Atlantic Notes: McCullough, Raptors, Grant
Nets fans seeking a sliver of hope for the future of the team can look to the impending return of 2015 first-rounder Chris McCullough, who recently began practicing on a limited basis with his teammates, Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes. “It felt great to be out there finally doing some 5-on-5 contact. It felt great,’’ said McCullough. “Every step I take is big. Right here playing 5-on-5 contact is definitely a big step, and it just feels great to be out there.’’
The forward isn’t likely to see any game action until after the All-Star break, though that timetable is just an estimate at this point, Lewis notes. “I’m not really sure right now [when I’ll debut]. I’m just limited in what I can do. … I just take it day by day,’’ McCullough said. “It was good [to practice]. Just have to get accustomed to the speed of the game, and stuff. I haven’t had a 5-on-5 contact practice since last January. I just have to get accustomed to it and I’ll be good.’’
Here’s what else is happening around the Atlantic Division:
- Raptors coach Dwane Casey believes this year’s roster is better prepared for the playoffs than the 2014/15 version, which is the result of the team’s offseason moves designed to make them tougher defensively, Mike Ganter of The Toronto Sun writes. “I think this year we’re grittier, it’s not as pretty but I think we’re grittier, grimier and I think those type of games help you win against good teams down the stretch or in tough situations,” Casey said after Wednesday night’s game against the Wizards. “Does it make you win every night? No, but it gives you a better chance and that’s the difference between this year and last year is just our entire disposition. We have a tougher disposition, I think, from a coaching standpoint.”
- The Sixers are encouraged by the play of Jerami Grant at the power forward spot, and the team believes he may have a future in the league as a stretch-four, Brian Seltzer of NBA.com relays. “I think he’s a modern day four-man,” coach Brett Brown said. “Look at what he’s going to be when his body gets older. He can play three for sure, and he’s that versatile that when you say, there’s small-ball, you got a person.”
Hoops Rumors Originals 12/27/15-1/2/16
Here’s a look back at the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this past week…
- Zach Links highlighted some of the better basketball blogs around in his weekly installment of Hoops Links.
- Will Joseph answered reader questions in our Weekly Mailbag.
- Chuck Myron put together a list of some of the top free agents for next season and categorized them by the maximum salary bands in which they’ll fall.
- We ran down the 2015/16 season salary rankings for the league’s centers and power forwards.
- 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.
- I looked at the 2016/17 projected salary cap numbers for the Wizards. You can view the entire series of cap projections here.
- 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.
- Here’s how you can follow specific players on Hoops Rumors.
Western Notes: Henderson, Griffin, Whiteside
Blazers swingman Gerald Henderson was supposed to provide some much needed veteran leadership on the court in the wake of the departure of LaMarcus Aldridge as a free agent and the trade of Nicolas Batum to the Hornets, but instead he has fallen to third-string on the team’s depth chart, Jason Quick of CSNNW.com writes. Henderson and his expiring contract could potentially be dealt prior to this season’s trade deadline, but his struggles on the court may make it difficult for Portland to extract much in the way of value if the swingman is traded, Quick notes.
Henderson understands he’s not performing up to par, but believes he can turn things around, Quick adds. “I don’t feel like I can really play worse,’’ Henderson said. “I think I play good defense; I think I’ve done a good job on that end of the court. But offensively … just been inconsistent. I look at myself … I know how to play. And it will turn around at some point … but I feel like I can help the team, obviously more.’’
Here’s more from out West:
- One unsung aspect of injured power forward Blake Griffin‘s game that the Clippers will miss is his passing, and the team’s offense has already taken a hit in its efficiency since the high-flying big man has been out of the lineup, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes. “You forget, other than CP [Chris Paul], who makes the passes for our team,” Rivers said. “You realize how important Blake is. Most people just look at his scoring, and it’s his passing that makes us go as well.” Griffin is expected to be out of action for at least two weeks after suffering a partially torn left quadriceps.
- Look for Heat center Hassan Whiteside to be one of the top free agent targets for the Mavericks this coming offseason, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News opines. While Sefko does praise the play of Zaza Pachulia for Dallas this season, he notes that Whiteside would be a clear upgrade, especially on the defensive end, and the Heat’s salary cap situation could make it difficult for Miami to re-sign the big man, thus helping the Mavs’ cause in regards to inking Whiteside this summer. Miami is currently projected to have approximately $39MM-$45MM in free cap space, but those figures only include six players and don’t account for pending free agents Dwyane Wade and Luol Deng, among others.
Week In Review 12/27/15-1/2/16
The Suns announced that point guard Eric Bledsoe underwent successful surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee and he will miss the remainder of the season as a result. Initial reports predicted Bledsoe would be out of action for about six weeks, though that timetable may have been reflective of the team’s hope that Bledsoe’s surgery would remove the meniscus, which usually entails a shorter recovery time, rather than make an attempt to repair it.
