Hawks Notes: Babbitt, Dedmon, Tanking
The Hawks were in the bottom half of the league in three-point shooting last season, but the team’s front office believes the addition of Luke Babbitt will help them improve in that area, as KL Chouinard of NBA.com relays.
“Luke is a proven veteran and adds another experienced player to our locker room,” GM Travis Schlenk said of Babbitt. “He is one of the premier long-range shooting big men in the league, has played a variety of roles over his career and will contribute to our team.”
Babbitt, who inked a one-year deal with Atlanta last week, said he’s excited to play under coach Mike Budenholzer.
“When I got the call, the first thing I thought of was Coach Bud. I’ve always respected what he did from afar,” Babbitt said. “I’m really excited to play for him and be with this young group of guys.”
Here’s more from Atlanta:
- Babbitt continued to praise the Hawks‘ system, citing the ball movement and the unselfishness in how the players operate on the floor, as KL Chouinard passes along in the same piece. The small forward believes he can assist the team’s playmakers with his ability to space the floor. “Dennis [Schroder] and (Kent Bazemore], they’re the attackers on this team,” Babbitt said. “It’s something I’m really looking forward to this season: creating space and opportunities for them.”
- Atlanta pried Dewayne Dedmon away the from the Spurs in free agency and Buddy Grizzard of Basketball Insiders believes the signing could have major upside. Dedmon, who’s on a two-year, $14MM deal, didn’t play basketball until he was a junior in college, meaning he only has been on the court for slightly over seven years.
- While the Hawks will likely take a step back this season, tanking is something that interests coach Budenholzer, Grizzard writes in the same piece. The scribe adds that the goal of the front office is to retool while remaining competitive.
Malik Monk Was Convinced Knicks Would Draft Him
The Knicks were under Phil Jackson‘s reign during this summer’s draft and the team selected Frank Ntilikina with the No. 8 overall pick. Jackson has since been ousted, though the current front office is confident in the team’s first round selection, as Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News relays.
“I talked to our scouts a lot about Frank before the draft. I went over and watched Frank play prior to the draft, met with Frank’s coaches and learned a lot about who he is as a player and who he is as a person,” said Steve Mills, who has been with the organization since 2013, but has been recently promoted to Team President. “So I’m very comfortable with that draft pick. I would have selected Frank at that point in the draft myself. He’s a guy that fits in everything that we’re talking about right now. He’s a smart basketball player. He focuses defensively and his approach to the game, his work ethic, fit exactly in the direction that we want to take this team.”
New York decided to take the Ntilikina over other notable guards. The front office had internal debates about taking Dennis Smith Jr., Donovan Mitchell or Malik Monk over the French point guard, but ultimately passed on each.
Monk met with the team leading up to the draft and believed he would be the selection at No. 8.
“Me, my agent, everybody in my agency, my family – we all thought we were going to NY,” Monks said (via Bondy’s Twitter feed.
On the day of the draft, Chad Ford of ESPN.com predicted Monk or Ntilikina would be the selection for New York. Monk was nabbed by the Hornets with the No. 11 overall pick.
Community Shootaround: Pacers’ Playoff Chances
The Pacers are entering year one without Paul George, but that doesn’t mean the team will slide out of the top eight in the Eastern Conference, according to the franchise’s longest tenured player.
“I feel like we’re definitely going to be overlooked this year,” Myles Turner said (via Matthew VanTyron of the Indianapolis Star). “A lot of people look at us as young team that’s going to rebuild, but we’re a young team that’s trying to compete. We’ve got a lot of guys who can come in and make an impact right away. I expect to make the playoffs this year.”
Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com projects Indiana to finish 11th in the conference and earn a lottery appearance, something that’s only happened once since the team drafted George back in 2010.
Pelton foresees the team struggling on offense and it’s easy to see why. Scour the roster for a No. 1 scorer. Will Victor Oladipo expand his game? How about Darren Collison? Should either Lance Stephenson or Bojan Bogdanovic lead a team in shots?
The questions on offense will likely persist all season, though that alone doesn’t mean a playoff birth is inconceivable. The Eastern Conference appears weaker than it has in several years and somewhere between 35 and 40 games could be enough to lock in a lower seed. Pelton projects the team to get 32 wins this season, a total that’s slightly behind his projections for the Magic, Sixers, and Pistons—the team that the statistician has in the conference’s eighth seed with just 35.1 wins in his simulations.
If the Pacers see just a few players outperform their expected output this season, the team could end up playing games that matter in April.
That leads us to tonight’s topic: Will the Pacers make the playoffs this season? If not, what moves can they make before the trade deadline to improve their chances? Please take to the comment section below to share your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to what you have to say!
