2016 December | Hoops Rumors

Sixers Notes: Embiid, Okafor, Noel, McConnell

December 30th, 2016 at 11:00am CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers may be ready to abandon their experiment of pairing Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor in the starting lineup, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The move has come under heavy criticism as Philadelphia is just 1-5 with both big men starting. Pompey notes that the pairing forces Embiid to play out of position at power forward, where he has looked uncomfortable on offense and often gets pulled away from the basket on defense. Embiid sat out Thursday’s game at Utah because it was the first of a back-to-back, and coach Brett Brown wouldn’t commit to starting him and Okafor tonight in Denver. “We’ll figure that out,” Brown said. “I feel like when you study the numbers, look at gut feel, it has not been, at the moment, successful.”

There’s more this morning out of Philadelphia:

Backup big man Nerlens Noel played 22 minutes Thursday, the most court time he has seen this season, according to Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly. Since returning from a knee injury, Noel has been unhappy with his lack of minutes and has been a frequent critic of the team’s abundance of big men. While he is considered a likely candidate to be traded before the February 23rd deadline, Noel is trying to help the team however he can while still in Philadelphia. “I’m just thankful,” Noel said. “Coach gave me an opportunity and I wanted to go out there and play my game. That’s what my focus was the whole night. Whenever I was in there, I wanted to contribute to the team’s winning efforts. When I wasn’t, I wanted to support my teammates to the best of my ability.”
Injuries have left T.J. McConnell as the only healthy point guard for tonight’s game, Pompey writes in a separate story. A sprained left ankle suffered by Sergio Rodriguez means McConnell will be in the starting lineup tonight, with shooting guard Nik Stauskas as his backup. What looked to be a position of strength in training camp has been decimated by Ben Simmons‘ broken foot and Jerryd Bayless‘ season-ending wrist surgery.
Thursday’s Sixers-Jazz game was a reminder of the impact of international basketball, Pompey states in another story. The teams have a combined 14 players on their rosters from outside the United States. “Basketball is all over the world,” said Turkish native Ersan Ilyasova. “Obviously in Europe, it’s still more like a soccer thing. But still, a lot of kids play and follow basketball, especially the NBA.”

Rockets Interested In Kosta Koufos

December 30th, 2016 at 10:04am CST by Arthur Hill

The Rockets would like to add another big man, and Kings center Kosta Koufos has become a “prime target,” tweets ESPN’s Marc Stein.

Koufos is averaging 5.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per night and has started 28 of the 32 games he has played this season. He is in the second season of a four-year deal that Sacramento gave him in 2015, and is making a little more than $8MM in 2016/17

The Rockets are shorthanded in the middle since center Clint Capela suffered a fracture in his left fibula last week. Second-year forward Montrezl Harrell and veteran big man Nene have been sharing the minutes at center.

Houston has also been trying to find a taker for Corey Brewer, but with little success, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN (Twitter link). Brewer is making $7.6MM this season with another year left on his contract at the same salary.

Lakers Seem Likely To Keep Thomas Robinson

December 30th, 2016 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Thomas Robinson‘s recent production and an injury to Larry Nance Jr. are increasing his chances of remaining with the Lakers when all NBA contracts become guaranteed January 10th, writes Mark Medina of The Orange County Register.

Robinson earned a roster spot in L.A. after signing a non-guaranteed contract prior to training camp. His salary for this season is $1,050,961, but he will have to wait 11 days before being assured of getting all that money.

Robinson said he is trying to focus on his role on the court, rather than watching the calendar.

“I just control when my name gets called, and then I go play. That’s all I got to do.” he said. “I’m coming in early, leaving late and being supportive of my team. As far as the decisions the front office makes, I have no control over that.”

The Lakers have been asking Robinson to do more since Nance was sidelined last week by a bone bruise on his left knee. Nance is expected to be out of action for about another month. During the Lakers’ first four games without him, Robinson averaged 7.3 points and 8.8 rebounds and shot 72% from the field.

Coach Luke Walton called Robinson “a beast on the glass” and said he has been impressing team officials since informal workouts over the summer.

