Community Shootaround: Will Cavs And Warriors Hang Onto No. 1 Seeds?
Following tonight’s loss to the Pistons, the Cavs are 42-21- having played to a .500 record over their last 10 games. The return of J.R. Smith bolsters the team’s depth, but Tyronn Lue’s squad continues to miss Kevin Love‘s presence in their rotation. The Celtics aren’t far behind Cleveland’s trail, sitting two games behind the Cavs for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
It’s been a similar story for Golden State, whose fourth quarter struggles have been well-publicized. The Warriors hardly have a comfortable hold of the Western Conference’s #1 seed, as San Antonio is riding a torrid 9-1 streak. The Warriors have long clinched a playoff spot, but Steve Kerr said he isn’t obsessed with the top seed.
“We still have the No. 1 seed, but I won’t run guys ragged to get it,” Kerr told Connor Letourneau of SF Gate. “We have to manage this stretch right here and get through this week.”
Fox Sports editor Brett Pollakoff has recently predicted the Spurs to overtake Golden State for the top seed, citing the Warriors’ difficult schedule through the rest of the regular season.
“The Warriors lead the Spurs by 2.5 games in the standings but are playing without Kevin Durant for at least a little while longer and have an absolutely brutal schedule this week, which ends with a game in San Antonio on Saturday,” Pollakoff writes. “The Spurs might be able to make up some ground during that stretch and are capable of playing consistently enough to overtake Golden State for the West’s No. 1 seed.”
Five Thirty Eight currently gives the Warriors a 79% chance of hanging onto the #1 seed, and Cleveland a 40% chance. We want to hear your opinion: Do you think each team will hold onto the #1 seed? If not, what will get in their way? Are the injuries to Kevin Durant and Kevin Love ultimately too much to overcome?
Let us know what you think in the comments section!
Pelicans Notes: Cousins, Davis, Crawford
The Pelicans‘ “new-look” roster is struggling, Justin Verrier of ESPN writes. While the blockbuster trade for DeMarcus Cousins brought peak national interest, the Pels currently sit 4.5 games behind Denver for the eighth seed. Anthony Davis had no answers for the team’s recent shortcomings.
“I don’t know the reason. We’re just not making shots,” Davis said. “Guys are in the gym every day practicing those shots and making those shots. But it’s not disrupting everything else we’re doing. Of course, it helps when we make them. Whoever’s shooting, if they’re open, we tell them to keep shooting. That’s the only way it’s going to help our offense.”
The team’s period of adjustment with Boogie and AD has been “jarring,” despite the modest resources the team gave up to acquire Cousins.
More from NOLA…
- With Cousins by his side, Davis could cement his role as basketball’s greatest rising star, Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report writes. “He [Davis] turns 24 Saturday, more aware than ever that the only way to make that leap from hypothetical franchise player to historic one is via winning,” Ding writes. “His positivity regarding the Pelicans franchise despite poor personnel work by management and the uninspired hiring of Alvin Gentry has now been rewarded with Cousins’ arrival, so the window for excuses is starting to close.”
- Jordan Crawford, who scored 19 points in his team debut Wednesday, discussed his NBA return with William Guillory of NOLA.com. “(Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry) said he was going to play me and I was surprised he threw me in so early,” Crawford said. “I just wanted to be aggressive and play my game. I worked towards it–getting back. It feels good just to continue the process.”
- Cousins was fined $50K for “two instances of inappropriate language directed toward fans,” Justin Verrier of ESPN writes. Cousins was caught on tape in each instance, following match-ups with the Jazz and Lakers. Damian Lillard of the Trail Blazers took issue with Boogie’s fine, tweeting “Boogie got fined 50k ? For saying something back to a fan? Smh I done had some wild stuff said to me out there…. That’s a lot of bread.” (Twitter link)
Atlantic Notes: Atkinson, Tucker, Thomas, Knicks
Chris Mannix of The Vertical spoke with Nets coach Kenny Atkinson about the team’s rebuild; a process Atkinson admitted can be overwhelming.
