Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround: 1/7/16
Hornets small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist vowed to return to action this season, three months after suffering a torn labrum in his right shoulder that appeared likely to cost him all of 2015/16, according to a report by Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. “For sure. No question I’m going to play this season,” Kidd-Gilchrist told Bonnell. “I’m going to play. It’s a matter of when now.” Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports originally reported that the former No. 2 overall pick faced a six-month recovery, though he later deemed him likely to miss the entire season.
Charlotte has managed to stay afloat this season despite the loss of Kidd-Gilchrist as well as center Al Jefferson to injury and a drug-related suspension. While the return of the defensive-minded swingman would certainly bolster the team heading into the playoffs, there is certainly a danger in him returning too soon from such a serious injury, as Chris Barnewall of SB Nation’s At the Hive noted. But the scribe also posited that the team may be rushing Kidd-Gilchrist’s return in an effort to improve its playoff chances, which could make Charlotte a more attractive place to sell potential free agents on this offseason. Barnewall also noted that the young forward has been prone to injury throughout his brief career, and the prospect of luring a big name player to Charlotte isn’t worth risking the long-term health of Kidd-Gilchrist, whom the Hornets signed to a four-year, $52MM extension before the season.
Now here’s the topic for today’s discussion: Should the Hornets allow Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to return to action this season?
Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the matter. We look forward to what you have to say.
Western Notes: Davis, McDaniels, Lawson
Anthony Davis‘ maximum salary extension kicks in next season, and the Pelicans will have five years to show the power forward that New Orleans can be a championship contender, though the organization doesn’t feel like it is “on the clock” with its star player, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes. “If you look at a situation like that where it is five years,” coach Alvin Gentry said when asked if he feels pressure regarding Davis, “and you’ve got five years to make something happen and keep a guy here — the one thing that [GM] Dell Demps and [team executive] Mickey Loomis have done is that they’ve taken Anthony and surrounded him with really good people, really good players. There is an opportunity for us. When we get everybody healthy, we feel like we can compete with everyone. There is time to get things right.”
Though the team has downplayed the notion that Ryan Anderson will be traded prior to February’s deadline, NBA executives believe that if New Orleans is to make any personnel moves this season it will involve the power forward, Deveney relays. “He is really the only one that has value if you’re a playoff team,” one NBA executive said of Anderson. “I wouldn’t say they’re shopping him, as far as I know, but I would say they’re listening [to offers].”
Here’s the latest from out West:
- The NBA has suspended Rockets point guard Ty Lawson three games for the second of his two DUI arrests last year, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle relays. The league previously suspended Lawson for two games after he pleaded guilty to driving while impaired in Denver last January, and this latest suspension stems from a DUI arrest last June in Los Angeles.
- The Timberwolves continue to suffer from a lack of outside shooting and youthful mistakes and interim coach Sam Mitchell has until the end of the season to turn around these deficiencies if he hopes to be named head coach on a permanent basis, writes Michael Rand of The Star Tribune. Mitchell needs to prove to team management that he is indeed the person best suited to develop the franchise’s young talent, Rand adds.
- The Rockets have assigned swingman K.J. McDaniels to their D-League affiliate, Feigen notes (via Twitter). This will be McDaniels’ fourth trek to Rio Grande Valley on the season.
2015/16 Salary Rankings: Point Guards
Hoops Rumors is in the process of ranking the cap hit for each NBA player by position. We already ran down how the league’s centers, power forwards and small forwards stacked up financially, and next we’ll check out the point guard position. All told, NBA teams have committed a total of $478,273,888 in salary this season to the men who make the offenses go around the league. The average salary for a point guard this season is a solid $4,469,849 with Chris Paul topping the list with the more than respectable amount of $21,468,696 to account for on his year-end W-2 form.
