Central Notes: Maker, Korver, Baynes, Parker
Howard Beck of Bleacher Report profiled Thon Maker of the Bucks; the team’s “Secret Unicorn.” Maker has been used sparingly in his rookie season – reaching double-digit minutes just four times – but has earned the respect of his colleagues in practice, earning the nickname “The Sheriff,” due to his vocal and attentive nature.
The reigning #10 overall NBA draft pick, Maker hadn’t been scouted as extensively as other players in the class of ’16. The Bucks selected Maker as a sign of confidence in their ability to nurture talent, Beck writes, opting for a “high-risk, high-ceiling” asset at No. 10.
“We look at the risk as being more minimal, only because we believe in the person,” Bucks GM John Hammond said regarding Maker.
Leading up to tonight’s match-up with the Lakers, coach Jason Kidd announced Maker would replace the injured Jabari Parker in Milwaukee’s starting five.
Other goings-on around the Central…
- Kyle Korver has fit in nicely on the Cavaliers bench, Dave McMenamin of ESPN writes. Dubbed “The American Eagle” by teammates, Korver has averaged 10.4 points on 49.4% shooting from beyond the arc since being dealt to Cleveland. “Kyle is getting more and more comfortable with what we want to do offensively and defensively,” LeBron James said of his teammate. “The one by our bench that he caught that was thrown all the way over the top to our bench, and he just looked at the floor, and Glenn Robinson III was right in his face, and he still shot it? That’s just a sharpshooter right there.”
- The Pistons bench has provided a lift on each end of the court, Rod Beard of The Detroit News writes. “Any time we start getting those stops, we get out in transition and that’s where we start looking good,” Aron Baynes said. “The coaches have been making a point that we need to get better all year. The last few games the starters have been taking that message and it’s fuel for the team.” The second unit’s excellent play is much-needed, as Detroit’s starting lineup have averaged 81.2PPG, 24th in the league.
- Stephen Watson of WISN spoke with Bucks GM John Hammond, who noted “we feel comfortable with who we are,” following Parker‘s season-ending injury. While Hammond also mentioned “the trade deadline is approaching,” it appears the team does not have an immediate contingency plan to replace Parker in Kidd‘s rotation. Parker was having a career year prior to his ACL injury, averaging 20.1 points with 6.2 rebounds through 51 games. In the interim, Lakers coach Luke Walton said he expects Milwaukee to “rally around Parker’s situation,” according to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Knicks Ban Charles Oakley, Won’t Opt Out Of Phil Jackson’s Contract
In the wake of the incident at Madison Square Garden earlier this week, the Knicks have banned Charles Oakley from attending games at the arena, team owner James Dolan said today. Michael Kay first reported word of the ban (Twitter link), with Dolan confirming it in an appearance on Kay’s show this afternoon.
According to Dolan, it won’t necessarily be a “lifetime ban” for Oakley (Twitter link via Marc Berman of The New York Post). However, while the Knicks owner is concerned about fan backlash, he says his priority is maintaining a safe environment, adding that Oakley was abusive and vulgar and came to the Garden on Wednesday with an agenda (Twitter links via Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News).
Since Wednesday’s incident, the Knicks have issued multiple statements explaining why Oakley was ejected from the stadium and arrested. The team also shot down Oakley’s account, in which the former NBA big man insisted that he wasn’t the instigator in the situation. The Knicks continued the PR assault on Oakley today, publicly releasing more than a dozen first-hand statements from MSG staff on the incident (Twitter links via Ryan Field of WABC).
At Hoops Rumors, we typically focus on stories that relate to trades, free agency, and other forms of roster moves and player movement. So what does this story have to do with that? Well, as Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweets, the Knicks are becoming a “toxic” destination for free agents based on this incident and Phil Jackson‘s behavior toward Carmelo Anthony. According to Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post (Twitter link), the Knicks have “enraged” people around the league in the last 48 hours with their handling of the Oakley situation.
Dolan may have intended to explain his side of the story with today’s radio appearance, but he only made matters worse when he told Kay that Oakley has anger problems and that he “may have a problem with alcohol, we don’t know” (Twitter link via Bontemps). With Dolan making unfounded claims about a former Knicks star and Jackson repeatedly criticizing a current Knicks star, it’s hard to imagine many players around the NBA viewing the team as an appealing franchise to join.
