Western Notes: Rondo, Hornacek, Randle, Simmons
Rajon Rondo said he has “no regrets” about his brief, tumultuous Mavericks tenure, calling Mark Cuban a “great guy” an interview with Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Rondo said he and Rick Carlisle both tried their best to get on same page but couldn’t and insisted a back injury was the reason he didn’t play after Game 2 of the team’s playoff series against the Rockets last year, even though MacMahon reported that the injury was a ruse. Rondo admitted after MacMahon pressed him that he and the Mavs organization “had some talks” regarding his departure. The ESPN scribe asked the point guard whether he felt as though it perhaps would have hurt the team if he stuck around for the remainder of the playoff series.
“I think it ended up hurting anyway,” Rondo said. “But me just sticking around, I didn’t want any more tension between myself and Rick and all the media attention that it was getting. People were seeing stuff on the floor, like making up plays that I took off, and it’s like, some plays I might take off to this day. I mean, I was tired, so you just never know. I just wanted to get out of there and just lay low and had a talk with my agent. But that’s water under the bridge.”
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- Suns higher-ups are fond of Jeff Hornacek and don’t want to fire him, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com hears, but the situation in Phoenix is worsening, Windhorst writes. Still, while coaching changes around the league don’t appear to have a measurable positive effect, it doesn’t seem as though teams will be any less hesitant to make bench bosses pay for poor on-court results, the ESPN scribe contends amid a broader piece.
- Byron Scott‘s handling of the young players on the Lakers has drawn criticism, and his relationship with Julius Randle has been up-and-down, with the coach on Monday imploring the 2014 No. 7 overall pick to “grow up,” as Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com details.
- The most significant offseason acquisition for the Spurs admits he didn’t know much about Jonathon Simmons, perhaps the most anonymous of the new Spurs, when camp began, but LaMarcus Aldridge and the rest of the NBA are learning just what the rookie can do, notes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. Simmons had a career-high 18 points Monday. “[The Spurs] always try to find guys they can fit into the system, and he’s no exception to that,” Aldridge said. “He’s the energy guy we need, and he’s gotten better every game.”
2015/16 NBA Reverse Standings
The 2015/16 NBA season covers 24 weeks, and we’ve already burned through 10 of them. The fate of many teams has become apparent, and scouts and executives for teams around the league are getting a clearer picture of where they’ll be picking in the 2016 NBA draft. With our Reverse Standings, which list the NBA’s 30 teams from worst to first, you can easily follow along, too. Hoops Rumors is continuing to update these standings daily to reflect the outcomes of the games that took place the night before.
The Reverse Standings take into account playoff teams in each conference, so they’re essentially a reflection of what the 2016 first-round order would look like with no changes to lottery position. Traded picks are included via footnotes. For instance, the note next to Sacramento’s pick indicates that if the team finishes outside the top 10, it’ll relinquish the pick to the Bulls. If the Kings wind up in the top 10, they have a chance to keep the pick, though the Sixers would have the right to switch it out for their pick. The Kings are currently in spot No. 10, so it’s a situation that bears watching the rest of the season.
The existence of the lottery means the teams atop the Reverse Standings aren’t guaranteed to draft in the order in which they finish, but the worse a club’s record, the better shot it has at landing the cream of the 2016 draft class. This year’s group of prospects, which includes Ben Simmons, Brandon Ingram and Dragan Bender, is heavy on frontcourt players, and we’ll be finding out more about them in the month ahead with posts under our 2016 NBA Draft tag.
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 in 2016. Be sure to check back often!
Central Notes: Jennings, Tolliver, Prunty, Gibson
Brandon Jennings isn’t sure whether the Pistons will trade him, but he said Monday that he hopes he’ll finish the season in Detroit, MLive’s David Mayo notes. Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy will listen to offers but has consistently attempted to tamp down trade rumors involving the point guard who’s successfully returned from injury, Mayo writes.
“Our plan, right now, is that Brandon can help us make a playoff push, and that’s what we’re going to do,” Van Gundy said. “That’s our plan right now. If something happens in the next five weeks, we’ll look at it. But right now, he’s a very good player who can help us, and that’s the only way we’re looking at him.”
Jennings called his one-game D-League rehab stint critical to his comeback, as Mayo also relays, and Reggie Jackson continued his praise of Jennings, calling him “the ultimate teammate,” as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press details. See more on the Pistons and the rest of the Central Division:
- Soon-to-be free agent Anthony Tolliver wants to re-sign with the Pistons in the offseason, as he wrote recently on his personal blog and as Aaron McCann of MLive points out. “I want to have a good, solid season and help my team win as much as possible,” Tolliver wrote. “And then when I’m a free agent this summer, I hope to sign back with Detroit and try to make this a long-term home for my family and me.”
