2015 October | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Joseph, Raptors, Knicks

October 25th, 2015 at 3:02pm CST by Will Joseph

Cory Joseph, who is Canadian, said he has always wanted to play for the Raptors, but the decision to join Toronto on a four-year year deal worth $30MM had more to do with it being the right fit financially and basketball-wise, the point guard told Eric Koreen of the National Post in an interesting Q&A.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

There is a decent chance that Patrick Patterson played himself out of the starting power forward role for the Raptors with a poor preseason, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun writes. Patterson played well defensively, but he is more of an offensive player. In 19 minutes per game in seven appearances during the preseason, Patterson averaged only three points per game, as Wolstat points out.
From the Knicks‘ point of view, there is plenty riding on Carmelo Anthony‘s ability to recover from major knee surgery this season, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News relays.
In response to a question on Twitter, Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis said he wanted to be with New York for the rest of his career (h/t Sportando.com).

Reactions To The Death Of Flip Saunders

October 25th, 2015 at 2:07pm CST by Will Joseph

Hoops Rumors extends its condolences to the family of the late Flip Saunders and to all who knew him. Many around the league were hurt, surprised and saddened upon learning the news that Saunders died at the age of 60.

Here are some sentiments, memories and messages passed along on Twitter regarding Saunders:

Marc Stein of ESPN.com called this one of the saddest days in the NBA that he could remember.
In Chicago, members of the Bulls media learned about the news just as head coach Fred Hoiberg was addressing reporters after the team’s practice. Hoiberg said you won’t find anyone who knew Saunders who didn’t like and respect him, per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
Upon learning what happened, Dan Woike of the Orange County Register said he shared the news with a chatty Clippers media room and it became silent.
Nets GM Billy King called Saunders “one of the best guys in the NBA.”
Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press shared that his baby daughter was wearing a pink bib, which was a gift from Saunders, this morning before the announcement was made.
LeBron James echoed the sentiment of many when he tweeted that Saunders died at too young of an age.
Veteran Kris Humphries said Saunders was one of the most caring and genuine people he ever met.

Magic Pick Up Options On Napier, Three Others

October 25th, 2015 at 1:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

SUNDAY, 1:58pm: The team announced it has exercised the options on each of the players, Robbins tweets.

TUESDAY, 11:24am: Shabazz Napier‘s strong preseason performance has won over the Magic, who plan to pick up their $1,350,120 team option for 2016/17 on his rookie scale contract, reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. The team is also planning to exercise its rookie scale options on Aaron Gordon, Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton, according to Robbins, but unlike those three, the team wasn’t quite convinced about the option for Napier heading into camp, Robbins indicates.

The deadline for all four options is Monday, November 2nd, and Orlando is expected to make the moves official soon after its last preseason game on Friday, Robbins writes. The options add up to precisely $14.868MM, lifting the Magic’s payroll for 2016/17 to more than $60.5MM against a projected $89MM cap.

Napier, 24, is fifth on the team in preseason points per game, with 10.2, and is putting up that number in just 17.0 minutes per contest. The point guard whom the Magic acquired for virtually nothing in a trade with the Heat this summer has posted 2.2 assists and 1.2 turnovers per game in his five preseason appearances. That’s slightly better than the 2.2-to-1.6 assists-to-turnover ratio he put up in his rookie season with Miami last year, and he’s scoring at about double the rate he did with the Heat.

The 2014 Final Four Most Outstanding Player went 24th overall in the 2014 draft on the same night the Magic came away with Gordon and Payton, who were top-10 picks. Payton finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting while injury limited Gordon’s impact. Oladipo was the second pick in the 2013 draft and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2014.

I regarded the option pickup for Napier as generally likely, while the same move for Gordon, Payton and Oladipo seemed highly likely. The options for Napier, Gordon and Payton are for the third seasons of their respective rookie scale contracts, which cover four years. The option for Oladipo is for his fourth season, and he’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer.

Do you agree with the Magic’s plan to pick up Napier’s option? Leave a comment to let us know.

Flip Saunders Dies At Age 60

October 25th, 2015 at 1:06pm CST by Will Joseph

Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders has died, the team announced via Twitter. Saunders was 60.

Saunders has been battling the effects of cancer treatment and his health situation became dire earlier this month. Changes to way that Saunders‘ body had responded to chemotherapy for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma placed him in a life-threatening situation.

The team called the ailment a “very treatable and curable form of cancer” in August, when it announced his diagnosis along with the news that Saunders would continue his duties as head coach and president of basketball operations. A shift occurred last month, when Saunders took a leave of absence. Sam Mitchell has been coaching the team and GM Milt Newton running the team’s basketball operations since Saunders went on leave. The team said at that point that he’d experienced complications related to the treatments he was receiving and that he was undergoing tests and further treatment at a hospital.

