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Month: August 2015

Southwest Notes: Lawson, Marjanovic, Mavs

By | at August 7, 2015 8:59 am

The Southwest Division put five teams in the playoffs this past season and may well do so again in 2015/16, but it doesn’t receive much love from the ESPN Insider 5-on-5 crew, none of whom rank the Spurs or another Southwest team as the NBA’s best heading into the coming season. The Spurs and Rockets get one nomination each for No. 2, and while San Antonio gets plenty of support for No. 3, Bradford Doolittle and Ethan Sherwood Strauss both cite marquee free agent signing LaMarcus Aldridge‘s need for an adjustment period as one reason why they don’t rank the Spurs more highly. While we wait to see if the Spurs indeed encounter a measure of adversity, see more from around the Southwest here:

  • The Rockets understand the risk involved in having traded for Ty Lawson, GM Daryl Morey tells Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com, who details Lawson’s string of alcohol-related brushes with the law and his potential path to recovery. “We take those very seriously,” Morey said of Lawson’s issues. “He’s had some very serious incidents in his past and in his recent past. We feel like he’s part of the Rockets family now and through our conversations with him we feel confident he’s getting the help he needs and he’s taken that step to say this is something he needs to do is improve on those areas.”
  • The agent for Boban Marjanovic disputes the Spurs‘ claims that he’s not healthy enough to play for his national team this summer, as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News details. The Serbian Basketball Federation is also fighting the decision that the Spurs made over concerns about ankle and foot problems for the center whom they signed last month. “After the game, he didn’t play basketball for 5 weeks,” agent Misko Raznatovic wrote on Twitter, referring to a June 28th contest (Twitter links). “Absolutely out of physical activity. And now is badly injured and can’t play! NO WAY!”
  • The subtraction of Monta Ellis, the additions of Wesley Matthews, Deron Williams, John Jenkins and first-round pick Justin Anderson, and the retention of Charlie Villanueva set the Mavericks up to become more of an outside shooting team this coming season, as Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com examines.
0 comments Dallas Mavericks Houston Rockets San Antonio Spurs

Poll: 2013 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 2)

By | at August 6, 2015 11:00 pm

Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. I’m willing to bet that every team executive has at least one pick that he would like a mulligan for. While life, and the NBA, doesn’t allow for such opportunities, we at Hoops Rumors decided it would be fun to give our readers a second take at picking players, complete with the benefit of hindsight.

The first NBA Draft we’re tackling is 2013’s, the year that the Cavaliers surprised quite a few people when they nabbed UNLV forward Anthony Bennett with the No. 1 overall pick. Quite a few talented players were in that year’s player pool, including Victor Oladipo, Nerlens Noel, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Rudy Gobert, just to rattle off a few.

In the weeks ahead, we’ll be posting a series of reader polls that will ask you to vote on the player whom you believe should have been selected with each pick. We’ll continue onward with the Magic, who held the No. 2 overall pick that season. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Orlando’s pick and check back tomorrow night for the results, as well as for your chance to vote for whom the Wizards should have taken at No. 3. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the pick and why you voted the way that you did. Also, if I fail to list a player who you think should be selected, feel free to post that in the comments section and I’ll be certain to tally those votes as well.

Draft results thus far:

  1. Cavaliers: Giannis Antetokounmpo

With the No. 2 Overall Pick the Magic Select...

  • Victor Oladipo 37% (593)
  • Nerlens Noel 24% (387)
  • Rudy Gobert 20% (320)
  • Michael Carter-Williams 7% (111)
  • Ben McLemore 1% (23)
  • Mason Plumlee 1% (23)
  • Anthony Bennett 1% (19)
  • Alex Len 1% (13)
  • Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 1% (13)
  • Trey Burke 1% (11)
  • Otto Porter 1% (10)
  • Steven Adams 1% (10)
  • Kelly Olynyk 1% (10)
  • C.J. McCollum 1% (9)
  • Gorgui Dieng 1% (9)
  • Cody Zeller 0% (6)
  • Shabazz Muhammad 0% (6)
  • Lucas Nogueira 0% (6)
  • Tim Hardaway Jr. 0% (5)

Total votes: 1,584

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6 comments Hoops Rumors Originals Hoops Rumors Polls

Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 8/6/15

By | at August 6, 2015 9:45 pm

Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony has taken quite a bit of flack over the course of his career for his failure to carry any of his teams to the NBA Finals. With the Knicks in the midst of yet another retooling, the prospects for that to change this season seem remote. While Anthony certainly could benefit from more talent around him, another player who was selected in the 2003 NBA Draft who goes by the name LeBron James, carried a Cleveland squad with arguably lesser talent than this year’s version of the Knicks all the way to the NBA Finals during the 2006/07 season.

This brings me to the question of the day: Could LeBron James lead this season’s Knicks roster (sans Anthony) to the NBA Finals?

Here’s the Knicks’ (fictional) projected 2015/16 depth chart that includes LeBron:

Now for reference, here’s the depth chart for the 2006/07 Cavaliers:

What do you think the Knicks’ record would be this season with James on the team? Would they make the playoffs, and if so, how deep would they advance? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the matter. We look forward to what you have to say.

