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Month: June 2016

Northwest Notes: Burks, Griffin, Nori

By | at June 9, 2016 10:27 pm

Jazz combo guard Alec Burks underwent successful surgery on Wednesday to clean out debris in his left knee and ankle, the team announced. The 24-year-old is expected to be recovered in time for the start of training camp after averaging 13.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in just 31 appearances this season. Burks, who still has three years and approximately $32.53MM remaining on the extension he inked in 2014, has struggled with injuries during his brief NBA career, also missing 55 games in 2014/15 due to shoulder woes.

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

  • The Thunder intend to hire Adrian Griffin as lead assistant to replace the departed Monty Williams on coach Billy Donovan‘s staff, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports. Griffin served as an assistant coach on Scott Skiles‘ staff in Orlando this past season and was under consideration by the Magic to replace Skiles before Frank Vogel nabbed the post.
  • Timberwolves coach/executive Tom Thibodeau was interested in adding Griffin to his staff but Oklahoma City was financially aggressive in its offer to the assistant, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN relays (Twitter links). Griffin also met with Vogel, who was interested in keeping the coach in Orlando, Wolfson adds.
  • In other coaching news, the Nuggets have elevated Micah Nori to an assistant coach on Michael Malone‘s staff, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post relays (Twitter link). Nori replaces Chris Fleming, who departed to joing the Nets’ coaching staff.
  • The Jazz released the full roster of participants at the free agent mini-camp they are holding this week and some notable attendees include Adonis Thomas, Greg Stiemsma, C.J. Fair and Jordan Bachynski.
  • The Nuggets hosted a private workout today for former Marquette big man Henry Ellenson, the team announced.
0 comments 2016 NBA Draft Denver Nuggets Minnesota Timberwolves Oklahoma City Thunder Utah Jazz

Team Facebook/Twitter/RSS

By | at June 9, 2016 9:15 pm

If you want to keep tabs on all the stories and updates at Hoops Rumors, you can download our free app for iOS or Android, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or subscribe to our feed through your RSS reader of choice. If you prefer to receive only news about your favorite NBA team, we still have you covered. You can easily filter by team name in the app, and you can even get updates only when teams make a move with our Transactions-only Twitter, RSS feed, and app filter. Below are links to our Facebook, Twitter, and RSS pages and feeds for all 30 teams.

Atlantic

Central

Southeast

Southwest

Northwest

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Transactions only: Twitter / RSS

To download our app, click here for iOS and here for Android.

0 comments Hoops Rumors Originals

2015/16 D-League Usage Report: Raptors

By | at June 9, 2016 8:00 pm

The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow, and this season a total of 19 NBA teams had one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those NBA organizations without their own affiliates were required to assign players to D-League clubs associated with other NBA franchises. D-League teams could volunteer to take on the assigned players, and if no volunteers emerged, the players were assigned at random.

This significant change from the 2014/15 season came about after the Pacers purchased the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and turned them into their one-to-one partner for the 2015/16 campaign. Other NBA teams have interest in following suit in the years ahead, and the NBA’s ultimate goal for the D-League is for all 30 NBA franchises to have their own D-League squads. You can view the complete list of D-League affiliates here.

We at Hoops Rumors are recapping the D-League-related activity for the 2015/16 campaign for each team and we’ll continue with the Toronto Raptors, whose D-League affiliate is the Raptors 905:

The Raptors made a whopping 47 assignments for the 2015/16 season, sending five players to the D-League for a total of 155 days. Listed below are all the assignments and recalls made by Toronto for the 2015/16 campaign:

Here’s how Toronto’s players performed while on assignment to the D-League this season:

  • Anthony Bennett: In six appearances Bennett averaged 9.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 17.9 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .339/.250/.786.
  • Bruno Caboclo: In 37 appearances Caboclo averaged 14.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 34.3 minutes per contest. His shooting numbers were .403/.335/.727.
  • Lucas Nogueira: In 11 appearances Nogueira averaged 9.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 25.2 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .570/.250/.762.
  • Norman Powell: In eight games Powell averaged 24.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 39.6 minutes per contest. His shooting numbers were .500/.333/.796.
  • Delon Wright: In 15 appearances Wright averaged 17.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists in 35.7 minutes per night. His slash line was .536/.360/.806.
0 comments Hoops Rumors Originals NBA G League Toronto Raptors

Eastern Notes: Smart, Teague, Draft

By | at June 9, 2016 6:48 pm

Hawks point guard Jeff Teague relayed today that he played the entire 2015/16 campaign with a torn patellar tendon in his knee and that he “could barely jump or stop,” Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com writes. Teague won’t require surgery this offseason and is expected to be ready to go when training camp commences, Mazzeo adds. “He is kind of, for lack of a better word, managing his knee,” coach/executive Mike Budenholzer said. “I don’t know if it is knees and ankles. I would say it is hard to know what he shares and what he doesn’t. I think he was relatively healthy and he was good so many nights and he is such a good player. I do think he was managing it a little bit like a lot of NBA guys do.”

