Knicks Rumors: Chandler, Fredette, Van Gundy
The Knicks dropped a critical game Monday night to the Pistons, one of the teams ahead of them for the final playoff spot. The loss was the seventh in a row for the Knicks, who are six and a half games out of the playoffs. All of this is a boon for the Nuggets, who’ll receive New York’s first-round pick this year, as our Reverse Standings show. Here’s more from the beleaguered blue-and-orange:
- Tyson Chandler is under contract through next season, but he’s uncertain if he’ll want to re-sign with the Knicks, as Marc Berman of the New York Post observes.
- Newly signed Bulls guard Jimmer Fredette says playing for the Knicks “would have been a lot of fun,” given the team’s proximity to his hometown of Glens Falls, New York, but he’s not crestfallen that it didn’t happen, notes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
- Jeff Van Gundy, rumored as a head coaching candidate for the Knicks if they let go of Mike Woodson after the season, weighed in on the team’s struggles in an appearance on “The Stephen A. Smith and Ryan Ruocco Show” on ESPN New York 98.7. Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com transcribes the highlights.
Knicks D-League Affiliate Waives Chris Smith
1:48pm: Smith was upset over his playing time and left the team several days ago, a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
1:22pm: Smith had several run-ins with Erie’s coaches, precipitating the decision to let him go, tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
1:00pm: The BayHawks have officially waived Smith, the team announced.
8:42am: The D-League affiliate of the Knicks has decided to waive former Knicks guard Chris Smith, a source tells Gino Pilato of D-League Digest. The Erie BayHawks have yet to make an official announcement, but it appears one of the most controversial additions to an NBA roster this season is about to find himself without a home in the D-League, much less the NBA.
The Knicks signed Smith, the brother of J.R. Smith, in the offseason to a minimum-salary contract that became fully guaranteed if he made the team out of camp, and he did so, sticking with New York for the first two months of the season. This was despite the reported belief of some Knicks coaches who thought Chris Smith wasn’t even qualified to play in the the D-League. The Knicks waived him in December, irking his brother, and Chris Smith wound up heading to play in the D-League, where the BayHawks grabbed his rights.
Chris Smith averaged 8.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 20.8 minutes per game for Erie, though some of his 23 appearances came on assignment while still under contract with the Knicks. The 26-year-old hasn’t played since a five-minute cameo on February 22nd. The Knicks are still on the hook for the Leon Rose client‘s full NBA salary for this season, which is compounded because of luxury tax penalties.
Both Smith brothers signed new contracts with the Knicks this summer, though it appeared that the one the team gave to Chris was in deference to J.R., who won the Sixth Man of the Year award last season. Rose, the agent for both Smiths, is with the Creative Artists Agency, which has close ties to Knicks management. Rose also represents Carmelo Anthony, who plans to opt out of his deal with New York and become a free agent this summer.
Pacific Notes: Nash, Granger, Armstrong
The Clippers have a comfortable lead of four and a half games for first place in the Pacific Division, but the Warriors and Suns are separated by just half a game in their battle with the Mavericks and Grizzlies for one of the final three playoff spots in the Western Conference. There’s plenty at stake at the bottom of the division, too, where the Lakers and Kings are in a three-way tie with the Jazz for the worst record in the West and the improved draft lottery chances that come with that distinction. Here’s the latest from the Pacific:
- Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni doubts that Steve Nash will return this season, but the 40-year-old point guard remains intent on coming back for 2014/15, notes Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times.
- Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders indicated earlier this week that Danny Granger is on a deal for just the rest of this season with the Clippers, but he actually signed a two-year deal with a player option for next season, Pincus clarifies (on Twitter). It’s a minimum-salary contract, and I’d be a little surprised if Granger picks up that option, since he could probably command more as a free agent this summer.
- The Warriors don’t anticipate re-signing Hilton Armstrong to another 10-day contract, tweets Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group. The center made it into only a single game for just seven minutes while on his 10-day deal Golden State, which expired Monday night. The Warriors have invited Armstrong to rejoin their D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz, where the 29-year-old has made 23 appearances this season.
Odds & Ends: Wade, Colangelo, Deng
The Heat seem to be chief in Dwyane Wade‘s mind as he eyes his early termination option this summer, but the decision won’t necessarily be straightforward, as he tells TNT’s David Aldridge, who shared Wade’s thoughts in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com.
