Rockets Owner Leslie Alexander Fined $100K
Rockets owner Leslie Alexander has been hit with a $100K fine by the NBA for confronting a referee during live game action in Game 5 of his club’s first round series, the league announced today in a press release.
The incident occurred near the end of the first quarter of the Rockets’ series-clinching win over the Thunder on Tuesday night. With the Thunder controlling the ball, Alexander got up from his courtside side, walked over to referee Bill Kennedy, and appeared to express his displeasure with a call before walking back to his seat (video link).
While we’ve seen a number of players and coaches fined already during the NBA postseason, the $100K fine for Alexander is the largest penalty handed out by the league since the playoffs begin. Of course, as the Rockets’ owner, Alexander is more equipped to pay that fine than any player or coach.
Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale was docked $30K for criticizing officials in his post-game press conference, while Marcus Smart, Rajon Rondo, Patrick Beverley, and Kelly Oubre were each fined $25K for various infractions.
Baskonia Parts Ways With Andrea Bargnani
Former first overall pick Andrea Bargnani is back on the free agent market, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, who writes that Spanish team Baskonia has officially parted ways with Bargnani. The two sides agreed to a two-year contract back in 2016, but have reached a buyout agreement that will bring the deal to an early end.
Injuries impacted Bargnani’s ability to contribute to Baskonia in 2016/17, limiting him to just 15 Euroleague games and 14 contests in Spanish League play. When he was able to get on the court, he was a decent role player for Baskonia, joining fellow former NBA players like Shane Larkin, Rodrigue Beaubois, Tornike Shengelia, and Josh Akognon among the club’s leading scorers.
Although he’s still just 31 years old and is only a year removed from appearing in 46 games for the 2015/16 Nets, Bargnani seems unlikely to seek a return to the NBA when he gets healthy.
The former Raptor, Knick, and Net, who was the first player off the board in the 2006 draft, averaged a respectable 14.3 PPG in 550 career regular season NBA games, but saw his minutes cut back significantly during his final season in the Association. His best chance at a regular role going forward would be on a European club.
We first learned over the weekend that Bargnani and Baskonia were discussing a buyout.
Southwest Notes: Nene, Rockets, Mavs, Pelicans
While much of the praise this year for Daryl Morey‘s work in the 2016 offseason has focused on the Rockets‘ additions of Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon, the team’s decision to sign Nene to a modest one-year contract has also paid off in a huge way.
In a piece for The Undefeated, Marc J. Spears takes a closer look at the impact the veteran center has had in Houston, and shares an interesting tidbit: Nene actually contemplated retirement before deciding to sign with the Rockets last summer. Having battled injuries for much of his career, Nene has managed to stay healthy this season, and Houston’s success has him “loving basketball again,” according to Spears.
Here’s more from around the Southwest division:
- The Rockets and a handful of other NBA teams are “gathering intel” on Argentinean point guard Facundo Campazzo, according to international basketball journalist David Pick (Twitter link). Campazzo, whose contract with Real Madrid is ending, doesn’t have an interest in extending that deal, per Pick, and the 26-year-old has been talking since last year about making the leap to the NBA.
- In a chat with readers for the Dallas Morning News, Mavericks beat writer Eddie Sefko wonders if the team’s newfound youth movement will extend into the offseason, or if the team will use its lottery pick as a chip to acquire a more established NBA player. Sefko also suggests that it wouldn’t be crazy if Dallas kicked the tires on Carmelo Anthony, though that sounds like speculation.
- Sefko doesn’t expect the Mavericks to face a serious challenge in their effort to lock up Nerlens Noel to a long-term deal. Unless one side “wants to play hardball with the numbers,” a deal should get done relatively quickly once free agency opens, in Sefko’s opinion.
- Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post and Bobby Marks of The Vertical each examine the upcoming offseason for the Pelicans, which both scribes pointing to Jrue Holiday‘s looming free agency as perhaps the most important storyline of the summer for New Orleans.
Shabazz Muhammad Hires Rich Paul As Agent
With his rookie contract coming to an end, Timberwolves wing Shabazz Muhammad will have new representation for his first foray into free agency. According to Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter), Muhammad has signed with agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports.
As Jake Fischer of SI.com observes (via Twitter), Muhammad had previously been represented by Rob Pelinka of Landmark Sports. When Pelinka was hired by the Lakers as the team’s new general manager, his clients were up for grabs, though some – such as James Harden and Andre Iguodala – have already indicated that they’ll remain with Landmark’s other reps. Muhammad is the first former Pelinka client to leave for another agency, per Fischer.
It should be an interesting offseason for Muhammad, who will be eligible for restricted free agency. Assuming the Timberwolves tender him a qualifying offer, which will be worth about $4.188MM, Minnesota will have the opportunity to match any offer sheet the 24-year-old may sign with a rival suitor.
