Larry Bird On Frank Vogel, Paul George, Roster
The Pacers, at 23-22 and eighth in the Eastern Conference, are underachieving, and they suffer from having too many “good players, but not great players,” president of basketball operations Larry Bird said today to Mark Montieth of Pacers.com and Conrad Brunner from 1070 The Fan. Bird planned for the team to play at a fast pace this season but acknowledges his difference in philosophy with coach Frank Vogel, who prefers a lineup with two traditional bigs and has fielded that sort of team for much of the season. The entire interview is worth a read, especially to get an idea of Bird’s affection for Myles Turner‘s game. We’ll pass along a few highlights here.
On the dichotomy between his vision for the team and Vogel’s:
“We’re halfway through the season. My philosophy is, I’ve been watching this a long time. I’d like to play faster. I thought we might be able to do it. My vision was [Paul George] would play more of the four, not all of the time, but play it more. Paul’s a good rebounder. If he played the four he’d be a better rebounder. But I understand. He’s coming off a serious leg injury. He’s going to hit spurts like he’s hit here. It’s tough sitting out a year and coming back. That’s why I wanted him at the four more [laughing], so he wouldn’t have to guard [on the perimeter]. But I understand what Frank’s saying. I understand what he feels comfortable with.”
On the team’s holes:
“It’s according to how you want to play, and I think everyone knows how I want to play. I’d like to have an athletic big and I’d like to have – whether it’s a point guard or a guy who can get us in the offense and play George [Hill] off the ball a little bit or put Monta [Ellis] on the ball – we’ve got good players, we just don’t have the big athletic guys that we like and need. I think we’ll be able to get that. Paul’s getting through this year and Myles is going to be an outstanding player and [Ian] Mahinmi has had his best year. Mahinmi is playing great. [Against the Clippers], coming off an ankle injury and missing a few days, I thought he was excellent. I thought he played hard and aggressive. We have pieces, but we have some holes and we have to fill them.”
On goals for the season:
“We’ve got to find out who we are and what we’re trying to do here. I can say we’ve got to make the playoffs, and everybody says ‘Why would you want to be the seventh or eighth seed?’ I do. I want to be in the playoffs because you build on that. You build on everything every year and it ain’t going to happen overnight. I think we need to be in the playoffs and then we can put the pieces together and fill some holes and go from there.”
And-Ones: Raptors, Holiday, Middleton, Asik, Draft
Attracting a major free agent to Toronto comes down to the team’s success on the court, Raptors GM Masai Ujiri believes, and Toronto is holding up its end of the bargain so far this year, as Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com examines. The Raptors are in second place in the Eastern Conference, thanks in part to a lineup of Kyle Lowry, Patrick Patterson, offseason signees Cory Joseph and Bismack Biyombo, and the recently extended Terrence Ross that outscores opponents by a whopping 32.6 points per 100 possessions, Arnovitz notes.
“It’s simple: Win,” Ujiri said. “If you have a good culture, you can attract free agents. We have a very unique opportunity here.”
See more on the Raptors amid the latest from around the NBA:
- Jrue Holiday has shown flashes of his peak form, and that’s perhaps partly because the Pelicans restricted his minutes earlier in the season as he recovered from a stress reaction in his right leg, writes Brett Dawson of The New Orleans Advocate. Would-be trade suitors have been “petrified” about Holiday’s leg issues, though the Pelicans are reluctant to deal him, as Zach Lowe of ESPN.com wrote this week. “I think it helped me mentally, for one, preparing mentally to feel good,” Holiday said of the minutes restriction, since lifted. “Not to second-guess myself if I’m making a cut or doing a move, especially when it comes to the point where I’m playing back-to-back and playing a lot of minutes. And physically, I do feel really good right now.”
- The five-year, $70MM deal that Bucks leading scorer Khris Middleton signed this past offseason is the NBA’s most trade-able contract, opines Keith Smith of RealGM, while Pelicans center Omer Asik‘s five-year pact worth nearly $53MM, also signed this past summer, is the league’s least trade-able deal, Smith writes in a follow-up piece.
- LSU combo forward Ben Simmons unsurprisingly tops the latest draft rankings from Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com, with Duke small forward Brandon Ingram second and Providence point guard Kris Dunn third.
