Lakers Notes: World Peace, Bryant, Scott, Draft
He has only appeared in 31 games this season, but 36-year-old Metta World Peace believes his NBA career is far from over, according to Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. World Peace, who earned a roster spot with the Lakers last fall after a year out of the league, hopes to play another two to four more seasons. Although he spent parts of last season in China and Italy, he doesn’t want to take his talents overseas again. “I think I can still play in the league,” World Peace said. “I feel good. I feel like I was able to guard and able to post. I feel like I answered a lot of questions.” He is making nearly $1.5MM this season and is averaging 4.5 points and 16.6 minutes per game.
There’s more Lakers news this morning:
- After two decades as part of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry, Kobe Bryant will face Boston for the final time today, writes Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. Bryant says the loss to the Celtics in the 2008 NBA Finals changed the way he approaches the game. “In 2008 what I learned was that my leadership, I felt, was what failed us as a team,” Bryant recalled. “I had built our team to be a very strong, cohesive unit, but I hadn’t built our team to beat the toughness of the Celtics.”
- The Lakers would like to revive that rivalry, but they understand they have a lot of work to do first, relays Jovan Buha of ESPN.com. L.A. is still early in its rebuilding process, stumbling to a 16-59 record while developing young players. The Celtics are much farther along, ranking among the East’s best teams at 44-32. “We have a lot of work, as far as that’s concerned,” said Lakers coach Byron Scott. “But I think a lot of these young guys, they don’t understand the rivalry. And the only way you can get that rivalry back is you have to have both teams be very competitive.”
- The Lakers need a top two draft pick to be assured of getting an elite talent, contends Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times. Pincus tabs LSU’s Ben Simmons and Duke’s Brandon Ingram as the only sure things in this year’s draft. L.A is second in Hoops Rumors’ reverse standings, meaning its odds are 19.9% for the first pick, 18.8% for the second and 17.1% for the third. If the Lakers’ pick falls any farther in the May 17th lottery, it will be sent to Philadelphia.
Northwest Notes: Love, Mohammed, Huestis, Blazers
If the Cavaliers decide to break up their team this summer, Denver could be a good landing spot for Kevin Love, according to Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. Dealing the 6’10” power forward, who is owed $93MM over the next four seasons, would ease the salary and luxury tax burdens that Cleveland has accepted in search of a title. Dempsey believes the Nuggets have the right combination of draft picks and young players to make a deal possible, citing rookie point guard Emmanuel Mudiay and rookie center Nikola Jokic as the only untouchable players on the roster. The writer notes that Love would be the star player Denver is searching for, while the Cavs could pick up some young pieces who fit better into coach Tyronn Lue’s up-tempo style.
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- It’s no coincidence that the Thunder started to improve right after Nazr Mohammed arrived, writes Erik Horne of The Oklahoman. Oklahoma City had dropped six of eight games before signing the veteran center on March 5th. Even though he has only seen 10 minutes of playing time, the Thunder’s record since the move is 11-3. Mohammed, who was with OKC once before and maintained close relationships with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, downplays the effect of his leadership on the team. “They were gonna make strides in that direction no matter what,” he said. “I can’t take any credit for it.”
- Josh Huestis, who has made 15 trips to the D-League this year, may get some meaningful minutes for the Thunder before the season ends, Horne writes in a separate story. Oklahoma City has four games in the next seven days and is virtually assured of the third spot in the Western Conference. “In all reality, Josh hasn’t been in the rotation the entire year,” said coach Billy Donovan. “He got the opportunity in Detroit [when Huestis played 15 minutes], but there could be some opportunities down the road. He did some nice things against Detroit and showed some signs he can be a good player.”
- Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum should form the foundation of the Blazers for years to come, writes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. The 25-year-old Lillard and the 24-year-old McCollum have already become one of the league’s best backcourts. Portland gave Lillard a five-year extension last summer, while McCollum is still on his rookie contract and is signed through next season.
