Atlantic Notes: Stauskas, Wood, Porzingis
The Sixers may have taken Nik Stauskas with their second first-rounder during the 2014 draft if the sharpshooter was there, but the team is happy to have the guard on the roster now, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun reports (Twitter links). “He’s been good. I think his upside is high. I think the bounce and the athleticism has always intrigued us,” coach Brett Brown said. Philadelphia instead took Elfrid Payton with the No. 10 overall pick and traded him to Orlando for the rights to Dario Saric and a future first-rounder.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Prior to the 2015 draft, Christian Wood believed he could have been selected as high as No. 13 by the Suns and that he wouldn’t fall past the Grizzlies at No. 25, but the forward understands why that didn’t happen, Jake Fischer of SI.com writes. “Memphis told me how much they liked me,” Wood said. “A lot of NBA teams didn’t want to take the risk. Some teams thought I was lazy, some teams thought I didn’t give effort 100% all of the time. I think that played a big part into it.” Wood signed a four-year, partially guaranteed deal with the Sixers before the season started.
- The Nets will send their first round pick this season to the Celtics as a result of the Kevin Garnett trade and with the team struggling so far, the pick is looking like it will be a top selection. While sending that kind of asset to a division rival isn’t ideal, Brooklyn shouldn’t sacrifice any more future assets in order to improve the team this season and therefore send a worse asset to Boston, Tim Bontemps of the New York Post opines. Bontemps notes that Brooklyn could have close to $40MM in cap space next summer, so while the team may endure a down season, it’ll have an opportunity to make a quick turnaround.
- Kristaps Porzingis has exceeded expectations for the Knicks and some around the league are comparing him to Dirk Nowitzki, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. “That kid is going to be a heck of a player,’’ said Raptors coach Dwane Casey, who coached Nowitzki for three seasons. “He’s long — nowhere near Dirk yet. But he’s Dirk-like from his length, his range with his 3-point shot. He’s fearless and he’s long and a rebounder. He rebounds with his length. He’s going to be a force to be reckoned with in this league for a long time.’’
Wilson Chandler To Miss Remainder Of Season
Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler has been diagnosed with a labral tear and will undergo hip surgery early next week, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports and the team confirms via press release. He initially suffered the injury during the preseason and he has missed the team’s first seven games. Chandler will miss the remainder of the season as a result of the surgery, but he is expected to make a complete recovery after a six-month rehab, sources tell Wojnarowski.
“I’m incredibly disappointed at this point, I put in so much work over the summer to make myself a better player,” Chandler said in the team’s statement. “I was really looking forward to this year, being out there battling with my teammates, being a part of the change. I dedicated my whole summer to self-improvement and all I had on my mind this off-season and preseason was ‘this was my year, I was going to help this team win.’ So this is very frustrating and heart-breaking to say the least. I just want to say thank you to the whole organization for supporting me at a time like this.”
Chandler signed a four-year, $46.5MM extension with Denver during the offseason and he was expected to play a major role for the team. The 28-year-old had been the subject of frequent trade rumors over the past year and by virtue of being a veteran on a rebuilding team, those rumors were likely to continue, as Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors noted in Denver’s Offseason in Review.
The Nuggets started the season with a record of 3-4 with quality wins over the Rockets and Blazers despite Chandler missing from the line-up. It’ll be hard for the team to keep up that win pace without the forward returning to reinforce the roster. The team was already thin in the frontcourt with injuries to Jusuf Nurkic, Joffrey Lauvergne and Nikola Jokic. Those injuries, coupled with the news of Chandler missing the season, could mean that Kostas Papanikolaou, whom the team signed last week, remains in Denver through the season, although that is just my speculation.