- Raptors D-League power forward Ronald Roberts, who’s averaging 18.4 points in 34.4 minutes per game, tops the latest D-League prospect rankings.
Trade Candidate: Jeff Teague
The Hawks were in the midst of an undefeated month in January 2015. A year later, they’re reportedly talking with other teams about potential trades involving Jeff Teague, who was as much a part of Atlanta’s 60-win success last season as anybody. The team is having preliminary discussions on many fronts, a source told Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link), and coach/executive Mike Budenholzer, speaking to Vivlamore, downplayed the idea of a trade, expressing a belief in the existing roster. However, the team was also soliciting offers for Dennis Schröder before narrowing its focus to Teague, as Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports reported, and Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com heard the Knicks are one of the teams with which the Hawks have had casual conversations about Teague. Atlanta’s front office hasn’t shopped Teague, but they’ve raised his name in conversations with other teams as they assess his market value, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports said in Wednesday’s “The Vertical” podcast (audio link, scroll to 48-minute mark).
So, the Hawks aren’t quite ready to move on from Teague, but it seems they’re seriously considering it. Teague is only 27, with a season and a half left on a bargain contract that pays him $8MM this season and next. He’d be an unlikely trade candidate if not for the presence of Schröder, five years younger and tantalizingly skilled, as Teague’s backup. The team has “major trust issues” with Schröder, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN.com, which seems an odd juxtaposition to the idea that they’d be willing to trade Teague. Perhaps, with Kyle Korver already showing signs of age and Al Horford apparently not a lock to return as this summer’s free agency approaches, the team is thinking about taking a risk. The Hawks want to contend this season, Lowe wrote in the same report, so it would seem the exploration of a Teague trade is, in at least some regard, an attempt to find a roster upgrade for the near term.
The central problem there is that Teague is quite possibly the best player legitimately on the market. No superstar trade candidate has emerged since the Kings backed away from the notion of trading DeMarcus Cousins, and while names like Kevin Love and Dwight Howard have been bandied about, most such talk has been speculative. Teague isn’t quite on the level of any of them, but he was an All-Star last season and is a proven commodity who’s stabilized the point guard position in his five years as a starter for the Hawks. Atlanta has made the playoffs every year of his career.
Other names reportedly in trade talks, like Kevin Martin, Eric Gordon and Rudy Gay, would give the Hawks some of the punch on the wing that they lost when DeMarre Carroll left in free agency, but none of them would seem worth sacrificing Teague for, and it’s tough to see a fit for Teague on the Timberwolves, Pelicans or Kings. The idea of a Knicks trade is also a tough one, as even though he’d solve New York’s dilemma at the point, a workable proposal that would excite the Hawks is tough to conjure. That’s why it’s no surprise that Fred Kerber of the New York Post wrote that a deal sending Teague to the Knicks is unlikely after hearing from sources who described the talks between the teams as “very preliminary.”
The Bucks and Jazz have only been the subject of speculation regarding Teague to this point, but they seem better fits. Michael Carter-Williams is averaging a career-low 11.7 points per game for Milwaukee, which has no shortage of intriguing young wing players as well as veterans O.J. Mayo and Jerryd Bayless. Bucks GM John Hammond recently expressed a belief in the team’s young players, though the contract that Teague is on was originally an offer sheet from Milwaukee, so perhaps the Bucks remain intrigued. The Jazz have Dante Exum coming back at point guard next season but little else at the position for now. Utah, like Milwaukee, has multiple wing players who combine youth with immediate production. The question is whether GM Dennis Lindsey, who was once a Spurs colleague of Budenholzer’s, would be willing to give one of them up.
The key for Atlanta appears to be finding a spark offensively. The Hawks gave up 100.7 points per 100 possessions in their 60-win regular season last year, according to NBA.com, and they’re slightly better in that regard this year, relinquishing an even 100. The difference shows up in the team’s points per 100 possessions scored. Last year, it was 106.2, and this year, it’s 103.1.
