Kevin Love Returns To Action Monday
Cavaliers forward Kevin Love will play on Monday for the first time since breaking a bone in his left hand, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today tweets.
Love has been sidelined since suffering the injury during the first quarter at Detroit on January 30th. He was expected to miss eight weeks, so Love recovered a little quicker than expected. He has missed 21 games.
This is welcome news for a team that just lost its coach for an unknown period of time. Tyronn Lue was given a leave of absence on Monday to deal with health issues.
Love will be on a minutes restriction, according to Zillgitt, but he should give the floundering team, which has lost seven of its last 13 games, an immediate jolt. He was averaging 17.9 PPG and 9.4 RPG prior to the injury. He’ll have to blend in with a variety of new teammates who were acquired after Love was sidelined.
Community Shootaround: Hornets’ Next GM
Even before the Hornets informed general manager Rich Cho that his contract wouldn’t be renewed, there were rumblings around the NBA about the possibility of Mitch Kupchak joining Charlotte’s front office as the new head of basketball operations.
Kupchak has a long-standing relationship with fellow UNC alum Michael Jordan, and has multiple championships on his résumé as the Lakers’ top decision-maker. While Kupchak made some high-profile missteps near the end of his tenure in Los Angeles – including mega-deals for Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov – it made sense that he was being considered for the Hornets’ job.
However, it appears Kupchak is not a lock for that opening. A report from Marc Stein of The New York Times suggests that Rockets executive VP of basketball operations Gersson Rosas is emerging as a serious GM candidate for the Hornets, and the team is also reportedly interviewing Sixers VP of player personnel Marc Eversley and Heat assistant GM Adam Simon.
Rosas, Eversley, and Simon don’t have previous general manager experience like Kupchak, with the exception of a brief stint in Dallas for Rosas, who had the title of GM but wasn’t in control over personnel decisions. However, all three men have held key roles alongside veteran executives over the past couple decades.
Rosas has been a key advisor for Daryl Morey in Houston, Eversley has worked extensively for Bryan Colangelo in Toronto and Philadelphia, and Simon has more than two decades of experience in the Miami front office under Pat Riley. While they haven’t run a basketball operations department before, all three execs are seasoned veterans, having logged significant time in respected organizations around the NBA.
With their star player (Kemba Walker) headed for unrestricted free agency in 2019 and a plethora of expensive, undesirable contracts on their cap, the Hornets aren’t in an ideal rebuilding situation, so the new GM will face a challenge in attempting to turn the club into a contender. What type of candidate do you think the Hornets should be targeting for that role?
Is hiring a veteran with extensive GM experience like Kupchak the way to go? Should Charlotte instead be targeting a seasoned executive who hasn’t yet had a chance to call the shots in a front office, like Rosas, Eversley, or Simon? Or is there another direction you think the Hornets should be taking their search?
Jump into the comment section below to share your thoughts!
2017/18 NBA Reverse Standings
Throughout the 2017/18 NBA season, Hoops Rumors has maintained a feature that allows you to keep an eye on what the 2018 draft order will look like. Our 2017/18 Reverse Standings tool, which lists the NBA’s 30 teams from worst to first, is updated daily to reflect the outcomes of the previous night’s games.
Our Reverse Standings take into account playoff teams in each conference, so they’re essentially a reflection of what 2018’s draft order would look like with no changes to lottery position. In addition to not considering the results of the lottery, our tracker lists teams in random order when they have identical records. At the end of the year, those ties would be broken via random drawings.
Traded first-round picks are included via footnotes. For instance, the note next to Minnesota’s pick says that the Timberwolves will send their pick to the Hawks if it’s not in the top 14. As of today, the Wolves are 18th in the lottery standings, meaning their pick would head to Atlanta, though that could change if their recent slide continues.
Our Reverse Standings tracker can be found at anytime on the right sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features” on our desktop site, or on the “Features” page in our mobile menu. It’s a great resource not just for monitoring a team’s draft position, but also for keeping an eye on whether or not traded picks with protection will be changing hands in 2018. So be sure to check back often as the regular season winds down!
