Southwest Notes: Rondo, Allen, McLemore, Parker
The Pelicans won’t have to wait much longer for Rajon Rondo‘s season debut, tweets Scott Kushner of The Advocate. Coach Alvin Gentry told reporters tonight that he expects Rondo to be ready in about a week to 10 days. Rondo underwent surgery for a sports hernia on October 10 and was projected to be sidelined four to six weeks. He was expected to take over at point guard after signing with New Orleans in July.
There’s more tonight from the Southwest Division:
- Tony Allen was held out of tonight’s game with left knee inflammation, but the Pelicans were prepared for occasional absences when they signed the 35-year-old guard, writes William Guillory of The Times-Picayune. Gentry called the condition minor and said it shouldn’t be a long-term concern for Allen. “It’s going to be that way throughout the season,” Gentry said. “He’s got a lot of years and a lot of miles on him. There’s going to be little hurts and pains that may keep him out a game or so, but it’s not anything that I’d spend any time worrying about.” Allen has been a valuable reserve for New Orleans, averaging 4.8 points and 2.2 rebounds in 12 games.
- Ben McLemore saw his first action for the Grizzlies tonight after signing with the team in July. McLemore had to undergo surgery in August after suffering a non-displaced fracture of the fifth metatarsal on his right foot during a summer pick-up game. He is expected to add more scoring punch to an already deep Memphis team after averaging 9.4 points per game during four seasons in Sacramento. “I’ve been working really hard on rehab and things like that to get back into game shape and being able to play my first game this season, so I’m excited,” McLemore said in an interview tweeted by the team.
- The Spurs will have Tony Parker back soon, according to a post by Michael C. Wright on ESPN Now. Coach Gregg Popovich said his point guard continues to make progress in rehab, and Parker has expressed hope that he will be cleared to play by the end of November. He was originally expected to be out of action until January after rupturing a left quadriceps tendon during the Western Conference semifinals.
Knicks Notes: Kuzminskas, Noah, O’Quinn, Porzingis
Mindaugas Kuzminskas is among several Knicks waiting for the team’s next move once Joakim Noah‘s suspension ends, tweets Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Noah is serving the last of his 20 games tonight, which means a roster change should happen soon. The Knicks have 15 other players under contract, so an opening will have to be created before Noah can be activated.
Kuzminskas, who was inactive for tonight’s contest, told reporters he is anxious to see what the team decides to do. He is making $3,025,035 in the final year of his contract, which may be a lot for the Knicks to absorb when Ramon Sessions, Jarrett Jack and Michael Beasley are all signed for the veterans’ minimum of $1,471,382. However, Kuzminskas has barely played this season, getting into one game for just two minutes of action. That follows a promising rookie year in which he averaged 6.8 points in 68 games.
There’s more news out of New York:
- Noah isn’t sure how he will fit into the team’s logjam at center, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. Enes Kanter has taken over the starting job since being acquired in a trade with the Thunder, and Kyle O’Quinn has emerged as the primary backup. Willy Hernangomez has appeared in just six games, and playing time figures to get even tighter with four centers available. “All I can do is just be as ready as possible,’’ Noah said. “I feel like I’ve put myself in that position, grinding hard. Whatever my role is I’ll accept it. It’s tough, you know? We have a lot of very good players at our position.”
- The front office has been making calls to measure O’Quinn’s trade value, Berman writes in the same story. He has been impressive with 7.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in a reserve role, and the Bucks may be interested after parting with Greg Monroe this week to obtain Eric Bledsoe.
- Kristaps Porzingis isn’t just playing better this season, he’s enjoying it more, Berman notes in a separate story. Last year’s turmoil, which included Porzingis skipping his post-season exit interview then being shopped for potential trades, disappeared with the firing of team president Phil Jackson. “Yes, it was a tough year,’’ Porzingis said Friday on WFAN. “We won a lot of games in the beginning because of our talent. I could tell right away it wasn’t going to keep that up for the whole season. It started to go downhill, it wasn’t fun anymore. It was not a very enjoyable season.’’
Atlantic Notes: Irving, Celtics, Crabbe, Raptors
Kyrie Irving won’t be sidelined long by a facial fracture he suffered Friday night, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical. Irving is doubtful for Sunday’s game, the Celtics announced today, but he plans to get a facemask and resume playing as soon as possible. Sources tell Charania that Irving should need the mask for about two weeks.