“Well, I want to be here,” Wade said. “I think that’s always the things I’ve always said and I’ve always expressed. And after that, I want to win. I don’t want to be in a situation where I’m starting over and I’m rebuilding. I want to win. And I want to be on a team that has an opportunity to do that, and feel like I’m a big part of that. This is where I want to be. But as players, [having] options is good. Because you don’t know what is to happen or what is to come. So for us, I think we’re in a great situation. Guys have options as players, and they can exercise those options. Who knows what that means? But right now, for us, we’re on a very good team. We enjoy each other. We enjoy this city and we enjoy playing for this organization, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.”
Here’s more from Aldridge’s piece and other news from around the league:
- Bryan Colangelo spoke with Aldridge and attempted to walk back his comments from Friday in which he said he tried to tank as GM of the Raptors in 2011/12.
- The Pacers reportedly spoke with the Cavs about Luol Deng before the trade deadline, but Andrew Perna of RealGM hears Indiana had no interest in the soon-to-be free agent (Twitter link).
- The Rockets have recalled Troy Daniels from the D-League, the team announced via Twitter. Daniels had been with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers before the Rockets signed him last month. Houston immediately assigned him back there after inking the deal, which is for the minimum salary, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders notes in an update to the team’s salary page.
2014 Free Agent Power Rankings
With the trade deadline and buyouts behind us, our focus at Hoops Rumors will shift to the summer ahead. There’s an intriguing list of players who could become free agents in the offseason, and we’ll be ranking the top 10 on a regular basis from now until free agency begins in July. Here’s the initial installment of the Hoops Rumors 2014 Free Agent Power Rankings:
- LeBron James — The four-time MVP is keeping mum on whether he’ll enter free agency at all, never mind where he’d sign if he hits the market. Many around the league speculate that the Heat have the inside track to retain him, with the Cavs looming as a possibility, but no one knows for sure. What is clear is that no other player would be as sought after on the market as James would be, even if he comes up empty in his quests for a third straight MVP and a third consecutive title.
- Carmelo Anthony — Last year’s scoring champ has insisted throughout the season that he’ll exercise his early termination option to hit free agency in the summer. He said at the All-Star break that he’d like to return to the Knicks next season, as long with the team’s plan for the future meets with his approval. The qualifier on that statement has led to game-by-game fret among New York writers as the Knicks continue to plummet in the standings. There are hints that the Knicks may be the only team willing to offer a maximum-salary contract, and while I suspect another max-salary suitor will emerge at some point, ‘Melo still has plenty of financial incentive to remain in New York.
- Chris Bosh — The third man in on the Heat’s trio of stars has surpassed Dwyane Wade and many others as he’s helped the Heat win back-to-back titles. He’s taking more three-pointers than ever this season, and making 37.3%, furthering his value as an all-around offensive weapon. The athleticism that allows him to jump out to double-team guards on pick-and-rolls and quickly scramble back to the paint helps state his case as the ultimate small-ball center. He has a $20.59MM early termination option.
- Eric Bledsoe — The Suns intend to match any offer for the soon-to-be restricted free agent point guard, so he’ll probably stay put. The Lakers are apparently thinking of overpaying to make a run at him anyway, so a maximum-salary contract is in play for the 24-year-old.
- Greg Monroe — The Pistons big man is a restricted free agent with a much greater chance of changing teams than Bledsoe has. Agent David Falk has a knack for finding maximum-salary bidders for borderline max-salary players, and with a handful of suitors already lining up, expect a robust market for the former seventh overall pick.
- Luol Deng — The 28-year-old was traded in January and nearly flipped again at the trade deadline, but he’s by no means unwanted. The durable two-way weapon isn’t a superstar, but he could be the missing piece for a team chasing a championship. He won’t come cheaply, since agent Herb Rudoy is reportedly seeking annual salaries north of $13.5MM.
- Lance Stephenson — There appears to be plenty of mutual interest in a new deal with the Pacers, but luxury tax concerns and multiple teams already eyeing the former second-round draft steal could make it tough. He was vastly improved last season, and this year’s averages of 14.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists, all career highs, are demonstrative of an all-around menace.
- Gordon Hayward — The Celtics considered reuniting the former Butler star with college coach Brad Stevens at the trade deadline, but in the aftermath of that report, it appears the Jazz are as high on the swingman as they’ve ever been. Hayward’s game isn’t flashy, but he’ll be just 24 this summer, so they may have to pay dearly to match an offer for him in restricted free agency.
- Dwyane Wade — There’s been more talk about Wade’s knees than his game the past two seasons, but the 32-year-old still plays like a star, averaging just a hair under 20 points, five rebounds and five assists a game. He’s not a maximum-salary player anymore, but he’s still worth yearly pay well into eight-figure territory. The question is how much longer he’ll be that valuable. His decision about whether to exercise his early termination option, and what to do if he does so, will likely be tied to what teammates James and Bosh decide to do.
