Pacific Notes: Rondo, Hudson, Clippers
Rajon Rondo was viewed as one of the top point guards in the league as recently as two seasons ago, but he failed to generate much buzz as a free agent this offseason partly due to the 29-year-old’s personality. Clippers coach Doc Rivers, who coached Rondo in Boston, believes that the point guard can still be successful in the league, Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders writes.
“We had blowups, more at practice. Games were pretty good. You know, Rondo is as smart a player and as smart of a person I’ve ever been around… I don’t think people get that. You’re going to deal with difficult people, and sometimes the more successful they are and the smarter they are, the more difficult they can be. But that doesn’t mean you can’t work with them and work together,” Rivers said. “There’s so many good sides to him, as well. Every time I see that side, I think I’m glad I went through the bad stuff, because I could have given up. I could have done what you said, ‘Well, forget this, this is over.’ He’s not a guy that you should give up on.”
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Lester Hudson has reached an agreement to extend his deal with Liaoning Flying Leopards of the Chinese Basketball Association, Enea Trapani of Sportando tweets. The deal will run until 2018. International journalist David Pick reported back in July that Liaoning was trying to bring back Hudson (Twitter link), shortly after Nick Bedard of Basketball Buddha reported that the expectation was that Hudson would be back with the team. Hudson played with Liaoning last season and then signed with the Clippers once the CBA’s season concluded.
- Ben Golliver of SI.com believes the Clippers had the best offseason among the Pacific Division teams. Golliver is critical of the team for trading away Matt Barnes, who was a key cog in the starting lineup, but he believes bringing back DeAndre Jordan as well as adding Lance Stephenson, Josh Smith and Paul Pierce makes up for it because it gives the team the ammunition to compete for a championship.
Southwest Notes: Cummings, Holiday, Gordon
Will Cummings, who will join the Rockets in training camp after signing with the team, understands Houston has well-established point guards on the roster, but hopes to learn as much as possible from them, Colby Giacubeno of SB Nation writes.
“It’s going to be a great experience going against [Patrick Beverley and Ty Lawson] in practice. Pat has been back in Houston, so I’ve been able to work out with him a few times now and putting me through different types of workouts, which definitely helps give me a jump-start going to training camp,” Cummings said. “It’s really just a blessing to be playing at the highest level and learn as much as I can from the guys who have been there and want to be the best.”
Cummings went undrafted after leading Temple University in points (14.8), assists (4.2) and steals (1.9) per game as a senior last season.
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Jrue Holiday is still rehabbing from the surgery on his right leg, but the point guard is optimistic about returning to the court full-time, John Reid of the Times Picayune tweets. ”I’m not doing everything that [the team] is doing [in volunteer workouts], my time is limited which I think is really good,” Holiday said.
- The stakes are high for Eric Gordon this season, Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders opines. Gordon will be a free agent after the season and Blancarte believes if the shooting guard can stay healthy, he will have a big contract waiting for him next summer. Shooting guards Wes Matthews and Khris Middleton just received $70MM each on their contracts this summer and Blancarte believes Gordon’s potential deal next summer could top both of those.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 9/12/15
On Friday evening, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame welcomed 11 new members, including NBA stars Spencer Haywood, Jo Jo White and Dikembe Mutombo. Kentucky coach John Calipari was one of four coaches to be inducted. Tom Heinsohn was inducted as a coach as well as George Raveling and Australia’s Lindsay Gaze. ABA star Louis Dampier, early African-American player John Isaacs, women’s basketball great Lisa Leslie and referee Dick Bavetta were all enshrined as well.
The Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, includes greats from many walks of basketball life. The NBA is represented in the Hall, as is the WNBA, the international ranks and collegiate ranks. The Hall even has a section for the Harlem Globetrotters.
Members are enshrined for their entire body of work. If an NBA player played in the Olympics or had a stellar college career, those experiences are considered in the selection process. It’s a nice way to appreciate what a player has done in basketball across all venues in his career, but in some cases it doesn’t exactly display who the best NBA players are. It doesn’t have a single set of standards that applies to all potential inductees the way Hall of Fames for other sports do.
So the topic tonight is a simple one: Should the NBA have its own Hall of Fame? Or should the current Hall of Fame remain and be celebrated for its uniqueness?
Take to the comments to share your thoughts and opinions on this topic. We look forward to what you have to say.
