Eastern Notes: Carter, Clarkson, Fall, Tyndall
Bulls second-year center Wendell Carter will be the foundation of the team’s defense, Mark Strotman of NBC Sports Chicago writes. Carter will do most of the dirty work, along with being used as an offensive facilitator. The Bulls will rely on him for shot-blocking as well as to mask some of his teammates’ defensive shortcomings, Strotman adds.
We have more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Jordan Clarkson and Tristan Thompson are the Cavaliers veterans with the most trade value beyond Kevin Love, according to Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Matthew Dellavedova, John Henson and Brandon Knight rank next in terms of trade value, as all have expiring contracts, Fedor notes, but none are core pieces.
- Celtics rookie center Tacko Fall suffered a mild knee sprain in a collision going up for a block during a workout, Jared Weiss of The Athletic tweets. He’s expected to be sidelined for only a week, Weiss adds. Fall, an undrafted 7’6” center, was signed to an Exhibit 10 contract in July.
- Donnie Tyndall has officially been named head coach of the Pistons’ G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Drive, the NBAGL team tweets. The Pistons’ plan to hire Tyndall was first reported in July. Tyndall has spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach with the Raptors 905, helping win a league championship under Jerry Stackhouse in 2017.
Western Notes: Green, D’Antoni, Wallace, Livingston
In the wake of Team USA’s flop in the FIBA World Cup, Warriors forward Draymond Green wants to play in next year’s Olympics, he said in a CNBC interview relayed by NBC Sports Bay Area’s Brian Witt. Green anticipates that many other stars who skipped this year’s event will also want to wear the Team USA uniform in Tokyo.
“I do hope to play, and I think a lot of guys will want to play,” the Warriors’ three-time All-Star said. “The schedule this year was a little treacherous with the games that were in America, and also the travel to Australia, which is why I think a lot of guys dropped out. You know, a long ways to China.”
We have more from around the Western Conference:
- Despite failing to reach an agreement in extension talks, Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta believes Mike D’Antoni will remain head coach of the team beyond this season, as he told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. D’Antoni is entering the final year of his four-year contract. Extension talks were a hot topic in May and June but nothing got done. Fertitta remains undeterred. “I think Mike D’Antoni’s going to be coaching here for a long time,” he said.
- Unlike last season, Timberwolves guard Tyrone Wallace does not have any guaranteed money in his contract, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic tweets. Wallace had a $300K partial guarantee if he remained on the roster through September 12 a year ago. Wallace’s $1,588,231 salary this season won’t become fully guaranteed unless he’s on the roster through January 10. Wallace, who came off the bench in 62 games with the Clippers last season, is the No. 3 point guard on the roster behind Jeff Teague and Shabazz Napier, and may ultimately be the odd man out on opening night, since Minnesota has 15 other players on fully guaranteed deals.
- Warriors GM Bob Myers called Shaun Livingston’s story “one of the most inspirational in the history of professional sports” in a statement released by the club. Livingston announced his retirement on Friday. “What he accomplished after suffering so many trials and tribulations early in his career is a true testament to who he is as a person, which has always been characterized by tremendous class, grace and professionalism,” the statement read in part.
Western Notes: McKinnie, Cauley-Stein, Silva, Grant
Willie Cauley-Stein will likely start at center for the Warriors but Kevon Looney will probably play more crunch-time minutes, Anthony Slater of The Athletic opines. Alfonzo McKinnie may get the nod at small forward with Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III in reserve, since McKinnie is a high energy player who should mesh well with the backcourt of Stephen Curry and D’Angelo Russell, Slater continues. However, rookie Eric Paschall is a darkhorse candidate to play down the stretch due to his versatility, Slater adds.
We have from the Western Conference:
- The Warriors preferred Cauley-Stein to DeMarcus Cousins even before Cousins committed to the Lakers, Slater writes in the same mailbag story. Cauley-Stein provided a younger option who better fit their new priorities, according to Slater. However, they never really had a decision to make because they were hard-capped after the sign-and-trade for Russell with the Nets was agreed upon. The hard cap meant the Warriors couldn’t give Cousins a max raise up to $6.4MM, Slater notes. Cauley-Stein agreed to join the Warriors on a two-year contract on July 2 and officially signed on July 8.
- Pelicans draft-and-stash prospect Marcos Louzada Silva – aka Didi Louzada — has developed a solid perimeter jumper that should translate well to the NBA game, according to a Heavy.com story. The 6’5” guard can also attack the rim and has shown good strides in his development in recent months. Louzada, the 35th overall pick in June who was acquired in a draft-day deal, will play in Australia with the Sydney Kings during the upcoming season.
- Jerami Grant should be an ideal frontcourt complement to Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Nick Kosmider of The Athletic opines. Grant, projected as the top big off the bench, is a nimble perimeter defender who can guard ball-handlers. Grant, acquired from the Thunder for a protected first-round pick, is also a solid help defender who can block shots.
- Jared Cunningham will work out for the Warriors on Tuesday, Marc Spears of ESPN tweets. Cunningham, a shooting guard who recently worked out for the Rockets, hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since the 2015/16 season.
