Clippers Rumors: Ballmer, Paul, Griffin
With the Clippers looking to extend their season Friday night in Utah, Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com has published an interesting, in-depth feature on the team, exploring the last few years in Los Angeles and what might come next for the franchise. The piece features several interesting details and stories on the Clippers and is worth a read in full, but here are some of the highlights from Arnovitz:
- Clippers owner Steve Ballmer maintains that he has no interest in blowing up the club’s roster, even if L.A. can’t get out of the first round. “I love those guys, and I want those guys back,” Ballmer said.
- Ballmer also told Arnovitz, as he said recently to Matthew Rocco of FOX Business, that he’s not averse to going deeper into tax territory as the Clippers continue to build the roster and re-sign key pieces. Ballmer explained to Rocco that because the value of the franchise keeps increasing, he’s willing to lose a little money along the way if necessary. “If we’re in it and we’re playing for a championship, I don’t mind the tax,” Ballmer said to Arnovitz.
- Sources close to the Clippers tell Arnovitz that they continue to expect Chris Paul to re-sign with the team, but Blake Griffin’s future is less certain. One source, “in good humor,” suggested that it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see Paul go through a public process of taking meetings with other teams before re-signing with the Clippers, while Griffin is more likely to go through the process privately and perhaps land elsewhere.
- Several of Paul’s teammates told Arnovitz that the veteran point guard insists that his teammates are able to “absorb criticism at any moment,” and that you’re likely to keep hearing from CP3 about a blown coverage even if a replay shows it wasn’t your fault. “If I had to go to war, I’m going with Chris every day,” said one member of the Clippers. “I just wish he was wrong more. I wish he would say, ‘My fault.'” Despite Paul’s ornery nature, most Clippers teammates and staffers say that he has “mellowed with age,” Arnovitz writes.
Raptors’ Affiliate Wins NBA D-League Championship
Thursday was a good night for the Raptors’ organization. Not only did the NBA squad pull out a Game 6 victory in Milwaukee to make it through to the second round, but Toronto’s D-League affiliate, Raptors 905, won its first NBADL championship.
The Raptors’ affiliate dropped the first game of the D-League’s best-of-three Finals to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets’ NBADL team, on Sunday. However, the club bounced back with a win on Tuesday and a resounding 122-96 victory on Thursday night to clinch the series.
While many of the contributors to the championship roster aren’t under contract with the Raptors, former first-round picks Bruno Caboclo and Pascal Siakam played major roles in the team’s postseason run, as did undrafted rookie Fred VanVleet. The trio combined for 76 points on Tuesday, with Caboclo (31 points, 11 rebounds) and VanVleet (28 points, 14 assists) leading the way. All three players remain under team control for the Raptors through at least next season.
While D-League excellence doesn’t necessarily translate to NBA success, the development of their young players is certainly a positive sign for the Raptors, who could be at risk of losing NBA rotation pieces this summer — Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka, P.J. Tucker, and Patrick Patterson will all be eligible for free agency, and re-signing them would likely take Toronto deep into luxury-tax territory.
Meanwhile, the championship win is another major step forward for Raptors 905 head coach Jerry Stackhouse, who was named the D-League’s Coach of the Year last week. Stackhouse will be looking to join the NBA’s head coaching ranks at some point, and his first-year performance for Toronto’s affiliate will look pretty good on his résumé.
Finally, it’s worth noting that the Raptors’ affiliate figures to officially go down as the last D-League champion in league history. Starting next season, the NBADL will be re-branded as the NBAGL — the NBA Gatorade League.
Zhou Qi Hoping To Sign With Rockets For 2017/18
One of the Rockets’ second-round picks from 2016, Chinese big man Zhou Qi, is in Houston to train with the team’s staff and hopes to initiate contract talks for the 2017/18 season, agent Tony Leng suggests to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.
“We will be training with the Rockets,” Leng said. “We are looking forward to sitting down and talking and seeing what might happen in the future. His dream is to one day play in the NBA. Right now, we are focused on training.”
Zhou, the 43rd overall pick in the 2016 draft, reportedly remains under contract with China’s Xinjiang Flying Tigers for another four years beyond this season. However, he is said to have an NBA out clause worth $650K this year, opening the door for him to come stateside.