And-Ones: Cherry, Jones, O’Quinn, Hibbert
Will Cherry is expected to sign with Germany Alba Berlin, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports tweets. An official for the club told international journalist David Pick, who first reported the team’s interest, that the signing will indeed take place (Twitter links). Cherry played in Lithuania last season after being waived by the Cavs. The point guard saw action in eight games with Cleveland early last season and averaged 1.9 points, 1.0 assists and 0.8 steals in 8.6 minutes per game.
Here are some notes from around the league:
- A. Sherrod Blakely of CSSNE.com names Rockets forward Terrence Jones as a “glue guy” to watch this season. Jones is eligible for a rookie scale extension and will make slightly under $2.5MM in the last season of his current deal.
- Blakely also names Kyle O’Quinn as a player to watch this season. The Knicks acquired O’Quinn via sign-and-trade with the Magic. The 25-year-old’s contract is worth $16MM over four years.
- Fran Blinebury of NBA.com examines possible nominees for the 2015/16 Comeback Player of the Year Award. Some notable players on the list are Kevin Durant, Paul George, Kobe Bryant and Chris Bosh. Blinebury also includes Roy Hibbert and Lance Stephenson as candidates to improve upon their 2014/15 performances. Both players changed area codes this offseason. Hibbert was sent to the Lakers in exchange for a second round pick. Stephenson was traded to the Clippers in exchange for Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes.
Northwest Notes: Chalmers, Jazz, Montero, Withey
Trading for Mario Chalmers makes sense for the Jazz, Kincade Upstill of the Deseret News opines. The Heat would prefer to offload salary, as they are about $5.66MM above the $84.74MM luxury tax threshold. Miami hasn’t ruled out trading Chalmers, who will make $4.3MM this season in the final season of his contract. The Jazz are nearly $7MM under the salary cap, so the team could acquire the point guard without sending any salary back. Upstill speculates that a second round pick from Utah would get a deal done due to Miami’s financial situation and its lack of future draft picks.
Dante Exum’s injury creates an opening in the team’s rotation. Trey Burke will slide into the staring lineup and Raul Neto, whose rights were acquired from Atlanta on draft night, will presumably be given the opportunity to run the second unit. The Jazz also have Bryce Cotton under contract, but his deal is non-guaranteed and he’s no lock to make the opening night roster. The team could also use Alec Burks as a de facto second unit point guard. That’s an intriguing option. It would also likely involve inserting Joe Ingles, whose a nifty passer who doesn’t need the ball in his hands, into the starting lineup next to Gordon Hayward and Burke, who can both be ball-dominant at times.
The options currently at the Utah’s disposal are all unproven. The team expects to compete for a playoff spot this season and if the cost of acquiring Chamlers, who has demonstrated he can contribute in the postseason, is as low as Upstill insinuates, then the Jazz might be smart to call Pat Riley and attempt to reach a deal.
Here’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Luis Montero’s deal with the Blazers only contains $100K in guaranteed salary this season, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. Montero signed a three-year contract worth $2.4MM in early July. Portland currently has 17 contracts on the books, as our 2015/16 Roster Count page shows. Of those 17 deals, only 12 contain fully guaranteed salary and two, including Montero’s deal, contain partially guaranteed salary, so the 22-year-old has a decent shot at making the opening night roster.
- Jeff Withey’s deal with the Jazz, which is a minimum arrangement over two seasons, contains $200K in guaranteed salary, Pincus adds in a seperate tweet. The pact includes a team option on year two. Utah has 20 contracts on the books, with 15 of them, including Withey’s deal, containing at least some guaranteed salary.
Southeast Notes: Wizards, Harris, Heat
Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders wonders if this is the year that the Wizards reach the Eastern Conference finals and take their seat among the conference elites. Greene believes Otto Porter’s development will be crucial for the success of the team this season. Washington failed to sign Paul Pierce, who opted to sign a three year deal worth approximately $10MM with the Clippers, leaving Porter to take on a bigger role with the team. New acquisition Jared Dudley should help to ease the burden, but the 30-year-old is recovering from offseason back surgery and is expected to miss nearly a month of the regular season. The Wizards also added Alan Anderson and Gary Neal via free agency and the duo should help boost the team’s bench unit.
