Community Shootaround: Time To Rebuild The Clippers?
The scramble for Western Conference playoff spots got a little smaller today as the Clippers were officially eliminated with a 19-point loss to the Nuggets. It marks the end of a six-year playoff run for the franchise and may signal the start of a rebuilding project in L.A.
There’s an argument to be made that the process is already under way. It may have begun when Chris Paul demanded a trade to Houston last June, then was accelerated when Blake Griffin was shipped to Detroit. Paul and Griffin were the foundation for the greatest years the formerly downtrodden Clippers have ever experienced, and it feels like the team has already entered a new era.
The most consequential decision facing the Clippers this summer is out of their hands. DeAndre Jordan can opt out of a $24.12MM salary for next season and become an unrestricted free agent. Jordan, who has been with the franchise throughout his 10-year career, remains the cornerstone of the defense and one of the league’s best rebounders. Taking his salary off the books would open a ton of cap room, but there’s not an obvious replacement on the roster.
Also facing opt-out decisions are Austin Rivers ($12.65MM), Milos Teodosic ($6.3MM) and Wesley Johnson ($6.13MM). Rivers seems likely to stay as long as his father is the head coach, but that’s another area where change could be coming.
Doc Rivers has one year left on his contract, and a mutual parting could be in the works. Rivers lost influence in the organization when he was squeezed out of a front office job last offseason and may prefer to go someplace where he’ll have a say about personnel matters. Rivers once said he didn’t want to stay in Boston for a rebuilding project, and he probably has the same attitude toward Los Angeles.
Barring trades, the only sure things for the Clippers’ roster next season are Danilo Gallinari, Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic, Lou Williams, Sam Dekker, Jawun Evans and Sindarius Thornwell. Patrick Beverley, who missed almost the entire season with a knee injury, has a nonguaranteed $5MM salary.
The news isn’t all bad for the Clippers, who will have their own lottery pick, along with the Pistons’ if it falls outside the top four. Detroit is 12th in our latest Reverse Standings and would need a lot of luck to hold onto the pick.
What would you do if you were running the Clippers? Would you re-sign Jordan if he opts out and try to start a new playoff streak, or is it time to start selling off the veterans and start over? Jump into the comments section below and give us your thoughts.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 3/31/18 – 4/7/18
Every week, we here at Hoops Rumors strive to create interesting original content to complement our news feed. Here are the original segments and features from the past seven days:
- Generally, NBA teams fill up their 15 roster spots by the end of the regular season, so we identified the seven teams that still have openings on their squads.
- In the latest installment of his Free Agent Stock Watch series, Austin Kent took a closer look at the Nets‘ 2018 free agents, including Joe Harris and former third overall pick Jahlil Okafor.
- Due to the protections on them, it’s still not clear where a handful of this year’s traded draft picks will land. We looked at five protected traded draft picks for 2018 that are worth watching closely down the stretch.
- When 2018’s window for 10-day contract signings ended, I broke down some numbers on this year’s 10-day deals — in total, 61 of those contracts were signed by 20 NBA teams, including eight by the Pelicans.
- Arthur Hill answered questions about the Knicks‘ point guard situation, the Nets‘ 2018 first-round pick, and tanking in this week’s mailbag.
- Our polls this week focused on the upcoming playoffs — we asked which two Western Conference contenders would miss out on the postseason and gauged your thoughts on how far the Celtics will advance in the playoffs after Kyrie Irving‘s season-ending surgery.
- Our lone Community Shootaround discussion this week revolved around 2018’s Basketball Hall of Fame class. Which of the new inductees had the most impressive career?
Draft Updates: Trent Jr., Fernando, Weatherspoon, Rorie
Gary Trent Jr. is the latest Duke player to declare for the NBA draft after a single season with the Blue Devils, according to a report in The Duke Chronicle. The basketball program announced Trent’s decision in a tweet this morning, but didn’t specify whether he intends to hire an agent. However, a statement from coach Mike Krzyzewski makes it sound like he’s definitely gone.
“Gary was the best 3-point shooter in the ACC. At the NBA level, that’s what they’re looking for,” Krzyzewski said. “He has the size of a two-guard who will be able to fit in the NBA. We appreciate everything Gary brought to Duke basketball and wish him the best as he begins his journey in professional basketball.”
Trent, who posted a video announcement on Twitter, averaged 14.5 points per game and shot .402 from long distance. He currently projects as a second-round pick, rated 52nd by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony on his list of the top 100 prospects.
There are more early entrants headed for the draft:
- Maryland forward Bruno Fernando plans to enter the draft without hiring an agent, tweets John Rothstein of FanRag Sports. Fernando averaged 10.3 points and 6.5 rebounds during his freshman season, but doesn’t make Givony’s list.
