Pacific Rumors: Cousins, Jordan, Stoudemire
Two coaching changes and more losing for the Kings have thrown DeMarcus Cousins for a loop this year, but he’s determined to learn from adversity, as Michael Lee of The Washington Post details.
“It’s been a circus, man. It’s been a complete circus,” Cousins said of this season. “We got off to a hot start. Unfortunately, I got sick, so it ruined the look of the team. I take some blame for that. I know for a fact, if I wouldn’t have gotten sick, things wouldn’t have happened the way it happened. It was no way it could. At the same time, a lot of it is not my fault and we all know why. But this has been a disappointing year.”
George Karl‘s up-tempo system doesn’t really fit Cousins but the center will keep an open mind about it, Lee writes. Cousins is in the first year of a four-year max extension. Here’s more from around the Pacific Division:
- DeAndre Jordan said he loves the city of New York but isn’t thinking about his free agency this summer, as he told reporters, including Marc Berman of the New York Post, after the Clippers beat the Knicks on Wednesday.
- Amar’e Stoudemire‘s said his interest in joining the Suns after his buyout with the Knicks was “extremely high,” according to Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. “But I wanted to compete for a championship this year,” Stoudemire added. “That’s one reason why I didn’t choose the Spurs, because I knew it’d be a letdown for all my Phoenix Suns fans. I couldn’t do it. It was a tough decision, but I wanted to win this year.”
- Wesley Johnson is finds it frustrating to be hitting free agency for a third year in a row, observes Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. The Lakers have a general affection for him, and Johnson has been considering a new deal with the team this summer, in spite of L.A.’s hesitance to give him more than a one-year deal the past two offseasons, as Bresnahan also relays. “It’s one of those things where you definitely don’t want to jump ship when something’s going bad,” Johnson said of the Lakers. I actually want to be a part of it to see if we can get back on the right foot. We’ll see what happens this offseason, see what direction they’re going.”
Central Notes: Love, Jackson, Bucks, Mirotic
Several sources tell Frank Isola of the New York Daily News that LeBron James is frustrated with the failure of Kevin Love to mesh with the Cavs this season, but James isn’t upset that Love believes Russell Westbrook, and not James, has the edge for MVP, notes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. Love said Wednesday that he believed his comments, which he made on The Dan Patrick Show (video link), were widely taken out of context and that James “could very well be the MVP,” McMenamin adds. Many executives and players don’t think that Love can accept the limited role he’s played on this year’s Cavs team again, writes Michael Lee of The Washington Post, who nonetheless believes that it probably doesn’t matter much that James and Love aren’t the best of friends. As the Love story continues to take on a gossipy edge, here’s more from the Central Division:
- The Pistons plan an all-out push to re-sign Reggie Jackson this summer, and Jackson is hinting that he’s already planning to return to Detroit with comments about playing alongside Andre Drummond and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the future, MLive’s Brendan Savage observes.
- The Bucks could have signaled to other players that they would reward those who developed in their system if they’d hung on to soon-to-be restricted free agent Brandon Knight and re-signed him, but trading him set the franchise back, opines Steve Aschburner of NBA.com. Still, coach Jason Kidd told reporters that it’s all part of a plan for the long term. “It’s something much bigger than that that you guys are going to have to wait and write about,” he said. “We’re here to build something, not to do something in six months. There’s a bigger picture. We feel we have a core here that will be around for a long time and have success.”
- Chicago made Nikola Mirotic this season’s highest-paid rookie with a three-year deal worth more than $16.631MM, similar to what the Rockets are reportedly prepared to offer draft-and-stash prospect Sergio Llull. The move is paying off for the Bulls, as Mirotic is making a late push for Rookie of the Year, as ESPN’s Michael Wilbon examines.
Rockets Prep $17MM+ Offer For Sergio Llull
The Rockets are willing to give draft-and-stash point guard Sergio Llull a three-year deal worth a total of at least $17MM, according to Javier Maestro of Encestando.es (translation via HoopsHype). Such an offer would add up to the rough equivalent of the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception. Presumably, the team’s interest in Llull is for next season, since Houston is limited to offering only the minimum salary for the balance of 2014/15. The 27-year-old is under contract with Real Madrid of Spain until 2019, as Mark Porcaro shows on our Draft Rights Held Players database, but apparently there are ways for him to get out of the deal via buyout.
