Eastern Notes: Dudley, Crowder, Jack
Jared Dudley was skeptical about coming to play for the Bucks, but after playing with the team for just half a season, the forward is considering staying Milwaukee for the long-term, writes Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times. “I’ve been giving it thought,’’ Dudley said. “For me, it’s about adding more years. You obviously want to play longer. I want to come back here. Definitely. I mean, this team is building each year and will get better.” The 29-year-old is set to make $4.25MM during the 2015/16 season but if he elects the early termination option in his contract, he can become a free agent at the end of this season.
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Jae Crowder is fitting in nicely with the Celtics, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSSNE.com. The forward is known for his defense but there is another reason why coach Brad Stevens has been able to give him significant playing time. “What I like is his versatility,” Stevens said. “And coming off the bench you have flexibility of where you bring him.” Boston is 3-1 over its last four games and Crowder is averaging 12 points and 5.5 rebounds during those contests.
- Jarrett Jack has been one of the major reasons that Brooklyn is still in the playoff hunt, writes Reed Wallach of NetsDaily.com. Last offseason, Jack was acquired as part of a three team trade that was primarily about giving the Cavs financial flexibility. The point guard has not only been able to bolster the Nets‘ bench unit, but he has provided the team with a good starting option when Deron Williams is unable to play because of injuries. Jack has started 25 of the Nets’ 50 games this season.
- James Johnson can be a contributor for the Raptors come playoff time, opines Eric Koreen of the National Post. Koreen notes that although Johnson has shooting issues from the perimeter, he more than makes up for it with his stout defense. Johnson is averaging 1.0 blocks per game and owns a player efficiency rating of 18.4.
And-Ones: Sanders, Antetokounmpo, Porter
Team sources say Larry Sanders has done everything that has been asked of him since he was suspended by the NBA for at least 10 games on January 16th for a drug violation, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). The league stipulated that the suspension will remain in effect until he fully complies with his treatment program and there remains no timetable for his return.
There’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Celtics coach Brad Stevens thinks the Bucks‘ Giannis Antetokounmpo “has a chance to be special,” according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Antetokounmpo has been able to retain his skills and athleticism despite a notable growth spurt since reaching the NBA. “He is unique,” Stevens said. “His length … everyone talks about length as a buzz word in basketball, but then there’s him or a couple of guys like him. There’s not that many.” Antetokounmpo has more than two seasons and $6.82MM remaining on his rookie deal. If he continues to progress, I would speculate that some team offers him a maximum value contract when he becomes a restricted free agent; that is if the Bucks don’t sign him to an extension before then.
- Another member of the 2013 draft class, Otto Porter, is thriving for his team. The Wizards are starting Porter in place of Bradley Beal, who is out of the lineup because of an injury, and the franchise may have found a player who can contribute come playoff time, writes Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. Porter has averaged 10.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game during his four games as a starter.
- The Hawks have recalled Mike Muscala from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the D-League, according to the team’s twitter feed. The big man accrued 12 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the Mad Ants’ win on Saturday.
- The Grizzlies have recalled Jordan Adams from their D-League affiliate, the Iowa Energy, according to the team’s twitter feed. Adams accumulated four points, seven rebounds and four assists during the lone game of his latest D-League assignment.
Arthur Hill contributed to this post
Heat Re-Sign Tyler Johnson For Season
2:26pm: The deal is official, the team announced.
12:07pm: Johnson’s deal will be a two year contract, Charania reports (Twitter link).
8:43am: The Heat will re-sign Tyler Johnson for the remainder of the season, according to Shams Charania of RealGM. Johnson signed his first 10-day deal with the team on January 12th and his second 10-day contract expired Saturday night.
Charania adds that multiple teams were prepared to engage in contract negotiations with the Pedro Power client if he would fail to reach an agreement with Miami. To date, Johnson is averaging 7.5 points and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 50.0% from the field during his six games playing for the team, including an 18 point performance against the Spurs on Friday night. The Heat could certainly use all the offense they can get, as they rank 29th in the league in scoring, averaging 92.4 points per game.