- Junior guard Quinndary Weatherspoon of Mississippi State also declared for the draft without an agent, according to a report in The Clarion Ledger. Weatherspoon averaged 14.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists as a junior, but doesn’t appear in Givony’s top 100. “Thank you Bulldog fans for your continued support thus far, and I am excited to see where this journey takes me,” Weatherspoon tweeted in making his announcement.
- Also entering the draft without an agent is Montana guard Ahmaad Rorie, writes Frank Gogola of The Independent Record. Rorie averaged 17.2 points and 3.7 assists per game as a redshirt junior, but also isn’t on the Givony list. “I have aspirations to play at the next level,” he said in a press release, “and this is a great chance for me to work out with NBA teams and other players who are projected to be at that level.”
Celtics Notes: Irving, Gibson, Monroe, Morris
The follow-up operation that will keep Kyrie Irving out of the playoffs should fix his knee problem for good, although there is a slight chance of further complications, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Irving had successful surgery today, the Celtics announced, with two screws being removed that were used to repair the fractured patella he suffered in the 2015 NBA Finals.
The screws, which measure about four millimeters and were used to hold in place a tension wire that surgeons removed last month, had become infected. Deveney talked to Dr. Derek Ochiai, an orthopedic surgeon at the Nirschl Orthopedic Center, who explained that Irving’s condition can be easily fixed if the infection is localized, but is more serious if he has osteomyelitis, which would involve a slow-moving infection that began when the screws were first inserted.
“Best-case scenario, there is no osteomyelitis, no bone infection, no bacteria, and they’re taking the screws out as a precaution,” Dr. Ochiai explained. “Once he heals up and the screws are out, he’s fine. That’s best-case. But if there is an infection, you really should jump on that. Somebody who has had it for years, you’re looking at six weeks of IV antibiotics … and possibly other debris treatments where you have to clean out the bone more. You have to make those holes bigger to try to treat the infection. But you have to hope, he gets the hardware removed, and he is OK from there.”
There’s more news out of Boston:
- New Celtic Jonathan Gibson became an instant fan favorite, relays Taylor Snow of NBA.com. Shortly after signing with the team, Gibson delivered nine points in the fourth quarter of Friday night’s game. The offer was a surprise to Gibson, who was in Las Vegas when he learned about it on Thursday. “My agent called me and asked, ‘Do you want to go play for the Celtics the rest of the season?’” Gibson said. “I said, ‘Sure!’ and [director of player personnel] Austin [Ainge] called me and confirmed it. I was definitely excited. I called my family and let everybody know. Then I was on my way out here in the next couple of hours.”
- Impending free agent Greg Monroe made his case for a new contract Friday by posting the first triple double for a Celtics center since 1987, notes A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston. Monroe had 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a win over the Bulls.
- Marcus Morris discussed his relationship with the officials after being ejected for the second time this week, tweets Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. “I’m not trying to be a bully and get kicked out,” he said. “They need to realize that because I’m not really having conversations with the referees, I don’t have anything to say to them. They’re doing too much by throwing guys out the game.”
Cavaliers Sign Okaro White For Rest Of Season
Okaro White has reached a deal with the Cavaliers that will cover the remainder of the season, the team announced on its website.
White was with the Cavs on a 10-day contract last month, although he didn’t see any game action. He has been a free agent since the deal expired March 28. Cleveland has been limiting its roster size in an effort to save money under the luxury tax. The Cavaliers now have 14 players with the addition of White, but they have been dropping down to 13 for two weeks at a time, which is the limit allowed under league rules.
White, 25, spent parts of two seasons in Miami, averaging 2.9 points in 41 games. At this year’s deadline, the Heat traded him to the Hawks, who waived him the same day. White was a G League All-Star last season in Sioux Falls and has played in Italy and Greece.
Sixers Notes: Embiid, McConnell, Redick, LeBron
Sixers center Joel Embiid will begin doing light cardio work as the first step toward returning from a fractured orbital bone, relays Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Embiid attended Friday night’s game, making his first appearance since having surgery March 31. Surgeons are examining him each day and are happy with his progress, Pompey adds, with “non-contact cardiovascular exertion steps” being planned to help him get through the league’s concussion protocol.
The Sixers didn’t let Embiid speak to reporters, but he watched his teammates during warmups and sank a few 3-pointers. He has missed five games since colliding with Markelle Fultz on March 28, and his prognosis calls for him to return in another one to three weeks.
- T.J. McConnell‘s playing time has nosedived since Fultz returned from his injury, Pompey notes in a separate story. The reserve point guard was on the court for just 5 minutes and 27 seconds Friday against the Cavaliers, the second-shortest stint of his three-year career. The Sixers have a $1.6MM team option on McConnell for next season that must be exercised by June 29.
