NBA Players Respond Poorly to December 22nd Start Date

• NBPA head Michele Roberts said that player response to a December 22nd start date has been overwhelmingly negative.
• There is trouble up North, as the Raptors and Timberwolves own a player facing charges.
• Steve Nash continues to fill out his staff, now adding Ime Udoka and his former coach Mike D’Antoni.

As the NBA offseason wears on, the league seems to have hit a bump in the road regarding its start date. While commissioner Adam Silver seemed optimistic on a December 22nd start date, Michele Roberts of the NBPA stated that the players were negative on a less two-month turnaround.

According to a report by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA fears a loss of $500 million to $1 billion should the season be delayed until 2021. Balancing the players’ needs and those of the league has been difficult, especially after what has been a devastating financial year.

An agreement between the league and NBPA seems distant at the moment. In an interview, Los Angeles Lakers guard Danny Green stated that he expects LeBron James to sit out the first month of the season should it begin in December.

D’Antoni Joins Steve Nash’s Team as an Assistant

In an entertaining reversal of roles Mike D’Antoni, a long-time coach of Steve Nash during his playing career has joined his two-time MVP point guard as a member of his staff. Most recently the head coach of the Houston Rockets, D’Antoni has taken a supporting role as an assistant coach on Nash’s staff in Brooklyn.

D’Antoni joins Nash as one of the most experienced coaches in the league, regardless of their position. The former Rockets head coach has coached 1199 NBA games since 1998, amassing a 672-527 record over that span of time.

The signing isn’t just for the nostalgia though, as rookie head coach Steve Nash will have one of the leagues most experienced ready to take the reigns should he put on a poor showing. To add fuel to the fire, Brooklyn has also added talented assistant Ime Udoka to their ranks as well.

Houston Finds Their Head Coach in Stephen Silas

After the D’Antoni experiment failed to result in an NBA Championship, the Rockets organization looked to clean house and part ways with both their head coach and Daryl Morey. Their first step toward rebuilding their organization has begun with the hiring of top Dallas Mavericks assistant Stephen Silas.

Son of former NBA player and coach Paul Silas, Stephen was with the Mavericks since 2018. Silas was previously in the running for the position with Rockets back in 2016, where he lost out to D’Antoni for the head coaching role.

Silas is the third of Rick Carlisle’s assistants to take on head coaching positions after serving under him, following the footsteps of Terry Stotts and former Coach of the Year Dwane Casey.

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Terence Davis and Malik Beasley Facing Charges

It’s not been a bright week for two of the NBA’s bright young stars, Terence Davis and Malik Beasley, as both face charges. Timberwolves guard Malik Beasley is charged with using a rifle to threaten a family. It was said that Beasley pointed a rifle at the family’s SUV who was on a Parade of Homes tour and told them to get off his property. The Minnesota Timberwolves have acknowledged the situation and are cooperating with authorities for the investigation.

Toronto Raptors and All-Rookie Team member Terence Davis were arrested in Manhattan last week for allegedly assaulting a woman at a luxury high rise. He faces seven charges, including assault, endangering the welfare of a child, criminal mischief, aggravated harassment, and attempted assault. The Toronto Raptors released a statement saying they are fully cooperating with the investigation that will involve the league through the Joint NBA-NBPA Policy on Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse.