Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 10/27/15
The league deadline for teams to pare down their rosters to the regular season maximum of 15 players has passed, and a flurry of activity transpired over the weekend with upwards of 140 players being waived by their teams. While most of these departing players weren’t expected to make it into the NBA this year, there were still a number of talented athletes who were let go who arguably belong in the league this season.
This brings me to the topic/question of the day: Which player not making his team’s regular season roster came as the biggest surprise?
Who do you feel absolutely should have made the cut and started the regular season with a spot in the limelight? It could be a young player who you believe has more upside or talent than one the team retained, or a cagey veteran whose locker room intangibles you feel outweigh the player kept in his place. But don’t just stop at providing a name … tell us all why you feel this way. Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to what you have to say.
Eastern Notes: Fournier, Cunningham, Hardaway Jr.
Swingman Evan Fournier wants to remain with the Magic for the long-term, but he is not stressing the November 2nd deadline for an extension to be worked out between himself and Orlando, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel writes. “I don’t even think about it, because in my mind I know we have a game tomorrow, and that’s all that matters,” Fournier said. “A contract, if it happens, that’s great, man. If it doesn’t, it’s going to be next summer. It’s that simple.” If the Magic and Fournier don’t reach an agreement prior to the deadline, then the 22-year-old would be eligible to hit restricted free agency next summer, provided the team tenders him a qualifying offer worth $3,278,998. The two sides are still engaged in discussions, Robbins notes.
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Jared Cunningham fought hard to secure the Cavaliers‘ final regular season roster spot on a non-guaranteed deal, and now the team is looking for him to add defense and energy to the second unit, Spencer Davies of AmicoHoops.net writes. “He was aggressive from day number one,” said coach David Blatt. “He played the game with a lot of passion on both ends. He did not shy away from responsibility, and obviously, he performed really well. He earned that spot without question, and he should help us this year.”
- Tim Hardaway Jr. is excited to be a member of the Hawks, a franchise that has enjoyed much more recent success than the Knicks, the swingman’s former team, writes Rod Beard of The Detroit News. “It’s a different vibe; everybody is about their business and moves at their pace. It’s not too fast and everybody is serious about their work,” Hardaway said. “I’m coming to a team that made it to the playoffs last year and got deep into the playoffs; they have high expectations of themselves and it’s great to come into an environment like that.” Atlanta announced that it had picked up Hardaway’s fourth-year option earlier this evening.
- The unveiling of the Bucks‘ new arena will be delayed by a year, and it is now scheduled to open in time for the 2018/19 season, the Associated Press reports. The team had hoped to have the arena ready by the start of the 2017/18 campaign, but team spokesman Jake Suski said that the earlier date “simply isn’t realistic,” according to the report.
2015/16 Salary Cap: Atlanta Hawks
The NBA’s salary cap for 2015/16 has been set at $70MM, which is an 11% increase from this past season, and the luxury tax line will be $84.74MM. The last cap projection from the league had been $67.1MM, and the projection for the tax line had been $81.6MM.
With the October 26th cutoff date to set regular season rosters now past, we at Hoops Rumors are in the process of running down the current salary cap commitments for each NBA franchise for the 2015/16 campaign. Here’s the cap breakdown for the Atlanta Hawks, whose regular season roster can be viewed here:
- 2015/16 Salary Cap= $70,000,000
- 2015/16 Luxury Tax Line= $84,740,000
- Fully Guaranteed Salary Commitments= $70,000,000
- Partially Guaranteed Salary Commitments= $623,638*
- Non-Guaranteed Salary Commitments= $923,731
- Total Salary Cap Commitments= $71,547,369
- Remaining Cap Room= -$1,547,369
- Amount Below Luxury Tax Line= $13,192,631
*Note: This amount includes the $75K owed to Terran Petteway, who was waived by the team.
Cap Exceptions Available:
- Room Exception= $2,814,000
Cash Available to Send Out In Trades= $3,400,000
Cash Available to Receive Via Trade= $3,400,000
Last Update: 10/27/15 @ 9:18pm
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Clippers Exercise Option On C.J. Wilcox
The Clippers have picked up their third-year option on shooting guard C.J. Wilcox, the team announced via a press release. This option is for the 2016/17 season, when Wilcox is scheduled to earn $1,209,600. Los Angeles now has approximately $77.7MM in guaranteed salary already committed for next season.
It wasn’t a sure thing that Los Angeles would exercise Wilcox’s option, with the team having reportedly explored a deal that would have sent Wilcox and Jamal Crawford to Denver in exchange for Wilson Chandler back in June. With the Clippers currently loaded at the wing positions, Wilcox doesn’t figure to see much burn this season unless the team is hit hard by injuries or those ahead of him on the depth chart severly underperform.
The 24-year-old appeared in 21 games for the Clippers during his rookie campaign, averaging 2.0 points, 0.3 rebounds, and 0.4 assists in just 4.8 minutes per contest after being selected with the No. 28 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. During summer league play this year, Wilcox notched averages of 14.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 1.6 APG in 32.0 minutes of action per appearance.
Atlantic Notes: Nets, Wilbekin, Stackhouse
Count GM Billy King among those curious to see how the retooled Nets roster will fare this season, writes Andy Vasquez of NorthJersey.com. “We know we’re not a finished product at this point, and the goal is to get better,” King said. “We’ve revamped, got some youth, and now I want to see how we play, see how some of the pieces we acquired fit, how they go. We’ve got some young guys and it’s going to take time. They have to play and they’re going to make mistakes and we’ve got to live with them because the only way we’re going to get better is applying it on the court. We have the ability to get better as a team because we do have some inexperience with some guys. But we need our main guys, our veteran guys to carry us, to do their part to allow the young guys to sort of blend in and help.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Point guard Scottie Wilbekin, who was waived by the Sixers on Monday, has lucrative overseas offers lined up, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays.
- Despite being a rookie assistant coach this season, Jerry Stackhouse is fitting in well with the Raptors and notes that he doesn’t feel like a newcomer to the coaching ranks, writes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. “Man, it’s nothing new to me,” Stackhouse told Lewenberg. “I’ve been coaching for the last 10 years and I don’t feel any different. It’s just about trying to get guys better, better prepared for what they’re going to see during game action. The best way to do that is to build more repetition, more repetition. And that’s the key, being creative to come up with ideas everyday so things don’t get stagnant and guys [don’t] get bored.“
- Coby Karl and Derrick Alston were officially hired by the Knicks‘ D-League affiliate in Westchester as assistant coaches, the team announced.
- You can view the opening night regular season rosters for the Celtics, Nets, Knicks, Sixers, and Raptors by clicking on the link beneath each team name.
Poll: 2015/16 Team Power Rankings (No. 4)
The NBA regular season is set to tip off, and teams have now completed the process of setting down their regular season rosters. Every new season brings with it the hope for each franchise that it will conclude with the hoisting of the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. But for the more jaded fans — or practical, depending on your outlook — not every team has a realistic shot at making the playoffs, much less at being the last team standing when all is said and done and the playoffs have concluded.
We at Hoops Rumors want to know what you, the reader, think about each team’s chances this coming campaign. To help facilitate that, we’ll be posting a series of polls asking you to vote on where in the standings each franchise is likely to end the season. So please cast your vote below for the franchise you expect to end the season with the 4th best overall record. But don’t end your involvement with the simple click of a button. Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on why you voted the way that you did. We look forward to what you have to say.
Previous Selections:
- No. 30: 76ers
- No. 29: Knicks
- No. 28: Nuggets
- No. 27: Lakers
- No. 26: Nets
- No. 25: Timberwolves
- No. 24: Trail Blazers
- No. 23: Magic
- No. 22: Pistons
- No. 21: Kings
- No. 20: Hornets
- No. 19: Jazz
- No. 18: Suns
- No. 17: Celtics
- No. 16: Pacers
- No. 15: Mavericks
- No. 14 Bucks
- No. 13: Pelicans
- No. 12: Raptors
- No. 11: Heat
- No. 10: Wizards
- No. 9: Hawks
- No. 8: Bulls
- No. 7: Grizzlies
- No. 6: Rockets
- No. 5: Clippers
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Grizzlies Exercise Option On Jordan Adams
The Grizzlies exercised their third-year contract option on shooting guard Jordan Adams, the team announced via a press release. The option is for the 2016/17 season when Adams is set to earn $1,465,080.
Adams was selected by Memphis with the No. 22 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft after his sophomore season at UCLA. He notched averages of 3.1 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 30 NBA appearances for the Grizzlies during the 2014/15 season. His shooting line was .407/.400/.609.
The 21-year-old fared better during his 11 appearances last year with Memphis’ D-League affiliate, the Iowa Energy. Adams averaged 18.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 31.9 minutes per night in Iowa during his five assignments.
Hawks Exercise Options On Hardaway, Schröder
6:04pm: The Hawks have officially announced that they have picked up the fourth-year options on both players.
5:43pm: The Hawks have announced that they’ve exercised their 2016/17 rookie scale options on Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dennis Schröder, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (Twitter link). Both players will be entering their fourth NBA season in 2016/17.
Hardaway, 23, was acquired by Atlanta in a draft day deal with the Knicks this offseason. He is set to earn $2,281,605 next season, the final one of his rookie contract. The swingman appeared in 70 contests for the Knicks during the 2014/15 campaign, averaging 11.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 24.0 minutes per contest. Hardway’s shooting line was .389/.342/.801.
Schröder, 22, was the No. 17 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. He has appeared in 126 contests since arriving in Atlanta, notching averages of 7.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists to accompany a slash line of .417/.326/.797. The German born point guard is set to earn $2,708,582.
Pacific Notes: Barnes, Chandler, Clark, Lakers
Warriors GM Bob Myers didn’t express trepidation as he told reporters today that Harrison Barnes has chosen to end extension talks, as Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group relays (Twitter link). Golden State will have the right to match offers for Barnes in restricted free agency next summer.
“We ended discussions in a very healthy place if that’s possible, and I say that in all sincerity,” Myers said.
See more on the Warriors amid the latest from the Pacific Division:
- Tyson Chandler is hopeful that he can remain with the Suns for the duration of his four-year contract and finish his career with Phoenix, as he said in a response to a question from Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. “It’s been tough. I want to, honestly,” Chandler said. “I wanted to do it in Dallas. Now I want to do it in Phoenix. It’s a lot of stress on kids and the family, even myself. I would love to continue to grow with this franchise and try to elevate it, especially with these young players. I think I can be huge here as far as the impact I can make. That’s my goal.”
- Ian Clark picked up a $473,636 partial guarantee that’s worth half his full-season salary Monday, when the Warriors made him part of their opening night roster. His contract had been non-guaranteed. He’d lock in the full amount on the leaguewide guarantee date in January. Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders first reported the terms of his deal.
- The Lakers upgraded their roster over the summer, but co-owner and executive VP of basketball oeprations Jim Buss indicated to USA Today’s Sam Amick that improvement in the standings this season isn’t his goal. “[Jerry Buss] taught me for all these years, we’re always looking three to five years ahead,” Buss said, referring to his late father, the longtime Lakers owner. “Right now, I’m not looking at this season … I don’t care about making the playoffs and getting eliminated in the playoffs. What I care about is getting the core players, because we want to get to the top, and the only way we can get to the top is to have the core players, get the free agents, have flexibility in our [salary] cap, and we’ll be there within three years. Not a problem. Boom.”
Southeast Notes: Schröder, Stoudemire, Marble
The Hawks are among the six teams in action as the 2015/16 regular season gets underway tonight, though they’ll be hard-pressed to match the 60 wins they had last season. They also face a stiff challenge simply to win the Southeast Division, where the Heat and Wizards loom. See news on the Hawks and elsewhere from the Southeast as we count down the last few hours before tip-off:
- The relationship between Jeff Teague and Dennis Schröder is solid, and people close to the situation tell Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders that they don’t anticipate locker room problems developing even in light of Schröder’s public desire for a starting job. Schröder recently told Sport Bild magazine in his native Germany that he would “explore other possibilities” if the Hawks don’t give him a chance to start, though he made it clear that he likes playing in Atlanta.
- The Heat don’t plan to push Amar’e Stoudemire‘s body any more than the Knicks and Mavs did the past two seasons, when he missed a combined 32 games because of injury or rest, and the veteran big man will essentially be on a maintenance program, as Ethan Skolnick of the Miami Herald details. Miami invested only a one-year deal for the minimum in the former All-Star who turns 33 next month, far from the $20MM-plus he earned each of the last two years.
- Devyn Marble made the opening night roster for the Magic, so the full guarantee on his minimum salary kicks in, as our schedule of salary guarantee dates shows. The 56th overall pick from 2014 still has a non-guaranteed minimum salary for 2016/17 left on his deal.
- The arrival of new coach Scott Skiles places the pressure squarely on the players and the front office in Orlando, opines Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. The Magic “desperately” need to attract an All-Star in free agency but stand little shot of doing so if they don’t improve their win-loss record this year, Schmitz believes.