And-Ones: Krzyzewski, Ennis, Lakers, Bulls
Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski will step down from his national team duties after the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, as he told Andy Katz of ESPN.com. The news is not surprising, since Krzyzewski had originally wanted to step away after the 2012 Games. He didn’t indicate a preference for any specific successor but said he’d like to see a coach experience with international competition step into the position.
“I think it’s time to move ahead. During the next season there will be a number of decisions made about the future of USA Basketball with Rio [the roster] and coaching,” Krzyzewski said to Katz. “There has to be a succession … a planned succession with really good people so we can keep the continuity of the program going.”
While we wait to see if the next USA Basketball coach has NBA ties, here’s the latest from around the league:
- At least other two teams have interest in James Ennis of the Heat, scouts have told Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel, which complicates matters for Miami as it debates keeping Ennis for opening night, when his non-guaranteed salary would become fully guaranteed, Winderman notes.
- Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has said he believes his team has more assets it could throw into trades than it had last season, but people around the league are pessimistic on what the Lakers can offer, as Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com details. In any case, the Lakers player with the greatest trade value is D’Angelo Russell, according to the consensus of the insiders who spoke with Holmes.
- New Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg hasn’t observed any tension between stars Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose and is confident they can mesh on the floor, as Hoiberg tells Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times recently heard from a source who said Butler was frustrated with the point guard’s approach to the game. “I think they’ve got a very good relationship and that’s from sitting down and talking to both of them individually, talking to them together,” Hoiberg said. “There’s no issue there. I think those two would be the first to tell you that everything that’s been reported out there is not true. I think it could be one of the most dynamic, best backcourts in the league. I think those two play very well off each other.”
Several Making Preseason Comeback Attempts
The Clippers short-circuited perhaps the best comeback story in the league when they waived Nikoloz Tskitishvili just a few days after the start of camp, preventing the former No. 5 overall pick from seeing his first regular season action since 2005/06. However, his was far from the only comeback attempt going on this fall. Seven players who are at least two seasons removed from their last appearance in an NBA regular season game are currently on preseason rosters.
Only Sonny Weems, whom the Suns signed to a two-year deal, appears to have a safe grip on a regular season roster spot. His total package is worth worth $5,754,630, and the $2.814MM salary for this season is fully guaranteed, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. The other players trying to return to the league are on non-guaranteed deals. Still, teams are hoping to find the next Hassan Whiteside, who hadn’t played in the regular season since 2011/12 before his breakout campaign for the Heat last year. He was in Grizzlies camp, waived before opening night, signed with Memphis again in November, hit waivers again just one day later, and finally signed with the Heat on a deal that included just $100K of guaranteed salary. It was on that Heat contract that Whiteside took off, proving that sometimes it takes more than just a second chance to launch a career.
Here’s a look at each of the seven trying to do as Whiteside did, with the season in which they last saw regular season action in parentheses. Note that this doesn’t count players who had recent cameos, like Sasha Vujacic did in 2013/14, despite not having seen extensive regular season minutes for a longer period of time.
- Yakhouba Diawara, Grizzlies (2009/10)
- Marcus Landry, Bucks (2009/10)
- Oleksiy Pecherov, Nuggets (2009/10)
- Sonny Weems, Suns (2010/11)
- Justin Harper, Nets (2011/12)
- DeQuan Jones, Hawks (2012/13)
- DaJuan Summers, Knicks (2012/13)
Pacific Notes: Warriors, Young, White, Mitrovic
The Warriors have largely the same roster they did when they won the title in June, but with a handful of players entering the final season of their contracts and Steve Kerr on a health-related leave of absence, this year’s team has a different feel, as TNT’s David Aldridge writes in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. Stephen Curry says it’s “weird” not having Kerr around and acknowledges the challenges of everyone coalescing once more, as Aldridge relays.