Teague, 27, appeared in 79 games in 2015/16, averaging 15.7 points and 5.9 assists and shooting 43.9% from the field and 40% from 3-point range. He has one year remaining on his current deal and is a potential trade candidate this offseason. Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

  • The Celtics held two group workouts today, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com tweets. The first group was comprised of Alex Caruso (Texas A&M), Juan Hernangomez (Spain), Damian Jones (Vanderbilt), Thon Maker (Australia), Georgios Papagiannis (Greece) and Rasheed Sulaimon (Maryland), Forsberg notes. The second group included Robert Carter (Maryland), Stefan Jankovic (Hawaii), Shawn Long (Louisiana-Lafayette), Mamadou Ndiaye (UC Irvine), Nik Slavica (Croatia) and Troy Williams (Indiana).
  • The Heat have granted the Grizzlies permission to interview assistant coach Keith Smart for a position on the staff of former Miami assistant David Fizdale, who was recently named Memphis’ head coach, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel relays. Memphis was denied permission to interview Heat assistant coach Dan Craig, who is expected to take an elevated position on Erik Spoelstra‘s staff next season, Winderman adds.
  • The Hornets have workouts scheduled for Friday with Cat Barber (NC State), Nathan Boothe (Toledo), Jake Layman (Maryland), Isaiah Miles (St. Joe’s), Tyler Ulis (Kentucky) and Stephen Zimmerman (UNLV), Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders relays (on Twitter).
0 comments 2016 NBA Draft Atlanta Hawks Charlotte Hornets Memphis Grizzlies Miami Heat

Western Notes: Clarkson, Spurs, Felton

By | at June 9, 2016 5:32 pm

Jordan Clarkson, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, wants to remain with the Lakers and be a part of turning the franchise around, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News relays. “We had two tough years, but I don’t want to be a guy that is afraid and will run away from challenges,” Clarkson said. “I want to be a part of the situation when it turns around because I was here when it was down. I never want to leave.”

The young guard also expressed his willingness to take on whatever role the franchise requires of him, Medina adds. “I will do anything a team asks me to do,” Clarkson said. “If it’s to come off the bench, I would impact the game by coming off the bench. If I were to start, I would impact the game as a starter. I would impact the game either way.”

Here’s the latest from out West:

  • The Spurs have explored trading up in the first round of the NBA Draft, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders relays (on Twitter). It is unclear which teams San Antonio has contacted or who the team may be targeting if it was able to improve is draft position via trade. The Spurs currently own the No. 29 overall pick this June.
  • Former SMU forward Markus Kennedy has a workout scheduled with the Mavericks on June 14th, Kennedy (no relation) tweets.
  • Point guard Raymond Felton, who is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, said that his preference is to re-sign with the Mavericks, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com relays (Twitter links). “Of course, this is where I want to be. I’d love to come back here, so hopefully we can make that happen,” Felton said. “It’s a process. … I’m out of it now. My agent and the organization, it’s their situation now.“
  • The Nuggets have workouts set for Friday with DeAndre Bembry (St. Joseph’s), Joel Bolomboy (Weber State), Cheick Diallo (Kansas), Taurean Prince (Baylor) and Antwan Scott (Colorado State), the team announced via press release.
10 comments 2016 NBA Draft Dallas Mavericks Denver Nuggets Los Angeles Lakers San Antonio Spurs

Poll: 2016 Community Mock Draft (Pick No. 18)

By | at June 9, 2016 4:19 pm

The results of the 2016 NBA Draft lottery are in and the Sixers finally landed the elusive No. 1 overall pick after missing out the past two seasons. Now that the exact draft order is locked in, teams can begin targeting specific players who are likely to still be on the board when it is their time to choose. Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. I’m willing to bet that every team executive has at least one pick that he would like a mulligan for. We at Hoops Rumors thought it would be fun to give our readers the chance to predict the results of this June’s draft, which is what we are doing with a series of polls.

We’re past the midpoint of the draft and have come to the Pistons. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Detroit’s pick and check back Friday for the results, as well as to cast your vote for who the Nuggets will select with the No. 19 overall pick. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the No. 18 overall pick and why you voted the way that you did.

