And-Ones: Durant, Front Offices, Combine
Kevin Durant believes it’s unfair to criticize the top players for sitting out games, Chris Haynes of ESPN.com relays. “The truth about it is, it’s only for a couple of players in the league,” Durant told Haynes. “They don’t care if the 13th man on the bench rests. It’s only for like [LeBron James], [Stephen Curry], [James Harden], [Russell Westbrook]. It’s only for like five players. So you want a rule just for those five players?”
“It’s hard for you to just craft a rule out for the top players. I’ve seen guys that’s not even in the playoffs resting, sitting out for the rest of the season. And it’s nothing against those guys. I’m not trying to bash them or anything. [Suns center] Tyson Chandler is out. They got him sitting out for the rest of the year. I’m sure he wants to play, but they’re not saying anything about Tyson Chandler, so it’s hard for me to really talk about this. It’s not a league-wide rule. It’s not a league-wide concern.”
Durant added that he empathizes with fans who miss out on seeing their favorite player when they come to the arena. “I see it from the fans’ perspective and the players’ perspective,” Durant said. “I’m caught right in the middle.”
While the 2013/14 league MVP feels bad for those fans who show up the arena, he gives the situation some perspective.
“On the other hand, there’s a lot of people that can’t even afford tickets to the game. So, I kind of feel sorry for you, but then I don’t when I look at it that way,” he added. “Your parents spend hard-earned money, I understand you want to see your favorite players, but there’s some people who don’t even get a chance to watch a game live.”
Durant hasn’t played since February because of a knee injury, but the team recently announced that he has made “very good progress.” The small forward could see court-time again before the end of the season.
While we wait for Durant to get healthy so his fans can see him play, check out some notes from around the league:
- ESPN.com examined every front office in the league and ranked them from top to bottom based on the guidance and leadership each organization provides and how it affects success on the court. Unsurprisingly, team president Gregg Popovich and GM R.C. Buford received the highest mark. Which team received the worst mark? The Kings came in slightly below the Knicks for worst front office in the league.
- Thunder assistant GM Mike Winger, Spurs assistant GM Brian Wright, Nets assistant GM Trajan Langdon are among the executives who are viewed as potential nominees for GM roles should they become available, Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com writes. Arnovitz adds that Wright may be a few seasons away from landing a gig, but those within the league believe he has what it takes to do the job well.
- JK Management announced that it will hold the first annual Professional Basketball Combine at IMG Academy. The PBC will take place in the days following the league’s official combine in Chicago.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Arrested For DUI
Police arrested shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope early Wednesday morning on suspicion of drunk driving, according to Derick Hutchinson of Click On Detroit. KCP was pulled over at approximately 2:50 a.m. in Auburn Hills and was put through a sobriety test, which he failed.
The 24-year-old was “very cooperative,” authorities tell Hutchinson. The incident came just hours after the Pistons lost to the Heat in a game where KCP went 2-10 from behind the arc.
Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy recently said if KCP doesn’t return to the team, it’ll be because the front office made that decision. As a restricted free agent, KCP can’t join another team unless the Pistons decide not to match an offer sheet he signs.
“We only don’t have [KCP] next year if we decide we don’t want him next year. There’s no team out there that can decide they’re going to have KCP next year–it’s on us,” Van Gundy said. “It will be our decision this summer whether he’s in Detroit next year. Other people can want him but they need us to acquiesce if they’re going to have him.”
Prior to the arrest, Caldwell-Pope was looking at a receiving a massive raise on his 2016/17 salary, which is worth slightly less than $3.68MM. It remains to be seen how the incident will impact the market for his services. Should he decide to simply accept his qualifying offer, he’ll make just under $4.96MM, though he would be eligible to become a restricted free agent after the season.
The shooting guard is averaging 14.1 points per game, but he’s sporting a below average player efficiency rating of 13.4. His Real Plus/Minus ranks 25th in the league among shooting guards, though at times this season, he’s looked like a foundational player. As a result of his inconsistencies, pegging the value of his next contract was always considered a difficult task; The DUI adds one more variable to the complex situation.
Celtics Notes: Ainge, Brogdon, Yabusele
With Cleveland losing tonight, Boston has reclaimed sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference. Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck is thrilled with how the team is playing and he’s pleased with the direction of the franchise, as A. Sherrod Blakely of Comcast Sportsnet relays. “There’s no reason to put a ceiling on the season,” Grousbeck said. “I think this season already looks good to me. I love our coach. I love our young players. I love our draft picks and our potential cap room [this summer]; all of our fans. So I’m already happy with where the team is going.”
Here’s more from Boston:
- The Celtics knew Malcolm Brogdon would be available in the second-round, but chose to pass on him because of the team’s surplus of guards, as GM Danny Ainge tells Comcast Sportsnet. Boston had the No. 31 overall and No. 35 overall picks but traded them to Memphis for a future first-rounder. Milwaukee selected Brogdon with the No. 36 overall pick last June.
- No. 16 overall pick Guerschon Yabusele has officially joined the Maine Red Claws, the D-League affiliate of the Celtics, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com tweets. Yabusele played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association this season. The CBA’s season concludes earlier than the NBA’s, which gives Yabusele a chance to run with Boston’s D-League to close the season.
Draft Notes: Ball, Fox, Chartouny, Jones
Lonzo Ball recently appeared on ESPN’s First Take and told the cast that he would be happy to play for any franchise, as Andrew Joseph of For The Win relays.
“At the end of the day, I’ll play for any team,” Ball said. “NBA is NBA. It would be a blessing to be able to play for the Lakers just because it’s in LA — I’m from here, my whole family’s here.”
Ball’s father, LaVar Ball, previously said he wanted his son to play for Los Angeles. “All I said was that my boy is going to play for the Lakers, and I’m going to speak it into existence,” the elder Ball said last month.
Here’s more on the upcoming draft:
- Lonzo Ball said he was a better prospect than Markelle Fultz, as ESPN.com passes along. “Markelle’s a great player, but I feel I’m better than him,” said Ball. “I think I can lead a team better than him.” The two guards are expected to be the first players to come off the board on draft night.
- After an impressive NCAA Tournament run, De’Aaron Fox‘s stock may be on the rise. Evan Daniels of Scouts.com tweets that the point guard has been a “major topic of conversation” amongst NBA executives.
- Joseph Chartouny of Fordham has declared for the NBA Draft, Mike Watts of USL reports (Twitter link). The point guard has not hired an agent, so he could still decide to head back to school. The 22-year-old is not ranked in Draft Express’ Top-100.
- Andrew Jones from Texas University has declared for the draft, but will not sign an agent, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com tweets. Jones is currently No. 47 in Draft Express’ Top-100.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 3/30/17
Here are Thursday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Raptors have assigned Bruno Caboclo, Pascal Siakam, and Fred VanVleet to their D-League affiliate, the team announced today (via Twitter). The trio will be in action tonight for the Raptors 905, who lead the NBADL’s Eastern Conference with a 37-11 record.
- The Knicks have sent rookie bigs Maurice Ndour and Marshall Plumlee to the D-League, the team announced today (via Twitter). Ndour and Plumlee will suit up tonight for the Westchester Knicks in their game against the Grand Rapids Drive, Detroit’s D-League affiliate.
Cavalier Notes: Jones, Irving, LeBron
Discontent marinates within the Cavaliers‘ locker room and veteran James Jones recently spoke to the team to try to sort out the issues, sources tell Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. After the team’s loss to the Spurs, Jones rhetorically asked players what they wanted out of the season. Vardon adds that neither Kyrie Irving nor LeBron James addressed the team, but a source told the scribe that the losing and travel have “frayed nerves.”
Cleveland owns a record of 6-9 during the month of March and the team has the eighth worst Plus/Minus over that stretch, as I recently mentioned.
Here’s more from The Land:
- Irving holds himself accountable for the Cavaliers‘ struggles, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com writes. “I had to face it, had to face the music,” Irving said of his performance against the Spurs earlier in the week. “I think we all had to do it. But me more importantly, I had to look in the mirror and just wasn’t doing enough. I need to demand more out of myself and do it at a high level.”
- Irving and James had an extended and emotional conversation after the Spurs loss, Shelburne adds in the same piece. Irving declines to comment on the nature of the meeting, calling it “private.”
- Irving believes getting J.R. Smith and Kevin Love back up to speed has been problematic, but the Olympian said it’s his job to help them, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com relays. “I have to do my best as a point guard to integrate J.R. and K-Love and get our starting five back to having the continuity,” Irving said. “It hasn’t been perfect, to say the least. There’s definitely been some ups and downs and disagreements. But as adults and professionals we just have to figure it out.”
- The Cavaliers have nine games left in the season, including tonight’s tilt with the Bulls, and coach Tyronn Lue feels it’s enough time to right the ship, Fedor adds in the same piece. “I feel like we can get it right,” Lue said. “We’re right anyway. We’re still right there.
Atlantic Notes: Lowry, Tucker, Long
Kyle Lowry, who’s been sidelined since the All-Star break because of a wrist injury, can become a free agent at the season. Raptors GM Masai Ujiri said there’s “no question” that the team will try to bring him back, as Scott Stinson of The National Post passes along.
“You have to remember that, everything that has happened to this team in the last few years, Kyle has been at the forefront of that,” Ujiri tells Stinson.
Lowry was having an exceptional year heading into the All-Star break. “Before the injury, you could argue he was one of the top five players in the league this season,” the GM added.
It’s also arguable that out of all the teams to see a player go down due to injury, the Raptors suffered the biggest loss with Lowry being sidelined. The 31-year-old was the team’s leader in player efficiency and he was one of the best from behind the arc, which I detailed in an early season edition of Fantasy Hoops.
Lowry can become a free agent this offseason by activating the Early Termination option in his contract. All signs point to him doing just that, which means he would turn down his 2017/18 $12MM salary. Stinson believes it’s fair to wonder whether the team should offer a massive five-year deal to a player who will be 36-year-olds at the end of it. However, the scribe believes it’s a bigger gamble to try to replace Lowry, a player who’s Toronto unquestioned leader.
“The way he goes,” Uriji said about Lowry. “Is the way we go.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Holly MacKenzie of NBA.com examines how P.J. Tucker has helped the Raptors stay afloat in the Eastern Conference. Tucker, who came to Toronto at this year’s deadline, will be a free agent at the season.
- Shawn Long, who recently signed a three-year deal with the Sixers, was originally added to provide Philadelphia with depth, but by playing hard, he’s been able to carve out a role with the team, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Long started the season in the D-League, but his teammates believe he belongs in the NBA. “He’s an NBA player, man,” Gerald Henderson said. “He’s aggressive. He’s not scared. He goes out there and plays the same way he did in the D-League.”
- Jerryd Bayless will workout at the Sixers‘ new practice facility this summer rather than going home to Phoenix as he has done in the past, Pompey relays via Twitter. Bayless signed a three-year deal worth $27MM last offseason, but he suffered a wrist injury earlier this season, which limited him to just three games with his new team.
T.J. Leaf To Enter 2017 NBA Draft
UCLA power forward T.J. Leaf has elected to enter the 2017 NBA draft and will hire an agent, forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility, he tells Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com (Twitter link). Leaf, who confirmed his decision on his Twitter account, is coming off his freshman year, so he’ll go pro after just one season with the Bruins.