“We are, technically, the same team,” Curry said. “We have everybody minus David Lee back, and Jason Thompson. But we’re different in that regard. Because everybody’s in a different place in their careers. Maybe stuff’s going on off the court. You’ve got to kind of separate what we did last year from this year, even though it’s the same personalities in the locker room. Support each other, encourage each other, figure out how we can mesh all the different storylines together into one goal, which is doing what we did last year.”
See more from the Pacific Division:
- Nick Young calls the trade rumors that surrounded him this summer “confusing” and “motivating,” but the Lakers didn’t find a taker, and Young and coach Byron Scott are entering this season preaching optimism about their continued partnership, as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News details. “Me and Byron are good, but I’m using it as motivation,” Young said. “I’m just trying to do my part and stay alive. I’m trying to do everything he tells me to do. Anything I got to do to stay out there on the court.”
- Suns camp cut Terrico White will play for Phoenix’s D-League affiliate, a source tells Adam Johnson of D-League Digest (Twitter link). White cleared waivers this weekend after the Suns released him Thursday. NBA teams can retain the D-League rights to as many as four players they waive, so White appears to be one of Phoenix’s four.
- Kings draft-and-stash prospect Luka Mitrovic is expected to miss several months because of a left knee injury, Sportando’s Orazio Cauchi tweets. Mitrovic, the last pick of this year’s draft, signed an extension with Crvena Zvezda of Serbia this summer. Sacramento holds his NBA rights as a result of the cap-clearing trade with the Sixers this summer.
The Beat: Ryan Wolstat On The Raptors
Nobody knows NBA teams better than beat writers, save for those who draw paychecks with an NBA owner’s signature on them. The reporters who are with the teams they cover every day gain an intimate knowledge of the players, coaches and executives they write about and develop sources who help them break news and stay on top of rumors.
We at Hoops Rumors will be chatting with beat writers from around the league and sharing their responses to give you a better perspective on how and why teams make some of their most significant moves. Last time, we spoke with Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press about the Pistons. Click here to see all the previous editions of this series.
Today, we gain insight on the Raptors from Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. You can follow Ryan on Twitter at @WolstatSun, and check out his stories right here.
Hoops Rumors: Jonas Valanciunas plateaued last season, but the Raptors signed him to a four-year, $64MM extension this summer. What can they do to help him improve and get the most out of their investment?
Ryan Wolstat: Getting him the ball more often would be a good start. Too often last season, Valanciunas was frozen out of the offense, with DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry and Lou Williams needing to get theirs before the big center was fed in the post. He also needs to play more later in games, something Dwane Casey has said will happen. Valanciunas will need to get better defensively and improve as a passer out of the post to justify a bigger role.
The team has adjusted its defense a bit with [assistant coach] Andy Greer coming over from Chicago and the changes should help Valanciunas out, because the Raptors are now forcing opponents to the sideline on pick-and-rolls instead of to the middle of the floor, where Valanciunas usually couldn’t get to quickly enough.
Hoops Rumors: Where do the Raptors and Terrence Ross stand as the deadline for an extension draws near?
Ryan Wolstat: Wait and see mode. Ross played well defensively two seasons ago, but was brutal last year. An ankle injury that he had fixed in the offseason seemed to work, with Ross again looking like a plus defender early in the preseason (team-best eight steals, along with five blocks in five appearances through Sunday’s game) before rolling the surgically-repaired ankle. Offensively, Ross had really struggled though.
If Ross would sign a bargain extension, the Raptors would bite and bet on continued improvement, but most likely, they’ll see what the market will bear next year after another year to figure out exactly what Ross is.
Hoops Rumors: DeMarre Carroll swiftly turned into a quintessential three-and-D player in his two years with the Hawks. Do the Raptors need more from him to justify his four-year, $58MM contract, or is that simply the going rate for a player with his skills?
