Hawks Notes: Trades, Steinberg, Bazemore
Despite a drop in offensive efficiency this season, the Hawks shouldn’t make any substantial moves, David Aldridge of NBA.com opines. Aldridge notes that Atlanta is 16th in offensive rating, down from sixth last season and it’s likely a result of teams putting more emphasis on guarding Kyle Korver, who is shooting 40.7% from three-point range, down from 49.2% last season.
Here’s more from Atlanta:
- Hawks executive Andrew Steinberg is leaving the franchise, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Steinberg was named the Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer in August.
- Atlanta has assigned Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Austin Spurs of the D-League via the flexible assignment rule, per the team’s website. Hardaway played for the Canton Charge in his previous D-League stint.
- The Hawks are 15-5 with Kent Bazemore in the starting lineup and the team is starting to find its groove, Vivlamore observes in a separate piece. “Everything is starting to come together,” Bazemore said. “It’s not anything like just me starting. I think the team is starting to gel. What the coach and front office saw in the summer in putting this team together is starting to come to fruition.” Bazemore will be a free agent at the end of the season.
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Pacific Notes: Cousins, Morris, Nance Jr.
In an interview with Tzvi Twersky of Slamoline.com, Kings center DeMarcus Cousins said that he believes because he’s been on a struggling team for his entire career he doesn’t get the credit for being a tough leader the way that the Timberwolves’ Kevin Garnett has. “This is what I’ve come to conclude: Winning covers up everything,” Cousins told Twersky. “If KG was always losing and was the same person, they would think he was the worst guy ever. That’s basically the situation I’m in. Since I’m losing, no one loves a loser—everyone loves a winner. That’s how it goes. I don’t see a difference between me and Joakim Noah. If anything, I feel Joakim has more crazy moments than I do—but his is passion, mine are an attitude or anger problems.”
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- It’s unclear if and when the Suns will look to trade disgruntled forward Markieff Morris, but there are a number of teams that are intrigued with the combo forward and his reasonable contract, Chris Mannix of SI.com relays (Twitter links). There is likely too much bad blood between Morris and the Suns organization for that relationship to be salvaged, but there is belief around the league that Morris can thrive in a different environment than Phoenix’s, Mannix adds.
- The Lakers have moved rookie Larry Nance Jr. into the starting lineup thanks to his energy and versatility, but he’ll need to look for his shot more often if he wants to continue in that role, writes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. “I talked to him today that again when you have an open shot, you got to take the shot,” coach Byron Scott said. “[I told him] ‘You have a nice enough stroke’ and if he can make them on a consistent basis, the defense will start to respect him. But he moves the ball. That’s the only thing about Larry. He doesn’t take a lot of shots; he doesn’t even take the ones that are open. That’s one of the main reasons we changed the starting lineup – to get more ball movement.“
Central Notes: Jennings, James, Hoiberg
Bulls VP John Paxson admitted that Fred Hoiberg is still learning how to survive in the NBA, but noted that the team is firmly behind its new coach, Teddy Greenstein of The Chicago Tribune writes. “Fred has a lot to learn,” Paxson said. “He’ll acknowledge that. We all will. The system he wants to implement offensively is taking some time to really come to fruition. And when you don’t have certain players in terms of spacing the floor like [the injured] Mike Dunleavy — and that’s not an excuse it’s just our reality — that can slow the process as well.”
Paxson did add that Hoiberg’s calm demeanor on the sideline has impressed him, Greenstein relays. “I played for Phil Jackson. He sat most of the game. He was laid-back but intense. You see some coaches who are maniacs on the sideline,” Paxson said. “The last thing as a player you need when there’s stressful situations is to look to the sidelines and there’s a guy over there going nuts. I see that in college all the time.”