In his fourth NBA season, Muhammad averaged 9.9 PPG and 2.8 RPG, with a shooting line of .482/.336/.774. The former 14th overall pick has been a regular rotation player for the last three years in Minnesota, averaging 20.5 minutes per contest in 198 total regular season games during that stretch.
The Nets are among the teams rumored to have some interest in Muhammad.
Blazers GM Talks Draft, Lillard, McCollum, Nurkic
During his end-of-season press conference with reporters on Tuesday, Trail Blazers general manager Neil Olshey confirmed that injured center Festus Ezeli won’t be back on the roster next season, as we noted yesterday. However, that wasn’t the only topic of interest that Olshey touched on during his session with local media.
Mike Richman of The Oregonian has the transcript of several noteworthy comments from the Trail Blazers GM, who provided lengthy and thoughtful answers to many questions about the state of the roster and specific players. The whole piece is worth checking out, particularly for Blazers fans, but here are some of the highlights from Olshey:
On the Blazers’ offseason outlook:
“I think this is the first summer where we haven’t had cap room since I’ve been here. … I think a lot of the growth of the roster is going to come internally. We had the youngest team in the league this year. We had the youngest team in the playoffs for the second year in a row. So I think we have to grow internally too.
“But the three (first-round) draft picks — we moved the Cleveland pick into this year and that was done strategically knowing we weren’t going to have as many resources in terms of cap room or exceptions. So, the three draft picks give us a lot of flexibility. Not just in acquiring players through the draft, but as tools to get deals done. It’s why we were so aggressive in trying to add an additional pick.”
On the possibility of trading either Damian Lillard or C.J. McCollum:
“The odds of anything ever coming up of commensurate value is so hard to even fathom. I could give you the trite answer that nobody is untradable, but clearly they are.”
On Jusuf Nurkic‘s emergence after being traded to Portland:
“Look, I’m not going to sit here and tell you Nurk was going to do what he did and they were going to have folk songs written about him in Bosnia or anything else. But we also know when you look at his advanced numbers, this was a guy capable of averaging a double-double if given the opportunity. (Nuggets GM) Tim Connelly and his staff did an unbelievable job. They not only found Jusuf Nurkic. They found a guy who beat out Jusuf Nurkic through the draft, middle of the first and late second. They did their part. But we’ve seen it on our roster. There are times you’ve got to give guys up. We all knew how talented Will Barton was, but we were trying to make an upgrade at the time and we had Allen Crabbe, we had Wes (Matthews), we had C.J. I think that’s the situation [Denver] ended up in.”
On how Nurkic’s breakout second half affects the Blazers’ summer plans:
“We’re not looking for a center. Quite honestly, when we got here five years ago we thought we were 60% of the way to a starting lineup. But I think we’ve all talked about that in the past. We drafted Dame, we experimented the first year, then we found RoLo (Robin Lopez). And I think this past year I think we felt like we were closer to the 60% than we really were in a year where the West was, quite honestly, much more competitive than it had been the year prior. But I think getting Jusuf solidifies that position.”
On whether the Blazers will look to extend Nurkic’s contract this offseason:
“I haven’t even thought about it, honestly. Everybody’s a little raw. It was a weird ride, right? He kinda came in out of nowhere. He blew up and then got hurt. We gotta get guys healthy first and then get them all back in the gym and again see what we have. But I don’t talk about contract negotiations. Even when you saw some of the guys last year whether it was Moe (Harkless) or Meyers (Leonard), when we had deals done, we had deals done. But it didn’t play out in the media and it really wasn’t public.”
On whether the Blazers considered tanking instead of making a run for the No. 8 seed:
“Never. You can’t build a winning culture by losing. … I think we’re one of only six teams to make the playoffs in the last four years. And that’s not to tout it, because finishing eighth and getting beat in the first round in a sweep to Golden (State) isn’t something to beat your breast about when you’re comparing yourself to Golden and the Spurs, the upper echelon. But when you look at the reverse of that, when you look at some teams that have wallowed in the lottery … when you fall back into that and you accept that it becomes easier to stay there.”
Clippers Rumors: Rivers, Offseason, G. Green
After losing Game 5 at home to the Jazz on Tuesday night, the Clippers will head to Utah down 3-2, on the brink of elimination. And as soon as they’re bounced from the postseason, which could happen as early as Friday, the Clips will face some potentially franchise-altering decisions, as Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical outlines. According to Wojnarowski, it’s not “realistic” to believe that the Clippers will bring all their key free agents back and go deeper into the luxury tax if they’re ousted in the first round on the heels of another Blake Griffin injury.