- As one of the few Sixers with playoff experience, J.J. Redick will have an important role once the postseason begins next weekend, Pompey writes in another piece. This will mark the 12th straight playoff appearance for Redick, who has played 88 games with the Magic, Bucks and Clippers. The only other players in Philadelphia’s rotation with a playoff history are Marco Belinelli (48 games), Amir Johnson (42) and Ersan Ilyasova (23).
- Sixers fans will be happy to hear that LeBron James paid them a compliment after Friday’s game, according to Marc Narducci of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “They love their team, they love their ball club. They come out and support,” he said. “Obviously riding the winning streak, you know, and also you add in Villanova and you add in the Eagles, obviously that helps as well but it has always been kind of rowdy coming here.” Philadelphia has been rumored as a possible destination for James when he hits free agency this summer.
Five Key Stories: 3/31/18 – 4/7/18
In case you missed any of this past week’s top stories from around the league, we have you covered with our Week in Review. Listed below are the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days.
Celtics guard Kyrie Irving will undergo another procedure on his injured left knee and will miss the next four or five months. Although Boston bounced back from Gordon Hayward‘s season-ending ankle injury to claim the East’s No. 2 seed, the team’s odds of making a deep playoff run fall precipitously without Irving.
The Hornets offered their general manager job to former Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak. There’s still no word on Kupchak accepting the offer, so nothing is official yet, but it’s essentially viewed as a done deal. Kupchak would take the reins from former GM Rich Cho and from interim GM Buzz Peterson, who is expected to retain a top front office position.
Frustrated by his lack of playing time, Hassan Whiteside blasted Heat coaches after a loss to Brooklyn last weekend. While Whiteside later walked back his comments and said he regretted making them, he received a fine for conduct detrimental to the team and raised more questions about whether he has a long-term future in Miami.
Teams around the NBA are set to inquire on Kawhi Leonard‘s availability this offseason. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the Spurs won’t quickly hang up on those clubs. Still, the league-wide perception that Leonard might be available is a sign of how the rest of the NBA views the situation in San Antonio.
NCAA underclassmen continue to declare for the 2018 NBA draft in record numbers. Among the top prospects to enter the draft this week? Michigan State big man Jaren Jackson Jr., Alabama guard Collin Sexton, Kentucky forward Kevin Knox, and Miami guard Lonnie Walker.
Here are 10 more notable headlines from the last week:
- The Bucks re-signed Brandon Jennings to a rest-of-season contract, ensuring he’ll be eligible to play in the postseason.
- A pair of key figures returned to their respective teams, with Jimmy Butler playing for the Timberwolves on Friday, while Tyronn Lue coached the Cavaliers on Thursday.
- The Pelicans brought back a familiar face, signing Jordan Crawford for the rest of the season.
- USA Basketball announced the 35-man player pool it will draw from for the National Team between 2018 and 2020, for events like the 2019 World Cup and 2020 Olympics.
- Nuggets guard Will Barton reportedly turned down a four-year contract extension offer in the fall.
- Mavericks center Nerlens Noel and Jazz forward Thabo Sefolosha were each suspended five games for violating the league’s anti-drug program.
- After suffering a scary fall during last Saturday’s game and leaving on a stretcher, Warriors guard Patrick McCaw has been ruled out through at least early May.
- The Grizzlies made a series of roster moves, signing MarShon Brooks to a multiyear deal, signing Omari Johnson, and signing and later cutting Marquis Teague.
- The Warriors are talking to Quinn Cook about a deal that would get him onto the playoff roster and would give him a guaranteed salary for 2018/19 as well.
- The Bulls shut down Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, and Denzel Valentine for the season, while the Mavericks did the same with Dirk Nowitzki and J.J. Barea.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Pacific Notes: Thomas, Hayes, Offseason, Gallinari
Isaiah Thomas has returned to Los Angeles to proceed with his post-hip surgery rehab and he remains engaged with the Lakers, Bill Oram of the Orange County Register writes. Even though the soon-to-be free agent may never suit up for the team again, the Lakers will make their facilities available to Thomas for his rehab.
Head coach Luke Walton spoke highly of Thomas and the relationship he maintains with teammates — even teammates who he played with briefly due to injury.
“From what I know of him he’s very team-oriented,” Walton said. “His teammates have always loved him, he loves his teammates.”
Thomas appeared in 17 games with the Lakers, averaging 15.6 PPG and 5.0 APG. A troublesome hip ended Thomas’ season in the playoffs last year and delayed the start of his current season before sidelining him earlier this month.
