Mavericks Notes: Ferrell, Carlisle, Lottery
Yogi Ferrell is confident that he can be the Mavericks‘ starting point guard, though he’s willing to play whatever role is best for the team, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes.
“I feel like, yeah, I am a starting point guard, and I’m going to play whatever role coach decides to put me in,” Ferrell said. “I’m definitely just blessed to be here and glad to be here. I definitely want to be here for a very long time.”
Here’s more from Dallas:
- Coach Rick Carlisle believes Ferrell has earned a place in the league, but he added that it’s unfair to project what kind of role the Indiana product will play going forward, Sefko adds in the same piece. “I do like Yogi in our franchise, on our roster,” Carlisle said. “He certainly has proven that he can be a rotation player in this league. We didn’t have a good record. At this point in time, projecting exactly where he’s going to be is not really fair. I love him as a competitor. He’s grown each and every day, each and every game. I’m just really thrilled we have him here.”
- Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News can envision the Mavericks contending for the eighth seed next season, but he’s bearish on the team’s chances of rising any higher in the standings. The scribe adds that if unless Dallas moves up in the lottery, the team is a season or two away from 50 wins. Mark Cuban’s franchise has a 1.7% at the No. 1 overall selection and a 6.1% chance at a top-3 pick, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors details.
Pacific Notes: Barnes, Iguodala, Kings
Matt Barnes will not play for the Warriors in today’s playoff game against the Blazers, CBS Sports relays. Barnes, who was signed by the team earlier this season in the wake of Kevin Durant‘s knee injury, is dealing with a sprained right foot.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Andre Iguodala is staying with Landmark Sports, Chris Haynes of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Iguodala was previously represented by Rob Pelinka, who left the agency to become the Lakers’ GM. The Sixth Man of the Year candidate made slightly over $11.13MM for the Warriors this season in the last year of his contract.
- Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee wonders if the Kings will be patient enough to build something sustainable. Jones believes the team needs to give its young talent time to develop, something that will require the ownership to have more patience than they’ve shown in the past.
- The Kings could draft a point guard and re-sign either Ty Lawson or Darren Collison to mentor the young prospect, Jones contends in a separate piece. Sacramento has plenty of cap room this summer and Jones believes it could mean a lucrative contract for one of its veteran point guards.
Pacers Notes: George, Teague, Stephenson
Paul George will be eligible for the new Designated Veteran Player Extension if he’s named to an All-NBA team this season. By being selected to one of the three teams, George could net approximately $70MM more in an extension compared to what he’d be eligible for without being voted in. He’s aware of the pending situation and he’s hoping to be honored by the voters, as Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports relays.
“Man I hope so,” George said. “You’ve got a couple guys that so-called have been ahead of me, who have other guys on that list. I’ve been trying to lead and do it at both ends this whole season. Hopefully they take that into account, especially closing this year out, get us in the playoffs.
Here’s more from Indiana:
- The point guard market will likely dictate whether or not the Pacers bring back Jeff Teague, Mark Montieth of NBA.com contends. The scribe believes Teague’s price tag and the other available point guard options will be huge factors in determining what the franchise does.
- It would be surprising if Lance Stephenson isn’t on the Pacers‘ roster next season, Montieth opines in the same piece. He adds that Stephenson may be best suited to play the point guard position.
- Stephenson is exactly what the Pacers need for their playoff series against the Cavs, Tom Withers of the Associated Press writes. “He’s different. He’s the oddball and you need that,” George said of the 26-year-old. “You need the guy that’s energetic and live, a guy who’s going to stir the pot and we work very well off of each other.”
Kings Notes: Point Guards, Bogdanovic, Gay
GM Vlade Divac said it’s “too early to say” whether or not the Kings will try to bring back Darren Collison or Ty Lawson next year, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes. Jones adds that the team is stocked at many positions, but point guard is not of them.
Lawson had an uninspiring season in Sacramento, scoring 9.9 points per game while dishing out 4.9 assists per night. He made 24 starts for the club. Collison was suspended for the first eight games of the season because of domestic battery charges. He ended up playing in 68 contests for the Kings, averaging 13.2 points, 4.6 assists, and a steal per game. Both veterans will be unrestricted free agents this summer.
Here’s more from Sacramento:
- Divac said Bogdan Bogdanovic, whose rights were acquired by the Kings in a 2016 draft night trade, is a “natural shooting guard” and added that the team wants him to come stateside, Jones relays in the same piece. “We would love to have him here. We have his rights, and this summer we’ll talk about it,” Divac said.
- The Kings added an assistant GM last offseason and they remain open to expanding the front office even further, Jones adds in the same piece. “We’re open, always, to improve,” Divac said. “The team, the front office, everything is always open for improvement. I’m very happy and confident in what we have right now, but we should be open if something can make you better.”