- Bucks interim coach Joe Prunty got his start in the NBA with the Spurs, and he’s using Gregg Popovich as a model for success, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel details. Still, head coach Jason Kidd remains influential, and Prunty said he and the rest of the coaching staff keep in close contact with Kidd, who’s on a leave of absence as he recovers from hip surgery.
- The offseason surgery that uncovered and repaired a torn ligament in Taj Gibson‘s formerly troublesome left ankle has the trade candidate feeling much better, notes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. “I’m completely stronger as far as my lateral movement and being able to switch more to guards,” the Bulls power forward said. “I feel a lot faster.”
Where Are They Now?: Amnestied Players
Elton Brand and the Sixers pulled off an unusual kind of reunion today, as Brand signed with the team that waived him via the amnesty clause in 2012. Few teams revisit the players they essentially admitted they made a mistake in signing, and on top of that, teams are barred from re-signing the players they amnesty until their amnestied contracts expire.
Brand only had one year left on his deal when the Sixers released him, so his return to Philadelphia has theoretically been possible since 2013. Still, it would have been hard to envision such a move from Sixers GM Sam Hinkie, who took control of the team shortly before Brand became eligible to re-sign with the team, at least until chairman of basketball operations Jerry Colangelo came aboard in December.
However, this isn’t the only example of an amnestied player rejoining the team that let him go. The Lakers and Metta World Peace hooked up on a non-guaranteed deal in the offseason, though their renewed relationship is liable to end this week, with Thursday looming as the final day for the Lakers to waive him before his full salary becomes guaranteed.
Four other players amnestied after the provision was reintroduced in the 2011 collective bargaining agreement are still in the NBA, though they’re on different teams than the ones that amnestied them. Oddly, Mike Miller, whom the Heat amnestied, is playing with the Nuggets, while Chris Andersen, whom the Nuggets amnestied, is with the Heat. Here’s a look at the whereabouts of each player amnestied since 2011. Note that this doesn’t include those amnestied during the 2005 window:
76ers: Elton Brand (2012) — Re-signed with Sixers today.
Bulls: Carlos Boozer (2014) — Free agent; reportedly met with Bucks recently.
Bucks: Drew Gooden (2013) — Playing with Wizards.
Cavaliers: Baron Davis (2011) — Free agent
Celtics: Unused
Clippers: Ryan Gomes (2012) — Free agent
Grizzlies: Unused
Hawks: Unused
Heat: Mike Miller (2013) — Playing with Nuggets.
Hornets: Tyrus Thomas (2013) — Playing in Germany with Eisbären Bremerhaven.
Jazz: Unused
Kings:Unused
Knicks: Chauncey Billups — Retired
Lakers: Metta World Peace (2013) — Playing with Lakers again on non-guaranteed deal.
Magic: Gilbert Arenas (2011) — Free agent
Mavericks: Brendan Haywood (2012) — Free agent
Nets: Travis Outlaw (2011) — Free agent
Nuggets: Chris Andersen (2012) — Playing with Heat.
Pacers: James Posey (2011) — Retired; assistant coach for Cavaliers.
Pelicans: Unused
Pistons: Unused
Raptors: Linas Kleiza (2013) — Free agent
Rockets: Luis Scola (2012) — Playing with Raptors.
Spurs: Unused
Suns: Josh Childress (2012) — Playing in Australia with the Sydney Kings.
Thunder: Unused
Timberwolves: Darko Milicic (2012) — Retired
Trail Blazers: Brandon Roy (2011) — Free agent
Warriors: Charlie Bell (2011) — Free agent
Wizards: Andray Blatche (2012) — Playing in China for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers.
Western Notes: Pierce, Knight, Morris, Jackson
Paul Pierce has re-emerged as a starter for the Clippers, save for his game off for rest Saturday, and his basketball IQ is helping fuel a resurgence for a team that struggled to start the season, even with Blake Griffin injured, as TNT’s David Aldridge examines in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. Pierce enjoyed his time with the Wizards last season, but the chance to play in his hometown was too enticing for him to pass up the chance to sign with the Clips in the summer, as he tells Aldridge.
“I think that I looked at the team and I thought that they really had the chance to win the championship, and for me, on top of that, my family,” Pierce said. “It was a combination of things.”
The Clippers have won six straight have only a Wednesday game at Portland before a five-game homestand that begins Saturday. See more from the Western Conference:
- The Suns erred when they put Brandon Knight and Markieff Morris in leadership positions and should have made retaining Goran Dragic a greater priority, Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding argues.
