Western Rumors: Thunder, Young, Booker, Nuggets
Rookie Domantas Sabonis appears to be the early leader for the Thunder’s starting power forward position over veteran Ersan Ilyasova, Erik Horne of The Oklahoman reports. Sabonis passed and shot the ball well in the Thunder’s preseason games in Spain last week, Horne continues. He’s also shown unusual maturity for his age, Horne adds. “In terms of defensively where he’s supposed to be, remembering plays, doing his job, being in the right spots, the right positions, (being) a competitive guy, he’s reliable,” coach Billy Donovan told Horne. “Really reliable.”
In other news around the Western Conference:
- Lakers swingman Nick Young appreciates the way new coach Luke Walton has delivered his message of getting Young to improve defensively, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes. Young often bristled at the way former coach Byron Scott criticized him publicly, Medina notes, but Walton has tried a more positive approach. “You have a coach that is telling you to shoot the ball and has confidence in you,” Young told Medina. “All he wants you to do is play defense and do whatever you want on offense. That gives yourself a lot of confidence.”
- Suns coach Earl Watson believes shooting guard Devin Booker is a star in the making, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic relays. Booker lit up the Trail Blazers for 34 points in three quarters this preseason and Watson marvels at his scoring ability, Coro continues. “He scored every way possible, so you like everything that he did,” Watson told Coro. “You can tell 19 years of age and his maturity and patience in the half-court and the way he can score is very unique. I’m not sure there’s a lot of people his age or a lot of people in the NBA who can do that.”
- Jusuf Nurkic has been so impressive this preseason that he is practically forcing Nuggets coach Michael Malone to name him the opening-night starter at center, according to Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. Nurkic has played with determination in the preseason, Dempsey notes, while averaging 18.0 points and 13.3 rebounds. If Nurkic continues to play this way, Malone’s biggest decision will be to choose between Nikola Jokic and Kenneth Faried as the starting power forward, Dempsey adds.
Eastern Notes: Knicks, Pistons, LeVert, Green
Knicks team president Phil Jackson believes the acquistions of point guard Derrick Rose and center Joakim Noah poses “minimal risk and a great reward,” according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Jackson made that comment during a podcast with Shaquille O’Neal. Rose was acquired in a trade with the Bulls, while Noah signed a four-year, $72MM contract as a free agent. “Both of them, I think, have some career left, even though they’ve had injuries, and it’s what they call risk-reward,” Jackson said to O’Neal. “What was the risk and what was the reward? And I felt it was a minimal risk and a great reward if we were able to put together a good team.”
In other developments around the Eastern Conference:
- Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy does not plan to carry both Lorenzo Brown and Ray McCallum on his opening-day roster, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com reports. Brown and McCallum are locked in a training-camp battle to back up point guard Ish Smith with starter Reggie Jackson sidelined the first month of the season by knee tendinitis. Neither one has a guaranteed contract. “It’s not going to be an easy decision,” Van Gundy told Langlois. “The way we’d love to start the year is to have them both because you want three point guards. But to do that, we’d actually have to cut somebody on a guaranteed contract. I don’t foresee that.”
- Caris LeVert has been a limited participant in training camp as the rookie guard continues to progress from the foot injuries that cut short his final season at the University of Michigan, Cory Wright of BrooklynNets.com reports. New Nets coach Kenny Atkinson is still unsure when LeVert, the 20th overall pick in this year’s draft, will be able to go without any restrictions, Wright adds.
- Jeff Green‘s ties to the Magic’s front office and the trade that brought Serge Ibaka to Orlando made it an easy decision for him to sign with the franchise, John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com writes. The well-traveled small forward signed a one-year, $15MM contract with the Magic after agreeing to the deal on the first day of free agency. “I knew (assistant GM) Scott (Perry) and (GM) Rob (Hennigan), too, from OKC,” Green told Denton. “I saw that the Magic had traded for Serge on draft day and I had played with Serge already. … I knew this would be a great situation.”
