And-Ones: CBA, Revenue Sharing, Thompson
There’s reason to believe that neither the owners or the players will opt out of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement after the 2016/17 season, David Aldridge of NBA.com writes in a piece that’s worth a read. Aldridge cites the new television deal, the rising salaries of players, and the success of the current revenue sharing system among the reasons to be optimistic. There’s also hope among the parties involved.
“Can’t imagine either [side] opting out”, one extremely high-ranking team official texted Aldridge last week. “Never know what the player’s union will do but the dollars are getting so big.”
Many players are beyond angry about the billions in salaries they have conceded and they want to recoup some of those losses, but there are some on the players’ side who think the current CBA is providing enough incentive to prevent a lockout.
“Way too much economic prosperity right now for the Owners and the Players with continual Global growth,” a prominent player agent texted Aldridge. “There is NO basis whatsoever for a work stoppage.”
Here’s more from Aldridge’s latest piece:
- Sources told the scribe that even though the Lakers are consistently major contributors to the plan, the franchise is in support of the current revenue sharing system. The team understands the need for some level of revenue sharing and it isn’t seeking substantial changes to the current system “because it’s working.”
- Aldridge switched gears to talk about the NBA on the court. He doesn’t believe Tristan Thompson will come to terms with Cleveland on a long-term deal, citing the $14MM schism between the two sides.
- Aldridge is surprised that Jamal Crawford remains a Clipper and predicts that the guard will be dealt by the trade deadline. Earlier this month, coach/executive Doc Rivers said that it’s unlikely the team will trade the 35-year-old.
Injury Notes: Jennings, Melo, Durant, Love
Brandon Jennings is “not close” to being cleared, sources tell David Aldridge of NBA.com. He is currently shooting and running on a treadmill at 60% of his body weight, but the Pistons need to see more before he’s cleared to begin non-contact drill on the court, Aldridge adds. Jennings ruptured his left Achilles tendon last January and the Pistons have made a few additions at the point guard position since. Detroit traded for Reggie Jackson at last season’s deadline and handed him a five year, $80MM deal this offseason. The team also added Steve Blake to reinforce the position. Jennings will make slightly over $8.34MM during the 2015/16 season, which is the last year of his current deal.
Here are some more injury notes that Aldridge passed along in his column:
- Carmelo Anthony looks like he’ll be ready for the start of training camp. He has been playing full-court, 5-on-5 with his Knicks teammates for the last few weeks.
- Kevin Durant has been cleared to participate in training camp. The expectation is that he will be ready to handle a full workload of minutes once the regular season starts.
- Kevin Love has not yet been officially cleared to return from a dislocated left shoulder injury that he sustained in the first round of the playoffs last season, but he has made significant progress.
- New addition Wesley Matthews has not done any full-court work yet, but the expectation is that he will be cleared to start doing some work on the floor when Dallas opens camp next week.
Rockets Sign Joshua Smith
MONDAY, 6:16pm: The Rockets have formally announced the signing on Twitter.
FRIDAY, 7:14pm: The signing is official, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. The deal is a one-year, minimum salary arrangement that includes no guaranteed money, Pincus adds.
THURSDAY, 4:45pm: The Rockets and unrestricted free agent center Joshua Smith have reached an agreement on a contract, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel reports (via Twitter). The length and terms of the agreement are not yet known, though it is most likely a minimum salary training camp deal. The Heat also reportedly expressed interest in the big man.
Smith, 23, finished his NCAA career at Georgetown this spring after spending his first two seasons at UCLA, and he appeared in 33 games as a senior, averaging 10.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 20.5 minutes per night. His career collegiate numbers overall were 10.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 0.7 assists, and his career slash line was .591/.000/.613. Smith played summer league ball for the Heat this offseason, appearing in nine contests, where he averaged 5.0 PPG and 4.0 RPG.
The addition of Smith will give the Rockets a roster count of 19 players, including 14 with fully guaranteed pacts. However, Houston is a bit thin at the pivot as far as depth goes, which could give Smith a chance to make the regular season roster with a strong preseason showing.
Rockets Sign Cummings, Livingston, Walker
SEPTEMBER 21ST, 6:15pm: The Rockets formally announced the signings of Cummings, Livingston and Walker (Twitter link). Houston waived Yusuf on Friday without ever formally recognizing his signing.