“He quickly showed how hard he works and how hard he plays every time he plays basketball,” Walton. “He filled a reputation for himself at least in my eyes right off the bat. Through his hard work and the way he competed on the floor in training camp, he earned a spot on the team.”

Robinson, the No. 5 pick in 2012, is looking for a long-term home after bouncing around the league for the past four years. After being drafted by the Kings, he has spent time with the Rockets, Trail Blazers, Sixers and Nets.

Could It Be Magic If Cousins Goes On Block?

December 29th, 2016 at 10:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Magic could emerge as the best trading partner if the Kings ever get serious about moving DeMarcus Cousins, Chris Mannix of The Vertical speculates in his latest column.

The Kings have shown no inclination to trading Cousins, particularly since they’re in the running for a playoff spot, as Mannix emphasizes. If that dynamic changes, Orlando has enough young pieces and expendables bigs to make an attractive offer for Cousins, Mannix continues. A package that includes Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic would hold some appeal to Sacramento and give the Magic a clearcut franchise player to build around, in Mannix’s view.

Orlando’s glut of power forwards and centers has left Mario Hezonja, the fifth overall pick in 2015, scrounging for minutes despite a lack of floor spacers, Mannix adds. Hezonja would benefit from Orlando paring some frontcourt players.

Naturally, we’ve heard all kinds of rumors and proposals regarding Cousins. The Celtics have been prominently mentioned as another logical trading partner, given their glut of guards and extra draft picks, including the Nets’ first-rounder in June. The Magic are loaded with former lottery picks, so it’s fair to put them in that group of teams with enough assets to entice the Kings.

Cousins recently said he expects to remain put and there’s no rush for the Kings to cash in their biggest asset. He doesn’t become an unrestricted free agent until after the 2017/18 season.

Western Rumors: Bogut, Blazers, Lawson

December 29th, 2016 at 9:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mavs center Andrew Bogut is willing to come off the bench, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News reports. That would allow coach Rick Carlisle to start Dirk Nowitzki at center. “He offered to come off the bench, if that’s a better situation for us,” Carlisle told Sefko. “You don’t often get a player of his stature offering to come off the bench for the betterment of the team. But because of his suggestion and this situation, we have that as an option.” Nowitzki faces difficult defense challenges playing power forward against more mobile players and is not used to coming off the bench. The downside is that Bogut is generally considered one of the league’s premier defensive big men.

In other news around the Western Conference:

The Trail Blazers need to find improvement from within rather than seeking a solution on the open market, Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com argues. Portland’s defensive issues stem from its conservative approach, which forces the second fewest turnovers in the league, Pelton continues. He also points out that the Blazers have to cut down on their penchant for fouling and improve their defensive rebounding. Injuries to forward Al-Farouq Aminu have also contributed to their defensive decline, Pelton adds.
There will be no suspensions or fines regarding the altercation on Tuesday between Rockets forward Trevor Ariza and Mavs center Salah Mejri, according to Mark Berman of Fox 26. Ariza was ejected after taking exception to something that Mejri said. After the game, Ariza and some of his teammates tried unsuccessfully to confront Mejri outside the Dallas locker room. The game was also marred by eight technical fouls and two flagrant fouls.
Backup point guard Ty Lawson is reviving his career with the Kings, as Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee examines in a column. Lawson has tenuous job security because of his non-guaranteed contract, Voisin notes, but he has become a big part of the Kings’ rotation. He averaged 15.5 points and 4.3 assists during a four-game winning streak that ended on Wednesday night. “He makes the game really easy for people and gets up and down the floor, and gets in the paint,” coach Dave Joerger told Voisin. “He’s playing really well. It’s been a successful week because of Ty Lawson.” Lawson’s $1,315,448 salary becomes guaranteed if he’s on the roster beyond January 10.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/29/16

December 29th, 2016 at 9:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Thursday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

9:00pm:

The Jazz recalled forward Joel Bolomboy from the Salt Lake City Stars after assigning him to the D-League earlier in the day, the team announced in a press release. The second-round pick out of Weber State has made nine brief appearances with the Jazz this season.
The Warriors assigned center Damian Jones and guard Patrick McCaw to the Santa Cruz Warriors, the team announced on its website. Jones has appeared in 10 games with Santa Cruz, averaging 6.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.70 blocks in 21.8 minutes. McCaw had not been previously assigned to the D-League. He has appeared in 26 games with Golden State but hasn’t left the bench the past three games.

