Week In Review: 3/11/17 – 3/18/17
A number of teams elected to shut down key players this week, either to play it safe with injuries or “develop young players”. There were also a number of 10-day players who managed to convince their teams to commit for the remainder of the season. Hey, not every week can be exciting as the trade deadline! Here’s everything you need to know.
Transactions
- The Cavaliers signed center Larry Sanders to a multi-year contract.
- The Cavaliers waived center Andrew Bogut.
- The Pelicans signed guard Jordan Crawford for the remainder of the season.
- The Hornets signed guard Briante Weber to a multi-year contract.
- The Hornets signed forward Johnny O’Bryant III to a multi-year contract.
- The Nets signed guard Archie Goodwin to a 10-day contract.
- The Grizzlies signed guard Wayne Selden to a multi-year contract.
- The Grizzlies waived guard Toney Douglas.
- The Sixers signed forward Shawn Long to a multi-year contract.
Injuries
- After missing a month with an injured knee, Cavaliers forward Kevin Love is expected to return soon.
- An MRI revealed that Jazz forward Derrick Favors has a bone bruise and will be out indefinitely.
- Sidelined with a heart arrythmia, Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge has been cleared to resume playing.
- Diagnosed with an elbow sprain and slight fracture, Dwyane Wade will miss the remainder of the season for the Bulls. He could return in the postseason.
- Citing his knee soreness, the Suns have elected to shut down Eric Bledsoe for the remainder of the season.
- An injured foot will sidelined Timberwolves forward Nemanja Bjelica for the remainder of the season.
- Free agent forward Omri Casspi has been cleared to play after breaking his thumb.
News
- The Lakers have shut down center Timofey Mozgov so that they can get a closer look at young players. He is not injured.
- The Lakers also shut down a healthy Luol Deng for the remainder of the season, too.
- Highly anticipated international guard Sergio Llull is expected to remain in Europe net season. His rights are held by the Rockets.
- Much anticipated 2016 draft pick Ante Zizic is expected to be on the Celtics roster for 2017/18.
Rumors
- Waived by the Pelicans due to injury, free agent forward Omri Casspi, now healthy, is looking to sign on with a contender.
- Finished in China, Celtics rookie Guerschon Yabusele will spend time and could ultimately play with Boston’s D-League affiliate.
- Pending free agent Jeff Teague likes New York but isn’t a fan of the triangle offense that the Knicks run.
- The Pelicans could explore replacing head coach Alvin Gentry and general manager Dell Demps.
- To some Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony appeared to be staging a “protest” against the triangle offense.
- The Knicks are unlikely to move away from head coach Jeff Hornacek despite the teams struggles.
- Former Pelicans coach Monty Williams is expected to be among the “elite candidates” on the coaching market this offseason.
- Last seen with the Knicks, former head coach Derek Fisher would like to return to coaching.
Grizzlies Sign Selden, Release Douglas
4:11 pm: According to a press release on the team’s official website, the Grizzlies have signed Selden to a multi-year contract.
12:32 pm: The Grizzlies are planning to sign guard Wayne Selden whose ten-day contract with the Pelicans expired overnight, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical. To make room, the club will waive Toney Douglas.
In three games for the Pelicans, all starts, Selden averaged 15.7 minutes and 5.3 points per game but the club didn’t extend the offer of a second 10-day contract, opening the door for Memphis to swoop in and add the undrafted rookie.
Though this will be Selden’s first taste of in-season action with the Grizzlies, it’s not his first stint with the franchise. The forward signed with the club in July but was one of the final roster cuts in training camp.
Douglas, in contrast, signed a pair of 10-day contracts with Memphis prior to the All-Star Break this year and was subsequently inked for the remainder of the season with a team option for 2017/18.
Though featured heavily in February and early March, the 31-year-old veteran had fallen out of Memphis’ rotation of late.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 3/11/17 – 3/18/17
Every week the Hoops Rumors staff compiles original content to complement its news feed. Here are a few of our favorite segments and features from the past seven days.
- We doubled back on all of the probable 2017 lottery picks that have been involved in trades and explored where they’re likely to end up now that we’re into the final month of the regular season.
