Five Key Stories: 9/22/18 – 9/29/18
In case you missed any of this week’s biggest NBA stories, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Listed below are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days.
After declaring last week that Jimmy Butler is indeed available, it was reported this week that Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor wants the trade to be completed as soon as possible, ordering GM Scott Layden to start aggressively pursuing a trade. Yet, it was also reported that coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau met with Butler on Monday in an attempt to coax Butler to rejoin the team. Butler reportedly declined. The Cavaliers, Rockets, and Heat are the latest teams to have reported interest in trading for Butler, with Miami as the reported favorite.
In other, more positive Timberwolves’ news, the team has officially signed All-NBA big man Karl-Anthony Towns to a five-year, super-max salary contract extension. The deal could end up paying Towns as much as $190MM over five years. Terms of the contract enable Towns to earn 30% of the team’s salary cap by making an All-NBA team or by being named MVP or Defensive Player of the Year this season. If Towns doesn’t meet the super-max criteria, his new deal would start at 25% of the cap rather than 30%. Towns’ new deal does not contain any options.
The Knicks and Joakim Noah are finally close to a buyout agreement after months of speculation that a deal would get done. The buyout was expected to be finalized either Monday or Tuesday, but it’s still in the works. When the deal gets done, it’s almost certain to be a waive and stretch agreement with Noah likely retaining most of his guaranteed salary. Regardless of when the agreement is finalized, Noah has not and will not report to training camp. He has been away from the team since he was suspended in January for a clash with ex-coach Jeff Hornacek over playing time.
Veteran NBA forward Mirza Teletovic is retiring from basketball after being diagnosed with pulmonary emboli in both lungs while playing for the Bucks last season. Teletovic, 33, has accepted an offer to become the new president of the Bosnian Basketball Federation. When reports surfaced in the winter suggesting that Teletovic’s playing career was likely over, the six-year NBA veteran denied it. However, he was waived by Milwaukee the following week, so his retirement decision seemingly appears to be motivated by his health issues. Teletovic averaged 8.1 PPG and 3.2 RPG in 324 regular season contests with the Nets, Suns, and Bucks over his NBA career.
Bulls power forward Lauri Markkanen will be out for an estimated 6-to-8 weeks after suffering a high-grade right lateral elbow sprain during practice on Thursday. Markkanen underwent an MRI on Friday. Markkanen had an outstanding rookie campaign, averaging 15.2 PPG and 7.5 RPG in 29.7 MPG while appearing in 68 contests. With the second-year man out, the Bulls will likely thrust Bobby Portis into a starting role or move Jabari Parker from small forward to the four spot and start Justin Holiday or Denzel Valentine.
Here are 10 more notable NBA headlines from the last week:
- The Warriors entered training camp without swingman Patrick McCaw, who continues to contemplate the team’s $1.7MM qualifying offer.
- The Bucks have signed reserve point guard Tim Frazier to their training camp roster.
- Pelicans’ superstar forward Anthony Davis has signed with agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports.
- Heat forward James Johnson hasn’t been medically cleared for contact and may not be ready for the team’s season opener.
- In other Butler news, the Kings and their cap space are open to facilitating a three-team deal with the Wolves involving Butler.
- Former second-overall pick Derrick Williams has agreed to a contract with Bayern Munich in Germany.
- The NBA has announced that it will make fourth quarters of certain games available for purchase this season.
- Mavericks forward Harrison Barnes may miss the preseason due to a hamstring injury he suffered in practice.
- Longtime NBA head coach Stan Van Gundy has been hired as an NBA studio analyst by ESPN.
- The Lakers have hired Kurt Rambis as their senior basketball advisor to president of basketball operations, Magic Johnson.
Parker Bullish About Young Bulls’ Chemistry
Some may look at the signing of Jabari Parker as a bit of a double-edged sword, writes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, but Parker sees his addition to the Bulls as another weapon for head coach Fred Hoiberg to utilize as opposed to another body who may take shots away from the threesome of Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine, and Lauri Markkanen.
“Those days we had in the gym two weeks ago were very central for us and especially for me,” Parker said. “I got a chance to see those guys up front. It’s different playing with them than against them. I finally got a chance to know here I need to be on the floor and my strengths and things I need to work on.”
“It’s going to take time, like anything else. I can’t put a date on it. But once we figure out each other and start to jell, we’ll see results. Chemistry is key with those guys. The ball is going to be in their hands a lot. Hopefully I can feed off them.”