The Knicks owner also said today that he won’t meddle in basketball decisions and that he doesn’t intend to exercise the club’s 2017 opt-out on Jackson’s contract (Twitter link via Bontemps). So barring a surprise, the duo doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 2/10/17
Here are Friday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Sixers have assigned rookie guard Chasson Randle to the Delaware 87ers, the team announced today in a press release. Randle joined the Sixers about a month ago but has seen his minutes fluctuate during that stretch. He’ll have the opportunity to get plenty of playing time for Philadelphia’s D-League affiliate tonight against Canton.
- The Spurs have recalled Bryn Forbes from the D-League, according to a press release issued by the team. Forbes posted 22 points in his most recent game with the Austin Spurs on Thursday.
- The Raptors made a series of D-League moves today, recalling Delon Wright and assigning Jared Sullinger and Fred VanVleet (Twitter links). Assuming their assignment lasts until tomorrow, Sullinger and VanVleet will play in Saturday’s game for the Raptors 905.
- The Jazz have recalled Joel Bolomboy from the Salt Lake City Stars, per a team release. Bolomboy had been on his 13th D-League assignment of the 2016/17 season.
- The Wizards have assigned Danuel House to the Delaware 87ers via the flexible assignment rule, the team announced in a press release. House, who has appeared in just one NBA game this season, has had his rookie season curtailed by a right wrist fracture. A former member of the Texas A&M Aggies, House has averaged 15 points in two D-League games.
Suns’ Alex Len Suspended One Game
The NBA announced today that Suns big man Alex Len has been suspended one game for leaving the bench during an altercation in Wednesday’s game against Memphis. Len will serve the suspension tonight when the Suns host the Bulls.
As a result of the incident, which took place with just over a minute left in Wednesday’s game, Tyler Ulis and Marquese Chriss of the Suns, along with Troy Daniels of the Grizzlies, were fined $15K apiece. Len, meanwhile, will be docked 1/110th of his salary for the one-game suspension, which works out to just under $44K.
With Len out of action tonight, Tyson Chandler, Chriss, and Alan Williams are all candidates to see an uptick in playing time.
Win Streak May Make Heat Buyers, Not Sellers
On January 13, at the season’s halfway mark, the Heat had just dropped their fourth straight game and sat at 11-30, on track for a top-three draft pick. Since that day, however, the team hasn’t lost a single game, and according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News, the improbable winning streak has drastically changed how Miami will approach the trade deadline. The team is now more likely to be a buyer than a seller this month, sources tell Deveney.
“They were willing to listen to whatever anyone wanted to offer,” one league executive said of the Heat. “But those calls have changed, because now they’re looking for pieces to help them as they are.”
According to one of Deveney’s sources, the Heat were never overly eager to trade marquee players like Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside during the season. However, Dragic, in particular, had drawn interest around the NBA. Deveney identifies the Bucks as one team that had interest in the veteran point guard, in addition to previously-reported suitors like the Kings and Magic.
Still, even if the Heat weren’t shopping Dragic or Whiteside, the team considered likely to move other veterans on the roster before the deadline. But that was before the current 12-game winning streak — now, the team is in the market for power forward help, sources tell Deveney. Miami is reportedly looking for a big man who can shoot from outside and play solid defense, which makes it unsurprising that the club was linked to Serge Ibaka this week.
The Heat’s trade assets are somewhat limited, since they’ve already moved their 2018 and 2021 first-round picks, which prevents them from sending out their 2017, 2019, or 2020 first-rounders. As such, any trade for veteran help would likely have to involve a young player such as Tyler Johnson, Josh Richardson, or Justise Winslow.
At 23-30, the Heat are still likely prioritizing their long-term goals over short-term success, so it would be a surprise to see the team give up much young talent to improve this year’s squad. But the fire sale of veteran players that appeared likely a month ago is no longer in the cards either, making it an interesting deadline for the franchise.
Only Two Trade Exceptions Set To Expire This Month
Traded player exceptions, which we’ve described in the past in the Hoops Rumors Glossary, are often created in trades involving at least one over-the-cap team. Deals of that sort are made frequently in the weeks, days, hours, or even minutes leading up to February’s trade deadline, and trade exceptions expire one year after they’re created, so it would make sense that several TPEs would be on track to expire later this month, as a result of last year’s deadline moves. That’s not the case, however.
As I noted when I took a closer look at trade exceptions back in July, the NBA’s huge salary cap jump in 2016 resulted in just three teams – the Clippers, Raptors, and Cavaliers – staying over the cap through the offseason. The league’s other 27 teams opted to use cap room, which meant renouncing any trade exceptions that may have been on their books.
