Cavaliers Suspend J.R. Smith For One Game
MARCH 2, 9:34am: According to a report from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Dave McMenamin, Smith received his suspension after throwing a bowl of soup at assistant coach Damon Jones. Smith, who served his one-game ban on Thursday night, will return to Cleveland’s starting lineup on Saturday.
MARCH 1, 5:20pm: According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link), head coach Tyronn Lue told reporters that “something happened after shootaround” today, leading to the decision to suspend Smith. Hood will start at shooting guard today, with Smith regaining his starting job on Saturday, per Lue.
MARCH 1, 5:10pm: The Cavaliers have suspended J.R. Smith for one game for conduct detrimental to the team, the club announced today in a press release.
Word of the suspension broke just two hours before the Cavaliers are scheduled to host the Sixers in Cleveland. Smith will serve his suspension tonight, so he won’t be available for that game vs. Philadelphia.
With Smith sidelined, Kyle Korver, Rodney Hood, and Jordan Clarkson are among the Cavs who could see a few extra minutes of action.
Smith’s one-game ban will cost him $94,897, 1/145th of his $13.76MM salary for the season. However, Cleveland won’t get any tax relief, since the suspension is coming from the team rather than the league, ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter).
Magic Sign Rashad Vaughn To Second 10-Day Deal
After his initial 10-day contract with the team expired Thursday night, the Magic have re-signed Rashad Vaughn, inking him to a second 10-day deal, the team announced today (via Twitter).
Vaughn, the 17th overall pick in the 2015 draft, has yet to develop into a reliable rotation player, having seen his playing time decline since he averaged 14.3 MPG in his rookie year in Milwaukee. This season, he has bounced around from team to team, having been traded from the Bucks to the Nets to the Pelicans. Vaughn eventually signed a 10-day deal with Orlando last month after being waived by New Orleans.
Although Vaughn’s stint with the Magic reunited him with John Hammond, the general manager that drafted him in Milwaukee three years ago, it hasn’t given him an opportunity for an increased role so far. In four games with the Magic, the 21-year-old has played just 25 total minutes, picking up five points and two boards during his limited action.
Re-signing Vaughn will leave the Magic with a second cap charge of $83,129 and will once again fill their final roster spot. When Vaughn’s new 10-day contract comes to an end, Orlando will have to decide whether to let him go or sign him to a rest-of-season deal.
Atlantic Notes: James, Ibaka, Monroe
Speculation about LeBron James signing with the Sixers is a tease, Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. The scribe opines that it’s more likely the superstar either signs with Los Angeles or, more likely, stays in Cleveland.
Ford writes that it would play well for the Ohio product to stay home after having already departed the city once in his career. What’s more, he adds that the King’s vision of the Sixers may be slightly different than what Philly sees. Technically speaking, much of the club’s future hinges on a big man with a troubling injury concerns and a rookie with holes in his game.
It’s not necessarily a bad thing that James looks elsewhere, however, it could be beneficial for the Sixers to build organically from within rather than inking a ringer to take them from The Process to The Endgame.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- After a year with the Raptors, it’s still difficult to gauge Serge Ibaka‘s value, Eric Koreen of The Athletic writes. The big man has established himself as a more imposing shooter but has been inconsistent so far in 2017/18.
- The Celtics understand that there will be situations where Greg Monroe can have a major impact on basketball games. The 265-pound big man recently seized an opportunity to impress his new teammates, A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston writes.
- In an in-depth feature profile, Eric Koreen of The Athletic breaks down the circumstances that brought Fred VanVleet to the Raptors as an undrafted free agent out of Wichita State. These days the 24-year-old is a vital piece of the club’s revered second-unit.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/1/18
Here are Thursday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Cavaliers have recalled rookie center Ante Zizic to the NBA, the team announced today in a press release. Zizic helped lead the Canton Charge to a win over the Maine Red Claws on Wednesday night, posting 15 points and 13 rebounds for Cleveland’s G League affiliate.
Central Notes: Bulls, Cavs, Pistons
The Bulls are walking a fine line between developing young players and outright tanking, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune writes. The organization’s recent decision to sideline starters Robin Lopez and Justin Holiday is one glaring examples of the club’s bold strategy down the stretch.
While vice president John Paxson did proactively say the Bulls would be launching a player-development plan when the team returned from the All-Star Break, league commissioner Adam Silver is on a mission to curb the thought that teams could be losing on purpose.
To Paxson’s credit, there’s merit to the idea of auditioning unproven players during the final months of an otherwise lost campaign, gauging how individuals fare with heavier workloads is an essential part of planning for the future. The question is how well the Bulls can balance that with putting a reasonably competitive team out on the floor.
There’s more out of the Central Division:
- The Cavaliers added four rotation players at the trade deadline, so it’s not surprising that head coach Tyronn Lue is still sizing up what exactly he has on his hands. “I just want to see what I’m working with,” Lue told Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. “I really don’t know the guys that much, that well. Just want to see in big moments, pressure situations, how they perform. They performed well and they’ve been performing well.“
- The Pistons hope that Reggie Jackson is able to practice on March 11, prior to the team embarking on a six-game road trip, Keith Langlois of the team’s official site tweets.
- Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy views his decision to take Eric Moreland out of the team’s rotation as a mistake, Geoff Robinson of The Detroit News writes. The bench boss plans to amend that by getting Moreland more minutes in order to capitalize on the energy he brings.
Timberwolves Buy Out Shabazz Muhammad
8:31pm: The Wolves announced in a press release that they have officially waived Muhammad.
7:28pm: The Timberwolves and forward Shabazz Muhammad have agreed to a contract buyout that will allow Muhammad to reach free agency, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Michael Scotto and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic first reported (via Twitter) that the two sides were engaged in buyout negotiations.
By completing the buyout before the end of the day on March 1, Muhammad will retain his postseason eligibility for a new club, and Wojnarowski notes that the former lottery pick is hoping to catch on with a contender. According to Krawczynski (Twitter link), Muhammad’s camp had been discussing a buyout for the last two months, and Minnesota “finally relented.”
“I’m very happy and can’t wait to get my next opportunity,” Muhammad told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link).
Muhammad is just 25 years old and was a highly touted prospect out of UCLA, but after a couple promising seasons, he has seen his numbers drop off a cliff this year. With 3.8 PPG on .388/.211/.710 shooting, Muhammad has appeared in just 32 games for Minnesota in 2017/18, having fallen out of the rotation.
While Muhammad has historically been a more productive scorer than he has shown this season, he has never been a particularly strong rebounder (2.8 career RPG), facilitator (0.5 APG), or outside shooter (.317 3PT%). So it remains to be seen whether any contending team will have serious interest in bringing him aboard for the stretch run.
As for the Timberwolves, releasing Muhammad will reduce their roster count to 13 players on standard NBA contracts, so they’ll need to add someone soon to get back up to the NBA-mandated minimum of 14. Minnesota also figures to remain on the hook for Muhammad’s full $1,577,230 salary for this season, but we’ll see if he gave up most or all of his $1,795,015 player option for 2018/19 as part of the buyout agreement.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Knicks Notes: Jack, Noah, Ntilikina, O’Quinn
With his role in New York essentially eliminated and an informal buyout deadline looming, Knicks point guard Jarrett Jack admitted earlier this week that he may have to consider his options. However, we’re just a few hours away from turning the calendar to March 2 – at which point waived players no longer retain their playoff eligibility – and it doesn’t sound like Jack is packing his bags to leave the Knicks, as Marc Berman of The New York Post writes.
“[Sam Goldfeder, Jack’s agent] called me and did his job,” Jack said. “‘Hey, what do you think about possible destinations on playoff teams?’ If something unbelievable comes up that makes sense, we’ll take a look at it. But I’m not pressing the envelope. If nothing shakes out of it, I’m cool here.”
While Jack would prefer to see the sort of role he did in the first half, when he was the Knicks’ starting point guard, he also doesn’t mind sticking in New York and mentoring the club’s young point guards, says Berman. Even with Emmanuel Mudiay, Frank Ntilikina, and Trey Burke sharing his minutes, Jack doesn’t want to bail on the team.
“It feels weird leaving guys to go to another situation,” Jack said. “I understand selfishly how it makes sense, but I’d like to finish with who I started. The responsible thing to do is listen to it or look at it, but I’m cool here.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Within the same article, Berman cites sources who say that Joakim Noah also isn’t likely to be bought out by the Knicks today. The next big date to watch, according to Berman, may be September 1. At that point, if New York were to waive and stretch Noah, the size and structure of his cap hits would look a little different. We’ve previously identified September 1 as a date of interest for Noah’s situation; back in December, we took a closer look at how stretching him before or after that date would impact the Knicks’ cap charges.
- Frank Ntilikina has shown some unexpected versatility in the Knicks’ backcourt, according to Fred Kerber of The New York Post, who suggests that the team has confidence in the rookie’s ability to play the two. While we shouldn’t pencil in Ntilikina as the Knicks’ shooting guard of the future quite yet, his versatility could create some interesting lineup possibilities going forward.
- Knicks center Kyle O’Quinn isn’t sure yet whether or not he’ll opt out of his contract and become a free agent this summer, but he made it clear today that he loves playing in New York, as Al Iannazzone of Newsday relays. “I would love to be here for the rest of my career if I can,” O’Quinn said. Whether that translates into a hometown discount for the Knicks remains to be seen.
- Be sure to check out our Knicks team page for more Knicks-related news and notes.
Western Notes: Reed, Aldridge, Chriss, Blazers
Veteran center Willie Reed was sent from the Clippers to the Pistons in the Blake Griffin trade, then flipped again at the deadline to the Bulls in exchange for Jameer Nelson. Chicago quickly waived Reed, and the big man has been a free agent since then.