Pacific Notes: Griffin, Curry, Karl, Watson
Blake Griffin is expected to be in the Clippers‘ starting lineup Sunday, even though he isn’t fully healed from a quad injury, according to Dan Woike of The Orange County Register. Griffin, who hasn’t played since Christmas Day, expected to be out just a few weeks after partially tearing a tendon in his lower quad muscle. “I don’t want to say ‘misdiagnosed’ but [it] wasn’t doing the right things, I guess,” he said. “We weren’t addressing the initial problem, the main problem. Everything I was doing was just putting more stress on my knee. The small tear became a three-month thing because I wasn’t doing the right things until we figured it out. … It just wasn’t being allowed to heal. The tear is still there. It’s just about managing the pain and getting through this. It’s not a new tear. I wasn’t re-tearing my knee in different places. I wasn’t allowing the initial injury to completely heal.” Griffin didn’t discuss the condition of his right hand, which was broken in a fight with assistant equipment manager Matias Testi. The Clippers posted a 30-15 record in the 45 games that Griffin missed.
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Kings point guard Seth Curry is still deciding whether to exercise his option for next season, tweets Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. A decision is due just a week after the end of the regular season. Curry added that he likes Sacramento and GM Vlade Divac‘s plans for the team. If Curry opts in, he will make $1,015,696.
- Sacramento placed coach George Karl in a no-win situation and would be making a mistake if it fires him, argues Andy Furillo of The Sacramento Bee. The front office failed to support Karl when it overturned his early-season suspension of DeMarcus Cousins, and Furillo claims that move deteriorated their already-strained relationship. Even with a rebuilt roster that was weakened by injuries, Karl has led the Kings to their highest win total since 2007/08.
- Earl Watson has managed to get some defensive improvement out of the Suns since taking over as interim coach, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Under Watson, who has posted a 6-7 record after losing his first nine games, Phoenix has a defensive rating that is 12th best in the league over its past 10 contests. Before Watson arrived, the Suns were 29th in that category. “We have a lot we haven’t even touched,” he said.
Buddy Hield Shifts Focus To Draft
With his college career complete, Oklahoma shooting guard Buddy Hield is starting to focus on the NBA draft, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. “I’m going to go chase my dreams,” Hield said today after the Sooners’ loss to Villanova in the Final Four. “Go play in the NBA and make the most of my opportunity.”
Hield has reportedly been rising on draft boards after a strong senior season that saw him emerge as a national Player of the Year candidate. He led Oklahoma to a 29-8 mark, averaging 25.4 points per game, and he was named Big 12 Player of the Year for a second straight season.
ESPN’s Chad Ford projects Hield as the sixth pick in his latest mock draft but says he could rise as high as No. 4 in a possible choice between him and Kentucky’s Jamal Murray. Ford doesn’t expect Hield to slide lower than seventh no matter how the draft order falls. DraftExpress ranks Hield seventh on its list of the top 100 prospects.
Southeast Notes: Winslow, Green, Antic, Sefolosha
Heat rookie Justise Winslow may not have entered last year’s draft if Duke hadn’t won the national championship, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. The 6’7″ small forward, who is averaging 6.6 points and 5.2 rebounds in 72 games, was selected 10th overall after leaving school as a freshman. “It depended how we would have done in the tournament — losing early, how I was playing,” Winslow said. “But I wasn’t guaranteed or I didn’t go into college saying I’m going to be one and done without a doubt.” Without Winslow in the draft, Winderman speculates that Miami may have used its pick on Kentucky sharpshooter Devin Booker or Texas big man Myles Turner.
There’s more news from the Southeast Division:
- Gerald Green had plenty of motivation for breaking out of a long slump with 30 points Friday in Miami’s win over the Kings, Winderman writes in a separate story. The 30-year-old Green, who will be entering free agency this summer, has seen his playing time cut dramatically since the Heat signed Joe Johnson in late February. “Every day, I go to the gym at night, I run, I read y’all comments, and go back to the gym, read y’all comments, go right back to the gym,” Green said. “So I’m just motivated. My teammates motivate me. So I’m just doing whatever I can to just keep myself together.”
- Former Hawks center Pero Antic has filed a civil rights suit against the New York Police Department in connection with an incident from April 2015 outside a New York nightclub, tweets Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com. He adds that Thabo Sefolosha, who is still with Atlanta, plans to formally file his lawsuit this week. Sefolosha suffered a broken fibula and ankle ligament damage in the scuffle and had to miss last year’s playoffs. He was cleared in October of charges of resisting arrest and obstructing the administration of government. Antic is now playing for Fenerbahce in Turkey.
- The Hornets‘ effort to fix their shooting problems through offseason moves has been successful, writes Mike Prada of SB Nation. Charlotte was last in 3-point percentage a year ago, but has improved with the additions of Spencer Hawes, Frank Kaminsky, Jeremy Lin and Nicolas Batum.