- Both Divac and coach Dave Joerger would like Rudy Gay to return to the Kings next season, Sean Cunningham of ABC10 tweets. Gay can become a free agent this summer by turning down a player option in his contract, but he remains undecided on whether or not he will do so.
Pistons Notes: KCP, Baynes, Drummond
The Pistons would like to bring Kentavious Caldwell-Pope back next season, but GM Jeff Bower sounds as if the organization will wait for another team to make an offer before making any commitments, Rod Beard of The Detroit News passes along.
“With the timing of things, you never know for sure until the period begins. There is a danger because we don’t have it with any certainty,” Bower said. “Hopefully, we’re able to move along with the things we have and everything is aligned. That’s a hand we have to be ready to play, no matter what direction we go. We have a lot of control in the situation, which is something we value and expect to be able to take advantage of.”
Here’s more from Detroit:
- Aron Baynes hasn’t yet made a decision on his player option for the 2017/18 campaign, which is worth $6.5MM. He’ll take his time on the decision, but staying with the Pistons remains a strong possibility, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press relays (Twitter links). “Being here, it kind of feels like we have some unfinished business,” Baynes said.
- Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy must figure out if the Andre Drummond– Reggie Jackson pairing is the best option for the Pistons long-term, John Niyo of The Detroit News argues.Drummond has four years remaining on the max contract he signed last offseason, while Jackson has three years remaining on the five-year, $80MM deal he signed back in 2015.
- Van Gundy feels Drummond needs to take additional steps to reach his potential, Niyo passes along in the same piece. “He needs to have a sense of urgency to elevate his game,” Van Gundy said. “He’s been in the league five years now. He’s still young, he hasn’t turned 24. The sky’s the limit for him. But he needs to do some work to get there.”
And-Ones: Melli, Sonics, Teodosic
Nicolo Melli is drawing interest from Real Madrid in the Euroleague, but he also has the attention of several NBA teams. Niki Bakouli of Sport24 reports (Twitter links) that the Rockets and Nets are among the teams interested in adding the power forward.
Melli said playing in the NBA is “a dream,” but added that his decision on where to go will depend on what kind of offers he receives.
“I don’t rule out any possibility but I don’t like to talk about the future” Melli said, (via E. Carchia of Sportando). “It is great to draw interest from other teams [Real Madrid is one of the teams] but I did not talk with anyone. My agent and I will think about the future after the season talking with Bamberg. NBA? It is a dream. But it will depend on the offers because I love too much being on the court and playing.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- Two different groups are each preparing to spend over $500MM to renovate the Key-Arena in Seattle with hopes of attracting an NBA or NHL team, Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times reports. “Today is an important day in our goal of bringing the Sonics home and the NHL to Seattle,” Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said. “Two well-known organizations submitted proposals to redevelop KeyArena, totaling more than $1 billion in investments between them. Their interest shows how Seattle has become one of the most desirable cities in America for sports and entertainment.”
- Nets GM Sean Marks is heading back to Moscow to get another look at Milos Teodosic, sources tell international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). It was previously reported that the point guard was unlikely to sign with Brooklyn since the team has not been competitive.
- Amy Trask has been named the CEO of the BIG3, according to the league’s website. Trask previously spent nearly 30 years working the Oakland Raiders organization.
- Mo Alie-Cox, who played basketball at VCU, is trying to break into the NFL and he’s scheduled to meet with six teams, as Zach Links of Pro Football Rumors writes. Be sure to stay tuned to PFR for the latest news and notes on the NFL.
Knicks Notes: Chemistry, Rose, Oakley
Many factors contributed to the Knicks’ disappointing season, though team chemistry belongs near the top of the list, Ian Begley of ESPN.com notes. Earlier in the season, Rose went missing for a game and he addressed his teammates on the following night, apologizing for putting them in a bad spot. Begley hears from a source that after Rose concluded, no one said a word and the scribe believes it’s a testament to the team’s lack of cohesiveness.
Here’s more from New York:
- Prior to Derrick Rose‘s latest injury, the Knicks were still considering him as an option had they missed out on bigger free agent targets, such as Jrue Holiday and Jeff Teague, Begley writes in the same piece. Coach Jeff Hornacek recently said the team won’t close the door on a Rose return.
- Rose would be happy to get another shot with the Knicks, but he’s excited to hit free agency for the first time in his career, Lonnae O’Neal of The Undefeated passes along. “I would love to stay here,” Rose said of New York. “I love my teammates, I love the coaches, I love the front office. But this will be the first time that I will hit free agency, so I want to take advantage of everything and just see what the free agency system is all about.”
- Charles Oakley has been arraigned in court on charges stemming from his ejection from Madison Square Garden earlier this season, ESPN.com relays. Oakley has maintained his innocence and declared that he’ll fight the charges.
- Carmelo Anthony is reportedly leaning toward waiving his no-trade clause this summer. Unless he and Phil Jackson can reconcile, New York will look to deal him.
