Southwest Notes: Pelicans, Capela, Mavericks
The Pelicans will look to add outside shooting this offseason, John Reid of The Times-Picayune relays.
”We’re going to look at all options,” GM Dell Demps said. ”We’re going to be broad in our search to find the best possible outcome for the season. Obviously shooting, I think that’s the big importance. We have to be creative and you know putting the right mix around those guys is going to be important.”
Reid names J.J. Redick, Kyle Korver, Andre Iguodala and P.J. Tucker among the unrestricted free agents who could be a fit in New Orleans. It’s worth noting that Iguodala coming to Louisiana is unlikely, as the Warriors plan on keeping him in Golden State beyond this season.
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Clint Capela is both a long-term project and a key piece to the Rockets‘ chances at success this postseason, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes. The center scored 14 points in Game 1 against the Thunder and protected the rim with great defense. The big man is eligible for rookie scale extension this offseason.
- Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com believes the Mavericks will have trouble landing marquee free agents while Dirk Nowitzki is still on the team (h/t The Dallas Morning News). The analyst compares Nowitzki’s situation to Kobe Bryant‘s in that it’s hard to build a winning roster around an aging superstar who’s getting paid like a current one.
Community Shootaround: Boston’s Comeback Chances
The Bulls shocked the Celtics in Game 1 behind Jimmy Butler‘s 30 point performance. Rebounding was a major issue for coach Brad Stevens‘ squad, as Chicago pulled down 21 more boards than Boston did.
Rajon Rondo stepped up in Game 2, nearly bringing home the 2017 postseason’s first triple-double. The Celtics made just 30.3% of their shots from downtown and they appeared overmatched on the defensive end.
That leads us to tonight’s topic: After watching two games, do you think Boston can win this series?
Only 18 teams have ever comeback from 0-2 to win a 7-game series, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). The Celtics are the only No. 1 seed in history to drop the first two games against a No. 8 seed in a 7-game series. The 1993 Suns went down 0-2 in a 5-game series as a No.1 seed against the Lakers, but they came back to win that series and eventually won the Western Conference.
Can Boston comeback from the 0-2 deficit? If the Celtics come out victorious this round, how far can they go? Take to the comment section below to share your thoughts. We look forward to what you have to say!
An earlier edition of this post incorrectly relayed the number of teams to come back from 0-2 in a 7-game series. Only 18 teams have done so.
Rick Carlisle Talks Mavericks, Draft Process
Coach Rick Carlisle recently appeared on ESPN Dallas’ Dennis and Cowlishaw radio show (h/t The Dallas Morning News) to discuss the Mavericks‘ offseason and the pre-draft process. Here are some highlights from the discussion:
- Dallas is currently slotted with the ninth pick, though the franchise has a 6.1% chance at landing a top-three pick in the draft, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors details. While Carlisle would certainly like to move up, he believes you can get a productive player anywhere within the top 10. “I’ve been looking at it for about 10 days now,” Carlisle said. “It’s deep. It’s 13 or 14 deep with guys that are going to legitimately help teams; not only teams that are bad but teams that are good. It’s a good year to be in the top-10. We’ll take advantage of it. There’s a lot of work to do between now and draft night.”
- The Mavericks don’t usually pick this high in the draft and Carlisle admits that it puts added pressure on the organization getting the selection right. “This is the kind of pressure you want, an opportunity,” the coach said. “And we know it’s big. We haven’t been even in the mid-first round very much.”
- Many people within the front office will have input on who the team selects, but ultimately, it’ll be the owner the makes the final call, Carlisle explains. “Even if some guys are hired in GM positions and they say, ‘I have decision-making power in this job,’ not really. You’re always running it by your owner. And so ultimately Mark [Cuban] makes the final call and we’ll make a recommendation,” Carlisle said.
- Carlisle added that he’s only involved in the draft process to inform the front office on what the team’s needs since he has the best idea of what they already have.