Wolves Interested In Shabazz Muhammad Reunion
The Wolves renounced the rights to Shabazz Muhammad earlier this summer, something that allowed the UCLA product to become an unrestricted free agent. He hasn’t yet found a home and with the market settling, Minnesota would like to bring him back, according to Darren Wolfson of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
The team only has the ability to offer him a minimum salary slot after making several additions this offseason. Minnesota exhausted its cap space by signing Taj Gibson and Jeff Teague and it used its mid-level exception to ink Jamal Crawford. Taking a minimum salary agreement would be disappointing for the young swingman, as he was certainly expecting better offers. He’s one of the best remaining wings remaining on the market, as I recently outlined.
Muhammad drew interest from several teams toward the beginning of free agency. The Hawks, Nets, Bucks, and Knicks all eyed the 24-year-old in July, though it’s unclear if any of those teams still have an interest in him now.
Anthony Davis Discusses Trade Rumors, Pelicans, Playoffs
Anthony Davis hears the rumors about his potential departure from the Pelicans. Boston keeps coming up as a destination for Davis should things not work out in New Orleans, but the big man isn’t giving much thought to the noise, as William Guillory of The Times-Picayune relays.
“I understand it’s a business, but if I don’t hear anything from [GM Dell Demps] or my agent, I don’t pay attention to it,” said Davis. “Once I first heard [the rumors], then I heard it again, then I heard it again, I just wanted to make sure. I found out it wasn’t [true], and that was the beginning of the summer, so I haven’t paid attention to it since.”
Davis reiterated that he wants to remain in New Orleans. “I am happy here as a Pelican,” he said. “I am happy here.”
Demps spoke with Davis earlier in the offseason and assured the big man that he isn’t going anywhere. The 24-year-old has spent his entire five-year career in the Big Easy but was only able to make a trip to the playoffs one time. He sees that changing soon despite several analysts projecting the Pelicans to end up in the lottery.
“I don’t really care what anybody says. We know what we’re doing,” Davis said. “Especially having an entire training camp with me, DeMarcus and [Jrue Holiday] and [Rajon Rondo]…We feel like we have a shot against anybody, that’s our mindset coming in. We’re not worrying about all the white noise and what other people are saying.”
Davis added that simply making the playoffs is not the lone goal.
“We definitely believe we have enough pieces on paper to make the playoffs,” he said. “Not just make it, but actually, make a run in the playoffs.”
Kelly Olynyk Talks Miami, Free Agency, Whiteside
Kelly Olynyk signed a four-year, $50MM deal with the Heat this offseason, but he insists that his decision to come to Miami was about more than just the money. Coach Erik Spoelstra has used wings and big men as the team’s primary ball handler in the past, which is something that intrigues Olynyk.
“It’s awesome,” Olynyk said (via Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel) “Just that freedom to be able to play easy and free and not super-regimented is huge. I think it helps everybody out. It helps everybody’s skills, to be able to just kind of go with the flow and make things happen. That’s something that looking at Miami and talking to Spo and what his vision is and how they play, it’s something that’s very intriguing.”
The Gonzaga product talked about how he couldn’t have anticipated the ups and downs of free agency and added that he’s thrilled with his ultimate decision.
“You never really know about free agency until you actually go through it, and you don’t realize how crazy it really is,” Olynyk said. “But I’m blessed with an opportunity to be down here, really excited to get started down here.”
Olynyk has already found the practice courts and was able to get some work in alongside his new teammates in Miami. Hassan Whiteside was one of the players who were able to hit the practice courts with Olynyk and the two big man have already developed a friendship.
“He’s a great guy, a great character, a super nice guy,” Olynyk said of Whiteside. “But he’s a beast. I’m really excited to play with him and be able to play with a guy of his size and his abilities on the floor, defensively, offensively, on the glass. He’s awesome to be around and [I’m] really looking forward to playing with him.”
Olynyk, who plays both power forward and center, should see major minutes next to Whiteside this upcoming season. The 26-year-old is a career 36.8% shooter from behind the arc, something that will allow Miami to play the two 7-footers at the same time while maintaining good spacing.
Pistons Notes: Irving, Jackson, Bradley
It was reported last week that the Pistons have an interest in trading for Kyrie Irving and executive/coach Stan Van Gundy had “some level of conversation” with the Cavs about a deal. Sam Amico of Amico Hoops hears that those trade discussions involved Reggie Jackson, but the trade talks didn’t advance very far. The Suns may be the favorites in the Irving sweepstakes, though Amico adds that if talks between Phoenix and Cleveland break down, the Pistons could be among the teams that new GM Koby Altman turns to next.