As Saunders’ condition worsened recently, owner Glen Taylor said that Saunders would not return to the team this season because of the complications.

Saunders coached the Wizards, Pistons and Wolves in a career that spanned 17 seasons and included 654 victories. Saunders’ death was shocking and saddening to many around the league. Saunders was both well-liked and well-respected for a variety of reasons.

Pistons Notes: Morris, Ilyasova, Baynes, Drummond

October 25th, 2015 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Newly acquired forwards Marcus Morris and Ersan Ilyasova will be opening-night starters for the Pistons, tweets Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. He adds that coach/executive Stan Van Gundy has confirmed that Steve Blake will be the backup point guard. Morris came to Detroit from the Suns in a July 9th trade, while Ilyasova was part of a June 11th deal with the Bucks. Blake was acquired in a July 13th trade with the Nets.

There’s more from the Motor City:

Van Gundy expects restrictions on Aron Baynes to be lifted Monday after a consultation with his doctor, Langlois tweets. Baynes, who signed with the Pistons in July, is currently limited to 15 minutes of playing time per game and is not permitted to play in back-to-backs.
Andre Drummond showed he can be a team leader by agreeing not to hold the Pistons to a Nov. 2 deadline for an extension to his rookie contract, according to David Mayo of MLive. Drummond is expected to get a new deal next summer in the neighborhood of $120MM over five years. The money and terms will be the same for Drummond regardless, but by waiting he gives the Pistons about $12.7MM in additional cap room to chase free agents. His cap hold will be $8.2MM, while his estimated salary would have been nearly $21MM.
Stanley Johnson is getting early mention as a Rookie of the Year candidate, writes Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. But the 19-year-old, who was the No. 8 pick in the draft, isn’t impressed by the hype. “I just think the whole thing is stupid, honestly,” Johnson said. “The best player will get it, period. All this discussion, whoever, voters — there’s no rhyme or reason. It doesn’t make any sense on what’s actually gonna be. It’s actually funny to read some of this stuff. I kind of laugh at it. With some people you can tell they don’t know what they are talking about.”

Categories:
Detroit Pistons

Pistons Waive Ryan Boatright

October 25th, 2015 at 12:35pm CST by Arthur Hill

12:35pm: Boatright was waived at 5:00pm Saturday, the deadline for teams to cut players with non-guaranteed salaries without any of their salary hitting the cap, tweets former NBA executive Bobby Marks. He is expected to clear waivers Monday and be designated for the D-League Grand Rapids Drive, Detroit’s affiliate.

11:36am: The Pistons have waived guard Ryan Boatright, the team announced today. He will go to Detroit’s D-League team in Grand Rapids as an “affiliate player,” a designation for someone who was under contract with an NBA team, was waived, and who agreed to sign with the team’s D-League affiliate. An NBA team can claim the D-League rights to up to four players it waives, with the rest subject to the D-League draft if they sign there. The Nets couldn’t make Boatright an affiliate player because they don’t have a D-League affiliate.

Detroit signed Boatright on Friday after he was waived by the Nets earlier in the week. He saw little preseason playing time with Brooklyn, averaging 4.2 points, 3.8 assists and 1.0 turnover in 13.9 minutes per game. Boatright, a 6’0″ guard, was a star at Connecticut, was wasn’t selected in June’s draft.

The move brings the Pistons’ roster down to 16 players, all of whom have fully guaranteed contracts. Veteran Danny Granger is expected to waived to reach to maximum of 15.

Pelicans Eye Ish Smith; Sixers Mull Waiver Claim

October 25th, 2015 at 12:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

12:25pm: The Sixers are considering claiming Smith off waivers, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.

12:07pm: The Pelicans are nearing a deal with guard Ish Smith, tweets Scott Kushner of The New Orleans Advocate. Kushner reports that Smith is in New Orleans and is waiting to clear waivers.

Smith was waived Saturday by the Wizards, along with four other players. He had a non-guaranteed deal in Washington after performing well for the Sixers late last season. Smith played 25 games in Philadelphia, averaging 12.1 points, 6.1 assists and 2.8 turnovers in 27.1 minutes per contest. In five preseason games with the Wizards, his averages were 2.2 points, 4.0 assists and 1.0 turnover in 11.5 minutes.

If Smith is signed, he will bring the Pelicans up to the roster limit of 15, with 13 fully guaranteed contracts plus Nate Robinson, who has a non-guaranteed deal. New Orleans would be Smith’s ninth NBA franchise.

Heat Keep James Ennis For Opener, Rework Deal

October 25th, 2015 at 12:21pm CST by Chuck Myron

SUNDAY, 12:21pm: The restructuring leaves Ennis with precisely 37% of his salary guaranteed for this season, according to Winderman (Twitter link).