11 comments Community Shootaround Hoops Rumors Originals

Western Notes: Exum, Hibbert, Teletovic, Craft

By | at August 6, 2015 9:10 pm

Jazz point guard Dante Exum‘s knee injury is unfortunate, but just because he was playing for the Australian national team when he sustained it doesn’t mean the NBA should keep its players from international competition, argues Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. National teams usually employ trainers and medical staff that could mitigate the damage that might otherwise happen if players were engaging in pickup games or other less organized offseason play, Kyler points out.

Here’s more out of the Western Conference:

  • Roy Hibbert‘s mental approach seems key to his performance, so the new Lakers center has hired a sports psychologist, writes Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com, and an Eastern Conference executive tells Holmes he’s optimistic that in a contract year, with Kobe Bryant pushing him, Hibbert will have a bounceback season.
  • The Suns were badly in need of a stretch-four last season, and with the signing of Mirza Teletovic to a one-year, $5.5MM deal, Phoenix appears to have rectified that deficiency, Samuel Cooper of BrightSideOfTheSun.com writes. In the post, Cooper also breaks down Teletovic’s game using footage from last season to illustrate what he can bring to the team.
  • Aaron Craft, who made 50 appearances for the Warriors’ D-League affiliate last season, has signed a deal with the Hungarian team Szolnoki Olaj, Craft’s agent Misko Raznatovic announced on Twitter (translation by Orazio Cauchi of Sportando). The 24-year-old averaged 9.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists for Santa Cruz during the 2014/15 campaign. It’s unknown if Craft’s pact contains any NBA outs.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

1 comment Los Angeles Lakers Phoenix Suns Utah Jazz

Markieff Morris Wants Off Suns?

By | at August 6, 2015 6:39 pm

Suns forward Markieff Morris wants out of Phoenix and has cut off contact with the team, sources have informed John Gambadoro of the Burns and Gambo Show, which airs on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (Twitter link). Morris reportedly wants nothing to do with the coaches, front office personnel, and even his teammates, according to Gambadoro.

Morris is likely upset that his twin brother Marcus was dealt to the Pistons along with Reggie Bullock and Danny Granger in exchange for a 2020 second-rounder. The deal with Detroit separated the twins just months after they signed rookie scale extensions with designs on staying together. The Suns had allowed them to divvy up $52MM in extension money this past fall, and Markieff is slated to make $8MM this coming season in the first year of his four-year, $32MM extension.

Phoenix had reportedly been shopping (Markieff) Morris due to him having poor relationship with coach Jeff Hornacek, as well as the anticipated backlash from the player in the wake of his brother being dealt. It’s unclear what the market would be for Markieff at this point given his legal troubles and the likely stigma that would be attached to him forcing an exit from the team with which he has spent his entire career since becoming the No. 13 overall pick back in 2011. The Pistons don’t appear to be a viable option with their packed frontcourt, and being dealt to another team certainly wouldn’t solve Morris’ desire to play alongside his brother.

The 25-year-old appeared in 82 contests last season for the Suns, all as a starter, and posted averages of 15.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 31.5 minutes per game, with a slash line of .465/.318/.763.

8 comments Newsstand Phoenix Suns

Mavs Re-Sign Charlie Villanueva

By | at August 6, 2015 3:35 pm

AUGUST 6TH, 3:35pm: The signing is official, the Mavs announced via a press release.

AUGUST 4TH, 10:04pm: Villanueva announced via his personal Twitter account that the signing was completed, though no official announcement has been made by the Mavericks as of yet.

JULY 7TH, 1:04pm: The Mavs and Charlie Villanueva have agreed to a deal for the minimum salary, reports Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter link). It’s a one-year arrangement, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com adds (on Twitter). It’s fully guaranteed, according to MacMahon (Twitter link).

MacMahon had anticipated the deal. Villanueva made the opening night roster for the Mavs on a non-guaranteed deal last year, and he stuck all season as he helped preserve an NBA career that had been flagging during his time with the Pistons. Dallas had apparently wanted to keep him around at the minimum, and Villanueva expressed his wish to keep playing for coach Rick Carlisle.

The Jeff Schwartz client will make $1,499,187 as a 10-year veteran, a raise on the $1,316,809 he saw on last season’s minimum. Still, Dallas will pay only $947,276, which is the two-year veteran’s minimum, and the league will cover the rest, since he’s on a one-year minimum deal. The Mavs can’t trade him without his consent since he re-signed for only one year, and thus would lose his Early Bird rights if Dallas were to trade him, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders points out (Twitter link).

0 comments Dallas Mavericks Transactions

Jazz Confirm Dante Exum Has Torn ACL

By | at August 6, 2015 3:06 pm

Dante Exum has a torn ACL in his left knee, the Jazz announced, confirming initial fears in the wake of the injury he suffered Tuesday while playing for the Australian national team. He’ll inevitably require surgery, notes Jody Genessy of The Deseret News (Twitter links), even though the team hasn’t said so. The Jazz didn’t specify a timetable for recovery, either, but it seems likely that the point guard will miss all of the 2015/16 season.

