Western Notes: Kuzma, Anthony, Thunder, Jazz
Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma doesn’t think his team will have to wait a year to contend, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN writes. Kuzma believes the additions of LeBron James and other big-name free agents makes them instant contenders. “We think that a lot of people are underestimating us,” he told Youngmisuk. Kuzma added that many teams need to work on their chemistry but he’s confident the team’s younger players will blend well with the veteran additions. “I don’t know why people kind of just rule us out because we are young,” he said. “We are hungry. We are competitive. Anybody that watched us play last year, we were in a lot of games.”
We have more from around the Western Conference:
- Rockets forward Nene Hilario believes Carmelo Anthony is still one of the elite players in the league, Mark Berman of KRIV tweets. “When he commits to do the right thing and they use his talent, man get out of the way. Simple as that. For me, he’s a top-10 player in the league,” Hilario told Berman. Anthony officially signed with Houston earlier this week.
- The Thunder catch a little bit of a scheduling break, Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman points out. Each team plays four conference foes three times while facing every other conference team four times. The Thunder only have to play the two-time defending champion Warriors three times, with the Lakers, Spurs and Grizzlies also in that group. The Grizzlies are the only projected non-playoff contender among that quartet.
- The Jazz franchise has become a haven for foreign-born players and coaches, Brad Rock of the Deseret News notes. The current roster includes Rudy Gobert, Dante Exum, Joe Ingles, Ricky Rubio, Raul Neto, Naz Mitrou-Long and Thabo Sefolosha and the team also recently hired the league’s first Greek assistant coach.
Clarkson Permitted To Play In Asian Games
Cavaliers guard Jordan Clarkson and two other NBA players have been granted permission by the league to participate in the Asian Games. The story was first reported by CNN Philippines.
Clarkson was originally barred from playing in the event because it wasn’t sanctioned by the NBA and FIBA. The NBA has an agreement with FIBA to permit players to take part in the Olympics, the FIBA World Cup and Continental Cups, plus qualifying tournaments. The Asian Games do not fall into any of those categories, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN notes.
Clarkson will play for the Phillippines, while the Rockets’ Zhou Qi and Mavericks’ Ding Yanyuhang are expected to suit up for China, Windhorst adds. The Philippines will play their first game on Thursday when they face Kazakhstan.
Dwight Howard Is Serious About Playing At 40
Dwight Howard wasn’t kidding about playing into his 40s. Howard, 32, declared during his introductory press conference with the Wizards that he had “another good eight years.” As Candace Buckner of the Washington Post details, Howard has changed his training regimen over the past two summers to extend his career.
Howard has slimmed down to 265 pounds with 3.3 percent body fat, according to his trainer Ed Downs. Howard weighed 285 pounds with 12.5 percent body fat when he played for the Hawks during the 2016/17 season.
Howard realized he needed to be more agile in the current NBA climate.
“When I came into this league, I was playing against the Shaqs, the Alonzo Mournings, the Jermaine O’Neals and it was more so a physical — I’m going to see who’s the strongest guy in the paint,” Howard told Buckner. “It’s like an arm wrestling match for the big guys. And nowadays, it’s not the same game. So it’s either evolve, adapt or get left behind.”
Howard, who has battled back problems during his career, proved more durable during his season with the Hornets, appearing in all 81 games in which he was eligible, Buckner notes. The only game he missed was due to a league suspension for exceeded the league’s limit for technicals.
Howard has also worked diligently on his ballhanding and shooting in order to become more versatile. Another one of Howard’s handlers, Justin Zormelo, wants his client to evolve into “his own version” of Anthony Davis or Kevin Durant.
Buckner later clarified Zormelo’s statement, assuring that Howard doesn’t think he’s at Durant’s level but simply wants to expand his game by incorporating elements from other players (Twitter links).
Southwest Notes: Capela, Anderson, Harden, Mejri
Clint Capela‘s five-year contract with the Rockets includes $1.5MM in yearly incentives that he’s likely to reach and another $500K in yearly incentives he’s unlikely to attain, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports.
As previously noted, Capela’s $90MM is technically guaranteed for $80MM with $10MM in incentives. He’ll receive $1MM annually if he plays 2,000 minutes or if the Rockets make the Western Conference Finals. He also has a $500K annual incentive for reaching 2,000 minutes played and a defensive rebound percent greater than 30 percent. Pincus considers those incentives well within reach. As a point of reference, Capela logged 2,034 minutes in 74 regular-season games last season with a defensive rebounding percentage of 30.8.