- Players on D-League teams affiliated with Pacific Division clubs dominate the list of 10-day contract candidates that Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders compiled. Elliot Williams (Warriors), Earl Clark (Suns), Erick Green (Kings), Terrico White (Suns), Darington Hobson (Warriors) and Vince Hunter (Kings) are among the names on Taylor’s list. We went in-depth on 10-day contracts earlier today in advance of Tuesday’s start of the 10-day signing period.
- Former NBA second-round pick Pierre Jackson has signed with the D-League, where the Jazz affiliate holds his rights, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Jackson impressed in the D-League during the 2013/14 season but suffered a torn Achilles tendon the following summer. The Sixers, who picked him 42nd overall in 2013, have signed him each of the past two offseasons, but he’s failed to appear on Philly’s regular season roster.
Atlantic Notes: Nets, Knicks, Valanciunas, Carroll
The Nets are actively exploring the trade market for upgrades in the near and long term, league sources tell Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. Their desire to win more now is rooted in their desire to show this summer’s free agents that they’re making strides, as one source explained to Bulpett, as well as the lack of an incentive to tank, given that they owe their 2016 first-rounder to the Celtics without protection. Bulpett also intimates that the Nets want to make the pick that they owe the C’s as low in the order as possible to avoid the embarrassment and potential fan alienation of having traded away a top pick, though it’s unclear if that’s truly behind Brooklyn’s thinking. In any case, Nets GM Billy King said earlier today that although he’ll apply for a disabled player exception, he doesn’t think any point guards on the market could improve the team in the wake of starting point guard Jarrett Jack‘s season-ending injury. See more from the Atlantic Division:
- The crosstown Knicks are looking to upgrade at the point, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post, who looks at a few potential options for the club.
- More conservative use of Jonas Valanciunas on defense has allowed the Raptors to become about as efficient defensively with Valanciunas on the floor as they are with offseason signee Bismack Biyombo, a noted stopper, observes Eric Koreen of the National Post. Still, Valanciunas has his limitations that make it easy to see why his defense was the most significant question surrounding the team’s decision to sign him to a four-year, $64MM extension this past offseason, as Koreen examines.
- It’s been a frustrating, injury-filled season for DeMarre Carroll, but Toronto’s prize offseason acquisition has still been a help to the Raptors, writes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca.
Hoops Rumors Glossary: 10-Day Contracts
Tuesday marks the renewal of the annual tradition of the ultimate on-the-job tryout in professional sports. The 10-day contract has been the foot in the door for several players who’ve gone on to lengthy, successful NBA careers, like Anthony Mason, Bruce Bowen, Raja Bell, Kurt Rambis, Howard Eisley and several others. More recently, C.J. Watson saw his first NBA action on a pair of 10-day contracts with the Warriors in 2008, and he’s since blossomed into a sought-after backup point guard. He signed a three-year, $15MM deal with the Magic this past offseason.
Ten-day deals also help veterans make comebacks. Chris Andersen languished in free agency for six months after the Nuggets used the amnesty clause to get rid of him, but a pair of 10-day contracts with the Heat in 2013 kick-started a revival for the Birdman. He wound up signing for the rest of the season that year and played a key role in Miami’s championship run. Andersen reprised that role on a guaranteed minimum-salary contract the next season, and that led the Heat to re-sign him in 2014 to a two-year, $10.375MM deal.
Andersen’s Heat teammate, former first-round pick Gerald Green, had been out of the league for three years when he made a splash during his pair of 10-day deals with the Nets in 2011/12. That earned him a contract for the rest of the season, and he parlayed 12.9 points and 48.1% shooting in 25.2 minutes per game for the Nets into a three-year, $10.5MM contract with the Pacers the following summer. He took a discount to sign with the Heat for one year at the minimum salary this past offseason, but his revamped defensive game and sizable role in the Heat’s rotation suggest that he’ll command much more in free agency this coming summer.
Still, the 10-day is usually a fleeting glimpse at NBA life for players on pro basketball’s fringe. Only a small fraction of last year’s 10-day signees remain in the league, as I noted last month. Hunter Atkins of The New York Times profiled the player whom Green replaced on the Nets roster, chronicling what turned out to be only a brief passage through the league for 10-day signee Andre Emmett. Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated took a similarly revealing look at the life of Zabian Dowdell as he tried to make the most of a 10-day with the Suns in 2010/11. Dowdell hasn’t played in the NBA since that season.
