Eastern Notes: Magic, Harris, Embiid
The Magic had other offers on the table for Tobias Harris, but they opted to take Brandon Jennings and Ersan Ilyasova from Detroit because both players had played under coach Scott Skiles previously, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders writes. Orlando believed the duo could contribute immediately to the team’s goal of making the playoffs, Kennedy adds.
The Magic are 6-8 since adding Ilyasova and Jennings, sitting five and a half games behind the Pistons, who are currently tied with the Bulls for the eighth seed in the conference entering tonight’s slate of games. Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy feels that Harris has masterfully fit in with the team, Kennedy passes along in the same piece. “You feel like he’s been here all year, even in terms of the way he relates to his teammates,” Van Gundy said. “It’s actually been a pretty seamless transition. He’s unselfish.”
- Even if Joel Embiid is able to remain healthy, the Sixers should take a patient approach with regard to his development, Bob Cooney of Philadelphia Daily News cautions. Cooney points out that Embiid now 22 years old, has only been playing basketball for roughly six years.
- The Pacers have assigned Shayne Whittington to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, according to the team’s website.
Pacific Notes: Cousins, Bender, Knight
The Kings will listen to offers for DeMarcus Cousins this summer, but it’s unlikely that a trade occurs until they lower their asking price, Sam Amick of USA Today writes.
Last June, Sacramento reportedly wanted Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson, the No. 2 pick in the 2015 draft and other draft considerations in exchange for Cousins. Some rival executives believed Sacramento’s demands were outrageous, Amick hears, while other executives viewed the proposal differently, speculating that the Kings didn’t value either the draft picks or unproven prospects as enough for Cousins by themselves because they wanted to win immediately.
The Kings are likely to soften their stance on a Cousins trade if the situation doesn’t improve leading up to the 2017 trade deadline, the scribe adds. Cousins is signed through the 2017/18 season, and he’ll make slightly over $35MM during the two seasons that follow this one.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division
- The Kings would like to mend their relationship with Cousins, and some within the organization hope that it could be fixed with a coaching change in the offseason, Amick writes in the same piece.
- Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak was in attendance for Maccabi Tel Aviv’s practice in Israel today, presumably to watch Dragan Bender, Jake Fischer of SI Now reports (Twitter link).
- The acquisition of Brandon Knight hasn’t worked out for the Suns, and the team would be foolish not to consider trading him, Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post opines. Bontemps argues that Knight’s five-year, $70MM deal is movable, and that with the emergence of Devin Booker, the team can afford to make a move in the backcourt.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 3/12/16
LSU needed a win today to keep any realistic hope of making the NCAA Tournament alive. Instead, the team suffered a 33-point loss to Texas A&M in a game that wasn’t competitive beyond the first few minutes. Ben Simmons had a double-double, accumulating 10 points and 12 rebounds, but he didn’t play with a fire that many players display while leading a team in a must-win game.
His inability to give the Tigers a shot at the Final Four, coupled with his on court demeanor, has raised questions about his ability to be a franchise player in the NBA. That leads up to tonight’s shootaround: If you were the GM of the team that wins the 2016 lottery, would you consider passing on Simmons?
The LSU product was considered a lock for the No. 1 overall pick entering the season, but one GM told Chad Ford of ESPN.com that his play this year has caused some concerns.
“As the season has gone on, I think he hasn’t improved and other guys have,” the anonymous GM said to Ford. “When guys don’t improve, I get a little nervous. I thought he’d get more comfortable with his jumper. He’d start molding this team into a cohesive unit. It’s gone the opposite direction. I still love him as a prospect, but I’ve got a lot more question marks.”
Brandon Ingram may be the only threat to take over the No. 1 spot and he will have an opportunity that Simmons does not: a chance to shine in the NCAA Tournament.
Let’s be clear. Simmons is not the reason that LSU will likely be headed to the NIT. His play this season is the only reason the team has double-digit wins, as the 2015/16 Tigers lack cohesiveness and top-level talent beyond the Australian native. While Simmons wasn’t the model of consistency, he displayed flashes of brilliance this season and showcased versatility that will be valuable in an ever-changing NBA. Is that enough to justify taking him with the No.1 overall pick regardless of how other prospects finish their seasons? Let’s us know in the comments section below. We look forward to what you have to say!