Sixers Notes: Covington, Rodriguez, Saric
Small forward Robert Covington should get plenty of scoring opportunities with the presence of center Joel Embiid this season, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Embiid’s ability to draw double teams in the post could often leave Covington open beyond the 3-point arc, where he’s made 40% of his attempts this preseason. He’s also intent upon gaining a reputation as a strong defender, Pompey adds. “I’m going to keep growing as a defender, becoming a two-way player,” Covington told Pompey.
In other preseason news involving the Sixers:
- In the same article, Pompey notes that point guard T.J. McConnell has been looking more for his shot, McConnell is averaging 10 points and 4.6 assists while shooting 50% during the first three preseason games.
- Veteran point guard Sergio Rodriguez, who is playing in the NBA for the first time since 2010, has already endeared himself to the team’s big men, Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The longtime Euro star had 15 points, eight assists and no turnovers in 27 minutes against the Cavaliers on Saturday. “He’s really helpful,” Embiid told Cooney. “When we play, he always talks to me and tells me where I need to be and how to get position.” Rodriguez, who has an $8MM contract this season, is currently backing up McConnell with Jerryd Bayless sidelined by a wrist injury.
- Coach Brett Brown plans to limit forward Dario Saric‘s minutes during the preseason, Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com relays. Saric has gotten very little time off since last October, when he played in Europe. Saric was also a key member of Croatia’s Olympic team in Rio this summer. Saric played well in the team’s first two preseason games before shooting 1-for-7 from the field against the Cavaliers. Brown is planning to sit him for the team’s next game on Tuesday. “I sense sometimes that he is sore, and I just want to be mindful of that,” Brown told Seltzer.
Heat Notes: Udrih, Richardson, Johnson, Spoelstra
Veteran point guard Beno Udrih wants to get past the injury that ended his season in February and the controversy that surrounded his release from Miami, relays Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald. Udrih hopes to take the court this week after being sidelined with tightness in his back. It will be his first game action since undergoing surgery for a torn plantar plate in his right foot. A week after the procedure, he agreed to a buyout, sacrificing $90K in a move that brought the Heat under the luxury tax and enabled them to sign Joe Johnson. Udrih re-signed with Miami in August and wants to prove he can still contribute despite the injuries and despite turning 34 in July. “I’m just going to be me, try to be consistent and bring some leadership, some pace to the game and maybe with that leadership and experience that I gained during the last 12, 13 years, just slow things down sometimes,” he said. “Sometimes, maybe, we play a little bit too fast.”
There’s more news out of Miami:
- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says no timetable has been set regarding Josh Richardson‘s return from injury because the team wants to be careful about rushing him back, Navarro writes in the same story. Richardson suffered a partially torn MCL in his left knee in September and was projected to have a six- to eight-week recovery time. When he does return, the second-year guard can expect to take on a variety of roles. “That’s the strength and ultimately the necessity of this roster — ultimately it’s the versatility,” Spoelstra said. “Guys have to be able to play in different spots and different positions on the floor. We talk about it all the time, but it’s reality. J-Rich is used to that. He literally he can play anywhere — the three perimeter positions offensively and defensively.”
- Tuesday’s preseason game will give Tyler Johnson his first chance to see the Nets since they gave him a four-year, $50MM offer sheet, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Miami matched the offer to keep the 24-year-old combo guard, who is grateful to the Nets for setting his price so high. “I could tell from the get-go that they were very interested,” Johnson said. “And they were working with me very well during contract negotiations. So, yeah, I’m very appreciative of what they did and setting that price point, for sure.”
- This offseason provided the ultimate test for Spoelstra’s philosophy of moving forward, notes Jeff Zillgett of USA Today. The Heat had to deal with Dwyane Wade‘s departure, Chris Bosh‘s failed physical and a massive roster upheaval, but Spoelstra doesn’t want to use any of that as an excuse for failure. “This team that I’m coaching right now, what they deserve is my absolute full attention and commitment,” Spoelstra said. “That’s what they’re getting. … What you have is different challenges each year, and we’re in this profession to develop teams, to get players to learn how to serve and sacrifice and play for something bigger than themselves.”
Offseason In Review: Portland Trail Blazers
Over the next several weeks, Hoops Rumors will be breaking down the 2016 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2016/17 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Portland Trail Blazers.
Free agent signings:
- Allen Crabbe: Four years, $74.833MM. Fourth year player option. Matched Nets’ offer sheet.
