THE FLATS – The NBA is set to return to action with 22 teams next week, concluding a regular season that ended abruptly on March 12 in late July and then conducting playoffs, all at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Fla. Derrick Favors is the only one of the former Yellow Jackets in the NBA who will be a part of this restart, as his New Orleans Pelicans team is one of the teams gathering at Disney.
This week’s #ProJackets Report compiles more of the latest news, stories and social media posts on former Jackets and their activities of the past week.
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PELICANS TRYING TO CAP ‘LONG JOURNEY’ WITH IMPROBABLE PLAYOFF BERTH
It’s been 18 years since an NBA team began a regular season at 7-23 through 30 games and still made the NBA playoffs, writes Jim Eichenhofer on Pelicans.com. It’s been 35 years since a club withstood a losing streak of 13 games and reached the postseason. When NBA seeding games begin July 30 in Orlando, the New Orleans Pelicans will attempt to achieve their season-long goal of qualifying for the Western Conference quarterfinals, despite having both hardships on their 2019-20 resume. READ MORE
At the beginning of the year, it started off kind of rough for us. The record and (we had) a couple injuries here and there, but the guys kept fighting, the coaches kept helping us and we put ourselves in a great position to make the playoffs.”
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PELICANS STRONGER THAN PRE-PANDEMIC?
The Pelicans and the NBA look completely different than they did on March 11, when the season came to a screeching halt, according to TheBirdWhites.com. We don’t know what New Orleans or the rest of the league will look like, but it certainly won’t be the same as it once was. The Pelicans have plenty of reasons why they’re a new-look team, and the rest of the association should be shaking in their boots — specifically the 8-11 seeded Western Conference teams.
One of the reasons cited for optimism is the physical fitness with which Derrick Favors came back. “During the break, I was doing small stuff, like making sure I was stretching certain muscles, making sure I was keeping flexible, just trying to do the best I could, and it worked out. … “If we had a game tomorrow, I’d be ready, so when we get down to Orlando I’ll be ready to go.”
OKOGIE REMAINS ACTIVE IN MEDIA APPEARANCES
Josh Okogie has stayed active this offseason and has made a bit of a mini-media tour, so we’ll check in on his most recent appearance. Plus, folks are still putting out power rankings. Where do the Wolves fall in comparison to the other non-Orlando teams? This weekend, Josh Okogie appeared on The Tidal League podcast. He covered a variety of topics, including an interesting conversation on the differences between living in Nigeria, going to school in Atlanta, and playing professional basketball in Minneapolis. Okogie also touches on his offseason and what he’s been up to while working to improve his game. READ/LISTEN
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GREATEST TEAMS OF THE 2010s
As you might imagine, the Golden State Warriors and LeBron James dominate this list, but Chris Bosh and Iman Shumpert were part of three of the top teams of the decade of 2010, according to this Bleacher Report story. Bosh’s entries were the 2011-12 (No. 7) and 2012-13 Miami Heat (No. 4) teams, and Shumpert played for the 2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers (No. 6). Though qualification for this list required reaching the NBA Finals, all three of these teams took home the Larry O’Brien Trophy. READ MORE
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EIGHT NBA STARS ROBBED OF GREATNESS BY BIG INJURIES
Here’s an interesting look at eight players whose careers were scuttled by injuries by NBC Sports Bay Area. Chris Bosh is arguably the most accomplished of the eight featured here, all of whom were stars to varying degrees. READ MORE
“And yet, we all are left wondering what else Bosh could have accomplished if not for a blood-clotting condition that prematurely ended his career. Had Bosh continued to play at such a high level for another handful of years, he would have been in the discussion for one of the best power forwards of all time. It;s reasonable to think he should be regardless.”
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LAMMERS SIGNS WITH GERMAN TEAM
After two seasons playing in Spain, Ben Lammers is moving to Germany for his third season of pro basketball after ALBA Berlin (BBL) agreed terms with the 24-year old former Yellow Jacket center, according to Eurobasket News. He is the second import player in the roster as Italian Simone Fontecchio signed here earlier. Lammers has played for the last two seasons at RETAbet Bilbao Basket in Spanish Liga Endesa. In 28 games, he had 7.8ppg and 4.8rpg last season.
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HOLSEY SIGNS WITH UKRAINE SUPERLEAGUE TEAM
MBC Mykolaiv (Superleague) inked 29-year old American forward Kammeon Holsey (203-104kg-90, college: Georgia Tech). He played most recently at NH Ostrava in NBL league in Czech Republic. In 23 games he recorded very impressive stats: 15.9ppg, 7.6rpg (#3 in the league) and 2.3apg last season. A very good year in his career as he was voted to Eurobasket.com All-Czech Rep. League 2nd Team and All-Imports Team. In 2014 Holsey was drafted by Grand Rapids Drive (D-League) in third round (47th overall). The former Georgia Tech star is in his seventh season in pro basketball. Holsey played in the NBA Pro Summer League in 2016.
Holsey is a very experienced player. He has quite traveled the world as his pro career brought him to five different countries on three different continents (Europe, Asia and of course North America). Holsey has played previously professionally in Colombia, Finland (Kauhajoki), France (Quimper UJAP), Lebanon (Byblos) and Romania (Craiova).