Pelicans Notes: Holiday, Gentry, Cousins
The Pelicans weren’t able to achieve their goal of making the playoffs this season, but GM Dell Demps believes the team is on the right path to reach that pinnacle.
“We have positioned ourselves well for the future,” Demps said (via Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune). “We believe the future is bright. … One of our goals this season was to improve on defense and we did that (from 28th to 8th in defensive efficiency). And there was a time after the All-Star break where our offense started to gel and play better, and we were still playing good defense. So that gives us hope that this team is headed in the right direction.”
Here’s more from New Orleans:
- The Pelicans want to bring Jrue Holiday back, but understand that the point guard has to weigh his options, as Justin Verrier of ESPN.com relays (Twitter link). “We love Jrue. We love his family. Obviously, we’d like to have him back. He’s got a tough decision to make. We’re going to let that process play out,” Demps said.
- Demps described the status of the team’s coaching staff as in “evaluation mode,” but added that he likes the direction in which the team is heading, Verrier passes along via Twitter.
- Coach Alvin Gentry hasn’t spoken to ownership about his future in New Orleans yet, Scott Kushner of The Advocate relays (Twitter links). In reference to successfully incorporating DeMarcus Cousins, Gentry said that he “doesn’t think [the team is] going to have to change that much.”
- Demps believes the Pelicans are set up well for the future and a major reason why is the Cousins trade, Kushner adds (Twitter links). New Orleans had a record of 7-10 after making the deal, but Demps blames the lack of success on the big man’s health, explaining that the center played with a sore Achilles post All-Star break.
Nuggets Notes: Plumlee, Trades, Jokic
Denver plans on bringing Mason Plumlee back on a new contract, Christopher Dempsey of Altitude Sports writes.
“Mase brought a lot of what we thought he would bring – intensity, a vertical threat at the rim,” GM Tim Connelly said. “An athletic big. A very good passer. It’s not an easy transition going from a starter to the third or fourth big. … When we traded for him, we traded for him for the purpose of bringing him back. Barring something unforeseen or some dramatic shift, we’re pretty excited to talk to his representatives this summer and figure something out.”
Plumlee, who’s a restricted free agent, came to the Nuggets in exchange for Jusuf Nurkic at this year’s deadline.
Here’s more from Denver:
- The Nuggets are more likely to make major changes via trade since they will have only a handful of open roster spots this offseason, Dempsey adds in the same piece. Connelly believes he has a roster full of players who should be coveted on the trade market because they’ve outperformed their contracts. “I think what’s interesting about our team is we have a lot of good players,” Connelly said. “And I think relative to their contracts, most of our guys outperformed their contracts, which is a testament to our coaching and player development.”
- Denver knows it has a rising star in Nikola Jokic, but it doesn’t want to put too much pressure on him next season, Dempsey relays in the same piece. “He’s only 22,” the GM said. “He’d be the first one to tell you it’s a team game. He’s probably the least stat-aware guy on the team. But certainly we’re playing a certain way now and having success playing that way primarily because of his unique skill set and the coaches confidence in him.”
- Connelly explains how the team has a better sense than it has in the past on which players should be the franchise’s core members, Dempsey passes along in the same piece. “Some of these guys have cemented their place in next year’s role already,” Connelly said. “There’s a handful of guys that you know what you’re going to get, and I think coach trusts them and those are guys we are going to take a long-term approach with and feel good about growing with.”
- Danilo Gallinari is going to take some time to decide whether or not he’ll decline his player option, USA Today relays. “It’s not time right now to make the decision,” said Gallinari. “Right now, it’s time to digest the fact we were not able to accomplish the goal [of the playoffs] that I had, that we had, at the beginning of the season.” The franchise would also like Gallinari to stick around beyond his current deal, but it’s taking a wait-and-see approach with him.
- The Nuggets plan to be aggressive in their attempts to lock up Gary Harris long-term, as we passed along on Wednesday.
Tony Allen Out Indefinitely
Tony Allen has been diagnosed with a strained calf and is out indefinitely, according to a team press release. Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical notes (Twitter link) that the timetable for this sort of injury is roughly a month.
The Grizzlies play the Spurs in the opening round of the NBA playoffs and the team’s coaching staff is preparing for the matchup as if Allen will not be available, Wojnarowski adds.
San Antonio is favored to win the series against Memphis and if that outcome occurs, Allen may have played his last game for the team. The 35-year-old will be a free agent this offseason and he stressed that he wants to return. However, the Grizzlies are facing salary cap issues this summer, which could prevent them from offering Allen a fair-market deal.
Allen was one of the best perimeter defenders in the league this season. He ranks third among shooting guards in ESPN’s Defensive Real Plus/Minus and he ranks eighth among non-bigs in NBAMath’s Defensive Points Saved.