- The annual MIT Sloan Conference is an excellent place to get insight from some of the best minds in basketball, we polled past and current executives about some player awards and the trade deadline.
- A handful of player options could dramatically impact certain possible free agents, not to mention the teams that they play for. We looked at just what hinges on the decisions that players like Dwyane Wade and Greg Monroe will have to make this offseason.
- There’s no denying that role of analytics in basketball has grown tremendously over the course of the past two decades. We looked at how traditional scouting tactics and modern data-driven management have evolved over the years.
- We took a good look at some of the best content the NBA blogosphere has to offer. Take a look for yourself and be sure to hit us up with the best reads you find heading forward.
- The NBA draft is approaching and that means we’ll soon get waves of reports that certain underclassmen are testing the waters to see how they might fare in the draft. Keep your web browser locked on Hoops Rumors for our updated accounts of the NBA Draft’s Early Entrants.
- Our latest fantasy basketball column zeroes in on a pair of big men who have seen their stocks skyrocket over the course of the past month. Go add Jusuf Nurkic and Alan Williams in your leagues, then check back in for the rest of the fantasy tips.
- You have questions, we have answers. Here is the latest Weekly Mailbag with answers to legitimate questions like “Would the No. 1 seed impact Kawhi Leonard‘s MVP chances?” and “Why is Spencer Hawes still a Buck?“
- Oh yeah, and send us your questions for next week’s mailbag!
- So your favorite team is terrible! That’s okay, there’s still reason to be optimistic. Follow along with our 2016/17 NBA Reverse Standings to get a better idea of where you might land in the lottery. Except maybe you, Nets fans, it’s probably better that you don’t.
- Keeping up with the wave of players slated to star in this summer’s BIG3 league can be overwhelming, so we broke down everything that there is to know so far, all in one place. From player age to their NBA career PER, consider Hoops Rumors your one-stop shop for BIG3 roster news.
- Every now and then we like to hand the mic over to our readers so that they can weigh in on some of the pertinent topics in the league. Here are this week’s Community Shootarounds.
- You can still catch up on the Hoops Rumors Originals from last week, too. Check them out and let us know what you think.
Pacific Notes: Walton, Buss, Crawford
When Luke Walton shifted from his role as an assistant coach with the Warriors to head coach of the Lakers, an adjustment period was expected. ESPN’s Baxter Holmes recently profiled the transition that Walton has undergone in California, adjusting not only to a new routine and staff but an entirely new culture.
“Really, it shifts your entire life because your daily routine is so much different from the stress and the grind and the everything,” Walton told him as the Lakers look back on a 20-49 record, “I do my best to stay in the right frame of mind.”
Walton adds that there have been plenty of sleepless nights but remains optimistic about the young Lakers roster and about coaching in general.
“The job itself is still the same,” he says now amid the ongoing Lakers rebuild. “It’s rewarding. It’s exciting. Now we’re competing for different things there and here, but the competition level is right there from the daily practices to the games.”
There’s more out of the Pacific Division:
- In an effort to open up communication across all levels of the organization Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson and new general manager Rob Pelinka have been meeting with players at practice. “It’s good for us being able to talk to them and pick their brains as well and having that open-door presence,” Jordan Clarkson told Mark Media of the Los Angeles Daily News.
- Current franchise president Jeanie Buss has asked her brothers for permanent assurances that they’ll vote for her to remain the controlling owner of the Lakers, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, as well as to remain on the board of directors.
- Veteran guard Jamal Crawford recently spoke with Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype about the trade rumors that popped up with his name in them prior to the trade deadline. “It was a little bit frustrating. You hate to hear it, and this time was a little bit different since I had just re-signed [with the Clippers on a three-year contract] this past summer. […] For me, I’m just glad it’s over with and we’re just moving forward.“
- The Warriors were left with a lack of depth after signing Kevin Durant in the offseason and Marcus Thompson II of the Mercury News speculates that Omri Casspi, Mario Chalmers and Jimmer Fredette could be options to help bolster the roster as the playoffs near. That, of course, begs the question of who the team would need to cut if they made an addition.
