Pacific Notes: Davis, Lee, Russell, Rivers
Lakers power forward Anthony Davis says he’s never failed at anything and is confident he’ll win a championship during his career, as he told ESPN personality Sarah Spain in a story relayed by Dave McMenamin. “If I don’t win a championship that would be, I would feel that’s one of my biggest failures. But right now, I still have a lot to do in this world on and off the court,” Davis said. “So I don’t feel like I’ve failed in anything. I think I just continue to do it over until I succeed at it.”
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- Warriors swingman Damion Lee will likely have a greater role than a typical two-way player, Anthony Slater of The Athletic writes. Beyond D’Angelo Russell, Klay Thompson‘s replacement as he mends from an ACL tear, the Warriors have an unimposing group of wings that include Jordan Poole, Eric Paschall, Jacob Evans, Alfonzo McKinnie, Glenn Robinson III and Alec Burks. That puts Lee in position to fill a role as a floor spacer, Slater notes. Lee agreed to a two-way deal on Sunday.
- Money was a major factor in Russell’s free agent decision, as his former Nets teammate and new Lakers forward Jared Dudley told Ethan Strauss of The Athletic. Russell received four years and approximately $117MM in a sign-and-trade that raised some eyebrows since he’ll have to move to shooting guard with the Warriors. “D’Angelo wanted to get the max. So I’m not surprised,” Dudley said. “He would’ve gone to, you know, Saudi Arabia, if he could have gotten the max there. I’m not surprised he took that.”
- With the additions of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, Clippers coach Doc Rivers feels like he’s been given another chance to win a ring, as he told Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. Rivers’ club repeatedly came up short during the Chris Paul–Blake Griffin era with the franchise. “I view this as another opportunity to win it,” he said. “And let’s be honest: You don’t have a lot of opportunities to actually win it. When you have that, you take advantage of it.”
Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Bird, Westbrook, Presti
Keeping his young core group together is enough to make the Nuggets a prime Western Conference contender, general manager Arturas Karnisovas told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on “The Woj Pod” (hat tip to the Denver Post’s Mike Singer).
“Definitely we’re banking on our continuity,” the Nuggets GM said. “A lot of teams that made changes and added huge pieces and stars, they’re still dealing in hypotheticals. We’ve watched this group show us last year, take us to a 54-28 season, having the best home record, 34-7, so this group is (established) and they’re still the third youngest group in the league.”
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- Longtime WNBA star Sue Bird has a wide variety of duties as a basketball operations associate with the Nuggets during her league’s offseason, as Alex Coffey of The Athletic details. She observes games and practices, sits in on front office meetings, watches film and helps scouting college and international players. She also provided advice to point guard Monte Morris, which he found insightful. “She helped me stay encouraged when things were getting tough,” Morris said. “She would tell me things she noticed in how I played. It wasn’t always positive. There were times when she was like, ‘This guy’s guarding you this way. Try to counter him this way.’ Just little things like that.”
- The Thunder have lost superstars before but the trade of Russell Westbrook to the Rockets has left a void, as Brett Dawson of The Athletic details. The bond between Westbrook and the city was stronger than any other star player.
- Thunder GM Sam Presti remains hopeful the team can be fairly competitive next season despite trading away Westbrook and Paul George, Nick Gallo of the team’s website writes. “It’s going to be a different iteration of Thunder team than we’ve seen over the last several years,” Presti said. “The way we were able to pivot has given us the opportunity to have a much brighter future going forward and still have a team coming back this season that we feel good about.”
Community Shootaround: Tampering Solutions
Not too long ago, NBA executives used to wait until the stroke of midnight when free agency began, then knock on the door of their top target.
The NBA has moved the start of free agency to a more reasonable hour, but clearly, they didn’t wait for the official start of free agency to negotiate. Commitments were being leaked to the media this summer even before free agency began.
Nearly a week into free agency, another type of potential tampering issue arose. Kawhi Leonard committed to the Clippers but only after he convinced Paul George, who just signed a long-term deal with the Thunder last offseason, to demand a trade and join him there.
Clearly, the league has a problem with back-room deals and wink-wink agreements. Last week, an ESPN report revealed that tampering — particularly before the free agency period was supposed to begin — was the primary topic at a tense owners meeting.
The NBA has launched an investigation and has penalties in place for tampering violations. However, it’s been 20 years since the league voided a contract after determining its free agency rules were circumvented.
Some ideas have been kicked around to try to keep things under control in the future. One proposal is to move free agency before the draft and allow negotiations to begin with free agents after their seasons are over. The league could also crack down on players trying to recruit free agents prematurely, or in the case of Leonard-George, recruiting players under contract to force trades.
This brings us to our question of the day: What can and should the league do about apparent widespread tampering, particularly before free agency?
Please take to the comments section to address this subject. We look forward to your input.