Note: Mobile users are advised to turn their phones sideways when viewing the Reverse Standings in order to see team records and lottery odds.
Injury Notes: Hill, Wall, McCaw, Gordon, Anderson
After missing the Pelicans‘ first 69 games this season due to a torn left hamstring, Solomon Hill returned on Sunday and said he “felt way better than I thought I would,” per William Guillory of The New Orleans Times-Picayune. Despite the fact that he hadn’t appeared in a regular season game since last spring and only played eight minutes, Hill said he felt comfortable on the court.
“I kind of felt after a while that it was like my fifth game back,” Hill said. “It kind of just came and went. … When it was over, (I) was really thinking I can play more. It’s a good sign.”
As New Orleans works Hill back into its rotation, let’s round up a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA…
- It’s not “etched in stone,” but John Wall could participate in five-on-five practice by the end of this week, Wizards head coach Scott Brooks said today (Twitter link via Candace Buckner of The Washington Post). Wall, sidelined since January 25, remains on track to return from his knee injury in advance of the playoffs.
- Patrick McCaw is set to return to action on Monday night against San Antonio, and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr doesn’t expect the second-year guard to just sit on the bench. Expect McCaw to play about 15 to 20 minutes, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “We need him,” Kerr said.
- Having passed the concussion protocol, Aaron Gordon will be available to play for the Magic on Tuesday night vs. Toronto, the team announced today (via Twitter). Gordon, a restricted free agent this summer, last appeared in a game on March 7.
- Ryan Anderson played in both of the Rockets‘ games over the weekend after missing the previous nine contests with hip and groin injuries. As Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle writes, Anderson struggled a little with his rhythm in his first game back, but said he felt “no pain.”
Latest Update On 10-Day Contracts
Ten-day signings continue to be the most common NBA transaction taking place at this point in the 2017/18 season, with most rest-of-season contracts only being signed after the player has already played on a 10-day deal or two.
Currently, 11 of the league’s 30 teams are carrying at least one player on a 10-day contract, giving them the opportunity to take a look at that player without being committed to him for the rest of the season.
A week ago, we checked in on the active 10-day contracts around the NBA, but the turnover on those agreements is so frequent that it’s worth revisiting them this week. Because 10-day contracts can be challenging to keep up with, we created a tracker to keep tabs on all the 10-day deals around the NBA. Updated daily, our tracker shows which 10-day contract recipients still have active deals.
With the help of our tracker, here’s a quick roundup of the players currently on 10-day contracts, along with a handful of players whose deals recently expired. The expiration date noted below for each player represents the final day of his contract.
Active 10-day contracts:
- Brandon Jennings (Bucks): Expires 3/20.
- Jaylen Morris (Hawks): Expires 3/20.
- Note: Morris will reportedly be signed for the rest of the season.
- Jameel Warney (Mavericks): Expires 3/20.
- Damion Lee (Hawks): Expires 3/22.
- Travis Wear (Lakers): Expires 3/22.
- Briante Weber (Grizzlies): Expires 3/23.
- Sean Kilpatrick (Clippers): Expires 3/23.
- Larry Drew II (Pelicans): Expires 3/24.
- Nigel Hayes (Raptors): Expires 3/25.
- David Stockton (Jazz): Expires 3/26.
- Rodney Purvis (Magic): Expires 3/27.
- Okaro White (Cavaliers): Expires 3/27.
Recently expired 10-day contracts that haven’t been renewed:
- Derrick Williams (Lakers): Expired 3/18.
- Xavier Rathan-Mayes (Grizzlies): Expired 3/14.
- Walter Lemon Jr. (Pelicans): Expired 3/13.