The injury, which is being called minor, occurred early in Friday’s game when Irving was accidentally elbowed in the face by teammate Aron Baynes. Irving has emerged as an early MVP candidate, posting 20.3 points and 5.2 assists per night while helping the Celtics rise to a league-best 11-2 despite the loss of Gordon Hayward.
There’s more news from around the Atlantic Division:
- Unexpected contributions from several players have helped the Celtics remain successful after the loss of Hayward, writes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. Rookie Jayson Tatum and second-year player Jaylen Brown have taken on more responsibility, while Terry Rozier, Shane Larkin and Daniel Theis have become valuable role players. “We’ve been preaching next man up forever,” Rozier told Chris Forsberg of ESPN. “Lately, our team is dropping like flies. You just gotta be ready. Shane did a great job, stepping up, coming in [Friday]. Like you said, you just never know in this league when your number is going to be called. We did a good job handling that.”
- Nets guard Allen Crabbe didn’t hide his nostalgia for Portland when he returned to the city Friday for the first time since a July trade, relays Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. Crabbe spent four seasons with the Trail Blazers before the deal and says he still has fond feelings for the organization. However, he believes he has a greater opportunity to become a full-time player in Brooklyn. “It’s everything an NBA player would want,” Crabbe said. “To be a key piece to a team. I don’t think it was going to happen [in Portland].”
- Changes in philosophy are resulting in fewer shots for Raptors stars DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, notes Scott Stinson of The National Post. Toronto has been emphasizing ball movement and 3-point shooting, resulting in three fewer shots and three fewer points per game for DeRozan and four fewer shots and nearly 10 fewer points for Lowry.
Cavaliers Have ‘Strong Interest’ In Greg Monroe
With a shortage of big men, the Cavaliers have turned their attention toward Greg Monroe and are considering an offer to the Suns, according to Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.
The veteran power forward/center was shipped from Milwaukee to Phoenix this week as part of the Eric Bledsoe trade. The Suns reportedly don’t have any long-term plans for Monroe and would consider a buyout if they can’t move him in another deal.
The 27-year-old is in the final year of his contract with a $17.8MM salary. In addition to providing an inside presence, Monroe is a “team-first player,” according to Amico, who would be willing to sacrifice his stats for the chance to rejoin a contender.
Monroe appeared in just five games with the Bucks before the deal and had his minutes cut sharply to 15.8 per night. However, he is a proven scorer and rebounder who averaged 11.7 points and 6.6 rebounds in 81 games last season, then raised those numbers to 13.2 and 7.3 in the playoffs.
The Cavaliers need inside help after losing starting center Tristan Thompson to a strained left calf in a November 1 game. He was projected to miss three to four weeks, which puts him out for most of the month.
It’s not clear what the Suns might ask in return for Monroe, but Iman Shumpert [$10,337,079] and Channing Frye [$7,420,912] provide an almost perfect salary match. Shumpert, who was on the trading block throughout the offseason, has a player option for next year worth slightly more than $11MM, while Frye, who spent three seasons with Phoenix early in his career, has an expiring deal.
Amico adds that the Spurs and Nuggets have also expressed interest in Monroe.
Poll: Best Bargain Among NBA’s Highest-Paid Players
Yesterday, we took a look at the NBA’s highest-paid players this season. Among the players listed were perennial All-Stars such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Kevin Durant, all of whom are among the top 15 players in the league in terms of 2017/18 salary.
Curry is making the largest allowable salary in the NBA this season at $34,682,550, but only players who have been in the NBA for 10+ seasons are eligible for that salary. Players like Gordon Hayward, who have been in the league for 7-9 seasons, are only eligible for a maximum starting salary of $29,727,900, while players like Otto Porter, who have been in the league for six seasons or less, have a maximum starting salary of $24,773,250 for the 2017/18 season.
That being said, we want you to assume for the purposes of this poll that the NBA has no salary cap. In other words, if there was no limit on the amount a franchise could pay its players, how much do you think each player on our list would be worth?
After contemplating that answer, we want to know who you believe to be the most underpaid player on the list. To be clear, we are not asking for you to pick the best player, but rather the most underpaid.
For example, if you think James is better than Durant, but not that much better, the difference in compensation between the two players ($8.29MM) may lead you to the conclusion that Durant is more underpaid. Or, maybe it wouldn’t. That’s the beauty of the poll. So what do you think? Vote below in our poll and then jump into the comment section to share your thoughts!
Who is the most underpaid?