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings insists that he’s ready for action immediately, but understands the team being cautious with him as he makes his return from an Achilles injury suffered back in January, Terry Foster of The Detroit News relays. “I’m fine, I’m ready,” Jennings said. “However, this is not my decision. This is my coach’s decision, so I wait and see.” Detroit coach/executive Stan Van Gundy indicated he’s waiting to see how Jennings responds to back-to-back practices before settling on an exact return date for the veteran playmaker, Foster adds. “Our whole team needs work but it’s good for Brandon,” Van Gundy said. “We practiced before but it was more four-on-four. He got up and down. I think this is the first time he will get two practices in a row to get his legs underneath him.“
- LeBron James has called for more clarity and consistency in the Cavaliers‘ rotation this season, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes. “For us to have a full unit, we’ve got to practice, we’ve got to play some games where we know what we want to do, what lineups we want to play out there,” James said. “It’s an adjustment period. It’s not just going to happen – you plug a guy in there, plug two guys in there and it automatically happens. It’s going to be an adjustment period, but we’ll be fine. We’ll be fine toward February and March.“
- The Pacers have recalled Joe Young and Glenn Robinson III from Fort Wayne, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. Indiana also assigned center Shayne Whittington to the Mad Ants, the team noted in the same press release.
Atlantic Notes: Crowder, Nets, Ross
Nets CEO Brett Yormark recently mentioned Brook Lopez, Thaddeus Young, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Bojan Bogdanovic as players to build around, and the team indeed intends to keep those four around rather than using them to replenish their depleted draft assets, NetsDaily hears. Yormark also alluded to some of the team’s younger players as building blocks without naming them, and the NetsDaily report speculates about who they might be.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Celtics are thrilled with the play of Jae Crowder, whom the team re-signed over the summer to a five-year, $35MM deal, especially on the defensive end, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. “Jae’s playing at a high level right now on both ends,” said coach Brad Stevens. “But we need him to defend the way he is. The thing about Jae that I think Jae has really improved on throughout the years: being in the right place at the right time from a position standpoint because he’s so … he’s a good physical defender when he’s there.”
- Knicks coach Derek Fisher is still struggling to find the right bench combination, and the playing time of rookie point guard Jerian Grant has taken a hit with veteran Sasha Vujacic assuming an expanded role, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. “We’re still trying to find a way to have five guys that are playing together, flowing together. Sasha obviously has familiarity and history with what we’re trying to do offensively,” Fisher said. “We continue to search for how to get ourselves organized and we feel like Sasha gave us a chance to do so.”
- The recent play of Terrence Ross is justifying the Raptors‘ decision to ink him to a three-year contract extension back in November, Doug Smith of The Toronto Star writes. “The big word is confidence. He’s playing with a tremendous amount of confidence. He’s seeing the ball go through the basket,” coach Dwane Casey said. “I think his defense has been solid, too. It’s not just his offense that’s been pretty solid, it’s his defense, both phases of the game.” Ross has scored 10 or more points in six straight games and is averaging 15.2 points per game over that span, while shooting 49% from the field and connecting on 47% of his 3-point attempts.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
And-Ones: Barnes, D-League, Donovan
The NBA has suspended Grizzlies small forward Matt Barnes for two games without pay for his role in the off the court altercation with Knicks coach Derek Fisher back in October, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports. Barnes is expected to serve the suspension during tonight’s game against the Heat and Saturday’s game at the Jazz. He will lose $64,409 in salary because of the suspension, Wojnarowski adds. The small forward will be eligible to play the next time New York and Memphis square off, which is set for January 16th in Memphis.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Thunder coach Billy Donovan said that he wasn’t worried about the differences between managing NBA players and college ones when he accepted Oklahoma City’s vacant coaching position this past offseason, Erik Horne of The Oklahoman writes. “I didn’t look at coming here to Oklahoma City under that umbrella of ‘what are all these relationships gonna be like,’ because I think we’re all people,” Donovan said. “I think you communicate, you talk, generally things work themselves out. Everything’s not always gonna go perfect, but I think if you’re working for the same cause, moving in the same direction, things get resolved.” Donovan was responding to a question regarding the difficulties new Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg is experiencing this season after also making the jump from the NCAA to the pros.
- The Rockets have recalled swingman K.J. McDaniels and power forward Montrezl Harrell from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, their D-League affiliate, the team announced (Twitter link). This was the third D-League assignment on the season for McDaniels and the second for Harrell.
