Maverick Notes: Dirk, Carlisle, Whiteside
Dirk Nowitzki hopes to be able to play one more season with the Mavericks before he retires, Eddie Sefko passes along via Twitter. “Hopefully stay injury free rest of this year, come back and finish 20 years and that’s probably it,” Nowitzki said. The big man signed a two-year, $50MM with Dallas before the season.
Here’s more from Dallas:
- The Mavericks would like Rick Carlisle to continue to be their coach for the rest of his coaching career, but Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News wonders how long the coach can take a non-winning situation. Sherrington believes Carlisle will be with the franchise as long as he wants to be.
- Hassan Whiteside said he would have considered the Mavericks as a free agent destination if the Heat weren’t such a strong option, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel relays. “[The Mavs] told me just how much they can help me on the offensive end and give me and the ball more and how much they could utilize what I can do,” Whiteside said. “Maybe if I liked the Heat a little less, you know, I definitely would have considered the Mavericks a lot more.”
- Despite Andrew Bogut‘s latest ailment, the center still has decent trade value, Sefko argues in his latest mailbag. The scribe adds that the Mavericks are likely to wait to deal him until closer to the trade deadline unless an opposing team makes an offer they can’t refuse.
Ben Gordon To Join D-League
Ben Gordon has signed a D-League contract, according to Adam Johnson of D-League Digest (Twitter link). Gordon will be placed on waivers, per D-League rules, and the Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s affiliate, currently own the top waiver order spot.
The Bulls selected Gordon with the No. 3 overall pick in 2004 and he played five seasons with the franchise before signing a lucrative five-year deal with the Pistons during the summer of 2009. He was traded to Charlotte halfway through that deal, and the team waived him before he was able to finish the contract.
The 33-year-old Gordon last played in the NBA for the Magic during the 2014/15 season. He’s a career 40.1% shooter from behind the arc and he could look use the D-League as a path toward returning to the NBA, as Gary Neal just did.
Carmelo Anthony On His Future With The Knicks
Carmelo Anthony said the conversation between him and Phil Jackson “wasn’t that long,” as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com relays. “We didn’t break bread. We didn’t have an hour’s conversation. It was a short conversation.”
Anthony previously said he wants to remain with the Knicks and he reiterated that desire today. “I’m committed [to staying]. I don’t have to prove that to anybody,” Anthony exclaimed “I don’t think I have to keep saying that. I don’t think I have to keep talking about that. I know for a fact that people see that.”
The soon-to-be 10-time All-Star never thought it would get to the point where he and Jackson would have to sit down and talk about his future with the team. He added that he’s happy he has a no-trade clause in his contract.
“I think, as players, you always want to protect yourself,” Anthony said. “I didn’t think it would get to this point. I think, as a player, if you can get that [no-trade clause], you have a right to protect yourself and take care of yourself when it comes to that. It’s very hard to get, very difficult to get. I have it and that’s that.”
Anthony said he is “numb” to the drama that follows him this season. “That [George Karl] situation, we all know what that was about. He was trying to sell something. In this situation you almost have to pay a little bit closer attention to it because you have to deal with it on a day-to-day basis,” he added. “Other than [that], I’m fine, man. I’m good mentally. I’m good. Trust me.”
The Knicks have won just two of their last 13 games. They will take on the Celtics tonight.
Hawks Sign Gary Neal To 10-Day Contract
3:25pm: The signing is official, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link).
9:08am: The Hawks will sign Gary Neal to a 10-day contract, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Atlanta will open up a roster spot by trading Mo Williams to the Nuggets.
Marc Stein of ESPN reported over the weekend that the team was “strongly leaning” toward signing the shooting guard. The 32-year-old previously played under coach Mike Budenholzer when Budenholzer was an assistant in San Antonio.
Neal has been playing for the Texas Legends, the D-League affiliate of the Mavericks. He’s played for five teams over his six-year NBA career, including the Wizards last season.
Pistons Notes: Jackson, Van Gundy, Trades
Although the Pistons maintain that Reggie Jackson is not on the trade market, rival teams get a sense that he’s more available than Detroit has let on, Zach Lowe of ESPN.com writes. It was previously reported that Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has moved ahead of Jackson on the team’s list of untouchable players. KCP and Andre Drummond are reportedly the only players ahead of the point guard on that list.
