Central Notes: Zipser, Portis, Harris
With Taj Gibson now a member of the Thunder, the Bulls have shifted Bobby Portis into his spot at power forward and rookie Paul Zipser into the sixth man role, writes Sam Smith of Bulls.com. Zipser, a 23-year-old forward, has stepped up of late as a competent two-way player able to defend opposing team’s scorers while hitting the occasional big shot.
Smith isn’t the only one touting the rookie who returned to the lineup after a month’s absence. “He really kind of solidified himself as our sixth man (before the injury) and a guy who’s closing games for us,” Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg told Mark Strotman of CSN Chicago. “We missed him, there’s no doubt about that. He’s got size, he’s got length, he can put it on the floor and he can really defend.”
The change in rotation goes to show that trades aren’t always about what a team acquires, Smith writes, but also about who they open up opportunities for. Portis has averaged 12.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game since stepping into the larger role with the Bulls seven games ago.
There’s more out of the Central Division:
- All season long LeBron James commented that he’d like the Cavaliers‘ front office to go out and get a playmaker. Little did he know then that one would fall into their laps. In Deron Williams, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes, the Cavs got just what they wanted. In his first game with Cleveland, Williams became the first reserve to dish out more than four assists in a game all season (he managed seven).
- The Pistons made the wrong choice when deciding to shake up their starting lineup, Stephen Shea of Basketball Analytics Book writes. A deep dive on Tobias Harris reveals that he is Detroit’s most efficient scorer and that the team performs better when he’s on the floor.
- The 15-year-old son of Dwyane Wade won’t stop talking trash, Bulls teammate Jimmy Butler tells Alysha Tsuji of USA Today. Zaire Wade is highly regarded as a high school player. “When he makes it to the league, every single NBA player is going to try to score 50 on him,” says Butler.
Bucks Release Toupane, Formally Sign Jones
The Bucks have officially signed forward Terrence Jones and released Axel Toupane from his 10-day contract, the team reports in a press release on its website. Milwaukee’s roster now sits once again at 15.
Toupane, whose 10-day deal was set to expire today anyway, will presumably return to the Raptors 905 of the D-League as Chris Reichert of The Step Back speculated earlier today. He saw action in two games with the Bucks during his NBA stint but had a negligible impact in the 6 minutes he saw on the floor.
In Jones the Bucks get an intriguing 25-year-old big man who’s flashed potential with both the Rockets and Pelicans previously. Jones averaged 11.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in 51 games with New Orleans this season but was released when the club added DeMarcus Cousins.
Jones – who has been signed for the remainder of the season – will wear No. 6 for the Bucks, according to the press release.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 2/25/17 – 3/4/17
- Luke Adams weighed in on the two teams due to cross the luxury tax threshold; the Cavaliers and Clippers.
- We’ve seen plenty of notable players waived since the All-Star break, here’s a summary of where they’ve ended up so far.
- Here’s a quick look at the 10-day contracts that have been signed this season, including the half dozen players who’ve turned opportunities into season-long deals.
- Luke Adams broke down the financial situations of all the teams currently under the salary cap, including those that are also beneath the salary floor.
- Chris Crouse continued to examine the impact that trade deadline deals will have on the fantasy basketball landscape, including Nerlens Noel move to the Mavs.
- Luke Adams wrote about the deadlines that NBA fans had to keep tabs on this week, including the one that players needed to be waived by in order to retain postseason eligibility.
- Arthur Hill answered reader’s questions in the latest edition of our Weekly Mailbag, including one about what the Pistons might expect to get in an Andre Drummond trade. Don’t forget to hit us up with your questions for next week.
- Every day we get a better idea of the playoff picture but what about the other end of the spectrum? Don’t forget to check out our Reverse Standings as lottery teams start looking forward to the draft.
- We like to hand the mic over to readers and hear what they say about popular headlines, here are this week’s Community Shootarounds.
