Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript
4:02pm: We hosted the weekly live chat.
3:00pm: LeBron James teamed with friends six years ago when he left Cleveland for Miami, and he’d like to play with his buddies again, though whether that happens in Cleveland, Miami or elsewhere, or whether it happens at all, remains to be seen. Others, including those on our growing list of draft entrants, are merely looking to join any NBA team. Some franchises are already gearing up for the summer ahead, while some are merely trying to have enough healthy bodies to finish the season. A multitude of different stories surround the NBA, and we can talk about a bunch of them in today’s chat.
And-Ones: Silver, Simmons, Sterling, Valentine
- Elite draft prospect Ben Simmons has confirmed his selection of the Klutch Sports Group as his agency, as he revealed in a video on the Twitter feed for Uninterrupted.com. Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports reported last week that the former LSU combo forward would sign with Klutch and agent Rich Paul, who represents LeBron James, among others.
- A federal district court judge dismissed an antitrust lawsuit that former Clippers owner Donald Sterling brought against the NBA in his continued dispute of the 2014 $2 billion sale of the team to Steve Ballmer, as Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times details. The suit, in which Sterling sought more than $1 billion in damages and named wife Shelley Sterling and former NBA commissioner David Stern among the defendants, alleged that the NBA conspired to strip him of the team.
- The yawning gap between Denzel Valentine‘s superb offensive talents and his glaring defensive shortcomings make him a particularly intriguing draft prospect liable to go anywhere from the late lottery to the end of the first round, observes Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress in a scouting report. Dana Gauruder of Hoops Rumors went in-depth on the Michigan State senior earlier this month.
LeBron Longs To Play With Wade, ‘Melo, CP3
LeBron James is holding out hope that he can team with Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul for at least one season before they retire, as he told Howard Beck of Bleacher Report. James, 31, and Wade, 34, can hit free agency this summer, but the 30-year-old Paul’s locked in with the Clippers through next season and Anthony, 31, doesn’t have an opt-out in his deal until the summer of 2018.
“I really hope that, before our career is over, we can all play together,” James said to Beck just before the All-Star break last month in comments that Beck kept under wraps until today (Twitter link). “At least one, maybe one or two seasons — me, Melo, D-Wade, CP — we can get a year in. I would actually take a pay cut to do that.”
Each is probably powerful enough to force a trade, with most such chatter surrounding Anthony, who has a no-trade clause that he’s been reluctant to consider waiving. Rumors about a three-team deal involving the Knicks, Celtics and Cavaliers emerged before the trade deadline this year, but it never appeared as though Anthony was close to joining James in Cleveland. Anthony once more reiterated his commitment to the Knicks today, as Marc Berman of the New York Post relays.
“I know the reason why I stuck it out,’’ Anthony said. “People that really understand it know why I’m sticking it out. It’s odd to question my loyalty at this point in time, especially when you showed and I’ve showed time and time again my loyalty to not just the organization, but New York and vice versa.”
Still, commitments change. That was the case with Anthony and the Nuggets, a team ‘Melo believed in strongly enough in 2006 to resist what James admits were veiled overtures meant to convince Anthony to sign a shorter extension that would allow him to become a free agent in 2010, just as James and Wade did, as Beck details. That was the summer that James and Wade teamed up on the Heat while Anthony and Paul remained under contract in Denver and New Orleans, respectively.
Anthony told Beck in January that he was disappointed that the Pistons passed him up with the second overall pick in 2003, saying that he’d been told Detroit would take him. It’s not clear who told Anthony that the Pistons would draft him instead of Darko Milicic, the center the Pistons fatefully selected when the time came. Regardless, the bond between James, Anthony, Wade and Paul is strong, and it’s made an impression on Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski, who’s mentored all of them with the USA Basketball program.
“I think they love one another,” Krzyzewski said. “It’s so damn genuine, and it’s so cool to see. … They have each others’ back, on everything.”
Do you think James, Wade, Anthony and Paul will all play together on an NBA team at some point? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Ben Bentil To Test Draft Waters
Providence power forward Ben Bentil will enter this year’s NBA draft, a source told Evan Daniels of Scout.com (Twitter link). He won’t hire an agent right away, Daniels hears, so he’ll retain his college eligibility if he pulls out in advance of the May 25th withdrawal deadline. The sophomore had an impressive closing kick to the season, and rankings are split, as he checks in at No. 27 with Chad Ford of ESPN.com while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress has him as only the 58th-best prospect. One Eastern Conference executive recently told Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops that Bentil would go late in the first round or early in the second.