While there may be some roster changes coming in Los Angeles, the Clippers are very unlikely to undergo any sort of front office upheaval, per Wojnarowski, who says that Doc Rivers isn’t leaving the club. Rivers has owner Steve Ballmer‘s trust and confidence, and the Clippers like their current front office structure, which includes Lawrence Frank in an executive VP of basketball operations role, Wojnarowski writes.
Still, the Clippers’ brain trust will have a lot to think about if the team’s season comes to an end this weekend. Here’s more on the franchise:
- Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times breaks down several scenarios for the Clippers’ offseason, suggesting it would be “stunning” if the team were to bring back its entire core after another early postseason exit. In Plaschke’s view, the most likely scenario involves retooling the team around Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan, with Griffin and J.J. Redick heading elsewhere.
- A past roster decision is coming back to haunt Rivers and the Clippers in this year’s postseason, according to James Blancarte of Basketball Insiders, who details the team’s decision to waive Joe Ingles in 2014. The Australian forward caught on with the Jazz shortly after being cut by L.A., and is playing a key role for Utah in these playoffs.
- Before he signed with the Celtics last summer, Gerald Green appeared to be on the verge of signing with the Clippers, reports Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Sources tell Deveney that the Clips believed they had Green locked up before he ultimately landed with Boston. Green likely wouldn’t have been a postseason difference-maker for Los Angeles, but he did have a big game for the Celtics on Sunday, when he poured in 18 points in Game 4.
Rajon Rondo Won’t Play In Game 5
10:10am: Rondo won’t play in Game 5, he confirmed this morning to reporters, admitting that he still can’t do much with injured thumb (Twitter links via K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune). His potential availability for Game 6 remains up in the air.
9:29am: Rajon Rondo has missed just two games since suffering a fractured thumb in Game 2 of the Bulls’ first round series against the Celtics. However, the veteran point guard is anxious to return and participated in a late-night workout on Tuesday to assess whether he’s healthy enough to get back on the court for Game 5, per Marc Stein and Marc Spears of ESPN.com.
According to the ESPN duo, Rondo held the session to test both his thumb and his ailing right wrist in an effort to get a sense of whether a comeback for Game 5 is feasible. Shams Charania of The Vertical suggests there’s a belief around Rondo and the Bulls that a Game 5 return isn’t out of the question, but both ESPN and The Vertical suggest no final determination will be made until closer to game time.
“He wants to play bad,” a source close to Rondo told ESPN on Tuesday night. “As of right now, it’s still tender and he’s erring on the side of waiting until Game 6. But knowing him, he could change his mind in the morning and try to play.”
We heard earlier on Tuesday that Rondo had been ruled out for Game 5, with head coach Fred Hoiberg suggesting that even a Game 6 return was a “long shot,” so it seems that the point guard is attempting to force the issue.
The Bulls looked like a different team in the first two games of the series with Rondo leading the way. The former Celtic averaged 11.5 PPG, 10.0 APG, 8.5 RPG, and 3.5 SPG in the Bulls’ two victories in Boston. With the series now tied at two games apiece, Chicago would love to get Rondo back in the lineup, but it remains to be seen how effective he can be, even if he’s able to play.
In Rondo’s absence, Jerian Grant and Michael Carter-Williams have struggled. The Bulls are expected to start Isaiah Canaan at the point in Game 5 is Rondo remains on the shelf.
Thunder Rumors: Roberson, Westbrook, Gibson
The Thunder’s offseason is now officially underway after the team was eliminated from the playoffs on Tuesday night by the Rockets. While the summer of 2017 won’t feature any contract situations as game-changing – and uncertain – as Kevin Durant‘s was a year ago for the franchise, Oklahoma City will have plenty of crucial decisions to make in the coming months. With that in mind, let’s round up a few of the offseason’s first Thunder-related notes and rumors…
- Andre Roberson is eligible for restricted free agency this July, and the Thunder are “intent on keeping him,” says Royce Young of ESPN.com. Although Roberson isn’t a dynamic offensive player, he’s one of the league’s best perimeter defenders, and the Thunder believe he showed some positive development and a better understanding of his role as the season went on, per Young.
- The Thunder will explore many avenues for potential upgrades, but there’s optimism within the organization that many of the team’s young players will continue to improve. Young points to Alex Abrines and Domantas Sabonis as rookies who will have the opportunity to develop into “high-level role players” for the Thunder.
- While other stars around the NBA may push their teams to acquire certain players, Russell Westbrook prefers to stay out of front office business, with a source telling Young that the point guard has never complained about the Thunder’s roster.
