Charles Oakley To Join BIG3 As A Player/Coach
Charles Oakley is the latest addition to the BIG3 basketball league, joining the “KILLER 3s” team as a player/coach, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. The KILLER 3s will be comprised of Oakley, Chauncey Billups, Stephen Jackson, and two other players.
Ice Cube, the BIG3’s co-founder, and Oakley each expressed their satisfaction with the signing. “The players and coaches are our central focus at the BIG3,” Ice Cube said in a statement relayed by Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype. “Charles Oakley is an NBA legend, who deserves and has earned respect, and will get just that in our league.”
“I couldn’t be happier to be a part of this league,” Oakley added. “Everyone seems to realize we are about to make history together as players. What an exciting opportunity to stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the best ever.”
Oakley, 53, most recently played in the NBA with Houston in 2003/4, scoring nine points over seven games.
Jason Terry Wants To Play Two More Years
Jason Terry, who will turn 40 later this year, is the NBA’s third-oldest player behind Vince Carter and Manu Ginobili, but Terry doesn’t intend to call it a career after this season. In fact, the veteran Bucks guard would like to continue playing for multiple years, as he tells Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times.
“No. No,” Terry said when asked about the possibility of retirement. “I’m going to play two more years, God willing. Actually, I am going to play two more years.”
Terry, who is in his 18th NBA season, continues to play in a rotation role for Milwaukee this season, averaging 17.1 minutes per game. Although his 3.6 PPG represents a career low, his three-point shot has been as effective as ever — he has made 41.2% of his attempts from beyond the arc, and 42 of his 57 total made field goals this year have been three-pointers.
Although his role and his production aren’t as substantial as they were earlier in his career, Terry told Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle last month that he likes acting as a veteran mentor to his younger teammates in Milwaukee. The 39-year-old’s contract with the Bucks expires at season’s end, so it remains to be seen if he’ll attempt to continue his career in Wisconsin or somewhere else in 2017/18.
And-Ones: Doncic, Seattle, Jeff Van Gundy, Draft
Seventeen-year-old Real Madrid star Luka Doncic has a new agent, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein, who reports (via Twitter) that Doncic has signed on with BDA Sports, and will be represented by Bill Duffy. Doncic won’t be eligible for the 2017 draft, but the investment by BDA has a chance to pay off in a big way down the road — the Slovenian guard is considered one of the best European prospects in years, and is currently viewed as the favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft.
Here are a few more odds and ends from across the basketball world:
- Chris Hansen‘s efforts to build a new NBA- and NHL-ready arena in Seattle have been going on for more than five years, but the investor is still confident that it will eventually happen, according to an Associated Press report (link via USA Today). Hansen’s group has increased the private funding in its arena plan and re-submitted it to Seattle City Council, per The Associated Press.
- Will ESPN and ABC analyst Jeff Van Gundy ever return to the sidelines to coach an NBA team? His brother thinks it’s still a real possibility. “Yeah, with the right situation, absolutely. I don’t know if he will, but I definitely can see it,” Stan Van Gundy said, per Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times. “He misses parts of it (coaching), but he also has a real good job, so it goes both ways.”
- Within his latest draft notebook for The Vertical, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress passes along several interesting notes, writing that player agents aren’t enthusiastic about the NBA’s new two-way contracts and suggesting that 2017 will be a weak draft class for NCAA upperclassmen and international players.
- Terrance Ferguson is the mystery man of the 2017 draft class, according to Neil Johnson of ESPN.com, who takes a closer look at the 18-year-old who is playing professional ball in Australia.
Pistons, Magic Have Discussed Reggie Jackson Deal
The Magic sent Serge Ibaka to Toronto in a trade earlier this week, and GM Rob Hennigan may not be done dealing yet. According to ESPN’s Marc Stein (via Twitter), Orlando and Detroit have discussed a swap that would send Reggie Jackson to the Magic in exchange for D.J. Augustin and Jeff Green.
Today’s report comes just two days after ESPN’s Zach Lowe wrote that the Pistons had explored the trade market for Jackson and had come away disappointed with what teams were willing to give up for the veteran point guard. However, even though Lowe suggested Jackson’s trade value had “cratered,” the ESPN analyst didn’t rule out a possible deal, noting that Orlando would be an intriguing fit because Hennigan was in Oklahoma City’s front office when the Thunder drafted Jackson.
