board.

Nurse had been considered one of the frontrunners for this job, but now looks like someone destined to land in Philadelphia or Phoenix.

Heat guard Gabe Vincent reportedly to play in Game 6

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Officially, Heat guard Gabe Vincent is listed as questionable for a critical Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday night. He missed Game 5 due to a sprained ankle suffered late in Game 4 but was a partial participant in Saturday’s shootaround, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.

However, a report from Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports points to what everyone expects: Vincent will play in Game 6.

Miami needs him back if they are going to win Game 6 at home and end this series (the Heat lead the series 3-2).

Not just because Vincent has averaged 17.5 points per game this series, but because of his ball handling and shot creation. In the second half of Game 4 and through Game 5, the Celtics changed their defensive game plan, becoming aggressive at jumping passing lanes, bringing doubles on drivers, and trying to force turnovers. During the regular season the Celtics were a bottom-five team in forcing turnovers by design — they bet that their impressive one-on-one defenders could make shots difficult and so off-ball defenders largely stayed home on guys off the ball and didn’t take risks. That changed and Miami struggled to adjust in Game 5, with Kyle Lowry — starting in place of Vincent — having three costly early turnovers.

Vincent back in the lineup could help counter the Celtics’ defense. Miami also needs great games from Jimmy Butler (who looked tired in Game 5) and Bam Adebayo, who also had an off game in Boston.

The Heat want no part of a Game 7, they need to close this series out Saturday night. They need Vincent to do that.

Coaching carousel update: Nick Nurse has strong, not universal, support in Milwaukee

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Five open coaching jobs remain around the NBA: Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons.

Here is the latest on the searches to fill those openings.

• Nick Nurse may be the first domino to fall with him having drawn interest from the Suns, Bucks and 76ers. Nurse has strong support in Milwaukee, but it’s not universal, reports Ian Begley of SNY.tv.

So it’s worth noting that, as of earlier this week, Nick Nurse’s candidacy had strong support within the organization. Though not all key stakeholders in Milwaukee were aligned on Nurse, per SNY sources.

• Nurse has interviewed in Phoenix as well. Their top target was current Clippers coach Tyronn Lue, according to multiple reports, but Begley reinforces what has been reported here at NBC Sports and other places: The Clippers are not expected to part ways with Lue. Even if they do, the Clippers will not let their coach walk to a division rival in Phoenix.

• Momentum appears to be building behind Suns’ assistant coach Kevin Young getting a promotion in Phoenix, with Marc Stein reporting he got a key endorsement.

Word is Young, who has also interviewed for the head coaching vacancies in Milwaukee and Toronto, has received a strong endorsement from Suns star Devin Booker.

• It would be risky to put a first-time head coach in charge of a contender in Phoenix. If new owner Mat Ishbia goes that route, look for the Suns to get a former NBA head coach to be his assistant (don’t be surprised to see that in Boston next season as well, where Joe Mazzulla is expected to remain as coach).

• Nurse, former Nets’ head coach and current Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson, and Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin remain the finalists for the Bucks head coaching job. Stein reports Giannis Antetokounmpo is “intrigued” by Griffin.

• Toronto’s coaching search could be influenced by which direction team president Masai Ujiri decides to take the roster, something else up in the air. From ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on the Hoop Collective podcast (hat tip Real GM).

“In talking to folks that have been in touch with the Raptors recently, the Raptors don’t seem to know which direction they’re going to take. Whether or not they are going to focus on re-signing Fred VanVleet, extending Pascal Siakam, potentially making other roster upgrades. Or whether or not they’re going to send Fred VanVleet in a sign-and-trade, maybe investigate moving other players be it OG Anunoby or Pascal Siakam.”

• Multiple reports have Bucks’ assistant Charles Lee and former UConn coach Kevin Ollie as the frontrunners to be the next head coach in Detroit. Pistons’ ownership reportedly backed the Brinks truck up to Monty Williams’ house but he was not interested, Stein reported. The buzz has been that GM Troy Weaver is backing Ollie.

• The only coaching vacancy filled so far this offseason is Ime Udoka taking the job as the Rockets’ head coach.

Karl Malone pulls in $5 million with auction of 1992 Dream Team memorabilia

USA Men's Basketball Team vs Croatia, 1992 Summer Olympics
Richard Mackson /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images
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At one of Karl Malone’s car dealerships in Utah, the Hall of Famer used to display some of his memorabilia from the 1992 Dream Team — game-worn jerseys from Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, among other items.

Wednesday night, Malone auctioned off 24 pieces of that memorabilia, netting him a cool $5 million, something reported by Darren Rovell at the Action Network.

The biggest seller was a game-worn Michael Jordan jersey from the USA’s 127-76 thrashing of Lithuania in the medal round, it went for more than $3 million.

Other items sold include $360,000 for a Larry Bird game-worn jersey and $230,400 for a Charles Barkley uniform.