Western Notes: M. Gasol, Carter, Green, Richardson
The Grizzlies need Marc Gasol‘s injured ankle to heal as quickly as possible, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. Gasol rolled his left ankle in Saturday’s game, providing a scare for the team’s top player this season. The 32-year-old center is averaging a career high in points and rebounds, while anchoring the NBA’s top defense. X-rays were negative and Gasol was listed as day-to-day with a sprained ankle, according to ESPN. “It hurts, but it’s not broken,” Gasol said. “It’s tender right now, so we will take it day-to-day, just like always.”
There’s more out of the Western Conference:
- The contracts for Grizzlies Vince Carter and JaMychal Green both became guaranteed today, tweets Bobby Marks of The Vertical. Carter will make $4,264,057 this season, while Green will collect $980,431. Both players will become free agents when the season ends.
- The Kings are planning to give more playing time to rookie guard Malachi Richardson, writes James Ham of CSNBayArea. Richardson has gotten into just five games with Sacramento, averaging 6.4 minutes. But he has played well in the D-League, with 21 points per night in 11 games, and coach Dave Joerger is ready to give him a chance at the NBA level. “I think that it’s time for Malachi to get into the rotation, especially with Rudy [Gay] out,” Joerger said. “That’s something that you’ll see, probably, going forward.”
- Agent Rich Kleiman will leave Roc Nation to become the manager and business partner for the Warriors‘ Kevin Durant, according to Mark J. Burns of SportTechie (Twitter links). The agency will continue to represent Durant.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/1/17
Here are Sunday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
8:45pm:
- The Hawks assigned Mike Scott to the Long Island Nets, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Because Atlanta doesn’t have a direct D-League affiliate, he was sent to Long Island through the flexible assignment rule. Scott missed training camp and the start of the regular season with a knee injury, so the Hawks want to get him some playing time. The Nets have games on Monday, Wednesday and Friday this week. This is Scott’s third D-League assignment this season.
- The Thunder are hoping to get playing time for Cameron Payne, who was assigned to Oklahoma City Blue today, the team announced on its website. Payne hasn’t played yet this season because of a broken foot.
Rondo Will Seek Trade If Benching Persists
Bulls guard Rajon Rondo plans to ask for a trade if his benching becomes permanent, writes K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune.
Rondo sat out his first full game Saturday, then met with GM Gar Forman and executive vice president John Paxson afterward. Rondo told them the same thing he told reporters, which is that he will “absolutely” request a trade if he is not getting regular playing time.
Coach Fred Hoiberg may use Rondo as part of the reserve unit, but his time as a starter in Chicago appears to be over. If Rondo comes off the bench, Hoiberg may alter Dwyane Wade‘s minutes because he and Rondo haven’t effective when playing together.
Rondo and Wade were the Bulls’ major free agent acquisitions over the summer, but there were concerns that their games were too similar for them to work in tandem. Both like to drive to the basket, and neither is especially dangerous as a 3-point shooter. Talking to reporters Saturday, Rondo refused to criticize the way the roster was constructed.
“I’m not going to say that,” Rondo said. “Am I going to think it? I thought a lot the last 24 hours. I thought a lot all season. I’m trying to figure out a way to help this team grow and get some wins.”
Rondo has experienced run-ins with coaches during past stops in his NBA career, but Hoiberg said his behavior has been good apart from a one-game suspension for throwing a towel at associate head coach Jim Boylen. Hoiberg’s decision to bench Rondo stems from his production rather than off-court incidents.
Rondo is averaging 7.1 assists per game for the Bulls after leading the league with 11.7 per night last season with the Kings. His scoring average has also dropped from 11.9 to 7.2 points per game.
“I’m coming off not necessarily my best year but a pretty good year in Sacramento. I was able to do things a little bit differently,” Rondo said. “Obviously, coming here playing with Dwyane and Jimmy [Butler] I knew would be different. Fred and I talked in the beginning, said I would be able to call a lot of the plays. The flow of the game and throughout the season, things may change.”
Even if Rondo does request a deal, nothing is expected to happen until closer to the February 23d deadline, Johnson tweets. Rondo is making $14MM this season and nearly $13.4MM next season, but only $3MM of his 2017/18 salary is guaranteed before July 1st.
Pelicans Waive Reggie Williams, Will Sign Motiejunas
6:55pm: New Orleans hopes to have the new contract with Motiejunas competed by Monday or Tuesday, Stein reports in a full story.
12:28pm: The Pelicans are finalizing a one-year deal with Motiejunas at the veteran’s minimum, tweets ESPN’s Marc Stein.
12:02pm: Representatives for Donatas Motiejunas had “positive talks” with the Pelicans this morning, and a deal could be finalized today, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical. The news comes after the team announced that it has waived veteran small forward Reggie Williams.
New Orleans has about $808K left under the room mid-level exception to sign Motiejunas, according to The Vertical’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). A veteran’s minimum deal for Motiejunas would be worth roughly $600K, since the value of the minimum exception has prorates during the season. Either exception would limit Motiejunas to a two-year deal.