As a result, eight trade exceptions that would have expired this February were renounced over the summer instead, with the Hawks, Bulls, Nuggets, Grizzlies, Heat, and Suns all forfeiting at least one TPE.
Since only the Clippers, Raptors, and Cavs stayed over the cap, those are the only teams that could still own TPEs which would expire this February. Los Angeles and Toronto didn’t create any trade exceptions at last season’s deadline, leaving Cleveland as the only team with any exceptions expiring this month — the Cavs hold two TPEs, both created in the same three-way deal. They’ll expire on February 18, so if the club intends to make use of either of them, it will have to happen a few days before this year’s deadline.
The first Cavs exception, created when they sent Jared Cunningham to Orlando, is worth just $947,276. Given its modest value, that TPE is unlikely to be used at this year’s deadline. However, the club’s other remaining trade exception is worth monitoring.
Initially worth more than $9.6MM, Cleveland’s second TPE was created when the club sent Anderson Varejao to Portland, and it has already come in handy — the Cavs used more than $5.2MM of that exception to acquire Kyle Korver from Atlanta last month, paring its overall value down to just under $4.4MM.
That isn’t a huge amount to work with, but as I observed when I examined the Cavs’ options last month, there are a few intriguing veteran point guards around the league whose salaries would fit into that TPE, including guys like Leandro Barbosa, J.J. Barea, and Devin Harris. Cleveland probably won’t end up acquiring any of those players, but the trade exception gives the club some flexibility to fortify its roster without sending out any salary in return.
The full list of the NBA’s outstanding trade exceptions can be found right here.
Nuggets Notes: Barton, Trade Assets, Jokic
Will Barton‘s per-minute production this season has dipped significantly when he hasn’t received regular and significant minutes, as Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post details. Barton has always said he’s the kind of player who gets better the more time he spends on the court, and his numbers have backed that up, so the Nuggets will have to find a way to take advantage of that while finding sufficient minutes for their other rotation players, writes Dempsey.
“It’s a balance of trying to find ways to get him more minutes,” head coach Mike Malone said of Barton. “And it’s not an easy one because Jameer [Nelson] has played well, Gary [Harris] has played well, [Danilo Gallinari] has played well, Jamal Murray – a guy that we believe is a big part of our future – I have to play him. I have to find ways so that when he comes back next year, his rookie season has not been a waste. So, therein lies the challenge of getting Will Barton more minutes when we are fully healthy. But that is something that we constantly talk about and are trying to figure out.”
Malone didn’t even mention Wilson Chandler, who would reportedly like to have a more defined role in the Nuggets’ rotation. The team’s problem of having too many solid players and not enough minutes to go around extends to the frontcourt, where the club has struggled to find consistent minutes for someone like Jusuf Nurkic.
A trade could help the Nuggets narrow down their rotation, and one of our additional items out of Denver relates to that subject. Let’s dive in…
- Rival executives believe the Nuggets’ front office wants to be active at the trade deadline, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype. As Kennedy outlines, few NBA teams have the combination of veterans, young players, future draft picks, and cap room that Denver possesses, which makes the Nuggets an interesting team to keep an eye on as the deadline approaches.
- We have a full breakdown of the Nuggets’ cap situation for 2016/17 right here, including salary details on the team’s latest 10-day signings.
- In a fascinating piece for Sports Illustrated, Lee Jenkins takes a closer look at the unusual path Nikola Jokic has taken over the last several years, from a second-round pick to a core piece for Denver’s long-term future.
Derrick Williams May Stick With Cavs For Season
After signing a 10-day contract with the Cavaliers on Thursday, Derrick Williams made his debut for the team on Thursday night and looked good, scoring 12 points in 22 minutes and converting all of his field goal attempts. While there’s no need for the Cavs to make any decisions on Williams yet, a team source tells Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com that the former No. 2 overall pick has a “strong chance” to earn a spot on the roster for the rest of the season.
Although Williams may not be the “playmaker” LeBron James publicly called for last month, he’s a fresh body who can play multiple positions and can provide insurance for some of the team’s veterans, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. One team source tells McMenamin that the Cavs view Williams as a “high reward, low risk” addition, despite the fact that his salary carries a $2.50 tax charge for every dollar, given the club’s tax standing.
The Cavs currently have 14 players on fully guaranteed contracts, with Williams occupying the 15th and final roster spot on a 10-day deal. Re-signing him to a second 10-day contract and then a rest-of-season deal when his current pact expires would tie up a roster spot for a Cleveland team that will be searching for additional upgrades at the deadline. However, the club is also carrying Chris Andersen, who is out for the season with a torn ACL — trading or releasing Andersen would free up an extra roster spot to allow for another addition.