“I look at it like I deserve … like I deserve to start at the bottom. This is how it should be. I shouldn’t be handed some prime job,” Atkinson said. “I really believe that I have to pay my dues, and it’s great. It’s funny the situation we are in, without our picks, we never use that as a crutch. We never talk about the past. We’re talking about getting better in the here and now, and getting better in the future.”
Atkinson certainly has paid his dues; the Nets are currently 11-52, having won just 3 of 34 Eastern Conference games. Atkinson discussed the vision he shares with GM Sean Marks.
“Sean and I knew this wasn’t going to be an easy task,” Atkinson said. “We needed guys that were going to be able to keep pushing through and guys with high character that, despite the won-loss record, they’re going to come in here with a smile on their face and keep working their tails off, and that’s exactly what we’ve gotten from one to 15. We push these guys pretty hard, but everyone wants to be coached, accepts coaching. That attitude, that work ethic, that’s eventually going to pay off.”
More from the Atlantic…
- Jackie MacMullan of ESPN discussed the Nets’ challenge of “rebuilding from nothing.” MacMullan spoke to Heat president Pat Riley, who was hesitant to criticize former GM Billy King for the infamous Paul Pierce/Kevin Garnett blockbuster trade. “I’m a gambler — I might have done the same thing,” Riley said. “At the time, they were trying to build something. They had a new arena, a new owner, and so you go after the best players, and you tell everybody you are going to win. It didn’t work, and now they are paying the price.”
- Doug Smith of The Star wrote about P.J. Tucker‘s adjustment to Toronto. Tucker, who became an immediate fixture in Dwane Casey‘s rotation, now has a thorough understanding of the team’s “schemes and nuances.” “A lot of stuff was on the fly: just people talking on the court, coaches yelling to me from the sidelines, literally the other team hearing them telling me what I’m doing,” Tucker said. “When you come into a team in the middle of the year that is doing well, you just want to kind of follow along and fall in place.”
- Isaiah Thomas didn’t mean to throw coach Brad Stevens under the bus by saying “we can’t be experimenting in Game 63,” after a recent loss. Thomas, who met with GM Danny Ainge regarding his remarks, clarified his point of view with Chris Forsberg of ESPN. “That’s not me. I just said how I felt at that time,” Thomas said. “I was frustrated, I thought we should have won. I was always taught to speak my mind. But for the most part, I don’t want to be a distraction. My teammates know that. It’s bigger than how I feel, I guess.”
- There’s plenty of room for the Knicks to improve their draft position down the stretch, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Monday’s victory, Berman notes, dropped the Knicks from being in a tie for the sixth-worst record in the NBA to ninth-worst. Despite the team’s clear incentive to tank, coach Jeff Hornacek isn’t yet on board with throwing in the towel. “Until you’re out of it and doesn’t look good, it would come from management,’’ Hornacek said. “If we’re out of the playoffs, we’ll start doing that. There’s veteran guys here who will never give up until they’re out of it. We’re going to try to still win games.’’
J.R. Smith To Return To Cavs’ Lineup Thursday
J.R. Smith, who has been sidelined since December 20 with a fractured right thumb, will return to action tonight against the Pistons. According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Smith will be on an undisclosed minutes restriction (link).
Smith was listed as questionable in the days leading up to Thursday’s match-up. The 31-year-old woke up under the weather and was not at shootaround this morning, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (link). Smith, who signed a four-year, $57MM contract over the offseason, has had an abbreviated 2016/17 campaign. Through 21 games, J.R. has averaged 8.6 points while shooting 36.2% from beyond the arc.
Smith confirmed his return with a video on Uninterrupted (Twitter link).
“I am officially back. I will be playing tonight against the Detroit Pistons.” Smith said. “It’s been a good process…thankfully, it’s over. I get back to doing what I love to do more than anything. See you guys tonight at the Palace.”
