Atlantic Notes: Okafor, Kanter, Morris
There’s no timetable for Jahlil Okafor to make his Nets debut. Head coach Kenny Atkinson is hoping to ease the big man’s transition to his new club. Alex Labidou of the Nets’ official site writes that the center appreciates the team’s patient approach to his situation.
“[The Nets] know my weaknesses and strengths and I’m working with them every day to get better,” Okafor said. “They already told me what they want me to work on and like I said, I’m all in.”
Okafor was acquired by the Nets on December 7, having played the first two seasons of his NBA career in Philadelphia.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division this evening:
- Despite the fact that he’s barely over “40-50%”, Enes Kanter isn’t about to sit out any games for the Knicks if he doesn’t have to. The big man, who’s posted 13.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game in a widely acclaimed first few months in New York, told Fred Kerber of the New York Post that he knows all too well that every single game matters over the course of an NBA season.
- The Raptors vowed to tweak their offense over the offseason and are already reaping the benefits. As James Herbert of CBS writes, the team has broken the bad habits that led to consistent playoff letdowns.
- The Celtics have been without Marcus Morris for four of their past five contests, prompting president of basketball operations Danny Ainge to come up with a plan to help ease the offseason addition back into a consistent routine, A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston writes.
Fantasy Hoops: Mirotic, Gasol, Hollis-Jefferson
Nikola Mirotic has thrived since returning to action, posting 19.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest while shooting 57.1% from the field. Since Mirotic’s debut this season, a Bulls team that won three of its first 23 games has gone 4-0, and the franchise recognizes the power forward’s value.
“He does a lot of little things that don’t show up in the box score,” coach Fred Hoiberg recently said. “He’s in the right spot defensively, he’s in a stance, he knows where to be, he understands the game plan.”
Chicago led our reverse standings for much of the first quarter of the season and though the Bulls insist they’re not tanking, Mirotic’s success may only provide them with further motivation to ship him elsewhere when he becomes trade-eligible on January 15. We heard earlier in the week that the Bulls were gauging Mirotic’s value on the market and his stock likely only improved after a 29 point, 11-for-18 performance against the Jazz on Wednesday night.
Don’t expect Mirotic to continue with this level of production. Two of his four games, including the Utah contest, came with rookie Lauri Markkanen sitting out, so Mirotic is unlikely to maintain his current 25.4 usage percentage. When Markanen returns, Mirotic should still remain involved in the offense, especially if the Bulls are showcasing him for a trade, as I alluded to in a previous edition of Fantasy Hoops. However, expect a cutback in production to occur. That, along with the chances of him being dealt elsewhere, makes Mirotic a sell-high candidate despite that fact that many fantasy players likely just picked him up.
The list of players I would target include Bobby Portis, Brook Lopez, Darren Collison, Al-Farouq Aminu and Spencer Dinwiddie. These are all players I have in the tier above Mirotic, but they could be undervalued in your leagues for various reasons.
Marginal moves can sometimes be key to turning teams around — just ask former Sixers GM Sam Hinkie (who should be an Executive of the Year candidate) or current Nets GM Sean Marks, both of whom have done a great job finding value in the margins.
If your season isn’t going as planned, identifying players to buy low and sell high on could be your way to turn it around. And for those who just enjoyed Mirotic’s great week of play, another opportunity awaits.
Here’s more notes and analysis from around the league:
- The Hawks have been one of the best match-ups for opposing centers, allowing the most rebounds and third-highest field goal percentage to opposing fives over their last 10 contests. Target Marc Gasol, despite the high sticker price, in daily contests tonight.
- The Heat will take on the Hawks on Monday, and center Bam Adebayo could be a player to target for that contest. Adebayo has had mixed results as a fill-in for Whiteside, but if the $98MM man doesn’t return to the over the weekend, Adebayo becomes an intriguing, super-cheap option to consider in daily.
- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has seen an increase in usage since the Nets shipped out Trevor Booker. Having attempted 10.2 shots per game before the Jahlil Okafor trade, RHJ has attempted 12.5 since then. He may lose some touches once Okafor debuts, but the combo forward contributes in enough categories to remain a fantasy asset.
- Cavaliers point guard Jose Calderon deserves some attention after scoring a season-high 17 points against the Lakers on Thursday. That performance followed up a 14-point, four-assist showing against the Hawks, in which he hit four shots from behind the arc and added a steal. He’s far from a must-add, but Calderon could be useful as a spot starter in season-long leagues and he’s a nice low-price option in daily, especially on Saturday against a Jazz team that has allowed opposing point guards to shoot 46.0% from the field (23rd in the league) over its last 10 games.
Fantasy questions? Take to the comment section below or tweet me at @CW_Crouse.
