Central Notes: Pistons, Pacers, Stephenson
After a disappointing 2016/17 campaign, the Pistons will look to shore up their three-point shooting. So says head coach Stan Van Gundy, at least. Aaron McMann of MLive wrote about Detroit’s goal heading into the offseason.
“We’ve got to shoot the ball better, there’s no question about that,” Van Gundy told the media following his exit interviews with Pistons players.
Not long after, he’d go on to complain about the team’s regression throughout the season, as has become somewhat of a custom for the Pistons bench boss.
“We just talked about that with our team. I think a lot of that can be internal development. [The Pistons] had virtually an entire roster that took a step back in that area this year.”
There’s more from the Central Division:
- The Pacers have brought about WNBA legend Tamika Catchings to serve as director of player programs and franchise development, Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star tweets.
- Prior to signing with the Pacers last month, Lance Stephenson was worked out by the Cavaliers. Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes that the forward wasn’t offered a deal at the time because he was still recovering from a groin injury.
- The general manager of the Cavaliers‘ D-League affiliate, Mike Gansey, was named the NBA D-League’s executive of the year according to a press release from the Canton Charge.
- The Pistons had the seventh highest payroll in the NBA this year, so Brendan Savage of MLive took a good long look at the value of each player’s contract. Marcus Morris, Ish Smith and Beno Udrih were the only relative bargains.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 4/18/17
Here are the D-League transactions for the day:
- The Raptors assigned forward Bruno Caboclo to their D-League affiliate, the club’s media department tweets. The Raps and Bucks play Game 2 of their first-round series tonight at 6 PM CST, so it appears Caboclo won’t be with Toronto for that game.
Lakers Notes: Clarkson, Black, West
Fresh off of his third season in the NBA, Lakers combo guard Jordan Clarkson is familiar with a fluctuating role. According to Mark Medina of Inside the Lakers, that isn’t expected to change after his exit meeting.
The 24-year-old told Medina that he doesn’t know whether he’ll start, come off the bench, play the point or handle duties at the two-guard position. Much of that, naturally, will be determined after the draft and free agent signing period.
In 2016/17, Clarkson thrived in uncertainty, nearly matching his career high in scoring despite playing less minutes than he did when he initially set the mark.
While much of L.A.’s core revolves around players like D’Angelo Russell, Brandon Ingram and Julius Randle, the 2014 second-round pick averaged an impressive 14.7 points while playing in all 82 games for the Lakers.
There’s more from the Lakers today:
- Despite an apparent willingness to accept a consultant role with the Lakers, Jerry West won’t be offered one, Mark Heisler of the Orange County Register writes, citing a team insider.
- Third-year forward Tarik Black is confident he’ll be back with the Lakers next season, Mark Medina writes for Inside the Lakers. Although there’s no guarantee when it comes to his… non-guaranteed contract. “If they weren’t interested in bringing me back, they would’ve just said, ‘Well, it’s nice having you Tarik, we enjoyed you, we’ll be in touch,” Black said. “The fact they’re sitting there, having the conversation and listening to my questions and they seriously answered them and we talked about development, it just gives me confidence moving forward.“
- The Lakers wrapped up their exit meetings last week, writes the Orange County Register’s Mark Medina, and one item that was stressed consistently was better conditioning. The club appears otherwise optimistic looking forward.
- After two years with the Lakers, 37-year-old Metta World Peace has tweeted goodbye to the franchise, E. Carchia of Sportando relays.
And-Ones: Nurkic, Durant, R. Allen, W. Bynum
The Trail Blazers and Warriors will play Game 2 of their series on Wednesday night, and both sides may be missing a key player. Jusuf Nurkic, who continues to recover from a fractured leg, announced today that he won’t play in Game 2 for the Blazers, per Joe Freeman of The Oregonian (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Kevin Durant, who recently returned from a knee injury, is now battling a left calf strain and was listed as questionable on the Warriors’ injury report today (Twitter link).
