Central Notes: Booker, Green, Kilpatrick, Hoiberg, LeBron
Despite playing a limited role – only 16.0 minutes per game – the Pacers believe that recently-acquired forward Trevor Booker is an important piece of Indiana’s chances come playoff time, reports Mark Montieth of Pacers.com, especially with big man Domantas Sabonis missing six of the team’s last seven games with an ankle injury.
Booker was brought in to back-up Thaddeus Young at power forward, but has filled in admirably for the Pacers while Sabonis has been out.
“He brings a physicality to the floor,” Pacers head coach Nate McMillan said. “With these injuries and teams playing smaller fives, we’ve had to play him there some, and he’s done a good job for us. It allows us to make adjustments. He’s a power forward, but he plays bigger than that.”
“He’s a hard-nosed guy who’s going to go out and rebound the basketball,” says Young, the Pacers’ starting power forward who Booker backs up. “He has the ability to score on the block. To make a few jumpers here and there — not consistently, but he gives us the energy and the poise and the passion that we need. When he’s stepping out there with that second unit he does a really good job of carving out space and putting guys in the right place.”
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Jeff Green has been starting for the Cavaliers lately while the team has been dealing with injuries to Kevin Love, Larry Nance Jr., and Tristan Thompson, but Joe Vardon of The Plain Dealer wonders whether he has a place in the lineup once playoff time comes and the bench shortens.
- Despite recently receiving a three-year, $6.2MM contract from the Bulls, guard Sean Kilpatrick still views every game in the NBA as an audition, writes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “That’s how I looked at things, and that’s how I viewed things since I got into this league, and that’s why I think I’ve had some type of success in that area.” Kilpatrick said.
- It appears as though the Bulls plan on keeping head coach Fred Hoiberg around for a fourth season, Cowley opines in another piece. “I’ve gotten unbelievable support from everybody throughout the year, going back to what I thought was a great offseason and training camp,” Hoiberg said.
- The Rockets’ James Harden is far and away the favorite to win MVP this season, but he wouldn’t get a vote from Cavaliers‘ superstar LeBron James, reports Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Asked who he’d vote for, James unabashedly said himself. “I would vote for me. The body of work, how I’m doing it, what’s been happening with our team all year long, how we’ve got so many injuries and things of that nature, guys in and out, to be able to still keep this thing afloat, I definitely would vote me.”
Hornets Notes: Clifford, Bacon, Zeller, Batum
The Hornets have already announced that general manager Rich Cho won’t have his contract renewed after this season, and according to Tom Sorensen of The Charlotte Observer, head coach Steve Clifford probably shouldn’t be retained either.
Despite being one of the best coaches that the city of Charlotte has ever had – in Sorensen’s eyes – Sorensen wonders whether the team has reached a point where the players have stopped listening to Clifford and his message.
The Hornets have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NBA this year. The team was widely expected to compete for a playoff spot, but have been out of the hunt for much of the season, currently sporting a record of 34-41 with seven games remaining after finishing with a similarly disappointing record last season at 36-46.
There’s more out of Charlotte from Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer:
- The Hornets selected Malik Monk with the 11th overall pick in last year’s draft, with expectations that Monk could come in and help the team this season. However, the Charlotte rookie who has probably ended up having the best season is second-round pick Dwayne Bacon, the 40th overall selection. With that in mind, Bonnell analyzes whether Bacon could end up being the better catch.
- Hornets big man Cody Zeller missed his 10th consecutive game tonight against the Cavs, leaving Bonnell to wonder whether Zeller may be done for the season. Zeller, who thought he might be ready to play in Dallas on Saturday, said his injured left knee had begun to swell again after he tested it.
- Part of the Hornets’ problem is a high payroll for next season, leaving the team with few options to improve upon its current roster. One albatross of a contract is that of Nicolas Batum, who is scheduled to make $24MM next season. In a mailbag piece, Bonnell answers some readers’ questions regarding Batum and his contract, among others.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 3/17/18 – 3/24/18
Every week, we here at Hoops Rumors strive to create interesting original content to complement our news feed. Here are the original segments and features from the past seven days:
- In an exclusive interview for Hoops Rumors, Hawks rookie Damion Lee talks with Mark Suleymanov about the resiliency it took to make it to the NBA after overcoming two ACL tears.
- In this week’s Community Shootaround Series, we asked:
- What direction should the Hornets take when selecting a new GM to replace Rich Cho?
- What does the future look like for the Nuggets?
- Arthur Hill’s Weekly Mailbag addressed questions on whether the Spurs would be better off missing the postseason, potential cap space for the Wizards, and some 2018 NBA Draft prospects.