Williams’ initial 10-day contract with the Cavs expires during the All-Star break, and the regular season won’t resume until several hours after the trade deadline passes on February 23, so Cleveland will likely keep that 15th roster spot open as the club explores deadline moves.
Magic Johnson Wants To ‘Call The Shots’ For Lakers
After Magic Johnson officially rejoined the Lakers last week, the team was quick to downplay any potential tension it might cause in the front office, stressing that the Hall-of-Famer would be serving in an advisory role on basketball operations and business matters. However, Johnson revealed in a conversation with Josh Peter of USA Today that he may have larger aspirations.
“Working to call the shots, because it only works that way,” Johnson said when asked what he hopes his role with the team will be. “Right now I’m advising. I get that. But at the end of the day, then we all got to come together and somebody’s got to say, ‘I’m making the final call,’ all right? And who’s that going to be? … So, we’ll see what happens.”
Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and executive VP of basketball operations Jim Buss have made the personnel decisions in Los Angeles for the last several years. However, at least one recent report has been critical of the job Kupchak has done in free agency, and Buss vowed during the 2013/14 season that he’d step down in three or four years if the Lakers hadn’t developed into a title contender by that point.
With Johnson now entering that mix, it remains to be seen whether all three men will still be involved in basketball decisions during the coming offseason, and which of them will have the final say on roster moves. In comments to Peter, Johnson suggested that the decision on his role rests with owner Jeanie Buss, adding that he expects that decision to be made by the end of the season. In the meantime, the former Lakers star is hitting the books to brush up on the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement and salary cap.
“I’m going to school, for sure,” Johnson said. “Because I know talent. This part (evaluating players) comes easy, watching people play and seeing how they play, whose game hopefully can translate to the next level, those type of things. You’ll find out more as you get to interview them later on, the draft and workouts we have pre-draft. Then you’ll find out a lot more.
“The main part for me is really learning the other part that I didn’t know, and that is to understand the CBA, the salary cap, where we are in terms of the salary cap and who’s a free-agent-to-be. You’ve got a lot of young players so you’ve got to learn when are their contracts coming up, if you can give them the max deal, give them an extension, all those types of things you’ve got to learn. It’s a lot of things, but I’m excited.”
Eastern Rumors: Porzingis, Parker, Dragic, Noel
Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis is bubbling with frustration over the team’s collapse, Fred Kerber of the New York Post reports. Porzingis felt the roster moves made during the offseason would improve the team’s fortunes. Instead, the franchise is in turmoil and the club is no better than it was a year ago. He also hinted that the team shouldn’t have dismissed head coach Derek Fisher last February. “It’s different this year, definitely,” Porzingis told Kerber and other media members. “It was a big shock last year when Fisher got fired. I felt like we were working towards something and even though we were losing, we were moving forward and we had the structure, so it was a shock for me. This year, [it’s] a similar situation with our record and where we stand right now but we can’t be worrying about what’s going to happen.”
In other news around the Eastern Conference:
- The latest knee injury to Bucks forward Jabari Parker probably cost him a lucrative rookie contract extension, Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated points out. Parker, who suffered the second ACL tear of his young NBA career on Wednesday, is eligible to receive an extension this offseason and was in line to get a deal worth $110MM over four years prior to the injury, Golliver continues. Instead, he’ll probably enter the 2018 offseason as a restricted free agent and the nine-figure offers may not materialize for a player who’s had multiple knee surgeries and only three or four months of game action to prove that he’s recovered, Golliver adds.
- Heat point guard Goran Dragic finds it much easier to ignore trade rumors at this stage of his career, as he told Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders. Dragic’s name has circulated on the rumor mill this winter, though that chatter has died down during the Heat’s current winning streak. “I was really nervous all the time. I was reading articles,” Dragic told Scotto about previous trade deadlines. “When I got traded the first time it kind of changed me because then I realized this is normal, this is part of the business. Now I’m not even paying attention about that, I’m only focused on basketball, because it can mess your head up if you’re not mentally strong. I don’t want to read those or even hear those rumors.”
- Sixers big man Nerlens Noel is trying to adopt Dragic’s approach to the trade deadline, as Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes. Noel’s name has been tossed around, though the club seems more intent on moving power forward Jahlil Okafor, including a report this week that the Pelicans were in advanced talks to acquire Okafor. Noel is trying his best to block out the rumors. “I don’t even approach it,” he told Pompey. “I just play my game. If that’s what they decide, that’s what they decide.”