Mitch Creek Headed Back To Australia
Swingman Mitch Creek, who finished last season with the Timberwolves, will return to Australia next season and play for South East Melbourne Phoenix, according to a post on the Melbourne team’s website.
The Australian team will be making its franchise debut in the country’s National Basketball League this year.
“Mitch was the club’s first signing,” head coach Simon Mitchell said.
Creek signed a standard contract to finish out last season with Minnesota after his 10-day contract expired in April. He also had a pair of 10-day contracts with the Nets last season.
He scored six points in 12 minutes in his lone appearance with the Timberwolves. He played in four games with Brooklyn, averaging 3.8 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 9.0 MPG.
He appeared in seven summer league games at Las Vegas for the Timberwolves earlier this month. He averaged 11.1 PPG and 4.3 RPG in 25.7 MPG.
“I did everything humanly possible to make my NBA dream come true and have no regrets,” Creek said.
Creek led Adelaide to the 2017-18 NBL Grand Final series against Melbourne United and was the leading rebounder in the series with 8.7 RPG.
And-Ones: Lin, James, Harrison, Williams
Point guard Jeremy Lin has received an offer from CSKA Moscow, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Lin is one of the biggest names remaining on the NBA free agent market but has received little interest following a disappointing stint with the champion Raptors. He was expected to be a rotation player in the playoffs after reaching a buyout with the Hawks but only appeared in eight postseason games during the title run, averaging 1.1 PPG in 3.4 MPG. Lin, 30, has appeared in 480 NBA games.
We have more international basketball news:
- Olimpia Milano is looking to part ways with former NBA guard Mike James, Carchia tweets. The Euro team signed another former NBA point guard, Shelvin Mack, on Thursday to essentially replace James. Head coach Ettore Messina informed James there’s no playing time available with the addition of Mack. James played a combined 36 games with the Suns and Pelicans during the 2017/18 season.
- Guard Aaron Harrison will remain in Turkey with Galatasaray, his agent told Carchia (Twitter link). Harrison, 24, last appeared in the NBA with the Mavericks, playing nine games during the 2017/18 season.
- Former Suns and Nets forward Alan Williams will likely sign with Russia’s Lokomotiv Krasnodar, Lithuanian journalist Donatas Urbonas tweets. Williams, 26, played five games with Brooklyn last season.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 7/20/19 – 7/27/19
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:
- In our Community Shootaround posts, we asked which team should be considered the Western Conference favorite and what the future holds for ex-Cavaliers shooting guard J.R. Smith.
- Luke Adams took a closer look at how teams used their mid-level and bi-annual exceptions this summer. He also detailed which free agents signed long-term contracts this month.
Five Key Stories: 7/20/19 – 7/27/19
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:
The league has launched a tampering investigation due to early commitments in free agency. Suspicions were raised as some free agent deals were announced immediately upon the arrival of the negotiating period, which began at 6 p.m. Eastern Time on June 30. A few agreements were leaked ahead of that hour, prompting questions about the legality of the process. A number of options are being considered to prevent a repeat in future summers.
Tim Duncan was named an assistant coach with the Spurs. The decision by the future Hall of Fame big man to take a spot on Gregg Popovich’s staff was a surprise to many people around the league. Popovich joked that it was only fitting that the perennial All-Star serve under him “after I served loyally for 19 years as Tim Duncan’s assistant.”
Pau Gasol signed a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract with the Trail Blazers. The veteran big man finished last season with the Bucks, who let him go as an unrestricted free agent. Gasol, 39, underwent surgery in May to repair a navicular stress fracture in his left foot. He’s expected to make a full recovery in advance of training camp. He’ll provides insurance with Jusuf Nurkic recovering from a serious leg injury suffered in late March.
Reserve swingman Furkan Korkmaz signed a two-year deal with the Sixers after flirting the possibility of playing overseas. Philadelphia renounced its rights to Korkmaz earlier this month and it appeared he was headed overseas to play in Turkey. He ultimately decided to stay in the NBA and he’ll provide depth at the wings behind starters Tobias Harris and Josh Richardson. The Sixers now have 14 players with guaranteed contracts and a pair of two-way players.
Nearly half of the players on Team’s USA original 20-man roster have declined to participate in the FIBA World Cup. Paul Millsap and Kevin Love are the latest defections. Damian Lillard, DeMar DeRozan, Anthony Davis, James Harden, Bradley Beal, CJ McCollum and Eric Gordon have also withdrawn their names.
Here are 10 more noteworthy headlines from the past week:
- Kawhi Leonard said he didn’t lead on anyone in free agency. He also claims he never rooted for the Lakers.
- Bradley Beal revealed he’s in no rush to sign an extension with the Wizards.
- The Clippers unveiled their plans to build a new arena.
- The Bucks signed power forward Dragan Bender, who is hoping to turn his career around in the Eastern Conference.
- Point guard Trey Burke signed a one-year contract with the Sixers.