- Luke Adams updated the current 10-day contract situation around the NBA.
- We reminded our readers of an increasingly important feature at this time of the season – our 2017/18 NBA Reverse Standings.
- Luke Adams wrote up an original piece on how the end of the G League season affects two-way players.
- Luke Adams took a look at eight soon-to-be restricted free agents who are positioned to sign long-term contracts this summer.
Bulls Sign Jaylen Johnson
The Bulls have signed rookie forward Jaylen Johnson to an NBA contract, the team announced today via an official press release.
Johnson, 21, has until now spent this season with Chicago’s G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, where he has put up averages of of 29.0 minutes, 11.7 points, 7.6 boards and 2.9 assists per game in 49 games (37 starts).
Johnson went undrafted last summer before catching on with the Bulls on a training camp deal. He was waived a few days before the regular season began.
It isn’t yet clear whether the new deal for Johnson is a 10-day contract or rest-of-season deal, but a 10-day contract would count as $46.1K towards the Bulls’ cap, while a rest-of-season pact, assuming it’s signed today, would count as $87.6K.
Five Key Stories: 3/17/18 – 3/24/18
In case you missed any of this past week’s top stories from around the league, we have you covered with our Week in Review. Below are the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days.
Cavaliers’ head coach Tyronn Lue has taken a leave of absence for health issues/reasons. Associate head coach Larry Drew has taken over for Lue on an interim basis, with Lue hoping to return to the team sometime over the next week.
In his first game back from an ankle injury that sidelined him for six games, Stephen Curry suffered a sprained MCL last night and is set to undergo an MRI later today. Curry was injured when teammate JaVale McGee fell on his knee after attempting to block a shot.
In better news for the Cavs, All-Star Kevin Love returned to action this week for his first game since January 30. The Cavs are 3-0 this week with Love back in the line-up, and Love averaged 20.3 PPG and shot 47.6% from long range in those three games.
Despite conflicting reports on the nature/tone of the meeting, it is clear that a players-only meeting to discuss the status of Kawhi Leonard, among other topics, occurred in the Spurs’ locker room this week. Unfortunately, the meeting ended without a clear update or timeline on Leonard’s status.
Celtics’ star Kyrie Irving will undergo a minimally invasive procedure on his left knee today with the hope of alleviating some nagging discomfort. A clearer timetable for Irving’s return should be known after the procedure takes place.
Magic head coach Frank Vogel’s job may be in jeopardy at the end of the year after two seasons as head coach. Orlando replaced the GM who hired Vogel and cleared out several other members of the basketball operations department last summer, and new team president Jeff Weltman and GM John Hammond may prefer to select their own coach this offseason.
Here are 16 more headlines from last week:
- The Magic signed guard Rodney Purvis to a second 10-day deal.
- The Trail Blazers have signed center Georgios Papagiannis to a multi-year deal through next season.
- The Cavaliers signed forward Okaro White to a 10-day contract.
- Pelicans’ rookie guard Frank Jackson will not play this season after undergoing follow-up surgery to remove residual scar tissue from earlier right foot operations.
- Oklahoma point guard Trae Young will hire an agent and enter the 2018 NBA Draft.
- The Pistons are reportedly interested in a front office role for their former All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups.
- Texas big man Mohamed Bamba will forego his remaining collegiate eligibility and enter the 2018 NBA Draft.
- The Bucks signed point guard Brandon Jennings to a second 10-day contract.
- The Hawks have signed rookie guard Jaylen Morris to a a multi-year deal.
- Potential first-round pick Anfernee Simons will forego college and enter the 2018 NBA Draft.
- The Mavericks signed shooting guard Aaron Harrison to a 10-day deal.
- Texas A&M big man Robert Williams will enter the 2018 NBA Draft.
- The Lakers signed forward Travis Wear to a rest-of-season contract.
- The Rockets plan to waive Brandan Wright and replace him on the roster with former Oklahoma State player Le’Bryan Nash.
- The Hawks signed rookie Damion Lee to a second 10-day contract.
- The Grizzlies signed former first-round pick Marquis Teague to a 10-day contract.
Grizzlies Sign Marquis Teague To 10-Day Contract
MARCH 24: The Grizzlies made their 10-day deal with Teague official, according to a press release from the team.
MARCH 23: The 10-day contract of Grizzlies guard Briante Weber expires today, and league sources tell Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports that Memphis will sign former first-round pick Marquis Teague of the Grizzlies’ G League affiliate, Memphis Hustle, to the open roster spot vacated by Weber as early as tomorrow.
