Eastern Notes: Pacers, Nene, D-League Moves
Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird admits his team hasn’t figured out whether to play with a smaller or bigger lineup, according to Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star. The team’s inconsistent play has left him baffled, Taylor adds. “I just can’t get a handle on it right now because these guys are up and down,” Bird told Taylor. “I can’t tell you what is best for us right now. We’ve had success with the small lineup, but we’ve had success with two big guys in there. It’s going to take a little bit more time, but I would like to have won more games up to this point. I don’t think any of us feel comfortable with how we’re playing and the way things are going.” Bird wants coach Frank Vogel to continue using the smaller lineup for the time being to create offensive mismatches, even though the bigger lineup is statistically superior defensively, Taylor adds.
In other news around the Eastern Conference:
- Nene is an essential frontcourt piece for the Wizards and he must stay healthy for the team to make a playoff run this season, J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com opines. Nene’s passing, movement, screening, deflections and ability to create his own shot are why the Wizards weren’t interested in trading him during the offseason, J. Michael continues. The frontcourt combination of Marcin Gortat, DeJuan Blair and Kris Humphries cannot duplicate his skills and the fact that Nene — who is making $13MM this season — becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer provides the added bonus of not tying up salary beyond this season, J. Michael adds.
- The Bulls recalled power forward Cristiano Felicio from the D-League, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports (Twitter link). The move is related to the shoulder injury suffered by center Joakim Noah on Friday, Johnson adds.
- The Celtics assigned shooting guard R.J. Hunter to their D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, the team tweets.
- The Raptors assigned power forward Anthony Bennett, small forward Bruno Caboclo and rookie shooting guard Delon Wright to their D-League affiliate, Raptors 905, the team tweets.
Western Rumors: Durant, Cauley-Stein, Gasol
Kevin Durant is irritated by the notion that the Thunder aren’t serious title contenders, according to Royce Young of ESPN.com. The media generally considers three teams — the Warriors, Spurs and Cavaliers — as the only ones that can win the championship this season, Young adds, and Durant feels his team is being overlooked. “Man, the [media and experts are] always trying to nitpick us,” Durant told Young. “I mean, they don’t like us. They don’t like how Russell [Westbrook] talks to the media, they don’t like how I talk to the media. So obviously, yeah, they’re not going to give us the benefit of the doubt. … They don’t mean nothing, the critics. Their opinions, everybody has one, but we don’t really care about them. Every day we’re just going to keep grinding this thing out. We feel like we can compete with anybody.”
In other news around the Western Conference:
- Willie Cauley-Stein is meshing well with DeMarcus Cousins and that’s why the Kings rookie center has returned to the starting lineup, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee reports. Cauley-Stein’s defensive presence allows Cousins to play power forward and moves Rudy Gay to his natural small forward spot, giving the Kings an imposing frontcourt, Jones adds. Cauley-Stein missed two games with a finger injury. “It takes a load off me,” Cousins told Jones. “I’ve got a huge load a lot of games, and having Willie makes it easier and helps me out so much. I think he’s very seasoned on the defensive end for a rookie. He has the potential to be a very good player in this league, and I’m glad to have him back.”
- Combo forward Kostas Papanikolaou, who was caught off-guard by the Nuggets waiving him earlier this month, has attracted the interest of two Euroleague powers from Greece, Panathinaikos and Olympiacos, according to Sportando via Sport24. Panathinaikos has made an offer through June 2018 while the Olympiacos offer runs through June 2017, the story continues. FC Barcelona holds Papanikolaou’s European rights and would have a week to match if he agrees to either offer, the story adds.
- Marc Gasol‘s offensive numbers are down this season and Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger believes his veteran center looks worn down, he told Peter Edmiston of the Memphis Commercial-Appeal. Memphis’ lack of frontcourt depth has made it difficult for Joerger to reduce Gasol’s minutes. “He’s exhausted,” Joerger told Edmiston. “His legs are tired. He carries a heavy load and he’s exhausted. He won’t say it, but someone who’s been around him as much as I have, it looks to be that he’s banged up and he’s played too many minutes. It’s just what we’ve had to do; I don’t have a lot of options.” Gasol is shooting a career-low 44.5% from the field.
Atlantic Notes: Conley, Lopez, Raptors
The Knicks and Nets will be “all over” Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley when he hits the free agent market this summer, sources have indicated to the New York Post’s Marc Berman and Fred Kerber. The New York City clubs are two of the few teams searching for a high-level point guard, the story continues. Knicks coach Derek Fisher has an affinity to left-handed point guards like Conley since he was one himself, the story adds. Both teams have ample cap room to sign big-name free agents, as the Knicks have approximately $55.4MM in guaranteed salary commitments for next season while the Nets’ guarantees are slightly under $45.4MM.
