Western Notes: Rondo, Gentry, Kerr
One aspect of Alvin Gentry‘s coaching style that has endeared him to his players on the Pelicans is his willingness to hold all players equally accountable, including star power forward Anthony Davis, John Reid of The Times Picayune writes. ”That’s how you get credibility in this league as a coach,” point guard Norris Cole said. ”The top coaches are tough on everybody, including the star players. They always say, it starts at the top, coach is consistent. It doesn’t matter who you are; if he feels he needs to get on you, he will get on you. If you look at all the great coaches, they get on their star players before they get on anybody else. We respect coach and he’s consistent with what he’s trying to bring and what wants out of us.”
Davis welcomes Gentry’s input, even if it means the coach being hard on him, Reid notes. ”He gets on everybody coaches, players,” Davis said. ”He doesn’t care who it is because he wants all of us to be better. If that’s what it takes for us to be better then I’m down for it. Like I said, he got on me during Saturday’s game and I was totally fine. Perk [Kendrick Perkins] gets on me, I don’t care. I know that they have my best interests [in mind].”
Here’s the latest from out West:
- Despite his strong individual numbers this season, point guard Rajon Rondo has not improved the Kings‘ offense, and the team has actually been statistically more efficient when the point guard is on the bench, Mika Honkasalo of HoopsHype writes in his analysis of the team. Sacramento has been outscored by 5.4 points per 100 possessions with Rondo on the floor, and the Kings have actually outscored teams by 1.5 points without Rondo, Honkasalo notes.
- The Warriors still don’t know when Steve Kerr will be able to return to coaching the team and much still depends on how Kerr’s body responds to travel, Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group relays. “He’s trying,” GM Bob Myers said. “He wants to get back, but it’s just tough right now. He’s not able to do it, and we hope it will be soon. “So he’s kind of putting his toe in the water, getting on the road with the team to see how he can handle that, handle the travel and the up and downs of the road. If he can get through that OK, then we’ll see. But it’s tough for me. If you had him on right now, he’d probably tell you he doesn’t know [how soon he might be back]. So for me to say anything is just speculation.”
Sixers Notes: Brand, Wood, Smith
Elton Brand had mentally committed to retiring this summer, but the opportunity to make a positive impact on the Sixers’ young roster intrigued him, leading to his return to the NBA, Brian Seltzer of NBA.com writes. “It’s surreal,” Brand said about being back in the league. “A lot of fun. Came in, not too many expectations on the court. I did OK. I feel good about that.” Speaking about his potential retirement, Brand told Seltzer, “This chapter was done. I had made peace with it. I was honored and very thankful for the opportunity to be an NBA basketball player, especially for so long to have that longevity. So now, being out here again, I’ll make the best of it. I’m shooting corner three’s, I’m handling the ball, I’m doing everything. This is unexpected, so I’m thankful for the opportunity.”
“His mind is A-plus, and his purpose and our collective understanding of why he’s here is A-plus,” said Brown, who is thrilled to have Brand on the roster, Seltzer adds. “He understands where he can have the most value. And it’s pretty cool to have somebody like that around, with that resume, and that clear understanding of how he can help us and me the most. I just feel like when he speaks, I can tell already, he’s calculated on when he’s going to talk, and he knows that silence isn’t a bad thing. I’m sure he’s going to choose his place accordingly, and purposefully. But it is very cool for me to know his history, and to have him back in the program.”
Here’s more from out of Philadelphia:
- The Sixers’ lack of quality point guards has hampered the offensive development of a number of the team’s younger players, something coach Brett Brown hopes the addition of Ish Smith can alleviate, writes Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Daily News. “I think everybody benefits from good, stable point guard play,” Brown said. ”Because what happens is it’s such a pick-and-roll league that you can find perimeter people out of that through a point guard. It’s such a pace system that we run that you can find runners, shooters like that. I think that you can hit rollers, because of that. The point guard just connects the dots all over the place. All over the place and there’s probably no team that would resonate that opinion more than we do with what we’ve all been through.”
- Power forward Christian Wood has joined the Delaware 87ers, the Sixers’ D-League affiliate, after clearing waivers today, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor relays (via Twitter). The Sixers released Wood earlier this week to make room on the roster to ink Elton Brand.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround: 1/6/16
The NBA D-League Showcase event kicks off today and GMs and scouts from around the league will be in Santa Cruz, California, to watch 19 games over the next five days. This event is significant because it allows league personnel to eyeball potential 10-day contract candidates who can be utilized to bolster NBA rosters. According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports, the headliners of this showcase are: former Nuggets point guard Erick Green; shooting guard Elliot Williams, who was with the Pelicans, Hornets and Jazz last season; point guard Lorenzo Brown; shooting guard Orlando Johnson; and power forward Perry Jones III.
