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Month: April 2024

Wizards Notes: Beal, Minutes, Playoffs

January 31st, 2016 at 8:59am CST by ChrisCrouse

Bradley Beal will certainly attract attention this offseason when he is a restricted free agent, but his prior injuries have opposing teams worried, Chris Mannix of the Vertical on Yahoo Sports writes. “He’s one of the best pure shooters in the league,” a general manager told Mannix. “But I’m scared of him.”

Beal acknowledged earlier this month that he will probably have to deal with minute restrictions for the rest of his career, but his agent, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports and Entertainment, is optimistic about Beal’s future. “It’s been frustrating for Brad because he’s a great competitor and he wants to be there for his teammates, his coaches,” Bartelstein said. “The good news is that we have got this thing figured out.”

Here’s more from Washington:

  • Bartelstein went into more specifics with Mannix about Beal’s plan going forward, noting that he’s taken measures that range from additional padding in his sneakers to more vitamin D in his diet. Beal, who took it slow as he returned from injury in December, has also tried to reduce the impact of the relatively high elevation of his jump when he shoots 3-pointers, as Mannix details.
  • The Wizards came away from Thursday’s player only meeting confident that they can turn this season around, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post reports. The team is 21-24 on the season after Saturday’s win over the Rockets, sitting 2.5 games behind the Pistons for the eighth seed in the conference.
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Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 1/30/16

January 30th, 2016 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pelicans have been among the NBA’s most active teams in trade talks heading into the February 18th deadline. It was reported this week that New Orleans has been listening to offers for starting point guard Tyreke Evans, who is still battling the effects of arthroscopic surgery conducted on his right knee in October. Evans is signed through the 2016/17 season and will make nearly $11.7MM next year.

Evans isn’t the only Pelican on the trading block, as reports have indicated. The team has also been gauging interest for shooting guard Eric Gordon, who will miss another three to five weeks after breaking his right ring finger, and stretch forward Ryan Anderson. They are both on expiring contracts. In addition, New Orleans has been trying since December to find a taker for center Omer Asik, who signed a five-year deal worth approximately $53MM over the offseason.

It’s no surprise that the Pelicans, who have been among the league’s most disappointing teams, are active in trade discussions. Expectations were high after the team claimed a playoff spot last season, and with Anthony Davis serving as the franchise cornerstone and new coach Alvin Gentry bringing an up-tempo approach, New Orleans was expected to have a bright future.

However, injuries and other factors led to a disastrous 1-11 start before the Pelicans began a slow climb out of the Western Conference basement. They are currently 18-28, good for 12th place in the West, sitting three games behind Portland for the final playoff spot. They have won seven of their last nine games after beating Brooklyn tonight and are just two behind the Blazers in the loss column.

That brings me to tonight’s question: What moves should the Pelicans make between now and the trade deadline? Should they deal Evans, Gordon or Anderson? Is it possible to find someone willing to take on Asik’s contract? Should they go all out to grab a playoff spot this season or should they focus on the future?

Take to the comments section to voice your opinion on the topic. We look forward to what you have to say.

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And-Ones: Dunleavy, Thomas, Cameras, D-League

January 30th, 2016 at 10:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

Mike Dunleavy Jr., who hasn’t played since undergoing offseason back surgery, could return before the All-Star break, according to Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. Proclaiming himself “pain free,” Dunleavy said he hopes to practice with Golden State’s D-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, during the Bulls‘ road trip this week. “I feel good,” Dunleavy said. “I’m getting real close. I’m going to spend some time down there next week with the D-League team, some practices. Try to get a little more rhythm and repetition because obviously our team is playing too many games. Gotta get that done and then see where we’re at.” The veteran small forward added that he won’t rush to return and will only play when he’s sure his back is ready.

There’s more tonight from around the world of basketball:

  • Tyrus Thomas, the No. 4 pick in the 2006 draft, has found peace while playing in Germany’s Bundesliga league, writes K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. Thomas has barely played in the NBA since Charlotte used the amnesty clause to unload his contract in 2013. He signed a 10-day deal with the Grizzlies last year, appearing in two games, and spent much of the season in the D-League. “My career didn’t end the way I wanted,” Thomas said. “But I’m not trying to make up for anything. I’m grateful with the way my career played out because I don’t think I would be the man that I am now if I wouldn’t have had the hardships that I had.”
  • The NBA has isued an immediate ban on midcourt sideline television cameras, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. The move was prompted by a minor injury to referee Scott Wall, who tripped over a cameraman during a January 21st game in Denver. LeBron James was involved in a similar incident during last year’s Eastern Conference Finals.
  • The Rockets have assigned K.J. McDaniels and Donatas Motiejunas to their D-League affiliate in Rio Grande Valley, the team tweeted today. Both Motiejunas and the NBPA had to sign off on the move because he is a fourth-year veteran.
  • The Raptors recalled Anthony Bennett and Bruno Caboclo from their D-League affiliate this evening, the team tweeted.
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L.A. Rumors: Griffin, Russell, Gasol, Black

