2017 | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Notes: Jackson, Anthony, Hornacek, Fox

By Arthur Hill | at May 13, 2017 8:50 pm

Team president Phil Jackson hasn’t changed his mind about Carmelo Anthony leaving the Knicks, but coach Jeff Hornacek sounds less certain, relays Jeff Arnold of The New York Times. Hornacek appears to be leaving the door open for a return by Anthony, who has two seasons left on his current contract and a no-trade clause to block any deal he doesn’t like. “Carmelo is a great player — he did a lot of great things for us,” Hornacek said. “He won us games. He hit some big shots for us; he was a guy that we could go to. If he’s back, he’ll be a guy that we go to again. If he’s not, then that’s when other guys are going to have to become the guy that maybe you can go to or give us big buckets.”

There’s more tonight out of New York:

Despite their differences, Jackson recently sent a text message to Anthony expressing support regarding his separation from his wife, La La, Arnold writes in the same story. Jackson notes that it’s a “tough time” for Anthony as his personal life has become the topic of tabloid headlines.
Jackson realizes the Knicks’ immediate future isn’t bright, which is part of the reason he wants Anthony to leave, writes Adi Joseph of USA Today. Addressing reporters at the draft combine, Jackson noted that Anthony hopes to compete for a title and New York can’t give him that opportunity. “We’d just like him to have success somewhere,” Jackson said. “We’re not going to be there. Hopefully we’ll be maybe a playoff team next year. It would be tough to consider us possible champions.” The Knicks are coming off a 31-51 season and haven’t had a winning team since 2012/13.
Jackson recently met with commissioner Adam Silver to discuss the state of the franchise, according to a post from Ian Begley on ESPN Now. Jackson indicated that Silver believes the Knicks are headed in the right direction. “You guys seem to want to knock us around a little bit, then make us look like we don’t know what we’re doing,” Jackson said to reporters, “but [Silver is] comfortable that we do. …. To have a positive base to work from is really important. And our fan core is positive and we’d like to give them hope because they’ve been disappointed.”
Kentucky point guard De’Aaron Fox interviewed with the Knicks during the combine and said he would love to play in New York, relays Adam Zagoria of Fanrag Sports. Fox is projected as a top five pick, so the Knicks might need some lottery luck to acquire him. “I don’t know too much about the triangle,” he said. “Everyone says it’s hard to learn, but if I go in there I’ll have to learn quickly. And [Kristaps] Porzingis, he’s amazing, watching the NBA this year. I really paid attention to the NBA this year knowing I’m about to go into this business; I had to stop watching it as a casual fan and start thinking of it as a business aspect. He’s great and if I get to play with him, I feel like we can do something special.”

Five Key Offseason Questions: Chicago Bulls

By Arthur Hill | at May 13, 2017 7:45 pm

Whether “Three Alphas” were too many or too few, this season didn’t turn out the way the Bulls hoped when they signed Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo to team with Jimmy Butler. After spending much of the year teetering on the edge of disaster, Chicago put together a late-season surge to claim the East’s final playoff spot.

Now the Bulls have to decide if they want to go through it all again. There’s no guarantee that Wade, Rondo or Butler will still be in Chicago next season, but there’s also a decent chance that they might all come back. If they do return, the Bulls need to spend the summer finding the right pieces to put around them, something that never happened this season. The other option is a complete rebuilding project, which some in the front office reportedly favor, but which Bulls fans may not be ready to accept.

Here are five key questions as Chicago embarks on an unpredictable offseason:

1. Is Butler a franchise player?

It’s not often you hear an All-Star-level professional athlete get upset about a preposition, but Butler reportedly become angry when VP of basketball operations John Paxson said, “We are building with Jimmy right now.” Butler planned to make it clear in a post-season meeting with management that he is the type of player to build around, not just with.

Regardless of the wording, Butler is the key to Chicago’s future. He is under contract for the next two seasons at nearly $18.7MM and $19.9MM before entering an option year in 2019/20. So the Bulls can try to piece together a title contender, or they can trade him and start rebuilding. The Celtics, who may own the top pick in this year’s draft, were very interested last summer, as were the Timberwolves, who are run by Butler’s former Chicago coach, Tom Thibodeau.

The Bulls have a lot of dominoes that could fall in a lot of different directions this offseason, but the decision that will affect all others is whether to blow up the current team and take the best deal for Butler or keep him as the centerpiece to build around (or with).