Bentil, who turns 21 next week, scored 21 or more points in six of his last eight games this season, including a 38-point explosion against Butler in the Big East tournament. He followed it with a three-point dud in Providence’s loss to Villanova the next day, but he also has a 42-point, 12-rebound effort from February 10th against Marquette on his resume. He averaged 21.1 points and 7.7 rebounds overall, leading the Big East in scoring even though he shared the floor with teammate and top-10 prospect Kris Dunn, who’s also entering the draft.
This season has been a breakthrough for the 6’9″ Bentil, who averaged only 6.4 points per game as a freshman. He showed some promise of developing a 3-point stroke, averaging 4.5 attempts per game and nailing a passable 32.9% of them. His defense could use some improvement, according to Ford, so it remains to be seen if he can develop into a two-way player at the NBA level.
Western Notes: Matthews, Parsons, Griffin
- It’s conceivable that Chandler Parsons will play again this season for the Mavericks even if he does undergo surgery on a torn meniscus in his right knee, reports Schuyler Dixon of The Associated Press. Parsons is reportedly getting a second opinion before having the procedure, but he’d be able to resume basketball activities within six weeks of having the operation, Dixon hears, meaning it’s conceivable he returns during the playoffs, which begin April 16th. It’s no certainty the Mavs qualify for the postseason, however. They’re one game up on the Jazz for the last playoff spot in the West.
- Doc Rivers won’t rule out the possibility of Blake Griffin missing the rest of the regular season, but he’s confident that he’ll be back in game action within the next three weeks before the regular season ends, observes Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Griffin will have to serve a four-game suspension once he’s healthy enough to play. The Clippers signed Jeff Ayres for the rest of the season last week.
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James Anderson has been frustrated sitting on the bench for long stretches this season with the Kings, even though coach George Karl acknowledges he’s probably the team’s best defender, but the swingman is seeing more playing time of late, notes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Anderson has to decide on a minimum-salary player option for next season.
Wolves Sign Greg Smith For Rest Of Season
WEDNESDAY, 11:14am: The signing is official, the team announced (Twitter link). Minnesota’s press release also confirms that Smith’s second 10-day signing took place on March 12th, not March 13th.
TUESDAY, 12:12pm: The Timberwolves will sign Greg Smith for the rest of the season, reports Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press (Twitter link). The big man previously signed a pair of 10-day contracts with Minnesota. His second 10-day deal expired overnight, according to Krawczynski, and that jibes with the information on the RealGM transactions log, which shows Smith as having signed the pact March 12th. The team didn’t give a formal announcement until March 13th, making it seem as though today, and not Monday, is the final day of the contract. Regardless, it appears Smith will be sticking around as Minnesota’s 14th player.
Smith has averaged 10.3 minutes per game across nine appearances with the Wolves so far, though he hasn’t had much of a role in the team’s offense, averaging just 2.3 points per contest. His size has come in handy as fellow big men Kevin Garnett and Nikola Pekovic deal with knee and Achilles tendon injuries, respectively.
Keeping Smith still leaves Minnesota with an open roster spot, one of two the Wolves reaped through buyouts with Kevin Martin and Andre Miller. A minimum-salary contract for Smith would cost the Wolves no more than $128,161 if it doesn’t carry into next season. Even on top of the $111,444 total for the two 10-day contracts, it’s still much less than the $609,083 the team saved in the buyouts.
2016 Free Agent Power Rankings
The regular season ends three weeks from tonight, and while the playoffs lie ahead, precious little time remains for the top 2016 NBA free agents to make their cases on the court to front offices around the league. We’ve ranked the best of this year’s free agent class from time to time since last summer’s free agent market died down, and amid a crucial stretch run, it’s time to do so again. Here’s where they stand:
- Kevin Durant — The prize of this year’s free agency is addressing the summer ahead more often now as it approaches, but only in general terms, and while the Warriors and Spurs are threats to land him, the appeal of staying “home” in Oklahoma City still looms large. Last time: No. 1.
- LeBron James (player option) — We can’t accuse LeBron of not having fun with his ability to hit free agency every year. His cryptic messages via social media raise eyebrows, and sometimes he needn’t even say anything to cause a stir, as was the case when he unfollowed the Cavs on Twitter this week. Still, he risks turning his beloved northeast Ohio into a land of antipathy if he dares leave Cleveland again. Last time: No. 2.