- When Brandon Jennings was cut by the Knicks, we asked where the guard might end up. [Spoiler].
- Was Joel Embiid‘s injury-shortened rookie campaign so impressive that the Sixers star should be in contention for the Rookie of the Year award regardless?
- An injury to Kevin Durant calls to question the Warriors‘ claim to the Western Conference. Can they win without him?
- Here are last week’s Hoops Rumors Originals in case you didn’t catch them the first time around.
Northwest Notes: Nurkic, Cole, Nuggets
Acquired from the Nuggets in the days leading up to the trade deadline, Jusuf Nurkic is a valuable component already breathing new life into the Trail Blazers, writes Joe Freeman of the Oregonian. In five games with his new club, Nurkic has averaged 14.0 points and 8.4 rebounds in 29.8 minutes per game.
“I think his energy is definitely good for our team,” Damian Lillard told Freeman of the big man, later adding that the fiery 22-year-old adds a valuable emotional boost. “I guess you would call him a tough guy — every play he’s saying something.”
This isn’t the first time Nurkic has shown impressive potential, he flashed signs of promise during his rookie campaign in 2014/15. Still, a 2015/16 injury coupled with the emergence of Nikola Jokic this year and last inhibited the Bosnian’s development in Denver.
There’s more out of the Northwest Division:
- So long as the Trail Blazers are within reach of the playoffs, Damian Lillard will be competing at the highest level, writes Jason Quick of CSN Northwest. “We have an opportunity to make the playoffs and I’m going to play until that opportunity is gone, and then I’m still going to play. We have a whole summer until the next season, so I’m going to play.” The veteran understood the appeal of tanking during his rookie campaign when the postseason was never an option but has no desire to rely on the draft for immediate help.
- The recent signing of Norris Cole gives the Thunder a reliable veteran to back up Russell Westbrook at the point, writes Brett Dawson of the Oklahoman. “[We] just need him to run our team when he’s in there, make good decisions, defend,” says head coach Billy Donovan, “All the things he’s done for most of his career.“
- The Timberwolves have experimented with both Tyus Jones and Kris Dunn in the lineup at the same time, writes Jerry Zgoda of the Star-Tribune. The pair of point guards has been deployed of late when starter Ricky Rubio takes a seat. “I like Tyus and Kris together; that’s a big plus,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “They have good chemistry together. It gives you a second pick-and-roll player.”
- Rookies have stepped up and made an impact for the Nuggets this season, writes Nick Kosmider of the Denver Post. He speaks, of course, about the emergence of Jamal Murray and Juan Hernangomez as valuable contributors even as Denver competes for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Lakers Notes: Johnson, Russell, D’Antoni
There are plenty of benefits to having an individual of Magic Johnson‘s stature calling the shots for the Lakers, writes Sam Amick of USA Today but there is no consensus on whether or not that will be enough to push the franchise back to its former heights.
“If you have a free agent sitdown with a superstar, and Magic Johnson is in the room, that’s going to move the needle as far as getting that guy serious about wanting to come here,” says former player Dell Curry of the Lakers icon. “[…] He built his way up, built his brand once he got here. Being in LA, having Magic and all the doors he can open for you off the floor, that’s even more incentive for superstars to want to come here.”
Unlike other players who’ve returned to manage the teams that they played with, Johnson has a high profile in both the basketball and business world. Only Michael Jordan rivals Johnson’s total package but he faces the tougher task of drawing players to small market North Carolina whereas the city of Los Angeles is practically a selling feature in itself.
Still, Johnson’s contributions will eventually be measured in the amount of star players he’s able to recruit to the Lakers, Amick writes. If he airballs as the recent front office has with players like Carmelo Anthony, LaMarcus Aldridge and Kevin Durant, he’ll be little more than yet another former player learning on the job.