- He added that the Mavericks won’t draft for need: “We gotta take the best player available.”
- Be sure to check out the whole interview via The Dallas Morning News. It’s worth a read.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 4/17/17
Here are Monday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Raptors have recalled Bruno Caboclo and Pascal Siakam from the Raptors 905, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Siakam is one of the many 2016 first-round picks who saw action in the D-League this season, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors previously detailed.
Draft Notes: Dozier, McIntosh, Key
P.J. Dozier is staying the draft and signing an agent, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports. Dozier had previously said he would test the draft waters. Wojnarowski notes that the South Carolina product is considered a second-round prospect who will contribute on the defensive end before being able to produce offensively.
Here’s more on the upcoming draft:
- Illinois State’s MiKyle McIntosh will declare for the draft, but will not hire an agent, according to Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports. McIntosh will graduate this fall and should he return to college, he’ll be eligible to transfer to any school without having to sit out a year.
- Alabama’s Braxton Key has declared for the draft, but won’t hire an agent, according to Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Key is not ranked in Givony’s Top 100.
- William Lee will test the draft waters, Drew Champlin of Alabama.com relays. “UAB has provided me with an unbelievable opportunity to play college basketball against some of the best players and teams in the nation,” Lee said in a UAB release. “It’s always been a dream of mine to play in the NBA, and this decision allows me to safely see where I am projected at this point in my career without jeopardizing my last year of eligibility.”
Andre Iguodala Likely To Remain With Warriors
Andre Iguodala will be a free agent this offseason, but he’s unlikely to leave Golden State, according to Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group. A source tells the scribe that the real question is how many years will Iguodala’s next deal with the Warriors run.
A new contract for Iguodala will have to wait until other dominos fall in the Bay Area this offseason. The Warriors could face cap issues as they try to re-sign Kevin Durant. Kawakami notes that they would have to get creative in order to open up the necessary cap space for a Durant max deal and those efforts may include renouncing the rights to Iguodala and Shaun Livingston. Taking that route would forfeit Iguodala’s Bird Rights, something that would limit the amount they can offer the 2015 NBA Finals MVP.
If Durant is willing to take merely a 20% raise on his 2016/17 salary, the team would not have to fit him into cap space and they could retain the bird rights of its other players, Kawakami notes. Durant could sign another two-year deal with a starting salary of approximately $31.8MM, which would contain another opt-out after the first season. That amount would come in roughly $4MM less than the maximum he could receive, so it’s not a given that the team takes this path.
Durant doesn’t plan on leaving Golden State and he hasn’t given much thought to his contract situation. Regardless of what happens with his option this summer, he wants the team to stay together.
“I haven’t thought about it, but obviously you want to keep this group together,” Durant said. “We want to see how far we can go with this thing. I’m sure once the season’s over with, we’ll figure that stuff out everybody. I’m sure it’ll all work out for the best.”
Kawakami adds that Golden State’s plan all along was to keep this core together for years to come and the franchise won’t change course anytime soon.
Suns Plan To Keep GM Ryan McDonough Through 2017/18 Season
The Suns will keep Ryan McDonough on as GM through the 2017/18 season, sources tell Marc Stein and Chris Haynes of ESPN.com. McDonough’s contract is set to expire next offseason.
Drafting Devin Booker is widely regarded as McDonough’s best move, Stein notes. The scribe adds that Phoenix may be in for a busy offseason, citing the team’s surplus of backcourt talent and the draft, which is heavy on point guards. The Suns have a 19.9% chance at landing the No. 1 overall pick, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors recently detailed.
Phoenix had the second-worst record in the league this season, as our Reverse Standings show. The team has gone 134-160 since McDonough took over GM duties.
Hornets Decline Christian Wood’s Team Option
The Hornets have declined their team option on Christian Wood‘s contract for next season, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (Twitter link). Bobby Marks of the Vertical (Twitter link) notes that Charlotte had five days after the season ended to make the call on Wood’s deal.