- Evan Turner: Four years, $70MM.
- Meyers Leonard: Four years, $41MM.
- Maurice Harkless: Four years, $40MM.
- Festus Ezeli: Two years, $15.133MM. Second year partially guaranteed.
Camp invitees:
- Tim Quarterman: Two years, minimum salary ($75K guaranteed)
- Grant Jerrett: One year, minimum salary (summer contract)
- Greg Stiemsma: One year, minimum salary (summer contract)
Extensions:
- C.J. McCollum: Four years, $106.633MM. Rookie scale extension. Goes into effect in 2017/18.
Trades:
- Acquired the draft rights to Jake Layman (No. 47 pick) from the Magic in exchange for the Blazers’ own 2019 second-round pick and cash ($1.2MM).
- Acquired Shabazz Napier from the Magic in exchange for cash ($75K).
Draft picks:
- 2-47: Jake Layman. Signed for three years, $2.556MM. Third year non-guaranteed.
Departing players:
Other offseason news:
- Offered a max deal to Chandler Parsons and pursued Hassan Whiteside in free agency.
- Mason Plumlee eligible for a contract extension until October 31.
- Festus Ezeli recovering from offseason procedure on left knee.
Check out our salary cap snapshot for the Portland Trail Blazers right here.
The Trail Blazers entered the summer with plans to throw big money at free agents. And that’s what they did, even though it didn’t get them any of their top choices.
Portland offered a max contract to Chandler Parsons and pursued both Hassan Whiteside and Pau Gasol before they all signed elsewhere. Spurned by their first targets, the Blazers used their ample cap space to give Evan Turner $70MM over four years and Festus Ezeli more than $15MM for two years. They also matched Brooklyn’s shocking four-year, $74.833MM offer to Allen Crabbe and handed out nice raises to Meyers Leonard and Maurice Harkless.
All those players should be part of this season’s rotation for Portland, which was one of the surprise teams of 2015/16. After losing 80% of their starting roster from the previous year, the Blazers scratched out 44 regular season wins, finished fifth in the West and surprised the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs.
Portland’s most significant move of the summer may have been the four-year rookie scale extension the team gave to C.J. McCollum, who was the NBA’s Most Improved Player last season. After Wesley Matthews left for Dallas, McCollum took full advantage of the chance to become a starter in his third NBA season, raising his scoring average from 6.8 to 20.8 points per game.
McCollum teams with Damian Lillard to form a young, dynamic backcourt that is the foundation of Portland’s continued success. The addition of Turner, who averaged 10.0 points and 5.0 assists during his two years in Boston, gives the Blazers another guard who can handle the ball, which allows Lillard more leeway to be used as a spot-up shooter.
On the wing, Crabbe will face pressure to justify his gigantic new contract. He emerged as a key reserve for the Blazers in his third NBA season, averaging 10.3 points and 2.7 rebounds in 81 games, but he must guard against letting the high salary influence the way he plays. Crabbe and Turner will compete for minutes with Maurice Harkless, who became a starter late last season and into the playoffs. The Blazers thought enough of Harkless’ contributions to re-sign him for $40MM over four years.
The battle for playing time is even more muddled up front as Ezeli was brought in to join a crowded group that includes Ed Davis, Al-Farouq Aminu and Mason Plumlee, along with Leonard, who re-signed for four years at $41MM. However, Ezeli may not be available for a while because of soreness in his left knee. He received an injection of bone marrow aspirate concentrate on August 23rd and was projected to be out of action for six weeks. But that time frame has passed and he still hasn’t been able to take the court. The Blazers won’t take a major financial hit if he’s out for a long time because of his low signing price and because they own a team option on the second season of his deal, but the team could use his skills as a rim protector.
For now, that job falls solely to Plumlee, who averaged a block per game last season. The Blazers are facing a major decision on the fourth-year center, who is eligible for a rookie contract extension through the end of the month. Plumlee started all 82 games last year and averaged 9.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per night in his first season in Portland after being acquired in a trade with Brooklyn.