He also has a $500K annual incentive for taking at least 150 free throws and making 65% or more, which Pincus considers unlikely. Capela shot a career-high 56% from the line last season.
If he reaches the likely incentives, the cap hits on Capela’s contract will be $15.3MM, $16.4MM, $17.5MM, $18.6MM and $19.7MM (Twitter links).
We have more from around the Southwest Division:
- The Grizzlies lost some scoring punch with the departure of Tyreke Evans but they’ll gain two-way versatility and playmaking efficiency from Kyle Anderson, according to Grizzlies website reporter Michael Wallace. Anderson will start at small forward but he can help Memphis at as many as four positions, Wallace continues. Anderson ranked sixth among qualifying NBA players in defensive rating last season, Wallace adds. Anderson was acquired in free agency when the Spurs declined to match a four-year, $37.2MM offer sheet.
- Rockets star and league MVP James Harden is under investigation by Scottdale, Ariz. police over a nightclub incident, BrieAnna J Frank of the Arizona Republic reports. According to a TMZ report that Frank relayed, a woman was recording a scuffle involving someone in Harden’s entourage. Harden then alleged grabbed the woman’s phone and threw it onto a roof so she couldn’t sell the video footage.
- Salah Mejri is once again looking at defensive-oriented reserve role with the Mavericks, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes. The 32-year-old Mejri will back up DeAndre Jordan, though Dirk Nowitzki will also cut into Mejri’s minutes when he gets shifted to center. Mejri signed a one-year veteran’s minimum contract earlier this month.
Nets Guarantee Spencer Dinwiddie’s Contract
The Nets have guaranteed the contract of point guard Spencer Dinwiddie, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. Dinwiddie will make $1,656,092 during the upcoming season.
Brooklyn didn’t have to fully guarantee Dinwiddie’s deal until January 10, so if nothing else this gives Dinwiddie some peace of mind when he heads to training camp.
The Nets have a muddled point guard situation with D’Angelo Russell and Shabazz Napier, a rotation player with the Trail Blazers last season, also in the mix.
The Nets could also sign Dinwiddie to an extension during the season, though not until December 8, the two-year anniversary of inking his current deal, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets.
Dinwiddie had a breakout season in his second year with the franchise, averaging 12.6 PPG and 6.6 APG in 28.8 MPG while appearing in 80 games. The 6’6” Dinwiddie also played two seasons with the Pistons.
Jazz Waive Guard David Stockton
The Jazz have waived guard David Stockton, the son of their Hall of Fame point guard John Stockton, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets.
This comes as no surprise since the younger Stockton had already signed to play in Germany with Medi Bayreuth. Stockton had a non-guaranteed contract with the Jazz for the upcoming season.
Stockton joined Utah on a pair of 10-day contracts, then signed for the rest of the season in early April. He appeared in three games and played nine total minutes. He also made a couple of playoff cameos.
With Stockton off the books, the Jazz now have a roster total of 18, with 14 guaranteed contracts, two non-guaranteed contracts and a pair of two-way deals. Stockton had no path to playing time on the Jazz with Ricky Rubio, Dante Exum and Raul Neto ahead of him on the point guard depth chart.
Stockton has previous overseas experience in Croatia and New Zealand. He also played three games for the Kings in 2015.
Warriors Sign Marcus Derrickson
AUGUST 14: The Warriors have officially signed Derrickson, according to RealGM’s NBA transactions log.
AUGUST 10: Undrafted Georgetown forward Marcus Derrickson has agreed to an Exhibit 10 contract with the Warriors, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets.
Derrickson impressed in summer-league play, averaging 14.0 PPG and 4.8 RPG in 21.4 MPG with Golden State during five Las Vegas appearances. The 6’7” Derrickson averaged 15.9 PPG and 8.1 RPG while shooting 46% from 3-point range during his final college year.
Exhibit 10 contracts are one-year deals worth the minimum salary. Derrickson will have a chance to make the 15-man roster during training camp but will likely be designated an affiliate player for the Warriors’ G League team in Santa Cruz.
D’Antoni Unsure Of Rotation With Carmelo In Mix
Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni isn’t sure how his rotation will look with the addition of Carmelo Anthony, he acknowledged to Sam Amick of USA Today. Anthony officially signed with Houston on Monday but D’Antoni said it’s too simplistic to think he’ll just plug Anthony into Trevor Ariza‘s former spot in the starting lineup.