Miami now has a full 15-man roster. The Heat previously expressed their desire to keep an open roster spot in order to maintain flexibility. With Dwyane Wade‘s injury and the team losing five of its last six games, it appears flexibility has become a secondary concern.
Western Notes: Nuggets, McGary, Wolves
The Nuggets‘ next victory should come during the 2015 draft lottery, opines Woody Paige of The Denver Post. Paige argues that Denver should employ a tanking strategy during its final 31 games of the season and points out that although it would be tough to catch the Sixers, Knicks, or Wolves in the loss column, having the fourth-worst record is an attainable goal. The fourth-worst record would give the team a 11.9% chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick, as our reverse order rankings indicate. Denver currently owns a record of 19-32, which is tied for eighth-worst in the league. In order to lose enough games to fall that drastically in the standings, the Nuggets would most likely have to sit players or trade them away, similar to how Philadelphia traded away Evan Turner last season, although that is just my speculation. Our own Chuck Myron looked at Arron Afflalo as a trade candidate and also examined the chances that Wilson Chandler leaves town before season ends.
Here’s more from the Northwest Division:
- The Thunder have recalled Mitch McGary from their D-League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, according to the team’s twitter feed. The rookie has only appeared in two games to date for the Thunder and accrued a total of three points and three rebounds. The big man is playing in today’s game against the Clippers because Kendrick Perkins is serving a one-game suspension.
- Inking Nick Collison to an extension was an extremely important part of the Thunder’s future plans, writes Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman. Tramel adds that in addition to being good friends with Kevin Durant, Collison’s always positive attitude is an asset in itself. The power forward’s extension, worth $7.5MM, will keep him under contract through the 2016/17 season.
- The Wolves are benefiting from having Flip Saunders coach the team in addition to being their president of basketball operations, writes Tom Powers of the Pioneer Press. The team is able to evaluate all the talent on its roster without worrying about the outcomes of games. “From a guy that’s in the management, me coaching is probably easier than having a coach,” Saunders said. “If I had a veteran coach, he’d be coming in every day wanting to trade everybody. They’re trying to win games. If I had a young coach, he’d be worrying about winning so he wouldn’t want to play the young guys. He’d be playing veterans, and the young guys wouldn’t get time.” Minnesota is currently 10-40 on the season, which puts the team in a good position to add more talent via the 2015 draft.
Blake Griffin To Miss Four To Six Weeks
Blake Griffin is expected to miss four to six weeks due to a staph infection in his right elbow, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Griffin will undergo surgery on Monday to drain the elbow. Shelburne adds that he could return sooner than four weeks but in typical cases of staph infections, it’s best to be conservative (Twitter link).
Griffin’s injury leaves the Clippers with a clear void in the frontcourt. The power forward was playing 35.3 minutes per game while scoring 22.5 points per game. The Clippers have an experienced backup big man in Spencer Hawes, whom the team spent the valuable full mid-level exception on last offseason. Hawes has played some minutes at the four spot but he may be an awkward fit next to center DeAndre Jordan for extended periods of time.
The Clippers are only six games ahead of the Pelicans, who currently reside in ninth place in the Western Conference. With the competitiveness of the conference, Los Angeles could be forced to make some sort of move. The Clippers have two open roster spots but are less than $1.2MM shy of their $80.829MM hard cap. The team was reportedly interested in obtaining a wing player, with Wilson Chandler being named as a possibility. With the news of Griffin’s injury and the Clippers’ lack of assets outside the team’s core, the franchise could switch its focus to finding a big man.
Pacific Notes: Lakers, Scott, Suns
An easy schedule is good news unless you’re better off losing, which is where the Lakers find themselves, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles has dropped 11 of its last 12 games to move into fourth place in the Hoops Rumors Reverse Standings, which carries an 11.9% shot at the top pick. However, Bresnahan has analyzed the remaining schedule and notes that 17 of L.A.’s last 32 games are against teams with losing records. The Lakers’ pick will go to the Suns if it slips out of the top five.