11:26am:

A day after sending him on his first D-League assignment of the season, the Cavaliers have recalled Kay Felder from the Canton Charge, according to a press release. Felder had an outstanding NBADL debut, leading the Charge to a blowout win with 33 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds.
The Hawks don’t have a D-League affiliate of their own, but they have sent Taurean Prince to the Long Island Nets via the flexible assignment rule, per Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution. It’s the first NBADL assignment of the season for Prince, the 12th overall pick in the 2016 draft, and it may end up just lasting one game, according to Vivlamore.

Officiating Report Adds Another Critic

December 29th, 2016 at 8:06pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy is the latest NBA figure to criticize the Last Two Minute Report regarding officiating in close games, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.

Warriors forward Kevin Durant and Cavaliers forward LeBron James were both critical this week of the NBA’s practice of publicly reviewing officiating calls in the last two minutes of close games. Van Gundy has now joined the chorus.

In Cleveland’s one-point win over Golden State on Christmas Day, Durant felt he was tripped up on the final play of the game. But when the officiating report confirmed that, Durant felt it was unfair for the officials to be subject to additional scrutiny, claiming it makes them more tentative to do their jobs.

“The refs didn’t lose us that game,” Durant said. “We lost that game. I think it’s (terrible) the NBA throws the refs under the bus like that.”

Van Gundy agrees with that assessment, as he told Ellis and other reporters on Thursday.

“I understand Kevin Durant’s comments because the referee could have had a great game and, when they grade them out, he could have been great, but he makes one crucial bad call at the end of the game, and that’s all the public knows about,” Van Gundy said.

The report on the Cavs’ win also indicated that a technical should have been called against James for hanging on the rim. That prompted him to say the NBA should cut the officials some slack.

“I think it discredits what the referees are doing for 48 minutes,” he told the assembled media. “If that’s the case, you might as well do a 48-minute report.”

During the offseason, the referees’ union called on the league to stop releasing the report publicly. At the time, commisssioner Adam Silver defended the practice, saying transparency was the best policy.

“It’s our hope that you take the Last Two Minute Reports together with using a certain amount of replay that we’re building to build trust and integrity in the league,” he said. “People are going to recognize that we are going to make mistakes, the officials are going to make mistakes. Human error is going to be part of this game, just as it is with players. … I’d say largely what these Last Two Minute Reports are showing is that the referees get it right about 90 percent of the time.”

How do you feel in this hot button issue? Should the Two Minute Report stay or go? Weigh in on the comments section below.

Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Lin, Sixers, Anthony

December 29th, 2016 at 6:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Raptors have two very difficult decisions looming in their pursuit of the top spot in the Eastern Conference, Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post opines. They must decide whether to go all-in this season in their quest to knock off the Cavs, which would mean trading off some young pieces for another impact player, preferable a power forward, Bontemps continues. The Magic’s Serge Ibaka and Hawks’ Paul Millsap — forwards that the Raptors have pursued in the past and will become free agents this summer — would be logical targets, in Bontemps’ view. This summer, they’ll have to decide whether to offer point guard and impending free agent Kyle Lowry a max five-year deal worth over $200MM or risk seeing him walk. Lowry will attract numerous suitors but his age — he turns 31 this spring — could make a long-term commitment a risky investment, Bontemps adds.