- The Celtics have assigned power forward Jordan Mickey to their D-League affiliate, the team announced (via Twitter). This will be Mickey’s eighth jaunt to Maine on the season.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson To Miss 3 Months
DECEMBER 28th, 11:38am: In an article he penned for Sportsblog.com, Hollis-Jefferson indicated that he will remain out of action until after the All-Star break. “Physically, I’m feeling better. Each day I’m getting one step closer to fully walking and doing things on my own. It’s looking like I’ll be able to get back on the court after All-Star break, probably around the beginning of March,” wrote Hollis-Jefferson.
DECEMBER 9th, 11:36am: Nets team doctor Martin O’Malley estimates it will take Hollis-Jefferson eight to 10 weeks to return to the court, as O’Malley said in a statement the team sent out as part of a press release announcing that Hollis-Jefferson underwent surgery this morning. The procedure was to repair a fracture of the posterior talus in his right ankle, O’Malley also said.
DECEMBER 8th, 5:55pm: Nets rookie swingman Rondae Hollis-Jefferson suffered a non-displaced fracture of the posterior talus in his right ankle during practice on Sunday and he is scheduled for surgery later this week, Andy Vasquez of The Record notes (Twitter link). A timetable for the player’s return will be provided after the procedure is completed, though coach Lionel Hollins indicated Hollis-Jefferson would be out for approximately 10 weeks during his pregame press briefing this evening, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com relays (via Twitter).
This news is certainly unwelcome for Brooklyn, whose 5-15 start has called into question Hollins’ job security, though the team quickly shot down the reports that it was seeking a replacement for the coach. Hollis-Jefferson’s averages of 5.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game aren’t eye-popping, but the rookie has shown excellent promise and tremendous energy during his limited court time thus far. While Hollis-Jefferson’s continued presence over the coming months wasn’t likely going to improve the team’s winning percentage dramatically, any loss of development time for the young player will certainly impact the team down the line given its distinct lack of draft picks over the next few seasons.
The absence of the 20-year-old will likely mean increased minutes for Bojan Bogdanovic, who is averaging 8.1 points on 43.1% shooting this season. Bogdanovic has been rumored to be on the trading block, though other reports have disputed that. The loss of Hollis-Jefferson could also impact the status of Joe Johnson, whom an ESPN.com panel opined was a prime candidate to reach a buyout arrangement with the Nets this season. With Brooklyn’s depth at the wing now compromised, it could quash any potential moves involving Johnson or Bogdanovic for the time being, though that is merely my speculation.
Poll: Which Player Is Likeliest To Sign A Max Deal?
On Sunday, Hoops Rumors’ Chuck Myron ran down the list of some of the top free agents for next season and categorized them by the maximum salary bands in which they’ll fall. The first group that he looked at were those players eligible for the 25% max, which came in at $16,407,500 for this year, and is projected to surge to $20.4MM this coming offseason. Here’s the list of players falling into this salary range:
- Harrison Barnes (restricted)
- Kent Bazemore
- Bradley Beal (restricted)
- Andre Drummond (restricted)
- Festus Ezeli (restricted)
- Evan Fournier (restricted)
- Terrence Jones (restricted)
- Donatas Motiejunas (restricted)
- Timofey Mozgov
- Chandler Parsons (player option)
- Jared Sullinger (restricted)
- Dion Waiters (restricted)
- Hassan Whiteside
Though many of these players are unlikely to land maximum salary deals, it will certainly be a figure bandied about for many of them by their agents during contract negotiations. It should also be noted that restricted free agents may have a more difficult time than unrestricted ones in ascending to this income level since their current teams will have the opportunity to match any offer sheet inked by the players, provided a qualifying offer is proffered. Many teams shy away from pursuing restricted free agents because of the cap hold associated with these offer sheets, and the likelihood of the player’s original team matching said contract offer is often enough to depress a player’s market slightly. That isn’t always the case, and the significantly beefed-up cap projection for coming seasons may alter how teams view and approach these types of free agents going forward.
But what say you? Looking at the list of players above, who do you believe is the likeliest to land a maximum salary deal this coming offseason? Cast your vote below and feel free to expand on the discussion in the comments section. We look forward to what you have to say.