Motiejunas has been without a team since restricted free agency began in July. He went five months without an offer before agreeing to an offer sheet with the Nets in early December. That deal was matched by the Rockets, but that was followed by a holdout after Houston didn’t match the bonuses in the contract, then a separate deal with the Rockets, who decided to waive Motiejunas after his physical.
The Lithuanian big man could find an opportunity for playing time in New Orleans, where centers Omer Asik and Alexis Ajinca have been removed from the rotation. Motiejunas was limited by back problems last season and averaged 6.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 37 games with the Rockets.
Williams, who was waived by the Thunder during the preseason, signed with the Pelicans December 9th. He got into five games, averaging 5.0 points and 1.2 rebounds per night. New Orleans was the fifth team for the 30-year-old, who was out of the NBA all of last season. Marks tweets that the Pelicans’ cap hit for waiving Williams is $180,483.
Northwest Notes: Motiejunas, LaVine, Nurkic, Oladipo
The Timberwolves had planned to work out free agent forward Donatas Motiejunas, but the Pelicans swooped in before that could happen, according to Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune. Minnesota brought Motiejunas into town, but his agreement with New Orleans stopped a planned meeting and workout session. “His agent cancelled and we never got a chance to sit down with him,” said Wolves coach/executive Tom Thibodeau. The Rockets drafted Motiejunas in 2011 with a pick they acquired from Minnesota. He spent four seasons in Houston before becoming a restricted free agent over the summer.
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Wolves guard Zach LaVine has become a candidate for Most Improved Player, contends Shams Charania of The Vertical. The third-year guard has raised his scoring average from 14.0 to 21.1 points per game and has become an important part of what Thibodeau calls the team’s “core three” along with Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. Charania added that owner Glen Taylor plans to commit financially to keeping all three.
- Nuggets center Jusuf Nurkic has vowed to be professional about his reduced role, even though he’s clearly unhappy with the arrangement, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Nurkic started the season’s first 25 games, but even then he didn’t always get starters’ minutes. Nurkic shared time with Nikola Jokic and only once topped 30 minutes in a game. His playing time has been cut even further since the Nuggets got healthier, and he was stuck on the bench for four straight games last week. “For sure it’s tough,” Nurkic said. “I’m 23 years old. I’m not here to sit on the bench. I’m here to play basketball. And it’s a tough decision for me, from a starting spot and 20 minutes to four straight [games of not playing]. … You control what you control, and I let my agent do the rest of the stuff.” The Nuggets have already exercised Nurkic’s option for 2017/18 at nearly $3MM.
- Victor Oladipo returned to the Thunder lineup Saturday after a nine-game absence, relays Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman. Oladipo hadn’t played since spraining his right wrist in a December 11th game.
Hawks Listening To Offers For Paul Millsap
6:34pm: Atlanta will consider offers for not only Millsap, but other impending free agent as well, notably Kyle Korver and Thabo Sefolosha, Stein writes along with Brian Windhorst in a full story. The Hawks are fearful of losing these players for no compensation like they did with Horford last offseason.
Some teams have told ESPN that a trade is unlikely because the Hawks are asking too much for Millsap, but the authors note that Atlanta got close to dealing him to the Nuggets over the summer.
5:34pm: The Hawks have started gauging interest in All-Star forward Paul Millsap, tweets ESPN’s Marc Stein.
The 31-year-old, who is in his fourth season with Atlanta, can opt out of his $21,472,407 deal for next season and become a free agent. He has already made the decision to follow that course, according to ESPN’s Chris Haynes. (Twitter link).
Millsap is coming off three straight All-Star seasons and is putting up similar numbers so far this year. He is averaging 17.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per night while shooting 44% from the floor.
The Raptors are a team that has previously shown interest in Millsap, notes Josh Lewenburg of TSN Sports (Twitter link). They will probably be among the suitors this time around, especially in light of injuries to Jared Sullinger and Patrick Patterson. Lewenburg adds that Toronto was told last February that Millsap wasn’t available (Twitter link). He also points out that Atlanta was “listening to offers” last season for Al Horford, who was in a similar position, but no one was willing to meet the asking price (Twitter link). Horford wound up staying with the team through the end of the season and signing with the Celtics.
Teams interested in adding Millsap will have to be prepared to give up a substantial amount to match his salary, which is a little more than $20MM, this season.
Injury Notes: Stephenson, Payne, Black
Free agent guard Lance Stephenson is ahead of his schedule and could be ready from a groin tear by mid-January, barring a setback, Chris Haynes of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). The Pelicans waived Stephenson in early November after he suffered the injury. The Pelicans drew criticism at the time for the move, but it seemed like the team would be open to re-signing him when he gets healthy. Stephenson was expected to miss about 10 weeks following his groin surgery in early November, so Haynes’ reports suggests his return is a couple weeks ahead of schedule. Stephenson, who won a roster spot after the preseason, averaged 9.7 points and 4.8 assists in 27 minutes per game in six contests this season.
