Carmelo Leaning Toward Waiving His No-Trade Clause
Carmelo Anthony is strongly leaning toward waiving his no-trade clause, sources close to the situation tell Ian Begley of ESPN.com.
While Begley cautions that no decision has made, he adds that some within the organization believe the only way Anthony returns is if owner James Dolan fires Phil Jackson. It was reported today that the Knicks and Jackson “quietly” picked up their respective sides of the mutual option to have him return for the next two years. The Zen Master will sit down with the small forward during their end-0f-season meeting on Thursday. Anthony has previously said that he’s looking forward to it.
Barring a last-minute reconciliation between Jackson and Anthony, the Knicks are committed to moving the 32-year-old this summer, Begley adds.
Some rival executives believe that Anthony’s trade value would be higher if Jackson hadn’t endorsed the Bleacher Report column that was critical of the 32-year-old. “That one was surprising,” Begley was told by an executive of a team who spoke to the Knicks about an Anthony trade. “I think [Jackson] really hurt himself there.”
Anthony no-trade clause, as well as his trade kicker, also hurts the star’s value on the market, as I detailed in his Trade Candidate piece.
Jackson isn’t the only one who Anthony had issues with this season. He and coach Jeff Hornacek got into a verbal altercation during halftime of a mid-March game against the Nets. Hornacek was criticizing the Knicks for how they played the first half and Anthony responded with a rant that questioned the direction of the entire franchise. Begley notes that assistant coach Kurt Rambis fired back by pointing out Anthony’s lackluster defense, which prompted Anthony to respond again. The altercation ended when one of New York’s players lobbied for the team to go back to the court and begin warming up.
The concern over defense didn’t appear out of thin air. Begley relays that some within the organization felt that Anthony’s and Derrick Rose‘s defensive habits were a negative influence on the team’s younger players.
Anthony recently said that he would remain committed to the Knicks if the team was committed to winning. He’ll have the final say on whether he’s on the team next season, but it appears if Jackson has his way, the Knicks will try to win without him.
Eastern Notes: Playoffs, Tavares, Pavlova, Jackson
The Eastern Conference playoff matchups are set. The Celtics take home the No. 1 seed and will play the Bulls (8) in the opening round. The Cavaliers (2) will take on the Pacers (7). The Raptors (3) will clash with the Bucks (6) and the Wizards (4) will battle the Hawks (5).
The Heat were hoping to sneak in, but with both Indiana and Chicago winning tonight, they will watch the playoffs from home. Coach Erik Spoelstra, who’s in the conversation for the Coach of the Year award, is upset to see Miami’s season end, as Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald passes along via Twitter. “I don’t know if I ever felt this way about a team before. I don’t know if I’ve ever wanted anything more for a team,” Spoelstra said.
On the bright side, Miami has a shot at the No. 1 overall pick, owning 0.5% of the ping pong balls in this year’s lottery. You can find each lottery team’s chances at the No.1 overall pick on our Reverse Standings page.
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- The Cavaliers swapped Edy Tavares for Larry Sanders because they felt Tavares was “more game ready,” Sam Amico of Amico Hoops relays (Twitter feed). It was reported yesterday that Cleveland and Sanders mutually parted because he would not have made the rotation. Tavares had 10 rebounds and six blocks in his debut with the team tonight.
- Irina Pavlova, who serves as a top adviser to Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, is leaving the organization, Chris Mannix of The Vertical writes. Pavlova is on the board of directors for Brooklyn and Brooklyn Arena LLC, which is the company that runs the Barclays Center.
- Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy sees Reggie Jackson‘s injury as a major reason why the Pistons never met expectations, Rod Beard of The Detroit News passes along. Jackson didn’t play well upon returning, but Van Gundy believes he will bounce back next year. “I think Reggie will come back and be as good as or better than he was two years ago. I honestly do. There were a lot of things that were physically and mentally very difficult for him to handle,” SVG said. “He’s committed to getting those things changed. He’s a talented guy and he’ll be really good next year — I have confidence in him.”
Draft Notes: Tatum, Smith, Bridges, Alkins
Jayson Tatum is rising up draft boards and Chad Ford of ESPN.com believes he could be a dark horse for the No.1 overall pick. Ford notes that Tatum is widely regarded by scouts as being the most NBA-ready right now. The Duke product sits at No. 4 in the scribe’s latest Big Board.
Here’s more on the upcoming draft:
- Dennis Smith‘s stock is falling with teams questioning how he handled himself in the midst of disappointing college season, Ford writes in the same piece. The scribe adds that Smith has elite athletism, so his stock could rise after individual workouts take place.
- Miles Bridges is undecided on whether or not he’s going to return to MSU, but Ford notes that he appears to be a “lock” for the lottery should he opt to declare for the draft.
- Arizona’s Rawle Alkins will test the draft waters, but won’t yet sign with an agent, according to his Twitter feed. The shooting guard is the 79th best prospect in the draft, according to Jonathan Givony of Draft Express.
- Kansas’ Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk has declared for the draft, but will also not hire an agent, according to University’s website. The junior is the 68th best prospect in the draft, according to Givony.