Here’s more from Detroit:
- While trading for Irving for will bring excitement to the Detroit, it may not be best for the franchise’s long-term plans, Rod Beard of The Detroit News contends. A deal for Irving would likely see the Pistons part with Stanley Johnson and Andre Drummond. Beard argues that Irving’s unwillingness to commit to any franchise long-term makes trading top talent for the point guard too risky of a proposition.
- Whether or not Avery Bradley re-signs with the Pistons next offseason will determine the team’s long-term future, Beard writes in a separate piece. If Bradley bolts in free agency, the team would have given up Marcus Morris for a one-year rental and let Kentavious Caldwell-Pope leave for nothing. Beard opines that those kinds of moves tend to set franchises back.
Kings Notes: Randolph, Fox, Arena
Zach Randolph, who was arrested on felony charges of marijuana possession with intent to sell, maintains his innocence with his attorney telling Christopher Weber of The Associated Press that the “charges are false and misleading.” Raymond Brothers, who is both Randolph’s attorney and agent, added that Randolph’s camp is “looking at all options to resolve this matter.”
The power forward signed a two-year, $24MM deal with the Kings this summer after spending the past eight years with Memphis. Weber adds that Sacramento issued a statement earlier declaring that the team was aware of the situation, but would not comment further.
Here’s more from Sacramento:
- The Kings needed Randolph to be a mentor to the team’s youth, but the news of his arrest puts the organization in an uncomfortable position, James Ham of Comcast Sportsnet writes. Sacramento had a similar predicament with Matt Barnes last season. The team inked Barnes to be a mentor only for the small forward to get tangled up with legal woes.
- David Aldridge of NBA.com believes the Kings found their point guard of the future in De’Aaron Fox. The scribe believes free agent signee George Hill can mentor Fox and the former Kentucky Wildcat can lead the team for years to come.
- Aldridge (same piece) also discusses how John Rinehart, who serves as the Kings‘ President of Business Operations, helped rebuild the team’s ticket sales operations, something that was the “driving force” behind the construction of Sacramento’s Golden 1 Arena. Last season was the Kings’ first campaign in the new arena.
Rockets, Knicks Re-Engage On Melo Talks
The Knicks and Rockets have re-engaged on trade talks regarding Carmelo Anthony, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reports. The Rockets are yet again searching for a third team to facilitate the deal.
The Knicks and Rockets made significant progress on a deal when Phil Jackson was in charge, but New York’s new GM Scott Perry has been more particular about the package he’d want in return for Anthony. A deal directly between the two sides remains unlikely as New York does not have an interest in bringing back Ryan Anderson.
Anthony remains determined to go to Houston, as he refuses to expand the list of teams in which he’s willing to waive his no-trade clause for, according to Wojnarowski.
The Pelicans, Blazers, and Thunder are among the teams which have expressed interest in adding the 10-time All-Star. However, Anthony has reportedly been uninterested in joining any of those squads. Portland remains interested in acquiring Anthony should he change his mind. Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum continue to recruit Anthony with the hopes that he will change his stance on coming to the Northwest, Wojnarowski adds.
Anthony had previously expressed willingness to waive his NTC to join LeBron James in Cleveland, though Kyrie Irving‘s situation and LBJ’s uncertain future have dulled his enthusiasm for the Cavs.
New York has no problem bringing Anthony to training camp and Woj hears that Anthony beginning the season in a Knicks’ uniform remains a real possibility.
NBA Expected To Implement Player-Resting Rules
Team owners are expected to approve player-resting rules which are designed to cut back on teams benching healthy players for regular seasons games, a source tells Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. The approval is expected to come in September during the owners next Board of Governors meetings.
Zillgitt adds that the new parameters will be in place by the beginning of the 2017/18 season and there were be consequences for teams that do not adhere to the rules.
Adam Silver previously discussed the issue of player resting, talking about a balance between putting out a competitive product and keeping players healthy.
“There is an expectation among partners that teams are going to act in appropriate ways, [and] find, as I said, that right balance between resting on one hand and obligations to fans and partners on the other,” Silver said at the end of the season.
The specifics of the rules have yet to be reported, but Zillgitt expects a rule against resting healthy players on nationally televised games. Silver addressed this topic back in April.
“When we do have marquee network games, we the league office can do a better job at looking at obviously, the prior night in terms of back-to-back, but also the several days leading up to that game so that players are at peak performance for those games,” Silver said.
The league has since sent out a memo vowing changes to the scheduling of games. The NBA will look to reduce back-to-backs and will eliminate teams playing as many as four games in five nights and as many as 18 contests in a 30-day span. The league will begin a week earlier this year to help reach these goals.
The NBA’s official schedule will be released later today.