Llull seemed disinterested in playing in the NBA as of a year ago, when Marc Stein of ESPN.com wrote that Houston believed the mainstay of the powerful Spanish national team could become an NBA rotation player. The Rockets acquired Llull’s NBA rights on draft night in 2009, shortly after the Nuggets took him 34th overall. He said two years ago that he was thinking about heading to the NBA at some point but spoke of unfinished business with Real Madrid. He’s averaged 10.5 points, 4.0 assists and 1.0 turnovers in 25.4 minutes per game for the club this season.
The only point guard under contract for the Rockets next year is Pablo Prigioni, who has a partially guaranteed deal, as we noted Wednesday night. Houston has nearly $54.5MM in guaranteed salary for next season, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders shows, against a salary cap that’s projected to come in at $67.4MM and an estimated $81MM tax threshold. Patrick Beverley, whose wrist injury has a decent chance of knocking him out for the rest of this season, is set to hit restricted free agency, and the Rockets have long been linked to soon-to-be free agent point guard Goran Dragic.
Sixers, Glenn Robinson III Interested In New Deal
The Sixers and rookie Glenn Robinson III have mutual interest in working out a deal that would keep the player in Philadelphia beyond this season, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Robinson will be a restricted free agent this summer if the Sixers tender him a qualifying offer worth $1,045,059. The rookie is currently on a one year, minimum salary deal. “They’ve really done a good job with me, just the little time I’ve been here,” Robinson said. “So I would definitely love to come back and play with these bigs [Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel] and this whole team. I think we really have a good chance of being a great team.”
Robinson has only appeared in one contest for the Sixers since the team claimed him off of waivers from the Timberwolves earlier this month. The young swingman said that getting released by Minnesota tested his resolve, Pompey notes. “I learned a lot in regards to how tough and how strong I am,” said Robinson. “I try not to pay attention to that and still keep pushing. I still believe that one day I’m going to be one of the best players in this league. I have no doubt about that.” The Nuggets were also reportedly interested in Robinson.
Sixers coach Brett Brown said the team would need to take a look at what Robinson could do at some point, Pompey adds. “I don’t feel the pressure yet,” Brown said of the need to play Robinson. “I don’t feel that I’m in a rush to make it happen.” Robinson is currently behind Jason Richardson, Hollis Thompson, Robert Covington, and JaKarr Sampson on the Sixers’ depth chart.
The 21-year-old out of Michigan was selected with the No. 40 overall pick by the Timberwolves in the 2014 NBA draft. Robinson appeared in 25 games for Minnesota this season, averaging 1.2 points and 0.6 rebounds in 4.3 minutes per contest.
And-Ones: Beverley, Woodson, Terry
Patrick Beverley‘s injured wrist is still being evaluated and the player will miss at least ten days, and potentially the remainder of the Rockets‘ season if he requires surgery, Jenny Dial Creech of The Houston Chronicle writes. “He is going to meet more people today and get a final determination as to what is going to happen,” coach Kevin McHale said. “There probably won’t be any major decisions made for a week-10 days, see what happens.” Beverly has been diagnosed with a torn ligament, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Former Knicks coach and current Clippers assistant Mike Woodson says that he absolutely wants to be an NBA head coach again, Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times relays (Twitter link).
- Woodson also said that if he had been retained as Knicks coach he would have pushed for the team to hold onto Tyson Chandler and to keep the veteran core together another season, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com tweets.
- With the loss of Beverely, the Rockets will need Jason Terry to step up his game if the team is to stay afloat in the Western Conference, Creech writes in a separate article. “I am looking to turn up my aggression offensively,” Terry said. “It’s something I haven’t been doing all season. You have seen a spark once or twice, like in Atlanta, maybe the Milwaukee game, but at this age it’s hard to do that all the time, but in these last two weeks before the playoffs, I am going to turn up my aggression very high and try to get a rhythm and consistency on the offensive end of the floor.”
Pacific Notes: Nash, Wear, Len
Speaking at his retirement press conference Steve Nash said that he considered his time with the Lakers a failure, Joey Ramirez of NBA.com relays. “I came here with huge hopes and dreams and was incredibly excited and humble to have the opportunity to come here and play for the Lakers and the world’s biggest fan base,” Nash said. “For it just not to be in the cards was a failure and a huge disappointment. It’s been a difficult period of my career and my life to battle through that and to try to make something of it, which was fruitless in the end. But I know I’ve never worked harder. I never wanted something more, and I never worked harder. It just wasn’t to be.”