Luckily for the Bulls, Parker, Markkanen, and LaVine all shoot at roughly the same frequency. For his career, Parker has taken 12.6 shot attempts per game, while Markkanen attempted 12.7 shots per game as a rookie and LaVine has averaged 11.7 attempts in the NBA since being drafted in 2014. Meanwhile, Dunn will be tasked with making sure the ball gets distributed as needed.
“Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been playing with these guys, getting a feel of each player,” Dunn said. “I have great chemistry with Lauri. Zach, he’s easy to play with because he’s a knockdown shooter. Jabari, he’s an unselfish player, a slasher. And Wendell (Carter Jr.) is another unselfish player who doesn’t need the ball.”
Dunn, LaVine, Parker, and Markkanen will likely all start next to veteran Robin Lopez, but Carter’s minutes should increase as the season goes on, with sixth man Bobby Portis rounding out the team’s young core. Parker will also be able to slide to power forward and play alongside Portis or Carter when Markkanen is on the bench.
Pelicans Notes: Davis, Jack, Payton, Randle
In a piece by Brett Martel of the Associated Press, Pelicans star power forward Anthony Davis dismissed the idea that his decision to hire Klutch Sports’ Rich Paul as new representation meant he was setting the stage for a departure from the Big Easy.
That being said, Davis can reach the free agent market in two years and has increasing leverage to control where he plays, so it’s understandable that Pelicans’ fans seemed to become a little paranoid when Davis made a change, especially after Chris Paul left New Orleans in his prime shortly after he changed agents.
“It was just for where I am right now in my career — what I’m trying to do — I thought the change was necessary,” Davis said Monday during media day. “That’s all it was… I’m (in New Orleans). I want to focus on winning this year with the squad that we have. We have a good squad.”
There’s more out of New Orleans:
- In some interesting but not so pressing news, Will Guillory of The Athletic relays that newly-acquired veteran point guard Jarrett Jack has interest in becoming a coach after he retires.
- In a full article for The Athletic, Guillory asks whether free agent acquisition, point guard Elfrid Payton, can overtake Rajon Rondo‘s role with the team and excel in head coach Alvin Gentry‘s guard-friendly, up-tempo system.
- Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com writes that Davis and fellow Kentucky alum Julius Randle are very excited to share the court together this season after mostly competing against each other in pick-up games all summer.
Wizards Notes: Leonsis, Howard, Contracts
It’s been a nice year for Wizards‘ owner Ted Leonsis, reports Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. The 61-year-old billionaire saw his Capitals win the Stanley Cup in June and the Wizards opened a new practice facility, the St. Elizabeth East Entertainment and Sports Arena, just last week.
So perhaps you can’t blame him when he says that there are “no excuses” for the Wizards anymore and that it’s time for the team to accomplish their goals.
“We need to raise the expectations. We have to make the playoffs. I’d like us to win 50 games. I’d like us to go to the ECF,” Leonsis told Hughes. “We have one of the highest payrolls in the league, beautiful, world-class practice facility. (The Wizards) are healthy entering the year, (so) no excuses. Let’s play ball.”
Leonsis feels that he’s done his part, giving the team the necessary resources to succeed. He also cited the Capitals recent success as proof the Wizards can reach their goals.
“We’ve proven that there is no [D.C. sports] curse,” Leonsis said. “If we are patient and work hard and are committed to continuous improvement than (the Wizards) can win a championship.”
There’s more from D.C. this evening:
- The AP initially reported that newly-acquired Wizards’ center Dwight Howard may miss the start of training camp with a sore back, and pursuant to a tweet from the team itself, it appears as though Howard did indeed miss the first day of practice, with head coach Scott Brooks telling reporters the veteran center is day-to-day.
- In another article for NBC Sports Washington, Hughes talks about how the Wizards are set to begin the 2018/19 season with seven players on expiring contracts, yet still believe that the added dynamic will not affect the success of the club, with players understanding that winning will raise each individual player’s value more than individual statistics could.
- As we relayed last week, the Wizards signed both forward Lavoy Allen and guard Chasson Randle to training camp deals before beginning training camp this week.
NYC Notes: Fizdale, Musa, Hardaway, Crabbe
The Knicks have not been a very good basketball team for years and new head coach David Fizdale knows it. So when a reporter asked him if his starting lineups will be dictated by anything other than “best player plays,” he had an adamant response, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Enes Kanter and Tim Hardaway Jr., both starters last season, will make $18.6MM and $17.3MM this year, respectively, while Courtney Lee will make a cool $12.3MM in 2018/19. And while Kanter and Hardaway will likely start again this season for the Knicks, the other three positions remain open, especially with franchise player Kristaps Porzingis out with injury.