The Pistons struggled while Jackson was sidelined with knee tendinitis and when he returned to the court, it didn’t help them improve as much as they anticipated. The team owns a record of 19-24 and sits two games behind the Bulls for the eighth seed in the conference.
Here’s more from Detroit:
- The Pistons aren’t likely to make a major deal before the deadline, David Mayo of MLive writes. Executive/coach Stan Van Gundy believes this year’s trade deadline will be different than it has been in the past. “You’re not going to get the deals, or at least very few of them, where people don’t want to pay people,” Van Gundy said. “We’ve been able to take advantage of that a little bit. With Tobias, [the Magic] wanted to be under the cap to do stuff next summer. We were able to do that with Reggie, same reason, [the Thunder] didn’t want to meet his price. I don’t know that those kinds of deals are going to come up now. They’ll be more straight, basketball-type deals.”
- In the same piece, Mayo speculates that Beno Udrih and Aron Baynes could be trade candidates. Udrih would be expendable if the Pistons feel Jackson and Ish Smith can remain healthy for the season and Baynes is likely to opt out of his deal in the offseason, so getting value for him now may be a smart move.
- Van Gundy said the Pistons won’t look to make a trade simply “for the sake of change,” as Rod Beard of the Detroit News relays (Twitter link). “It would have to be a deal that in our mind was a pretty obvious step forward,” Van Gundy said.
- Van Gundy believes the Pistons need to play harder on defense, Beard passes along in a separate tweet. “It’s not enough to say they’re trying hard. That’s a start, but [that] should be a given. This isn’t the YMCA; it’s the NBA–you got to do both,” Van Gundy exclaimed.
Nuggets Acquire, Waive Mo Williams
1:40 pm: The deal is official, according to a Hawks’ press release. As part of the deal, Atlanta will gain a $2.2MM trade exception that will expire one year from today.
8:49 am: The Hawks have agreed to send Mo Williams and cash considerations to the Nuggets in exchange for the rights to Cenk Akyol, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports. Denver is expected to waive Williams upon arrival.
The point guard’s contract, which is worth $2.2MM, will get the Nuggets within $7.66MM of the salary floor. Wojnarowski notes that the move will save the team roughly $1.0MM in addition to the cash considerations Atlanta will send its way.
Williams hasn’t played this season and while he’s expressed interest in playing again, he hasn’t committed to making a return to the league. Akyol was selected in the 2005 draft but never came stateside. Wojnarowski notes that he’ll likely never play in the NBA.
Lowe’s Latest: Barnes, Howard, Evans
Zach Lowe of ESPN.com examines the Pelicans‘ roster building strategy and cautions that the team doesn’t have much time to build a championship roster around Anthony Davis in his latest piece. It’s is packed full of noteworthy trade rumors and tidbits, including the story we passed along earlier today about how the Sixers will take a “hard look” at Jrue Holiday in free agency.
Here are more highlights from the piece:
- The Pelicans considered making a sizable offer to Harrison Barnes in free agency before deciding to spend their available cap space on multiple players, sources tell Lowe. The scribe adds that Barnes would have considered New Orleans had the team contacted him.
- The Hawks and Pelicans had exploratory talks about a Dwight Howard deal a couple weeks ago, but that was before Atlanta pulled all of its players off the trade market. Lowe notes that it’s unclear how interested New Orleans was in the deal and adds that there was not unanimous support to acquire Howard within the organization.
- If the Pelicans decide to shake up the front office at the end of the season, Danny Ferry, who is currently serving in an advisory role with the team, is not likely to take over GM duties, sources tell Lowe.
- Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday will both be free agents this offseason and Lowe notes that it will be hard for the Pelicans to keep both. The scribe adds that retaining Holiday remains New Orleans’ higher priority.
Sixers Expected To Pursue Jrue Holiday In Free Agency
The Sixers will take a hard look at Jrue Holiday in free agency, sources tell Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. Philadelphia will have the available cap space to offer the point guard a lucrative contract should it chose to do so and Lowe notes that Holiday would be a great fit alongside Ben Simmons.
The Pelicans are worried that Holiday could walk at the end of the season. They are also worried that his departure would cause Anthony Davis to be frustrated with the direction of the franchise. Davis wants Holiday to remain in New Orleans, but he understands it’s out of his control. “I’m gonna do everything in my power to keep him here,” Davis said. “But it’s a business decision, and he’s a grown man with a family.”