Central Notes: Payne, Mirotic, Bucks, Parker
The Bulls had reportedly been seeking first-round picks in exchange for players like Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott prior to the trade deadline, but instead they sent both Gibson and McDermott to the Thunder – along with a second-rounder – for a package headlined by point guard Cameron Payne. As Shams Charania of The Vertical writes, the Bulls paid a hefty price for Payne, who is now hoping he can deliver on the team’s belief in him, calling the move to Chicago a “blessing in disguise.”
“It’s going to take time, but I want to be the guy for the Bulls’ future,” Payne told Charania. “I felt like OKC wanted something else, and I’m happy that Chicago felt the need to come trade for me. With what they gave up to get me, it meant a lot.”
Let’s round up a few more items from around the Central division…
- Within the piece linked above, Charania also notes that the Bulls had “several serious discussions” about trading Nikola Mirotic prior to the deadline, and were seeking a first-round pick in return. Ultimately, Chicago hung onto Mirotic, and now the team will have to see if it can hang onto him in restricted free agency this July.
- With the Knicks in Milwaukee on Wednesday, Derrick Rose acknowledged that the Bucks are somewhat intriguing as a potential free agent destination this summer, given Milwaukee’s proximity to his hometown and his family in Chicago. Marc Berman of The New York Post has the details, along with the quotes from Rose.
- Speaking to reporters for the first time since going down with a torn ACL last month, Bucks forward Jabari Parker said today that he believes he can come back even stronger, according to Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I don’t want to be the same player,” said Parker, who is still on crutches. “I wouldn’t be myself if I don’t challenge myself to do better things, bigger things. … I know I can be better.” Parker, who said he hopes to play 40 or 50 games this season, will be eligible for an extension later this year, as I discussed earlier today.
Wizards’ Trey Burke Changes Agencies
Wizards guard Trey Burke has made a change in his representation, according to Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal, who reports (via Twitter) that Burke has signed with Excel Sports Management. Burke’s new agent will be Mike George, Mullen adds.
The timing of the move is interesting for Burke, who will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer. Washington will have to tender a qualifying offer to Burke to make him restricted, and it’s not clear if the team will do so — the Wizards will have their hands full with RFAs Otto Porter and Bojan Bogdanovic, so Burke may not be a priority.
Whether he’s restricted or unrestricted, Burke will have a new agent negotiating his next contract on his behalf. Previously, the former Michigan standout had been represented by CAA’s Austin Brown as well as his father, Benji Burke. It’s not clear if the elder Burke will still be involved in negotiations for his son at all, or whether Excel – led by George – will handle those discussions exclusively.
In 54 games this season for the Wizards, Burke has played just 12.3 minutes per contest, resulting in career-worst averages in most per-game categories. However, his .442 FG% and .419 3PT% this season are his best marks since entering the NBA as the ninth overall pick in 2013. Burke is still just 24, so he should draw some interest in free agency this summer, despite his limited role in Washington.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 3/9/17
Here are Thursday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- Shortly after he signed a 10-day contract with the Mavericks, Manny Harris was sent right back down to the D-League, the team announced in a press release. Harris figures to get a shot in Dallas at some point during his current 10-day deal, but with the Mavs not in action until tomorrow, Harris will remain with the Texas Legends for the club’s Thursday night game against Northern Arizona.
- The Rockets have recalled Kyle Wiltjer from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the team announced today (Twitter link). Houston had needed to get up to 12 active players by today, necessitating the call-up of Wiltjer, as Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
- Rookie big man Georgios Papagiannis has been sent back to the D-League by the Kings, per James Ham of CSNBayArea.com (Twitter link). Papagiannis is one of 16 first-round picks from 2016 who have been on D-League assignments this season, as we detailed yesterday.
- The Pelicans have assigned rookie Cheick Diallo to the D-League, according to the team (Twitter link). Diallo will head to the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’ D-League squad, via the flexible assignment rule.
Southeast Notes: Schroder, Wizards, Heat
Two days after Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer benched Dennis Schroder for most of the second half against Golden State, the two men met on Wednesday to discuss the incident and move forward, writes Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution.
“He was very good,” Budenholzer said of Schroder, the Hawks’ starting point guard. “He and I communicating and understanding what is important. Really, he came in understanding what is important. Things happen in our league. Things happen in games. It’s part of our growth as a team, my growth as a coach, his growth as a player.”
Vivlamore notes that Schroder has gotten under the skin of some of his teammates at times, adding that a source familiar with the situation said Paul Millsap had “sharp words” for the young guard after Monday’s game. However, speaking to reporters, Millsap acknowledged that Schroder is still learning and improving, and said Monday’s incident won’t be a distraction for the Hawks going forward.
Here’s more from out of the Southeast division:
- It flew somewhat under the radar during the week of the trade deadline, but the Wizards‘ acquisition of Bojan Bogdanovic has arguably had the most impact so far of any February trade. Michael Pina of RealGM.com examines how Bogdanovic has been the NBA’s most dangerous scorer off the bench since arriving in Washington.
- Following Wednesday’s win, the Wizards became the first team in NBA history to get to 15 games above .500 after starting a season with a 2-8 record. As Michael Lee of The Vertical outlines, head coach Scott Brooks deserves plenty of credit for the job he has done in his first year with the club.
- Disabled player exceptions will expire for 2017 on Friday, and that’s relevant for the Heat, who received a modest DPE worth about $1.3MM when Justise Winslow went down for the season. As Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald details, that exception figures to go unused. Check out our glossary entry for more details on how disabled player exceptions work.
- In a separate piece for the Herald, Jackson breaks down why it makes more sense for the Heat to make a push for the playoffs rather than hoping to land in the lottery.
Follow @pfrumors On Twitter For Today’s NFL Free Agency News
NFL free agents can’t officially ink their deals with clubs until this afternoon, but the transaction frenzy is already in full swing.
The Patriots shocked everyone by signing cornerback Stephon Gilmore, the Browns landed wide receiver Kenny Britt, and the Bears have agreed to pay quarterback Mike Glennon upwards of $45MM on a three-year deal. Meanwhile, defensive lineman Calais Campbell is apparently waffling on a rumored deal with the Jaguars and could sign with the Broncos. Some big names have come off the board, but tons more remain including Texans free agent cornerback A.J. Bouye, Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, and Chiefs defensive tackle Dontari Poe.
On top of that, we still don’t know where superstars Tony Romo and Adrian Peterson will wind up, and the Patriots just might complete their second trade of the week by acquiring stud wide receiver Brandin Cooks from the Saints.
Whether you’re an NFL diehard or just a casual fan, you won’t want to miss out on all of this. You can check out PFR’s Free Agent Power rankings, follow @pfrumors on Twitter and head to ProFootballRumors.com now to get up-to-the-second updates on everything going down.
Injuries Will Complicate Key Rookie-Scale Extensions
Players who are currently in the third year of their rookie-scale contracts will become eligible for contract extensions beginning on July 1, and will have until the start of the regular season to work out new deals with their respective clubs. For the most part, that group is made up of first-round picks from the 2014 draft, which means that plenty of promising young players will be up for extensions this offseason.
Former No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins will be a top extension candidate for the Timberwolves, and other top-10 picks from 2014 – like Aaron Gordon (Magic), Marcus Smart (Celtics), and Julius Randle (Lakers) – figure to discuss new deals with their teams. Several players selected later in the first round, such as Gary Harris (Nuggets), Rodney Hood (Jazz), Clint Capela (Rockets), Jusuf Nurkic (Trail Blazers), and T.J. Warren (Suns) will also be viable candidates for extensions.
However, it would be hard to make a list of 2017’s top rookie-scale extension candidates that doesn’t include three players currently on the shelf due to injuries: Joel Embiid, Jabari Parker, and Zach LaVine.