- Andre Drummond (restricted) — The outcome of Drummond’s free agency is essentially preordained, since both sides were on board with not doing an extension this past fall and allowing the Pistons greater cap flexibility before an inevitable max-contract signing in the summer. His numbers have dipped after a strong start, but it’s hard to argue with 16.5 points and 14.9 rebounds per game overall. Last time: No. 4.
- DeMar DeRozan (player option) — The 26-year-old shooting guard has been pouring it on in March, averaging 27.6 points per game as he makes the Raptors even more fortunate that he’d like to spend his entire career with the organization. Max offers reportedly await from elsewhere, but Toronto is certain to shell out whatever it takes to hang on to its homegrown star. Last time: No. 7.
- Al Horford — The delineation between Horford and the next man on this list is likely arbitrary and comes down to whether a team is looking for a quiet, consistent inside force to plug in as a complementary star or a polarizing figure with higher upside but more baggage. The Hawks didn’t find the overwhelming trade offer they were reportedly holding out for at the deadline, but that doesn’t mean Horford won’t draw plenty of interest on the open market, with the Magic looming as a threat. Last time: No. 4.
- Dwight Howard (player option) — NBA observers have learned through the years that it’s virtually impossible to predict what Howard will do months in advance. New agent Perry Rogers, who represented Shaquille O’Neal, will help guide Howard through his apparent interest in the Bucks, Knicks and surely others. The prospect of a Rockets return seems unlikely, but you never say never with Howard. Last time: No. 6.
- Mike Conley — The 28-year-old point guard was playing some of his best basketball when he went out with Achilles tendinitis earlier this month, averaging 17.6 points, 6.4 assists and 1.6 turnovers per game in 14 contests since the beginning of February. His relatively low position on this list is probably just a placeholder until he proves his health. Last time: No. 5.
- Bradley Beal (restricted) — An opposing GM said that he’s “scared” of the shooting guard because of his injury history. Beal would rank much more highly if not for that, given his 17.7 points per game this season, 39.9% career 3-point percentage and the fact that his next birthday, in June, will be only his 23rd. Last time: No. 8.
- Nicolas Batum — The Hornets swingman has been clamoring for a place in the top 10 all season, and amid a March in which he’s averaged 18.6 points, his best scoring month of the season, we’ll give him the long overdue honor. He was reportedly likely to receive max offers as of January, and that seems a near-certainty now. The mystery is in where he’ll end up in what promises to be one of the most fascinating free agent pursuits of the summer. Last time: No. 11.
- Hassan Whiteside — The Heat big man probably wouldn’t be here if Chandler Parsons were healthy, but as difficult as it is to put a reserve in the top 10, Whiteside is no average bench player. His performance Tuesday, when he went 10 for 11 for 24 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, shows the vast potential of the one-time journeyman who’ll turn 27 in June. Last time: No. 10.
We don’t always carry the rankings past the top 10, but we’ll do our next 10 here:
11. Chandler Parsons (player option)
12. Harrison Barnes (restricted)
13. Rajon Rondo
14. Dwyane Wade
15. Pau Gasol (player option)
16. Ryan Anderson
17. Evan Fournier (restricted)
18. Kent Bazemore
19. Jordan Clarkson (Gilbert Arenas Provision)
20. Jared Sullinger (restricted)
See all the previous editions of our rankings here. See the full list of 2016 free agents here.
Atlantic Notes: Hollis-Jefferson, Smith, Rambis
Interim Nets coach Tony Brown is excited about the return of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who scored five points, including two on a thunderous dunk, in 15 minutes Tuesday, the first game for last year’s 23rd pick since he broke his right ankle in December, The Record’s Andy Vasquez notes. Brown pointed to Hollis-Jefferson and three-year signee Sean Kilpatrick for their spirit, an element that’s lacking on a woeful 19-51 Nets team, and Hollis-Jefferson is especially important to the franchise’s future, given its lack of other draft assets to build around Brook Lopez. “He’s just such a spark plug,” Lopez said. “He brings a lot to the team and definitely takes us up another few notches. We’ve come to expect that from him and we’ve been missing it throughout the season.”
See more from the Atlantic Division:
- Sixers coach Brett Brown sees Ish Smith as a strong fit for the team and believes he’s witnessed growth in his game, and the soon-to-be free agent is confident he’s better than he was when he embarked on what’s been a journeyman NBA career thus far, as Smith tells Howard Megdal for USA Today. “Opportunity is everything, as you know,” Smith said. “And I think bouncing around helped me develop my ability to score the basketball. Playing behind Russell Westbrook and Kyle Lowry, some of the best point guards in the league now, absolutely helped me develop my offensive game. Being a passer, that’s always been my niche. But I’ve developed a whole lot since college.”