4:50pm: Ennis will have 40% of this season’s salary guaranteed, Jackson clarifies (Twitter link).

4:12pm: The sides are still finalizing the changes to the contract, tweets Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.

SATURDAY 4:04pm: The Heat are keeping James Ennis for the start of the regular season after Ennis agreed to yet another change to the guarantee structure on his contract, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Ennis was to have received a full guarantee on his $845,059 salary if he stuck on the roster for opening night under the terms of the modifications he and the Heat made to his deal over the summer. Instead, his salary will be partially guaranteed for about half its full value, according to Jackson. It’s unclear if the sides agreed to a date on which the full salary would kick in or if that would take place on the leaguewide guarantee date January 10th.

Ennis, who spent the preseason on a non-guaranteed deal, initially was to have received 50% of his salary for this season if he remained on the roster through August 1st, but the sides did away with that trigger this summer. The 25-year-old swingman struggled in summer league but bounced back somewhat during the preseason. He carries potential, having been the 50th overall pick in 2013.

The latest change to Miami’s deal with Ennis also moves up the date by which his salary for 2016/17 would become fully guaranteed. The new guarantee date for that season will come before July 1st, Jackson reports. It had previously been slated for August 1st.

The Heat have 15 players, including Ennis. That’s the regular season roster limit.

Pistons Exercise Options on Caldwell-Pope, Bullock

October 25th, 2015 at 11:52am CST by Arthur Hill

The Pistons have exercised team options on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Bullock, the team announced today. The moves will affect both players’ contracts for the 2016/17 season.

Caldwell-Pope, a 6’5″ guard, was the eighth overall pick in the 2013 draft. He has played in 162 games in Detroit, starting 123, and has averaged 9.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists. He was part of the Rising Stars Challenge during the 2015 All-Star Weekend.

The Pistons acquired Bullock, a 6’7″ forward, in a July 9th trade with the Suns. He had a productive preseason, averaging 10.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 19.3 minutes of playing time. He was taken by the Clippers with the 25th pick in 2013.

Bullock’s place on the roster for this season wasn’t assured at the start of camp, but a strong preseason sold the Pistons on him and brought the idea of picking up his 2016/17 option into play, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press wrote last week. His option is worth $2,255,644, while Caldwell-Pope’s calls for him to make $3,678,319. That adds about $5.9MM to the Pistons’ salary commitments for 2016/17, bringing the total to nearly $48.3MM against a projected $89MM cap.

Heat Rumors: Whiteside, Green, Shooting, Chalmers

October 25th, 2015 at 11:10am CST by Arthur Hill

Several “happy accidents” have accelerated the Heat’s rebuilding process, according to Ethan Skolnick of The Miami Herald. The emergence of center Hassan Whiteside, who was signed last November after being waived by Memphis, was one of those developments, as was the unexpected drop in the draft by No. 10 pick Justise Winslow. That caused team president Pat Riley to focus less on the 2016 free agent class and try to build a contending team right away. However, Skolnick cautioned that if things don’t go as expected and the Heat get off to a poor start, Mario Chalmers or Chris Andersen could be moved quickly to cut the luxury tax bill.

There’s more news out of Miami:

It didn’t take Gerald Green long to earn the trust of coach Erik Spoelstra, Skolnick writes in a separate story. Green, who signed as a free agent in July, is with his eighth NBA franchise. He also spent time in China, Russia and the D-League, but thinks he has found a home in Miami. He plans to stay there by committing to defense. “I’m just trying to be the best defender I can be,” Green said. “Because I know offense comes easy for me. If I ‘D’ up, [Spoelstra] ain’t gonna take me off the floor, and then my offense is gonna show. As long as I ‘D’ up, I’m good.”
Failure to significantly improve its three-point shooting over the summer could sink the Heat’s season, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Green offered some hope by hitting 15 of 35 during preseason, but the Heat know they lack a consistent three-point threat. Josh McRoberts, who has also been mentioned as a trade candidate, said he plans to help in that area. “I think it’s a possibility I may have to take more,” McRoberts said. “I think that was kind of why I took more and more threes in Charlotte when I was there, because we had kind of similar situation, where we didn’t a bunch of shooting.”
Chalmers also vows to help with three-pointers, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. His shooting average from distance dipped to 29% last year after reaching 40.9% and 38.5% the two previous seasons. “I will never shoot 29 percent again [on three-pointers] for a season,” he said. “I can tell you that. I took 500 to 1000 shots a day, mostly threes, this summer. I got to work on my form, perfect my technique.”

Categories:
Miami Heat

Month: October 2015