Latest On Chris Bosh
Chris Bosh has missed over a year of action due to blood-clot issues and a source tells Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald that Bosh has not attempted to return this season. Jackson adds that the big man would like to play in the future should his health allow him to. Bosh addressed his situation on Monday during TNT’s Players Only coverage (via Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel). “My health is great. I’m feeling good, still working out, and just really still saying ready,” Bosh said.
Bosh failed his preseason physical with the Heat and team doctors believed his condition would be career-ending. Miami intended to move forward with its future plans, which did not include the big man. Yet, Bosh maintained hope of returning to the team at some point and it caused a strain in the relationship between Bosh and the franchise.
Sources tell Winderman that the Heat have attempted to reach out to Bosh over the past few days, hoping to find some middle ground. The big man hasn’t responded to the team, according to Winderman.
Miami is expected to petition the league for a medical exclusion, which would give Bosh the salary remaining on his deal, but take the amount owed off their future cap. Once the team waives him, an independent physician will determine Bosh’s ability to return to the court. Bosh must make himself available for this evaluation if he wants to receive his remaining salary. Jackson hears that the sides are expected to begin this process sometime during the month of March.
By waiting until after March 1, Miami can assure that Bosh won’t play 25 games this season, a mark that would force his salary back on its cap sheet. With the big man’s salary off the books, Miami could have roughly $38MM in cap space this summer.
Should the Heat use that cap room on players this offseason and Bosh plays 25 games for another team next season, Bosh’s salary would return to Miami’s cap. The franchise would not have to shed salary in that scenario, per league rules, but it would likely cause the team to be in the luxury tax.
Bosh spoke about how his life has been different since being sidelined with the condition.
“I think one of the interesting things that I didn’t anticipate was my mental health,” he said. “And that’s something that as athletes we have to take into regard because we’re used to a set schedule and we’re used to a certain type of world. And that’s something that I’ve really had to work on for my well being.”
Fantasy Hoops: Noel, Saric, Valentine
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Breaking Down The Trades: Part 3
Mavericks acquire Nerlens Noel; Sixers acquire Justin Anderson, Andrew Bogut, and Mavericks’ 2017 first-round pick (top-18 protected).
- Trending upward: Jahlil Okafor. Between this trade and the latest Joel Embiid news, Okafor is free to own the paint AND crash the glass. We should see more outings like his recent 28 point, 10 rebound game against the Knicks.
- Trending downward: Andrew Bogut. The center position on the waiver-wire is always shallow, but don’t be tempted to pick up Bogut once he signs with the Cavs. He likely won’t get enough opportunity to be on the fantasy radar.
- Extra dribble: Nerlens Noel could fit into the trending upward spot. In his first two games with the Mavs, he only scored a total of 15 points in 55 minutes of action, but he’s added 16 rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. Expect him to see even more playing time as he gets acclimated to his new team.
Hawks acquire Ersan Ilyasova; Sixers acquire Tiago Splitter, Heat’s 2017 second-round pick (top-40 protected), and the right to swap Warriors’ 2017 second-round pick for Hawks’ second-round pick.
- Trending upward: Dario Saric. He was a must-own before the trade, but since moving into the starting lineup, he’s scoring 20.0 points per game while adding 11.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 35.9 minutes per contest. The Homie is on his way to winning the Rookie of the Year award (a feat that becomes easier if Embiid misses the rest of the season). In addition to taking home the league hardware, I image Saric is going to be on many championship rosters in fantasy this season.
- Trending downward: Ersan Ilyasova. He was very involved in the offense in Philly, but that won’t be the case on his new team. In three games with the Hawks, he’s seen just 19.3 minutes per game (compared to 27.3 before the trade). His points and 3-pointers made per game have been cut in half and he’s droppable in season-long leagues.
- Extra dribble: Robert Covington could see a slight boost in value. He’s a must-own in all season-long formats and with the frontcourt clearing up, he could see some time at power forward in a small-ball lineup.