New Orleans could deal Holiday before the deadline out of fear that it will lose him for nothing over the summer. However, Lowe adds that it’s more likely that they hold onto him and hope the free agent bidding war doesn’t get too out of hand.
Holiday previously said he hasn’t thought about his potential free agent decision. He’ll make slightly under $11.3MM this season in the final year of his deal.
Luol Deng Out Indefinitely
Luol Deng suffered a sprained wrist against the Pistons on Sunday and the team announced that injury will keep him out indefinitely, as Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times relays. Deng’s X-rays came back negative, but DiGiovanna notes that the small forward was seen with his right hand in a heavy bandage.
Deng missed one game earlier in the season because of tendinitis in his right bicep. He also sat out another game to rest.
The 31-year-old signed a four-year, $72MM deal with the Lakers and he’s the team’s highest paid player. He’s averaging 8.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 27.6 minutes per game this season.
Fantasy Hoops: Embiid, Nuggets, Clippers
The 2016/17 campaign is approaching the half-way mark and Hoops Rumors is examining the fantasy basketball landscape in order to help you dominate the competition. Check back weekly for more fantasy basketball analysis.
Processing Opportunity
Joel Embiid spent the last few weeks lobbying to become an All-Star. Off the court, the Sixers heavily campaigned for his All-Star candidacy, a crusade which included a Shirley Temple promotion night, and Embiid used the spotlight of both the pre-game and the post-game to promote himself.
Embiid filled his Twitter feed with cleverly designed responses and he even got the team’s former GM Sam Hinkie to throw him support.
On the court, he made a push toward his goal of taking an extra trip to New Orleans. He scored at least 20 points in each of his last nine games, a stretch in which he averaged 23.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game.
It’s not likely the effort grants him an All-Star appearance due to the lack of playing time, though his play remains impressive. Embiid has produced excellent numbers on a 28-minutes-per-game count, but it was reported earlier today that the restriction isn’t likely to be lifted. His fantasy value was expected to continue to increase as the season progressed, provided he remained healthy, but it appears his value may be at its peak.
So what should you do if you own Embiid in re-draft leagues? Conventional wisdom tells you to sell high since his fantasy value is more likely to decrease than it is to increase. If he had a shot at a full allotment of minutes, he could easily become a top-20 fantasy option, which would settle him into the Draymond Green–Kristaps Porzingis range. However, his numbers aren’t likely to improve drastically and that, coupled with his injury history, should make owners consider dealing him if the price is right.
His current production and minute restriction places him in the top-40 range, behind players such as Marc Gasol, Eric Bledsoe, Rudy Gobert, Myles Turner and Brook Lopez. Any of the aforementioned players are fantasy upgrades over Embiid. If rival owners are relishing in The Process’ hype, you could take advantage of it with a trade and improve your fantasy team.
Opting to keep the Cameroon native on your team remains a respectable option. He’s producing solid numbers and the Sixers continue to funnel him the ball, as his third-ranked usage rate indicates. Also, it’s probably fun to cheer for the big man when he’s on your squad. Still, savvy fantasy owners should always be on the lookout for a situation where a player’s hype doesn’t match his production because, in those situations, it’s likely that an opportunity to improve your fantasy team exists.
Here’s more fantasy analysis and notes from around the league:
- The Nuggets have given up the most assists and second most points to opposing guards over their last 10 contests. If Gary Harris is forced to miss additional time with his latest ailment, it’ll be difficult for them to improve in that area. Rookie Jamal Murray and 34-year-old Jameer Nelson would take on additional minutes and that’s not a recipe for better defense. After facing the Lakers tonight, the team will take on the Spurs and Clippers.
- Chris Paul will undergo surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb and he’s expected to miss 6-8 weeks. Raymond Felton should take over the starting point guard duties and he’s worth an add for owners in need of point guard production. The Clippers will take on the Wolves (a team which is allowing the third most assists to opposing point guards over their last 10) on Thursday and the Nuggets on Saturday.
- Over his last six games, Ricky Rubio is averaging 12.8 assists and 2.5 steals per contest. The Wolves are reportedly looking to deal him, so enjoy his production now, but beware of the potential for a drop-off caused by an adjustment period to a new team.