Ryan Wolstat: Considering how insane the money is getting in the NBA, the Carroll deal seems pretty fine to me. His track record isn’t as long as you’d like, but he’s been a very good player for a while now, and was by far Atlanta’s best performer in the playoffs, and that was a very good team. He’s a perfect fit both on and off the floor. He gives Toronto badly-needed size at small forward, another outside threat in the starting lineup and above-average defense and a willingness to compete against any of the NBA’s top swingmen. He also is a leader with an infectious style of play. His relentlessness, similar to how Lowry plays, already seems to be rubbing off.The Raptors would love to see the postseason version of Carroll every night, but if the regular season guy shows up, that will be fine.
Hoops Rumors: The Raptors don’t appear to have an obvious starting power forward, though they have a bunch of options at that position, with Patrick Patterson, Luis Scola, Anthony Bennett, James Johnson and Carroll. Is it enough to get by?
Ryan Wolstat: At some point, Masai Ujiri intends to field a true contender. He knows they aren’t there yet, but he also knows that to get there, an excellent two-way power forward is required. A Chris Bosh-caliber player needs to arrive at some point. For now, this group is going to have to make it work. Each gives the team something different: Patterson is an elite three-point shooter and a solid defender, but can’t rebound or score off of the dribble; Scola is still workable, but getting older and a poor fit alongside Valanciunas; Bennett has turned some heads and should be useful off of the bench as long as he continues to defend well; Carroll will play some small-ball four, but Johnson likely won’t be a factor.
Amir Johnson will be missed, but he was breaking down and was no longer reliable every night, which is a shame.
Hoops Rumors: Do the Raptors have any expectation that Bennett will produce this season, or is whatever he gives them simply a bonus?
Ryan Wolstat: Originally, the team thought he’d see most of his time in the D-League, getting huge minutes there, but Bennett has exceeded expectations. He’s been OK offensively but quite solid on the boards and defensively. He has earned a longer look, but in order to be in the rotation behind Patterson and Scola he will have to do something he never has before — stay healthy.
Hoops Rumors: How can the Raptors make up for the loss of the 15.5 points per game that Lou Williams gave them last year?
Ryan Wolstat: It won’t be as hard as it looks on paper. Williams won the team some games, but he also lost a few and took other players out of rhythm offensively because he would shoot so often.
Scola and Ross should replace a lot of that scoring and Valanciunas should get more touches as well. Cory Joseph, who has been superb in the preseason, should take care of the rest.
Atlantic Notes: Johnson, Jones, Hernangomez
Amir Johnson‘s production fell off last season with the Raptors, but the Celtics regard their free agent signee as a steal, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. President of basketball operations Danny Ainge is enamored with his versatility and the way he can complement any of the team’s other big men, as Forsberg notes. Johnson is just as sold on his new home.
“I like the vision, I like that we are young, and I like what they did last season coming into the playoffs,” Johnson said. “I felt like they were doing their best to get better. Just talking to [Celtics president of basketball operations] Danny [Ainge] and [coach Brad] Stevens, I love what they got going on here.”
See more on the Celtics amid the latest from the Atlantic Division:
- Stevens distanced himself from roster decisions, but he complemented Perry Jones III, who’s on the chopping block as the Celtics must offload at least one fully guaranteed salary to trim to the 15-man regular season roster limit within the week, relays Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. “I think the biggest thing for Perry is, Perry has a chance to be a very, very good multi-positional defender, and he’s got a chance to be a guy that can play off closeouts, make shots or post switches,” Stevens said. “So being able to do those things regularly is a huge key. But I’ve been impressed with what Perry can do, what he has done, especially in practice.”
- Knicks draft-and-stash prospect Guillermo Hernangomez wants to play for Real Madrid of Spain for many years before considering a move to the NBA, as he said to Emilio V. Escudero of ABC.es (translation via HoopsHype). An earlier report indicated that the Knicks were planning to sign him before the 2016/17 season. New York acquired the NBA rights to the 6’11” center via trade after the Sixers selected him 35th overall in June.