Teague, 25, was drafted by the Bulls with the 29th pick of the 2012 NBA Draft, but failed to make an impact in the league. Chicago traded Teague to Brooklyn, who subsequently traded him to Philadelphia, who waived him before his rookie-scale contract expired. In 88 career NBA games, he has averaged 2.3 points and 1.4 assists in only 9.5 minutes per game.
Recently, Teague played for Ironi Nahariya of the Israeli Basketball Premier League before being drafted by the Hustle in the G League expansion draft last summer. This season, he has averaged 17.6 PPG, 6.2 APG, and 3.4 RPG while shooting 42.7% from long range in 47 G League games.
With two seasons of NBA experience under his belt, Teague’s 10-day contract will count as $83,129 against Memphis’ cap.
Central Notes: Cavs, LeBron, Felicio, Kennard
Like many teams this season, the Cavaliers have been bit by the injury bug, with All-Star Kevin Love the most glaring omission from the line-up for most of this year’s campaign. In a recent game against Chicago, the Cavs were without six rotation players – Love, Kyle Korver, Larry Nance Jr., Rodney Hood, Tristan Thompson, and Cedi Osman.
Moreover, Cavaliers’ head coach Tyronn Lue remains out with health issues. Yet, things are now beginning to turn around. Osman and Korver remain out, but Love returned earlier this week and, as reported by Joe Vardon of The Plain Dealer, Nance Jr., Hood, and Thompson all returned for tonight’s game against Phoenix, albeit on minutes restrictions.
Vardon adds that there is still no word on whether Lue will join the Cavaliers on an upcoming three-game road trip, with interim coach Larry Drew stating, “I haven’t heard anything. I’m just going to proceed and take it a game at a time until I hear something different.”
There’s more from the Central Division:
- In another article for The Plain Dealer, Vardon details LeBron James‘ response to Cavaliers‘ fans putting up a billboard in James’ favor in his hometown of Akron, OH. “I haven’t seen it, but, like I said before, it’s very flattering. It’s just, I don’t know, it’s very humbling. I know my hometown, so, I already know there’s no place like Akron, that’s for sure.”
- Sam Smith of Bulls.com takes a look at how Bulls‘ big man Cristiano Felicio is looking to improve his game to show he deserves the $32MM contract Chicago gave him over the summer. “I know a lot of people talk whatever they want to. I am not focusing on them. I am just focusing on myself and trying to get better. I know I wasn’t playing well at the beginning of the season (but) now they are giving me an opportunity again, and I am trying to show, go out and show them I can play.”
- It may have taken awhile, but Pistons‘ rookie shooting guard Luke Kennard is now firmly entrenched in the Pistons’ rotation and is an important part of Detroit’s future, writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. Teammate Blake Griffin likes what he’s seen out of Kennard lately, saying, “He’s been great this stretch. Not only scoring the ball but running offense with poise when he has it, playing good defense, being in passing lanes, passing the ball well. He’s done everything. He’s very capable of doing that and it’s been huge for us.”
Southeast Notes: Spoelstra, Prince, Gordon/Isaac, Johnson
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra is excited about the prospect of getting the team’s two-way players, Derrick Jones Jr. and Derrick Walton, back with the team this weekend, reports Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel.
With the G League regular season concluding tomorrow, the 45-day restriction upon two-way players is lifted, freeing them to return to the NBA for the remainder of the regular season. Jones Jr. is back with the Heat for tonight’s game against Oklahoma City, with Walton joining the team before Sunday’s game in Indiana. As for the two-way system itself, Spoelstra is a fan, even though he thinks a few issues need ironing out.
“The system is a little bit clumsy, but I’m sure we’ll iron that all out in years to come. I’m a big fan of the two-way contract. I think it’s good for teams, it’s good for the player. We’ve seen the benefits of developing our guys with us (the Heat), but also getting those guys a lot of game reps in our culture, in Sioux Falls.”
Jones Jr., 21, is averaging 17.1 points and 7.4 rebounds in 29.1 minutes per game this season for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat’s G League affiliate, while also starting eight games for the Heat during the team’s struggle through injuries. Asked whether his development is of importance to the team, Spoelstra said of course:
“Absolutely. We always envision where a player can go. We do that with an open mind and a commitment to our player development. He’s improved this year with us and that’s worth noting, because he’s committed to our (the Heat’s) process. I think he has to break into this program as a defensive-minded player. That’s really where his potential is. It’s been very intentional that we try to get him on the best wing opponent every night and really embrace that challenge regardless of how many minutes he plays and what his offensive responsibility is. He has to guard, he has to be able to impact on that side of the floor. And that got better. It still has a long ways to go, but he’s starting to understand where he can break through.”