The purpose of this list is to show the relative pay scale by position, which is why all contracts are included in this post. The league’s point guards are listed below in descending order of salary. Please note that the official roster for each team was used for determining what position we listed each player under, and some of the players below may spend time at other spots on the hardwood:
- Chris Paul (Clippers) — $21,468,696
- Derrick Rose (Bulls) — $20,093,064
- Russell Westbrook (Thunder) — $16,744,218
- Kyrie Irving (Cavaliers) — $16,407,500
- John Wall (Wizards) — $15,851,950
- Goran Dragic (Heat) — $14,783,000
- Reggie Jackson (Pistons) — $13,913,044
- Eric Bledsoe (Suns) — $13,500,000
- Brandon Knight (Suns) — $13,500,000
- Tony Parker (Spurs) — $13,437,500
- Ricky Rubio (Timberwolves) — $12,700,000
- Ty Lawson (Rockets) — $12,404,496
- Kyle Lowry (Raptors) — $12,000,000
- Kemba Walker (Hornets) — $12,000,000
- Stephen Curry (Warriors) — $11,370,786
- Deron Williams (Mavericks) — $10,853,761 [Includes the $5,474,787 he will be paid by the Nets, who waived him via the stretch provision).
- Jrue Holiday (Pelicans) — $10,595,507
- Mike Conley (Grizzlies) — $9,588,426
- Rajon Rondo (Kings) — $9,500,000
- Brandon Jennings (Pistons) — $8,344,497
- George Hill (Pacers) — $8,000,000
- Jeff Teague (Hawks) — $8,000,000
- Jose Calderon (Knicks) — $7,402,812
- Cory Joseph (Raptors) — $7,000,000
- Rodney Stuckey (Pacers) — $7,000,000
- Isaiah Thomas (Celtics) — $6,912,869
- Greivis Vasquez (Bucks) — $6,600,000
- Patrick Beverley (Rockets) — $6,486,486
- Jarrett Jack (Nets) — $6,300,000
- Shaun Livingston (Warriors) — $5,543,725
- D’Angelo Russell (Lakers) — $5,103,120
- Darren Collison (Kings) — $5,013,559
- C.J. Watson (Magic) — $5,000,000
- Jameer Nelson (Nuggets) — $4,345,000
- Mario Chalmers (Grizzlies) — $4,300,000
- J.J Barea (Mavericks) — $4,290,000
- Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers) — $4,236,287
- Devin Harris (Mavericks) — $4,053,446
- Raymond Felton (Mavericks) — $3,950,313
- Dante Exum (Jazz) — $3,777,720
- Patty Mills (Spurs) — $3,578,947
- Marcus Smart (Celtics) — $3,431,040
- Austin Rivers (Clippers) — $3,110,796
- Emmanuel Mudiay (Nuggets) — $3,105,240
- Norris Cole (Pelicans) — $3,036,927
- D.J. Augustin (Thunder) — $3,000,000
- Jerryd Bayless (Bucks) — $3,000,000
- Kirk Hinrich (Bulls) — $2,854,940
- Brian Roberts (Hornets) — $2,854,940
- Trey Burke (Jazz) — $2,658,240
- Elfrid Payton (Magic) — $2,505,720
- Shelvin Mack (Hawks) — $2,433,333
- Michael Carter-Williams (Bucks) — $2,399,040
- Aaron Brooks (Bulls) — $2,250,000
- Tony Wroten (Waived by Sixers) — $2,179,353
- Steve Blake (Pistons) — $2,170,465
- Ramon Sessions (Wizards) — $2,170,465
- Beno Udrih (Heat) — $2,170,465
- Kendall Marshall (Sixers) — $2,144,772
- Jeremy Lin (Hornets) — $2,139,000
- Gary Neal (Wizards) — $2,139,000
- Mo Williams (Cavaliers) — $2,100,000
- Cameron Payne (Thunder) — $2,021,520
- Terry Rozier (Celtics) — $1,824,360
- Toney Douglas (Pelicans) — $1,764,858 (Includes the $600,000 he is owed by the Pacers, who waived him)
- Dennis Schröder (Hawks) — $1,763,400
- Tyler Ennis (Bucks) — $1,662,360
- Jerian Grant (Knicks) — $1,572,360
- Delon Wright (Raptors) — $1,509,360
- Shane Larkin (Nets) — $1,500,000
- Andre Miller (Timberwolves) — $1,499,187
- Ronnie Price (Suns) — $1,499,187
- Pablo Prigioni (Clippers) — $1,421,348 (Includes the $440,000 he is owed by the Nuggets, who waived him)
- Shabazz Napier (Magic) — $1,294,440
- Tyus Jones (Timberwolves) — $1,282,080
- Matthew Dellavedova (Cavaliers) — $1,147,276
- Ish Smith (Sixers) — $1,100,602
- Donald Sloan (Nets) — $1,015,421
- Joseph Young (Pacers) — $1,007,026
- Isaiah Canaan (Sixers) — $947,276
- Ray McCallum (Spurs) — $947,276
- Seth Curry (Kings) — $947,276
- Raul Neto (Jazz) — $900,000
- Jordan Clarkson (Lakers) — $845,059
- Spencer Dinwiddie (Pistons) — $845,059
- Tim Frazier (Trail Blazers) — $845,059
- Langston Galloway (Knicks) — $845,059
- Tyler Johnson (Heat) — $845,059
- Russ Smith (Waived by Grizzlies) — $845,059
- Pierre Jackson (Waived by Sixers) — $750,000
- Bryce Cotton (Waived by Suns) — $700,902
- Jimmer Fredette (Waived by Sixers and Pelicans) — $579,388
