NBA All-Star Weekend: League reveals player pool for Rising Stars tournament
The NBA’s “Rising Stars” tournament now has its official roster of players. The league announced 28 players who earned spots in the Rising Stars tournament at All-Star Weekend next month in Salt Lake City on Tuesday afternoon. The player pool consists of 11 NBA rookies, 10 second-year NBA players and seven NBA G League players. The 21 NBA players will be drafted onto three teams of seven, and the G League players will make up the fourth team. All-Star Weekend will kick off on Feb. 17 at Vivint Arena in Utah with the Rising Stars tournament and celebrity game.
wftv.comAnalysis: It may be time to re-think NBA All-Star voting
It’s reasonable to think Chet Holmgren will be an NBA All-Star one day. But evidently, his rehab has been going extremely well — since four NBA players say he should start next month’s All-Star Game. It's a new record: 330 different NBA players got a vote — either from themselves or their peers — saying they should be an All-Star starter. This all started seven years ago, after almost 800,000 people stuffed the ballot boxes and nearly made Zaza Pachulia an All-Star starter. Only Jokic (58.7%), Antetokounmpo (58.7%) and James (51.5%) appeared on more than half of the All-Star ballots cast by NBA players this year.
wftv.comNBA tanking is a problem, so here is one possible solution to encourage quality regular-season play
Rarely do teams get top-three picks in consecutive years, which is decided by the randomness of the draft lottery. But fixing the draft lottery isn’t the problem; fixing the regular-season tanking is the issue. In this scenario, Orlando, Oklahoma City and Houston would not be eligible to obtain top-three picks in next year’s draft lottery. Under the current system, the worst three teams have equal odds, followed by teams’ odds starting at 12.5 percent and descending by order of record. “It doesn’t stop tanking altogether, but it does keep more teams competitive as late as possible.
wftv.comAn NBA offseason full of drama finally welcomes a new season as the game takes center stage
On a private plane headed to San Francisco, NBA commissioner Adam Silver was catching up with a long-lost friend he hasn’t seen in months. Adam Silver: Well, kinda, sorta. That Ime Udoka, he had some issues that will pull him away from the team this season. I'm really, really looking forward to seeing the tall, skinny kid, Chet what's-his-name. “That’s right,” Silver says, with a smile.
wftv.comFantasy Basketball Rankings: Point guard draft tiers for 2022-2023 NBA season
The 2022-23 NBA season is fast approaching, which means it's time to start getting ready for your fantasy basketball drafts. He's one of the best sources of points, threes, assists and free throw percentage in all of fantasy. The Raptors don't have a ton of depth at the point guard position, and FVV provides value in five categories: points, threes, assists, steals and a high free-throw percentage. The arrival of Donovan Mitchell will dilute some of his usages, but he'll still be an asset for fantasy managers looking for points, assists, threes, free-throw percentage and steals. Brunson proved to be a difference maker for the Mavs' 2022 postseason run and should settle in as a point guard with upside this fantasy season.
wftv.comThunder No. 2 pick Holmgren to miss season with foot injury
OKLAHOMA CITY — (AP) — Oklahoma City forward Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft, will miss the 2022-23 season because of a right foot injury. Holmgren was hurt while playing in a pro-am game last weekend in Seattle, near where he starred last season for Gonzaga, and the Thunder announced Thursday that he sustained a Lisfranc injury. Video appeared to show Holmgren was hurt on a play while defending LeBron James. ___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2022 The Associated Press.