And-Ones: Noah, Pressey, D-League
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg confirmed that Joakim Noah will not return to the court this season as he recovers from surgery that that repaired his dislocated left shoulder, Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune tweets. Noah has not played since the middle of January.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Phil Pressey will head to the Idaho Stampede of the D-League after the Suns declined to bring the point guard back after consecutive 10-day contracts, Chris Reichert of Upside Motor tweets.
- The Thunder have recalled Josh Huestis from their D-League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, according to the team’s website. Huestis averaged 12.2 points and 1.32 blocks in 19 D-League games this season.
- The Warriors have assigned Kevon Looney to their D-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, according to Golden State’s website.
- The Clippers have recalled Branden Dawson from the D-League, per a team press release. Dawson was on assignment with the Erie BayHawks.
Heat Notes: Draft, Strategy, Johnson
The Heat are likely to be without a pick in the upcoming draft, but the team will continue to scout prospects and remain ready for an opportunity to trade back into the draft, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes.
“You’re never sure whether the opportunities may come to you before the draft or during the draft, and so you have to scout and prepare as if you’re potentially anywhere,” GM Andy Elisburg said. “Most of the time, the opportunity may present itself when you weren’t expecting the opportunity to present itself.”
Philadelphia will receive Miami’s first round pick if it falls outside the top 10, which is likely to happen, as our Reverse Standings show. The Heat sent their 2016 second-round pick to the Celtics in the 2014 Joel Anthony trade.
Here’s more from South Beach:
- Most prospect workouts and interviews are scheduled based on the draft position of a team. That could leave Miami without the opportunity to vet a player prior to drafting him, which is something Elisburg indicates is not an issue, as Winderman writes in the same piece. “We’ve drafted some players we didn’t have workouts for or didn’t come in for interviews, including last year Justise Winslow, Elisburg said. “Caron Butler, also, in the past,”
- Joe Johnson has made 64.7% of his shots from behind the arc since arriving in Miami, and the team appreciates his offensive contributions, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. “Joe came at the perfect time,” Dwyane Wade said. “We were missing something. He’s been that missing piece for us.”
Southwest Notes: Matthews, Gordon, Stephenson
The Mavericks are not worried about the long-term value of Wesley Matthews‘ four-year, $70MM deal and owner Mark Cuban revealed that the shooting guard received interest on the trade market prior to the deadline, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com passes along (ESPN Now link). Cuban added that the team was not looking to trade Matthews.
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- It’s unlikely that the Pelicans will go to great lengths to re-sign Eric Gordon in free agency this summer, John Reid of The Times Picayune writes. Reid examines Gordon’s five years with New Orleans and believes it would be best for both parties if the shooting guard signed elsewhere.
- New additions Lance Stephenson and P.J. Hairston are giving the Grizzlies a new dimension as the team embraces the stretch run toward the playoffs, Fran Blinebury of NBA.com writes. Stephenson has averaged 13.8 points and 4.5 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game since arriving in Memphis. Hairston is scoring 7.4 points and 0.5 steals in 22.9 minutes per game since coming to town.
Eastern Notes: Turner, Humphries, Knicks
Evan Turner will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, but he would like to return to the Celtics, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes. “I like Boston,” Turner said. “It’s my favorite place to ever play. My career has been on the up and up since I’ve been here.”
The 27-year-old added that president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is a major reason for his admiration of the team. “What I respect about Danny is he’s all about winning championships,” Turner said.
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Kris Humphries, who signed with the Hawks last week, is excited about playing for a team that could do some damage come playoff time, as he tells Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “This is a really good team,” Humphries said. He added that he feels comfortable with the system that coach Mike Budenholzer has in place. “You look at most of their principles,” the big man said. “It’s something I’ve been involved in so it should work out. I’ve played in this kind of system before.”
- It may be time for Knicks owner James Dolan to decide if team president Phil Jackson has a future with the organization, Mike Lupica of the Daily News writes. Lupica is critical of Jackson’s choices since coming to New York, including his hiring of Derek Fisher.
