Hornets Expand Search For New GM
The Hornets are expanding their search for a new GM even though former Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak remains a leading candidate, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
The Hornets are looking to replace Rich Cho after announcing last month they wouldn’t extend his contract.
The club has received permission to interview Sixers VP of Player Personnel Marc Eversley, Rockets Executive VP of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas and Heat assistant GM Adam Simon, league sources told Wojnarowski.
However, Kupchak’s longstanding relationship with owner Michael Jordan could still tip the scales in his favor, Wojnarowski adds. The Lakers replaced Kupchak with Magic Johnson last season.
Assistant GM Buzz Peterson is currently running the day-to-day operations for the Hornets and is expected to remain with the organization once a new GM is hired. Charlotte hopes to fill the position by the end of the regular season, Wojnarowski adds.
Central Notes: Hood, Nance Jr., Hill, Muhammad
Rodney Hood and Larry Nance Jr. were inserted into the Cavs’ starting lineup on Monday and coach Tyronn Lue said those changes will remain for awhile, Joe Vardon of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Nance is replacing Tristan Thompson, who will be out multiple games with an ankle sprain suffered on Saturday. Hood will replace Cedi Osman, who has started nine games since Kevin Love broke his hand. The new-look lineup will be used at least until Thompson returns, Lue added to Vardon and other media members. “Nance is starting and he’s been our boost off the bench defensively and his energy,” Lue said. “Now we need someone like Cedi to come off the bench and give us that same boost and that same energy defensive-wise.”
In other developments around the Central Division:
- George Hill said the Cavs are still early in the process of building chemistry with all the roster changes that were made. Hill is one of those players after getting dealt by the Kings right before the trade deadline. “Once teams start scouting and figuring things out, we’ve just got to figure it out ourselves,” he told Vardon in a separate piece. “Where we’re going as a team and what’s going to be our identity? It’s all new schemes for us defensively for four guys coming into a rotation to play with a playoff team like this is totally different. It’s going to take time.”
- Shabazz Muhammad didn’t play on Sunday after joining the Bucks but he expects to jump into the rotation soon, as he told Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Muhammad signed with Milwaukee after he was bought out by the Timberwolves last week. “I think I’ll probably get some minutes off the bench — that’s why I came here, to help out,” Muhammad told Velazquez.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/5/18
Here are Monday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Warriors recalled rookie forward Jordan Bell from their Santa Cruz affiliate, according to a team press release. Bell posted 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and a block in Santa Cruz’s victory over the Memphis Hustle Sunday. The second-round pick has appeared in 41 games, averaging 4.9 PPG and 3.8 RPG. Bell has appeared in Golden State’s last three games after recovering from an ankle sprain.
- The Thunder assigned center Dakari Johnson to the Oklahoma City Blue, the team announced in a press release. The NBA team recalled him later in the day, Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman tweets. The 2015 second-round pick has appeared in seven games with the Blue, averaging 15.2 PPG and 10.1 RPG. The 7-footer has also played 26 games with the Thunder this season, averaging 2.0 PPG and 1.2 RPG in 5.8 MPG.
Northwest Notes: Jokic, Brewer, Millsap, Butler
Nikola Jokic‘s offensive production has dropped dramatically over the last three games, coinciding with the return of Paul Millsap from a wrist injury. Nuggets coach Michael Malone told reporters, including the Denver Post’s Gina Mizell, that his offense still revolves around his center. Jokic has averaged 12 PPG and while committing 12 turnovers over the last three games. “Nikola is still the focal point of our offense,” Malone said. “I don’t want Nikola thinking that he has to play second fiddle to anyone. … I want him to shoot the ball more and be more aggressive.”
In other developments around the Northwest Division:
- Playing time, and the possibility of a starting role, led to Corey Brewer‘s decision to join the Thunder, Eric Horne of the The Oklahoman reports. “I didn’t feel like I could really pass that up,” Brewer told Horne. Brewer played 12 scoreless minutes in his Oklahoma City debut on Saturday after being bought out by the Lakers and agreeing to terms with the Thunder. He reportedly also drew interest from the Wizards, Cavaliers and Bucks. The Thunder have sought help at shooting guard since Andre Roberson went down with a season-ending knee injury in late January.
- Millsap hasn’t played more than 27 minutes in his first three games back but Malone said his workload will increase very soon, Chris Dempsey of Nuggets.com tweets. Millsap scored 11 points in 26 minutes against the Cavaliers on Saturday.