Teams can sign a player to as many as two 10-day contracts before committing to him for the rest of the season, or, as in many cases, turning him away. Ten-day deals are almost always for a prorated portion of the minimum salary, though they can be for more. A minimum-salary 10-day contract for a rookie this season is worth $30,888, or 10/170ths of the full-season rookie minimum salary. A one-year veteran would make $49,709. A minimum-salary 10-day deal with any veteran of two or more seasons would represent a cost of $55,722 to the team. Veterans of greater than two seasons would see more than that, but the league would pay the extra freight. However, teams gain no financial advantage if they eschew 10-day contracts with more experienced players to sign rookies or one-year veterans to 10-day deals in an effort to avoid the tax, as those deals count the same as the ones for two-year veterans when the league calculates a team’s salary for tax purposes.
Teams have to pay slightly more if they sign a player to a 10-day contract and they have fewer than three games on their schedule over that 10-day period. In those cases, the length of the 10-day contract is extended so that it covers three games for the team. It’s rare that any team would have such a light schedule, since most play at least three games a week, but the rule came into play in February 2015 with the Pistons and John Lucas III. Detroit signed him to a 10-day contract after its final game prior to the All-Star break, which the NBA lengthened last season. The Pistons played only three games in the 13 days that followed the signing, so Lucas was essentially on a 13-day deal. He received 13 days’ worth of prorated minimum salary, meaning the pact was worth more than a standard 10-day contract. The All-Star break will be just as long in 2016 it was in 2015, so the situation could repeat itself.
Teams may terminate 10-day contracts before they run to term, and that happened on multiple occasions last season, such as when the Sixers ended their 10-day contract with Tim Frazier a day early so they could claim Thomas Robinson off waivers. Players who see their 10-day contracts end early don’t go on waivers, so they become free agents immediately. Still, those players receive their full 10-day salaries, as the contracts are fully guaranteed for the 10 days.
Teams like the Rockets and Nets, who are perilously close to the hard cap and luxury tax threshold, respectively, may be wary of bringing anybody aboard via 10-day contract. Other teams may make liberal use of 10-day deals, in part because they’re relatively inexpensive. The Clippers, who paid the luxury tax and narrowly ducked their hard cap, handed out seven 10-day contracts last season, more than all but two other teams.
Usually, teams only have one player on a 10-day contract at a time, though they’re allowed to carry as many 10-day contracts as they have players on the inactive list. If a team has 13 players on the active list, it can carry one more 10-day contract than the number of inactive players it has, meaning that if a team has a full 15-man roster, as many as three of those players may be on 10-day deals.
Veterans whom NBA teams have recently released, like Tony Wroten, Russ Smith and Phil Pressey, figure to draw consideration for 10-day contracts, as should notable players who’ve gone unsigned this season, like Carlos Boozer and Glen Davis. D-League standouts like Elliot Williams, Sean Kilpatrick and Jimmer Fredette could all find paths to the NBA via 10-day contracts, and hopefuls from the D-League will make their cases to scouts at the five-day D-League showcase, which runs this week from Wednesday through Sunday.
Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ was used in the creation of this post.
Versions of this post were initially published on January 5th, 2013, January 4th, 2014 and January 5th, 2015.
Sixers Sign Elton Brand
12:48am: The sigining is official, the team announced via press release.
11:45am: Brand confirms that he’ll sign with the Sixers in a piece written for Sports Illustrated’s “The Cauldron” blog, noting that Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski helped convince him to return to play. “I’m not coming here to hold Jahlil [Okafor]’s hand — or anyone else’s, for that matter — because that’s not what he needs,” Brand wrote in part. “But I do believe my experience and wisdom can benefit him and my other young teammates. It’s about communicating with them like men, starting to grow together, and — hopefully, eventually — winning some ballgames. That’s what Sam Hinkie and I talked about when he approached me about joining the team, and what has me so excited about this opportunity.”
The Sixers are reportedly waiving Christian Wood to make room for Brand, as we detail here.
10:40am: The Sixers plan to sign Elton Brand today, league sources tell Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). It’s not clear what sort of deal Brand will end up with, though it could be a 10-day contract if the sides hold off until Tuesday. TNT’s David Aldridge first reported last month that the Sixers were talking with the former No. 1 overall pick, though it wasn’t clear whether it was about a playing, coaching or front office role. Zach Lowe of ESPN.com identified Brand, who turns 37 in March, as a name to keep an eye on with new chairman of basketball operations Jerry Colangelo seemingly poised to add veterans. Philadelphia has 15 players already, so it would appear a corresponding move will be necessary.