2. What could be better than $23.8MM?

That’s the question facing Wade, who will make that salary from the Bulls next season if he doesn’t opt out. The dilemma facing Wade is where else could he go and would anybody be willing to pay him more? He was one of the beneficiaries of last summer’s league-wide spending spree, which might continue this year as the salary cap rises another $7MM. But Wade turned 35 in January and has the wear and tear of 14 NBA seasons. He played just 60 games this year and his scoring average of 18.3 points per game was the lowest since he was a rookie.

Taking his talents back to South Beach might make for a touching story, but it would force the Heat to either give up on signing free agents Dion Waiters and James Johnson or find a way to trade some other salary. We can assume that Wade would only want to join a contending team, but there are few contenders with the cap space to offer a near-max deal to a 35-year-old who may not be a difference maker any more.

3. Rondo: Another year, another team?

After spending nearly the first decade of his career in Boston, Rondo has become an NBA journeyman. He was traded to Dallas midway through the 2014/15 season, then spent one season in Sacramento and another in Chicago. He could be on the move again if the Bulls don’t want to cough up $13.397MM on a contract that only has a $3MM guarantee through June 30th.

It seemed like an obvious decision back in January when Rondo was pulled from the rotation and had to work out at a local school to stay in shape. However, that benching experience lasted just five games and Rondo became a productive player again before a playoff wrist injury finished his season. The Bulls appear to have completely changed their stance on Rondo, with Paxson saying in a postseason media session that there’s a “really good chance” he will be kept for another year.

In addition to Rondo’s performance, the Bulls were probably influenced by the failure of several young point guards who were acquired over the past year. Chicago traded for Jerian Grant, Michael Carter-Williams and Cameron Payne, none of whom handled the job better than Rondo.

4. Fire Hoiberg?

That was the demand from the fans at the United Center who hung around for the final minutes of the Game 6 loss to Boston. Head coach Fred Hoiberg has been an embattled figure almost from the time he left Iowa State two summers ahead to take the reins of the Bulls. Butler fired the first salvo in December of 2015, suggesting that Hoiberg wasn’t coaching the team hard enough. Since then, there has been a steady stream of dirty laundry being aired in public, giving the impression that Hoiberg doesn’t have control of his locker room.

On the other hand, the Bulls’ front office still loves Hoiberg, with Paxson saying last week that he will definitely return to coach another season. A rebuilding project could be the best move for Hoiberg’s job security, as he would probably be given time to develop the type of up-tempo, floor-spacing team he envisions. If all the veterans return next season and the Bulls aren’t winning, Hoiberg’s coaching seat could get very hot very quickly.

5. Are two Paxsons better than one?

“Subtle” front office changes are reportedly being considered in Chicago, which could result in more power for Paxson, along with a role for his brother Jim, a former GM with the Cavaliers. John Paxson and GM Gar Forman are both believed to be safe, as the Reinsdorf family still has faith in them, even if many Bulls fans do not after winning 42 and 41 games in successive seasons.

No matter who gets to make the decisions, there are a lot of them to be faced. Without counting Wade, Chicago has five significant free agents in Carter-Williams, Nikola Mirotic, Cristiano Felicio, Anthony Morrow and Joffrey Lauvergne. Wade’s fate may be out of the hands of the front office, but the choices on Butler and Rondo aren’t. The wind could blow either way this summer in the Windy City. It’s time to choose a direction.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Bulls financially:

Guaranteed Salary

Jimmy Butler ($18,696,918)
Robin Lopez ($13,788,500)
Rajon Rondo ($3,000,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below.¹
Cameron Payne ($2,203,440)
Denzel Valentine ($2,186,400)
Jerian Grant ($1,713,840)
Bobby Portis ($1,516,320)
Paul Zipser ($1,312,611)
Isaiah Canaan ($200,000) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below.²
Total: $44,618,029

Player Options

Dwyane Wade ($23,800,000)
Total: $23,800,000

Team Options

None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Rajon Rondo ($10,397,000) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.¹
Isaiah Canaan ($1,377,230) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.²
Total: $11,774,230

Restricted Free Agents

Nikola Mirotic ($7,228,063 qualifying offer / $10,986,655 cap hold)
Michael Carter-Williams ($4,187,598 qualifying offer / $7,958,815 cap hold)
Joffrey Lauvergne ($2,137,149 qualifying offer / $3,248,466 cap hold)
Cristiano Felicio ($1,671,382 qualifying offer / $1,671,382 cap hold)
Total: $23,865,318

Cap Holds

Dwyane Wade ($27,840,000) — If player option is declined
Anthony Morrow ($6,627,200)
No. 16 overall pick ($2,247,480)
Total: $36,714,680

Trade Exceptions

Taj Gibson TPE ($5,462,000) — Expires 2/23/18

Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000

Maximum Cap Room: $50,872,031

With only two sizable guaranteed contracts on their books for next season, the Bulls could clear a significant chunk of cap room. However, it would require waiving Rondo and Canaan, not to mention renouncing all their exceptions and free agents, including Wade (assuming he turns down his player option). In that scenario, the Bulls’ remaining guaranteed salary, the cap hold for their first-round pick, and a few cap charges for empty roster spots would total $50,127,969.