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- The Magic’s new four-year, $64MM deal with Tobias Harris makes him the team’s highest-paid player, and the team will call upon him to score in the clutch, putting him under the microscope like never before, writes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Harris, who cares about the way others perceive him, will have to deal with plenty of criticism based on how he performs, Schmitz adds.
- The Heat shouldn’t need as much from Dwyane Wade on the offensive end as they have in past seasons because of the team’s offseason moves, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sentinel writes in his weekly mailbag. Miami re-signed starting point guard Goran Dragic to a five-year deal worth $85MM. The team also added Gerald Green and Amar’e Stoudemire in free agency.
Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 8/29/15
Earlier today, Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors handed out his draft grades to each team in the Central Division. The Pacers earned the highest grade with their selections of Myles Turner and Joseph Young. Turner is a defensive presence and he has the potential to be the team’s anchor down low for years to come. The Texas product is extremely raw and is likely to struggle early, but Scarito believes he could end up being one of the best players in the entire draft.
The Pistons and Bucks both earned high marks for their selections of wing players. Rashad Vaughn gives Milwaukee a high upside project in its backcourt. The guard will certainly take some time to develop, but based on the team’s current roster, he won’t feel the pressure to produce immediately. Vaughn could end up one of the best players in this year’s draft based on potential and he’s in a good spot to expand his game.
Detroit’s selection of Stanley Johnson has been criticized, not because of Johnson’s talent, but rather because the Pistons took him over Justise Winslow, as Scarito points out in the column. Johnson’s poor outside shooting will be something the rookie has to overcome, but the Arizona product should be able to slip into the Pistons’ rotation immediately. He’s already a solid defender, but he’ll need some work on the offensive side of his game in order to reach his ceiling.
Bobby Portis was a surprising pick by the Bulls with the No.22 overall pick as the team already has Taj Gibson, Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic at the four spot. The Arkansas product likely won’t see significant playing time this season unless the team’s frontcourt suffers an injury or two. However, Portis is an offensive threat with decent range. If he develops into a reliable low post defender over the next few seasons, it wouldn’t be out of the question for him to become the team’s starter at four and eventually earn a few All-Star appearances.
So here’s the topic of the day: Which Central Division rookie will have the best career?
Which player will become the cream of the crop in the division? Will it be Turner, Johnson, Vaughn or Portis? Or will a second rounder turn into the steal of the draft and dominate for years to come?
Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to what you have to say.
Poll: Who Should Be The Mavs Starting Center?
The Mavericks had dreams of running a pick-and-roll offense centered around one of the league’s most efficient behemoths in DeAndre Jordan. Jordan’s decision to spurn Dallas in favor of returning to Los Angeles dampened those plans. The team made several moves this offseason to bring aboard players who could man the starting spot alongside Dirk Nowitzki and it hopes one of the players establishes himself as the clear-cut choice for the job.
Dallas acquired Zaza Pachulia from Milwaukee this summer. The big man started 45 games for last season’s playoff-bound Bucks team and has proven he can be a serviceable starting center, as Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors notes in his weekly live chat. The Mavs’ acquisition of Pachulia is flying under the radar and perhaps it shouldn’t be. The big man had an impressive 2014/15 season, finishing second among centers in ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus. While his underrated defense will help the Mavs cope this season, his presence on the roster isn’t going to make fans forget about DeAndreGate due to the 31-year-old’s lack of upside.
The team added another proven player that lacks upside in Samuel Dalembert. The center previously played with the Mavs during the 2013/14 season. The team made the playoffs and nearly knocked off the eventual champion Spurs with Dalembert in the lineup. The 34-year-old wasn’t a top option on that team, but coach Rick Carlisle knows what he has in the center and could look to give a known commodity the nod. Still, as Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors explains in his weekly mailbag, Dalembert is better suited for a reserve role at this point in his career.
The most intriguing addition came earlier this month when the team finally signed JaVale McGee. McGee hasn’t developed into the player that many expected him to be when he was selected with the No. 18 pick in the 2008 draft. He has shown flashes of potential and if Carlisle can aid him in reaching his ceiling, Dallas might have found a player that can reach All-Star level heights. The team will need that type of player to emerge if it’s going to compete in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet. McGee may not even make the team, as we explained in last week’s Shootaround. Dallas has 15 fully guaranteed contracts on the books and McGee is not one of them.
