"Buddy Buckets" is on his way to Sacramento!
Pending league approval and a successful physical, Bahamian Chavano "Buddy" Hield will suit up for the Sacramento Kings in the immediate future. Hield along with Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway and the Pelicans' 2017 first and second-round draft picks were traded to the Kings late Sunday evening for the oft-disruptive, but very talented, DeMarcus Cousins and Omri Casspi. The 2017 first-rounder is top-three protected, and the Kings are expected to waive veteran Matt Barnes to make room on the roster to complete the trade.
Hield, a 23-year-old 6"4" two-guard, was taken with the sixth overall pick by the New Orleans Pelicans in June's NBA Draft. He is perceived to be one of the rising stars in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and validated that perception with an explosive game in the BBVA Bank Rising Stars Game during the NBA's All-Star Weekend. In a game that featured the top rookie and sophomore players in the NBA on Friday, Hield struck for 28 points to help Team World knock off Team USA, 150-141. He shot 11-for-22 from the floor, but was only 3-for-12 from distance.
"It was a lot of fun," Hield was quoted as saying after game. "It means a lot to play in New Orleans. Everybody is embracing it, the atmosphere and us. I just wanted to go out and give the fans something good to watch."
Now, the Freeport native is moving to the west coast. Hield and the Kings will host the Denver Nuggets at the Golden 1 Center this Thursday.
With just over 20 games remaining in the regular season, Hield was hopeful that he would have a strong finish for the Pelicans. Now, he will have to do it in a Kings' uniform.
He is averaging 8.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists for the season, but saw his production go up once he was inserted into the starting line-up in December. As a starter in 37 games this season, Hield poured in 9.2 points, and had 3.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He also shot 39.9 percent from the field and 42 percent from distance, compared to 37.7 and 26.6 as a reserve. Overall, he is shooting 39.2 from the field and 36.9 from behind the three-point line.
The question is, will Hield be good enough to crack Head Coach Dave Joerger's starting line-up in Sacramento? Third-year guard Ben McLemore is entrenched as the starter in Sacramento and is averaging 6.6 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. He is shooting 41.2 from the floor and 37 percent from three-point land.
As for the Kings, they are very much alive in the playoff race, just a game and a half out of the final playoff position, but in putting Barnes on waivers and dealing Cousins, they have apparently taken the approach of rebuilding their squad from the ground up. How Hield fits into their plans remains to be seen.
The Kings are currently ninth in the NBA's Western Conference with a 24-33 win/loss record. The Pelicans are just a game behind them with a 23-34 record, but now have one of the best big men combinations in the league with Cousins and Anthony Davis. They have a very good point guard as well in the person of Jrue Holiday and will undoubtedly make a strong push for the playoffs now. Cousins, a three-time NBA All-Star and a two-time member of the All-NBA Second Team, is a free agent after the 2018 season, but the Pelicans are "confident" they can re-sign him, according to ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne. He is averaging 27.8 points and 10.7 rebounds per game this season and is a likely double-double each night. Together, Cousins and Davis will form one of the most formidable frontcourts in the NBA. They are just 26 and 23 years old respectively.
Meanwhile, it's a new beginning for Bahamian Chavano "Buddy" Hield.

The Brigham Young University (BYU) Cougars men's basketball team hosted its senior night on Saturday when they took on number 22 nationally ranked Saint Mary's University. However, the team's two seniors couldn't play due to injury. One of those seniors was a native of The Bahamas - L.J. Rose - and the other was Kyle Davis.
Rose underwent surgery on Monday to repair a meniscus tear in his right knee, and according to BYU Head Coach Dave Rose, it's unlikely that he'll return this season, bringing his collegiate career to a close. He needs at least four to five weeks to recover.
"We will kind of go through it with team doctors and see what the possibilities are, but it looks like it is probably a four to five week recovery period, and that it is possible, but we will see," Coach Rose said.
Rose transferred to BYU from Houston, and to Houston from Baylor. The graduate transfer earned his degree in health at Houston and was immediately able to suit up for BYU. Rose started all 25 games he played in this season, and averaged 5.5 points, 4.7 assists and 4.6 rebounds for BYU.
Although he was only with the team a few months, Coach Rose said that he made a lasting impression on the team. Rose and Davis were both named team captains in December.
"L.J. was a guy who put a lot of confidence in us, and he came and got hurt early, but kind of made it through, and helped us," Coach Rose said. "He helped us a ton, started 25 games for us. So these are both guys who were really valuable and important to this team. It is just kind of a shame that they haven't been able to finish it like they would have liked to."
Sophomore guard Eric Mika said that playing with Rose was an experience that was second to none.
"L.J. is one of the best teammates I've ever had," Mika said. "He's so knowledgeable of the game and so positive. By coming through and overcoming a lot, they both have brought real maturity to the locker room."
Apart from Rose and the Cougars, several other teams that feature Bahamian players were in action over the weekend.
Michael Carey and the Wagner College Seahawks knocked off St. Francis 73-55. Carey didn't attempt a shot in the game, but finished with three rebounds in 11 minutes of action.
Tavario Miller and his Texas A&M Aggies defeated Auburn 81-62. In four minutes of action, Miller had two points and two rebounds.
Shaquille Cleare and the Texas Longhorns fell 64-61 to the Kansas State Wildcats. Cleare finished with four points on 1-for-3 shooting from the field. He also pulled down five rebounds.
In Big Ten Conference action, Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn and the Michigan State Spartans fell 80-63 to No. 16 Purdue. Nairn finished with two points, five assists and four rebounds, and in American Athletic Conference play, the SMU (Southern Methodist University) Mustangs topped Danrad "Chicken" Knowles and the Houston Cougars 76-66. Knowles played 13 minutes and pulled down two rebounds.