Reed’s per-minute numbers over the course of 152 NBA games have been solid (14.3 PPG, 11.0 RPG per 36 minutes), and he has drawn some interest from at least a couple Western Conference teams, a source tells Orazio Cauchi of Sportando (Twitter link). However, Reed’s appeal is limited due to a six-game suspension for a domestic incident, which he has yet to serve.
As we wait to see if Reed finds a new NBA home before the end of the season, let’s round up a few more notes from around the Western Conference…
- The Spurs received some good news on LaMarcus Aldridge‘s ankle injury, as Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio-Express News details. A league source tells Orsborn that Aldridge is day-to-day with a sprained right ankle, apparently having avoided a more serious injury.
- After making some cryptic comments prior to the All-Star break about his attitude on and off the court, Suns forward Marquese Chriss expanded on those thoughts in a conversation with Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic. Chriss, who says he had long conversations with GM Ryan McDonough and head coach Jay Triano during the break, spoke about taking care of mental health and not taking his spot in the NBA for granted.
- The Trail Blazers‘ play down the stretch – and in the playoffs – could be a major factor in determining some of the team’s offseason moves, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News, who identifies Jusuf Nurkic‘s looming restricted free agency as one key roster decision facing the club.
Lakers’ Josh Hart To Undergo Hand Surgery
MARCH 1, 5:14pm: Hart will undergo surgery on his left hand fracture, per Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). According to head coach Luke Walton, Hart will be re-evaluated every couple weeks going forward, and while he may return this season, there’s “zero rush” to get him back.
FEBRUARY 28, 2:29pm: Lakers rookie Josh Hart has been diagnosed with a small fracture in his left hand, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. Hart suffered the injury, which Mike Bresnahan describes as a break of the fourth metacarpal, during a practice session on Wednesday.
According to Charania, Hart and the Lakers are still weighing both surgical and non-surgical options. In either scenario, the young guard is expected to miss at least a few weeks, Charania notes. With only six weeks left in the 2017/18 regular season, we may not see much more of Hart during his rookie campaign.
The 30th overall pick in last year’s draft, Hart has been overshadowed in Los Angeles this year by fellow rookies Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma. However, the former Villanova standout is having a very solid season in his own right. Hart has taken on a larger role in the Lakers’ rotation over the last two months, recording 8.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and a .487/.413/.636 shooting line in 29 games (26.2 MPG) since Christmas Day.
With Hart sidelined and Jordan Clarkson and Corey Brewer no longer in the picture, the Lakers will be somewhat shorthanded at shooting guard behind starter Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. It will be interesting to see whether the club experiments with more two-point-guard lineups in the short term, perhaps with Ball and Isaiah Thomas playing alongside one another. Signing a shooting guard to a 10-day contract is also a viable option — L.A. has two open roster spots after cutting Brewer today.
Isaiah Thomas On Free Agency: Just Need ‘One Team To Love You’
After finishing fifth in MVP voting last season, Isaiah Thomas has endured a disastrous 2017/18. Having been traded from the Celtics to the Cavaliers to the Lakers, Thomas has battled a hip injury and has seen his stock slip precipitously over the course of the season. Nonetheless, he’s remaining optimistic about his upcoming free agency, saying today that “all you need is one team to love you,” as ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk relays.
“It’s like the draft all over again. You just need one team,” Thomas said. “My résumé speaks for itself. What I can do on the basketball floor speaks for itself. I can’t do nothing but control what I can control, and that is taking advantage of any opportunity that I am given and playing my heart out. But come July, I got to weigh my options to do what is best for myself and my family.”
A year ago, when he was still a relatively healthy Celtic, Thomas spoke about the possibility of a maximum-salary contract, suggesting that Boston would need to “bring the Brinks truck out.” As the 2018 offseason nears, the idea of that sort of mega-deal seems far-fetched.
After averaging 28.9 PPG and 5.9 APG on .463/.379/.909 shooting in 2016/17, Thomas has seen those numbers slip to 14.3 PPG, 4.5 APG, and .369/.269/.899 in 21 games this season. While that drop-off can be attributed – at least in part – to his hip problems, that injury itself is a red flag for teams considering investing in the 29-year-old this summer. Still, Thomas believes he’s capable of returning to his previous form.
“It is, ‘What have you done for me lately?'” Thomas said. “That is the league that we are in and I understand that. But if I am given the same opportunity that I was given in Boston, I would do the same thing and that is just what it is. They’ll [people who have forgotten what Thomas can do] come back around, I am positive about that.”
As Youngmisuk notes, most NBA teams won’t have much – or any – cap space this summer, and many of those that will have space already have talented point guards on their rosters. As such, Thomas’ options in free agency figure to be limited. As Thomas himself observes, it would only take one team to put a big offer on the table, but Youngmisuk suggests a lucrative, J.J. Redick-esque one-year contract may be the best Thomas can hope for, unless he’s willing to go the mid-level route for a multiyear deal.