In other news around the Atlantic Division:
- The Nets must decide whether center Brook Lopez is a cornerstone piece while also focusing their energies on acquiring younger players, two parts of a five-step plan outlined by RealGM.com’s Brett Koremenos to revive the franchise. The Nets should use the remainder of the season to evaluate whether they should build around Lopez or unload him, Koremenos opines, but can’t afford to throw away any more assets if they opt to trade him.
- Point guard Cory Joseph and power forward Patrick Patterson made major contributions off the bench in the Raptors’ trip to London this week and that bodes well for their bench, Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun writes. Both have shown a reluctance to shoot but the club needs more offensive punch from the duo and the game provided a much-needed confidence boost, Ganter adds.
Cavaliers Explore Trade Market For Mozgov
The Cavaliers have started to gauge the market for center Timofey Mozgov, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Mozgov’s playing time has been cut from 25 minutes per game after coming to Cleveland last season to 17.8 this year. As a result, his scoring has fallen from 10.6 to 6.1 points per game and his rebounding average has dipped from 6.9 to 4.3. He’s earning $4.95MM in the final year of his contract.
Phoenix has tried to put together multi-team trades to get rid of Markieff Morris, who has expressed displeasure with the Suns organization since his brother Marcus was traded to the Pistons during the offseason, Wojnarowski writes. He cites league sources who say Cleveland could act as a facilitator in one of these deals.
Several teams have reportedly contacted the Cavaliers about a possible deal for the 29-year-old Mozgov. Cleveland could save an estimated $15MM to $20MM in tax penalties by moving Mozgov before the February deadline, although the front office had been leaning toward keeping him in hopes that he could start contributing the way he did last season.
Western Notes: Gay, Price, Brown, Williams
The Kings and Pelicans are continuing trade talks focused on Rudy Gay, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. The latest report is that Sacramento is refusing to accept New Orleans’ offer of Eric Gordon and Alonzo Gee. The Pelicans reportedly turned down an offer of Gay for Ryan Anderson earlier this week. In November, Gay signed a three-year, $40MM extension with the Kings, with a player option on the final season in 2017/18. Gordon is making more than $15.5MM in the final year of his contract, while Gee inked a two-year, $2.75MM free agent deal with the Pelicans in July.
There’s more tonight from the Western Conference:
- The Suns‘ Ronnie Price won’t be able to resume basketball activities for at least three weeks after having surgery on his right big toe, tweets Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Surgeons had to remove “loose bodies” from the toe. The veteran guard has appeared in 34 games this season.
- The 10-day contracts signed by the Suns‘ Lorenzo Brown and the Grizzlies‘ Elliot Williams will both expire on Sunday, tweets former Nets executive Bobby Marks. He notes that both teams will have the option of offering a second 10-day contract.
- The Rockets have recalled K.J. McDaniels from their Rio Grande Valley affiliate in the D-League, the team tweeted today. McDaniels has appeared in just 11 games with Houston after signing a three-year, $10MM deal in the offseason.
Cory Jefferson Expected To Sign With D-League
Former Sun Cory Jefferson is expected to sign a contract with the D-League soon, tweets Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor. A league source told Reichert the move should happen in the next few days. Once Jefferson signs, he will be subject to the league’s waiver process to determine where he will play.
Jefferson was waived by Phoenix last week, just before the leaguewide contract guarantee date. The moved saved the Suns from paying the majority of his $845,059 salary.
Jefferson appeared in just six games and saw 28 minutes of playing time with Phoenix before being released. He had 12 points and 10 rebounds. The second-year player out of Baylor spent his rookie season with Brooklyn, where he averaged 3.7 points and 2.9 rebounds in 50 games.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 1/15/16
Today marks an important date on the NBA calendar, as 26 more players became eligible to be included in trades. January 15th is the date that free agents can be dealt if they re-signed with their teams through Bird rights or Early Bird rights and received a starting salary greater than the league minimum and at least 20% more than what they made last season. Also, this applies only if their teams were over the cap when the signings took place.
There are several names on that list who obviously aren’t going to be moved, such as Jimmy Butler, Marc Gasol, Draymond Green, Reggie Jackson, DeAndre Jordan, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Love and Dwyane Wade. A few others seem likely to stay put but could be moved under the right circumstances, such as Jae Crowder, Goran Dragic, Tobias Harris, Enes Kanter, Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton.