Statistics are current through Friday morning. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
And-Ones: Doncic, Gee, Mexico City, NBPA
A highlight of Real Madrid star Luka Doncic crossing over former Trail Blazers forward Victor Claver went viral on Thursday, and representatives from a number of NBA teams were on hand to see it in person. According to international basketball reporter David Pick (Twitter link), the Sixers, Suns, Clippers, Magic, Mavericks, Pelicans, Wizards, and others all had officials in attendance.
Of course, given how highly regarded Doncic is, most of these teams are unlikely to have a shot at him in the 2018 NBA draft. In singling out some of the risers and fallers in the latest update to their 2018 big board, Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz of ESPN (Insider link) explain why Doncic is at the top of their rankings.
According to Givony and Schmitz, who refer to Doncic as “the most productive European prospect of all time,” the 6’8″ guard could have a legit chance to win the EuroLeague’s MVP award this season. Some scouts worry about his athleticism, his defense, or his ability to create shots, so it’s not a lock that he’ll go No. 1 in June. But Doncic, at age 18, is already one of the best scorers and facilitators in Europe, in the eyes of Givony and Schmitz.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Veteran NBA swingman Alonzo Gee is headed to the G League, according to Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days, who tweets that the Heat‘s affiliate (the Sioux Falls Skyforce) has claimed Gee off waivers. The 30-year-old, who has appeared in regular season games for six NBA clubs, last played for the Nuggets in 2016/17.
- After reporting last week that the NBA intends to establish a G League franchise in Mexico City, Marc Stein of The New York Times takes a deep dive into the issue and outlines why the league is more seriously considering the viability of eventually expanding to Mexico — not just with a G League team, but with an NBA club. The fact that Mexico City shares a time zone with so many current NBA clubs is a major plus, as commissioner Adam Silver observes.
- The players’ union and former NBPA executive director Billy Hunter have reached a settlement in their legal battle, according to Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (Twitter links). After the NBPA fired Hunter in 2013, the longtime executive director sued the union for $10MM+, and the union counter-sued. Terms of the settlement weren’t disclosed, but Hunter said in a statement that he’s happy about “moving forward after years of hard-fought litigation on both sides.”
Hoops Rumors Glossary: NBA Roster Limits
The rules governing the number of players an NBA team can carry on its roster vary depending on the time of year. During the regular season, teams aren’t allowed to carry more than 15 players on their rosters, except in rare instances. Generally, when a club with 15 players on its roster acquires a new player, it must waive someone to clear a spot. In the offseason though, teams are permitted to carry up to 20 players on their rosters.
The NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement has complicated roster counts to some extent by introducing two-way contracts, which allow each team to carry two extra players. Someone on a two-way deal is essentially a G League player, but can spend up to 45 teams with his NBA team, and can’t be poached by a rival NBA club, as we explain in our FAQ.
During the regular season, two-way players don’t count toward the 15-man limit, meaning teams can essentially have 17 players under contract. However, two-way players do count toward the 20-man limit in the offseason. If a club is carrying 20 players on standard NBA contracts in August, it can’t sign a player to a two-way deal without waiving someone.
[RELATED: 2017/18 NBA Roster Counts]
A team ravaged by injuries can sometimes get an extra spot on its regular-season roster via a hardship exception. The NBA can grant this exception when a team has at least four players who have missed three consecutive games and will continue to miss time. Just this week, the Suns were granted an injury exception because Brandon Knight, Alan Williams, Davon Reed, and Devin Booker are all sidelined. Phoenix signed Isaiah Canaan, and now temporarily has a 16-man roster. When one of those players – most likely Booker – is ready to return, the Suns will have to get back to the 15-man limit by waiving Canaan or another player.
A club is also permitted to add a 16th man to its regular season roster if it has a player on the suspended list. A player who is suspended by his team for four or more games may be placed on the suspended list following the third game of his ban, while a player suspended by the NBA for six or more games can be placed on the suspended list following the fifth game of his ban. Teams can’t make use of the suspended list for shorter suspensions.
For instance, Knicks center Joakim Noah received a 20-game suspension from the NBA back in March. He served eight games last season, meaning New York was able to place him on the suspended list to open the 2017/18 campaign. That allowed the Knicks to carry a 16th player for their first 12 games of the season before Noah returned, at which point the team waived Mindaugas Kuzminskas to get back down to 15 players.
The fewest number of players an NBA team can have on its roster during the regular season is 14, not counting two-way players. Still, a team can dip to 13 or even 12 for a limited time, under special circumstances — in those instances, the team must get back up to 14 players within two weeks.
Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ was used in the creation of this post.
Earlier versions of this post were published in 2012 and 2013 by Luke Adams.