Bledsoe, now in his sixth year in the league, was enjoying the best season of his career prior to suffering the injury. His 20.4 points, 6.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game are either tied with or exceed career highs. His absence is certainly a blow to the 12-21 team, and it could hasten the front office in pressing the reset button on its current rebuild. The Suns are eligible to apply for a disabled player exception with the loss of Bledsoe, which would be valued at $5.464MM. The team is not currently eligible to apply for a hardship exception, however.
Here’s more from the week that was…
Miscellaneous News
- Clippers power forward Blake Griffin will be out of action for at least two weeks after suffering a partially torn left quadriceps.
- The Suns fired assistant coaches Mike Longabardi and Jerry Sichting and gave fellow assistants Nate Bjorkgren and Earl Watson more prominent roles.
- The NBA 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.
- Al Jefferson will be out approximately six weeks after suffering a tear in the lateral meniscus of his right knee.
Signings
- The Grizzlies signed center Ryan Hollins.
- Sixers draft-and-stash pick Vasilije Micic signed with the Serbian club Crvena Zvezda.
- Nikoloz Tskitishvili, who spent part of training camp with the Clippers, signed with Champville in Lebanon.
- Former Celtics center Vitor Faverani signed with the Spanish club UCAM Murcia.
Waivers
- The Grizzlies waived Russ Smith.
D-League News
- Nuggets camp cut Nick Johnson signed with the NBA D-League and was claimed by the Spurs’ affiliate.
- The Hornets’ new D-League affiliate in Greensboro, N.C. will be called the Swarm, the team announced.
You can stay up to date on all the D-League assignments and recalls for the season here.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 1/1/16
We all made our fair share of mistakes in 2015. Granted, some made more than others. So much is true in the NBA, too, of course. While several teams improved after certain signings and acquisitions, others seemingly miscalculated or completely missed on a move or two.
We discussed favorite transactions from 2015 on this site yesterday and to continue our look back on the year, we thought it best to talk about some not-so-favorite moves, too. Of course, while 2015 has ended, the season is far from over so there is still time for our thoughts to change on certain transactions.
Still, some are definitely looking better than others with 2016 underway.
So, here is today’s question: What was the worst transaction of 2015?
Sometimes players just don’t mesh as well in a new system, in a new city or with a new coach, as a prospective team had hoped for. With that said, I have to hand it to the Pelicans. New Orleans’ re-signing of Omer Asik in July is my pick for the year’s worst move. This is not one of those moves that make or break a franchise, but Asik is definitely not playing up to the five-year deal worth nearly $52.978MM in base salary he signed. I didn’t think he would, either, given his overall deteriorating value and playoff struggles coming into this season. The signing was odd right when it was announced, in my opinion. Asik is averaging a career low 2.8 points per game.
But what do you think? Surely, there are more transactions that teams would love to hit a “redo” button on. Being mindful of our commenting policy, let us know in the comments section below what your thoughts are. We look forward to what you have to share.
And-Ones: Lamb, James, D-League
Former Thunder shooting guard Jeremy Lamb will face his old team for the first time Saturday and comes into the game playing the most consistent basketball of his four-year career in his first season with the Hornets, Erik Horne of The Oklahoman details. The Hornets acquired Lamb in a June trade. The 23-year-old then signed a three-year, $21MM extension in November, a deal that was met with some criticism because Lamb had not shown any consistency. Entering action Friday night, Lamb was averaging per game career highs in points (11.3), rebounds (4.4), minutes (21.7) and field goal percentage (47.5), as Horne notes.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- LeBron James‘ season to this point has a positive vibe to it, something that was absent in the first two months of last season, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes. The difference has to do with James, who recently turned 31, feeling healthier now than he did last year, Vardon adds. “I think he’s pretty healthy,” Cavs coach David Blatt said. “I think he’s obviously been able to play in every game. He could’ve played in the Miami game. I pulled him out. It wasn’t his wish or any need on his part except for what I saw not wanting him to play in that horrific back to back that we had. I think he’s good, I think he’s strong. I think he feels good and hopefully that’s going to continue in the same vein. When and if necessary we’ll look to reduce the load on him if we can.”
- The Raptors recalled Anthony Bennett, Norman Powell and Delon Wright from their D-League affiliate, the team announced (on Twitter).
- The Magic assigned Devyn Marble to their D-League affiliate, per Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Sixers, Knicks
DeMarre Carroll, who joined the Raptors this past summer when he signed for four years and $58MM, is still in the process of finding his rhythm in Toronto’s offense, Eric Koreen of the National Post details. Carroll was supposed to be a significant part of the Raptors’ success, but so far he has had an unimportant role, Koreen adds. Carroll has missed 12 games and has played with nagging injuries, as Koreen points out. At 20-13 heading into action Friday, the Raptors have managed despite Carroll’s struggles, but if the small forward gets going, Toronto’s future is all the more bright, Koreen surmises.