If the Nuggets go over the cap, which they’re almost $1.5MM under, they would become eligible to apply for a Disabled Player Exception worth $5,224,719, a figure equal to half of Chandler’s salary. However, the Nuggets already have a full 15-man roster, with Papanikolaou the only player without fully guaranteed salary. The team doesn’t currently have enough players with long-term injuries to apply for a 16th roster spot via hardship.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 11/7/15
On Friday, Paul George carried the Pacers past the Heat and stuffed the stat sheet in the process. He compiled 36 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, three steals and one block in a game that made it clear that George is back to his All-Star form after suffering a gruesome injury while playing for team USA last year. Indiana will play the Cavs on Sunday in a matchup against the Eastern Conference’s best player, LeBron James.
It wasn’t long ago that George was going toe-to-toe with James in the playoffs and elevating his status among the league’s best. If he continues to dominate games like he did on Friday night, the Pacers could be another serious challenger to the Cavs in the East and George may have a shot at winning his first MVP award. It might be too early to set expectations that high, but if George can lead his team to a top four seed come playoff time, he should easily be regarded as one of the top players in the Eastern Conference.
That leads us to tonight’s shootaround topic: Who are the top three players in the Eastern Conference right now?
George’s game against Miami may have firmly planted him in the conversation, but other stars such as Carmelo Anthony, John Wall and Chris Bosh, who had 21 points and 11 rebounds in the same game, might have something to say about that. Kyle Lowry, who has led his team to a 5-1 record while sporting a 21.9 player efficiency rating, deserves attention as well.
Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the matter. We look forward to what you have to say.
Western Notes: Bryant, Lakers, Spurs
Kobe Bryant appears to be leaning toward retirement at the end of the year, but he hasn’t made a decision just yet, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes. “If you asked me today, this would be my last year. But you never know,” Bryant said. “We’ll keep it open. Whatever happens, happens.” Regardless of when the five time NBA champion decides to retire, he has no desire to get into coaching. “I don’t feel like dealing with divas,” Bryant said jokingly.
Here’s more from around the Western Conference
- The Lakers passed on Kristaps Porzingis in part because of how long they thought it would take him to develop, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes. “[Porzingis] really didn’t show any fear. We just thought it would take him some time,” coach Byron Scott said. “Obviously we’re a little wrong about that. He’s playing pretty well right now.”
- The Spurs are taking a hands-off approach to integrating LaMarcus Aldridge into their system, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News writes. “We still haven’t coached him much,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “We just watch him.” San Antonio is using the same strategy that the team employed with Tim Duncan during the 1997/98 campaign. “Coaching [Duncan] didn’t seem too smart to me,” Popovich said. “If there’s something you might add to his game, you do it after you’ve seen what he does naturally.”
- The Spurs have assigned Jonathon Simmons to their D-League affiliate in Austin, the team announced. This is the first D-League assignment of the season for San Antonio. You can keep track of all of the D-League assignments and recalls made during the 2015/16 campaign here.
Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.
Grizzlies Notes: Joerger, Chalmers, Randolph
Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace is preaching patience and he defended the job of coach Dave Joerger in the wake of a report questioning his job security, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal writes.
“When things aren’t going well, there’s always a lot of noise from the outside,” Wallace said. “You can’t let it permeate the air you’re breathing as a team. You just have to keep your head down and do what you’ve done in the past to be successful. I don’t see Dave on the hot seat. We’re six games into the season. We’re struggling right now, but Dave’s a proven commodity and he’s got a talented staff.”
Here’s more out of Memphis:
- Earlier in the week, the Grizzlies were linked to Mario Chalmers, who is on the trade block because of Miami’s tax implications, but Wallace downplayed the idea of a trade happening, Tillery writes in the same piece. “We’re always searching for ways to improve the team. You can’t predict what will happen. But we’ll never operate with the mindset that you have to do a deal. I don’t think the sky is falling. We have the weapons to be a strong team this year. We just have to be who we are and regain our identity,” Wallace said.
- There are rival executives who believe the Grizzlies will ultimately entertain trading Zach Randolph with an eye on adding youth and athleticism to the roster, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Outside of Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, Randolph is the trade piece that would most likely net a difference maker, Stein adds. Randolph signed a team-friendly two year, $20MM extension with Memphis in 2014 that kicked in this season.
Dave Joerger On The Hot Seat?
Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger might occupy the league’s warmest seat among head coaches, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Memphis has started the season with a record of 3-3, but it’s the way the team has lost those three games that has people within the organization fearing that owner Robert Pera won’t wait long to make a major change, Stein writes. Sources tell Stein that Pera wants to see guard Jordan Adams get an opportunity to play more, and that he hasn’t forgotten that twice last year the Grizzlies waived Hassan Whiteside, who is off to a tremendous start for the Heat this season.
After the team’s blowout loss to the Warriors last week, Joerger responded with this admission: “There are times when we look a little bit old,” Stein notes. The coach repeated the lament after the loss to the Blazers, a game in which Portland received 23 quality minutes from Ed Davis, a player Joerger didn’t have much use for when he saw a career-low 15.2 minutes per game for Memphis two seasons ago. Stein reads Joerger’s “old” comment as barely concealed criticism of the recent choices from the Memphis front office. The ESPN.com scribe points to the acquisitions of Vince Carter and Matt Barnes as examples of moves that haven’t helped the Grizzlies as much as they might have hoped.
What threatens Joerger more than anything else, according to Stein, are internal questions Pera has raised about Joerger’s leadership in the past and the fact that he nearly fired Joerger once before. Another complication is Pera’s fondness for Tom Thibodeau. Pera has gone after Thibodeau before and might make another go at the ex-Bulls coach before someone else beats him to it, Stein posits. Upper management, and not the team’s basketball operations department, was the catalyst for Jeff Bzdelik‘s ascension to the role of lead assistant this past summer, sources tell Stein.
The Grizzlies have only played six games and the team could easily look like the championship contenders that many thought they would be once we get a larger sample size. The schedule does them no favors, as they finish their five-game road trip with contests against the Jazz tonight and the Clippers on Monday. A pair of poor showings could expedite a shake-up, although that is just my speculation.
And-Ones: Diogu, Silver, Labissiere
Ike Diogu has signed with Guangdong Southern Tigers of Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), according to Orazio Cauchi of Sportando reports. The power forward played last season with Dongguan Leopards of the CBA and he last played in the NBA for the Spurs during the 2011/12 campaign.
Here are a few more notes from the basketball world:
- During his press conference on Friday, commissioner Adam Silver emphasized transparency and the sharing of financial information, which could be a big issue for the NBPA, Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com tweets.
- Silver also admitted that the influx of TV money into NBA will reduce the number of teams losing money, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today tweets.
- Kentucky Freshman Skal Labissiere has received NCAA eligibility to play the 2015/16 season, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets. Labissiere is projected to be a top pick in the 2016 draft.
- Jeff Green, who will be a free agent after the 2015/16 season, hopes to stay in Memphis long-term, but the forward also understands that basketball is a business and that a lot can change between now and the end of the season, Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders writes. “It’s too far [away] for me to think about,” Green said. “You just have to take it one game at a time. If we do what we have to do and win, everything will take care of itself. My main approach is to continue to be Jeff Green, continue to be aggressive and more consistent. Then, everything will fall into place next summer.”
Eastern Notes: Jones, Pistons, Lin
The Celtics knew there wasn’t a market for Perry Jones III, but they liked him and probed other trades with the thought of keeping him on the roster, Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe tweets. No deal materialized and Boston waived the 24-year-old earlier today.
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Detroit hopes that Adonis Thomas, who was waived by the team on Friday, will play for Grand Rapids Drive, the team’s D-League affiliate, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes. “I hope it’s an option he’ll look at,” President of Basketball Operations/coach Stan Van Gundy said. “Selfishly, we hope so. But I don’t know what he’s thinking about.” The Pistons own Thomas’ D-League rights, but the 22-year-old could look to secure a roster spot on another NBA team or look to sign overseas, where the money is often significantly more.
- The entire reason the Pistons were so judicious in their handling of Greg Monroe on the business side was that they wanted to be careful not to overspend on a center who isn’t a rim protector at the core, David Mayo of Mlive.com opines in his latest mailbag. Mayo believes Monroe could have played center in Van Gundy’s system, but Andre Drummond‘s defensive ability and athleticism gives him a better chance to succeed at that spot.