DeMarcus Cousins Talks Future With Pelicans
While DeMarcus Cousins has put up excellent numbers throughout his entire NBA career, he has taken his game to another level this season, recording 26.1 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 5.1 APG, 1.5 BPG, and 1.5 SPG through his first 29 contests.
If the Pelicans continue to hold a playoff spot and Cousins stays hot, he could even be in the MVP consideration at season’s end. However, the big man tells Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated that’s not a priority. Suggesting that he’d be happy with a Pelicans win even if he took just two shots all game, Cousins said he doesn’t care about “numbers” or “All-NBA.”
In addition to addressing the MVP conversation – he views the award as a “popularity contest” – and griping about how quickly referees are willing to slap him with a technical foul, Cousins also weighed in on a few topics related to his potential short- and long-term future with the Pelicans. Here are some of the highlights from his comments to Spears:
On whether he thinks the Pelicans could trade him before the deadline:
“I am confident in my team. I am starting to understand this business a lot more than I did before. You can kind of tell when things are about to come about. We’re a very competitive team. A talented team. I don’t think that will be the case at all.”
On teammate Anthony Davis encouraging him to re-sign with the Pelicans:
“A.D. hits me with little jabs about free agency all the time, but he also understands. It was Jrue [Holiday] in that situation last [offseason], and we understood his situation. Of course, they throw their little jabs. They throw their little jokes. But they are serious at the same time. They are respectful about it at the same time. … They have been great about it. It’s never been like a pressure thing. But I know where their heart is and they know where mine is. We have a great understanding.”
On the prospect of making the postseason for the first time in his NBA career:
“It would definitely be a special moment for me. I am a super competitive guy. I come out to play every night no matter who it is in front of me. And I love to win. I hate losing more than I love to win. To be able to reach that goal, something I haven’t been able to do in my career, which is sad, that would be one of the more special moments of my career so far.”
Cavaliers Reluctant To Discuss Nets’ Pick
Shortly after acquiring the Nets’ 2018 first-round pick from the Celtics in the summer, Cavaliers GM Koby Altman acknowledged that he had an obligation to listen to inquiries on that pick, but suggested that the Cavs had “every intention of keeping it and using it.” A few months later, it doesn’t appear that stance has changed. League executives tell Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that Cleveland has been very reluctant to include that first-rounder in trade talks to date.
“They would be open to a deal by all indications,” one general manager told Deveney. “But they’re not talking about that pick. That’s the Plan B for the LeBron [James] stuff and from what I know, they don’t want to budge on it.”
[RELATED: Latest on LeBron James]
The “LeBron stuff,” of course, is the possibility that James will leave Cleveland as a free agent in 2018 — the club wants to be in position to replenish its roster with young talent in that scenario, and the Brooklyn pick, which figures to be a lottery selection, would be a great start. Still, one league executive suggested that the Cavs’ apparent unwillingness to discuss the pick may be a smokescreen. If the Cavs consider dealing the Nets’ pick, another executive said, it would have to be in a deal for a star.
“The only way they trade that would be a transformational player, someone who can help them win a championship,” the exec told Deveney. “I don’t think there is necessarily a player like that out there, at least not what’s been talked about so far. But you’re not going to deal away your chance at a top player in this draft for the right to lose to the Warriors again.”
The Cavs have been linked to multiple veteran centers on struggling teams, including DeAndre Jordan and Marc Gasol. However, a source tells Deveney that no serious discussions about a deal like that are happening at this point. If Cleveland engages the Clippers or Grizzlies about such a trade, I imagine the Nets’ pick would be the first asset either of those teams asks about.
Trade Rumors: Celtics, G. Hill, Hornets, Thunder
The Celtics still have nearly three months to use the $8.4MM disabled player exception they acquired after losing Gordon Hayward. While there are probably no available free agents worth signing with the DPE, Boston could also use the exception to trade for a player in the last year of his contract. However, Danny Ainge says the Celtics are remaining patient as they consider their options, adding that “there’s nothing that really excites us” right now.
“The reason we haven’t used it is we need to be careful with it because we don’t know what injuries may happen over this next stretch,” the Celtics’ president of basketball operations said, per A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston. “That could be important for us, heading into the late season and into the playoffs and if our roster changes if somebody’s not healthy at a particular position.”
[RELATED: Explaining the Celtics’ disabled player exception]
The most likely scenario for the Celtics’ disabled player exception is that the team seriously explores using it at the trade deadline, or hangs onto it even longer to sign a player who is bought out after the deadline. Still, Ainge acknowledges that if the front office identifies a player “we’re excited about,” who could help in the playoffs, the team could use the DPE to trade for him sooner rather than later.