- Marcelo Huertas (Lakers) — $525,093
- T.J. McConnell (Sixers) — $525,093
- Jordan Farmar (Waived by Clippers via stretch provision) — $510,922
- Gal Mekel (Waived by Mavericks) — $315,759
- Scottie Wilbekin (Waived by Sixers) — $200,000
- Phil Pressey (Waived by Sixers and Jazz) — $195,027
- Keith Appling (Waived by Magic) — $100,000
- Erick Green (Waived by Nuggets) — $100,000
- Ryan Boatright (Waived by Nets) — $75,000
- Lorenzo Brown (Waived by the Timberwolves) — $75,000
- Travis Trice (Waived by the Knicks) — $50,000
- Nate Robinson (Waived by Pelicans) — $44,094
- Shannon Scott (Waived by Raptors) — $25,000
- Eric Atkins (Waived by Jazz) — $6,178
Central Notes: Butler, Christmas, Dinwiddie
The Bulls have gone 10-4 since Jimmy Butler made his controversial remarks about Fred Hoiberg‘s laid-back coaching style, and the team appears to have rallied together while playing some of its best basketball of the season, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune writes. “We’re just playing good basketball,” point guard Derrick Rose said. “On the offensive side the ball is moving. It seems like we know who is getting the ball at certain times. On the defensive side, it’s all about rebounding. If we rebound it’s like a 90-some percent chance we win the game. So it’s all about just communicating when we’re out there and getting rebounds.”
Rose, who has reportedly been at odds with Butler on occasion, was asked if the swingman was the most talented teammate he’s had since arriving in the NBA, to which Rose responded, “I think so, man. Who knows how good he can become? I just love his patience right now. He’s playing with unbelievable patience. He’s not rushing anything, he knows what he’s getting whenever he’s in the pick-and-roll or whenever he’s in the isolation. He’s reading everything the right way now.”
Here’s more from out of the Central Division:
- Free agent Dionte Christmas, whom the Cavaliers waived shortly before the season started, has signed with the Greek club AEK Athens, the team announced (h/t to international journalist David Pick). The 29-year-old shooting guard averaged 6.8 points in 19.9 minutes per game over four contests in the preseason for Cleveland.
- The return of Brandon Jennings from injury has created a bit of a logjam at point guard for the Pistons, but according to coach/executive Stan Van Gundy, it’s far from the worst thing a team could be faced with, notes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. When asked if dividing minutes between Jennings and Reggie Jackson could become a problem for him, Van Gundy said, “It will become an issue I’m sure. Anytime you’re dealing with the issue of trying to get enough minutes for more good players, that’s a good issue to have.”
- The Pistons have assigned point guard Spencer Dinwiddie to their D-League affiliate, the team announced via press release. Dinwiddie has appeared in nine games for Detroit this season and is averaging 4.4 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 12.3 minutes per game.
Atlantic Notes: Anthony, Battier, Smart
Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony‘s willingness to reduce his role in the offense shows that he trusts in his teammates to execute, which is a major step forward from the Melo of last season, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com relays. “I probably wouldn’t have been at ease because I was the guy who always had to go out there and score 30, score 40 points to even have a chance to win the basketball game,” Anthony said of his willingness to shoot less. “Now, with the makeup of this team, I don’t really have to do that. I feel a lot more comfortable now with … letting somebody else have a breakout game and letting other guys get involved [to] get their confidence up. I feel more comfortable with that now.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Retired forward Shane Battier met with members of the Sixers today, Derek Bodner of PhillyMag.com relays (via Twitter). Battier has a relationship with GM Sam Hinkie that goes back to their time spent together in Houston, and all indications are that the team was merely meeting with him to pick his brain, not to discuss a potential contract, Bodner adds.