SEPTEMBER 9TH, 6:59pm: Walker has officially been signed, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link).
SEPTEMBER 5TH, 8:10am: Cummings and Livingston have signed contracts with the Rockets, according to the RealGM.com transactions log.
12:09pm: The signing of Yusuf has taken place, and it’s a non-guaranteed contract worth the rookie minimum salary, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). That means it wouldn’t count against the hard cap the Rockets would impose upon themselves if they signed No. 32 pick Montrezl Harrell for more than the minimum or for longer than two years, as I explained earlier.
11:24am: Feigen has corrected his earlier report, omitting Wood’s name from his revised list (Twitter links). Wood’s status with the Rockets thus appears unclear.
SEPTEMBER 3RD, 11:00am: The Rockets are close to signing Denzel Livingston, Will Cummings, Christian Wood, Remi Yusuf and Chris Walker for training camp, a source tells Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). A deal with Wood, who went undrafted out of UNLV this year, has apparently been in place since June Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported that the Rockets had agreed to sign him, but the other four names appear to be new additions for Houston.
Livingston, a 6’4″ combo guard who played his college ball at Incarnate Word, also went undrafted this year. He saw a smidgen of playing time with Houston’s summer league squad, averaging 2.0 points in 7.5 minutes per contest across three appearances. Cummings, a point guard from Temple, was another college senior passed up in the draft this June. He saw more extensive time for the Rockets in summer league, compiling 10.0 PPG in 22.8 MPG, though his 3.3 assists against 2.8 turnovers per game isn’t an encouraging ratio.
Walker, a once-heralded prospect whose stock plummeted at Florida, put up 4.2 PPG in 8.8 MPG for the summer Rockets. The forward/center declared for this year’s draft after his sophomore season with the Gators. Yusuf is a somewhat more surprising addition, since he didn’t play NBA summer league ball. The guard, a native of Nigeria, played at Texas A&M-Kingsville before going undrafted in 2006, and he spent time last season playing with SKP Banska Bystrica in Slovakia.
And-Ones: Vaughn, World Peace, Pistons
Former Magic head coach Jacque Vaughn will be joining the Spurs in a player-personnel role, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports.
The Magic fired Vaughn in February in the midst of his third season as coach after having served a brief apprenticeship as an assistant coach with the Spurs. Vaughn could eventually find his way back to the bench as an assistant coach, Wojnarowski writes, but there are no openings for him now.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Although a deal does not seem imminent, Cerruti Brown of the AmeriLeague announced that he will speak to free agent Metta World Peace about a possible deal, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter links). There’s a good chance that the veteran small forward will come to an agreement with the Lakers before camp, however.
- It’s unlikely the Pistons would trade shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for a few reasons, David Mayo of MLive.com writes. Caldwell-Pope, Mayo adds, still could be a major part of the Pistons’ future. What’s more, Caldwell-Pope’s defense makes him a valuable commodity and he is an improving player on a rookie contract, so it would take a strong offer to move him, according to Mayo.
Latest On Anthony Bennett
The Wolves are making progress on a contract buyout with former No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports (on Twitter). Bennett, as Wojnarowski points out, would be a free agent if he clears waivers.
Bennett’s representatives have wanted a contract buyout to allow him the chance for greater playing time, Wojnarowski reports in a full story. The Wolves have a deep frontcourt, Wojnarowski adds, so there is not much of a future for him with the franchise.
Bennett is owed $5.8MM and the Wolves currently have 16 guaranteed contracts, former Nets executive Bobby Marks tweets. Marks adds that only the Sixers and Blazers have enough room to claim Bennett and the Cavs are the only team with a big enough Traded Player Exception (Twitter link).
It is worth noting that a decision looms by November 2nd on Bennett’s team option for 2016/17, worth $7,318,289. The possible move comes as a surprise to many, including Basketball Insiders’ Alex Kennedy, who points out (on Twitter) that Bennett is still only 22 and entering his third year in the league.
Making the news even more surprising is that Bennett played well for the Canadian national team during the summer, and Wolves owner Glen Taylor recently downplayed the idea that the Wolves will trade the power forward. Prior to that, however, Wolves had reportedly been willing to move Bennett for the right return.