Atlantic Notes: Scott, Knicks, Donaldson, Raptors Staff
The Sixers are investigating an altercation between forward Mike Scott and an Eagles fan outside of Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, Enrico Campitelli of NBC Sports relays. Scott, who re-signed with the Sixers in July on a two-year contract, is a Washington Redskins fan and posted pictures of himself wearing a Redskins jersey on social media. The altercation was captured on video from at least two angles.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- Former University of Minnesota guard Dupree McBrayer, ex-Georgetown guard Trey Dickerson and guard Pe’Shon Howard, who played for the Capital City Go Go last season, worked out for the Knicks and scrimmaged against their players Monday, Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype tweets. Franklin “Frank Nitty” Session, who played for the Killer 3’s of the BIG3, was also involved in the scrimmage. The Knicks have a two-way deal and Exhibit 10 contracts to offer, Kennedy notes.
- New Raptors assistant coach Brittni Donaldson, who had been in the team’s front office, was originally hired by the organization after a stint with STATS LLC, as Zach Lowe of ESPN details. Donaldson made such a good impression analyzing the data and producing specific reports for NBA teams that the Raptors hired her. She will take the lead in translating analytic data for players and coaches but she’ll also scout opponents, debate rotations and X’s and O’s, and pitch strategic ideas, Lowe adds.
- The Raptors officially announced the addition of 26-yard-old Donaldson as well as Jon Goodwillie to Nick Nurse’s staff in a team press release. Adrian Griffin, Sergio Scariolo, Nate Bjorkgren, Patrick Mutombo and Jim Sann are the staff holdovers. Additionally, John Corbacio has been promoted to head video coordinator/assistant coach while Tyler Marsh, Fabulous Flournoy and Mark Tyndale will serve as assistant video coordinators/player development coaches. Goodwillie had been the team’s video coordinator since 2011.
Grizzlies Balk At Igoudala Buyout
The Grizzlies want Andre Iguodala to report to camp and are currently unwilling to buy out the veteran forward, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.
Without a buyout, Iguodala could be stuck on a non-contender — at least for a portion of the regular season — in what could be his final NBA campaign, Charania notes. Memphis acquired Iguodala, 35, from Golden State as the Warriors tried to clear salary at the start of free agency. The Grizzlies also received a 2024 first-rounder and cash while only surrendering a player on a two-way contract, Julian Washburn.
The Grizzlies worked out a buyout this summer with center Dwight Howard, who joined the Lakers after clearing waivers. However, Iguodala retains trade value and that gives Memphis incentive to hold onto him, rather than going the buyout route.
As Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer notes, the Grizzlies could wait beyond December 15, when many free agents who signed this summer become trade eligible and the market heats up (Twitter link).
Iguodala is due to make $17,185,185 this season and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer if he opts to continue his career. His salary is the highest currently on Memphis’ books.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo Draws Team USA’s Ire
The FIBA World Cup was bound to create some awkward moments among NBA players. One of those occurred at the end of Team USA’s 69-53 victory over Greece on Saturday, as ESPN’s Brian Windhorst details.
Bucks forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo, the older brother of reigning Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo, drew Team USA’s ire when he fouled Harrison Barnes from behind late in the game as Barnes went up for a dunk. Celtics forward Jaylen Brown and Giannis had to be separated afterward after exchanging words as Brown pointed toward Thanasis, according to Windhorst.
Bucks teammates Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez are on Team USA’s roster.
The teams didn’t hold a postgame handshake in order to avoid another confrontation. Team USA was upset that Thanasis, who signed a two-year contract with Milwaukee in July, didn’t immediately apologize to Barnes, who was uninjured.
“The [lack of apology] escalated it,” Marcus Smart said to Windhorst and other media members. “At that moment, you’ve got to take it for what it is. Regardless of whether you feel like it was wrong or right, it was wrong.”
Giannis scored 15 points but sat out the fourth quarter. Greek officials said he was rested as the team tries to qualify for the quarterfinals on Monday. He was too upset to talk to the media afterward, according to an Associated Press report.
Team USA advanced to the quarterfinals with the victory.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 8/31/19 – 9/7/19
Every week, the Hoops Rumors writing team creates original content to complement our news feed. Here are our original segments and features from the past seven days:
- This week in our Community Shootaround discussions, we focused on:
- Players who might have breakout seasons as Pascal Siakam did last season.
- Which players that signed with teams overseas might return to the NBA this season and make an impact.
- Luke Adams provided details of how many trades each teams has made during the offseason.
- Every team has $5.617MM in cash available to include in trades. How much money does your favorite team have left? Take a look here.
- In this week’s Poll, we asked:
- Which veteran player will have a bigger impact this season, Joe Johnson or Carmelo Anthony? Our readers chose Johnson, but the margin was close. Check the results here.
- We broke down what teams can do with players on Exhibit 10 contracts.
- Which teams are currently above the luxury tax line? Find out here.
- This year’s Remaining Offseason Questions series continued as we focused on the Western Conference:
- Luke Adams detailed why sign-and-trades have become popular again.
- We took a closer look at the 12 players whose contracts include salary guarantees in October.