Here are more trade-related notes and rumors from around the NBA:
- Several opposing team executives told Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net earlier this week that they’ve received calls about Kings point guard George Hill. Hill, who has seen his minutes cut back in Sacramento and has seemed frustrated with the team’s performance, is one of 94 players who became trade-eligible today.
- In his latest piece for ESPN.com, Zach Lowe passes along an after-the-fact trade rumor, writing that the Hornets made “initial inquiries” last spring on Jimmy Butler when he was still in Chicago. The Bulls had no interest in any of Charlotte’s pieces though, league sources tell Lowe.
- The Thunder have made some interesting trades over the years between December 15 and the deadline, and they could be in position to do so again this season, writes Erik Horne of The Oklahoman. Horne suggests that Oklahoma City won’t want to break up its core unless things continue to go south, adding that the team could instead explore trade additions to help complement its Big Three.
Tim Hardaway Jr. Not Close To Return
Speaking to reporters on Thursday for the first time since being sidelined with a leg ailment, Knicks swingman Tim Hardaway Jr. referred to the injury as “serious” and suggested that he’s not close to a return. Asked if he thinks he’ll be back before the end of the calendar year, Hardaway was noncommittal, per Marc Berman of The New York Post.
“The goal is just to get better first,” Hardaway said. “That’s the goal. I’m not giving myself a deadline. I don’t want to get to that point and be upset and down on myself. I don’t want to give myself a set date on when I should return. I’ll do what I can to get this right. When I’m confident and ready to go, then we’ll see.”
Hardaway, who hasn’t played since November 29, was diagnosed with what the Knicks simply called a “stress injury” in his lower left leg. While it’s not clear if he has a stress reaction or a stress fracture, both injuries could take several weeks to heal, Berman notes.
Although they lost three of their first four games without Hardaway, the Knicks are currently riding a three-game winning streak and are hanging onto a top-eight seed in the East. General manager Scott Perry recently expressed a distaste for tanking, so it will be interesting to see if New York can remain in playoff contention during Hardaway’s absence, as the trade deadline approaches — the club’s approach to the deadline could vary significantly depending on its place in the conference standings.
93 NBA Players Become Trade-Eligible
It’s December 15, which means today’s the day that most of the players who signed new contracts this past offseason become trade-eligible for the first time. In total, 93 players will have those trade restrictions lifted today.
The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement states that a free agent who signs with an NBA team can’t be traded for three months or until December 15, whichever is later. So, players who signed new contracts after September 15 aren’t eligible to be dealt yet. Additionally, there are several players who met a specific set of criteria when they signed their new deals and can’t be traded until January 15.
Besides those players though, nearly everyone in the NBA is now trade-eligible, which means that teams eager to talk trades can begin doing so in less hypothetical terms — there aren’t many roadblocks left in their way. Of course, most deals still won’t be completed until closer to the February 8 deadline, but today represents the unofficial start of NBA trade season for 2017/18.
[RELATED: Five notable players who become trade-eligible in December]
The full list of players who are becoming trade-eligible today can be found below. Players who have the ability to veto trades in 2017/18 are marked with an asterisk.
Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics
Brooklyn Nets
Charlotte Hornets
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Latest On LeBron James
For much of 2017, there have been rumblings about the possibility of LeBron James leaving the Cavaliers in the summer of 2018 to head west to Los Angeles. With the Cavs hosting the Lakers on Thursday night, it was as good a time as any for Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst of ESPN to check in on James’ upcoming free agency, passing along a few notes and tidbits they’ve picked up from various sources. Here are some highlights from their piece:
- Despite the constant speculation and L.A.’s efforts to create massive cap room for 2018, the Lakers look a “long shot” to sign James for now, league sources tell Shelburne and Windhorst.
- According to ESPN’s report, when James reached free agency in 2014, his reps told contending teams to be prepared to offer a maximum salary contract, and not a penny less. It’s too early to lock anything in for 2018, but don’t expect James to take a Kevin Durant-esque discount on his next contract, per Shelburne and Windhorst. Sources tell the duo that James’ stance on max contracts hasn’t changed, meaning potential suitors will need to be able to offer a projected starting salary of approximately $35MM.
- A recent report cited the Rockets as a threat for James, and LeBron’s longtime friendship with Chris Paul is a reason to take Houston seriously, according to Shelburne and Windhorst. Still, league sources tell ESPN that the idea that James and Paul badly want to end up on the same team is an “overstated assumption.”
- While we’ll certainly hear plenty more about James’ free agency in the coming months, it’s unlikely that we’ll hear much from the man himself — or agent Rich Paul. “LeBron is focused on this season and winning a championship,” Paul told ESPN. “At the appropriate time, we will explore all the options. Now is not the time.”