Wood signed a two-year deal with Charlotte last offseason and had the team picked up his option, he would have made slightly over $1.47MM next season.
The big man only played in 13 games with the Hornets, scoring just 35 points while grabbing 29 rebounds in 107 minutes of action this season. He also spent time playing for the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s D-League affiliate.
Heat Notes: Spoelstra, Johnson, Winslow
Heat players recently cleaned out their lockers, having failed to make the playoffs, and many of them will have an opportunity to go elsewhere this summer. James Johnson, Udonis Haslem, and Luke Babbitt will be free agents. Willie Reed, Josh McRoberts, and Dion Waiters all hold player options and Wayne Ellington could join the free agent market if the franchise declines his $6.27MM team option.
Coach Erik Spoelstra wants his players to feel comfortable returning to Miami, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes. “This is clean-up day, not clean-out day,” the coach said.
Spoelstra added that his goal is to move forward with the team’s current group and compete for a championship. “Our organization is not going to change. We’re hard-wired to play and compete for championships,” he said. “Hopefully this is dot-dot-dot continued and we can build on this.”
Here’s more from Miami:
- The Heat are thrilled with Hassan Whiteside‘s growth this season, as Winderman relays in the same piece. “I think his growth has been staggering,” Spoelstra said of the big man. “You can define it how you want. He can become one of the greats.” Whiteside signed a four-year, $98.4MM contract with Miami last offseason.
- Johnson may consider taking a discount to stay with the Heat if it means keeping this year’s group together, Winderman passes along (Twitter links). “I’m home. That’s what it feels like. I love it here,” Johnson said of Miami.
- Justise Winslow is recovering from shoulder surgery and is “way ahead of schedule,” according to Spoelstra, as Winderman relays via Twitter.
- Prior to the injury, the Heat strongly believed Winslow would become a quality starter due to the work he put in last summer to improve his shooting, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. Winslow admits that being sidelined hindered his ability to get comfortable with his new shooting mechanics, but added that he’ll continue to work on that part of his game.
- Spoelstra feels Winslow would have helped Miami this season because of his efficient play, as Jackson passes along in the same piece. “He can generate threes for you offensively because he puts a lot of pressure in the paint, off the dribble, in transition. He’s an aggressive, bruising, physical type of player and he sees the floor. That helps create your three-point game,” the coach said.
- In his latest mailbag, Winderman explains why it’ll be hard for the Heat to add a major free agent, such as Paul Millsap, and bring back the core of this year’s squad. The team can feasibly carve out approximately $37MM in cap space this summer and that may not be enough for Miami to add a max player in addition to own free agents.
Western Notes: Ginobili, Malone, Anderson
Manu Ginobili has not yet made a decision on whether or not he will play during the 2017/18 season, but nothing that happens during this year’s playoff run with the Spurs will impact his choice, Jeff McDonald of Spurs Nation relays.
“I’m not going to say it’s irrelevant, but pretty close,” Ginobili said. “Winning or not winning is not going to change what I decide to do in the future.”
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- The Nuggets should afford coach Mike Malone at least one more season to get the team into the playoffs, Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post opines. The scribe acknowledges that Malone had a role in Jusuf Nurkic not reaching his potential on the team, but adds that the coach deserves credit for the development of Nikola Jokic, Gary Harris, and Jamal Murray.
- Ryan Anderson, who signed with the Rockets last summer, believes the team’s chemistry is a major reason why Houston has been able to have success this season, Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle writes. “Chemistry goes a long way in this league, and it’s very rare to play on a team where everybody really enjoys their time together,” Anderson said. “Everybody is a piece of a puzzle, and it feels good to come to a team where you know you’re making a difference, and you’re having fun along the way.”
- Free agent acquisition Eric Gordon enjoys being on the Rockets. He believes that he’s a much better fit in Houston than he was on his previous team in New Orleans, as he tells Zwerneman (same piece). “This team has better chemistry and probably better players,” Gordon said of the Rockets.