- Speaking of Westbrook, he’ll be eligible for the NBA’s new Designated Veteran Extension this offseason. According to Young, there’s an expectation that the Thunder will offer such an extension, which would exceed $200MM over five years. This will be an interesting situation to watch, since Westbrook’s contract is only guaranteed for one more season — if he were to turn down a lucrative long-term contract, trade speculation would likely begin in earnest.
- Following the Thunder’s Game 5 loss, free-agent-to-be Taj Gibson said that he’d like to stay with the Thunder, as Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders tweets. However, while Gibson’s love for OKC is genuine, this summer could represent his last chance at a big payday, Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News observes (via Twitter). Young suggests in his ESPN story that Gibson will likely end up signing with another team.
Dion Waiters Discusses Heat, Thunder, Pat Riley
Dion Waiters can become a free agent this offseason by turning down his player option for next season. Even if he chooses that route, he hopes to return to Miami. “Hopefully, we found a home down here,” Waiter writes on The Players’ Tribune.
The Philadelphia native didn’t expect to sign with the Heat last summer. He was a free agent and heard that Miami was interested, but wasn’t sold on the fit. “I wasn’t really seeing it at first. Nothing against the Heat, but I didn’t know how I’d fit there,” Waiters writes. “Then I met Pat Riley.”
Waiters explains how Riley spoke with him about life and not just basketball during a free agent meeting. Riley also told him that if he came to Miami, the organization would get him in “world-class shape.” Waiters said he didn’t know it at the time, but now he realizes that taking the meeting with the Heat president was the best thing that happened to his basketball career. He writes:
When Pat said “world-class shape,” I thought it sounded cool, but in my head, I was like, Yeah, I got this. I’m in world-class shape. You already know. So I show up for camp, and after one week, my body is shot. I was damn near throwing up in trash cans like in the movies. And I realized, You know what? Pat was not just talking that smooth talk. This Heat thing is the real deal.
Miami came up one game short of making the playoffs after starting the season with a record of 11-30. Waiters believes that the Heat could have done serious damage as an eighth seed in the east, but regardless, he feels the season was special.
The Syracuse product also discusses how he enjoyed competing with Kevin Durant in practice and how he loved his Thunder team during the 2015/16 season. Waiters thought he was going to return to Oklahoma City after the team lost in the Western Conference Finals. “I genuinely thought I was going to be back in OKC this season, and we were going to make another run at it. But things didn’t work out that way, because basketball is a business,” he writes.
Waiters’ article is one of the publication’s best pieces and it’s worth a read. In addition to the aforementioned, he discusses his life growing up in Philadelphia, his younger basketball days, and his public persona, which includes the notion that he thinks he’s the best on the court and that he has irrational confidence.
“Listen, now you know where I’m from. Picture yourself walking into a South Philly playground at 12 years old, with [grown] men, bleachers packed with people, trying to get a run in.” Waiters writes. “You think you can survive in Philly without irrational confidence?”
Blazers Notes: Lillard, Durant, Draft
The Blazers made the playoffs this season, but Damian Lillard doesn’t consider that a success, as Chris Haynes of ESPN.com relays.
“We got tested, and I think we answered the bell,” the point guard said. “I felt like we showed our true colors by the way we fought. But I wouldn’t say successful. I think it was growth. A year of growth for us.”
The Warriors swept the Blazers in the opening round of the playoffs and Lillard understands that his team needs to beat Golden State if it’s going to win the Western Conference.
“You also got to understand that if you ever want to get out of the West, you’re going to have to go through them,” Lillard said. “And for me, I understand that’s what it is. It’s always been that way in the NBA. I think about when the Pistons were just beating up on [Michael] Jordan. [They] were just kicking his butt every year, and he had to get through them if he wanted to get to where he wanted to get to. That’s just what it is.
“[The Warriors are] going to be there. They’re going to be there every year. We have to look at that and understand that we got to be better. We have to go get better, and come back better as a group if we want to move past them.”
Here’s more from Portland:
- Kevin Durant believes the Blazers are a few pieces away from contending for the conference’s crown, as Haynes passes along in the same piece. “I think they want somebody on the wing that can take the pressure off those two guards [C.J. McCollum and Lillard], somebody that’s big for their position. But they’re right there, man,” Durant said.
- Breaking up McCollum and Lillard might be the only way the Blazers bring home the title, Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer contends. The scribe sees parallels in Portland’s current team and Golden State’s in 2012. The Warriors knew Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry couldn’t defend opposing backcourts at a top level and the team decided to trade Ellis away.
- The Blazers acquired the No. 20 overall pick in the upcoming draft in the Jusuf Nurkic deal and that selection could be more important than the center, O’Connor argues in the same piece. Portland needs to find another piece to take the team from good to great and without cap space, the team will likely need to add that player through the draft. In addition to No. 20, the franchise also owns the No. 15 and No. 26 overall picks.