- The Sixers‘ rebuilding process is enduring criticism, but even though GM Sam Hinkie has presided over three offseasons, it’s still too early to judge the success of his plan because so many of the assets he’s acquired are for the future, opines Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News.
Cavs Pull $80MM Offer To Tristan Thompson?
SATURDAY, 2:02pm: The Cavs didn’t pull their offer, according to Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer, who indicates it might not be worth precisely $80MM but is “in the ballpark” of that number, “give or take.”
FRIDAY, 7:59am: The Cavs withdrew their five-year, $80MM offer to Tristan Thompson when his qualifying offer expired on October 1st, as Salary Cap FAQ author Larry Coon hears and writes within a Basketball Insiders chat. The sides were reportedly close to a deal for those terms on the first day of free agency in July, but instead they’ve been locked into a stalemate ever since, with Thompson’s camp apparently insistent on a max deal of either five years or three.
Mark Termini, as he usually is for Rich Paul’s Klutch Sports, has been Thompson’s lead negotiator, Coon also hears, and as Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports detailed a couple of weeks ago, Termini and the Cavs both have a history with holdouts. Thompson remains a restricted free agent, but only the Trail Blazers have the cap flexibility to sign him to a max offer sheet, and aside from them, only the Sixers can come close. The last day for Thompson to accept an offer sheet would be March 1st, if he still remains unsigned at that point. Should his free agency linger into next summer, the Cavaliers would have the opportunity to make a new qualifying offer by June 30th to continue his restricted free agency.
It’s unclear what sort of offer, if any, the Cavs have on the table for Thompson at this point. Cleveland is dealing with several injuries as the regular season draws near, including the continued absences of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, who were hurt during the playoffs. Iman Shumpert is in line to miss roughly the first two months of the regular season because of a wrist injury that happened shortly before the start of training camp. The Cavs are a league-worst 0-5 in the preseason, though LeBron James has only appeared in two of those games as part of an effort to limit his minutes.
Where do you think the Cavs and Thompson will go from here? Leave a comment to give us your thoughts.
Battle For Roster Spots: Atlantic Division
Hoops Rumors will be taking a team-by-team look at the battles for regular season roster spots going on around the NBA this month, the last before rosters shrink from the offseason limit of 20 to the 15-man regular season maximum. We’ve already checked out the Northwest, Pacific, Southwest and Central division franchises, and now we’ll look at the Atlantic:
KNICKS
13 full guarantees (Smallest full guarantee: Cleanthony Early — $845,059)
Non-guaranteed players
- Thanasis Antetokounmpo — $75K partial guarantee
- Darion Atkins — $75K partial guarantee
- Langston Galloway — $440K partial guarantee
- Wesley Saunders — $75K partial guarantee
- DaJuan Summers
- Travis Trice — $50K partial guarantee
Analysis: Galloway, who started half of New York’s regular season games last year and is leading the team in preseason minutes per game, would appear to have a tight grip on a regular season spot, so the preseason seems to be a matter of five players battling for one job. Antetokounmpo is a slight favorite, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post, who nonetheless suggests that his paltry two minutes of play in the preseason so far doesn’t bode well for his chances. Still, none of the other Knicks without full guarantees, save for Galloway, have seen more than three minutes total in the preseason, so it’s tough to judge the competition based on that.
NETS
13 full guarantees (Smallest full guarantee: Markel Brown — $845,059)
Non-guaranteed players
- Ryan Boatright — $75K partial guarantee
- Chris Daniels
- Justin Harper
- Dahntay Jones
- Quincy Miller — $50K partial guarantee
- Willie Reed — $500K partial guarantee
- Donald Sloan — $50K partial guarantee
Analysis: No one who’s seen action in the preseason for the Nets so far has played fewer minutes than Reed, who suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his thumb in his lone preseason appearance Wednesday, necessitating surgery, the team announced. It’s a six-to-eight week timeframe for his recovery, the team revealed today via press release. Reed has the team’s largest partial guarantee, and it covers about half of his full season’s salary. Since Reed won’t be out too long, the Nets can cut him without risking more than the $500K he already has coming if they want to. Aside from the concern over Reed, Brooklyn only has two point guards with fully guaranteed deals, suggesting that Sloan and Boatright are going head-to-head for a job on opening night, but power forward Justin Harper has seen more playing time than either of them this month.