Other notable players who will participate in the event and are worth keeping tabs on, according to Spears, are: Westchester center Jordan Bachynski; Bakersfield forward Earl Clark; Rio Grande Valley guard Will Cummings; Westchester guard Jimmer Fredette; Santa Cruz guard Darington Hobson; Reno forward Vince Hunter; Idaho guard Pierre Jackson; Rio Grande Valley swingman Nick Johnson; Sioux Falls guard DeAndre Liggins; and Raptors 905 big man Greg Smith.
The 10-day contract has been the starting point for several players who’ve gone on to successful NBA careers, like Anthony Mason, Bruce Bowen, Raja Bell, Kurt Rambis, Howard Eisley and a number of others. More recently, C.J. Watson saw his first NBA action on a pair of 10-day contracts with the Warriors in 2008, and he’s since developed into a solid backup point guard. Watson signed a three-year, $15MM deal with the Magic this past offseason, which is quite a jump from what he earned while signed to those 10-day pacts.
Now that the preamble is out of the way it’s time for today’s topic: Which of the 10-day contract candidates mentioned above is the likeliest to make an impact in the NBA this season?
I would say that Erick Green has the highest potential to make his mark this season given the number of teams in need of point guard depth around the league. But for teams seeking to take on a project who may bear fruit in the future, I’d highly recommend taking a flier on Bachynski, who has the potential to develop into a useful stretch-four in the NBA. He has a ways to go in terms of his development, but he is a skilled and mobile big man who could have a future as a rotation player in the league if given the right opportunity.
But what say you? Which of the above mentioned players would you like to see your favorite team sign? Who do you think will make the most significant impact in the league in 2015/16? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to what you have to say.
Eastern Notes: Winslow, Kidd-Gilchrist, Felicio
Hornets small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist revealed earlier today that he intends to return to action this season despite suffering a torn labrum in his right shoulder that appeared likely to cost him all of 2015/16. 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, Chris Barnewall of SB Nation’s AttheHive.com writes. With the franchise expecting to have ample free cap space heading into this offseason, the return of Kidd-Gilchrist could push the Hornets deeper into the postseason, which would provide the team with a stronger free agent sales pitch, Barnewall notes. But the prospect of luring a big name player to Charlotte isn’t worth risking the long-term health of Kidd-Gilchrist, who has already suffered a number of injuries during his brief NBA career, adds Barnewall.
Here’s more news from the Eastern Conference:
- Heat rookie Justise Winslow‘s versatility as a defender is allowing the team to experiment with him as a stretch four, a move that Miami has been working toward in recent weeks, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel writes. “There’s a lot of time being spent behind the scenes,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He’s been doing that. For about over a month, he’s been working a lot of his reps at the four pre-practice. He doesn’t play it [a lot] in the game, but you never know when. And it’s not like it’s something new. So he’s had a thousand reps behind the scenes. He gets thrown in there, it’s like, ‘OK, I got this. This is familiar.’ “
- Thursday is the final day that teams can waive their non-guaranteed contracts before they become fully guaranteed, and the Bulls have to make decisions regarding Cameron Bairstow and Cristiano Felicio. All indications point to Felicio remaining on the roster past that deadline, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune writes. The 23-year-old has only appeared in two games for the Bulls this season and has scored two points in four total minutes of action.
- Pacers small forward Solomon Hill has cracked coach Frank Vogel‘s regular rotation, but the player still needs to work on his tendency to overthink matters on the court, Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star writes. “I think one thing I have to do now that I’m, like, playing actually is just relax,” said Hill. “I feel like I’m just trying to stay in there by just doing the right things, and I’m thinking too much. I think once I relax and see the first one go in, I’ll be OK.” When asked if he can expect to receive consistent playing time moving forward, Hill responded, “I don’t know. I’m not going to think about that anymore. That’s part of me over-thinking. I’m just going to go out there and play the game, play my game when I do get the opportunity, but it’s a testament to our team. Everybody’s playing right now.”
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript
4:05pm: We hosted the weekly live chat.
3:00pm: NBA teams face decisions on their non-guaranteed contracts no later than Thursday, a point in the season that usually sparks movement. Seven trades took place between January 5th and January 15th last year, and those plus a rush of signings and waivers changed the look of many teams. Some NBA clubs are already going through changes, with the Sixers probably chief among them, while others, like the Suns, appear to be contemplating a move of some kind to jolt them from their nine-game losing streak.