There’s more out of Los Angeles:
- A recent uptick in D’Angelo Russell‘s production can be traced back to improved work habits coming out of the All-Star Break, writes Mark Medina of the Orange County Register. “Sometimes when you get away for a week, especially when you’re young, you come back rejuvenated a little bit and a little more fresh than when you’re in the dog days leading up to All-Star,” says head coach Luke Walton.
- It’s hard for anybody to resist the temptations of college basketball this time of year and for Lakers head coach Luke Walton, that’s no different. Don’t think that Walton is already setting his sights ahead on the draft, however, as Mark Medina for the Los Angeles Daily News writes. “We have a whole scouting department that has been watching them all year,” Walton explained. “We got European scouts. When the time comes, we’ll take the appropriate amount of time to sit down and actually watch it from more of a scout’s view.”
- The fact that the Lakers haven’t gone out of their way to credit former general Mitch Kupchak for his contributions during his three decades with the organization is petty, says Anthony Irwin of SB Nation’s Silver Screen and Roll. The scribe explores Mike D’Antoni‘s recent comments that Kupchak and Jim Buss (also recently dismissed) “were not the problem” during his time in Los Angeles.
Cavs Notes: Bogut, Williams, MVP
The Cavaliers were quiet at the trade deadline but have made two significant moves since adding recently waived veterans Andrew Bogut and Deron Williams. Chris Mannix and Bobby Marks of The Vertical discussed the signings in a recent video.
Not only do the March moves shed light on why the club didn’t make a drastic move at the trade deadline — they also tie into the previously reported LeBron James “playmaker” demands. The Cavs knew that they had March 1 in their back pocket all along. While they may not have known specifically that Bogut or Williams would fall to them, it would have been reasonable for general manager David Griffin to assume that the reigning champions would at least be on the short list of any new veteran free agent hoping for a playoff run.
Limited tradeable assets and draft picks gave the Cavaliers little other choice, Marks argues, but they can rest assured that they’ve bolstered their lineup with some solid depth. Mannix mentions Williams’ possible impact in particular. The Cavs have been without a veteran backup at the point guard position since Matthew Dellavedova signed with the Bucks and Mo Williams abruptly retired.
“The gap between the Cavaliers and everybody else in the Eastern Conference just got a little bit wider,” Mannix says.
There’s more from Cleveland:
- Once again, LeBron James is making a case to win the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, writes ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. Veteran forward James Jones spoke about James’ bid for yet another award and why his case sometimes gets overlooked. “Sometimes they get bored with what they know is coming, even if that’s still the best option out there.”
- Agents have substantial influence on the waiver wire, writes Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. Vardon suggests that NBA front offices would be wise to heed an agent’s request to not put in a bid for a veteran player going through the waiver processes, lest they want to damage their chances of doing business with the agency in the future.
- Veteran Kyle Korver spoke about his recent return to Atlanta and Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal published video of the conversation. “It felt like I was on a really long road trip and I came back,” he said. The forward speaks fondly of his time with the Hawks but is grateful for his opportunity in Cleveland.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 3/3/17
Here are the D-League transactions for Friday:
- The Pelicans have assigned forward Cheick Diallo to the D-League, the team reports in a press release on its website. Diallo has averaged 13.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in 18 contests with the Greensboro Swarm.
- The Pistons have recalled rookies Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinije from their D-League affiliate, Rod Beard of the Detroit News. Ellenson and Gbinije have seen action in 14 and nine games for the Pistons respectively.
- The Wizards have assigned center Chris McCullough to the D-League, writes Chase Hughes of CSN Mid-Atlantic. McCullough has averaged 18.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in 31 D-League contests this season. Having previously played for the Long Island Nets, McCullough is expected to join the Northern Arizona Suns on this assignment, says Hughes.
Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Rose, Horford
The foundation of the Sixers franchise is cracked, writes Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The scribe turns a spotlight on the organization for its handling of injuries to star players and even the management of its payroll this year and last.