Wizards acquire Bojan Bogdanovic and Chris McCullough; Nets acquire Andrew Nicholson, Marcus Thornton, and Wizards’ 2017 first-round pick (top-14 protected).
- Trending upward: It’s hard to find a player who benefits substantially from the transaction. Joe Harris should see more opportunity with Bojan Bogdanovic out of the picture. He’s seen 25.3 minutes per game since the trade, but he hasn’t played well. Sean Kilpatrick saw 29 minutes against the Warriors on Saturday and recorded a double-double, but made only one of his five 3-point attempts. If I had to bet on one of the two players, it would Kilpatrick, but neither is consistent enough to warrant a roster spot in season-long leagues.
- Trending downward: Bogdanovic. His value takes a massive hit. He’s seeing nearly as many minutes per game in Washington as he did in Brooklyn, but his usage has dropped over six percentage points and he’s averaging 4.6 fewer shot attempts per game
- Extra dribble: Ancillary parts on the Nets hold value because the team leads the league in pace. That, coupled with the team’s porous defense, makes Brooklyn’s rotation important down the stretch. Spencer Dinwiddie is a player to keep an eye on. He averaged 14.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game while added a steal and nearly two 3-pointers per contest over his last four games.
Raptors acquire P.J. Tucker; Suns acquire Jared Sullinger, Raptors’ 2017 second-round pick, Raptors’ 2018 second-round pick, and cash ($1MM).
- Trending upward: T.J. Warren. I know! You’ve seen T.J. Warren‘s name in earlier editions of Fantasy Hoops, but this time, he should actually back up my recommendation. Warren has seen 38.7 minutes per game since P.J. Tucker left Phoenix and he’s averaging 20.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per contest. He’s a streaky player, so expect off nights, but the opportunity is there on a team that ranks third in the league in pace.
- Trending downward: P.J. Tucker. The 35-year-old can help your fantasy team in the steals category, but other than that and rebounds, there are not many reasons to roster Tucker in season-long leagues.
- Extra dribble: Keep an eye on Alan Williams. The power forward has played sporadically this season, but in the two games since the trade, he scored a total of 33 points while adding 18 rebounds and three steals.
Thunder acquire Taj Gibson, Doug McDermott, and Bulls’ 2018 second-round pick; Bulls acquire Cameron Payne, Joffrey Lauvergne, and Anthony Morrow.
- Trending upward: Denzel Valentine. In two games since the trade, Valentine has seen 27.1 minutes per contest. He nearly doubled his shots per game and he’s making 60% of his attempts. He’s averaging 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 6.5 3-point attempts per contest since being given more playing time and his diverse stat line makes him useful in daily fantasy, as well as season-long leagues.
- Trending downward: Enes Kanter. The big man returned from a broken hand last week and while he put up a decent stat line over his first couple games back, the presence of Gibson hurts his value.
- Extra dribble: Nikola Mirotic belongs in the trending upward section as well. Since Gibson left town, Mirotic is seeing over 10 more minutes per contest and he’s averaging eight more points and nearly four more rebounds per game.
[RELATED: Breaking Down The Trades Part 1 & Part 2]
Deals Without Much Fantasy Impact
Nuggets acquire Roy Hibbert; Bucks acquire Nuggets’ 2019 second-round pick (top-55 protected).
Nets acquire K.J. McDaniels; Rockets acquire cash ($75K).
Lakers acquire Tyler Ennis and draft rights to Brad Newley; Rockets acquire Marcelo Huertas.
Suns acquire Mike Scott, draft rights to Cenk Akyol, and cash ($500K). Hawks acquire Suns’ 2017 second-round pick (top-55 protected).
There’s not much fantasy news out of these four trades. If K.J. McDaniels makes his way into the rotation in Brooklyn, he’d put himself on the fantasy radar. As of this writing, he’s not. Tyler Ennis could see opportunity down the stretch, but he only saw eight minutes in his debut with the Lakers.