CELTICS
16 full guarantees (Smallest full guarantee: James Young — $1,749,840; Jordan Mickey and R.J. Hunter have smaller salaries for this season, but their contracts include guarantees for 2016/17, too.)
Non-guaranteed players
- Coty Clarke
- Malcolm Miller — $25K partial guarantee
- Levi Randolph — $25K partial guarantee
- Corey Walden — $25K partial guarantee
Analysis: The Celtics are one of just two NBA teams with more fully guaranteed contracts than regular season roster spots, so they’re under pressure to either swing a trade or eat a significant chunk of money. Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe speculated to us recently that Jones is probably the most likely of the 16 with fully guaranteed contracts to hit waivers between now and opening night. Jones, due more than $2.038MM in the final season of his rookie contract, missed some time this month to deal with a death in the family and has scored four points and grabbed three rebounds in a scant 17 total minutes spread over two preseason appearances so far. His status as a player on an expiring contract might work against him, since even though four Celtics have cheaper guarantees, three of them are players the Celtics just drafted this June and all four have contracts that carry beyond this season. Young is only guaranteed a salary for this season, but the C’s have a team option on him for 2016/17.
SIXERS
12 full guarantees (Smallest full guarantee: Pierre Jackson — $750,000)
Non-guaranteed players
- Robert Covington
- T.J. McConnell
- Jordan McRae
- JaKarr Sampson
- Hollis Thompson
- J.P. Tokoto
- Scottie Wilbekin — $200K partial guarantee
- Christian Wood — $50K partial guarantee
Analysis: The Sixers roster is a jumble, though that’s nothing new. Still, a few clues exist. Covington is far more likely to end up in the starting lineup than on the waiver wire, and Thompson probably falls in that category, too. Both are among the top four Sixers in minutes per game during the preseason. Injuries to guards Kendall Marshall and Tony Wroten complicate the picture for a team already short at the point, so that bodes well for McConnell, an undrafted rookie who’s averaging 20.3 MPG so far, as well as Jackson, who has the smallest full guarantee. McRae, Sampson, Wilbekin and Wood are all averaging double-figure minutes, but Tokoto has only received 5.3 MPG across two appearances.
RAPTORS
15 full guarantees (Smallest full guarantee: Anthony Bennett — $947,276; Norman Powell has a smaller salary for this season, but his salary for next season is guaranteed, too.)
Non-guaranteed players
- Michale Kyser — $25K partial guarantee
- Ronald Roberts — $75K partial guarantee
- Shannon Scott —$25K partial guarantee
- Axel Toupane — $25K partial guarantee
Analysis: The Bennett signing took any real suspense out of the competition for the regular season roster in Toronto. He’s the only player with a full guarantee who wouldn’t cost the Raptors either two fully guaranteed seasons or at least $2.5MM to waive, and he’s almost certainly not going anywhere. The partial guarantees for Kyser, Roberts, Scott and Toupane appear to be enticements for them to sign with the new one-to-one D-League affiliate of the Raptors following end-of-preseason cuts.
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Southwest Notes: Jenkins, Splitter, Pelicans
John Jenkins is the leading scorer for the Mavericks in the preseason so far, and while that’s in large measure because of the absence of some of the team’s key figures, he’s making a strong impression, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News details. Jenkins, who left the Hawks in free agency this summer three years after Atlanta picked him 23rd overall, just wishes he could have shown off his game sooner, Sefko relays.