Part of that has to do with Teague. His 14.3 points per game are his fewest in four seasons, and while that’s partly the product of slightly fewer shots per game, his 41.9% field goal percentage is as low as it has been since he shot 39.6% in limited playing time as a rookie. His assists per game are down, from 7.0 last season to 5.5 this year, but his turnovers remain steady at 2.8 per contest. The plus is that he’s nailing a career best 38.7% from behind the 3-point line.
Still, it’s tough to ignore the discrepancy between how the Hawks have played with him versus the way they’ve looked with Schröder, whose NBA.com net rating of 10.1 blows away Teague’s minus 2.0. It’s a noisy stat that encompasses the time they’ve shared the floor and depends heavily on whom they’re playing with and against, but it’s a wide enough gulf to help explain why the Hawks seem to be moving toward choosing Schröder over Teague.
The Hawks weren’t at full strength when the Cavs swept them in the Eastern Conference Finals last spring, but neither was Cleveland. Atlanta is eight games in the loss column behind the Cavs this year, and it’s becoming clear that for the Hawks to legitimately challenge for the Eastern Conference title, they’ll have to improve. Seeing what they could get for Teague is a logical step toward that end, but no guarantee exists that the market will bear a deal that would amount to much more than a lateral move.
Do you think the Hawks will end up trading Teague before the deadline or keep him instead? Leave a comment to weigh in.
Pacific Notes: Myers, McDonough, Goodwin
Reigning Executive of the Year Bob Myers and Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob are persistent talent-seekers, but Myers acknowledges the value of standing pat sometimes, as the team has benefited from having done this past offseason, observes Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group. The continuity is a part of the relaxed culture of togetherness that coach Steve Kerr is building, as Kawakami examines.
“You have to kind of take your ego out of it sometimes and just say, ‘Look, leave it alone. Don’t screw it up,’ “ Myers said.
Golden State nonetheless continues to look around for potential ways to tweak the roster, perhaps with another shooter for the bench, though it’s only logical for the team to do so, Kawakami adds. See more from the Pacific Division:
- The Suns would like to make at least one trade before the deadline and perhaps more, GM Ryan McDonough said Wednesday in his weekly appearance on the “Burns and Gambo” show on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM radio, as Adam Green of ArizonaSports.com transcribes. “So yeah, I think we’ll be active,” McDonough also said. “We’re not going to act like everything’s OK or like we don’t need to do anything to reposition our team going forward. But will we do a deal or how many deals will we do, I couldn’t tell you at this point.”
- Injuries to Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight and Ronnie Price have prompted the Suns to turn to Archie Goodwin at the point, and Goodwin is embracing the role, believing that the chance to handle the ball is a better fit for his game, as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic details. Goodwin becomes eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer.
- Kobe Bryant took a swipe at former Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni in giving praise to Pau Gasol this week, as Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com relays. Gasol has said he’s “very likely” to turn down his player option and become a free agent this summer. “I think the city of L.A. didn’t really appreciate what [Gasol] did and what we had, and so as a consequence, everybody kind of fell in line with the Mike D’Antoni rhetoric of small ball and all this other [expletive],” Bryant said. “For a guy that has two championships to be treated that way, you don’t do that, man.”
Pelicans Size Up Market For Tyreke Evans
The Pelicans are listening to trade offers for Tyreke Evans and gauging his market value, sources tell Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops (Twitter link). Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports wrote earlier this month that the team had discussions about trading Evans, but it wasn’t clear if the talks were internal or involved other teams.
The former Rookie of the Year has been serving as the starting point guard for New Orleans with Jrue Holiday now in a sixth man role. Evans has dealt all season with the lingering effects of an October arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, as Scott Kushner of The New Orleans Advocate details. Still, an MRI this week was negative, with tendinitis the only issue, according to fellow Advocate scribe Brett Dawson (Twitter link).
New Orleans has also reportedly had talks with other teams involving Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson, though Gordon is expected to be out for another three to five weeks with a broken right ring finger, and it appears the team prefers to hold on to Anderson. Those two are on expiring contracts, while Evans, who’s making nearly $10.735MM this season, has one more year left on his deal. Omer Asik‘s name has also reportedly come up in talks, and Scotto wrote in December that the team had made him available to potential trade partners.