#PROJACKETS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Happy Birthday from the bubble D-Fav!! 🥳🎂 @dfavors14 | @XRockerGaming pic.twitter.com/kT51cDH8q3
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) July 15, 2020
This season has been a “long journey” for #Pelicans, as Frank Jackson described it today. Despite 7-23 start, New Orleans still has sights set on goal of playoff berth. A postseason trip after 13-game losing streak would also be a rarity in #NBA history: https://t.co/JiH0DsiD7d pic.twitter.com/wIA7tUNX3I
— Jim Eichenhofer (@Jim_Eichenhofer) July 14, 2020
Next up, Derrick Favors! https://t.co/617RLF5P7o
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) July 14, 2020
@yungsmoove21 and his trainer pic.twitter.com/FwlfsBOcyt
— Shekinah Young (@Mrs___Young21) July 8, 2020
‼️ @CallMe_NonStop ‼️ pic.twitter.com/9fg6f5pWeC
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) July 9, 2020
The night of The Decision was something else, can’t believe it happened 10 years ago yesterday. From that day, until June of 2014, I had some amazing experiences that have shaped my life forever. I’m breaking them all down in my newsletter, The Last Chip. https://t.co/DZyMuXF3aj pic.twitter.com/iAb3OBH0I1
— Chris Bosh (@chrisbosh) July 9, 2020
Champions are made in the film room. Study, observe, and adapt. Being able to change little things from game to game can make the difference between winning and losing a championship. Read more in my newsletter, The Last Chip. https://t.co/eL3ya0Foo5 $5/mo – benefiting #BLM pic.twitter.com/iT1rh9HBK2
— Chris Bosh (@chrisbosh) July 12, 2020
https://t.co/rf9vqbZXrD pic.twitter.com/bHy8tMBV7O
— Chris Bosh (@chrisbosh) July 12, 2020
Fo/Life… https://t.co/NZhvT4e6jp
— Dennis 3D Scott (@Dennis3DScott) July 3, 2020
PT life! SideLineShorty is almost ready for the bubble! 😷👍🏾👋 pic.twitter.com/RiJSki9q2u
— Dennis 3D Scott (@Dennis3DScott) July 15, 2020
Beyond thankful for all the support and love from those who watched #akidfromconeyisland @netflix Always B U, that’s Gods beautfiul truth in being human. We only get a short time on earth before we manifest into another space. Let no 1 narrative your story be bold in the truth! pic.twitter.com/mTkd87RlTL
— I AM PEACE STAR (@StarburyMarbury) July 14, 2020
#AKidFromConeyIsland is NOT A BASKETBALL MOVIE. After you watch it understanding will be clear! @netflix https://t.co/RjJ2WL2KhY pic.twitter.com/ClZMBWnsxs
— I AM PEACE STAR (@StarburyMarbury) July 11, 2020
#PROJACKETS IN THE NBA/G LEAGUE IN 2023-24
| PLAYER | DATA | NUMBERS | TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|
 | JOSE ALVARADO Team: New Orleans Pelicans Number: 15 NBA Experience: 3rd year Years at Georgia Tech: 2017-21 Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y. Status: Active | 6-0, 179 lbs 2023-24 Stats 7.1 ppg 2.3 rpg 2.1 apg 41.2% FG | Record: 49-33 Standing: 7th place, -8.0 GB Streak: L1 Last 10: 5-5 |
 | JAMES BANKS III Team: Maine Celtics Number: 5 G League Experience: 3rd year Years at Georgia Tech: 2018-20 Hometown: Atlanta, Ga. Status: Active | 6-10, 250 lbs 2023-24 Stats 5.3 ppg 4.7 rpg 1.5 bpg 54.2% FG | Record: 21-13 Standing: 2nd place, -1.0 GB Streak: W1 Last 10: 8-2 |
 | MICHAEL DEVOE Team: Memphis Hustle Number: 10 G League Experience: 2nd year Years at Georgia Tech: 2017-21 Hometown: Orlando, Fla. Status: Active | 6-4, 183 lbs 2023-24 Stats 13.9 ppg 3.9 rpg 3.1 apg 47.4% FG | Record: 15-19 Standing: 12th, -9.0 GB Streak: W1 Last 10: 3-7 |
 | DERRICK FAVORS Team: Windy City Bulls (G League) Number: 14 NBA Experience: 12 seasons Years at Georgia Tech: 2009-10 Hometown: Atlanta, Ga. Status: Active | 6-9, 265 lbs 2023-24 Stats 6.2 ppg 4.7 rpg 0.7 bpg 66.7% FG | Record: 15-19 Standing: 13th place, -7.0 GB Streak: L1 Last 10: 4-6 |
 | JOSH OKOGIE Team: Phoenix Suns Number: 2 NBA Experience: 5 seasons Years at Georgia Tech: 2016-18 Hometown: Snellville, Ga. Status: Active | 6-4, 213 lbs 2023-24 Stats 4.6 ppg 2.6 rpg 1.1 apg 41.7% FG | Record: 49-33 Standing: 6th place, -8.0 GB Streak: W3 Last 10: 7-3 |
 | THADDEUS YOUNG Team: free agent Number: 30 NBA Experience: 16 seasons Years at Georgia Tech: 2006-07 Hometown: Memphis, Tenn. Status: Active | 6-8, 235 lbs 2023-24 Stats 4.2 ppg 3.0 rpg 1.7 apg 60.2% FG | Record: 49-33 Standing: 6th place, -8.0 GB Streak: W3 Last 10: 7-3 |