“I put in the work for three years and felt I earned a chance in Atlanta,” Jenkins said. “But I didn’t get it. A lot of guys just need an opportunity. I wasn’t a first-round pick for nothing.”
Jenkins is one of 15 Mavs with a fully guaranteed salary for this season, so his place on the roster seems relatively secure, Sefko posits, even though four Dallas players have partial guarantees. See more from around the Southwest Division:
- The Spurs were tense in between the time they agreed to trade Tiago Splitter to the Hawks for virtually nothing aside from the cap space necessary to sign LaMarcus Aldridge and the moment Aldridge agreed to sign with San Antonio, writes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express News. “We didn’t know what the outcome would be,” coach/president Gregg Popovich said. “But we knew if we wanted to change the team and add talent, it’s something we had to do.”
- The partial guarantee on Bo McCalebb‘s contract with the Pelicans is worth $50K, but it won’t kick in unless he sticks through October 27th, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). McCalebb is on a two-year, minimum-salary deal, Pincus also notes.
- Jerome Jordan‘s deal with the Pelicans is a non-guaranteed arrangement for one year at the minimum, and the same is true of the pact between Mirza Begić and the team, which New Orleans abruptly waived earlier today, as Pincus also shows on his Basketball Insiders salary page.
Northwest Notes: Stotts, Monroe, Waiters, Mitchell
The future of Terry Stotts is unresolved beyond this season, as the Trail Blazers have yet to pick up the team option on his deal for 2016/17, but Blazers players, including Damian Lillard, are fully supportive of the coach, as The Oregonian’s Jason Quick details.
“As long as I am here,” Lillard said, “I would like him to be here.”
Lillard signed a five-year extension this summer that will run through 2020/21, and the Blazers are making him the centerpiece of their retool, but time will tell if Portland retains Stotts as one of its building blocks. See more on the Blazers amid the latest from around the Northwest Division:
- Greg Monroe narrowed his choices to the Bucks and Trail Blazers before selecting Milwaukee in free agency this summer, according to Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports, who recounts Monroe’s decision making that led up to his three-year max deal with the Bucks. That means he first eliminated the Knicks and Lakers, who, as Lee notes, also met with him.
- The Thunder aren’t worried about making too many commitments to middling talents that would be tough to build around if Kevin Durant bolts next summer, and instead they’re focused on building a stable supporting cast around Durant for the long term, writes Royce Young of ESPN.com. That, plus Oklahoma City’s penchant for rewarding players who want to stick around, helps explain the team’s reported willingness to explore an extension for Dion Waiters, as Young examines.
- Sam Mitchell didn’t feel a burning desire to coach again when Flip Saunders called to offer him a job with the Timberwolves last year, Mitchell tells Sportsnet’s Michael Grange. Saunders nonetheless made a convincing case, and Mitchell joined as an assistant, which led to his promotion to interim head coach when cancer treatment forced Saunders to take a leave of absence. “He thought I did a good job in the media — I thought I did an excellent job — but he said to me ‘you’re always going to be a basketball coach,’” Mitchell said of his conversation with Saunders.
The Beat: Vince Ellis On The Pistons
Nobody knows NBA teams better than beat writers, save for those who draw paychecks with an NBA owner’s signature on them. The reporters who are with the teams they cover every day gain an intimate knowledge of the players, coaches and executives they write about and develop sources who help them break news and stay on top of rumors.
We at Hoops Rumors will be chatting with beat writers from around the league and sharing their responses to give you a better perspective on how and why teams make some of their most significant moves. Last time, we spoke with Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune about the Timberwolves. Click here to see all the previous editions of this series.
Today, we gain insight on the Pistons from Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. You can follow Vince on Twitter at @Vincent_Ellis56, and check out his stories right here.
Hoops Rumors: Where do the Pistons and Andre Drummond stand as the deadline for an extension approaches?
