Celtics Sign Coty Clarke To 10-Day Contract
The Celtics have signed Coty Clarke to a 10-day contract, the team announced. The 6’7″ combo forward has been with Boston’s D-League affiliate and was on the NBA roster for training camp. The team was carrying an open roster spot, so no corresponding move is necessary. The contract, worth $30,888, will cover four games, against the Grizzlies, Rockets, Pacers and Thunder.
Clarke has averaged 16.1 points and 7.5 rebounds in 26.0 minutes per game across 39 D-League appearances this season, only 11 of which have been starts. Still, the 23-year-old displayed an ability to stretch the floor, with 38.8% 3-point shooting. This season has represented a return stateside for the former University of Arkansas player who spent last season with Hapoel Kazrin in Israel after going undrafted in 2014. He put up 9.4 points and 5.6 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per game with 43.1% 3-point shooting as a senior at Arkansas in 2013/14.
Boston gave Clarke only a cameo appearance during the preseason, but he appears to fit what the team has been looking for more recently. Coach Brad Stevens pointed to shooting and versatility as key attributes he wanted in someone who would fill the roster vacancy, and Clarke looks like he can deliver on both fronts.
Atlantic Notes: Rambis, Wright, Sloan, Early
Phil Jackson hoped Kurt Rambis would prove the right choice to keep the Knicks head coaching job for the long term when he installed him as interim bench boss last month, league sources tell Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, and Rambis has to win to secure his position, Begley writes. A desire to better the team’s record this season is why Rambis is shying away from playing Kristaps Porzingis at center, even though the coach admits the idea intrigues him, as Begley relays. Rambis said he’s spoken to management about whether to give rookie Jerian Grant more playing time but added that the team’s brass hasn’t signaled that it wants to shift focus strictly to player development yet, according to Begley. See more on the Knicks, who’ve reportedly struck a deal with Tony Wroten:
- Delon Wright has barely played for the Raptors this season despite having been the 20th overall pick last year, with just 75 total minutes under his belt, but that doesn’t mean coach Dwane Casey is down on him, notes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. “I think he’s going to be a heck of a player in this league,” Casey said. “His defense is lagging his offense right now. Offensively, he’s an excellent pick-and-roll player, but there’s two sides to the game. … Guarding the speedsters in the NBA is going to be his next challenge on the defensive end. He’s improved tremendously with his shooting, his 3-point shooting.”
- Soon-to-be free agent Donald Sloan has been the starting point guard for the Nets since mid-January after fighting in the preseason simply to make the opening-night roster, but he’s not upset with Brooklyn for making him work for his opportunity, telling Steve Simineri of NetsDaily that he didn’t feel “shafted” at any point. The fifth-year NBA veteran has been the most productive among Brooklyn’s cheap finds this past offseason, Simineri observes, positioning himself for more job security to start next season.
- The Nets passed on Wroten earlier this season under the direction of former GM Billy King because the Sixers had him under minutes restrictions as he came back from injury and because of his high rate of turnovers, tweets NetsDaily. He’s averaged 3.7 per game the past two seasons.
- Cleanthony Early appears closer to a return to game action from having been shot in his right knee in late December, as the Knicks have assigned him to the D-League, the team announced (Twitter link).
Prospect Profile: Denzel Valentine (Part 2)
PROJECTED DRAFT RANGE: Michigan State senior swingman Denzel Valentine has some work to do during postseason evaluations to become a lottery pick. He’s currently ranked No. 22 on Chad Ford’s latest ESPN.com Big Board, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress pegs him at No. 18, so he’s projected as a mid-to-low first-rounder. ESPN lists him as the No. 4 small forward — though it’s a stretch to say he’ll play that position in the NBA — and No. 4 among players that DraftExpress lists primarily as shooting guards.
RISE/FALL: Valentine’s all-around game and maturity could help his draft status. He should be able to step into a team’s rotation, if not a starting role, in his first season. Scouts and front-office personnel will also be impressed by Valentine’s ability to raise his level of play against tough competition. He was the Spartans’ best player during their Final Four run last season, and early this season he lit up Kansas, the nation’s top-ranked team entering conference tournament play, with 29 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists. Valentine is arguably the best and most polished passer in the draft, ahead of even the point guard prospects, and he has a well-above average jump shot to complement his distribution skills. The biggest thing he’ll have to prove is that he won’t be a major defensive liability. His instincts and basketball IQ can help him overcome that to an extent, but he’ll have to show he won’t consistently get beaten off the dribble. His below-average athleticism will keep him out of the Top 10, but it’s quite conceivable he’ll end up as a late lottery selection.