January 30th, 2016 at 9:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA’s investigation of Blake Griffin‘s fight with an assistant equipment manager is complete, according Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. An announcement is expected next week, and the Clippers have been talking to league officials about disciplinary action. Griffin is expected to be sidelined for about two months after breaking his right hand in a January 23rd altercation with Matias Testi at a Toronto restaurant. “He feels awful about it, and he’s let everyone know that,” coach Doc Rivers said of Griffin. “That’s all you can do. You have to forgive people at some point. I believe that.” A source tells Broussard that Testi won’t be fired and will probably rejoin the team next week.

There’s more tonight out of Los Angeles:

  • Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan are both more valuable to the Clippers than Griffin, contends Tim Kawakami of The Bay Area News Group, who thinks the team should pursue a trade. The columnist cites Griffin’s defensive failings, his tendency to dominate the ball and L.A’s record (now 14-3) without him.
  • Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell has heard plenty of criticism this season, but he tells Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times that he tries to be hard on himself as well. Russell is averaging 3.4 assists and 2.4 turnovers per game in an up-and-down rookie year, but he thinks he understands the prescription for improving his game. “Don’t take plays off on the defensive end, and on the offensive end don’t be nonchalant.” Russell said. “No player in this league — they might be really, really good and they look like they’re playing nonchalant, but they’re not. Me, at this point, I tend to be nonchalant at times — just getting it out of my system.”
  • Pau Gasol had mixed emotions about leaving the Lakers for the Bulls in free agency in 2014, writes Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. Gasol talked about a discussion he had with Kobe Bryant before deciding to move on. “Whatever we talked about, which was probably a year-and-a-half ago in free agency, stays there,” Gasol said. “I did tell him that I wanted to play if I could with him forever. But I was ready to move on and put myself in a situation where I thought I was going to be a lot happier and play the way I’ve been playing.”
  • The Lakers have assigned center Tarik Black to the D-League, tweets the team’s affiliate, the D-Fenders.
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Central Notes: Hoiberg, Lue, Turner, Van Gundy

January 30th, 2016 at 7:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg is downplaying the possibility of a major deal before next month’s deadline, tweets K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. “We’re comfortable with this group,” Hoiberg said. “Unless something earth-shattering comes up, I don’t anticipate anything happening.” Chicago’s trade prospects have been limited by the shoulder injury to Joakim Noah and the acute appendicitis that struck Nikola Mirotic.

There’s more tonight from the Central Division:

  • Cavaliers GM David Griffin thought Tyronn Lue had the potential to become a great NBA coach ever since Lue’s first interview, according to Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer. Griffin decided to go with 54-year-old David Blatt over Lue, who was 37 at the time, but that first impression stuck with Griffin when he decided to make a coaching change last week. Pluto also notes that Blatt’s problems relating to players carried over into this season, and many players believed Lue was ready to be the head coach.
  • The Pacers have established an identity by making rookie big man Myles Turner a  starter, writes Gregg Doyel of The Indianapolis Star. After spending the first half of the season working toward a small-ball approach, Indiana replaced Lavoy Allen with Turner in the starting lineup Thursday and responded with a blowout of the Hawks. “It’s something I believe will be good for us,” said coach Frank Vogel. “We dominated the glass, dominated with defense, and I think this team will be able to score the ball better than any team we’ve had.”
  • The Pistons are suffering from “midseason malaise” and coach Stan Van Gundy’s abrasive style is starting to wear on the players, David Mayo of MLive writes in his mailbag column. Mayo says the players and Van Gundy could use some time apart from each other, but the team has a crowded schedule until the All-Star break. The columnist also credits GM Jeff Bower with making the bulk of the personnel decisions, leaving Van Gundy free to concentrate on coaching.
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Knicks Rumors: Antetokounmpo, Anthony, Grant

January 30th, 2016 at 6:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

After getting the 10-day contract with the Knicks that he had been hoping for, the next goal for Thanasis Antetokounmpo is to extend his stay in the NBA, writes Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. The 6’7″ small forward caught the attention of team president Phil Jackson and coach Derek Fisher with his ability to guard multiple positions, according to Isola. The former second-round pick has twice been named to one of the All-Defensive teams in the D-League. “Patience comes with confidence and hard work, so you just believe in yourself and you say, I’m going to work hard and hopefully — it’s not just hopefully — it’s going to come one way or another,” Antetokounmpo said. “For me it’s been every year getting better. The first, came to the States, got drafted. The second year got an invite and a contract with the New York Knicks. This year getting a 10-day. For me the fourth year is about being established on an NBA team.”

