Thibodeau: Randle “Fresh And Ready” For Camp
Julius Randle will be “ready to go” in training camp after undergoing offseason ankle surgery, head coach Tom Thibodeau told Steve Aschburner of NBA.com.
Randle had arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle in early June. Randle was nagged by an ankle ailment late in the regular season and the postseason.
“Just steady progress. He’s had a very good offseason,” Thibodeau said of Randle. “He’ll be fresh and ready to go.”
Thibodeau touched on several other topics in the interview with Aschburner:
- Thibodeau is glad that Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart played for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup and hopes that experience will help them during the upcoming Knicks season: “I think it’s great for younger guys when you look at the history with the Olympics, the World Cup and Team USA. When Derrick Rose came back, that year he won the MVP. He was 22 years old. The fact that it’s a different style, I like that too, because you’re adapting. You can learn from playing that way and playing against international players. It allows you to hit the ground running in training camp, too.”
- The veteran head coach gives the front office high marks for targeting Donte DiVincenzo in free agency. The Knicks signed him to a four-year deal. “Adding Donte is great for us. He’s a great team guy and he’ll fit in seamlessly.”
- Thibodeau believes he’s a much different coach than he was in Chicago at the start of his head coaching career during the 2010/11 season: “In the ‘90s, a wing pick-and-roll was played basically one way. Now there’s spacing, there are slips and go-screens. You have to adapt to how the game is changing. And defensively, you understand what’s hard to guard, so you implement that into your offense.”
Dunleavy Optimistic On Kerr, Thompson Extensions
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr says he’s not concerned about entering the final year of his contract and anticipates he’ll be with the organization for the long haul, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets.
“I feel great about my position here and I want to be here … I’m not stressed about it at all,” Kerr said during a press conference on Monday. “I’m perfectly capable of coaching whether I have one year left or an extension. Makes no difference but I fully expect to be here.”
Shooting guard Klay Thompson is also in the final year of his contract. He’ll make $43.2MM during the upcoming season.
General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. is optimistic he’ll be able to reach agreements with both Kerr and Thompson, Warriors on NBCS tweets.
“On both sides, there’s a desire to extend or be back, to make sure those guys are with the Golden State Warriors moving forward,” Dunleavy said. “Both sides feel that way and when you’re working off of that idea, you can come to a deal.”
Dunleavy, who also held a press conference, added that there’s “no specific timeline” to reach extension deals with Kerr and Thompson.
In a story written prior to the press conferences, Slater said it’s anticipated that negotiations with the head coach will be less complicated, since there are no luxury tax concerns with coaching salaries.
No official offers or counteroffers have been made from either side regarding an extension for Thompson, Slater reports. However, neither side is in a hurry to get something done. Slater anticipates that talks will heat up prior to the season.
Golden State is intent on not hitting the second tax apron next summer, which makes those negotiations trickier. In consultation with The Athletic’s cap expert Danny Leroux, Slater estimates that Thompson could be offered anywhere from around $42MM to approximately $51.9MM as a starting salary, but suggests the Warriors would be taking a risk if they go much above $42MM since they won’t know the actual cap increase until after the season.
If they don’t reach an extension agreement, they’d risk losing one of their longtime core pieces.
And-Ones: Embiid, Reynolds, O’Quinn
Olympic rosters don’t have to be submitted until next summer but Team France is hoping that the reigning Most Valuable Player will make a decision as early as next month.
Joel Embiid can choose to play for the USA, France or Cameroon. French federation president Jean-Pierre Siutat told a radio station in his home country (hat tip to Eurohoops.net) that they’d like to get an answer from Embiid by Oct. 10.
“It will happen very quickly in all cases,” Siutat said. “We hope so and I think he knows it. We may have an answer by October 10. We have set this deadline.”
The Sixers center didn’t participate in the recent FIBA World Cup and has yet to represent any country in international play, which is why he still has the option of representing any three of the nations where he has citizenship. France and the U.S. have already qualified for the Olympics, while Cameroon will compete in a qualifying tournament next summer to try to earn a spot.
We have more international basketball news:
- Former NBA forward Cameron Reynolds is close to signing with Greece’s Promitheas Patras, Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews reports. Reynolds appeared in a combined 24 NBA games with Minnesota, San Antonio and Houston, most recently during the 2020/21 season. He has also played in Italy and Montenegro.
- Former NBA center Kyle O’Quinn is signing with the Sichuan Blue Whales in China, according to Sportando. O’Quinn played in Japan last season. O’Quinn has played for Orlando, New York, Indiana and Philadelphia. His 2019/20 stint with the Sixers, in which he played 29 regular season games, was his last appearance in the NBA. He averaged 5.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in 472 career regular season contests.
- We took a deep dive into projected minimum salaries for the 2024/25 season. Get the info here.
Western Notes: Williamson, Powell, Holmgren
Zion Williamson has spent more time at the Pelicans’ practice facility than in previous seasons, hoping to avoid the injuries that have plagued his NBA career, Andrew Lopez of ESPN said on Zach Lowe’s podcast (video link).