Vince Ellis: Stan Van Gundy told reporters in Chicago on Wednesday night that they would have something soon, but he didn’t specify details. I’ve heard that it’s something the Pistons are still working through. Remember this isn’t a negotiation in a traditional sense. Drummond will eventually sign a five-year, $120MM contract extension off his rookie deal. It’s just a matter of when he signs it. If he signs it next offseason, the Pistons will have roughly $12MM more in cap space to chase free agents or facilitate trades — although with the rising cap it’s debatable how much that extra space would help the Pistons. But Drummond has to feel comfortable knowing that if he doesn’t sign now — he will still get the deal if for some reason things don’t go well this year. But the Pistons may decide to just do the deal to give Drummond peace of mind.
Hoops Rumors: Last week, you reported that the Pistons are keeping an eye on the relationship between Markieff Morris and the Suns. However, the Pistons traded for a starting stretch four in June when they acquired Ersan Ilyasova. Why do you think the Pistons are interested in Morris?
Vince Ellis: Simple, they think he is a good player. Grantland had a recent piece on the value of the assist and continued telling us the foolishness of the midrange jump shot. The article points out that Markieff is one of the guys who actually can do work from midrange area. Guys with a heat map that covers the three-point circle are valuable. Also he is locked up for four more years at $8MM per. With the escalating salaries the contract is a bargain. The Pistons will have competition IF the Suns decide to make a move.
Hoops Rumors: What does Reggie Jackson have to do on the court to make a convincing case that he’s truly worthy of the five-year, $80MM deal he signed this summer?
Vince Ellis: After a subpar game in the first preseason game, Jackson has been more than solid, shooting 50% from the field and 40% from three-point range in the next three games. If he can have those numbers be 45% and 35% in the regular season, you have a guy living up to his contract – at least by today’s standards when a lot of guys have got eye-opening numbers.
Hoops Rumors: Van Gundy seemed to make backup big men a priority, committing $9MM in combined salaries this season to Aron Baynes and Joel Anthony. Why do you think he found it so important to pour resources into that part of the roster?
Vince Ellis: I’m assuming you are referring to why he did this when the trend is small ball. I really don’t think $9MM is that much of a $70MM payroll. They have four guys (Ersan Ilyasova, Marcus Morris, Anthony Tolliver and human utility belt Stanley Johnson) more than capable of playing the stretch-four position. Van Gundy is stressing the need to play all styles. There are good teams with traditional starting fives (San Antonio, Chicago Bulls and Memphis Grizzlies). It’s simply a matter of wanting to match up against those teams.
Hoops Rumors: The Pistons have 17 fully guaranteed salaries and 15 regular season roster spots to go around. How do you think the Pistons resolve this logjam? Who is most likely to go?
Vince Ellis: Getting rid of two — Danny Granger and Cartier Martin — will probably be easy. There were indications Granger would be waived or traded as soon as he was acquired from the Suns. Health is an issue and he has been allowed to stay away from the team during camp to rehab. Martin was a disappointment in his first season with the Pistons and an issue with his right hand has prevented him from getting time during the preseason. The last roster spot appears to come down to Reggie Bullock and camp invite Adonis Thomas. But Bullock has been a revelation and Thomas has been hampered by a sore Achilles.
Hoops Rumors: What do you think Van Gundy learned in his first season balancing the duties of both coach and executive that he can take into this season?
Vince Ellis: Really hard to compare the two. He took over in May and spent the summer on the sidelines for the most part except for a couple of free agent signings because he didn’t feel comfortable making major personnel decisions without the apparatus in place. But he was stunning the NBA by Christmas with the waiving of Josh Smith and wound up moving to get Reggie Jackson at the trade deadline. I think most of the lessons he will take into this season will come at the coaching end. He was probably caught off guard with just how much teams have come to rely on the three-point shot. He is adjusting his defense there and also on how the team guards the pick-and-roll.