wftv.comMann leads Thunder past Kings 86-80 in Summer League play
LAS VEGAS — (AP) — Tre Mann had 15 points and seven assists to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to an 86-80 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night in the NBA Summer League. 12 pick Jalen Williams added 12 points, while No. Sacramento's Keegan Murray — the fourth overall choice — had 29 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Cameron Young added 11, Amauri Hardy had 10 and Isaiah Mobley grabbed 11 rebounds. Javonte Smart topped Miami with 20 points, and Haywood Highsmith had 17 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
wftv.comHolmgren shines in Salt Lake City Summer League debut
Grizzlies 76ers Basketball Memphis Grizzlies forward Jake LaRavia shoots a 3-pointer against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter of an NBA summer league basketball game Tuesday, July 5, 2022, in Salt Lake City. 2 pick in the draft also had seven rebounds, four assists and a Salt Lake City Summer League-record six blocks in 24 minutes. 12 pick out of Santa Clara, added 17 points to help Oklahoma City spoil the debut of new Utah coach Will Hardy. Jovic has played for Mega Basket in the Serbian league, averaging 11.7 points on 43% shooting in that league this past season. 19 pick out of Wake Forest, made four of Memphis' 15 3-pointers, and the Grizzlies won the opening game in Salt Lake City.
wftv.comMagic take Banchero 1st, Holmgren, Smith follow in NBA draft
NBA Draft Basketball Paolo Banchero, right, is congratulated by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the number one pick overall by the Orlando Magic in the NBA basketball draft, Thursday, June 23, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) (John Minchillo)NEW YORK — (AP) — The Orlando Magic selected Duke forward Paolo Banchero on Thursday night with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. 1 pick, took athletic Purdue guard Jaden Ivey fifth. ___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2022 The Associated Press.
wftv.comSmith, Holmgren, Banchero top list of forwards in NBA draft
(AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer, File) (Craig Mitchelldyer)Forwards are expected to dominate Thursday's NBA draft, starting with the trio of Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren, Auburn's Jabari Smith and Duke's Paolo Banchero. 2 overall prospect. 3 draft prospect, the AP third-team All-American was comfortable snatching down a rebound and leading the break. 15 draft prospect averaged 9.2 points and 6.4 rebounds for Baylor, and turned 19 only last month. 20 draft prospect.
wftv.comHolmgren visits with Magic, as No. 1 pick intrigue builds
Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren was wrapping up a multi-day visit Friday with the Orlando Magic, who hold the No. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) (Marcio Jose Sanchez)ORLANDO, Fla. — (AP) — Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren was wrapping up a multiday visit Friday with the Orlando Magic, who hold the No. 1 pick; Holmgren, Auburn's Jabari Smith and Duke's Paolo Banchero. The Magic taking a long look at Holmgren probably isn't a surprise to another past Orlando star player. ___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2022 The Associated Press.
wftv.comNotae, Arkansas muscle top overall seed Gonzaga out of NCAAs
NCAA Arkansas Gonzaga Basketball Arkansas guard JD Notae (1) celebrates during the second half of a college basketball game against Gonzaga in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament in San Francisco, Thursday, March 24, 2022. Notae shot 9 of 29 overall and 2 of 12 from 3-point range but was still the catalyst for the Razorbacks. During one sequence, Notae scored, then sneaked behind Timme for a steal. Arkansas had been 0-5 all-time against the nation’s top-ranked team and 2-11 overall, with one of those wins coming this season. Gonzaga: The Zags committed 15 turnovers, resulting in 10 Arkansas points.
wftv.comGonzaga center Chet Holmgren's stock continues to rise
The lanky 7-foot freshman always has an answer, usually in the form of a thunderous dunk, 3-pointer or swatted shot into the stands. “You hear it, but at the same time you're pretty locked in,” Holmgren said after finishing with 21 points, 15 rebounds and six blocked shots in a recent win over San Francisco. A highly touted prospect when he arrived in Spokane, Washington, Holmgren didn't dominate as expected early in his freshman season.