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Lakers coach Byron Scott understands what it’s like to be fired, but he isn’t worried about being ousted by team executives, writes Bill Oram of the Orange County Register. “Sometimes the ownership gets a little antsy. They tell you it’s a four-year plan; all of the sudden it’s a two-year plan and you’re on the outs,” Scott said. “But to me it wasn’t a question. Because my feelings for this organization, I was more than willing to say, OK, give me two years, three years, whatever the case may be, because I’m in it for the long haul.”
- The Suns have assigned Reggie Bullock and Archie Goodwin to their D-League affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam, according to the team’s twitter feed. This will be Bullock’s second assignment and Goodwin’s fourth assignment on the season. Bullock scored 51 points during his earlier two-game stint, while Goodwin has averaged 21.1 points while shooting 45.2% from the field during his first three D-League assignments.
- The Suns have also recalled Tyler Ennis and T.J. Warren from the Bakersfield Jam, according to the team’s website. During his two games for the Jam, Ennis averaged 14.5 points per game while shooting 38.7% from the field. Warren averaged 27.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game during his two games in Bakersfield.
Arthur Hill contributed to this post.
Southeast Notes: Hawks, Crawford, Heat, Hornets
The Hawks have taken the league by storm this season and they can thank the Spurs for giving them the blueprint for success, writes Paul Newberry of the Associated Press. Atlanta, like San Antonio, created a team-first atmosphere in which ball movement is one of the major focuses. Point guard Jeff Teague has bought into the team’s philosophy. “I’m enjoying every minute of it,” said Teague. “We’re so unselfish. We don’t care about glory or accolades. It’s just a joy to play on a team like that.” The Hawks have won 35 out of their last 38 games and own a record of 42-9, which is the best in the entire league.
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- The Heat are struggling on offense this season but the team continues to pass on adding proven scorers, like Jordan Crawford, to the roster, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Crawford, who averaged 12.2 points per game during his time in the NBA, would give the team a much needed scoring option off the bench, but concerns about the 26-year-old’s maturity have turned Miami away. The Heat are scoring 92.4 point per game this season, which is second worst in the league.
- Although the Heat have lost five out of their last six games and own a record of 21-29, which is good for ninth place in the Eastern Conference, the team remains committed to making the postseason, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. “Everybody can see the potential of our young group, and they’re getting great opportunities to play, for something, for the playoffs, with our veteran core,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. If Miami finds itself outside the playoff picture, the team has motivation to lose more games because its first-round draft pick will go to the Sixers if it doesn’t fall within the top 10. The Heat have the 12th worst record in the league, as our reverse order standings show, making it unlikely that they keep their pick if they remain in this position at the end of the season.
- The Hornets continue to push for a playoff berth and veteran Jason Maxiell has been key to the team’s success during Kemba Walker‘s absence, writes Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer. Maxiell signed with Charlotte for the veteran’s minimum about a month before the start of the season and the 32-year-old has served as a mentor for the 10th youngest team in the league. The Hornets are currently in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 22-27.
Western Notes: Afflalo, Chandler, Johnson
The Nuggets continue to seek a first-round pick from teams interested in guard Arron Afflalo, according to Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Afflalo could become a free agent at the end of this season, as he holds a $7.5MM player option for next year. Dempsey adds that teams are hesitant to surrender a first-rounder for a player that could walk at the end of the season and it is a snag that prevented Afflalo from already being traded to Charlotte. Our own Chuck Myron examined Afflalo as a trade candidate recently in which he believes it will be difficult for the Nuggets to get a first-rounder for the guard. He adds that if the team can get equal value to what it gave up when it acquired the UCLA product last offseason, a trade would be a smart move for the franchise.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- Interest in Wilson Chandler remains high from teams around the league, writes Dempsey in the same piece. The Nuggets were reportedly shopping the forward with an eye on obtaining future-focused assets. The Blazers and the Clippers are among the teams that have been linked to the 27-year-old.