FIT: There are plenty of teams that could use another offensive facilitator and shooter at the wing spots. He’d be a nice fit for the Heat, as a backup or even eventual replacement for Dwyane Wade. The Hawks could certainly use a boost in that area, and he would seem to be an ideal fit for the Knicks’ triangle with his ability to read, react and shoot. He’d also be a nice offensive fit for half-court reliant Western Conference clubs like the Mavericks, Grizzlies and Jazz.
FINAL TAKE: Michigan State coach Tom Izzo doesn’t hide his affection for Valentine. As he recently told the assembled media, including Hoops Rumors, “I don’t know many guys that have improved in every aspect of the game like he has. He’s the closest thing to a player/coach that you could have.” I suspect Valentine’s NBA coaches will have similar feelings about him. He may not be a star in the NBA, but he should emerge as a rock solid starter who will have a better career than several of the players picked ahead of him.
(For Part 1 of our Denzel Valentine Draft Analysis, click here.)
Prospect Profile: Denzel Valentine (Part 1)
OVERVIEW: Denzel Valentine has steadily built his legacy — and his draft profile — during his four seasons at Michigan State. The versatile swingman — listed at 6’5” by ESPN.com and 6’6” by DraftExpress — was a valuable role player for the Spartans during his first two seasons, then exploded onto the national landscape during last year’s NCAA Tournament as a junior. He led the Spartans to an unlikely run to the Final Four, then upped the ante this winter with a spectacular senior season. He’s on pace to become the first player since assists became an official NCAA stat in 1983/84 to average at least 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. His development is reminiscent of two recent Big Ten stars, former Spartan Draymond Green and Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky.
STRENGTHS: The attribute that becomes readily apparent when watching Valentine play is his uncanny knack to make the right read and find the open man. That makes him an outstanding initiator on pick-and-rolls, an extremely valuable skill in the NBA game. Valentine became the Spartans’ de facto point guard early in his senior season and he’s thrived in that role, with his assist average jumping from 4.3 last season to 7.5, while his turnovers have barely increased (2.6 to 2.4) despite having the ball in his hands so often. His creativity off the dribble opens up high-percentage shots for teammates as the defense collapses around him. His shooting stroke is also an asset. Valentine has a very compact stroke, as Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress points out, with deep range and multiple release points. He’s adept at shooting off screens, with his feet set, or off the dribble, Givony adds. Currently, he’s shooting 47.1% from the field while averaging 14.5 shots per game and an outstanding 45.4% on 3-point attempts. Valentine also does a superior job of getting into position for rebounds, averaging at least 6.0 per game in his last three college seasons.
WEAKNESSES: Valentine does not have a defined position as he heads to the next level. ESPN lists him as an undersized small forward. His size and outside shooting ability would suggest he’ll be a shooting guard in the pros, while his passing prowess and floor leadership could make him an oversized point guard. The biggest knock on Valentine, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com examines, is his lack of elite athleticism. Valentine’s defensive intensity has improved throughout his college days, but he could have issues covering players with better foot speed because of his lack of lateral quickness. If his NBA coach utilizes him as a point forward, he’ll be mismatched at the other end and vulnerable to postups by bigger, stronger players. Another concern, as Givony notes, is that Valentine may have trouble finishing in the lane because of his lack of explosiveness. He often relies on his body to create space in halfcourt situations and tends to shoot difficult floaters when the lane closes up and he doesn’t have an outlet.
(For Part 2 of our Denzel Valentine Prospect Profile, click here.)
Traded First-Round Pick Exchange Scenarios
The season ends five weeks from Wednesday, and we still only know with 100% certainty that one first-round pick is changing hands. That’s the Nets pick that’s going to the Celtics without any protection. Every other first-rounder has some sort of protection involved, though the past several weeks since we last looked at traded first-round pick exchange scenarios have lent near-certainty to several possible outcomes. Five have become either overwhelmingly likely or unlikely to happen, and it’s become likely that the Heat will send their pick to the Sixers, an outcome we pegged as too close to call last time around.