- Zach Randolph — Another still-productive 32-year-old has expressed his affection for Memphis multiple times, and the Grizzlies reciprocate those feelings. Trade rumors this season nonetheless left the power forward with a sour taste in his mouth, and he’s undecided about a player option worth more than $16.9MM.
These rankings will no doubt change throughout the next few months as players state their cases in the waning weeks of the regular season and the playoffs. Guys with a chance to crack the top 10 later on include Dirk Nowitzki, Rudy Gay, Kyle Lowry and Evan Turner. I’m not listing players under team control for 2014/15, like Tony Parker, who has a partially guaranteed contract.
2013/14 NBA Reverse Standings
For the third straight year, Hoops Rumors is maintaining a feature that allows you to keep an eye on how the summer’s draft order will play out. Throughout the season, our 2013/14 NBA reverse standings, which list the NBA’s 30 teams from worst to first, are updated daily to reflect the outcomes of the games from the previous day.
These reverse standings take into account playoff teams in each conference, so they’re essentially a reflection of what this year’s draft order would look like with no changes to lottery position. Traded picks are also included via footnotes, so, for instance, the note next to Minnesota’s pick indicates that it will be sent to Phoenix if it doesn’t fall within the top eight. Given those conditions, the Timberwolves probably wouldn’t mind seeing the regular season end today, since their pick is currently projected to land 13th overall.
With a little more than six weeks to go in the regular season, draft position is starting to become paramount for many teams, and unlike last year, when there were no legit blue chip prospects to dream about, there’s a lot at stake. This year’s draft class figures to include Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid, Julius Randle, Dante Exum, and Marcus Smart. The general consensus among draft experts is that any one of those players, and perhaps others, would have had been selected first overall if they’d been available in 2013. So, it’s worth getting excited if your favorite team has a shot to land a top pick.
Our reverse standings feature can be found at anytime on our right sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features.” It’s a great resource not just for monitoring a team’s draft position, but also for keeping an eye on whether or not traded picks with protection will be changing hands this year. Be sure to check back often!
Eastern Rumors: Jackson, Riley, Muscala
The Eastern Conference’s glut of struggling teams means the worst clubs in the Western Conference have an advantage as they jockey for lottery position, explains Tom Ziller of SB Nation. East teams don’t have to play as many heavies as their Western Conference counterparts do, leading to more wins and fewer ping-pong balls. That helps perpetuate the East’s mediocrity year after year, Ziller writes. Here’s more from the NBA’s weaker side:
- Phil Jackson tells Sam Amick of USA Today that he remains an “unpaid adviser” to Pistons owner Tom Gores. Jackson, who reiterates that he doesn’t want to coach again, helped the team with its search for former coach Maurice Cheeks, who was fired a couple of weeks ago.
- Another championship coach is feeling no urge to get back to the sidelines, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel observes. “I’m six years out of coaching right now,” Heat president Pat Riley said. “Look at me, man, I’m full of vitality to have some fun. Six years ago, when I was coaching, I would wake up 5:00 a.m. and it was dark and I was depressed. Not anymore.”
- The contract that Mike Muscala signed with the Hawks last week is a four-year pact for the minimum salary, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reveals. This year is fully guaranteed and next season is partially guaranteed for $408K, but the deal otherwise contains no guaranteed salary, Pincus tweets. There’s a team option on the final year.
- Gerald Wallace expressed his displeasure with winding up on a rebuilding Celtics team when the Nets traded him to Boston this summer, but the veteran says he enjoyed his first year in green, as he tells Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe. “I just hope the fans didn’t take offense to me saying I didn’t want to be here as me not wanting to be a part of the organization,” said Wallace, who’s out for the season with a knee injury. “My main thing was the rebuilding process, I didn’t want to go through a whole rebuilding process where you have to start all over 13 years into my career.”
Gerald Wallace To Miss Rest Of Season
SATURDAY, 8:30pm: The Celtics have officially confirmed that Wallace is done for the rest of the season, writes Royce Young of CBSSports.com. Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com tweets that Wallace could have surgery as early as Tuesday.
1:34pm: Wallace has given thought to playing through his injuries, though Ainge thinks he’ll opt for surgery, tweets Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com.
12:50pm: Celtics president of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge confirms that Wallace is out for the season, as Washburn writes in a full story.