Fizdale has already been quoted as saying he prefers a bigger guy at the small forward slot, so it’s likely Knicks’ rookie lottery selection Kevin Knox or newcomer Mario Hezonja will start, but Fizdale still hasn’t decided on any lineups to start the season.
“Oh gosh, probably after the last preseason game,” Fizdale said when asked when he’ll make his decision on a Knicks’ lineup. “Because a guy might play great or do a great job the first game then not show up the next three or four, but another guy plays awful early and he starts revving it up late. (So) I don’t think it’s fair for me to start making decisions until we get out of training camp. Training camp for me is all the way up until the end.”
There’s more out of the Big Apple this evening:
- Nets rookie forward Dzanan Musa told reporters at media day (per Bryan Fonseca of NetsDaily) that the Nets were one of the last teams he spoke with during the pre-draft process. Musa met with the team the day before the draft, but did not participate in a workout. Per Fonseca, the Nets scouted Musa extensively when he played overseas.
- Steve Popper of Newsday reports that Hardaway Jr. and his teammates are happy with the Knicks‘ apparent decision to pass on a trade for Jimmy Butler, saying that the players now feel a lot better as a team.
- Speaking of Butler’ trade buzz, Nets guard Allen Crabbe says he’s heard the rumors come up with his name, but he’s not letting it become a distraction, telling Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily that he’s concentrated on continuing to get better and work hard.
Nets’ Caris LeVert Poised For Breakout Season
Despite being linked to a potential trade for Jimmy Butler, Nets guard Caris LeVert is ready for a breakout year in Brooklyn during this, his third season, reports Brian Lewis of the New York Post.
“I feel like it’s definitely my turn to take a big leap,” LeVert said. “It’s obviously good to hear from my teammates, because I feel like I put in a lot of work on and off the court, mentally, physically, and I feel like I’m ready to take that leap for sure.”
LeVert, who averaged 12.1 points and 4.2 assists last season, is expected to improve upon those and other numbers this season, as the Nets are convinced he has far more talent to tap – so much so that they have reportedly already turned down a mid-first-round pick for LeVert and possibly held him out of any potential talks for Butler, per Lewis.
“I focus on myself and getting better every day. I can’t control [trades], so I don’t really focus on them,” said the 24-year-old. “If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I’m very blessed to be in this situation. I love this team. I want to play here for a long time, but I know it’s a business.”
If there’s any one specific thing that will help LeVert take that next step, it’s likely his strength development. He worked all offseason closely alongside Nets’ director of sports science, Dan Meehan, mostly working on lower body strength and conditioning.
“Finishing, defense, every part of my game was lacking with my lower body strength,” LeVert said. “Balance was one of the big things that was lacking for me last year and the year before that. My lower-body strength has definitely helped with that. Finishing at the rim, guarding bigger players defensively, that will definitely help a lot.”
LeVert will likely begin the 2018/19 season coming off the bench in a backup role to D’Angelo Russell and Allen Crabbe. But if expectations come to fruition, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him starting before season’s end.
Bucks Sign Tim Frazier
In addition to officially adding Shabazz Muhammad and Christian Wood to its roster, the Bucks have also signed free agent point guard Tim Frazier, per an official release from the team.
Frazier spent last season with the Wizards, appearing in 59 games (11 starts) and averaging 3.0 points, 3.3 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 14.2 minutes per contest. The 6-foot guard from Penn State has played four seasons in the NBA with career averages of 5.2 points, 4.0 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 186 career games.
While it may seem like a long shot for Frazier to make the roster, there are really only two other true point guards on the roster in Eric Bledsoe and Matthew Dellavedova, so Frazier perhaps has better than an outside chance to earn a spot on the 15-man roster.
Southeast Notes: Parker, Clifford, Carter, Jackson
In a wide-ranging Q&A session with Matt Rochinski of Hornets.com, newly-signed veteran point guard Tony Parker discusses what brought him to Charlotte, his expectations for the upcoming season and more.
In regard to why he chose the Hornets, Parker says that he just wanted to do something different and experience something new. “I’ve been with the Spurs for a long time – 17 years… I know it sounds simple – but I just wanted to see something else – go to the East Coast and go do something else in the NBA.”
Parker also touched upon the close relationship he has with Hornets’ forward Nicolas Batum, a longtime teammate of Parker’s on the French national team, and new head coach James Borrego, who was a longtime Spurs’ assistant coach before taking the head job in Charlotte.