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Giannis Antetokounmpo 56% (581)
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Kevin Durant 13% (140)
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LeBron James 13% (137)
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Anthony Davis 6% (65)
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Other 5% (48)
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Stephen Curry 4% (39)
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Russell Westbrook 2% (16)
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James Harden 1% (13)
Total votes: 1,039
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 11/4/17 – 11/11/17
Every week, the writing team at Hoops Rumors creates original content to complement our news feed. Here are our segments and features from the last 7 days:
- In several different Community Shootaround posts, we asked:
- Has the beginning of this season changed your opinion about some of the bigger offseason transactions?
- Is the Pistons‘ fast start for real or will the team fall back to earth?
- Is there anybody currently on the Bulls‘ roster who will be good enough to play in the Chicago-hosted 2020 NBA All-Star Game?
- Two former top ten picks are on the trading block. What team is the best fit for Jahlil Okafor? What about for Greg Monroe?
- Are the Thunder a contender in the Western Conference or has the beginning of this season unmasked too many flaws?
- In response to the trade that sent Eric Bledsoe to the Bucks, we polled our readers as to how they believe the trade will impact Milwaukee’s playoff chances and beyond this season.
- We analyzed the advent of the two-way contract by exploring how teams are and/or will be using these new contracts. As of today, 59 out of the 60 possible two-way positions are filled, with the Timberwolves being the lone franchise still with an open two-way slot.
- We took a look at the players eligible for veteran extensions until June 30, 2018.
- We explored five likely trade candidates whose contracts may make it difficult for them to be moved.
- Finally, we tallied up the NBA’s 40 highest-paid players (via salary only) in the league this season, led by Stephen Curry, who is making a mind-blowing $34.7MM this year.
Five Key Stories: 11/4/17 – 11/11/17
Hoops Rumors has you covered in case you missed any of this past week’s NBA headlines. Below are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last 7 days.
In the biggest news of the week, Eric Bledsoe was traded from the Suns to the Bucks in exchange for Greg Monroe, a 2018 first-round pick, and a 2018 second-round pick. Both draft selections being sent to Phoenix are Milwaukee’s own, but the first-rounder has some interesting protections, with the pick not wholly unprotected until 2021.
The Pelicans waived Josh Smith after he appeared in only 3 games and logged just 12 total minutes. The move reduces New Orleans’ roster count to 15 and, more importantly, puts the Pelicans back under the luxury tax threshold.
With Joakim Noah‘s return from suspension imminent, both he and Mindaugas Kuzminskas are now on the trade block in anticipation of the Knicks deadline to drop its roster count from 16 to 15 by early Sunday evening. If a trade cannot be completed, it appears that the Knicks will likely waive Ramon Sessions.
The Sixers and Robert Covington are on track for a contract renegotiation and extension. Covington is eligible to renegotiate and extend his current contract (which allows for a more substantial raise than a simple extension) this Wednesday, and multiple reports are relaying that a new deal is imminent.
The Lakers and Luol Deng are discussing buyout and trade options for the 32 year-old veteran. Including this season, Deng still has 3 years and $54MM left on the contract he signed last summer. Despite the high salary, however, Deng has only appeared in one game so far this season.
Here are 10 more NBA headlines from the last week.
- In addition to being traded, Bledsoe was also fined $10K for the tweet that ultimately led to the trade.
- The Suns are doubtful that Monroe will remain on their roster until the end of the season.
- The Hawks filled their second two-way roster spot with 23 year-old undrafted rookie Tyler Cavanaugh.
- The two franchises that appear to be most interested in the services of Jahlil Okafor are the Hawks and Bulls.
- But, don’t count out the Suns either.
- The Knicks’ Kristaps Porzingis may need offseason surgery to alleviate chronic inflammation in his right elbow.
- Ben McLemore is set to make his debut with the Grizzlies tonight against Houston.
- Given the Lakers‘ desire to make a big splash in free agency next summer, Julius Randle is unlikely to figure in to the team’s future plans.
- The Windy City and the Bulls will host the 2020 NBA All-Star Game.
- The Cavaliers will keep Derrick Rose on a minutes cap of 28-31 minutes per game for the remainder of the season.
Community Shootaround: Paul George And The Thunder
Paul George had his coming out party for the Thunder in Friday’s 120-111 victory over the Clippers. The former longtime Pacers standout dropped 42 points to go along with 9 rebounds and 7 assists. After being largely absent from Oklahoma City’s late game plans during the team’s recent rough patch, George showed the scoring prowess that has made him one of the league’s premiere players.