The under-16 boys water polo team representing The Bahamas in Florida this weekend at the South Florida International Tournament got off to a hot start yesterday, going a perfect 2-0 on the day.
In the opener, the boys knocked off the YPRO water polo club 8-6. They followed that up with a 15-10 over the Raiders water polo club out of Florida.
The boys will be in action again today at 12 p.m. against Capital DC out of Washington D.C.
Later in the day, they'll take on the Loyola Water Polo Club.
The tournament comes to a close on Sunday.
Over 20 teams from around the world are competing in the two-day tournament. Team Bahamas is playing out of Pool A.
Bahamas Water Polo head coach Chris Illing said he plans to use this weekend's tournament as a tune-up for the 2017 CARIFTA Water Polo Championships, which will be held in New Providence at the Betty Kelly Kenning Aquatic Center.
"It's a big tournament where some of our Caribbean opponents will be playing. That will allow us to make our first comparisons," he said. "The boys are coming along fine, but it's always tough when you are the only team in the country (in that age group). However, our numbers are growing. The more players we get, the more competition they'll have, which will allow them to be even sharper when it's time to go up against competition from around the world."
Bahamas Swimming Federation (BSF) President Algernon Cargill in a recent interview with The Nassau Guardian, said that he pushed to get the water polo championships in New Providence because he believes the program has a lot to offer and can create another avenue for youngsters to further their education.
"The federation has truly been supportive of what we have been doing so far," said Illing. "We will try to make them proud and bring home at least one gold medal this year. Last year we scored three silvers, so there is still room for improvement."
The 30-member team that represented The Bahamas at the 2016 CARIFTA Water Polo Championships finished second in Trinidad and Tobago. The Bahamas competed against Barbados, Bonaire, Curacao and the host country Trinidad and Tobago in the under-14, under-16 and under-19 categories. Last June, The Bahamas' under-12 and under-14 water polo teams won the Florida Sunshine State Games titles. The under-14 team won gold out of a field of 11 teams. They opened their campaign with convincing 11-0 and 10-5 wins over teams from Boca Raton, Florida.

Bahamian DeAndre Ayton earned the top honor a high school basketball player in the United States of America (USA) could receive last month when he was named a McDonalds All-American.
In a recent interview, Ayton said that he wants his time in high school to be remembered for more than just his participation in the March 29 McDonalds All-American game in Chicago, Illinois, which features the best high school players in the U.S.
The 18-year-old said that he wants to be remembered as one of the best centers in high school ball. Ayton, who signed with the University of Arizona last year, said he also wants to be remembered for putting the Hillcrest Prep Academy Hawks basketball program on the map.
"I hope people will know that one of the best players came through here and that I left my mark with a goal to always be a role model," Ayton said. "Hillcrest Prep helped me with the competitiveness that I can bring to Arizona, and always knowing to play hard not take plays off, even when you think no one is watching."
In terms of him competing in the game, Ayton said he wants to put on a show for his family and friends who will be travelling for the game.
"It's big to be selected," he said. "To be in among the names up there with guys like Michael Jordan is
amazing. I want to go out there and have fun and for us to represent the West as best as we can as a team. I just want to enjoy myself. I don't want it to go by too fast and not rush anything."
Ayton has been ranked as the No. 1 player in high school in the U.S., but some scouting boards now have Nathan Hale forward Michael Porter Jr. as the No. 1 high school player in the states.
Ayton, who admitted to being concerned about scouting reports in the past, said he hasn't paid much attention to the rakings lately. The 7'1" center said that he has been solely focused on improving himself before he makes the leap to play collegiate basketball in the fall.
"I got used to it," he said of being ranked No. 1 in the past. "I just know I have a big chip on my shoulder at all times. People are always going to come at me and I just need to be humble. Anyone could shift on you. One day they love you, one day they hate you. I just have to be neutral and stay grounded."
Ayton remains the highest ranked player ever to commit to Arizona, and according to the high school post player, it's a decision he hasn't regretted at all.