- In our Hoops Rumors Glossary, we took an in-depth look at rookie scale contracts.
Five Key Stories: 8/31/19 – 9/7/19
If you missed any of this past week’s biggest headlines from around the NBA, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Here are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days:
Veteran big man Nene re-signed with the Rockets and will play an 18th season in the league. When Nene opted out of the final year of his most recent contract back in June, many NBA experts believed he would retire. He instead chose to play at least one more season with Houston and will join another veteran center Tyson Chandler on the bench to back up starter Clint Capela.
The Kings and guard Buddy Hield are trying to reach an extension agreement. Sacramento GM Vlade Divac said that the two sides are trying to work toward a new deal before opening night. “We are … every day is working and Buddy’s a big part of this team, and we’ll figure something out down the road,” Divac said. “We’re working on it and we’ll figure out something. Buddy is (a) very important piece to this franchise.” Based on the NBA’s latest salary cap projection for 2020/21, Hield would be eligible for up to nearly $170MM on a five-year contract.
Joe Johnson‘s possible return to the NBA seems imminent after he lined up workouts with the Pistons, Bucks and Nets. Johnson, 38, did not play for an NBA team during the 2018/19 season. But he joined Ice Cube‘s BIG3 league this summer and excelled in the 3-on-3 format. He was named the BIG3’s MVP after leading the league in points and assists, then scored 28 points in the 2019 championship game.
Nets forward Rodions Kurucs was arrested on a domestic violence charge. Kurucs was accused of choking and other acts of violence toward his ex-girlfriend. Kurucs’ arrest in New York City has spurred the Nets to investigate the incident and he could be facing a suspension from the team and the league.
The Nuggets signed second-year pick Bol Bol to a two-way contract. No player drafted as high as 44th overall has signed a two-way contract to start his career since the NBA introduced two-way deals in 2017. However, the Nuggets and Bol had incentive to go this route for a variety of reasons. Bol is returning from a stress fracture in his foot that sidelined him for much of lone college season. At the same time, Denver has luxury-tax concerns.
Here are 10 more noteworthy headlines from the past week:
- The Hornets signed Kobi Simmons to a training camp contract.
- Carmelo Anthony‘s handlers are trying to improve his image. Anthony now insists he’s willing to be a role player.
- Celtics forward Jayson Tatum suffered an ankle sprain during the FIBA World Cup.
- The Heat signed guard Davon Reed to a training camp deal.
- Kevin Durant spoke at length about the Nets season and when he might return.
- The Bulls opted to release guard Antonio Blakeney.
- Jared Cunningham had a workout lined up with the Rockets.
- Houston officially signed Eric Gordon to a four-year extension.
- Dwyane Wade won’t completely rule out a comeback.
- A contract agreement between the Knicks and rookie Kris Wilkes fell through.
Photo courtesy of USA Sports Images.
Jaylen Morris Joins Greek Team
Former Bucks guard Jaylen Morris has signed with Aris Thessaloniki of the Greek A1 league, Nicola Lupo of Sportando tweets.
Morris, who turns 24 next month, played with Milwaukee the first half of last season on a two-way contract. He was waived in mid-January after appearing in just four games with the Bucks, averaging 2.5 PPG in 7.3 MPG. He also played in 33 combined G League games last season for the Wisconsin Herd and Erie BayHawks, averaging 14.7 PPG, 5.6 RPG and 3.0 APG.
The 6’5” Morris worked out for the Rockets in June but failed to land a contract. The Molloy College product appeared in six games with the Hawks in 2017/18, then was waived last summer. He finalized a deal with Fiat Torino in Italy, then switched gears and signed with Milwaukee.
Central Notes: Rose, Hutchison, Bledsoe, Love
Derrick Rose signed with the Pistons this summer in pursuit a championship, he said in a Sirius XM NBA Radio interview (Twitter link). Rose, who inked a two-year, $15MM contract, feels the Pistons can contend in the Eastern Conference behind the big man duo of Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond. “While I’m in the game, I want to win a championship,” he said. “That’s what I really want to do. I’ve got all the accolades I wanted. Now it’s time for me to get the one I really, really want. I’ve won at every level except for this level.”
We have more from around the Central Division:
- Bulls swingman Chandler Hutchison suffered a left hamstring strain while working out this week, according to a post on the team’s website. While the injury doesn’t appear serious, it’s a reminder of the team’s lack of depth along the wings, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune tweets. Hutchison is slated as a backup to Otto Porter at small forward while Antonio Blakeney and Denzel Valentine, who was injured all of last season, are the top options behind shooting guard Zach LaVine.
- Trade restrictions on Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe lifted this week, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. Bledsoe couldn’t be dealt for six months after he signed a four-year, $70M extension on March 4. However, there are no indications Milwaukee, one of the favorites to win the championship, is looking to move Bledsoe.
- Kevin Love is organizing a minicamp for his Cavaliers teammates in New York next week, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reports. Cedi Osman and Matthew Dellavedova won’t be able to make it, since they are participating in the FIBA World Cup. Most of the other team members are expected to show up, including first-round picks Darius Garland, Kevin Porter Jr. and Dylan Windler.