As we’ve noted generally before, neither Jones Jr. nor Walton are playoff-eligible for the Heat unless signed to a standard contract before the final game of the regular season. This is unlikely as Miami already has 15 players on its roster.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Hawks‘ forward Taurean Prince has improved his three-point prowess throughout his career, but no more so than this season, writes Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype, where he is shooting 40.4% from behind the stripe.
- The Magic are excited to be able to play versatile forwards Aaron Gordon and rookie Jonathan Isaac together for the remainder of this season, writes John Denton of NBA.com.
- Just in time for the playoffs, James Johnson is finally realizing the level of play the Heat expected when they signed him to a lucrative contract this summer, Winderman adds in another piece.
Texas Notes: Spurs, Barnes, Finney-Smith, Harrison
Yesterday, Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News relayed that the original narrative about the Spurs‘ players only meeting regarding Kawhi Leonard being tense was not accurate, writing that Leonard even received support from some teammates who urged him not to return until he feels healthy enough to do so.
Today, Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio-Express News seconded his colleague Young’s reporting, with quotes from Spurs’ veterans Danny Green and Tony Parker. Green, who tweeted a strong denial to the alleged tense nature of the meeting, said “(the report) was incorrect, wrong, false. I guess that’s the only way to put it. There was a meeting. That’s probably the only thing that was true in the article. Nobody in (the meeting) was frustrated or took it the wrong way. We were communicating like adults.”
For his part, Parker neither affirmed or denied the original report, essentially telling Spurs’ reporters that what happens in the locker room stays in the locker room. “You should know better that I can’t talk about that. That’s private stuff, locker room stuff. We always talk as a team, but you know we can’t talk about that.”
Interestingly however, Orsborn writes in another, related story that Parker contrasted his quadriceps injury from last season with Leonard’s injury this season in a thought-provoking manner, saying “I’ve been through it. It was a rehab for me for eight months. Same kind of injury, but mine was a hundred times worse, but the same kind of injury. You just stay positive.” Parker also spoke highly about the Spurs’ medical team, while Leonard received a second opinion from outside medical professionals.
Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News also has some news from Dallas:
- The experiment of Harrison Barnes at power forward is over, and Barnes couldn’t be happier about it. Since the Mavericks returned Barnes to small forward four games ago, he has averaged 24.3 points per game and when asked about the move back, simply said, “I love it.” Barnes goal for the remainder of the season is to continue to work on his playmaking, which makes sense considering Barnes only averages 2.0 assists per game, which doesn’t even crack the top-20 for small forwards.
- Dorian Finney-Smith is one of a handful or more of Mavericks‘ players who aren’t guaranteed a spot of the Dallas roster next season, with his 2018/19 contract of $1.54MM currently non-guaranteed. But luckily for Finney-Smith and the others, the Mavs’ down year has given them an opportunity to showcase their talents for potential suitors. “It’s tough, losing like this, (but) they’re doing a good job playing hard,” says veteran J.J. Barea. “You never know who’s looking. They’re getting opportunities to play, to show themselves to everybody, to get better at what they do.”
- Faced with a glut of big men on their roster, the Mavericks signed former Kentucky stand-out Aaron Harrison to a 10-day contract yesterday, electing to let Jameel Warney return to the G League. Whereas Warney clogged an already crowded position, Harrison is now only the second healthy player on the team’s entire roster who could reasonably be classified as a shooting guard.
Mavericks Sign Aaron Harrison To 10-Day Deal
MARCH 22: The Mavericks have officially signed Harrison to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release. The deal will run through next Saturday, March 31.
MARCH 20: As we noted yesterday, the 10-day contract of Mavericks forward Jameel Warney expires today, and league sources tell Marc Stein of The New York Times that Dallas will sign former NBA player and current member of the G League’s Reno Bighorns, Aaron Harrison, to the open roster spot vacated by Warney.
Harrison, 23, went undrafted out of Kentucky in 2015 before signing with the Hornets, where he played for two seasons until being waived towards the middle of the 2016/17 season. In 26 career NBA games, he has averaged 0.7 points and 0.7 rebounds in only 4.2 minutes per game.
Since then, Harrison has bounced around the G League, playing for the Greensboro Swarm, Delaware 76ers, and aforementioned Bighorns. This season, he has averaged 18.7 PPG and 4.3 RPG while shooting 42.5% from long range in 41 G League games.
The signing of Harrison will continue somewhat of a trend for the Mavs, who have now parted ways with two players – Warney and Scotty Hopson – after giving them only one 10-day deal.
Because Harrison played in the NBA in both the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons, his 10-day contract will count as $83,129 against Dallas’ cap.