Ambiguity and a lack of transparency with regard to the recovery times of players like Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons call into question whether the club has a management problem or just a communication problem. Regardless, the “fans and players need this organization to be run better,” he writes. Recently the Sixers revealed that both Embiid and Simmons will miss the remainder of the 2016/17 campaign after several weeks of misplaced optimism and muted details about the severity of their injuries.
Finally, Cooney acknowledges that for the second time in two years the franchise has taken on and eaten the lofty contracts of opposing teams’ veterans in bids to push their payroll closer to the salary floor. A team that doesn’t reach the salary floor is obligated to pay the difference out to the players on their roster, but by taking on Andrew Bogut‘s deal, the club absolves itself of the responsibility. The part of Bogut’s $11MM contract that the Sixers inherited in the Nerlens Noel trade, of course, is prorated relative to how much of the 2016/17 season he spent with each organization.
“Don’t think that hasn’t soured some, if not most,” of the Sixers’ players, Cooney cautions.
There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- A less-than-impressive showing on defense in Wednesday night’s Sixers loss has Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Bob Ford wondering if “Jahlil Okafor‘s career in Philadelphia may have ended with that one play.”
- Injured big man Joel Embiid is taking his setback in stride. “Be back soon,” the Sixers rookie tweeted Thursday. “The process has to be postponed.”
- While the Knicks as an organization moved to embrace the triangle offense, point guard Derrick Rose isn’t so enthusiastic. “S—, do I have a choice? Do I have a choice?” he joked with Ian Begley of ESPN and reporters on Thursday.
- While it wasn’t long ago that it seemed Derrick Rose was on his way out of New York, he’ll remain with the Knicks for the rest of the year and, per Laura Albanese of Newsday, is working on adding a three-point shot.
- The Raptors will need to play with more energy and passion if they’re to stop their slide down the Eastern Conference standings, writes Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun. Modified minute distributions for the second unit may be in the cards as well.
- The impact of Al Horford on the Celtics isn’t always measured by traditional statistics, writes A. Sherrod Blakey of CSN New England. “He makes plays, high basketball IQ, he can score, he can pass, he can rebound and the way he played (against Cleveland) we need him to play like that for us to win. He does a lot for us that doesn’t even go on the stat sheet though,” says point guard Isaiah Thomas.
Cavaliers Sign Andrew Bogut
MARCH 2: The Cavaliers have officially signed Bogut, the team announced today in a press release. Cleveland waived Jordan McRae on Wednesday in order to open up a spot on the roster for Bogut.
FEBRUARY 28: Andrew Bogut has committed to signing with the Cavaliers, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN and he’s expected to do so this weekend. The center won’t officially clear waivers until 5 PM EST on Wednesday but was released in time to be eligible to play for the Cavs during the postseason.
The Australian big man had strongly considered the Rockets and Celtics, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets, but decided to head to Ohio after toiling away on a lottery-bound Mavs team for the past few month. Of the multitude of suitors hoping to lure the center, Houston was the one that could offer the most money, but Bogut was legitimately impressed with Boston’s pitch. Per Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe, Bogut and his agent will likely consider the Celtics when the offseason free agency period opens on July 1.
In Cleveland, Bogut has the clearest path to the NBA Finals, where he could possibly clash against his former team. Just last summer, the center was hastily dealt by Golden State to the Mavs in order for the Warriors to free up space to sign Kevin Durant.
In 26 games this season, Bogut has averaged 3.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game but the biggest benefit the Cavaliers will get from the 32-year-old veteran is his interior defense.
Bogut was recently bought out by the Sixers after being dealt from Dallas to Philadelphia in the Nerlens Noel/Justin Anderson swap. The two parties immediately pursued buyout options.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 2/28/17
Here are the D-League transactions from the day:
- The Nuggets have assigned Malik Beasley to the D-League, the team reports on its official website. Beasley has averaged 17.7 points per game in seven contests with the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
- The Cavaliers have assigned Kay Felder to their D-League affiliate, the team writes on its official site. Felder has averaged 30.5 points per game in four games with the Canton Charge.