- Despite their offseason focus on improving defensively, the Raptors are struggling on that end of the court, and the issue goes beyond the loss of DeMarre Carroll to injury, Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun writes. “We’ve got guys that have been here with us, that should know the defensive schemes, that do know the defensive schemes,” coach Dwane Casey said. “We’re trying to get guys back in, [but] health and injuries are part of this league,” he continued. “All those are excuses. Next man up, everybody wants an opportunity, that’s what it’s all about. One guy goes down, the next guy has to take up the slack.”
- Celtics point guard Marcus Smart is rounding back into form after missing time with a leg injury, and his recent play has sparked the team on the defensive end, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes.
Grizzlies Keep James Ennis, Cut Ryan Hollins
4:18pm: The Grizzlies announced via a press release that Hollins has been waived.
1:35pm: The Grizzlies will waive Ryan Hollins today, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter), but they’ll hold on to James Ennis, reports Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal (All Twitter links here). Memphis needs a roster spot for Elliot Williams, who’s reportedly set to sign a 10-day contract with the team, so it appears that Hollins, who just signed last week, will depart. Ennis, who had already earned more than the partial guarantee on his salary by virtue of remaining under contract as long as he has this season, will see his full $845,059 one-year veteran’s minimum take, since today is the final day for NBA teams to waive non-guaranteed salary before it becomes fully guaranteed.
The details of the contract Hollins signed December 29th remain unclear, but Bobby Marks of Yahoo’s “The Vertical” offered a hint, tweeting that he’ll see about $96K for his time on the Memphis roster. That indicates that Hollins was on a non-guaranteed deal, just like the contract the Grizzlies had him on during the preseason and the one he signed with the Wizards in late November. Memphis waived him before opening night, and Washington cut him loose last month, so his latest release from the Grizzlies represents the third time he’s hit waivers in less than three months.
Ennis came to Memphis in early November via the Mario Chalmers trade, and he’s already gone on D-League assignment six times since then. He’s logged only 27 minutes at the NBA level with the Grizzlies so far, but Memphis apparently thinks he can grow into a productive player, since the team’s interest in keeping him for next season was the reason why it chose Ennis over Hollins today, according to Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). Ennis’ contract covers 2016/17 with a non-guaranteed salary. The combo forward was the 50th overall pick in the 2013 draft.
Suns Waive Bryce Cotton
4:13pm: The Suns have officially announced that Cotton has been waived.
7:51am: The Suns are waiving point guard Bryce Cotton, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The move will formally take place in advance of the close of business today, just as with the team’s release of Cory Jefferson, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Today is the last chance that NBA teams have to cut non-guaranteed contracts before they become guaranteed for the rest of the season. Cotton, like Jefferson, is on a one-year, minimum-salary deal that’s non-guaranteed. The Suns, who’ll be left with 13 players, are expected to fill their two openings with players on 10-day contracts, according to Coro, and Charania points out that Cotton and Jefferson are eligible to sign such deals with the Suns.
Cotton joined the Suns on November 25th, after Bledsoe had missed a game with a sore right knee and Brandon Knight was feeling less than 100% about his left ankle, on which he’d undergone surgery in April, Coro notes. Phoenix kept Cotton around even as Bledsoe and Knight became healthy, and when Bledsoe tore the meniscus in his left knee last week, an injury that knocked him out for the season, it seemed Cotton’s chances of remaining on the roster had improved, but it appears the Suns will let him go anyway. Cotton’s release is poised to leave the Suns with just two point guards, at least temporarily.
Phoenix coach Jeff Hornacek used Cotton in only three games, and he totaled four points, three assists, five steals and five turnovers in 33 combined minutes. The 23-year-old who went undrafted out of Providence in 2014 was with the Spurs D-League affiliate before signing with the Suns, so he could go back to them, seek an overseas deal or try to find another NBA job. He’ll nonetheless see a prorated portion of his Suns salary worth 44/170ths of the one-year veteran’s minimum, since he has been with Phoenix for 44 days. That’ll come to $218,721, a figure that will stick on Phoenix’s books.