- Smith’s enduring confidence can hurt him when he takes shots he shouldn’t, but it’s a refreshing lift for a Sixers locker room that could use it, and particularly for friend Nerlens Noel, who’s been a part of the losing from the start of the GM Sam Hinkie era, observes Derek Bodner of Philadelphia magazine.
- The struggles that Kevin Love has endured in Cleveland vindicate Kurt Rambis to a degree for their failure to connect when they were together with the Timberwolves, but their history is nonetheless disconcerting now that Kristaps Porzingis is another young big man struggling under Rambis’ coaching, posits Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. The slump the Knicks rookie is in doesn’t speak well for Rambis as the Knicks decide on a long-term head coach, Bondy contends.
Cat Barber To Enter Draft
8:47pm: Barber has informed coach Mark Gottfried that he intends to remain in the draft and will not be returning to school, Aaron Beard of The Associated Press reports.
3:16pm: North Carolina State junior point guard Cat Barber will test the waters for the NBA draft, a source told Evan Daniels of Scout.com. That means he’ll enter the draft but won’t immediately hire an agent, retaining his college eligibility in case he decides to withdraw before the May 25th deadline for him to pull out. The 6’2″ 21-year-old, who’s sometimes known under his given name of Anthony Barber, is the 39th-best prospect in Chad Ford’s ESPN.com rankings but just No. 64 with Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.
Barber had a breakout season for the Wolfpack, averaging 23.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.6 turnovers per game. He shot 36.1% from 3-point range, a few ticks lower than the 38.0% shooting he displayed his sophomore year. He had eight games of 30 or more points, three of which came against NCAA Tournament teams. N.C. State finished just 16-17.
This season was the manifestation of the promise he showed coming out of high school in 2013, when he was a McDonald’s All-American and the 24th-best prospect in the RSCI listings. That put him right behind Tyler Ennis, who’s already in his second NBA season after spending just one year at Syracuse. Barber’s quickness helps set him apart, according to Ford.
And-Ones: Morris, Lawson, Wade, Beasley
It’s an awkward situation for the Morris twins these days, as Markieff Morris tries to lift the Wizards to a playoff spot while Marcus Morris makes the same effort for the Pistons, one of the teams standing in Washington’s path. Still, both agree that the Suns wronged them, as they tell Michael Lee of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. Markieff Morris told Lee he never would have put pen to paper on the extension he signed in 2014 if he knew they would trade his brother, while Marcus Morris continued his criticism of the Suns for their failure to provide advance warning of the offseason swap. “Personally, I think he did a lot for Phoenix. He took a lot of sacrifices for Phoenix. For them to do such a thing, I feel like they backstabbed him,” Marcus Morris said about his brother. “I think if they had just reached out to him, reached out to both of us and said, ‘Listen, this is our direction. We don’t think this is going to work.’ We would understand, that’s what has to happen but by the fact that they didn’t do that, it made it worse. … He just didn’t want to be there. He didn’t feel the vibe.”
Phoenix traded Markieff Morris to Washington at the trade deadline, months after he demanded to be traded. See more from around the NBA:
- Ty Lawson received one year of probation stemming from a guilty plea he submitted to charges related to his drunken driving arrest in January 2015, reports Tom McGhee of The Denver Post. It’s separate from the case involving a second DUI arrest that took place in July 2015. The NBA suspended Lawson, now with the Pacers, for a total of five games for both arrests earlier this season.
- Dwyane Wade walked back the suggestion Pat Riley made that he might play until he’s 40, notes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel, but it’s clear that the relationship between the Heat and the 34-year-old star is strong, and seemingly in much better shape than when Wade reportedly considered leaving Miami last summer. Wade instead signed a one-year, $20MM contract that will make him a free agent against this coming offseason. “It’s just at this point I’m not thinking about playing until 40, no way, no how, at this point,” Wade said. “But I’m 34, so I’m just thinking about each year, each year, and keeping going from there.
- A number of NBA executives project Malik Beasley as a mid-first round pick in this year’s draft, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets. The assessments of the executives Kennedy spoke with differ from a number of current predraft rankings, with ESPN’s Chad Ford listing Beasley at 45th overall in his latest mock draft and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress slotting Beasley 32nd on his list of the top 100 prospects.
Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.