Western Notes: Bryant, Fredette, Payne, Nance
The Lakers simply can’t concentrate on developing young players as they otherwise would because they need to give Kobe Bryant a “justified farewell” as he plays his final season, GM Mitch Kupchak contended in an interview with Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Kupchak expounded on comments he made in a recent meeting with season ticket-holders in which he said the team can’t fully move forward with Bryant still present, though he made it clear that the franchise has no reservations about giving Bryant his due. Kupchak argued to Holmes that the attention Bryant draws allows the young players to grow outside the harsh glare of the spotlight, calling it a “silver lining” to the situation, and the GM also insisted the team will be in better position to attract free agents this summer than it was last year.
“I think we’ll see enough [from the young players],” Kupchak said. “Yeah, I think we’ll see enough. I do. Kobe has been really good lately. He looks like he’s trying to fit in and play the right way. Yeah, I think we’ll see enough. Is it going to come as quick as you want? I mean, D’Angelo [Russell] is going to be 20. They all want it now, but it’s just going to take a year or two or three. But it’s certainly going to be a lot more attractive than what we had to offer last summer.”
See more from the Western Conference:
- Utah has an open roster spot after waiving Elijah Millsap on Tuesday, but while Jimmer Fredette, who’s eligible to sign with any NBA team, is still a fan favorite from his days at BYU, the Jazz signaled their lack of interest when they passed him up in this season’s D-League draft, tweets Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. The team doubts his ability to play NBA-caliber defense and doesn’t want to deal with the crush of local interest that signing him would entail, Genessy adds (Twitter link).
- Thunder coach Billy Donovan‘s decision to put rookie Cameron Payne in the rotation has helped a talented second unit to finally play up to its abilities, as Royce Young of ESPN.com examines. The process hasn’t been without hiccups, but Payne’s emergence is nonetheless one more selling point the Thunder have to use in their pitch to retain Kevin Durant this summer, Young writes.
- Others still on the draft board seemed to be more likely candidates for the Lakers when they instead picked Larry Nance Jr. 27th overall this past summer, but after starting him at power forward for a month, coach Byron Scott thinks the situation has flipped, notes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. “If you were probably to re-do the draft, he’d be a lottery pick,” Scott said. “So obviously, we got a steal.”
Trade Candidate: Caron Butler
A Caron Butler trade was never imminent, but it seemed a fairly strong bet in the middle of last month that the Kings would ship out the 35-year-old Wisconsin native and that he would end up close to home on the Bucks. Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported December 16th that Sacramento had promised Butler that he’d be traded so he could see more playing time and that Milwaukee was his likely destination. Since then, Bucks coach and prime mover of personnel Jason Kidd went on a leave of absence to undergo and recover from hip surgery and, as Stein reported last week, the team has tabled its interest in Butler. It’s unclear whether Kidd’s hiatus has to do with the team’s apparent withdrawal from the Butler talks, but the upshot is that the veteran small forward’s future is even murkier than it was before.
Butler started in place of an ailing Rudy Gay and played 19 minutes against the Nets on November 13th, but since then, he’s made only three appearances, the last of which was a six-minute cameo on December 21st. The 14th-year veteran who turns 36 in March clearly isn’t what he used to be, but he made 21 starts and played in 78 games just last season with the Pistons, canning a useful 37.9% of his 3-point attempts. The year before that he averaged 10.5 points per game, shot 39.4% from behind the arc, and was one of the most sought-after buyout candidates after the trade deadline until the Thunder scooped him up. He didn’t have the desired effect for Oklahoma City in the playoffs that year, notching a dreadful 6.8 PER, but he remains proficient as a spot-up shooter who can help a contender that wouldn’t ask too much of him.
The Heat might just be that team. Miami drafted Butler in 2002, and he spent his first two seasons with the Heat before they shipped him to the Lakers as part of their package for Shaquille O’Neal. They were one of the early favorites to land him in the 2014 buyout market before he signed with the Thunder. Then, just like now, the Heat had depth at forward that served as a stumbling block for his return to Miami, but that could change if the Heat unload Chris Andersen, Luol Deng or another player in a cost-cutting move. The Heat have incentive to shed salary, since they’re over the luxury tax line and risk becoming the first team ever to pay the onerous repeat-offender tax penalties if they stay over it.
Butler would make a cheap alternative on the two-year, minimum-salary deal he signed this past summer with the Kings, though the Heat would have to unload more significant salary in either a separate deal or involve a third team in a swap for Butler, because the Kings are over the cap and without a trade exception. Still, Butler’s contract is relatively easy to trade, since it doesn’t require the team that takes him in to have cap space, a trade exception or even to match salaries. It fits within the minimum-salary exception, which is freely available to teams at just about any time.