Previous Selections

  1. Sixers — Ben Simmons (LSU)
  2. Lakers — Brandon Ingram (Duke)
  3. Celtics — Dragan Bender (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
  4. Suns — Jaylen Brown (California)
  5. Timberwolves — Buddy Hield (Oklahoma)
  6. Pelicans — Kris Dunn (Providence)
  7. Nuggets — Jamal Murray (Kentucky)
  8. Kings — Henry Ellenson (Marquette)
  9. Raptors — Marquese Chriss (Washington)
  10. Bucks — Jakob Poeltl (Utah)
  11. Magic — Skal Labissiere (Kentucky)
  12. Jazz — Denzel Valentine (Michigan State)
  13. Suns — Domantas Sabonis (Gonzaga)
  14. Bulls — Deyonta Davis (Michigan State)
  15. Nuggets — Timothe Luwawu (Mega Leks)
  16. Celtics — Thon Maker (Australia)
  17. Grizzlies — Wade Baldwin (Vanderbilt)

With the No. 18 Overall Pick, the Pistons Select...

  • Tyler Ulis (Kentucky) 19% (232)
  • Demetrius Jackson (Notre Dame) 17% (205)
  • Brice Johnson (North Carolina) 9% (106)
  • Dejounte Murray (Washington) 8% (102)
  • Furkan Korkmaz (Anadolu Efes) 7% (90)
  • Malik Beasley (Florida State) 7% (90)
  • Malachi Richardson (Syracuse) 7% (84)
  • Taurean Prince (Baylor) 6% (74)
  • Cheick Diallo (Kansas) 4% (53)
  • Zhou Qi (China) 3% (40)
  • DeAndre Bembry (St. Joe's) 3% (37)
  • Diamond Stone (Maryland) 3% (32)
  • Stephen Zimmerman (UNLV) 2% (25)
  • Juan Hernangomez (Spain) 2% (20)
  • Damian Jones (Vanderbilt) 2% (19)
  • Ante Zizic (Croatia) 1% (12)
  • Petr Cornelie (Le Mans) 1% (9)
  • Robert Carter (Maryland) 0% (6)
  • Isaia Cordinier (France) 0% (4)

Total votes: 1,240

(direct link)

3 comments Hoops Rumors Originals Hoops Rumors Polls

And-Ones: Terry, Zanik, Bucks, Loubaki, Draft

By | at June 9, 2016 2:52 pm

Jason Terry, who intends to play one more year before retiring, would like to join a contending team for the coming season. But even he doesn’t get an offer he likes from a contender, it sounds like Terry would prefer to sign with a lottery team rather than calling it a career, as Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes.

“Just looking for another opportunity to get back on a contender,” Terry said. “But if that opportunity doesn’t present itself, still being able to go in and have an impact in the locker room on the younger players and provide quality minutes off the bench. My body feels great. My mind is still sharp.”

Terry added that he’s also hoping to land in a situation where he can “shadow” his team’s head coach and general manager, as he prepares for his post-playing career.

Let’s round up a few more odds and ends from across the NBA…

  • We heard in May that the Bucks would hire Justin Zanik as their general-manager-in-waiting, and the team made Zanik’s hiring official today, announcing it in a press release. While Zanik’s title for now is assistant general manager, the plan is for him to eventually take over for John Hammond as Milwaukee’s GM.
  • French shooting guard Luc Loubaki, who entered this year’s draft class back in April, has withdrawn his name from consideration after undergoing meniscus surgery, writes Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The 19-year-old had been viewed as the 37th-best player in his international draft class according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com.
  • ESPN’s Chad Ford has plenty of new draft-related content for us, providing workout updates on Ben Simmons, Dejounte Murray, Malachi Richardson, and Malik Beasley, and updating his big board, which features Marquese Chriss moving up to No. 6 overall and Murray sneaking into the top 10. Both pieces are Insider-only articles.
  • As LeBron James fights to get the Cavaliers back into contention against the Warriors in the NBA Finals, our sister site, Pro Football Rumors, passes along some intriguing comments from one NFL general manager, who believes LeBron would have been an all-time great tight end if he had chosen football instead of basketball.
0 comments 2016 NBA Draft Milwaukee Bucks

Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Orlando Magic

By | at June 9, 2016 12:31 pm

The Magic’s rebuilding process hasn’t exactly resulted in a Sixers-esque bottoming out, but it has probably moved a bit slower than the franchise would have liked. After winning just 20 games in 2012/13, the team has steadily increased its win total in each of the three seasons since then, but still only managed a 35-47 mark this past year.

With some young cornerstones in place and others nearing the end of their rookie contracts, it will be interesting to see how Orlando approaches the offseason. The club only has about $36MM in guaranteed salary on its books and has expressed a willingness to be active in free agency, and adding two or three solid players to this core could result in a postseason berth. But after such a lengthy rebuilding process, the Magic shouldn’t rush the final steps — exercising patience and exploring possible trades involving their higher-paid players may postpone Orlando’s return to playoff contention by another year or two, but it might also make more sense than abruptly shifting to win-now mode.

See how Orlando’s cap situation looks for 2016/17 as Hoops Rumors continues its offseason salary cap digest series.

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • Ersan Ilyasova ($8,000,000) — Partial guarantee; guaranteed portion listed above1
  • Devyn Marble ($980,431)
  • Total: $8,980,431

Restricted Free Agents (Qualifying Offers/Cap Holds)

Unrestricted Free Agents (Cap Holds)

Other Cap Holds

  • No. 11 pick ($2,033,500)
  • Fran Vazquez ($2,033,500)
  • Total: $4,067,000

Projected Salary Cap: $92,000,000

Footnotes:

  1. Ilyasova’s full $8,400,000 salary will become guaranteed if he’s still on the roster on July 1st.

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

2 comments Hoops Rumors Originals Offseason Salary Cap Digest Orlando Magic

Southwest Notes: Carter, Duncan, Pelicans

By | at June 9, 2016 11:23 am

Vince Carter and Paul Pierce were both top-10 picks in the 1998 NBA draft, but while Pierce remains undecided on whether or not he’ll continue his career, Carter said that he hopes to play two more seasons, per Fred Kerber of The New York Post (Twitter link). Carter, who would have a 20-year career if he can play for two more seasons, is under contract with the Grizzlies on a partially guaranteed deal for 2016/17.

Here’s more from out of the Southwest division:

  • Another NBA veteran debating whether or not to call it a career? Spurs big man Tim Duncan, who turned 40 in April and would be on track to play a 20th season if he decides to return. As Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News details, most observers expect Duncan to retire, but the future Hall-of-Famer has made surprising decisions in the past — he’ll have to officially make the call on his 2016/17 player option by June 29th.
  • Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops points out (via Twitter) that former Atlanta general manager Danny Ferry was a “big fan” of Kent Bazemore during his time with the Hawks, and suggests that the Pelicans could pursue Bazemore as a free agent this summer. Ferry was officially hired by New Orleans on Wednesday as a special advisor.
  • Evansville center Egidijus Mockevicius, who had previously-reported workouts with Brooklyn and Chicago, also auditioned for the Mavericks, according to agent Pedro Power (Facebook video link via Jo Jo Gentry of 44Sports). Power added that his client will have a workout in Los Angeles, though it’s not clear if it will be for the Lakers or Clippers.
0 comments 2016 NBA Draft Dallas Mavericks Memphis Grizzlies New Orleans Pelicans San Antonio Spurs

Paul Pierce Remains Undecided On Future

By | at June 9, 2016 10:07 am

Paul Pierce said back in April after the Clippers were eliminated from the postseason that he was 50-50 about returning for another season, and it doesn’t appear that stance has changed. He has yet to decide whether or not he’ll play in 2016/17. However, as he tells Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, when it comes to who’s making that decision on his future, it’s not quite a 50-50 split.

“We always say it’s 51-49. I get 51 percent of the vote and the rest of [the family] gets 49,” Pierce said. “[My wife’s] input carried a lot of weight. We’ll figure out some things. I know I don’t want to be sitting at home, whatever I do, regardless. If I come back, it will be one more [season] and that will be it. No doubt.”

Pierce, who turns 39 in November, remains under contract with the Clippers for the next two seasons, though his 2017/18 salary is mostly non-guaranteed. While it sounds like the veteran forward might like to play one final year, he admitted that all the work that goes into preparing for a new season has worn on him as he nears age 40.

“Really, it’s all about how I feel mentally, getting up and I’m thinking about the grind,” Pierce said. “People don’t understand, I think a lot of guys retire because of what it takes to [get on the court] each season. You can take the grind once you are in it, but getting ready for the grind is the hard part.”

Pierce, who said he spoke to former teammate Kevin Garnett on Tuesday about his decision, figures to make the call in the coming weeks on whether or not to retire. That would give the Clippers a chance to enter the new league year in July knowing whether or not Pierce will be part of their plans for 2016/17.

In his first year in Los Angeles, Pierce struggled, establishing new career lows in points per game (6.1), field goal percentage (.363), PER (8.2), and many other categories.

5 comments Los Angeles Clippers
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