Outside of the fantasy realm, it’s interesting to see Cenk Akyol‘s name in another team press release. Akyol was a draft-and-stash prospect who was selected by the Hawks in the 2005, but he never made the leap to the NBA and he likely never will. His rights have been traded five times over the last 12 years, including twice this season. His rights have been traded for Antawn Jamison and JaVale McGee among other players and prospects.
Fantasy questions? Take to the comment section below or tweet me at @CW_Crouse.
Statistics are current through Tuesday afternoon.
Lakers Sign David Nwaba To 10-Day Deal
FEBRUARY 28: The Lakers have officially signed Nwaba to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. The team now has a full 15-man roster.
FEBRUARY 27: The Lakers will sign David Nwaba to a 10-day contract, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical. Nwaba is a 6’4″ swingman who’s been playing for Los Angeles’ D-League affiliate. The franchise entered the day with an open roster spot, as the team’s depth chart at Roster Resource indicates, so no corresponding move will be necessary.
In 38 games with the D-Fenders this season, Nwaba is averaging 13.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists per contest. He’s shooting 64.3% from the field, but just 26.7% from behind the arc. Nwaba’s calling card is his defense. He’s added 1.2 blocks and 1.4 steals per game this season, but his D-League coach believes the stats don’t tell the whole story.
“David Nwaba is probably the best defender in our league,” coach Coby Karl said earlier in the season (via Harrison Faigen of SB Nation). “Defensively he really puts up a stand against guys. He’s just showing that he belongs.”
Durant Discusses Why He Didn’t Join The Wizards
Kevin Durant didn’t consider the Wizards when he was a free agent in part because he accomplished everything he set out to do in the D.C. Metro area, Tim Bontemps and Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post relay.
“I don’t want to open up anything in the past, but I really just didn’t want to play at home,” Durant said. “It was nothing about the fans. Being at home, I was so happy with that part of my life — playing at home, being in front of friends, hanging with friends and family every day. That was a part of my life that has come and gone.
“I was like, I’m trying to build a second part of my life as a man living in a different part of the country, just trying to do different things. I did everything I was supposed to do in the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area, I felt. Now it’s time to do something new. I didn’t want to come back. That’s just my thought process behind it. It had nothing to do with basketball, the fans, the city.”
Landing Durant was always a pipedream for the Wizards. Washington did not get a meeting with him in free agency while it watched six other franchises court the small forward.
Durant added that his mother was a major influence on his decision not to come back home. “No disrespect to anybody back at home, but my mom, she wanted me to see the world. She wanted me to see a different part of the country, and she didn’t want it to be a quick flight, either. She didn’t want anybody to be able to just get ahold of me,” Durant said.
Over the course of his career, the 8-time All-Star routinely made visits to his home state of Maryland during his offseasons. It was rewarding to come home and help out the community, but it came with challenges.
“With any athlete, when they’re playing in their hometown, there are advantages and disadvantages,” said Stu Vetter, Durant’s former high school coach. “The disadvantage is, everyone becomes a very good friend very quickly. Your time is in great demand. Your resources are in great demand. And everyone wants a favor.”
Durant visits his home community less frequently now than he did earlier in his career, but the area remains close to his heart. He’s a huge Redskins fan, who believes the team should re-sign Kirk Cousins (you can check out the latest on Cousins and Washington at Pro Football Rumors). Durant considered coming back home after learning about LeBron James‘ decision to return to his home state in 2014 but quickly decided that his own situation was not parallel to LBJ’s.
“I thought about what it might be like,” Durant said. “I thought about it. But it made LeBron’s situation different because he got drafted there. So it was like he was home already, so he knew what it was like. It wasn’t like it was his first time going back. For me, I never played at home. I didn’t know what it would be. I know every time I go back it’s pretty hectic, and I just wanted to focus on basketball and not have to worry about a lot of stuff that comes with being at home.”