As we wait to see if Durant is able to give it a go for Golden State, let’s round up a few odds and ends from around the basketball world…
- Appearing over the weekend on ESPN’s The Jump, Ray Allen was asked about why he hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2013/14 season, and explained that contract offers he received since then wouldn’t have given him a chance to have a real role (link via Adam London of NESN). “Most of the inquiries I have received were how ready am I to accept my role as a veteran and sit on the bench and mentor the young guys,” Allen said. “I’d love to do that, it comes naturally to me, but I do want to play.”
- Veteran point guard Will Bynum has reached a deal to play for Luoyang in China this summer, according to 24/7 Basketball (Twitter link). Bynum, who has had multiple stints in China, played with the Pistons for several seasons in the NBA.
- Canton Charge swingman John Holland – who has spent time with the Celtics and Cavaliers – is also headed to China, having agreed to a contract with the Beijing Eastern Ducks, Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net confirms. International basketball journalist David Pick first reported (via Twitter) that Holland was finalizing a deal with the Chinese club.
- The Maine Red Claws and Raptors 905 are currently battling for the right to advance to the D-League Finals, and each team saw a key contributor take home a major award within the past few days. 2016 Celtics second-rounder Abdel Nader was the D-League’s Rookie of the Year, while Edy Tavares, who spent most of the season with the Raptors‘ affiliate, was named the NBADL Defensive Player of the Year. Tavares is now on the Cavaliers‘ roster, having been signed on the last day of the regular season.
Grayson Allen Returning To Duke
Duke has already lost several key players this spring, with Jayson Tatum, Luke Kennard, and Harry Giles entering the draft with the intent of hiring agents. However, another top prospect, Grayson Allen, announced today that he’ll be returning to the Blue Devils for his senior season (Twitter link).
[RELATED: 2017 NBA Draft Early Entrants List]
Allen, who ranks 45th on DraftExpress’ top-100 list and 61st on ESPN’s big board, struggled during his junior year at Duke as several of his teammates took big steps forward in their development. After averaging 21.6 PPG on .466/.417/.837 shooting in his sophomore year, Allen saw those averages dip to 14.5 PPG and .395/.365/.811 in 2016/17.
Although Allen played well in the NCAA tournament before Duke was bounced, ESPN’s Chad Ford suggested last month that the 21-year-old shooting guard could use another year in college to “really rehabilitate his image on and off the court.”
A strong showing in his senior season could get Allen back into the first-round discussion for 2018 — DraftExpress currently has him coming off the board at No. 26 in its ’18 mock draft.
NBA Draft Tiebreaker Results, Tentative 2017 Order
The NBA conducted its draft tiebreakers today, determining which teams who finished tied in the standings at the end of the season will receive higher picks in the 2017 draft.
There was one tie in the lottery, for the No. 6 spot, and the Timberwolves won today’s tiebreaker over the Knicks. However, both teams will have essentially equal odds to jump into the top three, since their lottery chances will be split evenly.
In instances where the two teams are splitting up an odd number of chances, the Wolves will receive very slightly better odds by virtue of winning today’s tiebreaker. For instance, they’ll have a 7% chance at the No. 3 pick, while the Knicks will have 6.9% odds.
Here are today’s tiebreaker results:
- Timberwolves win tiebreaker over Knicks for 6th pick (pending lottery results).
- Trail Blazers win tiebreaker over Bulls for 15th pick.
- Bucks win tiebreaker over Pacers for 17th pick.
- Hawks win tiebreaker over Grizzlies for 19th pick. Portland receives the Grizzlies’ pick.
- In four-way tie for picks 23-26, the tiebreaker order is Clippers (23), Jazz (24), Raptors (25), Cavaliers (26). Three of these picks will be traded, as noted below.
Listed below is the tentative draft order for the 2017 NBA draft, pending next month’s lottery results. The order below isn’t set in stone, but it’s what the 2017 draft will look like if the lottery doesn’t result in any changes. This draft order includes all traded first-round and second-round picks.