news.yahoo.comGonzaga back at No. 1 in AP Top 25; Wyoming enters poll
Saint Marys Gonzaga Basketball Gonzaga center Chet Holmgren (34) dunks during the second half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against Saint Mary's, Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022, in Spokane, Wash. Gonzaga won 74-58. 1 ranking in The Associated Press men's college basketball poll, while Providence climbed into the top 10 and Wyoming earned its first ranking in more than seven years. The Zags spent three weeks at the top before falling out after a loss to Duke, and also spent a week at No. The Razorbacks and Crimson Tide have both spent multiple weeks in the poll this season. ___Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at https://twitter.com/aaronbeardap___More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25Copyright 2022 The Associated Press.
wftv.comHolmgren, Timme lead No. 1 Gonzaga over San Francisco 78-62
San Francisco Gonzaga Basketball Gonzaga forward Drew Timme (2) shoots over San Francisco forward Patrick Tapé (11) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022, in Spokane, Wash. (AP Photo/Young Kwak) (Young Kwak)SPOKANE, Wash. — (AP) — On a night when shots weren't dropping for Drew Timme, freshman center Chet Holmgren stepped up to lift top-ranked Gonzaga. Holmgren scored 22 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked four shots in the Bulldogs' 78-62 victory over San Francisco on Thursday night. Jamaree Bouyea scored 25 points and Khalil Shabazz 15 for San Francisco (15-4, 2-2), which is off to its best start in decades. “I thought we played a really good game,” San Francisco coach Todd Golden said. SHOOTING WOESGonzaga shot 46.7% for the game, but San Francisco managed to shoot just 36% from the floor.
wftv.comNo. 1 Gonzaga turns showdown with No. 2 UCLA into 83-63 rout
LAS VEGAS — (AP) — Andrew Nembhard scored 24 points, freshman Chet Holmgren showed off his unique skill set and top-ranked Gonzaga overwhelmed No. Gonzaga shell shocked UCLA (5-1) with a huge early blitz and never let up to beat its second top-5 team this season. The Zags and Bruins played an all-timer last April in Indianapolis, an epic Final Four game won by Gonzaga on Jalen Suggs' running 3-point buzzer beater. UCLA has everyone back, though big man Cody Riley has been out since injuring his knee in the season opener. Gonzaga was at its free-flowing best on offense, picking apart the Bruins with crisp cuts and passes.
wftv.comChet Holmgren is the center of attention for No. 1 Gonzaga
The destination is the summer pro-am run by former NBA star Jamal Crawford. “It was unreal to see a unicorn in real life!” Crawford tweeted in August. “Chet Holmgren is special.” Fast-forward three months and as much as top-ranked Gonzaga might be downplaying all the “unicorn” talk, it’s clear Holmgren is a special talent unlike any that’s come through the Bulldogs’ program.
news.yahoo.comStrawther scores 17 as No. 1 Gonzaga beats Dixie State 97-63
Dixie St Gonzaga Basketball Gonzaga assistant coach Brian Michaelson directs his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Dixie State, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021, in Spokane, Wash. (AP Photo/Young Kwak) (Young Kwak)SPOKANE, Wash. — (AP) — Julian Strawther had 17 points and 10 rebounds as top-ranked Gonzaga beat Dixie State 97-63 in their season opener Tuesday night without coach Mark Few on the sideline. Rasir Bolton added 15 points for Gonzaga (1-0), which was undefeated last season before losing to Baylor in the national title game. Cameron Gooden had 15 points and Dancell Leter scored 13 to lead Dixie State (0-1), a member of the Western Athletic Conference from St. George, Utah. Dixie State, however, made only one of its first 13 and trained 23-4 with 8:50 left in the first half. Brock Gilbert's 3-pointer pulled Dixie State to 47-35 early in the second.
wftv.comNo. 1 Gonzaga fully reloaded after run to championship game
At one point during Gonzaga's yearlong run at No. 1 last season, coach Mark Few felt so comfortable with the leadership he had on the floor, he could have left a rack of basketballs on the court, walked away and the Bulldogs could have run practice themselves. The talent is certainly there, it’s just a matter of how quickly Gonzaga can fit the pieces together.
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