Here’s more on the Atlantic Division:
- Nets rookie power forward Chris McCullough practiced for the first time since he tore his ACL while at Syracuse last year, NetsDaily tweets. He is not yet cleared to play in games, however.
- The Sixers need high-ceiling young prospects and should use Nerlens Noel as a trade piece because they have a surplus at the center position, John Smallwood of the Philadelphia Daily News opines. A topical converstation lately has been centered on whether or not Noel and Jahlil Okafor can coexist. Smallwood lists Marcus Smart, Dennis Schroder, Zach LaVine and Victor Oladipo as players the Sixers should go after.
- Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis has not been tempted by the city’s night life and that likely can be attributed to the 20-year-old living with his parents in White Plains and not indulging in alcohol, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News writes. The drinking age in Latvia is 18, as Bondy points out.
Pistons Notes: Ilyasova, Jennings, Drummond
Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy is very much interested in keeping Ersan Ilyasova in Detroit next season, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press relays (on Twitter). Ilyasova has a non-guaranteed deal worth $8.4MM for next season. The 28-year-old power forward is averaging 10.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Detroit acquired Ilyasova in a trade with the Bucks in June and Van Gundy recently said he has been thrilled with the move.
“He’s a very good player on a very good contract,” Van Gundy said, per Ellis. “I don’t really see a scenario where we wouldn’t.”
Here’s more news concerning Detroit:
- Brandon Jennings still needs time to get back to full speed, but his return so far has impressed Reggie Jackson, who assumed Jennings’ role as the Pistons’ starting point guard, David Mayo of MLive.com details. “They really haven’t dropped off with Brandon coming in, a guy we all know can get hot and get it going, but as well, probably doesn’t get enough credit for being able to see the floor, and his passing ability,” Jackson said. “I think it really showed tonight. He got hockey assists, got kick-outs, really got to the paint, and was attacking. I’m happy to see him doing well and helping lead our second unit to help lead our team to get wins.” Jennings has yet to start a game since returning from a torn Achilles last week.
- Former Piston and current Wolves small forward Tayshaun Prince returned Thursday to Detroit, where he spent 11 of his 14 seasons, but he’s not ready to say it was for the final time, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune writes. “When people tell me I’m done, I look at them like they’re crazy because throughout my whole career when we won, and even when we didn’t win, the things I did on the floor didn’t show up in the stat sheet,” Prince said. “No matter what, I can still impact the game, and I know I can still do that for a long time.”
- Andre Drummond‘s inconsistency can be attributed to a lack of focus and engagement during games and has nothing to do with conditioning, according to Van Gundy, Rod Beard of the Detroit News writes.
Eastern Notes: Crowder, D-League, Parker
Celtics small forward Jae Crowder has earned Kobe Bryant‘s respect, with the Lakers shooting guard noting how impressed he is with Crowder’s development since arriving in Boston via a trade last season, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. “I’ve seen him develop from his days in Dallas,” Bryant said. “There was one night where we got in late to Dallas, and I went straight to the practice facility to get some shots up and workout,” Bryant recalled. “And he [Crowder] was there. He was in there working out. He was in there working on his game. And when I see that, I have nothing but respect for him. And watching how he’s developed.”
Crowder continues to work hard, even after inking a five-year, $35MM deal with Boston this past offseason, Blakely adds. “I just try to bring it every night, do what I do well each and every night. Do my part, do my job,” Crowder said. “It’s not about the contract. Contract makes you feel comfortable, helps your game. I don’t think I should relax. I don’t think I should do anything differently.”
Here’s more from out of the Eastern Conference:
- Bucks combo forward Jabari Parker is still experiencing growing pains, though, as interim coach Joe Prunty points out, Parker hasn’t even played a full season’s worth of games yet, Charles F. Gardner of The Journal Sentinel writes. “What you could argue is until a guy plays 82 games, is he still in his rookie season?” Prunty said. “He hasn’t even played in every arena. There are things that seem like little details to other people, but the reality is it’s a different environment. There’s a lot he’s going to be learning for quite a while.” There has been some measure of debate regarding what Parker’s NBA position should be, but the player feels that power forward is indeed a good fit for his skillset, Gardner adds.
- The Celtics have recalled guards Terry Rozier and R.J. Hunter from the Maine Red Claws, their D-League affiliate, the team announced.
- The Pacers have re-assigned Rakeem Christmas and Shayne Whittington to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Christmas’ second stint in the D-League on the season and Whittington’s third.
Submit Your Questions For Hoops Rumors Mailbag
In addition to our regular weekly chat, which Chuck Myron facilitates every Wednesday, we have a second opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in our weekly mailbag feature, which is posted every Saturday.
Have a question regarding player movement, free agent rumors, the salary cap, the NBA draft, or the top storylines of the week? You can e-mail them here: hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com. Feel free to send emails throughout the week, but please be mindful that we may receive a sizable number of questions and might not get to all of them.
If you missed out on any past mailbags and would like to catch up, you can view the full archives here.