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Nash said that he understands the backlash he received from Lakers fans regarding him not being around the team this season, Bill Oram of The Orange County Register writes. “I really needed to get away,” Nash said. “I had an incredible amount of stress and anxiety. I wanted something so bad and held on way too long. Probably over-trained to get there. I needed to get some space.”
- Suns coach Jeff Hornacek insists that center Alex Len will be “a great player,” and his rapid progress is seen on almost a daily basis, Matt Petersen of NBA.com writes. “He’s getting smarter and smarter every day,” Hornacek said. “He’s backed off a little bit on the pick-and-rolls. He knows the speed of the guys better, it seems like. He made a couple plays where I thought guys were going to have lay-ups…yet he can block it late. Those are big plays.”
- Quite a bit has changed with the Kings organization since David Wear, who recently inked a 10-day deal with the team, was in training camp with them earlier this season, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee writes. The forward is excited to get a shot to play in the NBA, Jones adds. “Of course I’ve been waiting, hoping for a call-up, so when I got the call, I was thrilled,” Wear said. “That’s what this whole year’s been all about, and it’s good to finally be here.”
2015/16 Salary Commitments: Pacers
With the NBA trade deadline passed, teams are focusing on locking down playoff spots or vying for a better chance in the draft lottery. Outside of the players who are added on 10-day deals, or those lucky enough to turn those auditions into long-term contracts, teams’ rosters are relatively set for the remainder of the season.
We at Hoops Rumors are in the process of taking a look ahead at each franchise’s salary cap situation heading into the summer, and the free agent frenzy that occurs every offseason. While the exact amount of the 2015/16 salary cap won’t be announced until July, the cap is projected to come in somewhere around $67.4MM, with the luxury tax threshold projected at approximately $81MM. This year’s $63.065MM cap represented an increase of 7.7% over 2013/14, which was well above the league’s projected annual increase of 4.5%.
We’ll continue onward by taking a look at the Pacers’ cap outlook for 2015/16…
Here are the players with guaranteed contracts:
- Paul George — $17,120,106
- George Hill — $8MM
- Solomon Hill — $1,358,880
- Ian Mahinmi — $4MM
- C.J. Miles — $4,394,225
- Damjan Rudez — $1,149,500
Here are the players with non-guaranteed contracts:
- None
Players with options:
- Roy Hibbert (Player Option) — $15,514,031
- David West (Player Option) — $12.6MM
The Pacers’ Cap Summary for 2015/16:
- Guaranteed Salary: $36,022,711
- Options/Non-Guaranteed Salary: $28,114,031
- Total: $64,136,742
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Eastern Notes: Rose, Miller, Price, Shved
Hornets assistant coach Mark Price agreed to terms with UNC Charlotte to become the program’s new head coach, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer reports. The 51-year-old replaces Alan Major, who resigned two weeks ago, Bonnell adds. Price has been an assistant with the Hornets for the past two seasons. When discussing the loss of Price, Hornets coach Steve Clifford said, “It’s not good for us, but that is how this profession works. If you hire good people they are going to get other opportunities,” Bonnell tweets.
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- The Pistons assigned Quincy Miller to the Grand Rapids Drive, their D-League affiliate, the team announced via Twitter. This will be the second trek to Grand Rapids of the season for Miller, who inked a two year deal with Detroit earlier this month.
- Derrick Rose is confident that he’ll return to action for the Bulls this season, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune tweets. “Oh yeah. I’m not worried about that. I don’t have any pain,” Rose said.
- The Bulls‘ oft-injured point guard wouldn’t elaborate on his possible return date, notes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com (Twitter link). Regarding him returning by the playoffs, Rose said, “That would be the plan, but who knows? Whenever I’m ready to come back, that’s when I’m going to come back.“
- Alexey Shved had an MRI that revealed an incomplete fractured rib and he will be out of action indefinitely, the Knicks announced. The guard will be reevaluated in two or three weeks time. The regular season ends three weeks from tonight.