[RELATED: Trade Deadline Outlook: Southeast Division]
Lowe’s piece also featured quotes from Stan Van Gundy and Andre Drummond on the Pistons’ struggles to adjust to Jackson’s return to the lineup this season after establishing some early-season chemistry with Ish Smith at the point.
As Stein himself notes (via Twitter), there’s no indication yet that these talks will turn into anything serious, but it would be an interesting move for two sub-.500 teams who had hopes of contending this season.
Both Jackson and Augustin are under team control through the 2019/20 season, but Augustin’s salary ($7.25MM annually) is much more affordable than Jackson’s ($17MM+ per year after this season). Green, meanwhile, is on a $15MM expiring deal, so a deal centered around those three players would create some future flexibility for the Pistons and would give the Magic a long-term answer at point guard, perhaps opening up the door for an Elfrid Payton trade.
It’s worth noting that if the Pistons were to trade Jackson, they could take back up to about $20MM in salary (the value of Jackson’s salary, plus $5MM). Green and Augustin make a combined $22.25MM, so at least one more piece would need to be involved in this hypothetical transaction.
While the Pistons and Magic may not ultimately agree to a deal with one another, both teams figure to continue scouring the market before next Thursday’s trade deadline.
Multiple Teams View Derrick Rose As Trade Target
With the Knicks having slipped to 12th in the Eastern Conference, the team will have to decide during the All-Star break whether to look ahead to the future or to push for a playoff spot. According to Ian Begley of ESPN.com, multiple teams around the NBA view Derrick Rose as a potential trade target if the Knicks do decide to sell.
Rose, 28, isn’t the same player he was earlier in his career when he won the MVP award — as Begley writes, the veteran point guard hasn’t been all that effective as a defender or a distributor. Still, Rose has averaged 17.7 PPG with his best shooting percentage (46.2%) since 2009/10, and has shown he still excels at penetrating the lane.
While Rose may draw interest from a few teams, it would be tricky to find a deal that works for both the Knicks and a trade partner. Rose is earning more than $21.3MM this season, so over-the-cap teams looking to acquire him would have to be willing to part with one or two substantial contracts of their own. Meanwhile, the Knicks will have some cap room this summer when Rose comes off the books, so they won’t want to take back long-term salary unless they get a player that can become part of the team’s long-term plans.
Although they haven’t given up on the postseason yet, the Knicks figure to get some calls about Rose in the coming days and it would make sense for the team to listen. Phil Jackson and the front office reportedly want to build the roster around Kristaps Porzingis and Willy Hernangomez, and while Carmelo Anthony‘s no-trade clause figures to prevent the club from moving him, Rose doesn’t have that same ability to veto a deal.
Anthony Davis Lobbying Jrue Holiday To Re-Sign With Pelicans
Anthony Davis reiterated this week that he has no plans to leave the Pelicans, and now that he’s settling in for a long-term stay in New Orleans, the former No. 1 overall pick is working on making sure one of his most talented teammates sticks around in a while. As ESPN’s Marc Stein writes, Davis said on Thursday that he intends to be “very involved” in trying to persuade Jrue Holiday to re-sign with the Pelicans this summer.
“I’m doing that right now,” Davis said. “I talk to Jrue all the time. He’ll make his own decisions, but of course we like him here. … We need him to continue to play well and then, at the end of the season, hopefully he decides to re-sign with us.”
Although the Pelicans have had a disappointing season overall, they’ve played much better when Holiday has been in the lineup, going 21-21 with him and 2-13 without him. A .500 record for the season would put New Orleans in playoff position in the Western Conference, but currently the club is vying with a handful of teams for the No. 8 seed.
Unlike Davis, who is under team control through at least the 2019/20 season, Holiday will have the opportunity to hit the open market this July, and could decide to join a new team at that point. While it’s a little early to identify a list of potential suitors for the veteran point guard, the Sixers are believed to be interested in reacquiring him, and Philadelphia should have a good chunk of cap room available in the offseason. Our list of 2017 free agents by position features several intriguing point guards, though marquee players like Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, and Kyle Lowry are considered very unlikely to change teams.
