Atlantic Notes: Colangelo, Rozier, Raptors
New Sixers executive Bryan Colangelo believes that instilling the right culture is just as vital as finding talent in building an organization, pointing to the success that the Spurs have had using that formula, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “You win with talent,” Colangelo said. “But you also win with talent plus chemistry plus culture. Those are all the things that are put in place here and that we really look forward to building.” The executive said he would pick the brain of coach Brett Brown, who was a longtime assistant coach with San Antonio, for tips on how that franchise operated, Pompey adds. “I want to know more about that San Antonio … perhaps we can call it that secret sauce,” Colangelo said. “What creates that environment? I can tell you that, over the years, I understand a lot of what drove that was their thought process, but also the type of people that they had involved.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Celtics rookie Terry Rozier has impressed many around the league with his rebounding ability and he hopes to garner more playing time from the exposure, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com writes. “I think it’s a start. I think I can impact the game in a lot of ways and I appreciate a lot of people saying I’m getting better,” said Rozier. “I just feel I’m getting more comfortable. I know I’m capable of a lot of things [and] rebounding is definitely one of them. So if that’s going to help me get me in the game, help me with playing time, help this team out, then I’m all for it. It’s something that I’m always going to do, it’s an effort thing. It’s always going to be in me.” The 6’2″ point guard is averaging 1.6 rebounds in just 8.0 minutes per appearance on the campaign.
- Raptors coach Dwane Casey believes his roster is better constructed to advance in the playoffs than previous seasons, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com relays (ESPN Now link). “I am not predicting what we will do differently but … physically, we are better built for the playoffs with Bismack Biyombo, Cory Joseph, DeMarre Carroll is coming back,”Casey said. “Last year, we were a strictly offensive-driven team with Greivis Vasquez and Lou Williams, who were great one-on-one offensive players but didn’t give it to us on the defensive end with the physicality. But we still have to go out there and do it … Everybody is curious and anxious [about how the Raptors will do]. A different feel with this year’s team [is we are] more confident in the grittiness and toughness of our team.“
Notre Dame SF V.J. Beachem To Test Draft Waters
Notre Dame junior small forward V.J. Beachem will enter the draft without an agent, the school announced. The 6’8″ 21-year-old is a second-round prospect, checking in at No. 61 in Chad Ford’s ESPN.com rankings. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress doesn’t list him among his top 2016 prospects but pegs him 41st in his 2017 mock draft. He’ll be able to retain his college eligibility for next season if he pulls out by May 25th and refrains from hiring an agent.
Beachem holds plenty of promise as an outside shooter, having canned 44.4% of his 3-pointers on 5.5 attempts per game this season. Ford suggests he can play both forward positions, indicating the Fort Wayne, Indiana, native could have a future as a stretch four in the NBA. The ESPN scribe praises his defense, too, but it was only this season that Beachem became a starter for the Irish, and he averaged just 12.0 points and 3.9 rebounds in 31.3 minutes per game this year. Still, he stepped up at key times, striking for a career-high 22 points against eventual Final Four team Syracuse in January and averaging 16.7 points per contest in six total appearances during the ACC and NCAA tournaments.
He was 77th in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index coming out of high school, one spot ahead of Kris Jenkins, who went on to hit the buzzer-beating shot that gave Villanova the national championship this year. Beachem had one of his best games this season against North Carolina, the team that eventually lost to Villanova in the national final, scoring 18 points and playing all but one minute in Notre Dame’s Elite Eight loss.
Western Notes: Beasley, Lillard, Nuggets
Combo forward Michael Beasley has seemingly found a home with the Rockets after believing his shot at an NBA career had passed, David Aldridge of NBA.com writes. “I honestly thought the NBA, that chapter in my life was done,” Beasley told Aldridge. “You go through stages. You get depressed. You get angry. You break stuff. You cry. You’re angry again. You get optimistic. You cry again. Last summer was probably the longest summer of my life. All I could do was pray, wake up, put one foot in front of the other and take it day by day.”
The 27-year-old has appeared in 19 games for Houston this season and is averaging 12.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in 18.2 minutes per outing. He credits the coaching staff for much of his success, Aldridge adds. “That’s an example of everybody just letting me play my game,” Beasley said. “James Harden, [interim coach] J.B. [Bickerstaff], they put me in the right positions — really, my sweet spots, where I can be most effective. Really, I just came into it optimistically. I came into it with an open mind. I was just going to play hard and see what happened.”
Here’s more from out West:
- The Blazers surprised many around the league by earning a playoff berth this season, and the players point to Damian Lillard assuming the mantle of leadership last offseason as a major stepping stone in the process, Jason Quick of CSNNW.com relays. “I told everybody … ‘From this point on, we have to know that it’s Us against Everybody,’’’ Lillard said of a preseason speech he gave the team. “When a guy on our team is struggling, nobody on the outside is going to pick him up and lift him up, pull him up and be there for him. It has to be us. When it gets a little bit rough, we have to be there for each other. When we are successful, we have to keep each other in the right mind space so we keep doing the things that give us a chance to be successful.’’
- While the Nuggets only won 33 games and failed to make the playoffs, their season can be considered a success because the team stayed true to its plan to develop its younger talent and changed its overall culture for the better, opines Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post.
- The Pelicans‘ training staff is likely to face scrutiny this offseason given the slew of injuries the team endured this season, though members of the organization insist no one is looking for a scapegoat, Justin Verrier of ESPN.com writes. “It’s been disappointing,” GM Dell Demps said. “We had a lot of high hopes coming into the season. And, obviously, not being at full strength has really … it’s been tough. It’s been tough on us. It’s been tough on the organization.“
Knicks Notes: Seraphin, Galloway, Williams
As the Knicks’ 2015/16 season winds down, the focus turns to the offseason and a number of roster decisions that the team will need to make. Kevin Seraphin, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent, Derrick Williams, who has a player option for next season valued at $4.598MM, and Langston Galloway, who can become a restricted free agent, all hope to return to the Knicks next season, Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders relays. When asked about his intentions regarding his option, Williams said, “I haven’t really thought about it. I love playing here. It’s amazing. It might not have ended the way we wanted it to, but you can tell that city is starving for victories and a winning team. I love it here. I really don’t want to say ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ There is always the option of, even if I opt out, to come back and re-sign. There [are] plenty of different options and I’m excited and looking forward to it.”
Seraphin, 26, noted that it took him some time to adapt to his new team, but added that he loves the bond he has formed with his teammates, Beer adds. “We will see what’s going on, because it still is a business,” Seraphin said about a potential return to the Knicks in 2016/17. “I don’t like to address that stuff too much because we never know what’s going to happen.”
Here’s more from New York:
- Galloway, who needs to play just two minutes in tonight’s game to trigger starter criteria, says his clear preference is to re-sign with the Knicks, Beer relays in the same piece. “I definitely want to come back,” Galloway said. “I’m just hoping they want me to come back. Hopefully I’ll be back and see you guys next year. It’s been a great experience being here. I’m definitely excited to see what happens the rest of the summer. I think I’ve showcased what I can do, and I think the Knicks have seen what I can do. I’m just going to try and improve my game.”
- The Knicks are still talking about implementing the triangle offense two years after Phil Jackson was hired as team president, which illustrates that the experiment with the system has failed and it’s time to move on, writes Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News.
- It doesn’t appear that New York plans on scrapping the triangle offense anytime soon, as the team intends to target players who fit the system this offseason, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News relays. “It shouldn’t be a balance [between finding players to fit a system and building a system around the players]. It’s whatever decision you want to make,” interim coach Kurt Rambis said. “The decision with management is to get players who fit into the system. Neither way is wrong. It’s about your mindset and what you want to do. And I think the whole process has been to get players who we feel will fit into the system. No team stays pat except the exceptional teams. Everybody is trying to improve and find ways to get better. Naturally, we’ll be one of those teams.”
And-Ones: Dunn, Murray, Coaches
Former Providence point guard Kris Dunn has hired Ty Sullivan of the Creative Artists Agency to represent him, as Dunn told Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Sullivan represents Elfrid Payton, among other NBA players. Jamal Murray, Dunn’s primary competition to become the first point guard drafted this year, has hired Mike George of Excel Sports to be his agent, sources told Goodman (Twitter link). International journalist David Pick reported earlier that Excel was the overwhelming favorite to land Murray, the former Kentucky standout. George has recently drafted standouts Tyler Ennis and Dwight Powell among his clients. See more on the representation for some of this year’s draft prospects amid a look at other future-focused NBA items:
- Former St. Joseph’s small forward DeAndre’ Bembry has hired Pensack Sports, which has also partnered with former Iowa combo forward and fellow second-round prospect Jarrod Uthoff, Goodman reports (Twitter links). Adam Pensack will represent Uthoff, though it’s unclear who’ll be the primary agent for Bembry. N.C. State point guard Cat Barber is going with Sunny Shah of Paramount Sports (Twitter link) and former Iowa State combo forward Georges Niang will sign with Thad Foucher and Makhtar Ndiaye of Wasserman (Twitter link), Goodman also reports, while Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal hears former Syracuse swingman Michael Gbinije has signed with Rich Kleiman of Roc Nation Sports (Twitter link).