First round:
- Boston Celtics (via Nets)
- Phoenix Suns
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Orlando Magic
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- New York Knicks
- Sacramento Kings
- Dallas Mavericks
- Sacramento Kings (via Pelicans)
- Charlotte Hornets
- Detroit Pistons
- Denver Nuggets
- Miami Heat
- Portland Trail Blazers
- Chicago Bulls
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Indiana Pacers
- Atlanta Hawks
- Portland Trail Blazers (via Grizzlies)
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Brooklyn Nets (via Wizards)
- Toronto Raptors (via Clippers)
- Utah Jazz
- Orlando Magic (via Raptors)
- Portland Trail Blazers (via Cavaliers)
- Brooklyn Nets (via Celtics)
- Los Angeles Lakers (via Rockets)
- San Antonio Spurs
- Utah Jazz (via Warriors)
Second round:
- Atlanta Hawks (via Nets)
- Phoenix Suns
- Orlando Magic (via Lakers)
- Sacramento Kings (via Sixers)
- Orlando Magic
- Philadelphia 76ers (via Knicks)
- Boston Celtics (via Timberwolves)
- Chicago Bulls (via Kings)
- Philadelphia 76ers (via Mavericks)
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Charlotte Hornets
- Utah Jazz (via Pistons)
- Houston Rockets (via Nuggets)
- New York Knicks (via Chicago)
- Houston Rockets (via Trail Blazers)
- Philadelphia 76ers (via Heat)
- Indiana Pacers
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Denver Nuggets (via Grizzlies)
- Philadelphia 76ers (via Hawks)
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Washington Wizards
- Boston Celtics (via Cavaliers)
- Phoenix Suns (via Raptors)
- Utah Jazz
- Boston Celtics (via Clippers)
- Brooklyn Nets (via Celtics)
- New York Knicks (via Rockets)
- San Antonio Spurs
- Atlanta Hawks (via Warriors)
We detailed lottery odds for each of the teams in the top 14 last week. Here are the lottery scenarios that could affect which teams receive draft picks:
- If the Lakers‘ first-round pick falls outside the top three, the Sixers will receive it. In that scenario, the Lakers would retain their own second-round pick rather than sending it to the Magic.
- If the Pelicans‘ first-round pick jumps into the top three, they’ll keep it rather than sending it to the Kings.
- If the Kings‘ own first-round pick falls outside the top 10, the Bulls will receive it, and the Kings will keep their second-round pick rather than sending it to Chicago. If the Kings’ pick jumps into the top three, the Sixers will have the opportunity to swap their first-round pick for Sacramento’s.
Eastern Rumors: Rondo, Bosh, Waiters, Magic
It was an up-and-down first year in Chicago for Rajon Rondo, who found himself in the starting lineup at times, and on the bench at other times. However, with the Bulls in the playoffs and holding their own so far against the No. 1 Celtics, Rondo said today that he hopes the club picks up its option on his contract for next season, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune.
“I like where I’m at. I think we have a really good team,” Rondo said of the Bulls. “We made a big trade halfway through the season. All the things this year with 45 different lineups, we still made it to the playoffs.”
Rondo’s deal calls for a salary worth more than $13MM next season, but currently only $3MM of that figure is guaranteed. As Johnson notes, the veteran point guard said today that he’d like to be back with the Bulls even if Dwyane Wade opts out of his contract this summer.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Appearing on Larry King Now on Sunday, Heat big man Chris Bosh – who missed the entire 2016/17 season due to blood clot issues – reiterated that he hasn’t closed the door on attempting an NBA comeback. Bosh also said that he doesn’t have any real interest in coaching basketball after he officially retires as a player. Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel has the details and the quotes from Bosh.
- James Johnson referred to Miami as “home” on Monday, and the Heat‘s other key free agent, Dion Waiters, also also expressed a desire to stay put this offseason, as Shandel Richardson of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes. Still, Waiters acknowledged that he “can’t predict the future,” so it remains to be seen what his free agency holds.
- Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders examines the Magic‘s search for a new general manager, noting that current Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard and former Pacers exec David Morway have both been mentioned by league sources as possible candidates for the Magic. Orlando head coach Frank Vogel worked with both Pritchard and Morway in Indiana.
- Asked by Raul Barrigon of HoopsHype about his upcoming free agency, Celtics forward Jonas Jerebko suggested that he’s “not closing any doors,” but he isn’t sure yet what his future holds.
2017 NBA Award Picks: Sixth Man Of The Year
With the 2016/17 NBA regular season in the books, we’re making our picks for the year’s major awards. The Hoops Rumors writing team has weighed in with our selections below, but we also want to know which players, coaches, and executives you think are most deserving of the hardware this season, so jump into the comments section below to share your thoughts.
We’re keeping things going today with the award for Sixth Man of the Year. Here are our picks:
Chris Crouse: Lou Williams (Lakers/Rockets)
The league’s MVP may be the only award race that’s tighter than the Sixth Man of the Year’s. Eric Gordon had an excellent debut season before cooling off in the second half. James Johnson breathed life into Miami after the team was decimated by injuries. Andre Iguodala held down the second unit of 67-win team. Zach Randolph gave the Grizzlies firepower off the bench where they didn’t have very much else to count on.
Yet, Williams stands out. The 2014/15 Sixth Man of the Year scored 17.5 PPG this season while sporting a career-high 21.4 PER. He had a true shooting percentage of .609 during his 58 games in Los Angeles. His numbers dipped after he was sent to the Rockets at the trade deadline, but he remained a key contributor in Houston, scoring the second-most points per game on the team after the All-Star break. There were plenty of great options off the bench this season, but Williams gets my vote for the best of the bunch.
Dana Gauruder: Lou Williams (Lakers/Rockets)
Williams was so effective off the bench for the going-nowhere Lakers that he got himself traded to a contender. He’s been in the league since 2005/06 and averaged a career high 17.5 points. Williams’ perimeter shooting cooled off after joining the Rockets but he makes them that much more dangerous in the postseason.
Arthur Hill: Eric Gordon (Rockets)
Ever since James Harden arrived in Houston, the Rockets have struggled to score when he’s not in the game. The franchise has been searching for years for a guard who can put pressure on opposing defenses while Harden is resting. They struck gold last summer when Gordon agreed to a four-year, $53MM deal. Gordon shook off his long history of injuries and played 75 games, the most since his rookie season, while averaging 16.3 points per night and shooting 37% from 3-point range. His stats alone make him worthy of the Sixth Man award, but his impact on the Rockets has been even greater.
Luke Adams: James Johnson (Heat)
Players like Williams and Gordon fit the mold of a traditional Sixth Man of the Year as second-unit scorers capable of changing games and single-handedly keeping an offense afloat when the starters get some rest. But Johnson’s all-around play on both ends of the floor was game-changing during the Heat’s 30-11 second-half run.
Always an intriguing part-time player, Johnson finally put it all together this season in Miami, scoring (12.8 PPG), passing (3.6 APG), and shooting (.341 FG%) at career-best rates. Most impressively, he showed the ability to guard virtually anyone on an opponent’s roster, one through five, averaging more than a block and a steal per game while maintaining that invaluable versatility.
Austin Kent: Zach Randolph (Grizzlies)
The decision to bump 35-year-old Randolph to the second unit paid off for the Grizzlies and the veteran’s 15th NBA season will go down as one of his most efficient on a per-minute basis. In just over 24 minutes per game, Randolph averaged 14.1 points and 8.2 rebounds, all while playing a vital role in keeping Memphis in the Western Conference playoff picture.
Sure, Z-Bo isn’t doing anything he hasn’t already done for ages, but the fact that he’s now doing it off the pine makes him the scariest bench player in the game. His stats are comparable with any other elite reserve, his team is a winner, and he’s the only backup that’s obviously more intimidating to check than the guy who starts ahead of him.