It’s been a profound disappointment of a season for the Pelicans so far, as they stand at 16-28, but they’re just three and a half games out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Evans is the team’s third leading scorer at 15.2 points per game and shooting 38.8% from 3-point range this season, by far the best percentage of his career.
What should the Pelicans ask in exchange for Evans? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Central Notes: Drummond, Blatt, Longabardi
Andre Drummond‘s free-throw shooting leaves much to be desired, but he’s working on it with Pistons shooting coach Dave Hopla, and the deficiency is not nearly glaring enough to dissuade the team from giving him a maximum-salary contract in the summer, MLive’s David Mayo contends. Besides, failing to max him out would break the trust between team and player forged when they let the extension deadline pass in the fall for the benefit of cap flexibility in the offseason ahead, and the consequences of such a betrayal would be profound, Mayo argues. See more from the Central Division:
- The lack of pace with which the Cavs played under former coach David Blatt was a source of conflict between him and the front office, as even though Blatt was aware the team played better when it ran, he was unable to quicken the attack, according to Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Still, members of the Cavs have told Pluto that the team could take a step back before it improves while adjusting to the new speed under Tyronn Lue.
- The Cavs formally hired Mike Longabardi as an assistant coach before Wednesday’s game, the team announced. Longabardi was one of two assistants the Suns fired a month ago. Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com first reported that Longabardi would be joining the Cleveland staff as a defensive specialist.
- Mike Dunleavy will play rehab games on D-League assignment before making his return to the Bulls from back surgery, his father, Mike Dunleavy Sr., said Wednesday on SiriusXM NBA Radio, as host Justin Termine tweets.
Knicks Talked With Hawks About Jeff Teague
THURSDAY, 7:55am: “Very preliminary” is how league sources who spoke with Fred Kerber of the New York Post described the talks. Kerber indicates that a deal between the sides probably won’t happen.
1:12pm: The discussions are casual and have been going on for several days, a league source told Begley, who writes in a full story.
WEDNESDAY, 10:29am: The Knicks are among several teams to have discussed a potential Jeff Teague trade with the Hawks, reports Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, citing league sources (Twitter links). Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports reported earlier that Atlanta was talking to teams about the point guard.
Dealing for Teague may well require some creativity from the Knicks, given a lack of assets for New York to trade, Begley asserts. It’s unclear exactly what the Hawks would want for the point guard who’s making $8MM this season and another $8MM next year, though Zach Lowe of ESPN.com wrote Tuesday that Atlanta wants to contend this season. A trade of Teague would presumably clear the way for Dennis Schröder to take the point guard reigns in Atlanta, which has suffered this season from the free agent defection of small forward DeMarre Carroll. Soon-to-be free agent Lance Thomas has emerged as a contributor at the three this year for New York, but it’s not known whether the Knicks are open to trading Thomas or if Atlanta has any interest in him.
Dealing for Teague without sending out anyone with a contract that includes guaranteed salary for next season would take a bite out of New York’s cap flexibility, Begley points out (on Twitter). The Knicks will already be hard-pressed to create the cap room necessary for a max offer to Kevin Durant, whom some executives believe will at least listen to the Knicks during his free agency this summer, as Begley reported earlier.
Would Teague be a fit for the Knicks? Leave a comment to tell us.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 1/27/16
Clippers power forward Blake Griffin suffered a fracture in his right (shooting) hand after reportedly striking team equipment manager and close friend Mathias Testi. Griffin is expected to miss approximately four to six weeks of action after undergoing surgery on Tuesday. The team is understandably displeased with Griffin, which was clearly relayed in the team’s official statement. “This conduct has no place in our organization and this incident does not represent who are as a team,” the statement read. “We are conducting a full investigation with assistance from the NBA. At the conclusion of the investigation, appropriate action will be taken.”
Los Angeles is currently the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference with a record of 29-16 entering Wednesday night’s action, and the loss of Griffin could derail what has already been a challenging and somewhat disappointing 2015/16 campaign for the Clippers. The team can likely survive in the short-term without Griffin, though Los Angeles is currently undermanned in the frontcourt after trading fellow power forward Josh Smith to the Rockets last week. The addition of Jeff Ayres via a 10-day deal should help, but it would be unrealistic to expect Ayres to make a significant impact on the team’s fortunes.