“I don’t know, and that’s something that we’ll have to work out. All I know is that we’ll try different combos — preseason, early season, and the good thing is that with analytics and with gut feelings and coaches and players, we’ll figure out what is the best way to play.”
There’s more from Amick’s Q&A with D’Antoni:
- Anthony and D’Antoni had some differences in New York when D’Antoni coached the Knicks. D’Antoni isn’t worried about a repeat in Houston. “In New York, when they gave away half the team [to Denver in the February 2011 trade] and everybody expected us to win a championship, it really wasn’t realistic. It put a lot of pressure on everybody, and it kind of burst the pipes. I think this is totally different.”
- D’Antoni feels confident that Anthony will fit in with the team’s other two stars, reigning Most Valuable Player James Harden and Chris Paul. D’Antoni noted that many people thought Harden and Paul couldn’t mesh when Paul was acquired last summer. “It’s like having Chris and James together. It was relatively non-eventful …and I think it’ll be the same thing. … We’ve just got to make sure we don’t get too far away from taking threes and layups and foul shots.”
- Continuing with that theme, D’Antoni said Houston is fighting fire with fire, trying to keep up with the star-laded Warriors. “Look at Golden State, how they had all those guys and you fit in [Kevin] Durant, I mean if you are committed to a certain style, and everybody is committed to the team, it works itself out.”
Pacific Rumors: Ellis, Clippers Arena, Cousins, Lakers
The Kings have officially hired Ty Ellis as head coach of their G League affiliate, the Stockton Kings, according to a team press release. Ellis was head coach of the Suns’ G League team in 2016 before being elevated to an assistant coaching position with Phoenix last season. Ellis replaces Darrick Martin, Sacramento’s G League coach the last two seasons.
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- A new lawsuit targeting the proposed Clippers arena in Inglewood alleges that two city-linked boards violated state laws governing open meetings, Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times reports. The suit also claims those boards also violated the environmental impact of construction projects in June when they approved the disposal of land to clear space for the arena, Fenno continues. The Clippers signed an exclusive negotiating agreement with Inglewood last year for a new arena but the team’s lease at Staples Center runs through 2024, Fenno adds.
- The Warriors were expecting to use their mid-level exception on a wing player until they got a call from DeMarcus Cousins‘ agent during the second day of free agency, Drew Shiller of NBC Sports Bay Area relays. GM Bob Myers revealed his summer plan during a 95.7 The Game interview. “We had been preserving our taxpayer mid-level exception for somebody that might fall through the cracks and not get paid in a very tight free agency market,” Myers said. “But mostly we were thinking wings. I figured if something like that were to happen it would happen July 8th, 9th, 10th.”
- The Lakers won’t make the postseason, Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports predicts. Mannix made the comment during a NBC Sports Boston podcast, believing that the players around LeBron James won’t mesh well. “You have to assume it’s 48 wins to get into the playoffs in the Western Conference,” Mannix said. “I don’t see that team making up that difference.”
Atlantic Notes: Milton, Halas, Knox, Williams
Sixers rookie guard Shake Milton was recently cleared to resume limited basketball activities, according to an update on the team’s website. Milton was held out of summer-league action due to a stress fracture in his back. Another update on his status will be provided in approximately four weeks. The former SMU standout signed a two-way contract in late July. Another first-year guard, Landry Shamet, has resumed light basketball activities. The 26th overall pick suffered a right ankle sprain during summer league action.
In other developments from the Atlantic Division:
- The Knicks have a strong interest in former Magic scouting coordinator John Halas, Ian Begley of ESPN tweets. Halas worked with current GM Scott Perry in Orlando and would likely be added to the Knicks’ scouting department, Begley adds.
- Kevin Knox doesn’t have his attention set on being Rookie of the Year, as he told Marc Berman of the New York Post. Knox was one of the most impressive rookies in Las Vegas but the Knicks’ first-round forward more concerned with team wins. “I’m pretty confident I can be one of the top rookies. But one of my goals this year is just to win in New York,” he said. “I’m not really worried about winning the rookie award. I just want to win as a team, take road games, play some of the top teams and beat them to make the playoffs.”
- Robert Williams says his recovery from a knee injury is going well and the Celtics rookie big man expects to be 100% by training camp, Chris Forsberg of ESPN tweets. Williams’ summer league schedule was cut short by left knee soreness.