- PJ Dozier will declare for the draft, but will not hire representation, according to the University of South Carolina’s website. Dozier, who Givony pegs as the 65th best prospect in the draft, helped lead the school to its first-ever Final Four this past season.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 4/12/17
Here are Wednesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Wizards have recalled Sheldon Mac from the Rio Grand Valley Vipers, according to Chase Hughes of Comcast Sportsnet. Washington does not have its own D-League affiliate, so Mac played for Houston’s via the flex assignment rule.
- The Raptors have recalled Bruno Caboclo and Pascal Siakam from the Raptors 905, according to their Twitter feed. Both players have seen action in Toronto’s game against the Cavs tonight.
Latest On Danilo Gallinari And The Nuggets
The Nuggets value Danilo Gallinari, but they’re taking a “wait-and-see approach” with him this offseason, Christopher Dempsey of Altitude Sports writes. The Italian has a player option, which is worth $16.1MM, on his contract for next season and should he turn it down, he’ll become a free agent. GM Tim Connelly wants to bring him back next season, but the executive acknowledges that there’s always unknown variables when it comes to free agency.
“I think it’s no secret we really value Gallo, both as a player and as a person,” Connelly said. “So, with free agency, if he does choose to opt out there’s a lot of unknowns. How does the market develop? What do the various teams look like that are chasing him? What does he want in terms of contract and years; all of those things will certainly play a role. It would be premature of me to guess. He’s a guy that we value, he’s had a great year.”
Connelly added that the organization would be happy if Gallinari decides plays next season under his current contract, but the team is also ready to compete for his services.
“He’s been here for a long time, one of our core guys,” Connelly said. “It’ll be interesting to see what happens this summer. Gallo loves Denver. And he’s a really, really good guy. If he doesn’t opt out, we’d be very happy with that. If he chooses to opt out, he’s certainly going to be one of our primary focuses. “
Gallinari has long been the subject of trade rumors. The Celtics had discussions with the Nuggets about acquiring the small forward last summer and then again this season, but no trade materialized. The Clippers and Raptors were also among the teams keeping tabs on the veteran this season.
Stan Van Gundy Vows To Bring Change To Detroit
The Pistons underachieved this season and coach/executive Stan Van Gundy vows that changes will be made this offseason, Rod Beard of the Detroit News relays. “You’re not going to see all 15 guys come back next year, but it’s also not going to be two guys,” SVG said.
While Van Gundy takes the majority of the blame for the lost season, he points to the team’s lack of professionalism. “I will say I’m not totally happy with our professionalism and the way we approach things,” he said.
Adding a veteran this offseason may be a solution for the club. “Yes, we may have to [find a veteran], but some of those guys should be saying that they don’t need a babysitter; I need to do things the right way,”
Van Gundy continued to stress professionalism, pleading for his team to show up next season acting like NBA players.
“[Our approach is] going to have to change and part of that is going to have to come from us being a little bit stricter and tougher with them on things in our expectations and part of it is going to have from them. You’ve been in the league four or five years — let’s take care of yourself better, let’s be more ready, pay more attention to the game plan, get our extra work in, be more dedicated to the lifting. All those things.
“The young part has to go by the wayside as an excuse. You’re a professional and you’re getting paid. If you don’t want that responsibility, don’t come out after one year. If you want to come out after one year, then you decided you wanted to be a pro — be a freaking pro.”
He added that he likes the team’s core, but is disappointed with its overall progress.
“That is the biggest reason we are where we are right now: We did not have enough guys where you can look and say he made a big jump. That’s something we have to address in the offseason as a staff and as players,” Van Gundy said. “We’re at an age where some guys should be making significant improvements and everybody should still be getting better — and we had some guys actually take a step back.”
There were times this season where Detroit looked like a playoff team, but there were also instances where the club appeared destined for the lottery. Identifying players who can contribute consistently will be a key objective this offseason.
“There have to be some changes and we have to make, as a staff, some good evaluations on the guys who can and are willing to make some of those changes,” Van Gundy said. “That means who are the guys we’re going to bet on to make improvements in their game and who are the guys we can bet on their professionalism and commitment on a night-to-night basis?
“We had too many some-of-the-time guys who we couldn’t count on. If we don’t think those guys can change, well then they’ve got to be changed. I didn’t think on a night-to-night basis we were consistent in our approach.”
The Pistons enter the final game of the season owning a record of 37-44. Van Gundy is confident that the team can be better next season, though the status quo won’t produce the desired results.
“This has been a year of misery for me but I still want the challenge,” SVG said. “It’s hard. It does mean you’re going to have to make some changes.”
Changes To Buyout And Waiver Process Coming?
A majority of league executives and several owners are concerned with the current in-season contract buyout and waiver process and they’ve been pushing to open the dialogue on a change, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical writes. They have attached support on a request to have the issue addressed during the general managers’ meetings in May, sources tell Wojnarowski.