The more important issue facing the Clippers is what to do regarding Griffin. While all the facts have not been made public regarding the incident, workplace violence isn’t acceptable regardless of the reasoning. Griffin, 26, is under contract for two more seasons after this one, though he does possess a player option worth $21,373,952 for 2017/18, the final season of his current deal. If Griffin is indeed deemed to be a detriment to the locker room after this incident, the team may decide hitting the reset button by dealing the high-flying forward is the best way forward.
Which brings me to the topic for today: In light of Blake Griffin’s recent incident, should the Clippers look to trade him?
Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the subject. If you think the team should trade Griffin, where do you think he may end up, and what should Los Angeles expect to recoup in return? If you are on the other side of the argument and feel that Griffin should remain with the Clippers, let us know your reasoning for that choice. We look forward to what you have to say.
And-Ones: Gasol, Mirotic, Bazemore
The latest indications coming out of Chicago are that the Bulls want to re-sign Pau Gasol this offseason rather than deal him prior to the trade deadline, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. The Bulls have reportedly gauged the trade market for Gasol in discussions that have more often centered on Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson. Gasol possesses a player option worth $7,769,520 for 2016/17 and has said that he’s leaning toward opting out of his contract this summer. However, he did add that he would like to remain in Chicago beyond this season.
Here’s the latest from around the NBA:
- Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic was diagnosed with an acute appendicitis and underwent surgery earlier today, the team announced. The power forward is expected to be out until after the All-Star break.
- Hawks shooting guard Kent Bazemore is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and the Nuggets are one potential destination, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. Denver coach Michael Malone is familiar with Bazemore from their time spent together with the Warriors when Malone was an assistant, Dempsey notes. “I’m very proud of him,” Malone said of Bazemore. “He was a guy that when he was with us in Golden State, worked hard. Before practice, after practice, barely got a chance to play the year I was there but never dropped his head. He’s got a great work ethic and I think a great story for a lot of these young kids that want to come in the NBA — keep on working, get better.”
- The Raptors have recalled Lucas Nogueira and Norman Powell from their D-League affiliate and have assigned Anthony Bennett and Bruno Caboclo to the Raptors 905, the team announced (Twitter links).
- The Hawks have assigned center Edy Tavares to the D-League, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution relays (via Twitter). The big man will be assigned to the Austin Spurs since Atlanta does not possess its own affiliate. Tavares has been assigned to the Spurs‘ affiliate five times this season and the Cavs‘ once.
Atlantic Notes: Bradley, Wright, Nurse
Celtics shooting guard Avery Bradley says switching agents from Mitchell Butler of the Vanguard Sports Group and Dan Fegan of Relativity Sports to Rob Pelinka of Landmark Sports was a “private matter,” adding that it wasn’t about trying to improve his brand or add endorsements, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe writes. “At the time I just felt like it was best for me,” Bradley told Washburn. “I play because God blessed me to play this game and that’s what I enjoy doing. Hopefully I can continue to keep playing at this high level and hopefully I can continue to be a better basketball player.”
The 25-year-old also told Washburn that he’s trying to lead the team’s younger players by setting the right example and hopes that they are taking notice. “It’s a blessing to be here and part of an organization like this. I just try to come in every single day and be professional and work as hard as I can,” Bradley said. “I feel like you can’t replace that. I try to let everyone know we’re all a team together from the strength and conditioning [coach] to trainer, I try to respect everybody. When I do little things like that it helps them see the importance of a team. Not just the players, but everybody.”
Here’s more regarding the Atlantic Division:
- The two players on the Nets who can benefit the most by the addition of shooting coach David Nurse are Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Markel Brown, opines Reed Wallach of NetsDaily. Other players whose outside shooting Brooklyn hopes the addition of Nurse will improve in the future are Chris McCullough, Sergey Karasev and draft-and-stash prospect Juan Pablo Vaulet, Wallach adds.
- The Raptors have recalled combo guard Delon Wright from their D-League affiliate, the team announced. In 12 games for the Raptors 905 this season Wright is averaging 18.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists while connecting on 52.7% of his field goal attempts.