Welcome to the Morning Commute
Night two of the NBA Draft without any Tigers being drafted. There was a chance Tamar Bates saw his name called in the second round, there were several mock drafts which had Bates going somewhere in the late 40s to late 50s. But there are only 59 spots and it’s easy to go undrafted considering how many teams treat the second round.
However Bates was the first Missouri Tiger from this past season to find a new home in the NBA next year. With the Denver Nuggets.
Yes the same Denver Nuggets who employ former Tiger Michael Porter, Jr. And the same team run by former Missouri Tiger Josh Kroenke. The Nuggets didn’t have a draft pick, their first round pick was shipped to Orlando in the Aaron Gordon trade a few years back. But Bates isn’t going into the most stable situation, the Nuggets are undergoing some front office changes, and notably fired Mike Malone (their former head coach) within weeks of the playoffs starting.
However there should be room for him to make a name for himself on the roster with the Nuggets in need of some cheap(er) labor.
Meanwhile, Caleb Grill is headed to Chicago on an Exhibit 10 deal. If you’re not sure what that is, it’s a non-guaranteed minimum salary deal, one most players sign to play summer league. Then that deal can be converted to a two-way deal if the franchise wants.
Other notable draft or NBA news: John Tonje was drafted 53rd by the Utah Jazz. In all 14 players from the SEC were drafted...
6. Tre Johnson to Washington
7. Jeremiah Fears to New Orleans
9. Collin Murray-Boyles to Toronto
18. Walter Clayton Jr to Utah
23. Asa Newell to Atlanta
35. Johni Broome to Philadelphia
36. Adou Theiro to Brooklyn
37. Chaz Lanier to Detroit
39. Alijah Martin to Toronto
41. Koby Break to Phoenix
46. Amari Williams to Boston
56. Will Richard to Memphis
59. Jahmai Mashack to Houston
I have made the decision to step away from writing for Rock M Nation and instead of an Irish goodbye (which I’m really good at), Sam Snelling encouraged me to pen a farewell message of some sorts, so here’s my brief version of a Write Off…
It’s true! I did encourage Chad to write a good-bye post. I think he earned the opportunity to say thank you to everyone who read his posts over the last couple years. I’m sure there are many of our regular readers who look forward to reading his takes and will miss Chad’s regular musings.
When BK signed off for the last time he left a big hole, and I knew we would have a tough time filling his shoes. There really wasn’t anyone with the Mizzou cache to step into the role, that is until Chad sent me a note to inquire about writing.
I was very excited to bring Chad on board and I’ve been thrilled with his work and perspective. He’s an industry veteran and one of the easy people to work with we’ve ever had. He’s just a pro. He will be missed. Doing this can be a lot of fun, but it can also be a lot of work.
But the good news is he’s never that far away, and if you see him at a Mizzou game I’m sure he’ll respond if you just yell “Mo!” at him from across the lot. I just want to say my own thanks to Chad for investing his time and energy into making RockMNation and RockMRadio better. His Mo Show was terrific, and I already miss his deep lineup of guests. But I plan on making sure Chad keeps his access in case he ever gets the bug to say something again.
Rock M Radio: Watch Dive Cuts, or watch it again!
Subscribe toRock M Radio on Apple Podcasts. Or stream episodesthrough Megaphone orSpotify. Have a question for us? Leave a 5-star review with your question and that show just might answer it in an upcoming episode!
If you like Rock M Radio drop us a Review and be sure to subscribe on your preferred podcasting platform. Follow@RockMRadio on Twitter and if you haven’t already head over to ourYouTube channel and click that subscribe button!
(** RockMNation has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though RockMNation may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links.**)