Williamson only appeared in 29 games last season, mainly due to a hamstring injury, after sitting out the previous season with foot ailments.
“He’s been doing more with them than he has in the past but again, this is going to come down to health,” Lopez said. “They’ve been doing some different things. trying to get him ready. I know that’s been a focus for him and his family, getting his lower body ready to play more than 30 games in a season. … something he’s only done once in his NBA career.”
Ideally, Williamson would suit up in at least 65 games, which would make him eligible for postseason awards.
We have more from the Western Conference:
- Mavericks big man Dwight Powell is proud of what Team Canada accomplished in the FIBA World Cup, he told Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. Canada not only qualified for the Olympics, but received a bronze medal for beating Team USA in the third-place game. “We have a really good group of guys – more guys than went to the World Cup that played a big role in qualifying us for the World Cup and eventually the Olympics,” Powell said. “We had a really good, committed group of guys that had a lot of pride and got the job done. It was a long time coming. And then to be able to medal in the World Cup at the same time is huge. So it was a great summer.”
- There’s plenty for the much improved Thunder to look forward to in the upcoming season, according to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman, who lists 23 things for fans to get excited about. At the top of the list is Chet Holmgren‘s debut after missing last season with a foot injury.
- The Mavericks are interested in Buddy Hield but there hasn’t been much movement in trade talks with the Pacers. Get the details here.
Community Shootaround: Jazz’s Rotation, Season
The Jazz embraced a major rebuild last season with the blockbuster trades of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.
For a good portion of the year, the Jazz didn’t play like a team headed for the lottery. They hung around the race for a play-in spot in the Western Conference until the final weeks of the season.
There were plenty of positive developments to energize the team’s fan base. Lauri Markkanen blossomed into one of the league’s premier scorers. Rookie center Walker Kessler, one of the players acquired via the Gobert trade, seamlessly replaced Gobert in the lineup and emerged as a defensive force.
Jordan Clarkson was as potent as he’s ever been at the offensive end, posting career highs in points and assists per game.
As they head into training camp, the Jazz have even more reasons for optimism. They pulled off a big trade with the Hawks to acquire power forward John Collins. Even after receiving a long-term deal in Atlanta, Collins remained prominent in trade rumors until a deal finally came to fruition. With a fresh start, Collins should bounce back from a subpar season as part of one of the league biggest frontcourts.
Kelly Olynyk returns as Kessler’s backup, while forward Taylor Hendricks (ninth pick of the draft) should claim a rotation spot in his rookie season.
The backcourt beyond Clarkson is much more unsettled. Clarkson could be a candidate at the point but is more likely to start at shooting guard.
Options are plentiful at the point. Ideally, Collin Sexton – another year removed from major knee surgery – will regain the form he showed in Cleveland. Utah invested a four-year, $71MM contract in him, likely knowing he’d need time to regain strength and confidence.
Kris Dunn experienced a career revival during a stint with the Jazz last season. The versatile Talen Horton-Tucker and rookie Keyonte George will also fight for minutes at the point.
Shooting guard Ochai Agbaji, the 14th overall pick in 2022, didn’t dazzle as a rookie but could make a leap in his second season.
Overall, the Jazz look like a team on the rise in the loaded West after finishing with a 37-45 record last season.
That leads us to today’s topic: How do you think Utah’s rotation will shake out this season, particularly in the backcourt? Will the Jazz make the play-in tournament or even claim one of the top six spots in the West? Or are they destined for the lottery?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.
Boban Marjanovic Re-Signs With Rockets
SEPTEMBER 20: Marjanovic has officially re-signed with the Rockets, per NBA.com’s transaction log. Marjanovic’s deal reportedly features a partial guarantee.
SEPTEMBER 10: Free agent big man Boban Marjanovic is returning to the Rockets on a one-year deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
A longtime fan favorite, Marjanovic is entering his ninth NBA season. He started his NBA career in San Antonio and has also played for Detroit, the Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia and Dallas.
The 7’4” center appeared in 31 games off the bench last season for Houston, averaging 3.3 points and 1.9 rebounds in 5.5 minutes per game.
In 317 career regular-season appearances, Marjanovic has averaged 5.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 8.9 minutes.
He actually had two stint with the Rockets last season. He was acquired last summer in a trade with Dallas.
The big man was waived during a roster crunch after the February trade deadline, then was re-signed after clearing waivers.
As our roster count shows, the Rockets had 17 players under contract — outside of their two-way players — but only 12 possessed guaranteed deals. The addition of Marjanovic gives them a full training camp roster.
It’s safe to assume Marjanovic got the veteran’s minimum, and it’s unclear whether or not his deal will be fully guaranteed. He projects as the third center on the depth chart behind starter Alperen Sengun and Jock Landale.
Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript: 9/19/2023
The transcript of our weekly Tuesday chat can be accessed here.
Join Luke Adams for our next live chat on Thursday.
Nets Notes: Simmons, Sykes, Claxton
Ben Simmons made some interesting comments about his current teammates and perhaps took a veiled swipe at former ones during an interview with FOX5’s Tina Cervasio (hat tip to NetsDaily.com).