Utah will probably replace Exum in house rather than acquiring another player, as Tony Jones and Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune wrote earlier this week, with Trey Burke seemingly poised to become the starting point guard in Exum’s place. Utah also has draft-and-stash signee Raul Neto at the position, as well as Bryce Cotton, who’s on a non-guaranteed contract. Shooting guard Alec Burks, who’s coming off an injury of his own that prematurely ended his 2014/15 season, also has experience at the point.

The Jazz are ineligible to apply for a disabled player exception since they’re under the cap. Utah has close to $7MM in cap room as it stands and can open more than $10MM if they waive their players with non-guaranteed salary, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders notes.

Exum, the No. 5 overall pick from 2014, played in all 82 games as a rookie, starting precisely half of them. His numbers weren’t eye-popping, as he averaged 4.8 points and 2.4 assists in 22.2 minutes per contest. The injury doesn’t do much to threaten his next contract, since his rookie scale deal runs through 2017/18, provided the Jazz pick up their team options on the final two seasons, a likely scenario. It does thrust Burke into the spotlight in the final season before he becomes eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer.

What do you think the Jazz should do in the wake of the injury? Leave a comment to tell us.

6 comments Newsstand Utah Jazz

NBA Stars Line Team USA Minicamp Roster

By | at August 6, 2015 2:34 pm

Prominent NBA figures appear up and down the list of 34 players who will take part in a Team USA minicamp next month in Las Vegas, USA Basketball announced via press release. They’ll engage in light, no-contact workouts from August 11th-13th, as USA Basketball executive director Jerry Colangelo explained to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News, so the risk of injury will be minimal, and some of the players won’t do any on-court work at all, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com details.

The minicamp is an initial step in preparations for the Olympics next year. The final Olympic roster will include only 12 players, so the team will winnow down to that number between now and next August.

See the full list of participants here, along with the year that each can hit free agency:

1 comment 2016 Olympics

Top Free Agent Assist Makers Still Available

By | at August 6, 2015 1:37 pm

John Lucas III is a journeyman, but he’s appeared in each of the past five NBA seasons, and the Pistons, Magic, Spurs, Mavericks and Clippers all had interest early last month, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported then. Still, nobody’s signed him yet, despite his position atop the list of remaining free agents who dished out the most assists per 36 minutes last season. Lucas didn’t play much in 2014/15, barely meeting our thresholds of at least 20 games played and at least 10 minutes per game, but when he did see the floor for the Pistons, his ball distribution led to points.

The same could be said of Ish Smith, who saw significantly more action with the Thunder and Sixers. He started 14 games for Philadelphia, but he’s no stranger to uncertainty about his NBA job security, having been waived by the Rockets and Pelicans within the past year without having played a single regular season game for either of them.

The market for free agent assist makers is not particularly strong at this point, though it is somewhat surprising to see Norris Cole, who has a qualifying offer of more than $3MM outstanding from New Orleans, down at No. 8. That’s a testament to the notion that point guards, particularly today, do more than just pass. Conversely, point guards aren’t the only ones who hand out assists, and even though swingman J.R. Smith isn’t known for his passing, he checks in at No. 9 below.

Here’s the full list, ranked by assists per 36 minutes from the 2014/15 season:

  1. John Lucas III (7.9)
  2. Ish Smith (7.8)
  3. Kendall Marshall (7.4)
  4. Donald Sloan (6.2)
  5. Nate Robinson (5.9)
  6. A.J. Price (5.1)
  7. Luke Ridnour (5.1)
  8. Norris Cole (5.0)
  9. J.R. Smith (3.4)
  10. Jason Terry (3.3)

Honorable mention:

Which player on the list would you most want your team to sign? Leave a comment to tell us.

2 comments Hoops Rumors Originals

Mavs Sign Samuel Dalembert

By | at August 6, 2015 1:27 pm

AUGUST 6TH, 1:27pm: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.

JULY 25TH, 1:19pm: The Mavericks have reached a one-year agreement with veteran center Samuel Dalembert, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports tweets. According to ESPNDallas.com’s Tim MacMahon, Dalembert will receive the veteran’s minimum (Twitter link).

This comes as no surprise, as ESPN’s Marc Stein reported nearly two weeks ago that the parties had mutual interest. Stein tweeted on Saturday that the Mavs are still looking at other center options, as they are in advanced talks with Tunisian center Salah Mejri and have not ruled out JaVale McGee if he’s healthy.

Dalembert was the Mavs’ No. 1 center as recently as 2013-14, when he started 68 games for them. He was then included in the Tyson Chandler swap with the Knicks. The 34-year-old only played 32 games for New York, including 21 starts, and averaged 4.0 points and 5.3 rebounds.

He gives the club additional depth behind Zaza Pachulia, who wound up with Dallas in a trade with the Bucks after top free agent target DeAndre Jordan decommitted and re-signed with the Clippers.

3 comments Dallas Mavericks Newsstand Transactions
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