The Blazers would like to see more offensive production out of Plumlee, who says he spent all summer working on his shot. It may give him the confidence to shoot more than the 6.3 times per game he averaged last season. “He was important to us last year,” said head coach Terry Stotts. “His ability to be a playmaker will not be diminished. You can’t have too many playmakers on the court. The more guys that can dribble, pass and shoot, it just makes you a better team offensively.”
It seems a good bet that the Portland front office will work out an extension with Plumlee, whether it happens this month or next summer.
The Blazers were relatively quiet on draft night, with their first-rounder going to Denver as part of the 2015 Arron Afflalo trade. Portland swung a deal with the Magic, acquiring No. 47 pick Jake Layman in exchange for a 2019 second-round pick and cash. The former Maryland small forward may see a lot of time in the D-League this season. In addition, point guard Shabazz Napier was acquired from Orlando in July in exchange for cash considerations.
Portland enters 2016/17 with a lot more roster certainty than it had a year ago. All the elements that made the Blazers successful last season are still in place, and the addition of Turner will give Stotts much more flexibility in devising lineup combinations. Portland may have missed out on its primary targets this offseason, but it still has enough talent in place to be a major player in the West for years to come.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Reggie Jackson Officially Out 6 to 8 Weeks
The Pistons formally announced today that starting point guard Reggie Jackson will be out of action for six to eight weeks, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
Jackson has been diagnosed with a UCL strain in his right thumb and tendinosis in his left knee. He received platelet-rich plasma injections in both the thumb and the knee today.
The timeline for Jackson’s return matches what coach/executive Stan Van Gundy projected over the weekend. Jackson is expected to be on crutches for up to a week following the injections.
The knee started bothering Jackson in September, tweets Keith Langlois of NBA.com. At first, Jackson thought he could play through the pain, but it didn’t get any better once camp opened. He hadn’t planned to take care of the thumb now, but it made sense while he was sidelined because of the knee (Twitter link).
Jackson’s earliest projected return would bring him to mid-November, which means he would miss about 10 games. Ish Smith, whom the Pistons signed as a free agent over the summer, is expected to be the starting point guard until Jackson is healthy enough to take over.
Suns Waive Bakumanya, Cooke, Harrison
The Suns trimmed their roster to 16 players by waiving center Gracin Bakumanya, forward Derek Cooke Jr. and guard Shaquille Harrison, the team announced today.
All three players signed with Phoenix on September 25th, but none saw any playing time during the team’s first three preseason games. They will all likely wind up with the Suns’ D-League affiliate, suggests Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. (Twitter link).
Bakumanya was an international early-entry candidate who hails from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was part of the Rockets’ summer league team and spent last season in France.
Cooke has a history with the organization. He played for the Suns’ D-League affiliate in Bakersfield last year and was part of the Phoenix entry in the summer league.
Harrison went undrafted after playing college ball at Tulsa and earning All-American Athletic Conference second team honors.
All teams must cut their rosters down to 15 players by October 24th.
Pistons Notes: Ellenson, Smith, Jackson, Morris
First-round pick Henry Ellenson has impressed coach/executive Stan Van Gundy enough to earn significant preseason playing time, writes Keith Langlois of NBA.com. It’s an unusual accomplishment for a rookie, but the 19-year-old power forward has gotten the attention of coaches and teammates with how quickly he has adapted to the NBA game. “He is the perfect stretch four,” said Ish Smith. “Henry can shoot it, he can drive it, he can make plays and he’s a sponge. He does so many things out there. When Coach asks him to do things one time, he does it the next time and he doesn’t make the same mistakes. Henry has a fan in me and he’s going to give me a lot of assists. Henry can shoot the ball.” Despite the glowing reviews, Van Gundy noted that the Pistons already have Marcus Morris, Tobias Harris and Jon Leuer in place, so it may be hard for Ellenson to get minutes once the season starts.
There’s more today out of Detroit:
- The Pistons targeted Smith in free agency because of his experience as a starter, and that wound up paying off sooner than they expected, Langlois writes in a separate story. Smith will be counted on to hold down the starting role while Reggie Jackson tries to work through the tendinitis in his left knee. The Pistons said Jackson will miss “extended time,” which Van Gundy later clarified as six to eight weeks. “We need Reggie back, a speedy recovery,” Smith said. “But we have to do our job. Everybody’s getting paid, so we have to do our job and do what it takes to win those games while he’s out. Somebody has to step up. It is a different kind of feel, but I don’t want to overthink it. I just want to play and let the chips fall where they may.”