There’s more news tonight out of New York:

  • Carmelo Anthony has become too valuable for the Knicks to trade, contends Ian Begley of ESPN.com. New York is being outscored by 7.8 points per 100 possessions without Anthony, and Begley believes dealing him away would crush the team’s playoff hopes. That would increase the value of the draft pick that is owed to Toronto in the 2013 Andrea Bargnani trade.
  • Jerian Grant hopes to follow the path that he watched several NBA players travel when he served as a ballboy for the Washington Bullets, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday. The Knicks acquired Grant, the son of Harvey Grant and the nephew of Horace Grant, in a draft-night deal with the hope that he could be a long-term answer at point guard. “I’ve seen a lot of players in Washington grow and grow and get better and better,” Jerian Grant said. “It came from a lot of hard work. Being around my dad and my uncle and basketball so long, you see how long it takes some guys to develop. You see how some guys get a lot better each year.”
  • The Knicks will be among several teams pursuing Kevin Durant in free agency this summer, as Iannazzone examines in a separate piece. Durant is close with Anthony and Fisher, he has expressed admiration for rookie Kristaps Porzingis and he likes playing in New York.
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Dead Money: Team Rankings

January 30th, 2016 at 5:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Not every dollar of each team’s payroll shows up on the court, as franchises often dish out funds to players who are no longer on their rosters or even in the league in some instances. Players with guaranteed money who are waived, either through a standard waiver release, use of the stretch provision, or when a buyout arrangement is reached, still count against a team’s cap figure for the duration of their contracts, or the amount of time specified by the collective bargaining agreement for when a player’s salary is stretched. NBA teams are currently in line to pay out approximately $76,938,241 in salary to players who are no longer on their rosters, with the Sixers topping out at an astronomical $28,493,696. You can view the full dead money breakdowns for the Atlantic, Central, Southeast, Northwest, Southwest and Pacific Divisions by clicking on the corresponding hyperlinks. Listed in descending order below are how each NBA team ranks in amount of dead money on the books this season:

  1. Sixers — $28,493,696
  2. Pistons — $9,353,478
  3. Wizards — $5,823,926
  4. Nets — $5,627,366
  5. Celtics — $3,819,456
  6. Timberwolves — $3,725,000
  7. Trail Blazers — $3,083,181
  8. Nuggets — $2,550,480
  9. Mavericks — $1,898,129
  10. Bucks — $1,865,547
  11. Jazz — $1,527,476
  12. Clippers — $1,412,964
  13. Grizzlies — $1,394,377
  14. Suns — $1,379,261
  15. Magic — $1,195,059
  16. Kings — $937,630
  17. Lakers — $620,035
  18. Pacers — $606,178
  19. Spurs — $507,711
  20. Bulls — $333,333
  21. Knicks — $275,000
  22. Raptors — $150,000
  23. Pelicans — $115,771
  24. Rockets — $88,187
  25. Hornets — $80,000
  26. Hawks — $75,000
  27. Cavaliers — $0
  28. Heat — $0
  29. Thunder — $0
  30. Warriors — $0

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

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Celtics Interested In Hawks’ Teague, Horford

January 30th, 2016 at 4:19pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Celtics have contacted the Hawks to gauge the availability of both Jeff Teague and Al Horford, CSNNE’s Chris Mannix relayed during the network’s broadcast of Friday’s game against the Magic (h/t Darren Hartwell of NESN.com). “Atlanta, I’ve been told, is ready to turn the page, to give the team to Dennis Schröder , their young point guard, who is ready to step up and be a starter,” Mannix said. “Teague is available because Teague has some value. He has another year left on his contract, about $8MM per year, and teams across the league are looking to get him.” The idea that Atlanta is prepared to turn the team over to Schröder runs counter to a report by Zach Lowe of ESPN.com which relayed that the Hawks have “major trust issues” with Schröder, and were hesitant to part with Teague as a result.

“I’ve heard that Boston’s inquired about several players with Atlanta, Teague and Al Horford,” Mannix added. “Teague might seem like a weird fit with this team because they already have point guards, but he is an asset, He’s someone the Celtics could be interested in.” The point guards who Mannix refers to are Isaiah Thomas, who was selected as an All-Star reserve, and 2014 lottery pick Marcus Smart, who has struggled with injuries and his outside shooting since entering the NBA. Teague is making $8MM this year and is set to pull in the same next season as part of the four-year offer sheet he signed with the Bucks in 2013. Atlanta matched that bid, electing to retain him just weeks after drafting Schröder 17th overall.

