Hoops Rumors Originals: 3/18/17 – 3/25/17
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:
- Chris Crouse was in attendance at the 2017 MIT Sloan Conference earlier this month, and spoke to many NBA executives, analysts, and other sources at the event. He rounded up all of his pieces and provided a few more interesting tidbits from Sloan right here.
- With the trade deadline and the buyout period now very much in the rear-view mirror, we examined which NBA teams still have open roster spots.
- Our weekly fantasy basketball feature focused this week on players who are benefiting from veterans being shut down for the season, including Tyler Ulis (Suns), Rajon Rondo (Bulls), and Brandon Ingram (Lakers).
- Arthur Hill discussed the NBA’s Coach of the Year award, the Clippers, and more in his weekly Sunday mailbag. For details on how to submit a question for our next mailbag, click here.
- In our weekly Hoops Links roundup of interesting articles from around the blogosphere, Milo Taibi passed along pieces on Draymond Green, Larry Sanders, David Nwaba, and more. For details on how to submit a blog entry for consideration in our next installment of Hoops Links, click here.
- I answered questions in our live chat, which happens every Monday afternoon. Here’s the transcript.
- Here are the questions we asked you in our Community Shootaround discussions and polls this week:
- Will LeBron James, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwyane Wade ever join forces on the same team?
- What are your thoughts on teams resting healthy stars, as the Cavaliers and Warriors have done recently?
- Which team do you expect to claim the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference? The Trail Blazers edged the Nuggets in this vote.
Nets Sign Archie Goodwin To Second 10-Day Contract
March 25, 10:10am: The Nets sent out a press release confirming their signing of Archie Goodwin to a second 10-day contract. Goodwin, who has averaged nine points with 2.8 assists over four games with Brooklyn, is presumed to be available for tomorrow’s match-up with Atlanta.
March 24, 2:03pm: The Nets will extend a second 10-day contract to Archie Goodwin, Chris Haynes of ESPN reports (Twitter link). Goodwin made three appearances in his first go-around with Brooklyn, scoring 26 points on 58.8% shooting in that span.
Goodwin’s signing confirms an earlier report from Fred Kerber of the New York Post, who said there was a good chance Archie would be retained after his first deal expired. Still just 22 years old, Goodwin is in his fourth NBA season, having played for the Suns, Pelicans, and Nets. A former No. 29 overall pick, Goodwin showed potential in his sole season with the Kentucky Wildcats.
Goodwin spoke to Anthony Puccio and Bryan Fonseca of Nets Daily before Tuesday’s game, voicing a desire to stick with Brooklyn (article link).
“When I first got here I told Sean Marks ‘You know from the beginning of the season I’ve watched your team play.’ To be truthful, I watched 90 percent of their games,” Goodwin said. “The games I watched I said, ‘Man this team plays hard and they really play for each other.’ It’s one of those situations where the pieces aren’t there just yet. They’re – I mean we’re – definitely headed in the right direction and I want to be a part of this.”
Joakim Noah Receives 20-Game Suspension
March 25, 10:02am: The NBA formally announced Noah’s suspension, noting that he tested positive for Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator LGD-4033 (link). Contrary to last night’s report, Noah’s suspension will begin with the first regular season or playoff game for which Noah is “eligible and physically ready to play.” Depending on Noah’s health status, the 32-year-old may wind up serving all 20 games in 2017/18.
March 25, 12:09am: Knicks center Joakim Noah will receive a 20-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug program, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. According to Wojnarowski, the league intends to announce the ban on Saturday.
League sources tell Wojnarowski that Noah tested positive for an over-the-counter supplement that is not permitted under the league’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement. The players’ union investigated the matter and concluded that Noah hadn’t “knowingly or willingly” violated the policy, having fully cooperated with the NBA’s probe, Wojnarowski writes.
The Knicks only have 10 games left in the 2016/17 season, so Noah will serve half of his suspension this season before sitting out 10 more games to start the 2017/18 campaign. The 32-year-old underwent a left knee arthroscopy about a month ago and was expected to miss most – if not all – of the rest of the season anyway. With New York out of playoff contention, the suspension won’t affect the team in the coming weeks. However, it could have an impact on next year’s roster and rotation for the first few weeks of the season.
Noah is finishing up the first year of a massive four-year, $72MM contract that he signed with the Knicks last July. The 20-game suspension will cost him a modest portion of his salary for both this season and next season.
Pistons Notes: Jackson, Drummond, Van Gundy
The wheels are falling off for the 34-39 Pistons, who are 1.5 games out of the eighth seed following a 115-87 loss to the Magic. Reggie Jackson– who has been coming off the bench of late- said nobody’s job is safe.
“(Missing the playoffs) would suck — it sucks every year you’re not in the postseason and not one of the teams competing to be the last one standing,” Jackson told Rod Beard of Detroit News. “It’s tough. It’s a performance-based league so all our jobs are on the line. If we don’t get where we want to be, I’m sure coach knows as coach-president, he has a lot on the line. Myself, I was brought in to be the point guard and I have a lot on the line. We don’t know who’s going to be back next year or who’s going to be here tomorrow.”
Stan Van Gundy‘s Pistons have dropped six of their last seven, entering crisis mode in the middle of a playoff chase. If there’s one saving grace for Detroit, three of their next four opponents are fellow sub-.500 teams.
More from Detroit…
- Van Gundy answered six postgame questions in a combined 55 seconds after Friday’s loss, Rod Beard of Detroit News reports. Video of the uncomfortable presser can be found on FOX Sports Detroit (Twitter link).
- The Pistons are in “no-man’s land,” Brett Koremenos of RealGM writes. While Koremenos concedes basketball is too nuanced to blame problems on a singular figure, he has trouble getting past the faults of Jackson and Andre Drummond. Regarding Drummond- previously regarded as a ‘franchise player’- Koremenos writes “Drummond’s engagement defensively comes and goes almost on a nightly basis. He can be prone to lazily reach for steals in pick-and-roll defensively and could definitely get a lot from a class in the Marc Gasol school of defensive positioning and anticipation. And for all the talk of his athleticism, Drummond doesn’t deter opponents’ success near the rim.”
- It doesn’t sound like Van Gundy’s decision to bring Jackson off the bench will be a permanent one, as the veteran coach called it a “decision for now…not a long-term thing,” when speaking to Rod Beard of Detroit News (Twitter link). Jackson likely doesn’t have to worry about Ish Smith taking his job, as Smith totaled just six points with three rebounds over 16 minutes in Friday’s loss. In Beard’s article linked above, Van Gundy noted “He’s [Jackson] handled everything this year like a true pro. It’s been a very difficult year for him in a lot of ways: the injury, trying to come back and not playing the way that he’s wanted to play, and now coming off the bench. He’s handled it all great and his priority is the team.”
Week In Review: 3/18/17 – 3/25/17
It was a fairly eventful week in the NBA, as many of this year’s early entrant draft announcements begin to roll in, while there were plenty of notable non-draft news items and rumors to round up as well. Here’s our recap of what you need to know for the last seven days:
News
- Former Bulls general manager Jerry Krause, the architect of the roster that won six championships in the 1990s, passed away at age 77.
- The NBA was unhappy that the Cavaliers rested star players in a marquee, nationally televised game. The growing trend of sitting healthy players prompted commissioner Adam Silver to send a memo to all 30 teams calling it a “significant issue” and suggesting there will be “significant penalties” for teams that don’t provide sufficient notice.
- Knicks center Joakim Noah received a 20-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug program.
- Bulls center Robin Lopez and Raptors forward Serge Ibaka were suspended one game apiece for fighting.
Rumors
- Magic general manager Rob Hennigan‘s job is in jeopardy.
- Clippers head coach and president of basketball operations Doc Rivers dismissed the idea that he could head to the Magic in a similar role this summer.
- Hawks big man Paul Millsap is still expected to opt out of his contract this offseason.
- Warriors head coach Steve Kerr disputed a report that suggested Golden State was “furious” and “bewildered” about the Thunder’s treatment of Kevin Durant when he returned to OKC.
- Among other Pacers rumors, we heard that Paul George would love to play with Gordon Hayward and got details on what the Sixers offered for George before February’s trade deadline.
- The Clippers and Heat are said to have interest in former NBA big man Carlos Boozer, who has been playing in China.
- Spurs assistant Becky Hammon is reportedly considering an offer from the University of Florida.
- Italian power forward Nicolo Melli is drawing interest from multiple NBA teams.
Transactions
- The Timberwolves signed forward Omri Casspi to a rest-of-season contract.
- The Rockets signed forward Troy Williams to a rest-of-season contract.
- The Lakers signed David Nwaba to a multiyear contract.
- The Mavericks signed guard Manny Harris to a second 10-day contract.
- The Mavericks signed forward Jarrod Uthoff to a second 10-day contract.
- The Pelicans signed guard Quinn Cook to a 10-day contract.
- The Suns signed forward Jarell Eddie to a 10-day contract.
- The Nets signed guard Archie Goodwin to a second 10-day contract.
Early Entrants
- Lonzo Ball, UCLA (freshman) (link)
- Jayson Tatum, Duke (freshman) (link)
- Jonathan Isaac, Florida State (freshman) (link)
- Jarrett Allen, Texas (freshman) (link)
- John Collins, Wake Forest (sophomore) (link)
- Donovan Mitchell, Louisville (sophomore) (link)
- Ivan Rabb, Cal (sophomore) (link)
- Tyler Lydon, Syracuse (sophomore) (link)
- Semi Ojeleye, SMU (junior) (link)
- Jawun Evans, Oklahoma State (sophomore) (link)
- Dwayne Bacon, Florida State (sophomore) (link)
- Cameron Oliver, Nevada (sophomore) (link)
- Texas A&M freshman Robert Williams opted to return to school.
- This list includes top-60 prospects, based on DraftExpress.com’s rankings. For the full list of early entrants so far, check out our breakdown.
Injuries
- Sixers center Joel Embiid, who is out for the season, underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.
- Grizzlies forward Chandler Parsons underwent season-ending surgery on his left knee.
- The Warriors are reportedly optimistic that Kevin Durant can return from his knee injury before the end of the regular season.
- Omer Asik and Quincy Pondexter aren’t expected to get back on the court for the Pelicans this season.
- Spurs rookie Dejounte Murray is out for another two to three weeks due to a pelvic bone injury.
- Pacers swingman Glenn Robinson III will be sidelined for at least two weeks with a calf injury.
Lonzo Ball To Enter 2017 NBA Draft
Shortly after his UCLA Bruins fell to Kentucky in the Sweet 16, star freshman guard Lonzo Ball announced that Friday’s game would be his last as a college player, tweets Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports. Ball will enter the 2017 NBA draft, and will be a candidate to be the first player off the board in June.
Ball, who is ranked as the No. 2 prospect in this year’s draft class by both DraftExpress and ESPN.com, averaged 14.7 PPG, 7.6 APG, and 1.9 SPG in his freshman year at UCLA. Although Markelle Fultz ranks ahead of him on most big boards, Ball is considered the better prospect by multiple NBA teams, and has certainly received more public hype lately, thanks to his outspoken father LaVar Ball.
On Friday night, Ball was outplayed by Wildcats star De’Aaron Fox, who figures to be a lottery pick three months from now as well. In a game that featured a handful of top prospects, Fox looked like the best player on the court, racking up 39 points. However, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com writes, Ball’s mediocre showing in the Sweet 16 won’t have much of an impact on his draft stock — he’s still a near-lock to be a top-three pick.
You can check out our full list of the early entrants for the 2017 draft right here.
Send Us Your Mailbag Questions, Hoops Links Submissions
Every Sunday at Hoops Rumors, we publish a pair of features that rely on input and submissions from our readers. One is our Weekly Mailbag, in which Arthur Hill answers a few questions related to the latest news and rumors from around the NBA. The second is our Hoops Links feature, which showcases a selection of notable NBA blog entries from all over the internet. In each instance, the content for those features comes from you.
Have a question regarding player movement, free agent rumors, the salary cap, the NBA draft, or the top storylines of the week? You can e-mail them here for consideration for our Weekly Mailbag: hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com. If your question doesn’t get selected for our mailbag, be sure to join us on Monday afternoons for our weekly live chat.
Got a new NBA blog post that you’d like to see featured on Hoops Rumors? You can send the URL and a brief description of the piece to hoopslinks@gmail.com for consideration.
Be sure to send us your new mailbag questions and NBA blog posts each week, and check back every Sunday to see if you’ve been featured in that week’s installment!
Latest On Chris Bosh, Heat
The Heat have had the opportunity for the last month and a half to start the process of removing Chris Bosh‘s contract from their cap, but have yet to take serious action on that front. According to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, there are two reasons why the Heat are taking their time in pursuing an injury exclusion for Bosh, who last appeared in an NBA game in February 2016.
For one, the Heat still don’t need to use the roster spot that Bosh has occupied for the 2016/17 season, according to Jackson, who notes that none of the players currently – or recently – on the free agent market appeal much to Miami. In addition to not needing the roster spot occupied by Bosh, the club also currently has no use for the cap room his contract is taking up, since that space wouldn’t come in handy until the offseason.
Secondly, Jackson writes, the Heat want to leave the door open for the possibility of trading Bosh after the season. The veteran big man is likely to be ruled medically unfit to continue his career, and Miami is the only team that has the ability to remove his cap hit from its books — any team acquiring him wouldn’t be able to do so. As such, a trade is extremely unlikely, though Jackson suggests there were “preliminary trade inquiries” earlier in the season.
As Jackson explains, if Bosh is ruled medically unfit to play, insurance would cover most of his salary, so Miami wouldn’t be on the hook for much money. But trading him would take the Heat entirely off the hook, and the team wouldn’t have to worry about whether or not an independent physician would sign off on medical retirement — or whether Bosh would return to the court down the road, putting his salary back on their cap. Presumably, any team looking into acquiring Bosh would either have to believe that he can make a comeback or would be looking for the Heat to attach assets of value to his pricey contract.
As we’ve noted in many previous Bosh updates, his career is on hold – and may be permanently over – due to recurring blood clot issues. He’s on track to earn about $52MM over the next two years, but the Heat could remove those cap hits from their books if an independent doctor jointly approved by the NBA and NBPA deems his health issue to be career-ending. If Bosh played 25 games for a new club after being released by the Heat, his cap charge(s) would go back on Miami’s books.
According to Jackson, Bosh was scheduled to speak this week with a high-ranking Heat official.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 3/24/17
Here are Friday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
10:22pm:
- The Warriors recalled forward Kevon Looney from their D-League affiliate earlier today, the team announced in a press release. Looney, who put up 10 points and eight boards in just 13 minutes for Santa Cruz on Thursday night, is back with Golden State for tonight’s game against Sacramento.
11:50am:
- The Bulls recalled Cameron Payne from Windy City, the team announced via press release. Payne has made nine NBA appearances since being acquired from OKC, scoring 54 points on 33.9% shooting in that span. In his most recent D-League stop, Payne scored 14 points with eight assists and seven rebounds in a win over the Iowa Energy.
Rob Pelinka Talks Lakers, GM Role, Free Agency
New Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka is in attendance at the NCAA tournament in Memphis tonight to scout some young prospects that could be high on the team’s draft board this spring, including Kentucky’s Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox, as well as UCLA guard Lonzo Ball, as Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com notes. However, before taking in some Sweet 16 action, Pelinka spoke to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical about some of the challenges facing him as he takes over Mitch Kupchak‘s job in Los Angeles.
The entire discussion between Pelinka and Wojnarowski is worth listening to, particularly for Lakers fans, but here are a few highlights from the team’s new GM:
On making leap from player agent to general manager of a team:
I feel like this is the sweet spot for kind of who I am with my background having gone to law school, having worked as an agent for almost 20 years and understanding the cap and how the system works, how modern day players think. I went to business school and got a business degree and then basketball of course, having played in three Final Fours. Those are my passions in life and they all kind of converge in this job.”
On restoring the Lakers to greatness after a down period:
“We see an opportunity to cast a new vision for the future. The Lakers were always a team going back in history where all the other 29 teams were saying, ‘Hey, how can we do it like the Lakers do?’ and maybe we’ve lost that a little bit. I think it’s time to think that way again and hopefully get back to a position where others are saying, ‘Gosh, look at how the Lakers are doing things. We’d love it if we could do it that way.’
“The Lakers are the Lakers when there’s a star in the building. The greats are so easily listed. Magic, Shaq, Kobe, Jerry West, Wilt. I could go on and on down the list. We feel like this is a perfect platform for hopefully that next player to eventually say, ‘There’s no city like L.A., there’s no team that has the legacy like the Lakers. This could be my home someday. The perfect platform to accomplish what I want to with my career.’ I think that’s an important thing that we’ll want to make sure happens.”
On how to recruit free agents when top FAs in recent years haven’t even met with the Lakers:
“The first two or three weeks have been so encouraging because both Magic [Johnson] and I have talked to most of the top agents, and the feedback we’re getting is, ‘Man, there feels like a fresh start there. It seems like a new leadership team with a new vision.’ People are excited about hopefully becoming a part of that.
“I think having [been an agent] for almost 20 years, the word I keep coming back to when I’m on the phone with some of the player representatives is the word ’empathy.’ I’ve walked in their shoes, I know what it’s like. I know what their clients are looking for in a team… That’s helpful for us to meet those needs, and so far we’re very optimistic that those relationships are being strengthened and that we’re going to have a shot to change what’s happened in the last two or three seasons with future free agent classes.”
On why the new-look Lakers should be appealing to players around the league:
“The other day someone shared a statistic with me. … More Lakers jerseys have been sold in the world than all other 29 teams combined. If I’m a player and I’m thinking about my future and I’m thinking about the mega-watt power of the Lakers’ brand; the powder-keg of relationships that you can form in L.A. with entertainment moguls; the legacy of excellence and championships here that the Buss family is going to continue to provide; Magic Johnson‘s vision; hopefully some of my expertise in trades and managing the cap. All of those things combined. I think if I’m an NBA player out there and I’m seeing all that, I think, ‘Wow, that’s a package I could put my trust in. That’s a future that looks really, really promising.'”