- Swingman Josh Jackson, who chose Kansas for his college this week, tops the early look at 2017 draft prospects that Chad Ford of ESPN.com compiled for an Insider-only piece. Incoming Duke power forward Harry Giles is No. 2 and soon-to-be Washington point guard Markelle Fultz is No. 3. Jayson Tatum, a small forward who’s headed to Duke, is No. 1 on Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress 2017 mock draft but No. 4 on Ford’s list.
- A panel including GMs, coaches, veteran players, agents, scouts and executives named assistant coaches Nate Tibbetts of the Trail Blazers, Jarron Collins of the Warriors, Nick Nurse of the Raptors, Chris Finch of the Rockets, Stephen Silas of the Hornets and Sean Sweeney of the Bucks as strong candidates to eventually become NBA head coaches, as Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com details.
Suns Notes: Majerle, D-League, Goodwin
Dan Majerle said the Suns haven’t contacted him about their head coaching job, in spite of a report indicating that he’s among those the team is considering, according to Richard Obert of the Arizona Republic. Majerle, who coaches upstart Grand Canyon University, added that the Sixers haven’t spoken with him either, short-circuiting any speculation connecting him to Jerry and Bryan Colangelo, Sixers executives with whom he’s close, Obert writes. Majerle’s remarks came before he attended Monday’s Suns game to hand out an award for the organization (Twitter link).
While we wait to hear whether the Suns will ultimately reach out to their former player and assistant coach, see more from Phoenix:
- The Suns bought out the local ownership of the Bakersfield Jam, their D-League affiliate, and are moving the team to Prescott Valley, Arizona, for next season, the D-League and the Suns announced. The D-League club will henceforth be known as the Northern Arizona Suns. An option in Phoenix’s operating agreement with Bakersfield ownership allowed the NBA team to make the purchase, and Phoenix team president Jason Rowley said the organization considered moving the affiliate to locations around Phoenix and Tucson before settling on Prescott Valley, as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic details. It’s unclear how much money changed hands in the deal, but Adam Johnson of D-League Digest hears the former Bakersfield owners will seek to partner with another NBA team looking for an affiliate (Twitter link).
- Archie Goodwin has seen more minutes and an increased role in the offense the past two games for the Suns, and he’s hopeful that it’s a harbinger of what’s to come, as Coro details in a separate piece. Goodwin, the 29th pick in 2013, is eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer heading into the final year on his contract, but he’s made just 15 career NBA starts. “I’ve always been confident in knowing that I work hard to where I can be a starter in this league,” Goodwin said. “I just have to remain patient, work hard and it’s going to happen for me eventually. Hopefully, it’s here. I just hope that the opportunity that I use won’t be wasted and I can go and continue to prove myself.”
Top Bloggers: Zach Oliver On The Magic
Anyone can have a blog about an NBA team, but some set themselves apart from the rest with the dedication and valuable insight they bring to their craft. We’ll be sharing some knowledge from these dialed-in writers on Hoops Rumors with a feature called Top Bloggers. As with The Beat, our ongoing series of interviews with NBA beat writers, it’s part of an effort to bring Hoops Rumors readers ever closer to the pulse of the teams they follow. Last time, we spoke about the Clippers with Lucas Hann, who is the editor-in-chief of SB Nation’s Clips Nation. Click here to see the entire Top Bloggers series.
Next up is Zach Oliver, the managing editor of SB Nation’s Orlando Pinstriped Post, a Magic blog. You can follow Zach on Twitter at @ZachOliverNBA. Click here to check out his stories.
Hoops Rumors: There has been some talk that Dwight Howard may seek a return to Orlando as a free agent this offseason. Could this reunion work for both sides? What odds do you give this of happening?
Zach Oliver: I do think this is a reunion that could work for both sides. The Magic are clearly a piece, if not more, away from being true contenders, and some of the things Dwight brings would help fill that void for the Magic. Obviously Dwight isn’t the same player he used to be, and that’s probably going to have an impact on it, as well as him likely wanting the four-year max.
That being said, if there is clear interest from Dwight, and he is going to come back and be engaged, the Magic are in no position to say no. They need a guy who is a splash and can make an impact, and Dwight would be that guy.
As for odds, I’d say they’re pretty slim, just based on the things that happened previously between the sides. If he’s willing to take less than the max, and the Magic could still get another free agent, then I think it would be a no-brainer.