In other news around the Atlantic Division:

The Nets are taking a committee approach with point guard Jeremy Lin sidelined again by a hamstring injury, Brian Lewis of the New York Post reports. Coach Kenny Atkinson is rotating Randy Foye, rookie Isaiah Whitehead and Spencer Dinwiddie in Lin’s absence, while shooting guard Sean Kilpatrick is also taking a bigger role in the playmaking duties, Lewis continues. “I think it was ensemble,” Atkinson told Lewis and other media members. “That’s how we’re going to do it.”
The Sixers’ frontcourt pairing of Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor has been a colossal failure defensively thus far, as Derek Bodner of Phillymag.com details. In six games since coach Brett Brown paired the two big men in the starting lineup, the Sixers have given up an average of 122.3 points per 100 possessions when they’re on the court. What’s more troubling, as Bodner notes, is that the poor defensive performances have come against sub-par offensive teams.
Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek doesn’t believe Carmelo Anthony should have been ejected on Tuesday for swinging his forearm at the head of Hawks swingman Thabo Sefolosha, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports. Hornacek asserted that Sefolosha grabbed Anthony around the neck before the forearm swing, though Berman notes that was not apparent on replays while labeling Hornacek’s stance as bizarre. “I don’t blame [Anthony] for what happened, honestly,” Hornacek told Berman. “Watch the replay, watch the action. The guy had his arms wrapped around his neck. … What are you going to do? Just stand there or you going to get the guy off you? It’s a natural reaction.”

Laprovittola Clears Waivers, Eyes Europe

December 29th, 2016 at 5:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nicolas Laprovittola has cleared waivers and will mull his options in Europe, international journalist David Pick tweets. The former Spurs point guard, who is now an unrestricted free agent, will pursue a 10-day contract with an NBA team if he doesn’t hook on to a European team, Pick adds.

Pick labels Laprovittola the best available point man in Europe and that could certainly be the case, given that he was good enough to start three games for San Antonio this season.

The Spurs waived him on Tuesday, dropping their current roster count to 14 players. San Antonio still has three point guards on the roster — Tony Parker, Patty Mills and rookie Dejounte Murray. That left no role for Laprovittola, who benefited earlier in the season from injuries to Parker, who has missed nine games.

Laprovittola, who will turn 27 next month, signed with the Spurs in September and appeared in 18 regular-season games. In 9.7 minutes per contest, the Argentinian averaged 3.3 PPG and 1.6 APG, shooting 37.0% on three-pointers.

Last season, Laprovittola averaged 10.3 PPG and a team-high 3.8 APG for Lietuvos Rytas in Lithuania. He was also a member of the Argentinian national team in Rio this past summer, averaging 8.2 PPG, 2.7 APG, and 2.2 RPG in the Olympic tournament.

Laprovittola’s full $543K salary won’t count against the Spurs’ cap because he had a non-guaranteed contract. That salary would have become fully guaranteed if he had remained under contract through January 10.

And-Ones: Thunder, CBA, Lee, Smith-Rivera

December 29th, 2016 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Although the Thunder have put together a reasonably strong supporting cast around Russell Westbrook, there’s no simple way for the team to add a second star to complement the standout point guard, writes Chris Mannix of The Vertical. According to Mannix, Oklahoma City has received zero indications that Blake Griffin is interested in coming home in free agency next summer, and the team would be hard-pressed to create the cap room for another max player anyway.

Still, with players like Victor Oladipo, Steven Adams, and Domantas Sabonis locked up on long-term deals, it makes plenty of sense for Westbrook to stick with the Thunder, particularly if the team takes advantage of the designated veteran extension to offer him a five-year pact next summer, Mannix writes.

Here’s more from around the NBA:

In an informative piece for The Vertical, former NBA front office executive Bobby Marks takes an in-depth look at how the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement will affect salary and cap situations for teams around the league next summer.
Damion Lee, who was one of the Celtics‘ training camp invitees and D-League affiliate players this fall, has torn his ACL and will miss the rest of the season, tweets Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. After going undrafted out of Louisville this year, Lee had been averaging 17.8 PPG and 6.3 RPG in 16 games with the Maine Red Claws.
Speaking of training camp invitees, D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, who was in camp with the Bulls this fall, has a new home. As Scott Agness of VigilantSports.com details, Smith-Rivera was acquired from the D-League player pool by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pacers‘ NBADL affiliate.

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