Holiday, 26, is enjoying one of this best seasons as a pro in 2016/17, shooting a career-high 46.8% from the field and 39.3% from three-point range. He’s also averaging 16.3 PPG, 7.5 APG, and 1.6 SPG in 42 games.
Mavericks GM Talks Trade Deadline, Barnes, Ferrell
Like a handful of other NBA teams, the Mavericks got off to a very slow start this season, but have looked better as of late. The team has won 11 of its last 18 games, and remains within striking distance of a playoff spot in the West, just three games behind the eighth-seeded Nuggets.
With next Thursday’s trade deadline fast approaching, general manager Donnie Nelson and the Mavs will have to decide whether it makes more sense to sell off veteran players and focus on the future, or whether to keep those players around to assist in the push for a postseason berth.
Appearing on ESPN Dallas Radio this week, Nelson addressed that subject and a handful of others, so let’s round up a few of the highlights, courtesy of a pair of articles from the The Dallas Morning News.
On whether the Mavs will buy or sell at the deadline:
“When you’re in the position that we’re in, there’s all kinds of different possibilities. You’re looking what’s in the best interest of your franchise, short-term and also long-term. To get the right veteran type of player at a position that will give us solid minutes, obviously you have to look at those things. Dirk [Nowitzki] gets into his twilight years, you’re always looking for an injection of youth and athleticism and energy and toughness. You’re always looking to add, you never want to subtract, but unfortunately in this league there aren’t many fools and you got to give to get.”
On the trade talks the Mavs are having as the deadline nears:
“We have daily conversations with pretty much everyone in the league and you’re always talking about the possibility. That’s kind of our job. There isn’t a single person that doesn’t come up in a discussion during the course of the season. So again, you’re always weighing those and measuring those opportunities. When something comes up you have to take a peek at it and if something comes up, one thing Mark Cuban isn’t is trigger shy.”
On whether the Mavs were more fortunate to sign Harrison Barnes or Seth Curry last summer:
“Oh, it was definitely Harrison. I don’t think anyone was expecting [Kevin Durant] to land in Golden State and that happened so fast … Obviously, we were all in the mix and preparing, but the thing happened so fast, literally within a probably a two-hour period it kind of came to fruition. Then to be in a position to get a starting center like Andrew Bogut, which was another because they clearly had to make room and make decisions. So that was a good two- or three-hour period for the old Mavericks.”
On why Yogi Ferrell couldn’t catch on with another NBA team before the Mavs signed him:
“That’s a great question. We currently have seven of those [undrafted] guys in our locker room, three of which are starting. You got Wes Matthews that went through the same thing. J.J. Barea, as you remember. I think it’s a couple things. First of all, the talent level is so significant and then the influx of international kids, sometimes kids get lost in the cracks. Then you always have the Division II or III guys or the low D-Is who don’t quite hit their stride. That’s the great thing obviously about the D-League is it gives these kids an opportunity to spread their wings and fly in NBA systems.”
Kendrick Perkins Aims To Continue NBA Career
Since appearing in 37 games for the Pelicans last season, Kendrick Perkins hasn’t found a new NBA home, but he also hasn’t made any retirement plans just yet. In a conversation with The Oklahoman, Perkins confirmed that his comeback efforts are ongoing.
“I’m still trying to get back in,” Perkins said. “I’ve been working two-a-days over the last couple of months. Just been going hard. Got a couple of calls, just a few teams say they want to start trying me out and working me out before the free agency’s over with. So, just trying to get back in and see what it do. One more push.”
There weren’t many reports linking Perkins to specific teams during 2016’s free agent period after his deal with New Orleans expired. The Warriors were the one team said to have some interest in the veteran big man, but Golden State was ultimately able to add a handful of other frontcourt free agents on modest deals, including Zaza Pachulia, David West, and JaVale McGee.
For his part, Perkins – who spent parts of five seasons in Oklahoma City – sees the Thunder as a potential fit for him now, though he couldn’t confirm that anything is in the works with the team.