More troublesome for the Kings is finding a deal that nets a palatable return. Sacramento is in a compromising position, given the report of the team’s vow to trade Butler, so at best it would seem the Kings could come away with a second-round pick that isn’t heavily protected. The Sixers have a renewed interest in veterans with chairman of basketball operations Jerry Colangelo freshly on board, but after dealing two second-rounders to the Pelicans for Ish Smith, Philadelphia is without a second-round pick in either of the next two drafts. The Celtics have no shortage of second-round picks, but they seem more likely to hang on to them to aid their quest for a star than to trade them for a veteran presence.
The Thunder have a surplus of second-rounders coming their way, and they were reportedly among the teams expected to pursue Butler in free agency this past summer. Oklahoma City has more weapons, particularly on offense, than it did two years ago, so perhaps a second Thunder stint for Butler would go more smoothly than the first did. The Bulls apparently had interest in Butler this past offseason, too, though they’re only break-even in the second-round pick department. Chicago is reportedly looking for an upgrade on the wing and wants to add shooting, yet Butler wouldn’t be the profound difference-maker the Bulls would no doubt prefer. The Spurs were another of the teams linked to Butler in the summer, but they’re not particularly given to making trades and have no need to disrupt their rhythm as winners of 12 of their last 13. The Clippers are one of Butler’s old teams and, like the Thunder, reportedly had interest in a reunion as of this summer. They have more holes to fill than San Antonio does, but Paul Pierce would appear to play the role that Butler would probably be expected to fill in L.A.
Regardless, Butler has made an impact in his brief time with Sacramento, serving as the public spokesman for the players during a contentious team meeting in November and clearly asserting himself as a veteran leader. Still, even though the Kings have a reputation for turmoil, Sacramento has other veterans on the roster who would likely soften whatever blow that Butler’s departure would deliver to team chemistry, James Ham of CSN California and CSNBayArea.com recently said to Hoops Rumors.
It seems the impetus for a trade is coming from Butler and not the Kings, even as the Sacramento front office sounds like it’s eager to fulfill his apparent wish to play elsewhere. Several reasonably logical trade partners exist, though none of them seem a perfect fit. Many of them could be reluctant to commit to the second year of Butler’s deal, which is a player option, so Butler might have to be willing to decline that option in advance, as Corey Brewer did last winter, to accommodate a trade. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be surprising if Butler has to wait until the buyout window after the trade deadline to find a new home, just as it was two years ago.
Which team do you think makes the most sense for Caron Butler? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Atlantic Notes: Brand, Smith, Love, Wroten
It wasn’t initially clear whether the Sixers wanted Elton Brand as a player or for a non-playing role with the organization instead, but coach Brett Brown likes having the 17th-year veteran in uniform, as John Gonzalez of CSNPhilly.com relays. Brand became just the second Sixers player older than 27 when Philadelphia signed him Monday.
“Because you wouldn’t believe what goes on at halftime when a coaching staff is in another room,” Brown said, explaining the value of having a veteran presence on the playing roster. “And you wouldn’t believe what goes on on the bench when you’re down 20. And you wouldn’t believe what goes on in a player’s mind when it’s a two-point game with a minute and a half left and ‘Do they know their assignments?’”
See more on the Sixers amid the latest from the Atlantic Division:
- Brown said earlier in the season that he felt it necessary to bear the responsibility that would normally go to veteran players, and just as Brand takes that burden off the Sixers coach, the acquisition of Ish Smith makes Brown’s job easier, too. Fellow CSNPhilly.com scribe Jessica Camerato has the details. “It allows me to coach less, which is good. I mean it,” Brown said. “There’s nothing worse than sitting on the sideline feeling like you’ve got to run the whole game, calling the play every single [time] — that’s not how I see the game. So when you’re playing with that pace, as long as you feel like you’ve got the right people on the floor and the spacing is the way that you want, then you let the game flow. I feel like he brings that to me, for me.”
- The Celtics thought Kevin Love was legitimately interested in their organization, coach Brad Stevens, and the city of Boston before he chose to re-sign with the Cavs this past summer, Celtics team sources told MassLive’s Jay King. Isaiah Thomas, appearing on “The Vertical” podcast with Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (audio link via Twitter), said that he tried to recruit Love to the Celtics, “but I think he already had his mind made up,” Thomas said of his former AAU teammate.