Simmons indicated that he’s looking forward to blending in with “team-first” players. He was asked about what excites him about playing with Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson and his other teammates.
“Just playing with guys who are just easy to play with, that just have one goal and that’s to win. I don’t think guys have too many individual goals. I think the team is going to come first,” he said.
He also acknowledged he needs to do his share after appearing in just 42 games since he was acquired from Philadelphia during the 2021/22 season.
“I owe it to everybody, the fans and everybody, to get back to where I need to be. That’s what I did this summer — to get back,” he said.
We have more on the Nets:
- The Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s NBA G League affiliate, made a roster move on Monday, according to the G League club (Twitter link). They acquired the returning player rights to guard Keifer Sykes from the Motor City Cruise, the Pistons’ affiliate, in exchange for the returning player rights to Treveon Graham and a first-round pick in the 2024 NBA G League draft. Sykes appeared in 33 games for the Cruise last season and averaged 15.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game while shooting 42.4% from the field. Sykes played 32 games, including 11 starts, for the Pacers during the 2021/22 season. He could add backcourt depth if injuries strike and the Nets open up a roster spot.
- In another NetsDaily.com story, Lucas Kaplan and Ben Pfeifer share a film breakdown of Nic Claxton, examining his growth and what he could bring to the team for the future. Kapan believes Claxton can develop into a very good offensive player as the young big man heads toward unrestricted free agency next summer. He won’t become extension-eligible before reaching the open market.
- Steve Kerr was impressed by the maturity of Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson during the World Cup. Get the details here.
Community Shootaround: Pacers Prediction
The Pacers could be one of the more interesting, and unpredictable, teams in the league this upcoming season.
Fresh off signing a rookie scale extension and enjoying an impressive summer with Team USA, Tyrese Haliburton is the undisputed franchise player. Numerous teams are still kicking themselves for letting a potentially longtime All-Star point guard drop to the No. 12 pick of the 2020 draft.
Of course, he was playing in Sacramento until he was dealt to Indiana in a blockbuster 2022 trade. Both sides won, as Domantas Sabonis was just what the Kings needed to end their long playoff drought.
Haliburton’s longtime backcourt partner was seemingly secured in last year’s draft. Bennedict Mathurin, the sixth overall pick in 2022, averaged 16.7 points per game while mainly coming off the bench in his rookie year. Indiana has a solid veteran backup for Haliburton in T.J. McConnell.
Buddy Hield, entering his walk year, remains one of the league’s steadiest 3-point threats. The Pacers made a big splash in free agency by signing Bruce Brown, a key component in Denver’s drive to the championship. A high-level defender with a much improved offensive game, Brown will play major minutes at the wing and perhaps see some action at the point as well.
The Pacers have also got a high-scoring center and premier shot-blocker in Myles Turner. They traded for Obi Toppin, who could blossom after serving as Julius Randle‘s backup in New York. Toppin will battle for minutes at power forward with this year’s lottery selection, Jarace Walker.
There are also a number of young, hungry reserves on the roster, including Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Jalen Smith and Isaiah Jackson.
On paper, they look like a pretty solid group and they have one of the best and most experienced coaches in the league, Rick Carlisle, running the show.
Yet no one is talking about the Pacers as being a legitimate contender. They are mostly considered a middle-of-the-pack club that could challenge for a spot in the play-in tournament.
That brings us to today’s topic: How do you think the Pacers will fare this season? Are they underrated or do you think they’re destined for another trip to the lottery? What do you think their ceiling is, given their current roster?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.
Eastern Notes: Collins, Thompson, Antetokounmpo, Love
John Collins, who was dealt to the Jazz this summer, posted a farewell message on Instagram to the city of Atlanta, Hawks fans, teammates, and the organization. His message to the franchise included mixed feelings, thanking it on one hand while also saying his growth was being “stunted.”
“Thank you for sticking with me, even at my lowest,” Collins wrote. “Thank you for allowing me a place to grow. But as I see, it is this hawk’s time to fly away from the nest. As my growth here is being stunted.”
We have more from the Eastern Conference:
- Ausar Thompson, the Pistons’ lottery pick, could be anything from a starter to out of the rotation in his rookie campaign, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes. His 3-point shot is the main concern but he has enough attributes to complement the starting backcourt of Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey by employing his defense on the opposition’s top perimeter play-maker. Thompson could also be a force on the second unit with a number of proven perimeter shooters around him, Langlois notes.
- Bucks fans don’t want to think about it, but what if Giannis Antetokounmpo eventually demands a trade? HoopsHype’s Yossi Gozlan looks at potential landing spots for the two-time MVP, with the Knicks, Thunder and Pelicans topping his list due to their surplus of assets.
- Kevin Love could take over the role of sage veteran on the Heat‘s bench, which Udonis Haslem filled in recent seasons, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel opines. Like Haslem, Love is a player with championship pedigree and he’s already served as a mentor inside the Heat locker room. Love could especially be helpful in the development of young forward Nikola Jovic, Winderman adds.