“I feel like I fit here,” Perkins said of OKC. “From me walking in the facility earlier (Wednesday), all the love and stuff that I got and then coming here tonight, and then after talking with [GM] Sam [Presti] and [team owner Clay] Bennett, you just know that it’s genuine. It ain’t like I got that many options that I can just pick and choose, but I feel like this would be a good place.”
The 27th overall pick in the 2003 draft, Perkins has appeared in 781 total NBA games for the Celtics, Thunder, Cavs, and Pelicans, averaging 5.4 PPG and 5.8 RPG over the course of his career.
Timberwolves Still Focused On Making Playoffs
When I examined the trade deadline outlook for the five Northwest teams earlier this week, I identified the Timberwolves as the only club that clearly looked like a seller. However, it sounds like the Wolves aren’t ready to sell off pieces from this year’s roster quite yet. Owner Glen Taylor tells Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press that his club remains focused on trying to earn a playoff spot this season.
“We’re all of the same mind, to get in, get the experience,” Taylor said. “Just the winning of games to try to get there is worth it. Our guys can’t see anything positive about losing games. They must win games, and then if we can win enough to get into the playoffs, that in and of itself would be a major step for our young players.”
After getting off to a very slow start this season, the Wolves have played better as of late, posting an 11-9 record in their last 20 games. However, the team is still just 22-35 overall, 13th in the Western Conference, with five teams ahead in the race for the No. 8 seed. When Zach LaVine went down with a torn ACL earlier this month, it seemed to make sense for the Wolves to shift their focus to their future, but management and ownership still aims to make a push this year.
Although Taylor said he’s disappointed with the team’s record so far, he tells Krawczynski that he’s happy with head coach Tom Thibodeau and general manager Scott Layden, and remains confident in the club’s prospects over the long run. He also doesn’t want to mortgage the Wolves’ future for a short-term upgrade.
“I know the guys will look at other alternatives, but I also know them well enough that they aren’t going to do something foolish,” Taylor said. “They aren’t going to do something that would hurt the team in the long run just to make us look good in the short run. This is a long-run game for all of us.”
In Krawczynski’s view, Minnesota’s roster could use a “strong, veteran, defensive-minded presence” to help lead the locker room and stabilize a young roster. The Wolves have six more days until the deadline to see if they can add that sort of player to their roster without sacrificing a long-term asset.
Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Raptors, Oakley, Lin
Sixers center Joel Embiid claims he’s “more surprised than everybody else” how well this season has gone after he was sidelined two seasons by foot injuries. During the interview with ESPN Radio, Embiid admits he entertained thoughts of retiring during those lost seasons. “I was such in a dark place, I wanted to quit basketball,” Embiid said. “I just wanted to go back home and just leave everything behind.” Embiid pines for the Rookie of the Year award, saying it would be validation for the sacrifices he made to get back on the court. He’s hopeful of returning soon after the All-Star break after missing the last 11 games with what he describes as a left knee bone bruise, though he reportedly has a partial meniscus tear.
In other news around the Atlantic Division:
- The Raptors do not want to part with young assets now that they’ve made a big move by acquiring power forward Serge Ibaka, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. Toronto would prefer to hold onto Delon Wright, Jakob Poeltl, Lucas Nogueira, Pascal Siakam, Norm Powell and Fred VanVleet, Smith continues. They could still package Jared Sullinger‘s expiring contract, a 2017 first-rounder and one of their backup point guards to make another move, Smith adds.
- Charles Oakley doubts his issues with Knicks owner James Dolan will ever be resolved, Newsday’s Jim Baumbach relays via a Sports Illustrated interview. Despite a meeting with commissioner Adam Silver and Dolan earlier this week, Oakley is still fuming over his forcible removal from Madison Square Garden and arrest on February 8th. “My life is going to change a lot because it’s just like getting a DUI sometime or going to jail for murder,” he told SI. “It’s something on my record. If you Google my name, it’s going to come up. And that hurts.”
- Nets point guard Jeremy Lin is expected to return to action immediately after the All-Star break, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. Lin practiced on Tuesday without any setbacks, according to NetsDaily.com. Lin’s season has been wrecked by hamstring woes. Signed to a three-year, $36MM contract last summer to be the team’s No. 1 point guard, Lin has appeared in just 12 games.