Footnotes:

Rondo’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after June 30.
Canaan’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after June 30.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders and The Vertical was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

5 comments Chicago Bulls Five Key Offseason Questions Hoops Rumors Originals

Edy Tavares Fractures Hand, Out Indefinitely

By Arthur Hill | at May 13, 2017 6:14 pm

Cavaliers backup center Edy Tavares could be lost for the rest of the playoffs after fracturing his right hand during practice, tweets Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com.

The team announced today that Tavares is out indefinitely after the extent of the injury was confirmed through an X-ray and bone scan, relays the Associated Press. The 7’3″ rookie hurt his hand during Thursday’s practice.

Cleveland signed Tavares on the final day of the regular season, and he posted six points and 10 rebounds in his lone game with the team. He didn’t appear in any of the eight playoff games. Tavares also played one game for the Hawks earlier this season and 11 with Atlanta last year.

The 25-year-old represents the Cavs’ most recent late-season attempt to find depth at center. When the organization signed him, it waived former Bucks standout Larry Sanders, who was never able to make an impact in Cleveland and spent much of his time in the D-League. Sanders took over for Andrew Bogut, who was signed after agreeing to a buyout with the Sixers, but was on the court for less than a minute before suffering a fractured left tibia.

Tavares agreed to a multi-year deal with the Cavaliers that is scheduled to pay him more than $1.47MM next season and more than $1.6MM in 2018/19. However, neither season is guaranteed.

7 comments Cleveland Cavaliers Newsstand Edy Tavares

Steve Kerr Attends Warriors Practice

By Arthur Hill | at May 13, 2017 5:00 pm

Steve Kerr felt well enough to join the Warriors for today’s practice, writes Chris Haynes of ESPN.com. It marked the first time that some players have seen their head coach in almost two weeks.

Kerr, who is still dealing with the effects of back surgery from 2015, hasn’t coached the team since Game 2 of its first-round series with Portland. He underwent a spinal cord leak procedure last week in an attempt to relieve severe headaches and other symptoms that have lingered since the operation.

“It’s obviously great any time you get to hear his voice, see his face,” Stephen Curry said. “He’s obviously been doing his homework in between. His downtime is to help us get prepared for the series and you know he misses being around the day-to-day routine, the atmosphere, practice and locker rooms and games and all that. So, for him to even just have the energy and ability to be here means a lot. Hopefully, he’s feeling better.”

Kerr helped to conduct today’s practice for the first time since leaving the team, but did not speak to the media afterward, tweets Tim Kawakami of The San Jose Mercury News. Kerr was able to attend a coaches’ meeting on Friday, according to Haynes.

Lead assistant Mike Brown continues to serve as head coach in Kerr’s absence and has a 6-0 record heading into the start of the Western Conference finals on Sunday. The team still isn’t sure if Kerr will be able to return to the bench before the end of the playoffs.

4 comments Golden State Warriors Newsstand Steve Kerr

Draft Combine Notes: Durant, Calipari, Hart, And More

By Joshua Fischman | at May 13, 2017 3:54 pm

To Combine or not to Combine? That is the question to which Kevin Durant and John Calipari are now adding their two cents. The Warriors star encourages expected lottery picks to skip the event altogether, writes Chris Haynes of ESPN. Durant expressed his strong feeling that while the Draft Combine can certainly aid lesser-known and lesser-valued players looking to raise their draft stock, those projected to be taken in the lottery should stay home and work on improving their game. Durant remarked how the vast majority of skills for which the Combine tests, including bench press at which he struggled mightily at his event, have little to no impact on how a player will perform on a basketball court.

Kentucky’s head coach said that players should attend the Combine, but that each should skip individual events if he believes it will not boost his draft value, according to Michael Singer of USA Today.