- The Jazz have decided not to bring back Chris Johnson after his 10-day contract expired Friday night, according to the team’s twitter feed. The guard/forward only appeared in two games for Utah in which he accumulated a total of 14 points, three assists and three steals during 38 minutes of action. The team’s roster now stands at 14 players.
- The Grizzlies have assigned Jordan Adams to their D-League affiliate, the Iowa Energy, according to the team’s website. To date, Adams has played 10 games for the Energy, averaging 19.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while shooting 48.3% from the field.
Dwight Howard To Miss At Least A Month
WEDNESDAY, 9:24am: The team confirmed the timetable, announcing today that Howard will be re-evaluated in four weeks after receiving a bone marrow aspirate injection to his right knee (Twitter link).
SATURDAY, 11:03pm: Dwight Howard is expected to miss at least a month due to ongoing trouble with his right knee, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Sources tell Stein that the Rockets are confident that Howard will have enough time to recover and be ready for a late regular season stretch run as well as the playoffs. Another source told ESPN.com that a period of rest “likely measured in weeks” will be the minimum requirement before the center can return to the court.
Houston sits at 33-14 on the season, which is only eight games ahead of the Pelicans, who reside in ninth place in the conference. With the Western Conference being so competitive this year, teams that have even a short stretch of average games may find themselves drop significantly in the standings.
The Rockets have an emerging young talent in Donatas Motiejunas and the Rockets may elect to give the power forward extended minutes rather than bringing in outside help. Houston currently has a 15-man roster, which wouldn’t allow the team to bring on another player without making a corresponding move, if they choose to go that route. Rockets GM Daryl Morey has never failed to make a trade during the month in which the trade deadline has fallen since he took over the job before the 2007/08, so it’s reasonable to expect that he’ll try to swap for frontcourt help.
Eastern Notes: Pistons, Young, Celtics, Heat
The Pistons are still searching for a third point guard after the season ending injury to Brandon Jennings, but with about two and a half weeks until the trade deadline, the team wants to remain as flexible as possible just in case it can find a trade partner, writes David Mayo of Mlive.com. “We could do two 10-days, and then if nothing materializes, we’ve got a guy who’s been with us for three weeks,” team president Stan Van Gundy said. “And if something does, then we make a move. That’s part of the timing issue.” Mayo identifies Norris Cole of the Heat as a potential trade target that makes sense. The Pistons were one of the teams interested in Cole, and our own Chuck Myron examined the point guard as a trade candidate earlier in the week.
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- The Celtics on Saturday assigned James Young to their D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, according to the team’s twitter feed. Young has already appeared in eight games for the Red Claws, averaging 22.4 points per game while shooting 47.9% from three point range.
- Going into the season, the Celtics didn’t expect to contend for a playoff berth, but president of basketball operations Danny Ainge would love to make the playoffs as long as the team keeps improving, writes Kevin O’Connor of SB Nation. “I would love to see our team in the playoffs, but I don’t want to see us back into the playoffs with a really bad record and not even have a fighting chance. If our team can keep getting better by developing, if we can make some deals at the trade deadline that put us in position to actually get into the playoffs and have a chance to win a playoff series, I think that would be a lot of fun,” Ainge said. Boston is unlikely to make any moves that sacrifice the future in order to climb up the standings this season.
- The Heat, with a record of 20-26, remain a good bet to make the playoffs thanks to the improved play of Hassan Whiteside, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. Winderman argues that Whiteside has nearly become irreplaceable for Miami and with Dwyane Wade‘s recent injury, the center may take on an even bigger role. The 25-year-old has 15.3 points, 17.7 rebounds and 4.3 blocks in just 29.8 minutes per game over his last three contests.