- New addition Jeremy Lin has helped the Hornets go undefeated in the preseason and he has proven to be a good fit next to Kemba Walker in the backcourt, Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer writes. “It takes a lot of pressure off me.” Walker said of playing with Lin. “I don’t always have to go back for the basketball every time. When he’s out there, he’s helping me with the pace, with the tempo. He’s very unselfish and he can score the basketball very well. So that’s fun.” The Hornets and Lin agreed to a two-year, $4.3MM deal with a player option in year two.
Pacific Notes: Karl, Lakers, Upshaw, Frazier
Kings minority owners would be reluctant to pay the salary of yet another fired coach, Grantland’s Zach Lowe hears, suggesting George Karl‘s job is safe. The minority owners have talked about their frustrations over Ranadive’s management of the team, though they don’t have the power to usurp his decision-making unless Ranadive sells, Lowe adds.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Robert Upshaw has cleared waivers and will sign with the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the D-League affiliate of the Lakers, Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group reports (Twitter link). The Lakers waived Upshaw earlier this week.
- Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link) hears that Michael Frazier will be signing with the Lakers‘ D-League affiliate as well.
- The Lakers currently have 16 players under contract, as our Roster Count page shows, and Metta World Peace is one of four players on a non-guaranteed deal. The team is embracing the 35-year-old’s presence and his role as a mentor may help him to make the opening night roster, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes. “We’re a better team with Metta,” said Julius Randle, who praised World Peace for teaching him about offensive and defensive rotations, footwork, mental preparation and playing off the ball. “It’s not our decision if he’s on the team or not. But Metta’s knowledge and wisdom that he brings to this team is amazing. It’s fun playing with him.”
Eddie Scarito contributed to this post
Atlantic Notes: Antetokounmpo, Knicks, Harper
Thanasis Antetokounmpo is talking with European and NBA teams, but his agent, Nick Lotsos, said he might wind up playing in the D-League if another NBA club doesn’t sign him, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Antetokounmpo’s camp had previously said the 23-year-old would not play another season in the D-League, but perhaps that was just a leverage play to make the opening night roster since New York owns his D-League rights. The Knicks waived Antetokounmpo along with four others on Friday, and they only have 14 players under contract, as our Roster Count page shows.
The team wanted to remain flexible by having an extra roster spot and there’s suspicion that the forward never really had a chance to make the team. “My understanding is they wanted the 15th spot open, because they want it open in case something interesting comes up,” Lotsos told Berman. “I don’t believe [he got an opportunity]. It goes for all the guys [cut].”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Lotsos got no reading on whether the Knicks consider Antetokounmpo a future prospect, Berman writes in the same piece. “I don’t have a feeling if Thanasis has a future [with the Knicks],” Lotsos said. “It’s important wherever he plays [in the D-League], he has an important role. If that’s Westchester, fine. If [there is] not such a plan there, we’d have to find another place. They said he had a good camp, and I believe them.”
- Justin Harper wasn’t expected to have any chance to make the team when he agreed to a camp deal with the Nets last month, but injuries to the team’s frontcourt gave Harper an opportunity to showcase his game in the preseason and he made the most of his playing time, Tim Bontemps of the New York Post writes. Brooklyn currently has 17 players under contract, as our Roster Count page shows, with Harper and veteran Dahntay Jones as the only players with contracts that do not contain any guaranteed money. If Harper makes the team, it appears it will be at the expense of Willie Reed, although that is merely my speculation. Reed, who is recovering from thumb surgery and isn’t expected back on the court for five to seven weeks, has a partial guarantee in his contract worth $500K.
- Lionel Hollins means more to Brooklyn now than ever before, Bontemps writes in a separate piece. The Nets don’t have the firepower to consistently compete with the league’s top teams and Bontemps argues that if the team is going to make any noise this season, Hollins will have to out-coach his opponents on a nightly basis.