Celtics executive Danny Ainge is seeking to add a star player to the roster, and Teague would certainly qualify as that, though Boston certainly has more pressing roster and rotation needs. One of those needs is a star big man, a description that Horford most definitely fits, but acquiring the center would represent a greater risk than landing Teague would, as Mannix noted. “Horford, a little more difficult. It would be a gamble going after Al Horford because Al Horford is in the last year of his deal and he’s going to command a salary north of $20MM next year. But as we know and as I just said, Ainge is a gambling GM. He could make a move like that, too.” The 29-year-old has appeared in 48 contests this season and is averaging 15.2 points and 7.1 rebounds on 53.7% shooting.

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Eastern Notes: Mickey, Dudley, Hezonja

January 30th, 2016 at 3:50pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Celtics coach Brad Stevens is enamored with the potential of power forward Jordan Mickey, who was the No. 33 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com writes. “I think really highly of Jordan,” Stevens said. “I was disappointed that he came down with the ankle sprain because I think he’s got a lot of good things going for him and has been really consistent up [in Maine] every single night. I think the biggest thing about Jordan that you’ll all see more of down the road is he is a consistent personality. He works the same way and he doesn’t change his demeanor. He’s going to play the same way in Sioux Falls in a D-League as he will when he gets his opportunity in the NBA.”

The 21-year-old has only played a total of six minutes for the Celtics this season, but is averaging 17.1 points and 10.4 rebounds in 21 appearances for the Maine Red Claws in the NBA D-League. The rookie isn’t upset about his lack of NBA minutes and embraces the opportunity the D-League provides, Forsberg adds. “Coming in, I figured I wasn’t going to get a lot of playing time, and I was going to have to go into the D-League and work anyways,” said Mickey. “Hard work is nothing new to me. I’ll go work to get better, listen to what the coaches tell me [in Boston], and implement it [in Maine].”

Here’s what else is happening in the Eastern Conference:

  • The Wizards are a team struggling to find their identity on a nightly basis, a trend that is wearing on swingman Jared Dudley, who believes Washington needs to take a more modern approach to its offense, Ben Standig of CSNMidAtlantic.com notes. “I keep hearing, what’s our identity, what’s our identity,” forward Jared Dudley said.”Basically our identity for us on this team is to space the floor, put pressure on the defense. We’re a 3-point shooting team that can go in to Nene. We have to be aggressive defensively. Those are our strengths.”
  • Magic coach Scott Skiles envisions rookie Mario Hezonja evolving into a force on both ends of the court, which is a major reason the swingman’s minutes have been limited thus far, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel writes. Skiles wants Hezonja to build a solid base on the defensive end of the floor, and believes that holding the rookie accountable, even if it means him sitting on the bench as a result, is the best way to instill this mindset, Robbins adds. “We picked him with the goal of him being a two-way player,” Skiles said. “The reality is there aren’t that many of those in the NBA. Teams can be a good defensive team without having great defensive players if they have a good defensive system and the players marry themselves to it. But, then, you have the Klay Thompsons, the Jimmy Butlers, and there’s more than that — the guys that are legit two-way players. They can lock you up. Our goal for is for [Mario] to at some point be that type of player, and so we’re trying to help him build a foundation on the other end of the floor.“
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Hoops Rumors Originals 1/24/16-1/30/16

January 30th, 2016 at 2:26pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Here’s a look back at the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this past week…

  • If you missed the week’s live chat, you can view the transcript here.
  • Chuck Myron looked at the number of three- and four-team trades since the 2010/11 season.
  • Zach Links highlighted some of the better basketball blogs around in his weekly installment of Hoops Links.
  • Chuck examined Hawks point guard Jeff Teague and Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov as trade candidates.
  • I broke down the dead money on the books for the teams of the Central, Southeast, Southwest and Northwest divisions.
  • Will Joseph answered reader questions in our Weekly Mailbag.
  • Chuck ran down every current draft-and-stash player whose rights have been traded more than once.
  • If you missed any of our daily reader-driven discussions, be sure to check out the Community Shootaround archives.
  • Here’s how you can follow Hoops Rumors on social media and RSS feeds.
  • You can keep track of where your favorite team currently stands in relation to the 2016 NBA Draft lottery with our reverse standings tracker.
  • We reviewed our commenting policy. Play nice everyone.
  • Chuck broke down the trade restrictions regarding future first round draft picks for the entire league as related to the Stepien rule.
  • Here’s how you can follow specific players on Hoops Rumors.
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