At least one newly eligible player has already been the subject of trade rumors. The Rockets have reportedly had serious discussions about moving swingman Corey Brewer to the Suns, along with Terrence Jones, in exchange for Markieff Morris. In Chicago, a slow recovery from offseason back surgery has limited the trade possibilities of the Bulls‘ Mike Dunleavy.
The other names on the list, all of whom are eligible to be traded as of today, are Alexis Ajinca, Lavoy Allen, Patrick Beverley, Norris Cole, Drew Gooden, Danny Green, Brandon Knight, Austin Rivers, Iman Shumpert and Kyle Singler.
That brings me to today’s topics: Which of these offseason signees would benefit most from a change of scenery? Or if you prefer, who on the list would have been better off signing with a different team in the first place?
Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the matter. We look forward to what you have to say.
Nets Strongly Interested In Thibodeau As Coach
The Nets are strongly interested in Tom Thibodeau to be their next coach, according to Mike Mazzeo and Marc Stein of ESPN. Brooklyn is expected to pursue the former Bulls coach after it names a new GM.
Thibodeau compiled a 255-139 record in five seasons with Chicago before being fired after losing to the Cavaliers in last year’s Eastern semifinals. He led the Bulls to playoff appearances in all five seasons.
The Nets fired coach Lionel Hollins and reassigned GM Billy King in a shakeup last Sunday. It’s uncertain how soon a new GM might be hired, but reports on Wednesday linked former Suns and Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo to the position. Former Hawks GM Danny Ferry has also been rumored to be a candidate.
Other coaches reportedly being considered include Luke Walton, John Calipari, Monty Williams and Chris Mullin. However, Calipari “is not under serious consideration,” tweets Howard Beck of Bleacher Report.
Atlantic Notes: Thomas, Rozier, Mickey, Barnes
Last season’s trade to the Celtics helped Isaiah Thomas blossom into an All-Star candidate, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Thomas was an effective sixth man in Phoenix before the deal, averaging 15.2 points and 3.7 assists as part of a three-guard rotation with Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic. But he has blossomed this season in Boston, boosting his averages to 21.6 points and 6.7 assists while keeping the Celtics in the playoff race. “He’s a terrific player,” said Suns GM Ryan McDonough. “He’s having a heck of a year. I wish we could’ve got him to accept his role better or utilized him better ourselves. In retrospect, those three guys – Bledsoe, Dragic and Thomas – all being in their 20s and all having All-Star aspirations made it challenging. With their sizes, you couldn’t play all three together a lot and they were all starting-caliber players who deserved to play and had a lot of success in the league.”
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Celtics sent guard Terry Rozier and forward Jordan Mickey to their Maine affiliate in the D-League, the team tweeted today.
- Grizzlies forward Matt Barnes implies that he had the support of at least one Knicks player in his altercation with New York coach Derek Fisher, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. Barnes was suspended for two games for his actions in the fight with Fisher, which took place in October at the home of Barnes’ estranged wife. “It’s been great — my teammates, organization, other guys throughout the league, people from his team, people from other sports, people from the entertainment world,’’ Barnes said. “I’ve gotten a lot of support throughout the whole situation.”
- Sixers coach Brett Brown has been impressed by the working relationship between GM Sam Hinkie and chairman of basketball operations Jerry Colangelo, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Since Colangelo was hired last month, the Sixers have hired Mike D’Antoni as associate head coach, traded for Ish Smith and signed veteran Elton Brand. “There’s another way to see where we are at,” Brown said, “and different [eyes] coming in and making clean assessments about where we are at.”
Warriors Delay Move to New Arena Until 2019
The Warriors will postpone their move to a new arena in San Francisco for a full season, according to Tim Kawakami of The Bay Area News Group. Team president Rick Welts told Kawakami on his “TK Show” this afternoon that litigation filed by opponents of the arena forced the franchise to push back its relocation to the fall of 2019.
The announcement means the Warriors will remain at Oracle Arena through the 2018/19 season, instead of leaving after the end of the 2018 season. Welts said the lawsuit is the only remaining obstacle to the move. Once construction on the new facility begins, he estimates it will take two seasons to complete.
Welts added that the facility will be an NBA-only arena. It will be built with NBA dimensions, rather than being designed to fit both basketball and hockey.
A poll in December showed public opposition growing to the proposed new facility in San Francisco’s Mission Bay Neighborhood. The survey, conducted by EDC Research, found just 49% of voters supporting the project, down from 61% in July.