Brand hinted over the summer that he was ready to retire, though he didn’t commit to the idea. He spent the past two seasons as a reserve on the Hawks, but he indicated in August that neither Atlanta nor another NBA team had made him an offer for this season.
The Sixers had Brand for four seasons before waiving him via amnesty in the summer of 2012. The Mavs soon thereafter submitted a partial claim to snag him off amnesty waivers. Philadelphia wasn’t eligible to bring him back while his amnestied contract was still in effect, but it expired in 2013.
Philadelphia has nine fully guaranteed contracts, though the Sixers haven’t been reluctant to waive guaranteed salaries of late, with Tony Wroten‘s Christmas Eve release the latest example. T.J. McConnell and Christian Wood have partially guaranteed salaries but have already earned more than their partially guaranteed amounts, meaning the Sixers wouldn’t owe them any more if they waived them today. Robert Covington, JaKarr Sampson, Ish Smith and Hollis Thompson have non-guaranteed salaries, though none of them appear to be likely waiver candidates.
Do you think Brand is the right veteran influence for the Sixers? Leave a comment to tell us.
Nets To Apply For Disabled Player Exception
The Nets will apply for a disabled player exception to compensate for the loss of starting point guard Jarrett Jack to a season-ending right knee injury, GM Billy King said today to reporters, including Brian Lewis of the New York Post (on Twitter). King nonetheless said he’s not sure that the team will use it, saying that no point guard on the market at present would “move the needle” and that he would like to give current Nets point guards Shane Larkin and Donald Sloan opportunities to fill the void, observes Andy Vasquez of The Record (Twitter links).
The Nets have to formally submit their application for the exception by January 15th, and while it seems likely the league will grant it, the team will have only until March 10th to use it. The exception would be worth $3.15MM, half of Jack’s $6.3MM salary for this season. The team could use it to sign a player to a deal for the rest of the season. Brooklyn could also claim a player off waivers making that amount or less on an expiring contract. The Nets can use the value of the exception plus $100K to accommodate a player via trade, but, as with a waiver claim, that only works if the player is in the final year of his deal.
Brooklyn is about $2MM shy of the luxury tax threshold, so it’s unlikely the team uses the full value of the exception unless it sheds other salary via trade or waiver. Sloan is the only Nets player without a full guarantee on his contract, but Hollins’ comment suggests the Nets will keep him past Thursday, the last day the team could waive him before his salary becomes fully guaranteed.
Do you agree or disagree with King’s assessment that no point guard on the market would move the needle for the Nets? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Suns Notes: Sarver, Morris, Hornacek
Suns owner Robert Sarver takes at least partial responsibility for failing to establish a championship culture on the team, but the owner nonetheless believes that larger generational issues are at play as the Suns continue to falter, as he tells Dan Bickley of The Arizona Republic.
“I’m not sure it’s just the NBA,” Sarver said to Bickley. “My whole view of the millennial culture is that they have a tough time dealing with setbacks, and Markieff Morris is the perfect example. He had a setback with his brother in the offseason and he can’t seem to recover from it. I’m not sure if it’s the technology or the instant gratification of being online. But the other thing is, I’m not a fan of social media. I tell my kids it’s like Fantasy Land. The only thing people put online are good things that happen to them, or things they make up. And it creates unrealistic expectations. We’ve had a number of setbacks this year that have taken their toll on us, and we haven’t been resilient. Therefore, it’s up to our entire organization to step up their game.”
The Suns, who’ve dropped nine games in a row, scored a franchise-low 22 points in the first half of last night’s loss to the Lakers, who are the least efficient defensive team in the NBA. See more from the Western Conference:
- Morris isn’t upset about the owner’s remark about him, but he doesn’t agree that he has difficulty fighting through adversity, notes Ben Golliver of SI.com. “Whatever [Sarver] said is whatever he said. I don’t get into that stuff. It didn’t bother me at all,” Morris said. “I’m from Philly. I’ve been through adversity my whole life. That’s what I’ve got to say about that. … He’s the owner. It’s his team. He can say what he wants.”
- Sarver himself shows an inability to properly tackle challenges with his ill-timed comment, Golliver argues in the same piece, and coach Jeff Hornacek is being forced to deal with a roster that doesn’t fit, the SI scribe contends.
- The team’s refusal to pick up its option for next season on Hornacek’s contract and GM Ryan McDonough‘s failure at times to recognize the need for communication and veteran leadership are some of the problems at hand, Bickley believes, as he writes in the piece linked above. Bickley also thinks the team wants Hornacek to improve his ability to handle the team’s psyche.
- We passed along news on Phoenix’s reported interest in Mike D’Antoni right here.