Pistons Notes: Roster, Motiejunas, Harris
It appears that the Pistons will not make another major roster move, such as adding a player on the buyout market, and they may elect to keep the 15 current players under contract as they look to make a playoff push, David Mayo of Mlive.com writes. Mayo adds that no decision has been made yet on Justin Harper, who is playing on a 10-day contract, his second with the team this season. If the Pistons want to retain Harper, they will need to sign him through the remainder of the season.
Here’s more from Detroit:
- If Donatas Motiejunas were in the middle of his rookie deal rather than the end of it, the Pistons would have likely gone through with their trade with Houston, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press speculates. Ellis believes that the team is still in need of a versatile big man and the acquisition of Motiejunas would have pushed the team toward the top of the Eastern Conference.
- Detroit was worried about the Tobias Harris–Marcus Morris pairing on the court due to the similarities in their style of play, but the duo has fit well together since the team acquired Harris, Mayo writes in a separate piece. “I think they’ve really helped each other,” executive/coach Stan Van Gundy said. “They sort of look for each other. They’re both unselfish guys. I think it’s been good.”
- Van Gundy believes Harris’ unselfishness allowed him to fit in with the team right away, Mayo adds in that same piece. “[Harris] doesn’t pound the ball, he doesn’t take a lot of dribbles. He makes his move, he shoots it, or he moves the ball and we can play. So I think it’s been pretty easy for our guys to adapt to playing with him,” Van Gundy said.
Heat Notes: Johnson, Whiteside, Deng
Joe Johnson has enjoyed success since coming to the Heat and he cites Erik Spoelstra‘s offense as a factor for choosing to come to Miami, Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post writes. “I did my research, and [Dwyane] Wade and those guys were telling me the type of tempo they wanted to run,” Johnson said. “That was an attraction to me.”
Here’s more from Miami:
- Hassan Whiteside had a 90-minute meeting with Spoelstra during the All-Star break, and it further solidified his relationship with his coach, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. “We have an understanding of each other,” Whiteside said. “We talked for so long. Me and coach Spo, we worked our way up to get here. Spo is my guy.”
- Teammates have noticed a difference in Whiteside’s attitude since the All-Star break, Jackson adds in the same piece. “[Whiteside is] more focused,” Goran Dragic said. “He’s just happy. He’s found that last step he needs in his game.” Whiteside will be an unrestricted free agent during the offseason.
- Luol Deng, who will also be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, has impressed since the Heat moved him to the four in the starting lineup, and he acknowledged that he will probably play more at the power forward position as he continues his career, Jackson writes in the same piece. Jackson envisions a big man rotation of Whiteside, Chris Bosh and Deng next season, but he admits that there may not be enough cap space to keep both Whiteside and Deng on the roster.
Atlantic Notes: Kilpatrick, Fredette, Schröder
Sean Kilpatrick has impressed since joining the Nets on a 10-day contract and NetsDaily envisions the shooting guard re-signing once his deal expires Tuesday night. The team could opt to sign Kilpatrick to multiyear deal given the 26-year-old’s play during over the last four games, the NetsDaily scribe adds. Kilpatrick is averaging 9.8 points per game while shooting 50% from behind the arc in four games with Brooklyn this season.
Recently hired GM Sean Marks previously expressed his desire to find players for next season via 10-day contracts. The Nets have an open roster spot after agreeing to a buyout with Joe Johnson last week, so signing Kilpatrick would not hinder the team’s ability to add more talent via 10-day deals.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Jimmer Fredette has returned to the Westchester Knicks, New York’s D-League affiliate, and he is expected to play in today’s game, Ian Begley of ESPN.com relays on Twitter.
- The Sixers flirted with the idea of adding Dennis Schröder in exchange for Ish Smith, Nik Stauskas and a 2016 first round pick at the deadline and Derek Bodner of Philadelphia magazine believes the team would have benefited from the deal, provided the pick wasn’t the Lakers’ pick or Philadelphia’s own selection. There were rumblings last month that Philly believes Schröder is worthy of a max deal, which is something Bodner doesn’t agree with at the moment.
- The Raptors have recalled Bruno Caboclo, Lucas Nogueira and Delon Wright from their D-League affiliate, the Raptors 905, per the team’s Twitter feed.