Zhou, a 7’2″ center, is still just 21 years old, so it remains to be seen if the Rockets will want to bring him over for the 2017/18 season, since he’s not likely to play a meaningful role in Houston quite yet. The Rockets’ decision may hinge on whether they want to take on Zhou’s developmental years themselves or wait until he becomes more of a finished product.
The league’s new two-way contracts, which essentially allow NBA teams to open up an extra pair of roster spots, could create some added flexibility for the Rockets should they decide to sign Zhou.
For now, Zhou remains focused on working with the Rockets’ training staff and rehabbing a thumb injury. The big man suffered a left thumb fracture when he collided with Guangdong’s Carlos Boozer during the Chinese Basketball Association Finals earlier this month, Feigen writes. Zhou averaged 16.0 PPG, 10.0 RPG, and 2.3 BPG for the season in China.
Atlantic Notes: Valanciunas, Thomas, Colangelo
It’s evident that Jonas Valanciunas is happy coming off the bench for the Raptors so long as he’s still a core component of the team’s rotation, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes. Prior to Toronto’s series-clinching victory over the Bucks Thursday, the 24-year-old discussed his new role.
“I’m good. I don’t feel bad if I don’t start,” the Raptors big man said. “I’m playing the same minutes, doing good things on the court, that’s all I need to do, right? I’ve just got to do my job. As long as we’re winning — I’ve been saying that a long time — as long as we’re winning I’m OK.”
Even though he came off the bench for Game 6, the Raptors appeared to make an effort to get the pivot involved early. Though he wasn’t featured as heavily toward the end of the contest, he was on the court serving as a potent post threat through to the final buzzer.
It’s unclear if Valanciunas will slide back into the Raptors lineup against the Cavaliers. He had started Games 1 and 2 against Milwaukee but moved to the bench when Dwane Casey employed a smaller lineup featuring Norman Powell.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Nets rested their players in the final game of the regular season, despite the fact that they were long eliminated from the postseason, had zero incentive to tank and were matched up against a Bulls team that needed a win to sneak into the playoffs. Anthony Puccio of Nets Daily recently wrote about the controversy the decision has stirred up.
- Does Isaiah Thomas deserve a max contract? A panelist of NBA writers at CSN New England discussed the topic in a recently published video segment and were torn as to whether or not the Celtics could justifiably pay up.
- Less than two weeks since the conclusion of the 2016/17 campaign, Sixers president Bryan Colangelo is already in Europe scouting players. Per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Colangelo has recently watched Milos Teodosic and Philly draft pick Furkan Korkmaz.
Northwest Notes: Murray, Napier, Snyder
After an excellent debut season with the Nuggets, 20-year-old guard Jamal Murray has undergone successful surgery to repair “core muscle-related” injuries, the team has stated in a press release.
When the procedure was announced by Nuggets personnel yesterday, we relayed that the rookie had been plagued by a sports hernia for much of the season.
The Kentucky product averaged 9.9 points per game for the Nuggets and played in all 82 contests, once taking Western Conference Rookie of the Month honors.
Murray is expected to return to basketball activities this summer and will be at full strength when the Nuggets open training camp.
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- If we learned anything from the Rockets/Thunder series in the first-round of this postseason, it’s that a franchise need not choose between investing in either a system or a superstar. Daryl Morey and Mike D’Antoni did both. Ramona Shelburne of ESPN writes about how Oklahoma City may be wise to embrace a similar attitude heading forward as opposed to so heavily relying on Russell Westbrook.
- While it’s already been announced that the Trail Blazers won’t be bringing Festus Ezeli back next season, the big man officially said farewell to Portland over Twitter.
- In a candid exit interview, backup Trail Blazers point guard Shabazz Napier said that while he understands coming off the bench and has bought into the team’s process he isn’t necessarily comfortable with it. Sean Meagher of the Oregonian broke down the guard’s comments about the organization.
- The Jazz have wrested control of their first-round series with the Clippers in large part to the return of Rudy Gobert. The big man has resumed shutting down the paint, which teammate Rodney Hood discussed with the Associated Press. “Rudy erases a lot of mistakes,” Hood said. “And he cleans up a lot of bad offensive possessions by rebounding the ball. It’s great just to have him back.“
- Although it’s his first time serving as a head coach in the NBA playoffs, Jazz bench boss Quin Snyder has no shortage of experience. Jody Genessey of the Deseret News discussed the coach’s leadership with club point guard George Hill. “He’s one of the smartest coaches I’ve been around. His mind’s always going other places. He’s very technical with what we do,” Hill said. “We listen to him. I think he’s got a great coaching staff around him that give us one heck of a game plan. It’s our job to follow him.“
Southeast Notes: Waiters, Johnson, Schroder
If the Heat are to retain James Johnson and Dion Waiters, it will likely be on short-term deals, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes in his weekly mailbag.
Both Johnson and Waiters saw their careers take off this season after years of bouncing around and each were instrumental in the Heat’s impressive push for an Eastern Conference playoff berth.
That said, while the pair seem to be a good fit with the Heat, the franchise will look to maintain flexibility by committing only to short-term deals. Eventually, Winderman writes, the club could explore signing them to a longer term deal when their Heat Bird Rights take effect.
Waiters averaged 15.8 points in 46 games for the Heat this season while Johnson added 12.8 points, 5.0 rebounds per game while providing a sense of toughness that fit the traditional Miami mold.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Although it’s easy to second guess decision in the NBA, Hawks owner Tony Ressler is careful not to when it comes to his own club’s contracts, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. “The NBA is all about second-guessing,” Ressler said. “[…] Listen at the end of the day I’m going to argue that if you look at our payroll this year, I think we did OK. We had a $98 million payroll. We won 43 games. We are in the middle of the playoffs. We are really competitive.“
- Don’t expect Dion Waiters or James Johnson to give the Heat a discount during free agency, the Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman writes in a separate mailbag. Money, he says, always talks loudest when it comes to free agency.
- In the postseason of his fourth campaign, Dennis Schroder is showing off just how dominant he can be. According to Hawks teammate Kent Bazemore, the 23-year-old’s playing style is eerily similar to that of Wizards guard (and current playoff opponent) John Wall‘s, Keely Diven of CSN Mid-Atlantic writes. “[He] is un-guarable regardless of if he’s making shots or not. He is one of the quickest guys in the league. He can get by anyone. He is a great finisher around the rim. He is growing, a young guard. He has a bright future ahead of him. Glad he’s my point guard. I would hate to guard that guy for 35 minutes.“
Eastern Notes: Sessions, Magic, Rondo, LeBron
The Hornets have an important decision to make with Ramon Sessions, Bobby Marks of The Vertical writes. The point guard has a $6.2MM team option for next season and Charlotte is over the salary cap, so declining it wouldn’t net the team additional room to sign a replacement. If the franchise decides to let Sessions hit the open market, it would have to find another option off the bench either in the draft or by using the mid-level exception.
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- The Magic need to build through the draft and work the trade market this offseason rather than look to sign high-priced free agents, Marks contends in a separate piece. Orlando has made a quite a few major signings over the last few seasons and the moves haven’t helped the team in the win column.
- Rajon Rondo, who was reportedly unable to play over the last three games because of a thumb injury, revealed that he also has a torn ligament in his wrist, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com tweets. The point guard remains a “longshot” to play in the Bulls‘ first-round series, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).
- Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue isn’t worried about giving LeBron James too many minutes in any one playoff game, as he tells Chris Haynes of ESPN.com. “Bron today just said he feels worse when he doesn’t play,” Lue said. “Like right now, he said he feels worse, so, we just got to gauge it and see how he feels. Everyone else’s minutes were great outside of LeBron. He said he feels great. He didn’t really have a defensive assignment. He was able to roam off guys during the series and, so, it was good for him. With him playing the minutes he played during [the] course of the regular season, it has helped him in the playoffs.”
New, Fan-Voted Awards To Be Assigned In June
We already know that the NBA has changed how the annual award winners will be presented but with the launch of the first inaugural official award show this June will come the presentation of six all new awards, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN details.
While the traditional awards voted on by the media will headline the June 26 event, fans will be able to determine the winner of the NBA’s Dunk of the Year, Block of the Year, Assist of the Year, Game Winner of the Year, Top Performance of the Year and, (sigh) Best Style.
Per AJ Neuharth-Keusch of USA Today, fans can cast their votes through the league’s official website, Facebook, Twitter of Instagram.
The nominees for each award are detailed in the USA Today piece with highlights when appropriate, but here they are in list format:
Dunk of the Year:
- Zach LaVine (Timberwolves)
- Larry Nance Jr. (Lakers)
- Victor Oladipo (Thunder)
Block of the Year:
- Kawhi Leonard (Spurs) on James Harden.
- Kristaps Porzingis (Knicks) on Spencer Dinwiddie.
- Hassan Whiteside (Heat) on Pascal Siakam.
Assist of the Year:
- Draymond Green (Warriors) to Stephen Curry to Kevin Durant.
- Nikola Jokic (Nuggets) to Wilson Chandler.
- Chris Paul (Clippers to Brandon Bass.
Game Winner of the Year:
- Kyrie Irving (Cavaliers) vs. Golden State.
- Tyler Ulis (Suns) vs. Boston.
- Russell Westbrook (Thunder) vs. Denver.
Top Performance of the Year:
- Devin Booker (Suns) scoring 70 points vs. Boston.
- James Harden (Rockets) putting up 53 points, 17 assists, and 16 rebounds vs. New York.
- Klay Thompson (Warriors) scoring 60 points in three quarters vs. Indiana.
- Russell Westbrook (Thunder) putting up 57 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists vs. Orlando.
Best Style:
- Iman Shumpert (Cavaliers)
- Dwyane Wade (Bulls)
- Russell Westbrook (Thunder)
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 4/27/17
Here are the D-League transactions from today:
- The Rockets have recalled Isaiah Taylor and assigned Troy Williams to the D-League affiliate, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Today the Rio Grande Valley Vipers play in the D-League’s championship game.
2017 Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Oklahoma City Thunder
The 2016/17 campaign was a banner season for Russell Westbrook, who may take home his first MVP award after averaging a triple-double. It was about as successful a year as the Thunder could have expected after losing Kevin Durant, but players like Steven Adams and Victor Oladipo didn’t take big steps forward after signing long-term deals, as the team might’ve hoped. Heading into the summer, the Thunder are over the cap and will have to get creative to further bolster their roster.
Here’s where things currently stand for the Thunder financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2017:
Guaranteed Salary
- Russell Westbrook ($28,530,608)
- Steven Adams ($22,471,911)
- Victor Oladipo ($21,000,000)
- Enes Kanter ($17,884,176)
- Alex Abrines ($5,725,000)
- Kyle Singler ($4,666,500)
- Doug McDermott ($3,294,994)
- Domantas Sabonis ($2,550,000)
- Ronnie Price ($2,442,455) — Waived
- Josh Huestis ($1,471,382)
- Total: $110,037,026
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- Jerami Grant ($1,524,305)
- Total: $1,524,305
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Semaj Christon ($1,312,611)1
- Total: $1,312,611
Restricted Free Agents
- Andre Roberson ($4,588,840 qualifying offer / $5,457,681 cap hold)
- Total: $5,457,681
Cap Holds
- Taj Gibson ($13,425,000)
- Nick Collison ($7,125,000)
- Norris Cole ($1,471,382)
- No. 21 overall pick ($1,785,000)
- Total: $23,806,382
Trade Exceptions
- Ersan Ilyasova TPE ($4,936,529) — Expires 11/1/17
Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000
Maximum Cap Room: –$12,453,256
- After Durant departed in free agency last July, the Thunder’s books looked wide open for the foreseeable future, creating a number of different paths the team could go down. However, in the subsequent months, Oklahoma City finalize lucrative extensions for Westbrook, Oladipo, and Adams. Those new deals will count for more than $72MM on the Thunder’s books for 2017/18, limiting the club’s flexibility, barring trades. With nine guaranteed salaries, the cap hold for their first-rounder, and two empty roster charges, the Thunder are carrying $113,453,256 in projected salary for ’17/18, and that’s assuming they renounce all their free agents, including Roberson. They won’t have cap room.
Footnotes:
- Christon’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 8.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and The Vertical was used in the creation of this post.