Check out more Pacific Division notes below:
- Nigel Hayes has had an adventurous 2017/18 season, which included a standout year in the G League with two teams, three separate 10-day contracts, and finally, a guaranteed deal with the Kings. As Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes, Hayes is excited to join the team and head coach Dave Joerger wants to find playing time for him. “That’s all you can ask for is an opportunity,” Hayes said. “In the talks my agent had with the organization, it was a great place for me to try to showcase what I can do, an opportunity to play in NBA games, play on a team to see what I can do to help contribute to a winning culture.”
- In an in-depth piece, Bobby Marks of ESPN Insider (subscription required) looks ahead to the Kings‘ offseason, Marks breaks down the team’s potential free agent targets, draft picks, and salary cap breakdown.
- As we relayed earlier this week, the Clippers do not expect to have Danilo Gallinari back during the regular season, which could spell the end of an injury-plagued first season with Los Angeles.
Atlantic Notes: Fultz, Redick, Ntilikina, Nets
First overall pick Markelle Fultz missed 68 games due to injury and at one point, it seemed that his entire rookie year would be lost to a phantom shoulder ailment. Instead, Fultz has returned and given a spark to the Sixers the last seven games.
Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays that Fultz was “hurt” with the situation because he was not able to play.
“It wasn’t anything about expectations or anything,” Fultz said. “I just felt like something I loved doing I couldn’t do anymore, and it hurt for a little while.”
The 19-year-old has now appeared in 11 games this season and posted modest numbers of 6.8 PPG and 3.4 APG. However, simply being part of the team — which sits in third place in the Eastern Conference with a 49-30 record — has Fultz excited for the remainder of the regular season and beyond.
“I feel like I can help them hopefully by picking up the energy and, when they come out and feel down, just picking them up,” Fultz said. “And for me, when I’m not feeling good, they are doing the same thing for me.”
Check out more Atlantic Division notes below:
- In a separate story, David Murphy of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that having a healthy Fultz play alongside Rookie of the Year candidate Ben Simmons presents an interesting lineup scenario for the Sixers. While the duo has shared the backcourt for small increments since Fultz’s return, coach Brett Brown has liked what he has seen in a small sample.
- J.J. Redick has been part of playoff teams every season in his career but now his focus is on winning a championship, Sarah Todd of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. The Sixers are in third place and Redick thinks the team is good enough to go far in the postseason. “I don’t want to put a ceiling on our team this year,” Redic said. “I think this group has the potential to win the Eastern Conference. Whether that’s this year or three years from now, having guys like Ben [Simmons] and Jo [Embiid], you have a chance. Those guys are that good.”
- Knicks point guard Frank Ntilikina has gained eight pounds over the course of the season and it has reflected well in his play, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes.
- Michael Scotto of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that Nets coach Kenny Atkinson sees the Sixers rebuilding model as a point of reference for the Nets. In the lengthy read, Scotto breaks down Atkinson’s view of Philadelphia and how Brooklyn views some of its young players as de facto lottery picks.
Paul George Talks Free Agency, Recruiting, Thunder
With three games left and just three games separating the 5-10 seeds in the Western Conference, the Thunder will try to secure a playoff spot in the next few days. Playoff appearance or not, Paul George will be one of the NBA’s premier free agents this summer, and his decision will likely impact the rest of the market.
George was traded this past offseason from the Pacers to the Thunder, forming what was expected to be a formidable threesome alongside Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony. While Westbrook has been his usual stellar self, Anthony — and even George — has endured struggles. While a strong run into the postseason and beyond could change things, George appears to be set on exploring his options.
George spoke to reporters, including Erik Horne of The Oklahoman, about his upcoming free agency, potentially recruiting more talent to the Thunder and his impressions of the organization after one season.
On whether or not he can see himself staying in Oklahoma City:
“As I told [ESPN’s] Rachel [Nichols], I can see myself being here. I’ve been happy here, I’ve been happy with the organization, happy with my teammates. Our record is not what we want it to be, but I think I’ve enjoyed just learning and being around these guys. So my answer is still the same. I’m not going to let the playoffs or how we finish this season persuade or indicate where I’m going to this offseason. I’m going to put everything into this and again, I can definitely see myself being here.”
On possibly recruiting players to Oklahoma City:
“You’ve got to look at what we can be, imagine what we would be if Andre [Roberson] was here playing with now. You’ve got to look at the team coming back, with free agency coming up with other guys who we could possibly go grab and who could we, myself, Melo, Russ, who can we recruit with us here.”
On his first season with the Thunder:
“It was just an opportunity to see what it’s like being here and just to naturally fall in love with it. And it’s been that. It’s been a lot of love here. This is our first year together. This is Year 1 for this group. We’ve got a chance to win it all, but realistically it takes time for things to build and chemistry to mesh … just for everybody to be on the same page.”