Two-time Defensive Play of the Year Rudy Gobert was in street clothes, getting some rest, when Milwaukee came to Utah on Wednesday night. That meant veteran Ed Davis was now the starting center for the Jazz.
Davis isn’t quite the paint protector Gobert is.
Giannis Antetokounmpo took advantage and was dunking everything.
Antetokounmpo had 22 points and the Bucks won going away, not that it matters much in preseason. It’s just fun to watch the Greek Freak put on a show.
It’s all about LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
At least for the gambling public. With the return of the NBA set for July in a 22-team format, the NBA futures odds to win the title have gone up at sportsbooks. Not surprisingly, LeBron and the Lakers, and Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, are the betting favorites. Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers are close behind, with a considerable drop off after that.
Here are the current odds (with money won on a $100 bet):
| TEAM | CAESARS | FAN DUAL |
| Los Angeles Lakers | +200 | +270 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | +275 | +240 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | +325 | +340 |
| Houston Rockets | +1500 | +1200 |
| Boston Celtics | +1500 | +2000 |
| Toronto Raptors | +1700 | +2400 |
| Denver Nuggets | +2200 | +2500 |
| Miami Heat | +4000 | +2700 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | +2500 | +2700 |
| Utah Jazz | +6000 | +2900 |
| Dallas Mavericks | +3500 | +3600 |
| Brooklyn Nets | +6000 | +6000 |
| Indiana Pacers | +12500 | +10000 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | +6000 | +10000 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | N/A | +12000 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | +50000 | +21000 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | +7500 | +21000 |
| San Antonio Spurs | +100000 | +21000 |
| Orlando Magic | +75000 | +25000 |
| Phoenix Suns | +50000 | +25000 |
| Sacramento Kings | +200000 | +25000 |
| Washington Wizards | +100000 | +25000 |
A few quick thoughts:
• Brooklyn is only at 60/1 odds because of Kevin Durant‘s possible return to the court — except that’s not happening. Even if he could, Kyrie Irving is not recovered from his March surgery yet, and no way KD is coming back without Irving.
• Along those same lines, John Wall is not returning for the Wizards this season.
• The best bet on the board? I would say the Clippers.
• If I had to bet who will end up with the eighth seed in the West, I would take Portland. New Orleans and Memphis both have a legitimate shot, but Portland gets Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins both back, and that was a 50+ win team with those two the season before.
• I’m basing my thoughts on what happened before March 11, and all of that feels somewhat irrelevant heading into this unprecedented situation.
Or will be in July, at least, when 22 teams report to Orlando to play in a format that will see eight “seeding” games followed by potential play-in games for the eighth seed. After that, it’s a regular playoffs — no 1-16 seed but still East and West — with seven-game series each round.
Kurt Helin and Dan Feldman from NBC Sports, along with our friend Keith Smith — who lives in Orlando near the Disney property and has been all over this story from the start — break down the format and whether this is a format that provides enough safety to the players and staffs in Orlando.
As always, you can check out the podcast below, listen and subscribe via iTunes at ApplePodcasts.com/PBTonNBC, subscribe via the fantastic Stitcher app, check us out on Google play, or check out the NBC Sports Podcast homepage and archive at Art19.
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Gregg Popovich is 71. Mike D’Antoni is 68. Alvin Gentry just turned 65.
People 65 and older have proven particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus. The Center for Disease Control says 80% of COVID-19 deaths in the United States are people 65 and older.
As the NBA heads to the Walt Disney World resort complex in Orlando to resume the season, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver expressed concern for some of the league’s older coaches during an interview on TNT.
“There are people involved in this league, particularly coaches, who are obviously older people…” Silver said. “We’re going to have to work through protocols, for example, and it may be certain coaches may not able to be the bench coach. They may have to maintain social distancing protocols, and maybe they can be in the front of a room, a locker room… with a whiteboard, but when it comes to actual play we’re not going to want that that close to players in order to protect them.”
You can guess how that went over with D’Antoni and Gentry (and, likely, Popovich).
Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry on Adam Silver's remark on @NBAonTNT that "certain coaches" might not be on the bench when play resumes. "That doesn't make sense. How can I coach that way? " Gentry, who is 65, says he doesn't think older coaches "should be singled out."
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) June 5, 2020
Asked Mike D'Antoni yesterday about possibility of this older group of NBA coaches being required to wear masks on bench: "I am sure they want to keep everyone safe, but to start singling people out with more risk, well, I would hope they wouldn’t want to get into that.” https://t.co/NOmG3jhoo6
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 5, 2020
Pretty quickly, Silver was walking his statement back. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle, president of the NBA Coach’s Association, was quickly on the phone with Silver.
NBA Coaches Association President Rick Carlisle: "I just spoke to Adam Silver and he admitted that he jumped the gun with his statement to TNT. The health and safety of our coaches is first and foremost. It's entirely possible that an NBA coach in his 60's or 70's could be…"
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 5, 2020
Carlisle continued: …"healthier than someone in their 30's or 40's. The conversation should never be solely about a person's age. Adam assured me that we would work through this together to help determine what is both safe and fair for all of our coaches." https://t.co/yYDldXL69D
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 5, 2020
The league may want to take coaches who are members of vulnerable populations and find a way to add layers of protection for them, but keeping them from coaching their teams would be an incredibly tough sell to everyone around the league.
ASSOCIATED PRESS — The NCAA has set a new schedule for early entrants to the NBA draft to withdraw and return to school.
The NCAA announced Thursday that it would give players until 10 days after the NBA scouting combine or Aug. 3, whichever comes earlier. This comes three weeks after the NCAA postponed its deadline, which was originally scheduled to fall on Wednesday.
That June 3 deadline was set to come 10 days after the completion of the combine, but the NBA postponed the combine amid the coronavirus pandemic and has yet to announce a new date.
The NBA has announced the date of the 2020 NBA Draft Lottery, now set for August 25. Traditionally the NBA Draft Combine would follow a few days after that, although there has been no official announcement.
The NCAA’s date will force players to decide whether or not to stay in the draft before the combine takes place, or even before many have found out if they are invited. Some players who might otherwise have returned to school now likely will keep their name in the draft, only to not get a combine invite.
In a statement, the NCAA said the Division I Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee worked with the National Association of Basketball Coaches on the new timeline and “believes this is the most equitable alternative available in these unprecedented circumstances.”
“This provides the utmost flexibility to student-athletes testing the waters to make the most informed decision about their future during this uncertain time,” NCAA Senior Vice President for Basketball Dan Gavitt said in the statement.