“It’s always good going back, but I would rather play in a different city.”
Community Shootaround: Brandon Jennings
The Knicks released Brandon Jennings earlier today after the point guard asked for an opportunity to join a playoff team. Jennings, who signed a one-year, $5MM deal with New York in the offseason, will have the opportunity to sign with any team should he clear waivers.
He was initially linked to the Hornets, but it was later reported that Charlotte was unlikely to pursue the former No. 10 overall pick. The Wizards have been mentioned as a landing spot, with Marc Stein of ESPN.com reporting that Washington is at the “front of the line.”
Washington would be a great fit for the point guard. The franchise’s starting five can compete with any team in the league, but its bench unit is an area of concern. The Wizards addressed the issue by adding Bojan Bogdanovic in a trade with the Nets, but they could use another player who can create offense off in their second unit.
So that leads us to tonight’s shootaround topic: Which team would be the best fit for Brandon Jennings? Should he sign with the Wizards or should another team make a run at signing the 27-year-old?
The Jazz could use a point guard off the bench. The team wants to make a postseason run and adding Jennings could provide insurance of sorts in case George Hill can’t stay on the court. Utah has roughly 13.6MM in cap space, so the team could claim Jennings and not have to worry about convincing him to sign.
The Pelicans are thin in the backcourt after the DeMarcus Cousins trade. Jennings could provide the team with depth as it looks to win the Western Conference eighth seed race.
It appears Kyle Lowry is going to miss the rest of the regular season for the Raptors and while Jennings isn’t going to match Lowry’s impact on the nightly basis, he’s not a bad replacement for a team that’s looking to maintain a top-4 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Do you think any of these teams should make a run at Jennings or is there another team that would be a better fit. Take to the comment section below. We look forward to what you have to say!
Hoops Links: Lin, Wade, Cousins, Noel
On Sundays, we link to some of the very best work from around the basketball blogosphere. Do you have a link to a great basketball blog post – either your own or someone else’s – that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Send it to us at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s rundown:
- BornToRunTheNumbers breaks down how Jeremy Lin has fit on the Nets.
- The Game Day Report examines Dwyane Wade‘s future with the Bulls
- Celtics fans should be upset that the team didn’t trade for DeMarcus Cousins, according to the Celtics Life.
- The New York Sports Guys examine how the Cousins trade will impact other Western Conference teams, including the Warriors.
- The Sixers Sense breaks down Nerlens Noel‘s much-improved game.
- The Jump Ball takes a look at Alvin Gentry’s coaching style and wonders if he can make the Cousins-Anthony Davis pairing work.
- It appears GMs around the league understand that their unlikely to dethrone Cleveland or Golden State from the top of their respective conferences, The 76er Files notes.
Hawks Waive Lamar Patterson
The Hawks have waived Lamar Patterson, according to a team press release. Atlanta and Patterson agreed to the release in order to allow Patterson to tend to a personal matter.
The team recently signed Patterson to a two-year deal, though his contract only was partially guaranteed. The team also signed Ryan Kelly, a move which brought the team’s roster count to 15 players, as the team’s depth chart at Roster Resource indicates. After waiving, Patterson, the team’s roster is at 14 players, which means Atlanta has the ability to examine the buyout market in search of a possible contributor.
Patterson played 40 games for the Hawks over the last two seasons. He’s averaging 2.3 points in 10.9 minutes per game.
Cavaliers Notes: James, Smith, Williams
LeBron James claims that he “always felt good” about the Cavaliers‘ roster this season, though he admitted that he feels better now about the team than he did in January., Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes.
“Had nothing to do about exactly the team, it was just the way we were playing,” James recently said. “I’ve always felt good about the team. Coming into the season, even in January I felt good about our team, but you know it’s just about the way we were playing. So now I feel really good about the way we’re playing right now, and coach Lue has a pretty good handle for what he would like us to do on the court.”