- The Celtics signed four young players, including rookie big man Tacko Fall.
- Veteran center Greg Monroe signed a contract to play in Germany next season.
- The Rockets signed shooting guard Ben McLemore to a two-year contract.
- Brian Wright was promoted to GM by the Spurs while R.C. Buford was given a different title.
- Wizards owner Ted Leonsis acknowledged that John Wall is unlikely to return next season as he mends from an Achilles tear.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Southeast Notes: Adebayo, Heat, Miles, Kulboka
Heat center Bam Adebayo has accepted an invitation to Team USA’s training camp in preparation for the FIBA World Cup tournament in China, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. USA Basketball is scrambling for replacements after nine members of the original 20-man roster decided not to participate this summer, a list that includes Paul Millsap, Kevin Love, Bradley Beal, Anthony Davis, Eric Gordon, James Harden, Tobias Harris, Damian Lillard, and CJ McCollum. A 12-man team will represent Team USA in China.
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- The Heat have named Eric Glass head coach of the G League Sioux Falls Skyforce, according to a team press release. Glass has been in the organization nine seasons and served as a video coordinator and player development coach the last two seasons. Additionally, Adam Simon has been named VP of basketball operations and assistant GM, while Eric Amsler has been promoted to director of scouting and director of player personnel.
- C.J. Miles is eager to show he can still be an effective player for the Wizards once he returns from foot surgery, he told Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. Miles split time with the Raptors and Grizzlies last season and was traded to Washington this summer in exchange for Dwight Howard. “Last year I just felt like I never really got in a groove after the work I put in to really help my team,” he said. “It just didn’t fit. It’s not personal, it was new coach and a trade happened.” Miles underwent surgery on Thursday to repair a stress fracture in his left foot and will be re-evaluated in six weeks.
- Hornets draft-and-stash prospect Arnoldas Kulboka will remain overseas and play in Spain during the upcoming season, Lithuanian journalist Donatas Urbonas tweets. The 6’9” Kulboka, 21, was a late second-round pick last year.
Pelicans Notes: Melli, Ball, Ingram, Redick, Miller
The Pelicans’ executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin was able to land Euro star Nicolo Melli by selling him on the team’s system and through a connection with Melli’s agent, Griffin told Jeff Duncan of The Athletic in a Q&A session. Melli joined New Orleans on a two-year, $8MM contract.
“It’s not like anybody discovered Melli. Everybody knew Melli. What was interesting is we were able to create a situation that attracted Melli. He had other opportunities to come to the NBA. He’s a player that, because he’s an elite defensive rebounder and floor spacer — I think he’s the leading rebounder in Europe since 2015 and he shoots 42 percent from 3 — that type of player is attractive to the NBA. What I think was significant for us was our situation spoke to him to because he saw his fit within Alvin Gentry’s system, and he’s represented by Sam Goldfeder of Excel Sports Management and Jeff Schwartz, whom I was really close to.”
We have more on the Pelicans:
- Griffin received trade inquiries regarding the three rotation players he received from the Lakers in the Anthony Davis blockbuster but didn’t get close to moving Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart or Brandon Ingram, Griffin indicated in the same story. “There was interest but nothing that really spoke to us to any degree. … We felt really fortunate that we were able to land the players we did, and it became really evident that we were fortunate because of the interest in them that was shown by several other teams basically immediately after the deal was announced. It was fascinating to go through the experience, but we didn’t acquire them to move them, so nothing was even close.”
- Pelicans guard J.J. Redick will not participate in Team USA’s training camp for the FIBA World Cup, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. Unlike some players on the original 20-man roster who pulled out to concentrate on the next NBA season, Redick declined to be added to the roster due to family reasons as he transitions to a new city. Redick joined the Pelicans on a two-year, $26.5MM contract.
- Forward Darius Miller‘s contract has an early July trigger date next summer, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. Miller will make $7.25MM in guaranteed money next season and is due $7MM in 2020/21 in the non-guaranteed portion of his contract. Miller was officially signed over the weekend.
Mavs Waive Two-Way Player Daryl Macon
The Mavericks have waived guard Daryl Macon, according to a team press release.
The 6’3” Macon spent all of last season with Dallas on a two-way contract. He played in eight games for the Mavericks as a rookie and averaged 3.6 PPG in 11.2 MPG.
He also appeared in 41 games, including 37 starts, for the Mavericks’ G-League affiliate, the Texas Legends. He averaged 19.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 6.2 APG in 34.5 MPG.
Macon started all five games for the Mavericks’ Las Vegas summer league team and averaged 12.6 PPG and 4.0 APG.
Dallas’ two-way slots have been in a state of flux. The team recently waived forward Kostas Antetokounmpo, then signed shooting guard Antonius Cleveland to fill that opening.
Unsigned second-rounder Isaiah Roby is one of the potential candidates to take Macon’s spot, Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News speculates.