Still, less certainty exists than last time around that Houston will send its pick to Denver, thanks to the up-and-down performance of the Rockets that has them in danger of missing the playoffs. The stretch run will resolve that matter, while other scenarios among the seven we list in the toss-up category below won’t become certainties until the lottery is over. Here’s a look at the chances that every possibility comes to pass:
- Nets to Celtics (unprotected) — 100% certain to happen
- Wizards to Suns (top-9 protected) — Likely to happen: Washington is four and a half games better than Sacramento, which occupies the ninth position in the reverse standings. The team entering the lottery at No. 10 stands only about a 4% chance of vaulting into the top nine, so the Wizards would have to lose that lead to have a realistic chance to keep their pick. They’re only a game and a half out of the playoffs, so any tanking is still probably a ways off.
- Cavaliers to Suns (top-10 protected) — Overwhelmingly likely to happen: The Cavs would have to miss the playoffs to even have a chance of keeping their pick, so we can safely assume this one is headed to Phoenix.
- Mavericks to Celtics (top-7 protected) — Likely to happen: The overtime loss Dallas suffered to the Nuggets on Sunday underscored the fact that the Mavs are no lock for the playoffs, but the fate of their pick is much more certain. The Mavs, up three in the loss column on ninth-place Utah, would still need a major lucky break in the lottery to end up keeping the pick if they miss the playoffs.
- Heat to Warriors (Golden State gets Miami’s pick if it falls outside the top 10 and comes after Golden State’s pick and Oklahoma City’s pick) — Overwhelmingly unlikely to happen (flipped from unlikely to happen last time): A complicated set of scenarios surround this exchange, but essentially, the Heat would have to finish with a better record than the Warriors as well as the Thunder for this to happen. That’s out of the questions unless the Heat win all but one of their remaining games and the Warriors lose all but one of theirs. So, we can safely count out this scenario, and really, we could have called this one overwhelmingly unlikely some time ago.
- Heat to Sixers (Philadelphia gets Miami’s pick if it falls outside the top 10 and comes before either Golden State’s pick or Oklahoma City’s pick) — Likely to happen (flipped from toss-up last time): This would-be swap is a corollary to the long-shot Heat/Warriors possibility described above. Since we can assume that scenario won’t happen, Philadelphia is in strong position to wind up with Miami’s pick. The Heat would have to miss the playoffs to have a shot at keeping it, but they’re up five games on the Bulls and Pistons, who are tied for the last playoff spot. They’re no certainty for the playoffs, but they’d still need to fall behind a few more teams or get lucky in the lottery to hold on to the pick.
- Thunder to Warriors (Golden State gets Oklahoma City’s pick if it falls outside the top 15 and comes after Miami’s pick and Golden State’s pick) — Overwhelmingly unlikely to happen (flipped from unlikely to happen last time): This is another one related to the Heat/Warriors exchange above. The Thunder would have to catch the Warriors for this one to happen, and Golden State has a 13-game lead on Oklahoma City. The Warriors’ loss Sunday to the Lakers would have to be the harbinger of an epic collapse for this scenario to play out.
- Thunder to Sixers (Philadelphia gets Miami’s pick if it falls outside the top 15 and comes before either Golden State’s pick or Oklahoma City’s pick) — Overwhelmingly likely to happen (flipped from likely to happen last time): Assuming the Thunder don’t send their pick to the Warriors, they’re almost certainly sending the pick to Philly. Oklahoma City, at 28-12, would have to miss the playoffs — or make the playoffs with the worst record among postseason teams — to keep the pick. The Thunder have a 12-game lead on the Rockets, currently the team with the worst record among those in the playoffs if they started today.
- Warriors to Sixers (Philadelphia gets Golden State’s pick if it comes before either Miami’s pick or Oklahoma City’s pick, as long as Miami’s pick falls outside the top 10 and Oklahoma City’s pick falls outside the top 15) — Overwhelmingly unlikely to happen (flipped from unlikely to happen last time): The final of this string of five possible outcomes depends on whether the Thunder or the Heat can catch the Warriors, and as we noted above, Golden State is up 13 games on Oklahoma City, the closer of the two.
- Rockets to Nuggets (top-14 protected) — Toss-up (flipped from likely to happen last time): This pick comes down to whether or not Houston makes the playoffs. Houston had a lead of four and a half games over ninth place the last time we did this exercise, and with the talent of the Rockets, that seemed safe. The current margin of one and a half games and the team’s continued inconsistency leave the fate of this pick uncertain.
- Lakers to Sixers (top-3 protected) — Toss-up: The Lakers had the best of both worlds Sunday, when they beat the Warriors and the Suns also won to preserve L.A.’s margin of four and a half games for the second worst record in the league. Still, the Lakers know from last year, when they vaulted from the fourth position in the lottery to No. 2, that the fate of their pick largely comes down to ping-pong balls. The team with the second worst record entering the lottery has roughly a 43% chance of dropping out of the top three.
- Grizzlies to Nuggets (Denver gets the Memphis pick if it falls anywhere from No. 6 to No. 14) — Unlikely to happen: The Grizzlies keep this pick if they make the playoffs, and while Sunday’s loss to the Suns is an inauspicious sign, Memphis is still seven and a half games up on ninth-place Utah. That should be enough of a cushion, even with Marc Gasol out for the season.
- Timberwolves to Celtics (top-12 protected) — Overwhelmingly unlikely to happen (flipped from unlikely to happen last time): The mathematical chances that the lottery would drop the team that finishes with the 12th worst record into the 13th or 14th pick are only about 4%, and even lower for the team that finishes 10th or 11th worst. Thus, Minnesota would realistically have to climb out of the bottom 12 in the standings for Boston to have a shot at this pick, and the Wolves are 10 and a half games worse than 13th-place Washington.
- Knicks to Nuggets (Denver gets the better pick of its own and New York’s) —Toss-up: The Knicks have but a half-game lead on the Nuggets, so this one is anyone’s guess.
- Knicks to Raptors (Toronto gets New York’s pick if it comes after Denver’s pick) —Toss-up: The Raptors will end up with whichever pick the Nuggets don’t take in the pick swap described immediately above, so with precious little separation between New York and Denver, this one is just as hard to call.
- Nuggets to Raptors (Toronto gets the Denver’s pick if it comes after New York’s pick) — Toss-up: See the explanation for the last two picks.
- Trail Blazers to Nuggets (top-14 protected) — Toss-up: Denver gets this pick if Portland makes the playoffs. Three games separate the seventh-place Blazers from ninth-place Utah, but only two in the loss column, so it’ll be a close call.
- Kings to Bulls (top-10 protected) — Toss-up: Sacramento is in a virtual tie with Milwaukee for the ninth and 10th places in the reverse standings, with only two games of separation between them and 11th-place Orlando. Throw in the roughly 9% chance the 10th-place team has of getting passed in the lottery, and this one’s far from decided.
- Kings to Sixers (Philadelphia gets the better of Sacramento’s pick and its own if Sacramento’s pick falls inside the top 10) — Unlikely to happen: The Sixers are 18 games behind the Kings, but the capriciousness of the lottery helps keep this one from going into the overwhelmingly unlikely to happen category. Sacramento is only two games better than New Orleans, which occupies sixth place in the reverse standings. So the Kings could easily enter the lottery at slot No. 6 and have about a 21.5% chance of netting a top-three pick. The Sixers, assuming they hang on to their lead of four and a half games for the worst record, are poised to enter the lottery with a 35.7% chance of dropping out of the top three. So this exchange is still in limbo.
- Sixers to Kings (Sacramento gets the inferior of its own pick and Philadelphia’s pick if its own pick falls inside the top 10) — Unlikely to happen: See the scenario immediately above.
Southwest Notes: Dekker, Parsons, Anderson
It’s mostly been a lost season for Sam Dekker, the 18th overall pick in last year’s draft who spent months on the shelf because of back surgery, notes Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders. The Rockets clearly could have used a greater contribution than the six minutes in three games he’s seen so far, and the inability to deliver more has left Dekker with regrets, as Brigham details.
“There are times where, I’m not going to lie about it, you can get really down on yourself when there’s long stretches where you’re not seeing the court. That’s been new to me. I’ve always played,” Dekker said. “But I’ve found myself really leaning on my vets, and that’s helped a lot. Trevor [Ariza], for one, has been great to me. He talks me through things, knows when I’m down, knows what I need to hear, and seeing a guy who works that hard makes me want to get back in the gym. It keeps me motivated. I know I’m going to have a long career in this league. I just have to stay positive.”
See more on the Rockets amid news from the Southwest Division:
- Chandler Parsons wouldn’t rule out going back to the Rockets in free agency this summer, as he said on the “Channel 33” podcast (audio link; transcription via HoopsHype). The Mavericks small forward is almost certain to turn down his player option, and Houston is expected to pursue him, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. “Houston was home for me for three years,” Parsons said. “I definitely would never count that option out. I have great memories there. They have a great crowd, a great city to live in … I have nothing but respect and love for them. I would never count that out.”
- Ryan Anderson said he hasn’t talked to Pelicans management about his free agency and has yet to develop a feel for how it will go, notes Justin Verrier of ESPN.com. Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry has left him on the bench for key stretches of late, but Anderson indicated that he doesn’t lament that as much as the lack of opportunity to play with a fully healthy Pelicans team during his time in New Orleans, as Verrier chronicles.
- Gentry regretted a Wednesday comment that the Pelicans are out of the playoffs, but after two more losses Thursday and Saturday, he acknowledges it’s time to shift focus, as Verrier notes in a separate piece. “At this stage, like I said, it would be a miracle almost for us to make the playoffs,” Gentry said. “We really have to start looking at developing a culture and how we’re gonna play in the future and figuring out guys on this team, how they fit into the system and if they’re going to be able to fit in a system.”
Pacers Sign Ty Lawson
MONDAY, 8:19am: The signing is official, the Pacers announced.
“We’re glad to have Ty come play with the Pacers for this final run of the season,” Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird said in the team’s statement. “We think he brings added speed to our backcourt, he can get up and down the floor and he helps strengthen our second unit.”
Lawson, not far removed from having finished third in the league in assists last season, spoke merely of fitting in.
“This is a good opportunity for me to come here, try to help the Pacers win and get into the playoffs,” Lawson said in the statement. “I’m just ready to play and do whatever is needed.”
THURSDAY, 8:51pm: The Pacers have reached an agreement with free agent point guard Ty Lawson, Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports reports. The exact details of the arrangement are not yet known, but it is likely a minimum salary pact that covers the remainder of the season, though that is merely my speculation. The team has about $1.9MM left on its room exception, so it could use that instead of a prorated minimum that would pay Lawson about $300K.
Indiana currently has the league maximum of 15 players on its roster, but the Pacers reportedly have had a buyout arrangement in place with small forward Chase Budinger for a week. The team has held off on finalizing the buyout due to the rash of injuries it has been hit with. Budinger is expected to be waived on Saturday, which is also when Lawson is expected to officially sign, Charania notes.
Lawson was never a good fit with the Rockets this year, prompting him and the team to reach a buyout arrangement prior to the March 1st deadline for players to hit waivers and retain postseason eligibility for other teams. In 53 appearances for Houston this season, Lawson averaged 5.8 points, 1.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 22.2 minutes per night. His shooting line is .387/.330/.700.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 3/6/16
Some years in the NBA, more player movement happens after the trade deadline. After a relatively calm deadline passed in February, some big names have changed teams through buyout agreements. And some of the league’s best teams have improved themselves for a playoff run.
In the East, the Heat signed Joe Johnson, who was probably the most coveted player under buyout consideration. Johnson has been a consistent scorer for more than a decade and gives Miami a much-needed 3-point shooter. He averaged 11.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists with the Nets before they let him go and has been a valuable part of Miami’s offense in his brief time there. The Hawks added ex-Suns power forward Kris Humphries to fill in for the injured Tiago Splitter. Humphries averaged 6.4 points and 4.1 rebounds in 28 games with Washington before being traded to Phoenix. The Pacers are gambling on former Rockets point guard Ty Lawson, who is expected to sign Monday to serve as a backup to George Hill. Lawson washed out in Houston, but he was third in the league in assists last season with 9.6 per game while scoring 15.2 points a night.
Out West, David Lee left the Celtics for the Warriors in the first major move of the buyout season. Lee has fallen out of the rotation the past two seasons with Boston and Golden State, but he was an All-Star with the Warriors as recently as 2012/13. The Spurs bolstered their backcourt with the addition of Andre Miller and the expected signing of Kevin Martin. Both had their playing time reduced in Minnesota, but they have been solid contributors over the years. The Warriors added to their bench with the pickup of Anderson Varejao, a dependable rebounder and defender during his years in Cleveland.
There have also been some smaller moves. The Bucks added Steve Novak, who was knocked out for the season shortly afterward, and the Wizards signed J.J. Hickson. Both were coming off buyouts with the Nuggets. Chase Budinger is expected to join the Suns after a buyout with Indiana. Some players were waived without buyouts, as JaKarr Sampson went from Philadelphia to Denver and John Jenkins moved from Dallas to Phoenix, among other examples.
That brings me to tonight’s topic: Which team has done the most to improve since the trade deadline passed? Does landing Johnson make the Heat a more serious playoff threat? Will Lawson rejuvenate his career with the Pacers? Did the Warriors and Spurs make themselves even more unbeatable with their moves?
Please share your thoughts and opinions on the topic in the comments section. We look forward to hearing what you have to say.
And-Ones: Anthony, Marks, Lucas, Tavares
Five years later, no clear-cut winner exists in the blockbuster trade that sent Carmelo Anthony from the Nuggets to the Knicks, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. The teams have combined to win just one playoff series since the 12-player deal, Bondy notes, when New York defeated the Celtics in 2013. The Knicks got the superstar they wanted, but Denver wound up with two young but frequently injured players in Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler. The Sixers benefited, as the Knicks’ first-rounder was sent to Denver, which later traded it to the Magic, which dealt it to Philadelphia, which ended up with the rights to Dario Saric.
There’s more from around the basketball world:
- Sean Marks, whom the Nets hired as GM last month, said he has tried to learn something important during every stop in his NBA career, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. As a player, Marks spent two seasons under current Heat president Pat Riley from 2001 to 2003. “The vision of it’s not about me,” Marks said. “Pat Riley’s, ‘The disease of me,’ I’ve obviously taken that from him.”
- John Lucas III, who played briefly with the Pistons last season, has been waived by the Pacers affiliate in the D-League, tweets Chris Reichert of Upside and Motor. The move took place because he has plans to sign with an overseas team, Reichert hears.
- The Hawks sent center Edy Tavares to the Austin Spurs in the D-League, the team announced today. Tavares has appeared in 12 games with Austin this season, but also two with Canton and two with Bakersfield because the Hawks don’t have a direct affiliate. He is averaging 9.6 points and 9.1 rebounds in D-League play.
- The Clippers have assigned guard C.J. Wilcox to the Cavs affiliate in the D-League. The Clippers also don’t have a direct affiliate, so Wilcox has played for Canton and Bakersfield in two prior D-League stints this season. His D-League averages are 17.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 15 games.
Union Mulls Filing Grievance Over Motiejunas Deal
The National Basketball Players Association is thinking about filing a grievance with the league over the voided Donatas Motiejunas trade, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. The Pistons elected to cancel the trade on February 22nd after several medical tests failed to convince them that Motiejunas’ back was sufficiently healed from surgery last spring.
Voiding the deal sent the Lithuanian power forward back to Houston, where he received medical clearance from Rockets team doctors. He has appeared in five games since returning. Spears cites sources close to Motiejunas who fear that the Pistons’ decision could lessen his value when he becomes a restricted free agent this summer. Motiejunas underwent back surgery last April and before the trade hadn’t played for the Rockets since December 31st.
“The team doctor simply says whether you pass or don’t, although they may not do any checks,” Motiejunas said in an interview posted on the Lithuanian website Basketnews.Lt. “Those 48 hours actually just let the team decide whether they want you or not. The Pistons announced I did not pass the medical, although I surely did pass it and played even before it. I just got screwed. The injury was a pretense to call off the trade. They changed their minds.”
Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy denied that accusation and said the team had legitimate concerns about Motiejunas’ long-term health. “We went through a very thorough process and we made the decision we made for the reasons that we thought it was too much risk,” Van Gundy said.
Representatives for Motiejunas didn’t think Van Gundy should have made negative public statements statements about their client’s condition, Spears writes. NBPA president Michele Roberts and a union spokesperson refused to comment to Spears about the issue.
The three-team deal, which was completed at the trade deadline, sent Motiejunas from Houston to Detroit along with Marcus Thornton. The Rockets received the Pistons’ top eight-protected first round pick and a draft-and-stash player, while Joel Anthony and a Nuggets’ second-rounder went to the Sixers. To make room for Anthony, Philadelphia released JaKarr Sampson, whom the Nuggets signed after he cleared waivers.