George, 27, is set to hit the free agent market next year and it is no guarantee that he will re-sign with the Thunder. However, the team invested heavily into fielding a productive team this offseason, trading for George and Carmelo Anthony. With reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Russell Westbrook in the fold, the expecation was that OKC would be a competitive threat to the defending champion Warriors.
Despite Friday’s win, the Thunder are still in 12th place in the Western Conference with an uninspiring 5-7 record. To his credit, George has not sounded the alarms about his new team’s slow start, telling Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post that OKC’s plan is to gradually acclimate as a unit.
“We have a whole year to figure it out,” George said. “We can’t really try to rush this. It’s something that’s step-by-step, day-by-day [and], at this point, game-by-game. We’ve got to slowly get on the same page.”
What do you think? Does George have a point? Are the Thunder still capable of developing stronger team chemistry and ultimately play like one of the Western Conference’s top teams? Or, do the Thunder have too many dominating personalities that will make it harder to form a cohesive unit?
Sound off in the comments below!
Pacific Notes: Deng, Beverley, Randolph
Luol Deng‘s four-year, $72MM contract that he signed in 2016 has become one of the NBA’s biggest albatross contracts. The Lakers signed the 32-year-old to essentially become a more expensive version of what Metta World Peace was to last year’s team.
Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times writes that Deng, who spent parts of his first 10 seasons with the Bulls, no longer wants to play for the Lakers. He has played in just one game this season, recording 2 points and 1 assist in 13 minutes of action. As he awaits a resolution on his future, Deng told Ganguli he does not regret his contract.
“I just know that for me, I never really [took] the contract and said I just want to shut it down, I just don’t want to do anything,” Deng said. “I’m still working as hard as I can trying to figure it out and trying to be the best player I can be. It was never, let me go and relax and not do anything. That was never the case. So I don’t regret it at all.”
The Lakers are heavily invested in a youth movement, highlighted by their first-round picks from the past seasons in Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball. Deng could help the team as a mentor to the upstarts but minutes will be hard to come by unless he is traded.
Check out other news from the Pacific Division:
- A sore right knee has sidelined Clippers’ point guard Patrick Beverley, head coach Doc Rivers told reporters, including Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Despite initial concern, Rivers said the team expects their catalyst to miss about one week. “It’s the same thing that kept him out of the second half of camp,” Rivers said. “But he’ll be fine, that’s the good news. We were worried that it could be worse and it’s not. But he’s still probably going to miss a week of games. So, it’s just another guy out.”
- Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee writes that Zach Randolph, who endured a tough offseason that included an arrest for marijuana possession, is slowly getting back into shape. The Kings’ hoped the veteran would bring his toughness and grit to a young team and he spoke highly of the team’s core and what he can teach them.
Sixers Notes: Fultz, Okafor, Embiid
Markelle Fultz‘s NBA career has endured an inauspicious start as this year’s first overall pick has endured shooting difficulties stemming from a balky shoulder. The Washington product appeared in four games with the 76ers before he was sidelined indefinitely with a muscle imbalance in his right shoulder. As the Sixers are currently in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with a 6-5 record, so rushing Fultz back is not a smart idea, David Murphy of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes.
Murphy outlined three reasons why the Sixers are in a good position without their prized selection. The team is currently a projected playoff team, playing Fultz while he figures out his jumper is counterproductive, and Philadelphia is thriving with their current perimeter shooters, including J.J. Redick and Robert Covington.
“What it all boils down to is this: through 10 games, the Sixers look like a team that is more than capable of getting by without an additional role player,” Murphy writes. “They also look like a team that could reach a new level with Fultz playing the type of game they envisioned when drafting him. The obvious move is to focus not on getting him back on the court, but on getting his game back to where it was in college.”
Here are some other news tidbits surrounding the seventh-place Sixers:
- Despite appearing in just two games this season, Jahlil Okafor has continued to put in hard work as he awaits a resolution on his future, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. After shedding 20 pounds in the offseason, the former third overall pick is now an impending free agent in limbo, but a favorite of coach Brett Brown. “He knows at any moment somebody can say, ‘You’ve been traded to this team.’ You get on a plane and play 25 minutes,” Brown said. “There’s an appropriate fear that you need to have.”
- In a separate piece for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Pompey writes that Joel Embiid — who entered the year with a minutes restriction due to his decorated injury history — is dealing with knee soreness. However, the team is cautiously optimistic about how his body will hold up.