Joel Embiid (Sixers)
Embiid may be involved in the Rookie of the Year conversation for 2016/17, but he’s technically a third-year player, meaning the Sixers will be faced with a major decision on his future sooner than they’d like. Embiid, who won’t play again this season due to a knee injury, has only played in 31 games in his first three NBA seasons, a disconcertingly small sample size for the Sixers as they weigh a possible extension.
As impressive as Embiid looked during those 31 games this season, it’s hard to imagine Philadelphia making a long-term commitment to him in 2017 unless the team can get something done at a significant discount. Like the rest of his fellow rookie-scale extension candidates, Embiid would be eligible for restricted free agency in 2018 if he’s not locked up this year, at which point the Sixers would be able to match any offer sheet he gets.
If Embiid stays healthy – or at least healthier – in 2017/18, it would be an easier decision for the Sixers to go up to the max for him in the summer of ’18. If not, then perhaps other suitors will shy away from making aggressive offers in restricted free agency as well, reducing the cost for Philadelphia. Either way, it probably makes sense for the Sixers to take another year to gather more information on Embiid — if he proves worthy of a maximum-salary investment by that point, they’d certainly be happy to do it.
Jabari Parker (Bucks)
Unlike Embiid, who is expected to be ready to go to start the 2017/18 campaign, Parker is expected to miss a full year after tearing his ACL, meaning he may not get back on the court for the Bucks until about halfway through next season. Clearly, that’s problematic for Milwaukee — the club will likely have to make a decision on an extension for Parker when he’s still a few months away from playing.
Before going down last month, Parker was enjoying a breakout season, averaging career highs in nearly every key category, including PPG (20.1), RPG (6.1), APG (2.8), and 3PT% (.365). He likely would have been on track for an extension worth at least as much as Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s (four years, $100MM) if he had stayed healthy. But it remains to be seen if the Bucks will be willing to make a long-term commitment to Parker while he continues to rehab a second ACL tear.
If Parker is seeking financial security, and the Bucks are confident in his ability to make a full recovery, it could be a good opportunity for the team to roll the dice — something in the four-year, $70-75MM range might make sense for both sides. For Parker, it’s a huge payday that ensures he’ll be set for life no matter how his knees hold up going forward. For the Bucks, it would be Luol Deng money for a player who has the potential to develop into an All-Star. It would be a leap of faith, but with the salary cap set to exceed $100MM, such a contract wouldn’t necessarily be a huge albatross if Parker’s health prevents him from taking the next step.
Zach LaVine (Timberwolves)
LaVine tore his ACL just a few days before Parker did, though the Timberwolves didn’t announce a timeline for his recovery, so it’s not clear if he’ll remain off the court until 2018 as well. Unlike Parker, LaVine had been relatively healthy during his first two years in the NBA, missing just five total games, so perhaps there’s more optimism about his ability to get back to 100%.
With Wiggins also up for an extension, and a big payday for Karl-Anthony Towns potentially coming in 2018, LaVine likely won’t be Minnesota’s top priority this offseason. Still, he shouldn’t be overlooked. Having increased his scoring average from 10.1 PPG to 14.0 PPG to 18.9 PPG in his first three NBA seasons, LaVine adds a dangerous scoring punch to the Wolves’ backcourt. The team may view him as a piece of a long-term Big Three, alongside Wiggins and Towns, so exploring an extension this fall makes sense.
As is the case in the other two scenarios, the Wolves would likely only re-up LaVine in 2017 if they can do so at a discounted rate. The club won’t sign LaVine to a max extension, but if he’s open to doing something in the Dennis Schroder range (four years, $62MM), I think the team would jump on it. If LaVine’s asking price is closer to the $84MM that a healthy Victor Oladipo got on his four-year extension with the Thunder, that would make it more difficult for Minnesota to pull the trigger.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.