Parker also added that having his idol, Hornets’ owner Michael Jordan, reach out to him factored into his decision. For a more in-depth look into Parker’s mindset heading into the 2018/19 season, make sure to check out the entire interview transcript.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- In a Q&A with John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com, New Magic head coach Steve Clifford seems to be concentrating on returning the franchise to its relative glory days from 2009 and 2010, when Clifford was an assistant coach under Stan Van Gundy on an Orlando squad that reached the NBA Finals in 2009 and the Eastern Conference Finals in 2010.
- The Heat have hired former NBA guard Anthony Carter to its coaching staff as a Player Development Coach after he spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach with the team’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Carter will specifically help with implementing Miami’s player development and mentorship programs within the Skyforce.
- According to Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days, Magic 2018 NBA Draft selection Justin Jackson is expected to sign a G League contract with the Lakeland Magic and become a domestic draft-and-stash prospect.
Five Key Stories: 9/15/18 – 9/22/18
In case you missed any of this week’s biggest NBA stories, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Listed below are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days.
After months of drama in Minnesota, All-NBA swingman Jimmy Butler has requested a trade from the Timberwolves, telling the team he would prefer to be dealt to the Nets, Knicks, or Clippers. Butler, who is technically under contract for two more years, will have an opportunity to hit the open market next summer. If Butler is traded, his Bird rights would be traded along with him, so his new team would gain the ability to offer a five-year contract worth an estimated $190MM. After Butler’s announcement, the front office began rebuffing inquiries from other teams, but owner Glen Taylor has since declared that Butler is available.
The NBA has concluded its investigation into the Mavericks’ workplace misconduct allegations, finding that the Mavs had “serious workplace misconduct by former and current employees,” along with “improper or ineffective management.” Investigators found no evidence that owner Mark Cuban was aware of the misconduct, but the billionaire will donate $10MM to organizations that “promote women in leadership roles and combat domestic violence” nonetheless.
In a somewhat unusual and unprecedented move, the Clippers have hired Sports Illustrated senior NBA writer Lee Jenkins, naming him the team’s executive director of research and identity. Per the club, the newly-created position is the first of its kind for any NBA franchise, and the Clippers hope Jenkins’ extensive reporting background and unique interviewing style will to contribute to the franchise’s amateur and professional scouting infrastructure.
Heat guard Dion Waiters won’t be available for the start of training camp and likely won’t be ready to play on opening night, with the Heat medical staff having not yet deemed Waiters healed, rehabbed and physically conditioned for basketball activities, per president Pat Riley. The 26-year-old was limited to just 30 games last season in the first year on a newly-signed, lucrative four-year contract, but the Heat are confident that the 26-year-old will be back sooner rather than later.
The Sixers have promoted former VP of Basketball Operations Elton Brand as its general manager. While vice president, Brand also served as GM of the Sixers’ G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, prior to landing the coveted GM position with the Sixers. Brand was ultimately promoted over fellow in-house executives Ned Cohen, Marc Eversley, and Alex Rucker, and several other outside candidates.
Here are 10 more notable NBA headlines from the last week:
- Veteran guard Dwyane Wade has decided to return for one, final season with the Heat, signing a new one-year, minimum salary deal.
- TNT analyst and former Spurs’ guard Brent Barry has been named the Spurs’ new vice president of basketball operations.
- Undrafted rookie big man Drew Eubanks will sign a two-way contract with the Spurs.
- The Suns are interested in trading for point guard Patrick Beverley, but the Clippers are demanding a first round pick in return.
- The Celtics and free agent Jamal Crawford have mutual interest in reaching a deal.
- Knicks’ veteran swingman Courtney Lee has refuted the idea that he wants a trade, saying that he’s happy in New York.
- The Nuggets have filled out their offseason roster by signing veteran guard Donald Sloan.
- Days after being waived by the Pelicans, veteran big man Emeka Okafor signed a veteran’s minimum deal with the Sixers.
- Veteran point guard Jarrett Jack has signed a one-year contract with the Pelicans.
- Rockets guard Brandon Knight recently had “clean up” surgery on his left knee and will miss an unspecified amount of time.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 9/15/18 – 9/22/18
Every week, the writing team here at Hoops Rumors creates original content to complement our news feed. Below are our segments and features from the past seven days:
- In three Community Shootaround posts, we asked:
- What does the future hold for the Timberwolves?
- What are the Spurs’ chances of making the playoffs this season?
- Will Jimmy Butler end up with another team this season?
- We continued our 2018 Offseason in Review, and analyzed the following teams: