2016/17 NBA Over/Unders: Northwest Division
The 2016/17 NBA regular season will get underway in just over a week, which means it’s time to start getting serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign. With the help of the lines from offshore betting site Bovada.lv, we’re going to run through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division, and have you weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic. Having looked at the Atlantic division last Friday, we’re moving on to the Northwest today…
Utah Jazz
- 2015/16 record: 40-42
- Over/under for 2016/17: 49 wins
- Offseason in review: Added George Hill, Joe Johnson, Boris Diaw. Lost Trevor Booker, Trey Burke, Tibor Pleiss.
(App users, click here for Jazz poll)
Portland Trail Blazers
- 2015/16 record: 44-38
- Over/under for 2016/17: 45.5 wins
- Offseason in review: Added Evan Turner, Festus Ezeli. Lost Gerald Henderson, Brian Roberts, Chris Kaman.
(App users, click here for Trail Blazers poll)
Oklahoma City Thunder
- 2015/16 record: 55-27
- Over/under for 2016/17: 43.5 wins
- Offseason in review: Added Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis, Ersan Ilyasova, Alex Abrines, Ronnie Price, Joffrey Lauvergne. Lost Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka, Dion Waiters, Randy Foye.
(App users, click here for Thunder poll)
Minnesota Timberwolves
- 2015/16 record: 29-53
- Over/under for 2016/17: 40.5 wins
- Offseason in review: Added Kris Dunn, Cole Aldrich, Jordan Hill, Brandon Rush. Lost Kevin Garnett, Tayshaun Prince, Greg Smith.
(App users, click here for Timberwolves poll)
Denver Nuggets
- 2015/16 record: 33-49
- Over/under for 2016/17: 37 wins
- Offseason in review: Added Jamal Murray, Juan Hernangomez, Malik Beasley. Lost D.J. Augustin, Joffrey Lauvergne.
(App users, click here for Nuggets poll)
Previous voting results:
- Boston Celtics (52.5 wins): Under (54.59%)
- Toronto Raptors (50.5 wins): Over (54.63%)
- New York Knicks (38.5 wins): Over (71.41%)
- Philadelphia 76ers (23.5 wins): Under (54.62%)
- Brooklyn Nets (20.5 wins): Under (60.74%)
Mavericks Sign Jaleel Cousins
The Mavericks have added a big man to their roster, announcing in a press release that they’ve signed former South Florida center Jaleel Cousins to a contract. Terms of the agreement aren’t known, but Cousins will almost certainly get a minimum-salary contract with little or no guaranteed money.
Cousins, who went undrafted in June, is the brother of All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins. The younger Cousins averaged 8.5 PPG, 7.9 RPG, and 1.6 BPG in his senior year at South Florida in 2015/16, appearing in all 33 games for the team. He also spent some time with the Mavs in July, playing for the club’s Orlando Summer League squad.
As is the case with many signings of undrafted free agents at this point, the Mavs likely added Cousins with an eye toward having him join their D-League team. Because Cousins wasn’t previously affiliated with another D-League club, he’d be eligible to join the Texas Legends if and when he’s waived by the Mavs.
Dallas is now back at 20 players on its preseason roster, having cut Jameel Warney on Sunday.
Heat Sign Vashil Fernandez, Cut Stefan Jankovic
The Heat have tweaked the back of their roster slightly, announcing today in a press release that they’ve cut Stefan Jankovic and replaced him with newly-signed center Vashil Fernandez. Jankovic will become a free agent if and when he clears waivers, and will likely end up with Miami’s D-League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Fernandez, meanwhile, went undrafted this June after spending his four-year college career at Valparaiso. The 6’10” big man averaged just 5.6 PPG during his senior season, but also chipped in 7.3 RPG and 3.3 BPG over the course of 36 games.
Jankovic had a $100K guarantee on his deal with Miami, so the Heat have a vested interest in continuing to develop him in the D-League. Another NBA team could claim him off waivers or sign him as a free agent, but they’d have to keep him on their 15-man roster to start the season in order to get his D-League rights.
While details of Fernandez’s deal aren’t yet known, a modest guarantee – if that – on a minimum-salary contract is a safe bet. Like Jankovic, Fernandez likely won’t make Miami’s regular-season roster. In fact, the two players could end up being teammates in Sioux Falls at some point this season.
New York Notes: Randle, Knicks, Nets, Vasquez
Chasson Randle‘s odds of landing a 15-man roster spot with the Knicks won’t be affected by the injury he suffered during a Friday practice, according to head coach Jeff Hornacek. As Zach Braziller of The New York Post details, Randle will be given the chance to make the team despite sustaining a left orbital fracture. “We kind of understand what he can give us as a player,” Hornacek said. “It would’ve been nice to see him against [Celtics guard] Isaiah [Thomas] in those two Boston games, see how he can do. But, again, we have a pretty good feel for him.”
Here’s more out of New York on a couple more new Knicks who are making a good impression, along with some Nets notes:
- Newsday’s Barbara Barker examines the impact Mindaugas Kuzminskas is having off the Knicks‘ bench so far, while Braziller focuses on fellow rookie Willy Hernangomez in a piece for the New York Post. Kuzminskas was signed using New York’s room exception, while Hernangomez arrived as a draft-and-stash prospect.
- Greivis Vasquez is coming off a major ankle injury and didn’t place much for the Bucks last year, but he believes he has plenty left in the tank, and doesn’t want to be viewed as simply a “mentor” for the Nets‘ young players. Braziller has the quotes and details on Vasquez’s quest to become a key contributor in Brooklyn this season.
- Finally, in one more piece from the Post, Braziller writes that Nets youngsters Chris McCullough and Isaiah Whitehead are good bets to split their team between the NBA and the D-League this year. Both players will likely be assigned to the Long Island Nets at times this season to give them a chance at regular playing time, per Braziller.
Pelicans Sign Quincy Ford
At a time when most NBA teams are waiving players from their roster, the Pelicans have announced a signing. According to a team release, New Orleans has signed Quincy Ford, who recently cleared waivers after being cut loose by the Jazz. The Pelicans are now back up to the maximum 20 players.
Ford, 23, signed his first NBA contract with the Jazz out of Northeastern back in September, receiving a $75K guarantee on a three-year pact with the team. Having played Summer League ball with Utah and spent training camp with them as well, the young forward appeared ticketed for the Salt Lake City Stars, the Jazz’s D-League affiliate. However, the Pelicans may have thrown a wrench in that plan.
Still, the Pelicans don’t have a D-League affiliate of their own, so if they want to keep Ford under team control, they’ll have to include him on their 15-man regular season roster. New Orleans already has 15 guaranteed salaries on its books for 2016/17, and that doesn’t even include Lance Stephenson, who has a partial guarantee — it would be a surprise if Ford makes the cut.
Bulls, Bucks Swap Tony Snell, Michael Carter-Williams
OCTOBER 17, 9:58am: The Bulls and Bucks have officially announced the trade in a pair of press releases. Given the difference between Carter-Williams’ salary and Snell’s salary, Milwaukee should also pick up a small trade exception worth $815,199 in the deal.
OCTOBER 16, 8:43am: The Bucks will send Michael Carter-Williams to the Bulls in exchange for Tony Snell, Zach Lowe and Marc Stein of ESPN.com report. While it’s not quite a done deal, it is expected to be completed by Monday, Charles F. Garner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets.
Milwaukee has been looking to acquire more shooting and defense since Khris Middleton suffered a torn hamstring in training camp, sources tell the pair of ESPN scribes. Milwaukee is interested in Snell both as a fill-in for Middleton and as a potential role player for the future. The team is expected to open contract extension talks with Snell once the deal is consummated, sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.
This will be the Bucks’ second trade since the Middleton injury, as they acquired Michael Beasley last month. Snell should see significantly more playing time with his new team than he would have with the Bulls. He was facing competition for playing time in Chicago with Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler and Doug McDermott expected to see the majority of minutes on the wing.
The Bulls didn’t have a proven option at the point guard position behind new addition Rajon Rondo. The league’s reigning leader in assists per game signed a two-year deal with the team during the offseason, but only $3MM of his $13.4MM salary is guaranteed next season. Carter-Williams could have an opportunity to take over the starting spot long-term, but in the interim, he’ll provide the team with depth at the position.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Hawks Waive Matt Costello
The Hawks have begun to make their preseason cuts, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has waived Matt Costello. The move reduces Atlanta’s roster count to 19, so the club will still have to cut at least four more players before opening night.
Costello, who played his college ball at Michigan State, averaged 10.7 PPG and 8.2 RPG during his senior year in 2015/16. After going undrafted in June, Costello quickly agreed to terms with the Hawks and then made it official with the team in July. The power forward received a $50K guarantee on a two-year deal from Atlanta.
Costello played sparingly during the preseason with the Hawks, appearing in two games and totaling 18 minutes. He seems like a good bet to land with a D-League team, but Atlanta doesn’t have its own affiliate, so it would be a challenge for the Hawks to closely monitor him if he does end up in the D-League.
NBA, NBPA To Meet On Wednesday
With multiple reports suggesting that there’s optimism on all sides that a new Collective Bargaining Agreement can be completed in the coming weeks, the NBA and the NBPA are scheduled to meet this Wednesday to discuss a deal, according to Ian Begley and Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. The sitdown will take place one day before the league’s annual board of governors session, the ESPN duo notes.
According to Begley and McMenamin, optimism continues to rise on both sides that the basic framework of a new CBA deal can be agreed upon as early as this month. The meeting this week between the league and the players’ union is the latest sign that negotiations are progressing positively.
Although the current Collective Bargaining Agreement runs through 2021, both the NBA and the NBPA have the opportunity to opt out of the deal on or before December 15 of this year. If either side were to opt out, the CBA would expire at the end of the 2016/17 league year, and the two sides would have to reach an agreement by July 1, 2017 to avoid a lockout.
Still, commissioner Adam Silver has expressed a belief that a new agreement can be reached before that opt-out arrives, and players who are prominent within the union, such as LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, have echoed that view. As Begley and McMenamin point out, the Knicks forward recently said that “you can feel the difference” between the talks taking place now and the ones that were happening leading up to the 2011 lockout — the two sides are in agreement on many more issues this time around, in Anthony’s view.
Veteran contract extensions, rookie-scale contracts, and the NBA’s D-League are among the areas expected to be tweaked in a new CBA.
Heat Pick Up Option On Justise Winslow
OCTOBER 17, 8:37am: The move is official, as Bobby Marks of The Vertical tweets. Winslow becomes the first player to have his 2017/18 team option formally exercised, though plenty will follow in the next two weeks.
OCTOBER 16, 6:44pm: The Heat will pick up the third-year rookie-scale option on Justise Winslow, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The long-expected move will guarantee Winslow a $2.7MM salary for 2017/18.
Miami has an October 31st deadline to pick up the option, but GM Andy Elisburg confirmed that the decision has already been made. The Heat just have to prepare an official “exercise letter” and send it to Winslow’s agent.
Winslow made an impression with a strong rookie year after dropping to No. 10 in the 2015 draft. He quickly earned a spot in the Heat’s rotation and averaged 6.4 points and 5.2 rebounds in 78 games. With the departure of Luol Deng in free agency, Winslow will move into a starting role. He is the only Miami player to start the team’s first five preseason games.
Winslow said he expected to have his option picked up and he is learning all he can about how the NBA handles contracts.
“This is a business,” he said. “You’ve got to know every aspect of it. Of course, I felt 99 percent sure that they would pick it up, but it’s something that you’ve still got to be aware of. If not for yourself, you’ve got to tell other rookies coming down the line. Because this is a brotherhood. You want to look out for everybody.”
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is happy with Winslow’s progress so far and sees much brighter things in his future.
“He does what he’s always done, and that’s make winning plays,” Spoelstra said. “He is one of those unique players.”
Miami now has five players with guaranteed contracts for 2017/18, including Chris Bosh, whose salary could be removed from the team’s cap if he is not medically cleared to return after repeated issues with blood clots. The others are Hassan Whiteside, Tyler Johnson and Goran Dragic.
Magic Waive Alexander, Dawson, Murphy
The Magic have waived Cliff Alexander, Branden Dawson and Kevin Murphy, tweets ESPN’s Jeff Goodman. GM Rob Hennigan announced the moves, which bring the roster down to 16, after tonight’s game with the Hawks.
Alexander, 20, is a power forward/center who appeared in eight games with the Trail Blazers last year after signing as an undrafted rookie out of Kansas. Portland waived him in July before his salary for this season became guaranteed.
Dawson is a 23-year-old power forward who played six games for the Clippers last season. He was a second-round pick out of Michigan State, but spent most of the year in the D-League.
Murphy, 26, is a shooting guard who has played for three D-League teams and spent time in China and Japan. He played 17 games for Utah in 2012/13 after being taken by the Jazz in the second round of the 2012 draft.