Atlantic Notes: Brown, Smart, Noel, Jackson
After a break down in communication in their Wednesday night matchup, Celtics veteran Marcus Smart was seen arguing with rookie Jaylen Brown. CSN New England’s Gary Tanguay discussed the altercation, adding his own case in defense of the 20-year-old swingman.
Per Tanguay, the heated discussion started when Brown attacked the basket prior to letting a set play develop but the rookie guard was wise, he says, to be aggressive. Tanguay added that Brown is the future of the Celtics franchise, not Smart.
In 65 games this season, Brown has averaged 6.5 points and 2.9 rebounds per game but those numbers have jumped over the course of the past two months as the first-year guard has grown into a bigger role with the Celtics.
Smart, on the other hand, averages 10.8 points per game for the Celtics and is generally heralded for his leadership abilities.
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Though his Mavericks were emphatically defeated, Nerlens Noel‘s return to Philadelphia was an otherwise positive experience. “[I have] no beef at all,” Noel told Jessica Camerato of CSN Philadelphia of how his time with the Sixers came to an end. The third-year big man held a meet and greet with local fans upon his return.
- There may be light at the end of the tunnel for the rebuilding Nets. General manager Sean Marks recently shed some on what could be next for the franchise. “Let’s build a rock-solid foundation, develop these young guys, get Isaiah Whitehead, Caris LeVert and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson growing up and see where they are at 25, 26,” he said, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post.
- It’s been three years since Phil Jackson took the reins of the Knicks and Marc Berman of the New York Post says the executive left his basketball brains in Los Angeles. Berman writes that Jackson nailed the only lottery pick he’s been given (Kristaps Porzingis) but has failed to manage personalities, as was a reported strength.
- The New York Post’s Mike Vaccaro suggests that, if a smooth operating triangle scheme is truly the goal, Phil Jackson may have been better off either handling coaching duties himself or being more assertive in having his Knicks coaches employ the triangle offense.
Timberwolves Likely To Move On From Stephenson
The Timberwolves are likely to move on from Lance Stephenson as his second 10-day contract expires, says Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News. The veteran guard has averaged 6.6 points per game this season across stops with the Wolves and Pelicans.
Originally signed to a 10-day deal with Minnesota on February 8 and then a second one following his recovery from an ankle injury on March 8, Stephenson never did quite establish himself in head coach Tom Thibodeau’s rotation.
Beyond the 16 minutes he played on the day he inked the second 10-day deal, Stephenson has played just two minutes for the Timberwolves since.
Queried about free agent Jimmer Fredette on Twitter, Wolfson added that the club has some interest in the guard (who recently saw a prolific season in China draw to an end) but may also have other options in mind as well.
Kings Notes: Hield, Evans, Richardson
When the Kings traded DeMarcus Cousins to the Pelicans, the majority of discussion surrounding the deal focused on the superstar heading to New Orleans.
As the dust continues to settle, it’s become increasingly clear that Tyreke Evans and Buddy Hield can have substantial impacts of their own. Benedict Tagle of Kings.com recently wrote about what the pair have been accomplishing since arriving in Northern California.
Though just seven games into his second stint with the team that drafted him, Evans has improved upon the numbers he posted with the Pelicans at the start of the year. Evans began the 2016/17 campaign on the shelf and had to slowly play himself back into game shape. Since rejoining Sacramento, however, he’s posted career highs in points, rebounds and blocks per 100 possessions.
Hield, too, has seen his production rise since the trade. Hield’s 14.2 points per game since the trade are 5.6 higher than what he posted in New Orleans and his effective field-goal percentage has ballooned to .636.
There’s more from the Kings today:
- If the postseason was ever truly an option for the post-Rudy Gay injury Kings, it certainly isn’t now. As Noel Harris of the Sacramento Bee outlines, a recent eight-game skid has dropped Sacramento six games behind the eight-seed Nuggets.
- Although injured rookie Malachi Richardson has been putting up shots prior to games, the Kings won’t rush him back unless he’s able to play in a significant number of games, head coach Dave Joeger told the media, including Hector Amezcua of the Sacramento Bee.