Larry Bird On Tanking, Draft, Roster
Despite losing star forward Paul George prior to the season to a serious leg injury the Pacers have still been competitive this season, and team president Larry Bird expects his team to make the playoffs, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com relays. Bird spoke with Mazzeo on a number of subjects, and here are some of the highlights of their chat:
Discussing the concept of tanking and what comes to mind when it is mentioned, Bird said…
“It makes me sick to my stomach. For somebody that’s been in this league for over 30 years, I don’t think that’s the way you do things, but that’s my opinion. Everybody else has got their opinion. I’ve read in the past here where people thought we should lose on purpose. I don’t believe in that. I’ve never believed in that. If I ever get that way, I’ll be out of the game.”
When asked if the team prefers to draft players who have stayed in college for multiple seasons, Bird said…
“I don’t think it’s a direction. I do like four-year guys, though. They’re low maintenance. They already know what the league’s all about. We’ve taken some young guys — Paul George, Lance Stephenson, and both of them are very good players. I don’t think every draft we go in and say we’ve got to get a four-year guy or a three-year guy. It’s really who’s there. I know in Danny’s [Granger] situation, we followed Danny’s career pretty closely. And I know when he came in here to work out for us, it was more of a favor to come in here than it was that we had an opportunity to draft him. I think we were at [pick No. 17] that year [2005], and we thought he was gonna be taken in the top six. But he slid to us and we knew about his knee injury and everything. It was pretty easy. If you saw the way Roy [Hibbert] played his freshman year, you would’ve never dreamed he’d be on an NBA court. But the improvement, the work ethic he displayed, showed us that he’d be the best player he possibly could be by sheer work and force. Then, you take a lot of the other guys on our team — David West was a four-year guy. It’s just so much easier.”
On why he decided to keep the Pacers’ core intact at the trade deadline this year…
“I wanted to keep our group together because in the summer, if David and Roy opt out, we’re back to zero, really. We don’t have that much, so you leave your options open. If we did make a trade, I didn’t want to take on a lot of contracts — because that’s what usually happens. Plus, I liked my guys. They’re playing well. If we keep the core together and Paul comes back healthy, we’ll be right back to where we were.”
On which Pacers player has been the biggest surprise this season…
“I’ve been watching Rodney Stuckey for eight years now, and when you watch players from other teams you know how good they are, but you see them every day and you know they’re really good. And I think C.J. Miles has had problems with injuries throughout his career, but our training staff is getting him pretty healthy and he’s going to be here all summer, so I look forward and I look out for the big picture. We are going to have a good draft pick — whether we’re in the playoffs or not, we’re gonna get somebody that can help us. And we’ll just go forward with that, and we think we’re gonna be pretty good next year.“
2015/16 Salary Commitments: Rockets
With the NBA trade deadline passed, teams are focusing on locking down playoff spots or vying for a better chance in the draft lottery. Outside of the players who are added on 10-day deals, or those lucky enough to turn those auditions into long-term contracts, teams’ rosters are relatively set for the remainder of the season.
We at Hoops Rumors are in the process of taking a look ahead at each franchise’s salary cap situation heading into the summer, and the free agent frenzy that occurs every offseason. While the exact amount of the 2015/16 salary cap won’t be announced until July, the cap is projected to come in somewhere around $67.4MM, with the luxury tax threshold projected at approximately $81MM. This year’s $63.065MM cap represented an increase of 7.7% over 2013/14, which was well above the league’s projected annual increase of 4.5%.
We’ll continue onward by taking a look at the Rockets’ cap outlook for 2015/16…
Here are the players with guaranteed contracts:
- Trevor Ariza — $8,193,030
- Clint Capela — $1,242,720
- Joey Dorsey — $1,015,421
- James Harden — $15,756,438
- Dwight Howard — $22,359,364
- Nick Johnson — $845,059
- Terrence Jones — $2,489,530
- Donatas Motiejunas — $2,288,205
Here are the players with non-guaranteed contracts:
- Pablo Prigioni — $1,734,572 ($290K Guaranteed)
Players with options:
- Kostas Papanikolaou (Team Option) — $4,797,664
The Rockets’ Cap Summary for 2015/16:
- Guaranteed Salary: $54,479,767
- Options/Non-Guaranteed Salary: $6,242,236
- Total: $60,722,003
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.