[RELATED: 2017 NBA draft early entrants list]
Leaf, 19, had a very successful freshman year at UCLA, averaging 16.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 2.4 APG, and 1.1 BPG in just under 30 minutes per contest. He also knocked down field goals at an excellent rate, shooting 61.7% from the floor and 46.6% from three-point range.
A probable first-round pick, Leaf ranks 28th overall on DraftExpress’ big board, though Jonathan Givony has him coming off the board at No. 22 in his latest mock draft. ESPN’s Chad Ford is even more bullish on the young big man, placing Leaf 17th overall in his top 100 and writing that he’ll likely be drafted in the 12-to-20 range.
According to Ford, Leaf’s ability to score from anywhere on the court is “the big appeal” for scouts — he’s one of the most offensively talented big man in the draft. Although his lack of length and possible defensive shortcomings are a cause for some concern, Leaf should still come off the board fairly early in June, Ford adds.
Omer Asik, Quincy Pondexter Out For Season
MARCH 30: The Pelicans confirmed today that neither Asik nor Pondexter will return to action this season. Asik, who is recovering from a gastrointestinal infection, is expected to resume basketball activities in about three or four weeks.
MARCH 24: Two players on the Pelicans’ roster, center Omer Asik and shooting guard Quincy Pondexter, are not expected to return for the rest of this season, head coach Alvin Gentry confirmed today, per Justin Verrier of ESPN.com.
“Both of those guys will be gearing toward the summer and next year, really,” Gentry said.
Asik, who started 19 of the 31 games he played for the Pelicans earlier this season, hasn’t been a real part of the club’s rotation since mid-December. The veteran center has appeared in just three games for New Orleans since December 21, and hasn’t seen the court at all since February 10. As Verrier notes, Asik contracted a bacterial infection that caused him to lose a significant amount of weight.
As for Pondexter, it has been a long road back for the 29-year-old, who has been sidelined by knee injuries for each of the last two seasons. Pondexter hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since April 2015, when he was a starter for the Pelicans in their first-round loss to the Warriors.
While it’s not particularly surprising that Asik and Pondexter won’t return for the Pelicans this season, it will be interesting to see how they fit into the team’s plans going forward. Asik’s contract continues to be an albatross for New Orleans — it will exceed $10.5MM next season and increase to $11.2MM+ in 2018/19. Pondexter, meanwhile, has one more year left on his deal at just under $4MM next season. Both players could be on the trade block this summer, though they’ll probably have very limited value.
Northwest Notes: Rubio, Casspi, Nuggets, Jazz
Ricky Rubio has been the subject of frequent trade speculation in the past couple years, but if he continues to play like he has lately, Rubio should have a future with the Timberwolves, writes Sid Hartman of The Star Tribune. As Hartman details, Rubio has been averaging a double-double (15.8 PPG, 10.6 APG) and shooting well (39.5% on threes) since the trade deadline, and is on a reasonable contract (two years and $29MM+ after this season). Minnesota drafted Kris Dunn last June to be the point guard of the future, but it appears Rubio isn’t ready to give up his hold on that title quite yet.
Here’s more from around the Northwest division;
- The Timberwolves signed Omri Casspi in the wake of Nemanja Bjelica‘s season-ending injury, hoping that Casspi could do some of the things that Bjelica did on the court. However, as Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune details, Casspi is still adapting to his new team. The Wolves have just nine games left, so the veteran forward may return to the free agent market before getting fully comfortable in Minnesota.
- The Nuggets struck gold with center Nikola Jokic, but still don’t have a playmaker who can make a big shot in the clutch, according to Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post, who makes a case for why the team should move Wilson Chandler and pursue Gordon Hayward in free agency.
- Following a weekend loss to the Clippers, Jazz center Rudy Gobert unloaded some frustrations in his post-game comments, suggesting that “some of us don’t compete” and “just thinking about scoring” (link via Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com). Gobert later backed off those comments, apologizing to his teammates and vowing to be a better leader, per Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. Utah has since won back-to-back games.