- The Knicks reportedly have interest in Tony Wroten, but the former Sixers combo guard is unlikely to wind up in New York, and he’s looking for someplace where he feels he has a better opportunity to stay for the long term, tweets Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.
Lakers Likely To Keep World Peace, Black, Huertas
The Lakers are likely to retain Metta World Peace, Tarik Black and Marcelo Huertas through Thursday, the final day the team can waive their non-guaranteed contracts before they become fully guaranteed, a source tells Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. The team has 12 other players on fully guaranteed deals, so locking in three more limits the club’s roster flexibility. The trio of non-guaranteed Lakers are on minimum-salary deals, though the cost of each to the team is different because of their varying levels of experience.
World Peace’s contract calls for a full-season salary of $1,499,187, since he’s a 15-year veteran, though the Lakers would be responsible for only $947,276 if they indeed keep him. Black, as a one-year vet, is scheduled to make $845,059 for the full season, while Huertas is drawing the rookie minimum of $525,093. They’ve already earned roughly 42% of their respective salaries by virtue of sticking on the roster as long as they have, and while the Lakers could end up paying no more than that percentage if they waive them, it appears they’ve decided against doing so.
The Lakers are fond of World Peace’s locker room mentorship, according to Bresnahan, who points out that his playing time in Tuesday’s blowout loss to the Warriors represented his first appearance after a string of 14 consecutive DNPs. Huertas, who’s seen somewhat more action even as he’s battled hamstring injuries, set a career high with nine points Tuesday, fellow Times scribe Eric Pincus notes (Twitter link).
The case of Black is slightly more complicated. He’s been on D-League assignment three times in the past month, and coach Byron Scott has turned more often to veteran Brandon Bass at his position.
“Brandon Bass is playing really well right now,” Scott said, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. “If he starts to slump, then I’ll turn to Tarik.”
The Lakers like Black’s energy, strength and positivity, but they want to see him work on his mid-range and post-up skills and become more of a physical presence inside, Medina notes. Still, it appears he’s done enough to secure his full-season salary. He, like Huertas and World Peace, is on a contract that expires at season’s end.
Do you think the Lakers should keep all three of their non-guaranteed players, or would they be better served to open a roster spot or two? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Nets Eye Andrey Vatutin To Replace King As GM?
WEDNESDAY, 8:25am: One insider was particularly direct in casting doubt on the idea of Vatutin joining the Nets as their GM this summer, calling it “BS,” NetsDaily tweets.
1:13pm: Team insiders who spoke with NetsDaily see Vatutin as an unlikely choice for GM (Twitter link).
TUESDAY, 11:22am: CSKA Moscow team president Andrey Vatutin is Mikhail Prokhorov’s “top choice” to become the GM of the Nets with Billy King‘s contract up at season’s end, sources tell Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.net. Vatutin has ties to Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who used to own the Russian team. He worked under Prokhorov and former CSKA president Sergey Kushchenko, now a Nets board member and chief sports adviser to Prokhorov, as NetsDaily points out. The Nets pursued Vatutin for an assistant GM job in 2010, the year King became GM, but Vatutin turned them down, according to Barkas and NetsDaily.
It’s unclear whether Vatutin would decide to head to Brooklyn this time around, as Barkas details. The Eurohoops scribe suggests that Prokhorov has already offered the GM job to Vatutin, though Prokhorov complimented King’s job performance as recently as October. The owner at that point declined to address the matter of an extension for King, though Zach Lowe of ESPN.com heard “serious rumblings” in May that the Nets and King were close to an extension deal. NetsDaily poured cold water on the idea shortly thereafter, reporting that a source had said the Nets and King hadn’t engaged in any extension talks.
Brooklyn, at 10-24, has the NBA’s third-worst record and is without its first-round picks in 2016 and 2018, thanks to the 2013 trade King engineered that brought in Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Still, Prokhorov, who was the impetus for the team’s desire to make a splash upon its 2012 move from New Jersey to Brooklyn, said in April that he liked King’s “bold” approach to the roster. The Nets stuck by King when former coach Jason Kidd reportedly tried to usurp his power in 2014.
The Nets have nonetheless won only a single playoff series in the five full seasons since King came aboard. Brooklyn has a chance to open some $35MM in cap room for next season, but without draft picks or a winning roster, the team doesn’t appear to be a top free agent destination.
The 42-year-old Vatutin has been with CSKA Moscow since 2002 and became the organization’s CEO in 2007. The Russian powerhouse has collected a litany of championships since then, as Barkas details. The team is 14-1 in Russian league play and 9-2 in the Euroleague this season.