- Among the five or six things that Kings coach Dave Joeger would like to see before the end of the season is Willie Cauley-Stein and Skal Labissiere playing together. Joeger told the Sacramento Bee’s Hector Amezcua and the rest of media that he’ll continue to look to give them the opportunity.
Kevin Love Eyes Possible Weekend Return
After missing over a month with a knee injury, Kevin Love could be back in uniform for the Cavaliers as early as their upcoming road trip beginning this Saturday, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes.
Love underwent arthroscopic surgery last month to clear loose bodies in his left knee. At the time, Vardon says, the forward was expected to be sidelined for six weeks.
The addition of Love – who has already returned to practice in some capacities – would be a welcome one for a Cavs team struggling to hold on to the top seed in the Eastern Conference. In 46 games with the squad this season, Love has averaged 20.0 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.
Though his return will hinge on how he feels following Wednesday’s practice and even today’s work out, the fact that general manager David Griffin is the one who told the media bodes well.
Vardon notes that as long as Love returns before the end of the four-game road trip that concludes on March 24, he’ll have beaten the initial six-week estimate.
Atlantic Notes: Nets, Ibaka, Bradley
Despite the fact that the Nets mortgaged their future for a shot at short-term success back in 2013, the franchise has shown flashes of promise throughout a long rebuild. Buddy Grizzard of Basketball Insiders recently wrote about the years-long process, pointing out that for all the up-hill challenges the club’s general managers have faced, they’ve done a decent job drafting young talent.
When the club first moved to from New Jersey to Brooklyn, first-round picks in 2014, 2016 and 2018 were all sent to Boston in exchange for a package surrounding Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Suffice it to say, the bold gamble didn’t pay off for the franchise but the organization is making the most out of the scant cards they dealt themselves.
Grizzard mentions former general manager Billy King‘s selection of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson in the 2015 draft as an intriguing aspect of the current roster, as well as current general manager Sean Marks‘ decision to nab Caris LeVert at No. 20 in 2016.
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- After missing 18 games with an Achilles injury, Avery Bradley had been on a minute restriction for the Celtics. As of March 12th the limitations are no longer, says A. Sherrod Blakely of CSN New England.
- Say what you will about Cory Joseph backing up the injured Kyle Lowry, but one thing the reserve hasn’t been able to replicate is Lowry’s three-point shooting. “We’re more of a spread-it team,” Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said Monday night, per Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. “Cory’s an attack guy, but he’s going into where everybody else is. It’s not that Cory’s doing something wrong; that’s just his game. When Kyle’s in there, he can space out and be one of the (pass) receivers out there.”
- When the Raptors acquired Serge Ibaka, they added a rare force capable of impacting a basketball game without scoring a point, Ryan Wolstat of the National Post writes. Ibaka did just that on Monday night, finishing with a plus-18 rating despite not scoring a single basket.
MRI Reveals Derrick Favors Has Bone Bruise
An official report from the Jazz reveals that Derrick Favors has undergone an MRI and been diagnosed with a bone bruise in his left knee. Per the report, the big man has struggled with soreness since returning from a similar incident in mid-December.
Favors underwent the MRI Saturday and will be held out of action and re-evaluated later in the week. The 25-year-old has played in 47 games for the Jazz this season, averaging 9.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
The 2016/17 campaign has been a quiet one for the seven-year veteran, despite the success of the Jazz as a team. Favors’ averages are far shy of those he set in 2015/16. In 62 games last season, Favors averaged a career high 16.4 points per game and 8.1 rebounds.
Just last month the Jazz failed to extend the big man to a longer term contract, leaving him on pace to reach unrestricted free agency in 2018. On the open market one could reasonably expect Favors to land a considerable pay raise over the $11MM he’s owed this season (and $12MM in 2017/18), even considering the decline in his production and any possible ongoing injury concern.
It’s unclear how much of Favors’ knee woes factored into Utah’s decision to opt against renegotiating the forward-center’s contract but worth nothing that his court-time has gradually increased since December to the point where it’s in line with last season.
Favors is averaging 24.1 minutes per game in 2016/17, considerably less than the 32.0 he averaged last year, but he had logged 29.5 per game in four March contests before being pulled from action.
The Jazz will update the big man’s status as new information comes in.