- Statistics suggest that replacing Jackson will be a difficult task, notes John Schuhmann of NBA.com. Jackson ran the pick-and-roll more than anyone else in the league last season, and his unique skills helped to make it successful.
- Morris needed a season of adjustment after being traded from the Suns to the Pistons, but he has become one of the team’s vocal leaders, according to Rod Beard of The Detroit News. That role came partially through his play, as Morris averaged 14.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game during his first season in Detroit. But it was also a matter of getting accustomed to his new surroundings. “It’s certainly noticeable that he’s talking more,” Van Gundy said. “We were just getting to know him last year, so we weren’t prodding him toward leadership and now he’s one of, if not the most respected guys in that locker room. Now he knows we want that from him.”
Eastern Conference Salary Rankings: Shooting Guards
Hoops Rumors is in the process of ranking the salaries, separated by conference, for each NBA player by position. We’ve already looked at the point guards, shooting guards, small forwards, power forwards and centers of the Western Conference and we’ve now turned our attention toward the East, by running down the conference’s point guards. Next up — the shooting guards.
All told, the teams in the east have committed a total of $315,686,809 in cap hits this season to the men who man the two spot. The average conference salary for shooting guards this season is currently $4,324,477, with DeMar DeRozan topping the list with $26,540,100 to account for on his year-end W-2 form.
It should be noted that teams won’t necessarily pay out every dollar listed here. There are quite a few players who have non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts. Some of those players won’t make it out of the preseason, while others will be sweating it out until January 10th. That’s when teams must waive players with no specific guarantee date written into their contracts to avoid having to guarantee their salaries for the rest of the season. In addition, incentive clauses that a player either triggers or fails to meet can leave a player with more or less money than his cap hit reflects. Still, the purpose of this list is to show the relative pay scale by position, which is why all contracts are included in this post.
I should also add that not every player listed below will play at shooting guard this season, as some will likely see some time at point guard and others at small forward. To maintain uniformity, I used their positions listed on the teams’ official rosters to determine which list to include them on. So if you see a player who isn’t expected to play two guard for his team this season listed below, that’s why.
The Eastern Conference’s shooting guards are listed below, in descending order of salary:
- DeMar DeRozan [Raptors] —$26,540,100
- Dwyane Wade [Bulls] — $23,200,000
- Bradley Beal [Wizards] —$22,116,750
- Nicolas Batum [Hornets] — $20,869,566
- Jimmy Butler [Bulls] — $17,552,209
- Evan Fournier [Magic] —$17,000,000
- Kent Bazemore [Hawks] — $15,730,338
- Khris Middleton [Bucks] —$15,200,000
- Courtney Lee [Knicks] —$11,242,000
- Monta Ellis [Pacers] — $10,763,500
- Iman Shumpert [Cavs] —$9,662,922
- Gerald Henderson [Sixers] —$9,000,000
- Avery Bradley [Celtics] —$8,269,663
- Jodie Meeks [Magic] —$6,540,000
- Jeremy Lamb [Hornets] — $6,511,628
- Marco Belinelli [Hornets] — $6,333,333
- Wayne Ellington [Heat] —$6,000,000
- Tyler Johnson [Heat] —$5,628,000
- Kyle Korver [Hawks] — $5,239,437
- Mario Hezonja [Magic] —$3,909,840
- Thabo Sefolosha [Hawks] — $3,850,000
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope [Pistons] — $3,678,319
- Bojan Bogdanovic [Nets] — $3,573,020
- Nik Stauskas [Sixers] —$2,993,040
- Dion Waiters [Heat] —$2,898,000
- Tomas Satoransky [Wizards] —$2,870,813
- Randy Foye [Nets] — $2,500,000
- Tim Hardaway Jr. [Hawks] — $2,281,605
- Denzel Valentine [Bulls] — $2,092,200
- James Young [Celtics] —$1,825,200