The Beat: Diamond Leung On The Warriors
Nobody knows NBA teams better than beat writers, save for those who draw paychecks with an NBA owner’s signature on them. The reporters who are with the teams they cover every day gain an intimate knowledge of the players, coaches and executives they write about and develop sources who help them break news and stay on top of rumors.
We at Hoops Rumors will be chatting with beat writers from around the league and sharing their responses to give you a better perspective on how and why teams make some of their most significant moves. Last time, we spoke with Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe about the Celtics. Click here to see all of the previous editions of this series.
Today, we gain insight on the Warriors from Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group. You can follow Diamond on Twitter at @Diamond83, and click here to check out his stories.
Luke Ridnour To Sit Out 2015/16 Season
Luke Ridnour will sit out this season and it’s likely he won’t play in the league again, reports Yahoo Sports’ Marc J. Spears, who cites a source.
The 34-year-old free agent was traded four times in one week during the summer. The Raptors waived the point guard in July.
Ridnour received interest in free agency, but it wasn’t reciprocated, Spears adds. The 12-year veteran has not announced his retirement, but a return appears doubtful, according to Spears.
Ridnour had career lows in points, assists and minutes per game this past season. He is only two years removed from having started all 82 games for the Timberwolves in 2012/13.
Eastern Notes: Celtics, Parker, KD, Heat
The Celtics are hoping that their depth will be enough to power them to success since they are lacking in star power, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald writes. Celtics GM Danny Ainge understands the importance of having elite players, but he also pointed to the Spurs’ 2013/14 championship team as a team that won it all while not necessarily having the most talent.
“History has shown us that you need stars — or at least some level of stars,” said Ainge. “But I do believe you can win with really good players. Teams in the past that have won haven’t had the best players.”
Of course, that was a roster anchored by Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker, so it’s not as though it was a team of no-names. Here’s more from the Eastern Conference..
- The Greg Monroe signing drew a ton of attention this summer, but if the Bucks enjoy success in 2015/16, Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders believes that Jabari Parker’s return could be an even bigger factor for Milwaukee. Parker and Monroe, he adds, could consistently combine for 30-40 PPG, something the Bucks sorely missed last season.
- Shaun Powell of NBA.com says that the Wizards are right to be setting the table for Kevin Durant in the event that he wants to leave OKC. The Wizards offer more than the comforts of home for OKC, thanks to John Wall, Bradley Beal, and a solid collection of bigs.
- In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if the Heat could trade Chris Andersen, Mario Chalmers, and a second-round pick to the Pistons for Brandon Jennings. While a healthy Jennings would be a quality a backup point guard to Goran Dragic, Winderman isn’t sure if Detroit will be motivated to move him upon his return.
Warriors Notes: Babb, West, Analytics
Over the weekend it was reported that the Warriors have offered Harrison Barnes a four-year, $64MM contract extension, but the offer was declined. Even though Barnes’ camp is seeking more money, the proposal appears to be a starting point in talks on a long-term pact. At $16MM AAV, the Warriors would be able to stay under the tax threshold in 2016/17, retain Stephen Curry in the year after, and still have money left for free agents. The question now is – how much further will Golden State be willing to go? Here’s more on the Warriors..
- Chris Babb, acquired from the Celtics in the summer David Lee deal, could be a good fit for the Warriors, Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside writes. While an up-and-down D-League player like Babb might not fit in with a lot of contenders, the defending champs could use the 26-year-old’s pesky D and high basketball IQ. If the W’s decide against keeping Babb, however, they won’t be on the hook for any cash as his deal is non-guaranteed.
- A self-described “old-fashioned” basketball mind, Warriors executive board member Jerry West doesn’t envision big success for “analytically based” teams, as Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group writes. “All of the analytical guys that have started to play a big role in it, and frankly, I’m not a big analytical person,” West told Sirius XM on Friday. “Give me the best players, and give me a great coach, and we’ll beat these analytically based organizations all the time. And I know they have their role. I know they have their place in basketball. But I see a lot of teams that follow that line, and I don’t see a lot of success there. I’m not knocking analytical people at all. But just give me the best players, and give me the best competitors, and I will show you a team that has a great chance to win every year.”
- Most of the same cast is back in Golden State, but the look will be different now that the Warriors are champs, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com writes.