Hoops Rumors: The trade of Tobias Harris so soon after he signed a new deal came as a surprise to many. Was this trade a signal that the power is shifting from GM Rob Hennigan to coach Scott Skiles, as Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post recently suggested?
Zach Oliver: I don’t think so. This was something that was likely going to happen either way. The deal that Tobias signed was very cap friendly, and a deal that would clearly be movable in a year or two.
The fact that they moved on from him that soon is surprising, and I think it shows more of a power shift between Hennigan and Magic CEO Alex Martins. They’re in a position where they need to take the next step, and getting an impact guy in free agency is the next step.
Now, if this is the summer that’s right for doing that is a completely different conversation for a completely different day.
Hoops Rumors: Skiles has the reputation of wearing out his welcome rapidly, thanks to his gruff demeanor and no-nonsense approach. Given the Magic’s core of young players, who will need stability as they grow together, was Skiles the right choice for the long term in Orlando?
Zach Oliver: Long-term? No. Short-term? I think so.
Skiles is a guy who’s going to come in and try to set an example and get the team in the right direction with a clear path to becoming a real contender. That hasn’t happened, and at this point, I think that you have to start asking questions about the players.
It’s been up and down already, and it’s probably going to continue for another season before the sides part ways.
Hoops Rumors: After a promising rookie season, Elfrid Payton has regressed in several areas. Is he the team’s long-term answer at point guard? If not, who is?
Zach Oliver: Yes and no. I think, if you keep Evan Fournier this summer, then Payton can be your long-term answer. If they keep Victor Oladipo, they might need to move on from Payton, unless either he or Oladipo becomes, at the very least, a league-average shooter.
He’s shown some real upside but has been so inconsistent this season, and that raises a lot of questions about if he can be the guy.
At the end of the day, unless they’ve got a clear chance to get someone like a Mike Conley in free agency, I think Payton is going to be their guy. When he’s engaged, he’s a threat in a lot of ways, and his shooting is starting to come around, albeit slowly.
Hoops Rumors: The Magic have drawn mention as a potential trade suitor for Bulls swingman Jimmy Butler this summer. What sort of package would Orlando need to put together to land Butler? Would it be worth surrendering all those assets to land the two-way star?
Zach Oliver: I’ve talked with some people about this, actually.
If the Magic are to go and try to get Butler, they’re going to have to give up a sizable package. It’s going to have to start with Nikola Vucevic because of salary reasons, but beyond that, they’ll likely need to part with Oladipo to get the deal done as well. I also think they’d likely throw in their first-round selection, because Chicago moving on from Butler would be a clear sign they’re going to rebuild.
Now, another option could be packaging Vucevic, Ersan Ilyasova — who has just $400K guaranteed next season — and their pick, plus another future pick, for Butler. That could give the Bulls some cap space this summer, and more future assets to move forward with their rebuild.
The Magic, along with the Celtics, have the assets to get Butler. It’s just a matter of them being willing to. If they’re serious about accelerating their rebuild, they should be. If they aren’t, then they’d be better off standing pat.
Hoops Rumors: The Magic are currently slotted No. 11 in the draft lottery order but seem to have a reasonable shot at moving up to No. 8 before the end of the season. Assuming they don’t luck out in the lottery, who do you think the team should target in that range come June?
Zach Oliver: I don’t think they keep the pick. They’re in a position where they need to bring in guys who can make an impact right away, and there’s just not going to be anybody in that range that can do that to the extent they need it.
If they did keep it, then maybe someone like Skal Labissiere would fit some of their needs. Even Ivan Rabb or Diamond Stone could be options, should they keep the pick, the chances of which I think are slim.
Eddie Scarito contributed to this interview.
Central Notes: Williams, Butler, Drummond
Mo Williams insists he has no plans to retire after the season, even though multiple people suggest otherwise, reports Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. Williams visited well-known orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews on Monday, and it’s believed this is the third time he’s seen Andrews about his sore left knee, which has been bothering him for the last couple of years, Lloyd writes. No surgery is planned at this point, but if he were to undergo a procedure, he’d miss the playoffs and perhaps the start of next season, according to Lloyd. Williams, 33, has a player option worth nearly $2.195MM for 2016/17 on his contract with the Cavaliers.
See more from the Central Division:
- The Bulls head into the offseason with uncertainty, but they have enough talent to win as constituted, Jimmy Butler said when asked Monday, suggesting that the team instead must work harder and avoid selfishness, as the Chicago Tribune relays via video. That conflicts with the front office’s view, which is that they held the core of the team together one year too long, as the Tribune’s K.C. Johnson relayed earlier.
- Soon-to-be free agent Andre Drummond endured criticism for the lack of enthusiasm he showed after Friday’s playoff-clinching win, one in which Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy sat Drummond for much of the fourth quarter because of his poor free-throw shooting, but Drummond was upset about the death of a friend, notes Rod Beard of The Detroit News (Twitter link). The center nonetheless apologized to his teammates about his demeanor, as Beard points out (Twitter links here), and Van Gundy isn’t upset, MLive’s David Mayo notes. “I’m sure that getting the criticism he got in the newspapers and things like that, I’m sure it does help him to understand that he’s being watched at all times and part of his responsibility as a cornerstone guy in the franchise is to lead and set an example and everything else,” Van Gundy said. “So I do think it’s a good learning experience. But I think the criticism is — look, I think commenting on it is fine. But to really get deep into that it reveals some flaw in his character or something I think would be going way too far.”
- Our latest Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround invites your input on Drummond’s value as a maximum-salary player.
- The Cavs have once more assigned Sasha Kaun and Jordan McRae to the D-League, the team announced. Cleveland sent them to the D-League Canton Charge on Monday but recalled them later in the day, reportedly because of the injuries to Iman Shumpert, who’s expected to return to play at the start of the postseason, and Williams.
Michigan State F/C Deyonta Davis To Enter Draft
Michigan State freshman forward/center Deyonta Davis will enter this year’s draft and sign with an agent, the school announced. The 6’10” 19-year-old is 11th in Chad Ford’s ESPN.com rankings and 13th with Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. He won’t be able to return to college ball once he formally hires an agent.
Davis had been “50-50” on the idea of entering the draft, Spartans coach Tom Izzo said earlier this month, and Davis told Jake Fischer of SI.com in December that he planned to stay in college for two years (Twitter link), but it’s no surprise to see him head to the NBA, since few turn down strong chances to become lottery picks. The native of Muskegon, Michigan, played a limited role for his home-state school, averaging just 18.6 minutes per game, but he still managed 1.8 blocks per outing, the third-best average in the Big Ten. His 64 total blocks this year were the most ever by a Michigan State freshman and the second-most that any Spartan has ever recorded in a single season. He also collected an impressive 5.5 boards per game in his short minutes.
The Recruiting Services Consensus Index listed Davis at just No. 26 coming out of high school last year, though he was a McDonald’s All-American. His physical tools and defensive versatility have impressed NBA types, as Givony wrote last month, but questions surround his offensive polish inside, according to Ford. Davis notched just 7.5 points per contest and scored in double figures only three times in 12 games during February and March. One of those occasions was his 10-point, 15-minute performance in Michigan State’s first-round upset loss to Middle Tennessee State in the NCAA Tournament.
Heat Sign Dorell Wright
10:24am: The signing is finally official, the team announced (Twitter link). A mistake involving either spelling, translation or both on the FIBA clearance paperwork caused the delay, tweets Ethan Skolnick of the Miami Herald.
TUESDAY, 9:43am: Winderman confirms FIBA clearance is the holdup (Twitter link).
MONDAY, 1:45pm: The Heat will sign Dorell Wright, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. The move has been widely expected, as Winderman and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link) have both written in the wake of this weekend’s deal with rookie point guard Briante Weber, which seemed to preclude the idea that veteran point guard John Lucas III would sign, as Winderman observed then (Twitter link). Wright and the Heat were reportedly set to meet in recent days about the possibility of a deal.
Winderman suggests that complications stemming from Wright’s deal to play in China earlier this season have held up an official signing with the Heat. The Chinese season is over, so Wright is no longer under contract, but FIBA clearance is required whenever a player jumps from one country to another to play.
In any case, the Heat have the financial flexibility to sign Wright to either a prorated minimum-salary deal or a slightly more lucrative one that encompasses a portion of the prorated mid-level exception. The mid-level exception contract could run three years and be worth as much as $33,751 without the Heat going over the tax line and incurring repeat-offender penalties. Wright has said he’d like a multiyear deal.
The 30-year-old Wright averaged 24.3 points in 30.8 minutes per game this season for North Control Beijing, the team formerly known as the Chongqing Dragons. The 11-year NBA veteran went to China after his playing time dipped in two seasons with the Trail Blazers, for whom he saw just 12.3 minutes per game in 48 regular season appearances last year.
Wright has a history with Miami, which drafted him out of high school in 2004 and had him for the first six seasons of his NBA career, and he’s close with Dwyane Wade. The addition of Wright would give the Heat a full 15-man roster heading into the playoffs.