Jeff Hornacek On Hot Seat With Suns
MONDAY, 11:05am: The Suns have officially announced the assistant coaching moves in a press release. “It is never easy to make changes to a coaching staff in the middle of a season but we feel Earl and Nate are ready to take the next steps in their careers and provide some creative ideas to our group,” said GM Ryan McDonough. “We thank Mike and Jerry for their contributions. They are both good coaches who made significant contributions to our team winning 87 games over the previous two seasons.”
11:10pm: The Suns are firing assistant coaches Mike Longabardi and Jerry Sichting, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, while Stein hears that fellow assistants Nate Bjorkgren and Earl Watson will take on more prominent roles (Twitter links). Hornacek’s future is still unclear, Wojnarowski says, though Stein suggests in a second tweet that the moves indicate the team is giving Hornacek another chance.
SUNDAY, 1:39pm: Jeff Hornacek‘s job as head coach of the Suns is under immediate threat because of the team’s 12-20 record and its recent 5-15 skid, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. With belief growing within the organization that the team is no longer responding to Hornacek, the organization is thinking about making a coaching switch, according to Stein. This is the final guaranteed season on Hornacek’s original four-year contract.
The Suns were viewed as having a strong chance to make the playoffs this season after solid campaigns in each of Hornacek’s first two seasons. Phoenix was one of the league’s most improved teams in 2013/14, Hornacek’s first year. The Suns went 48-34 that season yet did not make the playoffs. They were 39-43 last season and again missed the playoffs. The Suns’ signing of Tyson Chandler was thought to be a significant addition and one that would make the Suns a much better team, as Stein points out.
Things have not worked out that way, especially lately. The Suns’ loss to the Sixers on Saturday seems to have been especially tough for the organization to swallow, Stein writes. It was Philadelphia’s first road win since last March. What’s more, as Stein adds, it was the first game on the Sixers’ bench for former Suns coach Mike D’Antoni, who was hired recently by new Philadelphia chairman of basketball operations and former Suns owner Jerry Colangelo to serve as associate head coach to the Sixers’ Brett Brown. The timing of the news is also interesting because Eric Bledsoe will likely miss a significant amount of time with a knee injury, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link).
2016/17 Salary Cap Projection: Wizards
The NBA’s salary cap for 2015/16 has been set at $70MM, which is an 11% increase from last season, and the luxury tax line is fixed at $84.74MM. The last cap projection from the league prior to the official numbers being announced had been $67.1MM, and the projection for the tax line had been $81.6MM. Many league executives and agents believe that the salary cap will escalate to a whopping $95MM for 2016/17, a higher figure than the league’s last projection of $89MM. This significant bump is a result of the league’s new $24 billion TV deal that kicks in just in time for next season.
The increase in the salary cap will almost assuredly set off a flurry of activity in the free agent market next summer, and it will also make it easier than ever for teams to deal away their higher-priced stars. Prudent executives are acutely aware of exactly how much cap room they have to play with, not just for the current campaign, but for next season and beyond as well. While the exact amount of 2016/17’s salary cap won’t be announced until next summer, it always pays to know just how much salary is on the books for each franchise. With this in mind, we at Hoops Rumors will be breaking down the projected 2016/17 financial commitments for each franchise, and we’ll conclude with a look at the Washington Wizards:
- Fully Guaranteed Salary Commitments: $37,691,855
- Partially Guaranteed Salary Commitments: $0
- Non Guaranteed Salary Commitments: $10,177,000
- Total Projected Salary Cap Commitments: $47,868,855
If the salary cap were to fall in line with the projection of $89MM, Washington would have approximately $41,131,145 in cap space, or $47,131,145 if the cap were to be set at the higher mark of $95MM. Again, these are merely predictions until the exact cap amounts are announced, and they are not meant to illustrate the exact amount that the team will have available to spend this coming offseason.
Washington will also need to make a decision regarding Bradley Beal, who is eligible to become a restricted free agent next summer. If the Wizards wish to retain the right to match any offer sheet he were to receive, the team would need to submit a qualifying offer worth $7,471,412. That number would merely be a placeholder until Beal either inked a new deal or signed his qualifying offer, which would then set him up for unrestricted free agency the following offseason.
Trades and long-term free agent signings made during the season will also have a significant impact on the figures above, and we’ll be updating these posts to reflect the new numbers after any signings and trades have been made official.
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.