Players recently signed for the season after their 10-day contracts ended:
- Georgios Papagiannis (Trail Blazers)
- Ramon Sessions (Wizards)
- Antonius Cleveland (Hawks)
- Troy Williams (Knicks)
- Shaquille Harrison (Suns)
Pistons Notes: Jackson, Van Gundy, Buycks
While the injury that has sidelined Reggie Jackson since December was referred to as an ankle sprain, the veteran point guard actually had complete tears of the ligaments in his right ankle, writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. When Jackson first went down with the injury, the Pistons announced he’d be re-evaluated in six to eight weeks, and he admits he thought he’d be back on the court around that time.
“I never expected to miss whatever amount of games as I did,” Jackson said. “I really thought it was a four-week thing, even though people said six to eight. I took the news like everybody else. Once we got to that point, realized it said ‘re-evaluation.'”
Even though the Pistons’ chances of making the playoffs are all but dead, Jackson is hoping to return from the stretch run, if only to build up a little momentum for the offseason and for the 2018/19 campaign. As Langlois details, Jackson said this weekend that he hopes he’ll be back “soon,” while head coach Stan Van Gundy suggested his point guard’s return will depend on how his ankle responds to yesterday’s full-court scrimmage.
“We’re hoping maybe this week he’ll play at some point,” Van Gundy said.
Here’s more on the Pistons:
- Van Gundy received a $15K fine from the NBA for publicly criticizing the officiating in Saturday’s loss to Portland, the league announced in a press release. Van Gundy said after Saturday’s game that the Trail Blazers “got away with fouls all over the place,” adding that the Pistons “got absolutely screwed” and calling it “embarrassing for the league.”
- Pistons guard Dwight Buycks, who scored a career-high 22 points against Denver last Thursday, is making a case for a roster spot on next year’s team, writes Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. Buycks’ contract includes a non-guaranteed $1.6MM salary for 2018/19, which will become guaranteed if he remains under contract through September 1.
- The Pistons, whose roster underwent major midseason changes, continue to search for the right balance between their starters and reserves, as Rod Beard of The Detroit News details.
Tyronn Lue Taking Leave Of Absence For Health Reasons
10:31am: Lue will be on a one-week plan to address his health issues, a source tells TNT’s David Aldridge (Twitter link). For now, the hope is that Lue will be able to return to coaching next week.
10:04am: Tyronn Lue is taking a leave of absence from his job as the Cavaliers’ head coach for health reasons, he announced today in a statement. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), Lue had been considering this option for several weeks, but had resisted until now. Associate head coach Larry Drew will take over for Lue on an interim basis, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
“After many conversations with our doctors and [GM] Koby [Altman] and much thought given to what is best for the team and my health, I need to step back from coaching for the time being and focus on trying to establish a stronger and healthier foundation from which to coach for the rest of the season,” Lue said in a statement. “I have had chest pains and other troubling symptoms, compounded by a loss of sleep, throughout the year. Despite a battery of tests, there have been no conclusions as to what the exact issue is.
“While I have tried to work through it, the last thing I want is for it to affect the team,” Lue continued. “I am going to use this time to focus on a prescribed routine and medication, which has previously been difficult to start in the midst of a season. My goal is to come out of it a stronger and healthier version of myself so I can continue to lead this team to the Championship we are all working towards.”
As Lue noted in his statement, he has been battling health problems for several months. The Cavs’ head coach didn’t return to Cleveland’s bench during the second half of Saturday’s game against the Bulls — he has now missed multiple shootarounds, parts of multiple games, and at least one practice this season due to his illness, per Cleveland.com.
It’s not clear at this point how much time Lue will have to miss. We wish him the best during his recovery.
Rockets’ Gersson Rosas A Serious Candidate For Hornets’ GM Job
Rockets executive Gersson Rosas is receiving serious consideration for the Hornets’ open general manager job, reports Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link). Former Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak has been viewed as the favorite to replace Rich Cho as Charlotte’s full-time GM, but Stein suggests Rosas has emerged as an “increasingly serious candidate” for the Hornets.
Rosas, who has spent more than a decade with the Rockets, currently holds the title of executive vice president of basketball operations for the franchise. A right-hand man of Daryl Morey, Rosas briefly left the franchise in 2013 to become the Mavericks’ GM, but returned to Houston after things didn’t pan out in Dallas.
The fact that Rosas resigned from that job with the Mavs after just a few months is something the Hornets will have to consider as they weigh whether he’s the right man for their opening. However, reports at the time suggested that Rosas had been hoping for more say in personnel decisions in Dallas, where Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson ranked above him in the basketball operations hierarchy. That shouldn’t be a problem in Charlotte, where the team’s new GM is expected to have control over basketball decisions.
While Rosas and Kupchak appear to be the early frontrunners for the Hornets’ GM position, the team was also said to be interviewing Sixers VP of player personnel Marc Eversley and Heat assistant GM Adam Simon. It remains to be seen if Charlotte will interview more candidates in the coming weeks — the club reportedly would like to have a GM in place around the end of the regular season, to give the new head of basketball operations plenty of time to prepare for the draft and free agency.
Okaro White Signs 10-Day Deal With Cavaliers
MARCH 19: The Cavs have officially signed White, according to a press release from the team. The signing was finalized on Sunday, so White’s 10-day deal will run through next Tuesday, March 27.
MARCH 18: The Cavaliers will sign forward Okaro White to a 10-day contract, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.
White, 25, started the season with the Heat, but played just six games before being traded to the Hawks and then waived last month. He appeared in 35 games for Miami last season and is averaging 2.9 points and 2.3 rebounds throughout his career.
The Cavaliers needed to make a roster move to reach the NBA minimum of 14 players. The league permits teams to drop down to 13 for up to two weeks, which is where Cleveland has been since Marcus Thornton‘s 10-day deal expired March 3.
The Cavs are short handed with Larry Nance Jr., Cedi Osman and Rodney Hood all injured and Kyle Korver away from the team on a family emergency, but have been hesitant to add anyone to the roster because each move increases their tax penalties.
Weekly Mailbag: 3/12/18 – 3/18/18
We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com.
With the Spurs slowly declining due to their aging stars, will it be better for them to miss the playoffs and get a chance to draft a blue chip player?– Greg Dizon
The Spurs need to start preparing for the future, especially if they can’t reach an extension with Kawhi Leonard this summer, but it’s too late to count on any lottery help. Even if they go into a tailspin, the best they can realistically hope for is the 13th or 14th pick, which rarely brings a franchise-changing talent. The roster is heavily stocked with over-30 players and will have to be reconstructed at some point, but LaMarcus Aldridge, Pau Gasol and even 40-year-old Manu Ginobili are all signed through next season. Rudy Gay and Danny Green both have player options, so most of the veteran corps will stick together for at least another year. San Antonio is better off testing its luck in the playoffs than the lottery.
Is Ernie Grunfeld going to move Marcin Gortat and Ian Mahinmi to open up cap space for my Wizards to make a splash in free agency? — Jermaine, via Twitter
Washington may try to trade one of them this summer for cap relief, but it’s going to be a long time before the franchise can be a major bidder in free agency. The huge deals it handed out to John Wall, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter will tie up nearly all of the team’s cap room for the next two seasons — three if Porter opts in for nearly $28.5MM in 2020/21. The Wizards will be filling their roster with low-cost options for the foreseeable future and won’t be able to sign anyone of the caliber of Gortat or Mahinmi if they are dealt away. Any improvements they make won’t come on the free agent market.
Will the early exits from the NCAA Tournament hurt the draft status of players like DeAndre Ayton, Mo Bamba, Jaren Jackson Jr., Michael Porter Jr. and Trae Young? — Viktor, via Twitter
Scouts like to see how players perform in high-pressure situations, but the results of the games won’t carry much weight come draft time. NBA teams have been watching these college stars all season and they know what they’re capable of. Their performance at the combine, individual interviews with teams and the upcoming workouts will play a much larger role in determining who gets drafted where. Teams would prefer to see a long tournament run, particularly in the case of Porter, who barely played this season because of a back injury, but the NCAAs will be a distant memory by draft day.