Who is your pick for Sixth Man of the Year? Share your choices and your thoughts in the comments section below!
Previously:
April 13: Executive of the Year
April 14: Coach of the Year
April 17: Most Improved Player
Still to come:
April 19: Defensive Player of the Year
April 20: Rookie of the Year
April 21: Most Valuable Player
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Jordan Bell To Enter Draft, Sign With Agent
APRIL 18, 12:20pm: As expected, Bell announced today that he has decided to enter the draft and hire an agent (link via RiseLongBeach.com).
APRIL 17, 12:00pm: According to a tweet from Bell, he has not yet made the decision to enter the draft and sign with an agent. Charania has a solid track record and hasn’t changed his initial story, so I’d still expect the Oregon big man to go pro, but it’s worth noting that it’s not official yet.
8:16am: Oregon power forward Jordan Bell has elected to put his name in the 2017 NBA draft pool and will sign with an agent, forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical. According to Charania, Bell held meeting with agents in the past week and finalized his decision over the weekend.
Bell, 22, saw his stock rise after a terrific NCAA tournament performance, in which he recorded double-doubles in four of five games for the Ducks. After averaging 10.7 PPG, 8.1 RPG, and 2.1 BPG during the regular season, Bell increased those marks to 12.6 PPG, 13.2 RPG, and 3.2 BPG in the tournament, helping to lead Oregon to a spot in the Final Four.
Currently, the 6’9″ junior ranks 39th on Chad Ford’s big board at ESPN and 41st on DraftExpress’ top 100. In his analysis, Ford suggests that Bell looked like a possible second-round pick a month ago, but after his strong showing during Oregon’s Final Four run, there’s speculation that his defensive upside could make him a late first-round pick.
Bell joins teammates Dillon Brooks and Tyler Dorsey as Oregon underclassmen going pro this year. Here’s our full list of early entrants so far.
Doc Rivers Hoping To Retain Clippers’ Core
The Clippers are down 1-0 to the Jazz in their first round playoff series, and there has been speculation that if L.A. can’t get by Utah, a significant roster overhaul could be around the corner. However, head coach and president of basketball operations Doc Rivers tells Sam Amick of USA Today that he’d like to keep the Clippers’ core intact, even with Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and J.J. Redick facing potential unrestricted free agency.
“Here’s my argument to (the question of the roster will be worth going deeper into the tax to keep intact),” Rivers said. “Let’s say we don’t win this year — which I think we will, (but) let’s say we don’t. Do you give up on a 50-win team that has proven that they’re really close, or do you hang in there and keep trying to maybe make changes around (the core)?
“I always use Utah as a great (example). Thank God Karl Malone and (John) Stockton didn’t listen to people, you know what I mean? They fell (in the playoffs), and kept trying and kept trying. And finally, late in their careers, they finally broke through to the Finals. They didn’t win it (all). But you know, that’s the pursuit. I just think it’s so easy to (say), ‘Hey, they should break up,’ from the outside. And I think that’s such an easy opinion.”
As we noted this week, the Clippers were one of two teams to finish the 2016/17 in luxury tax territory, and that was with Paul, Griffin, and Redick on their old deals. The trio combined to earn about $50MM this season, but that number could increase beyond $65MM in 2017/18 for CP3 and Griffin alone, without even taking into consideration a raise for Redick as well. In total, Amick estimates that the Clippers’ team salary could increase to the $140MM range if they bring everyone back, which would mean a tax bill of more than $55MM.
Even though Rivers is the GM in Los Angeles, team owner Steve Ballmer will have the final say on roster moves if they significantly increase the money he’ll owe his players in the coming years, as Amick observes. And if the Clippers don’t make a deep playoff run this spring, there’s no guarantee that Rivers and Ballmer will see eye to eye on the team’s strategy going forward, despite the trust that the franchise’s owner has in his head coach.
A new long-term deal for Paul appears likely, but the Clippers will face some interesting decisions in the next few months, and will be a team worth watching this summer.