- Rashad Vaughn [Bucks] —$1,811,040
- Caris LeVert [Nets] — $1,562,280
- Dahntay Jones [Cavs] — $1,551,659
- Jason Terry [Bucks] — $1,551,659
- DeAndre’ Bembry [Hawks] — $1,499,760
- Sasha Vujacic [Knicks] —$1,410,598
- Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot [Sixers] —$1,326,960
- C.J. Wilcox [Magic] —$1,209,600
- R.J. Hunter [Celtics] —$1,200,240
- Isaiah Whitehead [Nets] — $1,074,145
- Glenn Robinson III [Pacers] — $1,050,500
- Justin Holiday [Knicks] —$1,015,696
- DeAndre Liggins [Cavs] —$1,015,696
- Hollis Thompson [Sixers] —$1,015,696
- Markel Brown [Cavs] — $980,431
- Jarell Eddie [Wizards] —$980,431
- Joe Harris [Nets] — $980,431
- Orlando Johnson [Bucks] — $980,431
- Sean Kilpatrick [Nets] — $980,431
- Marcus Thornton [Wizards] —$980,431
- Malcolm Brogdon [Bucks] —$925,000
- Darrun Hilliard [Pistons] — $874,636
- John Holland [Cavs] —$874,636
- Nick Johnson [Magic] — $874,636
- Jordan McRae [Cavs] —$874,636
- Kevin Murphy [Magic] — $874,636
- Norman Powell [Raptors] —$874,636
- Josh Richardson [Heat] —$874,636
- Aaron Harrison [Hornets] — $874,636
- Michael Gbinije [Pistons] — $650,000
- Beau Beech [Nets] — $543,471
- Ron Baker [Knicks] —$543,471
- Drew Crawford [Raptors] —$543,471
- Treveon Graham [Hornets] — $543,471
- Brady Heslip [Raptors] — $543,471
- Damion Lee [Celtics] — $543,471
- Sheldon McClellan [Wizards] —$543,471
- Rodney McGruder [Heat] —$543,471
- Brandon Paul [Sixers]—$543,471
- Rasheed Sulaimon [Hornets] — $543,471
- J.P. Tokoto [Knicks] —$543,471
- Thomas Walkup [Bulls] — $543,471
- Nick Zeisloft [Pacers] — $543,471
Western Notes: Russell, Adams, Tucker
A breakout performance by D’Angelo Russell during Sunday night’s preseason game against the Nuggets may bode well for the Lakers‘ future as the team still seeks an identity, Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com writes. “It means a lot,” Russell said about scoring a game-high 33 points on 13-of-19 shooting in about 32 minutes. “We don’t want to go through losing seasons. We don’t want to go through rebuilding as an excuse of losing. We’re rebuilding, but we still find a way to win games, and we’re capable. We have the pieces. We don’t have an All-Star guy or anything like that. Hopefully some potential [All-Star] guys, but we’re taking everything serious.”
“Yeah, the thing with us right now is, we don’t have an identity,” Russell continued. “Other teams, they have star players. They’ve got glue guys. They know what they’re capable of. [The] same teams are showing up in the playoffs at the end of the year no matter how the season goes. We don’t have an identity right now, so it’s all about taking everything serious — taking every preseason [game], every practice, everything we do is serious when we’re trying to identify ourselves.”
Here’s more from out West:
- There is no timetable yet for when Steven Adams will return to action after spraining his right ankle last week, with the Thunder still saying the center is day-to-day, Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman writes. “I don’t think that they feel like he’s close to playing right now, so I don’t want to rule him out for Dallas [on Tuesday night] because I don’t know,” coach Billy Donovan said “It’s kind of been, see what happens the next day [and] how he’s feeling. But clearly he’s done more today than he has the last couple days, which is good.”
- As P.J. Tucker makes his return from back surgery, his focus is not on his impending free agency after the season, but on helping the Suns make it to the postseason, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. “This might be the most highly motivated year I’ve had in my career,” Tucker said. “People tend to think you get comfortable because you’ve been on a team so long. I’m pushing myself. I’ve been on the sideline pushing my teammates. I’ve been here a long time and I haven’t made the playoffs yet. It may be a contract year, but more than anything, I want to make playoffs. That’s the only thing I’m thinking about right now.”