The owners and executives are worried that the current system has become unfair to many of the smaller and mid-size market teams since players who agree to a buyout often sign with playoff contenders. There’s also concern that the buyout market is suffocating the trade market. The deadline for a player to be released or bought out and still be playoff-eligible is March 1, which usually falls about a week after the league’s trade deadline. Teams know players will be bought out and deadline sellers are unable to get value for their players since opposing teams don’t feel the need to give up an asset for a player when they can wait and simply sign someone productive.
Tampering is another issue within the current system that is expected to be addressed. GMs would like to find a way to avoid pre-arranged deals by the buyout candidates, which would allow more teams to have a chance at the player. In addition, some GMs believe the current system devalues cap space, lessens the purpose of exceptions and creates poor optics for fans and sponsors.
This year’s buyout season saw the Cavaliers bring in two former top-3 overall picks–Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut– despite only having minimum-salaried slots to work with. Bogut is currently out for the year with a broken leg, while Williams figures to play a key role for Cleveland as the team looks to defend its title in this year’s playoffs.
Nuggets To Pursue Extension With Gary Harris
Gary Harris will be eligible for a rookie contract extension this summer and the Nuggets don’t want to waste any time locking him up long-term, Christopher Dempsey of Altitude Sports relays.
“Gary’s going to be here for a long, long time,” GM Tim Connelly said. “He’s a guy that kind of embodies everything that we’re trying to be, both as a player and as a person. Whether it’s this summer or whether it’s the following summer, he’s going to be here for a very long time.”
Harris, who was selected with the No.19 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, is averaging career highs in points, assists, and rebounds per game as well as 3-point percentage and overall field goal percentage this season. He’s become a core member of the Nuggets, someone who can contribute to the team’s goal of making the playoffs and competing for the title down the road. Connelly always envisioned Harris taking the necessary steps to elevate his game.
“Sometimes you have to go with your gut – 6-4, long arm, fast-twitch athlete with a nose for the ball defensively who can make shots and cares,” Connelly said. “I think you can get too lost at times in analytics and too lost at times not seeing the forest for the trees. Now, he’s taken a monstrous step.”
Cavs Waive Larry Sanders, Sign Edy Tavares
APRIL 12, 3:05pm: The Cavaliers have officially signed Tavares, the team announced today in a press release. With the signing of Jones now official too, Cleveland’s roster is back up to the maximum 15 players.
APRIL 12, 8:39am: The Cavaliers have officially waived Sanders, according to a press release issued by the team. With 13 players now on their roster, the Cavs have cleared the way to sign Tavares and Jones, as noted below. Those deals figure to be made official later today.
APRIL 11, 9:06pm: The Cavaliers will waive Larry Sanders and sign Edy Tavares, according to Sham Charania of The Vertical. The scribe adds that Cleveland had no issues with Sanders during his time with the team and the two sides mutually decided to part ways since there were no plans to add him to the rotation.
Bobby Marks of The Vertical (Twitter links) notes that Cavs were able to waive Sanders because his contract was not expiring. Earlier this week, the Pistons were unable to complete the transaction of waiving Beno Udrih because every team would not have the opportunity to claim him on waivers. Sanders contract runs through the end of next season, though had it expired this season, the Cavs would not have been able to waive him.
Cleveland will have a busy day on Wednesday, signing both Tavares and Dahntay Jones. The team opted up a roster spot for Jones earlier this week when it waived DeAndre Liggins.
Tavares is a 7”3” center who played 12 games for the Hawks this season. He has been a key member of the Raptors 905, Toronto’s affiliate, during their D-League playoff run.
Sixers Notes: Simmons, Saric, McConnell
The Sixers lost to the Celtics in Game 7 of the 2012 Eastern Conference semifinals and Lavoy Allen believes that if Philadelphia had prevailed in that contest, the franchise would be in a much different position, as Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays.
“We would have had a couple of more years with [Nikola Vucevic], Andre Iguodala, and a few of the guys,” said Allen. “We would have had some more good years if we would have kept that team together.”
Instead, the team pivoted, making a trade for Andrew Bynum. The big man wasn’t able to stay on the court and a year later, The Process was born.
Here’s more from Philadelphia:
- Coach Brett Brown would like to see Ben Simmons participate in summer league, but it’s unclear if the 2016 No.1 overall pick will be healthy enough to play, Pompey passes along in the same piece. “His health and the judgment of his health rules the day. I don’t know what that looks like when we are talking about the summer league,” Brown said.
- Brown would like to see the Sixers add shooters this offseason, David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News relays. “We need shooters,” Brown said. “That’s kind of the bottom line. We need to get Ben Simmons the ball, we need to have Joel be Joel, and get a bunch of shooters around them.”
- Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Inquirer believes Dario Saric is best suited for a role off the bench next season. The scribe believes Joel Embiid needs someone who can shoot from behind the arc next to him in the frontcourt and Saric only made 31.1% of his 3-point attempts this season.
- If the Sixers want to win next season, T.J. McConnell may give them the best chance to do so, Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Daily News opines. Hayes is a fan of the point guard’s defense and he believes McConnell will return better immediate value at the position than Simmons or a first-round draft pick would.