Which player do you think has a better chance to end up back in the NBA, Cotton or Jefferson? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Suns Waive Cory Jefferson
THURSDAY, 4:10pm: The Suns have officially announced the release of Jefferson.
WEDNESDAY, 11:06pm: The Suns are waiving power forward Cory Jefferson, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reports (Twitter link). The move comes prior to Thursday’s leaguewide contract guarantee date, so Phoenix won’t be on the hook for the remainder of Jefferson’s $845,059 salary for the season.
Jefferson, 25, was the No. 60 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft. He has only appeared in six contests for Phoenix on the season, averaging 2.0 points and 1.7 rebounds in 4.7 minutes per game. The 6’9″ forward appeared in 50 games for the Nets in 2014/15 when he notched averages of 3.7 points and 2.9 rebounds on 44.9% shooting. Jefferson had been waived by Brooklyn back in July so that the team could avoid his non-guaranteed salary for 2015/16 becoming partially guaranteed for $150K. He inked a training camp deal with Phoenix in August and subsequently made the regular season roster.
The Suns’ roster count will drop to 14 players as a result of waiving Jefferson, which will leave one open slot to add a player via a 10-day signing or a trade.
Pelicans To Retain Toney Douglas
The Pelicans intend to retain combo guard Toney Douglas past 4:00pm Central today, when his partially guaranteed contract would become fully guaranteed, league sources told Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops (on Twitter). That means his full $1,164,858 salary will remain on New Orleans’ books, unless the team trades him between now and the February 18th trade deadline.
New Orleans signed the 29-year-old guard back in October after it had waived Nate Robinson. Douglas is currently in his second stint with the Pelicans after signing two 10-day contracts and a multiyear deal with the team last season. The Pelicans had waived him back in July to avoid guaranteeing his salary for this season. Douglas had also spent time during the preseason this year with the Pacers prior to catching on with New Orleans.
Douglas has made 19 appearances for the Pelicans this season and is averaging 6.2 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 14.7 minutes per night. His career numbers through seven NBA campaigns are 7.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists to go along with a slash line of .406/.354/.824.
Eastern Notes: Mozgov, Lee, Ujiri
Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov has seen himself go from a starter to a reserve this season, which has multiple teams inquiring about his availability via trade, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports relays. Cleveland has not expressed any desire to move the center publicly, but the team’s daunting luxury tax bill, as well as Mozgov’s pending free agency, could eventually persuade the team to deal him, Spears adds. The 29-year-old has appeared in 30 games for the Cavaliers this season, including 25 as a starter, and he is averaging 6.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in 17.8 minutes per night.
Here’s more from out of the Eastern Conference:
- Wesley Matthews “badly wanted” this past summer to sign with the Raptors, who had mutual interest, but the thought of signing a player still recovering from a torn Achilles tendon was too much for the Raptors to bear, Sportsnet’s Michael Grange writes. That led Toronto to DeMarre Carroll, who’s since suffered injuries of his own, though GM Masai Ujiri played hardball, telling Carroll when he met with him that the team’s offer would come off the table if he didn’t commit before the end of the meeting. Carroll, of course, ended up signing with the Raptors for $58MM over four years. It’s much too early to say the Carroll signing was a mistake, but his injury illustrates how even seemingly safe choices carry risk, leaving the Raptors in limbo, Grange argues.
- Ujiri said he was “torn” before he made the decision to turn down a “great offer” to stay with the Nuggets to become Raptors GM in the summer of 2013, calling Denver team president Josh Kroenke “like a brother” in an appearance on “The Vertical” podcast with Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (audio link at 21:30 mark). “It haunts you for a long time,” Ujiri said. “I know I made the right decision, but sometimes I don’t know if I failed with loyalty there.” Still, the lure of the Raptors, whom Ujiri called a top-three organization in the league, proved too strong.
- David Lee chose his words carefully as he expressed frustration and disagreement to reporters about the decision Celtics coach Brad Stevens made to take him out of the rotation, making it clear that he still respects the coach and hadn’t requested a trade, as MassLive’s Jay King relays. Still, Lee said that his lack of playing time is more frustrating this year than it was in Golden State last year. The Celtics are already reportedly making him available in trade talk.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.