Here is more from around the league:
- Cameron Payne has been assigned to the D-League for the next few days to complete his rehab and his unofficial targeted return date is January 7th, Royce Young of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). Payne has yet to make his 2016/17 debut for the Thunder because of a broken foot.
- Lakers backup center Tarik Black is available to play, but has not been on the court since mostly recovering from an ankle injury suffered in early December because coach Luke Walton wants to ease him into the rotation, Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times relays. Black was was an integral part of the Lakers’ second unit before his injury, as Ganguli points out, so once Black is fully healthy, it would seem reasonable to expect a return to action.
Hoops Links: Lillard, Grizzlies, Mavs
Every Sunday, we link to some of the very best work from around the basketball blogosphere. Do you have a link to a great basketball blog post – either your own or someone else’s – that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Then you should send it to us at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s rundown …
- NumberFire discusses Damian Lillard‘s struggles defensively.
- Grizzly Bear Blues relays what Andrew Harrison is excelling at.
- Mavs Moneyball takes a look at where Dallas will finish.
- Blue Man Hoop has a concern for the Warriors.
- Daily Knicks evaluates realistic trade options for New York.
- Lake Show Life runs down the best and worst for the Lakers from 2016.
- Blog a Bull dissects Fred Hoiberg being on the hot seat.
- Clips Nation highlights a unit within the Clippers’ bench performing well.
- Detroit Bad Boys evaluates Ben Wallace’s Hall of Fame candidacy.
Please send submissions for Hoops Links to Will at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
Sixers Notes: Okafor, Embiid, Ilyasova
The Sixers are stuck in an unenviable situation of having two big men thought to be future standout performers playing the same position who struggle while on the court together. Indeed, the roster problem that having centers Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor presents is nothing new for the Sixers, but it is now evident that the experiment is taking its toil on the franchise, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. It is obvious that the team struggles when the two players share the court, but the Sixers have had trouble trading Okafor and Noel for what it perceives as equal value, Pompey adds. What’s more, the value of Okafor and Embiid will continue to dip if they are not on the court, thus making the situation quirkier and more problematic, Pompey notes. The Sixers are 1-5 in games they have both started and for specific reasons why the duo has not meshed, it is worth giving Pompey’s piece a read.
Here is more out of Philadelphia:
- In a lineup that does seem to work, Embiid and power forward Ersan Ilyasova played well off of each other, Pompey writes in the same piece, and it will be interesting to see if Ilyasova’s role is increased. Ilyasova was acquired in a trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder on November 1st.
- Robert Covington has struggled with his shot this season, but erupted during the second half of Friday’s game after receiving a boost of confidence from Sixers coach Brett Brown, Brian Seltzer of NBA.com relays. Covington will make slightly over $1.0MM this season and the team holds an option worth roughly $1.1MM for the 2017/18 campaign.
New York Notes: Rose, Holiday, Hornacek, Nets
As the Knicks ponder their decision on whether to re-sign Derrick Rose, ESPN’s Ian Begley notes that Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday could be part of the equation. Holiday will also be entering free agency this summer, and team president Phil Jackson has reportedly expressed interest in acquiring him before. New York needs just a few small roster moves this summer to create enough cap room for a max contract. Holiday 26, has played 20 games after missing the start of the season to care for his ailing wife. He is averaging 14.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per night. The 28-year-old Rose is in his first year with the Knicks after being acquired in an offseason deal with Chicago. He is averaging 17.7 points and 4.4 assists in 29 games.
There’s more news out of New York:
- Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek is asking for maximum effort from his team and hints that rotation changes could be on the way, relays Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. His comments came after the team lost in Houston Saturday night to slip back under .500. “Some of the young guys can really give effort in there. We’ll have to take a look at maybe getting them in the games more, maybe giving our older guys a little bit more rest,” Hornacek said. “So that they have shorter minutes so they can put the full effort out there. We’ll take a look at everything.”
- The Knicks should be happy to see a miserable 2016 come to an end, Bondy writes in a separate story. The year started with a coaching change involving Derek Fisher, followed by a 13th-place finish in the Eastern Conference, a surprise hire in Hornacek, a draft night with no picks, a possibly disastrous free-agent signing in Joakim Noah, several ill-considered comments by Jackson and the end of his engagement to Lakers executive Jeanie Buss.
- Tensions boiled over for the Nets on the court and in the locker room after Friday’s loss to Washington, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Brooklyn has dropped seven of its last eight games and is tied with Philadelphia for the league’s worst record. “It was emotional and a frustrating game, and guys were just venting,” said center Brook Lopez. “I don’t know what was necessarily correct or who said what, but the important thing is it happened. It’s not something we’ve had to repeatedly deal with this season. It’s something that happens with every team over the course of the year. We addressed it. It’s an emotional game; obviously emotions were running high. We talked about it as a team. We addressed it as players.”