Salah Mejri, who signed with the team this offseason, is one of those players whose salary is fully guaranteed. Mejri is a long-armed, agile center, who helped Real Madrid win the Spanish League title last season. Dallas likes the 29-year-old and he should get an opportunity to compete for team’s starting five spot.
Dallas also has Jarrid Famous and Dwight Powell on the roster, but neither player possesses a fully guaranteed contract. Both players are more likely to be cut prior to opening night and spend time with the Texas Legends, the team’s D-League affiliate.
The Mavs have a bevy of options to choose from when considering their starting center. Who should start at the five? In addition to making your selection, let us know what your pitch to Mark Cuban and Rick Carlisle would be in the comment section below.
If you’re a Trade Rumors app user, click here.
Who Should Be The Mavs Starting Center?
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JaVale McGee 47% (602)
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Zaza Pachulia 38% (484)
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Salah Mejri 8% (98)
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Samuel Dalembert 6% (72)
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Other Player (Please explain below) 1% (14)
Total votes: 1,270
And-Ones: NBPA, Horford, Hawks
The National Basketball Player Association (NBPA) wants the money that teams receive from the government to construct new arenas to be included in the calculation of Basketball Related Income (BRI), Apratim Ghosh of USA Today writes. The Collective Bargaining Agreement calls for a roughly 50/50 split of all BRI between team owners and players, but the public funding owners receive is not currently included in that calculation.
“Under the CBA, we do not have a gross compensation system,” Executive Director of the NBPA Michele Roberts said. “The players’ 50% share is calculated net of a substantial amount of expenses and deductions. New and renovated arenas around the league have proven to be revenue drivers, profit centers and franchise-valuation boosters. That has been the case over the past few years in Orlando, Brooklyn and New York, to name a few. In some instances, owners receive arena revenues not included in BRI.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- Hawks center Al Horford believes the Thunder’s roster offers his former coach, Billy Donovan, a great opportunity to succeed at he NBA level, as he tells Jeremy Woo of SI.com. “I think it’s gonna be a perfect fit. Obviously, so many talented players there, but just the way he wants to play, how he wants to get up and down the floor, that’s the perfect scenario with the type of players there,” Horford said. The Florida product will be a free agent after the 2015/16 season.
- In the same interview, Horford touched upon the significance of re-signing teammate Paul Millsap in addition to some of the other offseason moves that Atlanta made. It was very important.I think that was the priority for us, to make sure we brought Paul back. Being able to add Tiago Splitter and Tim Hardaway, really was big. Unfortunately, we lost DeMarre [Carroll]; he’s such a great player, but it was the type of thing he couldn’t turn down, and it’s what’s best for him and his family,” the big man said. “I honestly thought there was a chance we’d be able to keep them both [ Carroll and Millsap]. But it just didn’t work out that way. I’m happy for DeMarre, but I’m happy for us, being able to keep Paul, he’s such an important part of what we do. Just his versatility. He makes the game easier for all of us.”
Northwest Notes: Bennett, Wolves, Jazz
The Wolves would move Anthony Bennett for the right price, but there are no active discussions, Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press tweets. The Wolves acquired Bennett in the Kevin Love trade that also brought Andrew Wiggins and Thaddeus Young to Minnesota. Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors re-examined the deal, which occurred one year ago today, and analyzed the status of each piece of the trade, including the draft pick that was sent to Philadelphia.
Here’s more from the Northwest Division:
- The Wolves have not spoken to the Blazers about any deals in over a month, Krawczynski adds in a separate tweet. The two teams reportedly had talks regarding “a major deal,” though discussions ended without any deal being struck.
- Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders believes the Dante Exum injury will give Trey Burke an opportunity to show he is ready and capable of being a starting point guard in the NBA. Blancarte admits that Burke is a downgrade from Exum defensively, but he argues the drop off won’t be as significant as many expect. The scribe believes Utah’s improvement in the second half of last season had more to do with Enes Kanter‘s exit, which allowed Rudy Gobert to take on a bigger role, than Exum’s insertion into the starting lineup.
- Burke should get the first crack at leading the Jazz this season, but the point guard is just focusing on improving his game, Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune writes. “My mindset is just keep working, getting better,” Burke said. “Obviously with Dante going down a lot of people think I’m going to start, but I’m not really worried about that, to be honest with you. This is a time for me to really focus on how I can improve this last stretch of the summer. That’s really my biggest focus right now.”