Josh Hart of Villanova has already met with eight teams, Jessica Camerato reports. These teams are the Heat, Lakers, Mavericks, Pelicans, Pistons, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, and Suns.
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk will miss the rest of the NBA Combine due to a sprained ankle, reports Jonathan Givony of Draft Express.
Despite rumors of back spasms to Monte Morris of Iowa State, Morris himself took to twitter to reject the talk.
Sindarius Thornwell and P.J. Dozier of South Carolina discuss their experiences at the Combine thus far, per Dwayne Mclemore of TheState.com.

2 comments 2017 NBA Draft John Calipari Josh Hart Kevin Durant Svi Mykhailiuk

Week In Review: 5/7/17 – 5/13/17

By Joshua Fischman | at May 13, 2017 2:52 pm

With critical offseason decisions already being made and the NBA Draft Lottery a mere days away, we had another busy week in the Association. Here’s our recap of what you need to know for the past seven days:

Transactions

Kyle Lowry confirms that he will opt out of his contract with the Raptors.
Rudy Gay of the Kings will also opt out of his contract.

News

Kristaps Porzingis tweets message to the Clippers. Or was he hacked?
According to Kristaps Porzingis’ brother, Kristaps wishes to remain in New York.
Houston’s Mike D’Antoni and Miami’s Erik Spoelstra were named co-recipients of the NBA Coaches Association’s first Coach of the Year Award.
Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri admitted that it would be impossible for the team to re-sign all four of its key free agents.
Sean Deveney reported that Donatas Motiejunas was pursuing legal action against the Rockets and the NBA, prompting Motiejunas to refute the claim on social media.
The Clippers are finalizing their plans to unveil a D-League team of their own next season.
Rudy Gobert will not play for Team France in Eurobasket 2017.

Rumors

There may have been “philosophical” differences in the Hawks front office.
League sources believe that Troy Weaver will emerge as a top candidate to head the Hawks front office.
The Kings are reportedly not in the mix for Serbian international star Milos Teodosic after all.
It is being widely speculated that Danny Ainge of the Celtics is determined to keep the Nets‘ 2007 first-round pick.
The Mavericks have reportedly begun the process of signing Chinese free agent Ding Jinhui.
Draft-and-stash Sixers prospect Furkan Korkmaz hopes to join the team for next season.

Draft

Markelle Fultz will interview with several teams at the combine.
The Mavericks are more likely to keep their pick than trade it.
The Lakers are focused on four prospects for their potential lottery pick.
Duke guard Frank Jackson will remain in the draft.
Chance Comanche too will remain in the draft, as will James Blackmon.

Injuries

Nene was ruled out for the remainder of the postseason.
Allen Crabbe will undergo foot surgery.
Steve Kerr had a spinal cord leak procedure.
Tyler Ulis underwent a surgical procedure on his right ankle.

0 comments Week in Review

Hoops Rumors Originals: 5/7/17 – 5/13/17

By Joshua Fischman | at May 13, 2017 1:22 pm

Every week, the Hoops Rumors writing team compiles original content to complement our news feed. Here are some of our favorite segments and features from the past seven days:

Stay current with Hoops Rumors’ player option decision tracker.
Luke Adams helps you comprehend team’s specific salary cap landscapes with three more analyses in his Salary Cap Digest series: the Jazz, Raptors, and Rockets.
Luke Adams also contributed three more installments to his Five Offseason Questions series: the Blazers, Hawks, and Grizzlies.
Which free agents are raising their stock most this postseason? Chris Crouse has the details.
Arthur Hill talks Dwane Casey, Gordon Hayward, and under-the-radar free agents in his weekly Sunday mailbag. Submit your questions via Twitter (@HoopsRumors) or by sending us an email (hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com).
In our weekly Hoops Links roundup of interesting articles from around the blogosphere, Austin Kent shares pieces on a Kristaps Porzingis conspiracy theory and a lack of accountability from Andre Drummond and Chandler Parsons.
Luke Adams breaks down why NBA sign-and-trades are rare.
Interested in rookie scale salaries for 2017 first-round picks? Luke Adams has you covered.
Here are the questions we asked you in our Community Shootaround discussions and polls this week:
- Where do you think Kyle Lowry ends up?
- Is Serge Ibaka worth a long-term investment?
- Who would give the Warriors a tougher battle in the Western Conference Finals: the Rockets or Spurs?
- Can fatigue be blamed for James Harden‘s poor Games 5 and 6?
- Who will emerge victorious: the Celtics or the Wizards?
- Who will win the Spurs–Rockets series?
Last, but certainly not least: Please check out our new Trade Rumors App for IOS/Android.