FRIDAY, 11:33am: Gerald Wallace has suffered a torn meniscus in his knee and is also dealing with bone spurs, injuries that are likely to keep him out for the rest of 2013/14, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (All Twitter links). Coach Brad Stevens says that the 13th year veteran will be out for an indefinite amount of time, but A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com seconds Washburn’s report, calling the return of Wallace “doubtful” (on Twitter). Wallace’s ailments add to a litany of maladies for the lottery-bound Celtics, who are also missing Vitor Faverani, Kelly Olynyk and Avery Bradley.
Wallace, 31, is by no means the player he once was, as witnessed by his career-low 10.1 PER this year. He’s nonetheless played a significant role in Boston’s rotation, averaging 24.4 minutes per game. The Celtics were unsuccessful in finding a taker before the trade deadline for his inflated contract, which pays him slightly more than $10.1MM each season through 2015/16. His injuries surely won’t help Boston have any more luck trying to trade him in the summer.
Boston added Chris Babb on a 10-day contract today, adding depth to its depleted roster to help make up for the loss of Wallace and others. Still, there’s little incentive for the Celtics to win, as they sit at 20-39, in 12th place in the Eastern Conference and seven games out of the final playoff spot.
Caron Butler Signs With Thunder
The Thunder have signed Caron Butler, the team announced. The Raymond Brothers client spurns the Heat, who had been co-favorites with Oklahoma City. The Bulls, Spurs and Rockets were also in contention for the 12th-year veteran. The deal covers the rest of the season, and perhaps there’s a player option for 2014/15, as Glen Davis recently re
ceived from the Clippers.
“We are pleased to welcome Caron Butler to the Thunder organization and to Oklahoma City,” GM Sam Presti said. “Caron represents what we look for in a Thunder player and will positively impact our team. His toughness. hard-nosed defense, resiliency and highly regarded professionalism will only enhance our depth and bring additional versatility to the roster.”
Oklahoma City had reportedly been seeking a two-way wing player before the trade deadline, and were willing to give up their own 2014 first-round pick to acquire Iman Shumpert from the Knicks. New York turned the Thunder down, and while Butler isn’t quite the defensive presence that Shumpert is, the Thunder appear to be better off, particularly since they’ll get to keep their draft pick and they’re likely making only a minimum-salary investment. Oklahoma City had been carrying just 13 players, so the team didn’t have to make a corresponding move.
Butler, who turns 34 in March, has been enduring one of his worst shooting seasons, connecting on just 38.7% of his shots. He’s still making 36.1% of his three-point attempts, and he averaged 11.0 points in 24.1 minutes per game for Milwaukee, which is close to his native Racine, Wisconsin. Butler’s homecoming this season to the league-worst Bucks was no fairy tale, and the team made him a part of trade talks before agreeing to a buyout this week. It’s unclear how much of this season’s $8MM salary he gave up to pry his way out his contract, which was set to end this summer.
The two-time All-Star goes from the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings to the top of the West with Oklahoma City, which figures to make Butler the backup to Kevin Durant and use them together in small-ball lineups. The early end of OKC’s pursuit of Danny Granger, who wound up picking the Clippers late Thursday night, reportedly led executives around the league to believe the Thunder were confident about their ability to land Butler. Miami had seemed like a natural fit, since the Heat made Butler the 10th overall pick in the 2002 draft, and he played his first two seasons with the team, developing a close relationship with Dwyane Wade, the godfather of one of Butler’s daughters.
Eddie Scarito contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports first reported the agreement, noting that it covered the rest of the season.
Jrue Holiday To Miss Rest Of Season
Jrue Holiday has undergone surgery on his fractured right tibia and will miss the rest of the season, reports Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com. New Orleans is already without starting center Jason Smith for the balance of 2013/14, and Ryan Anderson is likely out for the season, too.
The Pelicans received a Disabled Player Exception for Anderson worth $4,154,250, but it’s too late to apply for another such exception to compensate for Smith or Anderson. New Orleans probably won’t use the majority of its Anderson exception, which expires March 10th, since most available players would command only the minimum salary. The Pelicans received the exception shortly before the deadline, but the team didn’t make a move.
There’s little motivation for the Pelicans to push for the playoffs at this point, since they’re 10 games out of the postseason and in 12th place in the Western Conference. They’re four games up on the Celtics, who hold the fifth-worst record in the league, and if the Pelicans’ draft pick winds up in the top five this year, they get to keep it rather than send it to the Sixers. They agreed to surrender the first-rounder to Philadelphia in last summer’s trade to acquire Holiday.
The 23-year-old point guard hasn’t played since January 8th because of the injury. Holiday averaged 14.3 points and 7.9 assists per game with a career-high 17.4 PER this season, the first on a four-year, $41MM extension he signed while still with the Sixers.