Northwest Notes: Burks, Gallinari, Smith, Thunder
Jazz shooting guard Alec Burks hopes to return to the court this week for the first time since December, according to Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune. Burks, who underwent surgery in early January for a broken fibula, is hoping to be ready Tuesday. Although he will probably be under a minutes limitation, Burks will be a welcome addition for Utah, which is in a battle to make the playoffs. In a sixth-man role, Burks was averaging 14.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game before the injury. “There’s a jump between being OK and healed and being able to compete at a high level,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said in explaining why the team is being cautious with Burks.
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Nuggets combo forward Danilo Gallinari is happy with the progress on his injured right ankle, but he tells Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post that he doesn’t plan to play again this season. With Denver far out of the playoff race, there’s little reason for Gallinari to take risks with the injury. “We’re not fighting for anything right now,” he explained. “As a player, it’s one of the worst feelings ever because if you’re not fighting for anything, it’s even tougher to find the motivation to play a game.” Gallinari hasn’t played since February 26th after tearing two lateral ligaments in the ankle and spraining another.
- Greg Smith has quickly earned a spot in the Wolves‘ rotation because of his ability to play center and power forward, writes Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune. Smith, who recently signed for the remainder of the season, had to overcome knee surgery and a two-month stint in the D-League to earn his way back into the NBA. “I know my role, I know my game,” he said. “I know what they want from me.”
- The Thunder’s ongoing verbal war with the Pistons has intensified, according to Erik Horne of The Oklahoman. The dispute started when Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant blasted former teammate Reggie Jackson for an exuberant celebration after Detroit’s win over Oklahoma City this week. Pistons rookie Stanley Johnson is the latest to join the fray, saying Durant shouldn’t have skipped the contest if he was concerned about the outcome. “If he wanted to have an impact on the game, he should have just played,” Johnson said. “No one is scared of playing against him on this side of town.”
2015/16 Salary Cap Update: San Antonio Spurs
The NBA’s salary cap for 2015/16 is set at $70MM, which is good for an 11% increase from last season, and the luxury tax line is fixed at $84.74MM. With the February 18th cutoff date for trades and the de facto deadline of March 1st for buyouts now past, we at Hoops Rumors are in the process of updating the salary cap commitments for each NBA franchise for the 2015/16 campaign. Here’s the cap breakdown for the San Antonio Spurs, whose regular season roster can be viewed here:
- 2015/16 Salary Cap= $70,000,000
- 2015/16 Luxury Tax Line= $84,740,000
- Fully Guaranteed Salary Commitments= $86,844,995*
- Remaining Cap Room= –$16,844,995
- Amount Above Luxury Tax Line= $2,104,995
*Note: This amount includes the $507,711 due Jimmer Fredette and the $947,276 owed Ray McCallum, both of whom were waived by the team.
Cap Exceptions Available:
- None
Cash Available to Send Out In Trades= $3,400,000
Cash Available to Receive Via Trade= $3,400,000
Note: Despite the trade deadline having passed, the NBA season technically doesn’t end until June 30th. Teams are able to again make trades upon the completion of the regular season or when/if they are eliminated from the playoffs, whichever comes later. So these cash limits still apply.
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post
Western Notes: Gentry, Nowitzki, Huestis
The Pelicans have been hit hard by injuries this season and currently have seven players who are out for the season. As a result, the team has been forced to cycle through players inked to 10-day deals, a difficult coaching task that Alvin Gentry has handled well, writes Justin Verrier of ESPN.com. “I know what they’re going through,” point guard Toney Douglas said. “Always night in, night out, you’ve got to prove yourself. But Coach Gentry, man, he did a great job of bringing these guys in and making them feel comfortable. Because sometimes you come in on a 10-day and you’re all, ‘Oh, I’ve got to put pressure on myself and do something.’ But here it’s not the case. Be who you are within the system, play freely.”