0 comments Hoops Rumors Originals

Leonard Will Play Game 1 Against Warriors

By Joshua Fischman | at May 13, 2017 12:53 pm

Gregg Popovich says that small forward Kawhi Leonard will play for the Spurs in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals series against the Warriors on Sunday, reports Melissa Rohlin of MySA.com.

As Rohlin tweets, Leonard was a full participant in Saturday’s practice. After rolling his ankle in Game 5 of the Spurs’ series against the Rockets, the Spurs’ star missed the series’ decisive Game 6, which the Spurs won 114-75.

1 comment Golden State Warriors Houston Rockets San Antonio Spurs Gregg Popovich Kawhi Leonard

Southwest Notes: Leonard, Nene, Mavericks

By marksuleymanov | at May 13, 2017 12:03 pm

As the Warriors and Spurs prepare to kickoff the Western Conference Finals tomorrow night, San Antonio expects to have Kawhi Leonard in the starting lineup, a source tells ESPN’s Michael C. Wright.

Leonard injured his left ankle on Tuesday and sat out the Spurs’ 39-point decimation of the Rockets in Game 6 on Thursday, which clinched the series win. Jonathon Simmons replaced Leonard and promptly added 18 points in the rout. Now, the Spurs will look to having their superstar player back in the lineup, hoping to utilize his defensive prowess to tame at least one of the Warriors’ three superstars.

In 11 games this postseason, Leonard is averaging 27.8 PPG, 7.7 RPG and shooting 52 percent from the floor.

Here is some more news around the Southwest:

The Mavericks are in a unique position this offseason, Bobby Marks of The Vertical writes. Despite having a team primarily built by free agent signings, the team has the chance to strike gold in the NBA Draft as the team holds a top-10 pick. Marks also points to re-signing Nerlens Noel in free agency and the year 2018 — when Dirk Nowitzki‘s $25 million salary comes off the books.
Veteran center Nene recently found out he will not need surgery to repair a ruptured groin muscle he suffered in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle writes. Nene revealed he expects to re-sign with Houston this offseason despite the injury.”Of course I expect (to be back),” Nene said. “That’ll depend on me. I did my job. I just leave it for the coaches, the general manager, my agent. Of course, I’d like to be back. This place, was a blessing for me. They brought me back. They brought the real Nene back. When you’re happy. When you feel good. When you’re engaged, people know you’re work, of course you want to be back.”
Feigen also relays that Rockets general manager Daryl Morey feels “it would be normal business” to discuss an extension with center Clint Capela (via Twitter). Caperla averaged 12.6 PPG and 8.1 RPG in 65 contests for Houston.

11 comments Dallas Mavericks Houston Rockets San Antonio Spurs Clint Capela Kawhi Leonard Nene

Community Shootaround: James Harden’s Endurance

By marksuleymanov | at May 13, 2017 11:06 am

After a 39-point loss in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Spurs, Rockets‘ point guard James Harden has been scrutinized for his poor performance in the series-clinching game. Harden posted just 10 points on 2-of-11 shooting with six turnovers, one game after he posted similar totals of 10 points (3-of-11 shooting) and six turnovers in the second half and overtime of a 110-107 loss in Game 5.

Harden enjoyed a historic regular season, averaging 29.1 points, 11.2 assists and 8.1 rebounds per game. He is in the conversation for the Most Valuable Player award with fellow point guard Russell Westbrook, who became the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double for an entire season. Now, looking back at Harden’s two clunkers, fatigue from a strenuous season may have set in.

Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni said in his exit interview with reporters, including ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, that perhaps resting Harden more next season will keep him sharper.

“All great players think they can do everything,” D’Antoni said. “Maybe he does need to take a game off here and there. ‘Hey, you’re nicked up a little bit, don’t play, maybe.’ Something to talk about, but that’s also his greatness, too. So it’s hard. It’s very delicate.”

Harden played in 81 regular season games, his third consecutive season of at least 81 games. If Harden’s playoff games over the last three years are added, he has played in 277 total games. Both D’Antoni and general manager Daryl Morey indicated that getting Harden, who turns 28 in August, more rest will be a goal next season.

“The offense will get better,” D’Antoni added.“I can get him off the ball some. I can save his legs a little bit and have more confidence [in other ball handlers]. Pat Beverley can run the team a little bit. We can do different things.”

That leaves a few things to be considered: Was fatigue to blame in Harden’s poor Game 5 and Game 6 outings or was it just a few off nights? Also, does it makes sense for the Rockets to rest him more frequently next season despite his tremendous offensive production?

Share your thoughts on Harden in the comments section below!

8 comments Community Shootaround Hoops Rumors Originals Houston Rockets

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Year: 2017