The 4-time MVP has been critical of the front office this season, battling with ownership over payroll concerns and demanding outside help in the form of a playmaker. Just last month, he called the roster “top heavy” and exclaimed that this year’s squad was worse than the team that won the championship last season. The team has since added Derrick Williams via 10-day deal and it plans on adding Deron Williams on Monday. LBJ appears happy with with the team’s moves.
“Listen the only thing that matters is the guys on the court and the guys who come to work every day,” James said. “The moves will be made by our GM and things of that nature. Coaching staff is ready to put the guys on the floor, so that’s my concern, that’s my mindset right now. Getting this team geared up for the postseason and we want to continue to play good ball.”
Here’s more from The Land:
- Kyle Korver knows Deron Williams from their time together in Utah and he believes Williams will be a great fit for the Cavs, Vardon writes in a separate piece. “He wants to be a part of an opportunity to win a championship,” Korver said of Williams. “And just being here the whole time I’ve been here, and just seeing where there are some of the holes, or not holes, but where we can be better and knowing who he is and his skill set, I think it’s an incredible fit. He’s a guy that can play with the ball, he can play off the ball. He’s a good shooter, he’s a smart player. He can switch on defense, he’s a bigger body. I just think he’s a really good fit all around.”
- The Cavs were interested in adding Williams during the 2015 offseason when the point guard agreed to a buyout with the Nets, Vardon adds in that same piece. Williams opted to join Dallas over coming to Cleveland.
- While there’s no official date for J.R. Smith‘s return to the court, the team is optimistic about his recovery from a thumb injury, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com relays. “He seems to be doing very well. I’d say he’s on schedule, maybe slightly ahead of schedule,” GM David Griffin said.
- Earlier today, we learned that Andrew Bogut is expected to join the Cavs once he reaches a buyout agreement with the Sixers.
Andrew Bogut Expected To Join Cavaliers
Andrew Bogut is expected to join the Cavaliers once he reaches a buyout agreement with the Sixers, sources tell Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Cleveland is expected to add Deron Williams on Monday and it currently has only one open roster spot, so the team will need to make a corresponding move should it plan to add both players.
Bogut was sent to Philadelphia as part of the Nerlens Noel trade, but he hasn’t reported to the team. He must be waived before Wednesday’s deadline in order to be eligible for postseason play, per league rules. He has spoken to Sixer coach Brett Brown, explaining his desire to play for a championship contender and a buyout agreement is considered likely.
Cleveland is among the five teams which reportedly reached out to Bogut’s representatives. The Spurs, Rockets, Celtics and Jazz were also interested in adding the Australian big man.
Bogut has battled injuries this season, but when he’s healthy, he remains one of the better interior defenders in the league. ESPN’s Real Defensive Plus/Minus ranks him as the second-best center in the league on defensive this season.
And-Ones: Jones, Thornton, Suns, Raptors
The Pelicans waived Terrence Jones on Thursday after being unable to find a trade partner for him and the Nets waived Marcus Thornton after acquiring him in the Bojan Bogdanovic trade. Both players have cleared waivers and are free to sign with any team, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link).
Jones should have no problem finding a new home. He’s a productive 25-year-old big man who was averaging 11.5 points per game in New Orleans while sporting a 16.2 player efficient rating.
Thornton may have to wait slightly longer to find a new club, but he should be able to help a team fill out the back end of its rotation.
Here’s more from around the league:
- The Hawks sent $500K to the Suns as part of the Mike Scott trade, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). In addition to the cash considerations, Phoenix received the draft rights to Cenk Akyol for taking on Scott’s contract, while Atlanta received a protected second-round pick.
- As part of the P.J. Tucker deal, the Raptors sent the Suns cash considerations of $1MM, Pincus tweets. Phoenix also received Jared Sullinger and two second-round picks in the deal. The Suns waived Sullinger on Friday.
- The Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s D-League affiliate, has traded Cameron Jones to the Canton Charge, leagues sources tell Adam Johnson of D-League Digest (Twitter link).