The decision to hire Gentry, as well as his job future, were reportedly called into question earlier this week, though GM Dell Demps later denied that the front office had lost its confidence in the coach. Here’s more from out West:
- Both Nick Young and D’Angelo Russell are under contract for the Lakers next season and coach Byron Scott noted that the pair coexisting for another year shouldn’t be an issue despite the current tension, Jovan Buha of ESPN.com relays. “At the end of the day, we’re all grown men in here,” Scott said. “People make mistakes and you have to understand that and you have to just kind of move on. Now, will they ever be buddy-buddy again? I don’t know. But they do have to coexist as long as they’re both here, and I think they can.“
- Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has failed Dirk Nowitzki and has not rewarded the power forward’s willingness to accept a below-market deal by surrounding him with championship-caliber players, Tim Cowlishaw of The Dallas Morning News writes. The scribe also opines that Nowitzki couldn’t be faulted if he declined his player option worth $8,692,184 for 2016/17 in order to latch on with a contending team this summer.
- The Thunder recalled small forward Josh Huestis from their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This concludes Huestis’ 15th assignment this season to the Blue. He has appeared in 25 games and is averaging 12.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.44 blocks in 32.1 minutes.
Hoops Rumors Originals 3/27/16-4/2/16
Here’s a look back at the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this past week…
- If you missed the week’s live chat, you can view the transcript here.
- Chuck Myron ran down the timeline for all the signings related to the injury woes the Grizzlies endured in March.
- As part of our Top Bloggers series, Chuck spoke with Ethan Rothstein, the managing editor of SB Nation’s The Dream Shake, a Rockets blog.
- Dana Gauruder profiled Providence point guard Kris Dunn.
- Zach Links highlighted some of the better basketball blogs around in his weekly installment of Hoops Links.
- I ran down the updated 2015/16 salary cap numbers for the Sixers, Suns, Trail Blazers and Kings.
- Chuck ran down the players who parlayed 10-day deals into longer contracts this season.
- 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.
- You can keep track of where your favorite team 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.
Week In Review 3/27/16-4/2/16
Here’s a look back at the notable events from around the NBA this past week.
NBA Draft News
Underclassmen Entering
- Rosco Allen, SF, Stanford (senior — *still reportedly has one year of eligibility remaining)
- Wade Baldwin, PG, Vanderbilt (sophomore)
- DeAndre’ Bembry, SF, St. Joseph (junior)
- Antonio Blakeney, SG, LSU (freshman)
- Trevon Bluiett, SF, Xavier (sophomore)
- Amida Brimah, C, UConn (junior)
- Cheick Diallo, F/C, Kansas (freshman)
- Daniel Hamilton, SF, UConn (sophomore)
- Demetrius Jackson, PG, Notre Dame (junior)
- Julian Jacobs, PG, USC (junior)
- Jahmal McMurray, PG, South Florida (freshman)
- Rodney Purvis, SG, UConn (junior)
- Tim Quarterman, G, LSU (junior)
- Jalen Reynolds, PF, Xavier (junior)
- Corey Sanders, PG, Rutgers (freshman)
- Wayne Selden, SG, Kansas (junior)
- Trevor Thompson, C, Ohio State (sophomore)
- James Webb III, F, Boise State (junior)
- Devin Williams, PF, West Virginia (junior)
- Stephen Zimmerman, C, UNLV (freshman)
Underclassmen Withdrawing
- Dwayne Bacon, SF, Florida State (freshman)
You can keep track of all the early entrants for the 2016 NBA Draft here.
Signings
- Suns affiliate player Terrico White signed to play for Israel’s Nes-Ziona.
- The Pelicans signed Tim Frazier for the remainder of the season.
- The Nets signed center Henry Sims to a second 10-day contract.
- The Grizzlies signed Xavier Munford to a second-10-day contract.
- The Sixers signed Christian Wood to a 10-day contract.
- The Pistons signed Lorenzo Brown to a second 10-day contract.
- The Pelicans signed James Ennis to a 10-day deal.
- Josh Powell, whom the Bucks waived this preseason, signed with Indios de Mayaguez of Puerto Rico.
- The Grizzlies signed Jordan Farmar for the remainder of the season.
- The Grizzlies signed Bryce Cotton to a 10-day deal.
You can stay up to date on all the 10-day deals handed out with our 10-day contract tracker.
Waivers
- The Sixers waived Sonny Weems.
Miscellaneous News
- The Kings signed GM and vice president of basketball operations Vlade Divac to a multiyear extension.
- Rockets rookie power forward Montrezl Harrell was suspended five games without pay by the NBA D-League for shoving a referee to the floor in the midst of an altercation with another player.
D-League News
- Coty Clarke returned to the D-League affiliate of the Celtics following the expiration of his second 10-day contract with Boston’s NBA club.
You can stay up to date on all the D-League assignments and recalls for the season here.