- The Timberwolves are 2-2 in the first four games without Jimmy Butler and their defense, in particular, has suffered without him, as Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star Tribune details. Metrics show that the Timberwolves have the 11th-best defensive rating with Butler on the court. When he’s not playing, their defensive rating is the worst in the league. Butler is recovering from knee surgery. “Jimmy always guards the best perimeter player,” veteran guard Jamal Crawford noted to Hine.
- There was skepticism when the Jazz signed Joe Ingles a four-year, $52MM contract last summer but it’s proving to be a bargain, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Advanced metrics rate Ingles as one of the league’s top 10 small forwards this season and the intangibles he brings add to his value, as coach Quin Snyder told MacMahon. “There just hasn’t been anything that he’s not willing to do for the team,” Snyder said. “That’s where he’s found his game. He’s found his game making the team better when he’s on the floor.”
Clippers Won’t Convert Ty Wallace’s Contract
The Clippers have decided against converting Tyrone Wallace‘s two-way contract into a standard contract, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets.
Wallace reached his 45-day NBA limit at the beginning of the month and now must remain in the G League under the end of its season. The Clippers need to sign him for the rest of the season or give him a 10-day contract in order for him to return to the NBA — the team still has several weeks before the deadline to convert Wallace’s deal, but it appears the decision has been made.
If the Clippers reach the postseason, they will not be able to add him to the postseason roster. He will become a restricted free agent this summer.
Wallace signed with the Clippers in early January after they waived Jamil Wilson and was productive. He averaged 10.1 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 2.5 APG in 21 games with the Clippers. The 6’5” shooting guard was a second-round pick by the Jazz in 2016.
Kawhi Leonard Eyes March Return
FEBRUARY 27: Although he didn’t participate in the team portion of today’s workout session, Leonard returned to the Spurs’ practice facility on Tuesday, reports Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. As McDonald details, Leonard has suggested in conversations with teammates that he intends to return to the court this season.
“He said he’ll be back, so we knew he was going to be back eventually at some point — playing-wise, not just being around,” Danny Green said. “If he’s that confident mentally, I know he’s going to get the work done to get it done physically.”
McDonald suggests that a “soft target date” for Leonard’s return could land sometime as early as the Spurs’ mid-March road trip to Golden State, Oklahoma City, and Houston.
FEBRUARY 26: Kawhi Leonard plans to start working out again with the Spurs this week with the aim of returning to action in March, Michael C. Wright and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN report.
This comes as somewhat of a surprise since Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said last week that he’d be surprised if Leonard played again this season, even though the star forward has been medically cleared to play. Leonard has been nagged by a right quad injury that has limited him to nine games this season. He just returned to San Antonio after spending three weeks in New York, seeking further medical opinions on his injury, the ESPN duo continues.
Leonard isn’t expected to immediately start engaging in full five-on-five practices, league sources told ESPN. But he hopes to get to that level in near future. Leonard had been working out at the Players Association headquarters gymnasium, the ESPN report adds.
Friction has developed between Leonard and the organization over his ability to play with the injury, according to the report. That has caused concern within the organization over Leonard’s desire to stay there when he could enter free agency in the summer in 2019.
Cavs Notes: James, Nets Pick, Hood, Defense
LeBron James wasn’t expecting the Cavaliers to make any major deals prior to the deadline, sources told David Aldridge of NBA.com. James anticipated a minor trade or two but found out a night prior to the deadline that a major roster makeover was possible, Aldridge continues. James had already decided he needed to do more to get the team headed in the right direction, as he told Aldridge. “Even before the deadline happened and before the trades happened, I had to refocus myself and understand that I’m the leader of this team, and I have to be mentally sharp and mentally strong throughout anything,” he said.
In other nuggets involving the Cavaliers:
- The team’s scouting staff has been energized by the acquisition of the Nets’ first-round pick that the Celtics forwarded in the Kyrie Irving trade, Joe Vardon of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. There’s a level of excitement in evaluating players who will go in the lottery, knowing the franchise will draft one of them. “With a high pick, you go to a game and you watch a guy and you think ‘there’s a legit chance that maybe we get him, and he becomes a core piece of our franchise moving forward,'” Cavs assistant GM Mike Gansey told Vardon.
- Rodney Hood should be used extensively as the ballhandler on pick-and-rolls, according to Bryan Kalbrosky of Hoops Hype. Kalbrosky notes that Hood was a superior scorer on pick-and-roll plays with the Jazz. By trading away Isaiah Thomas and Dwyane Wade, the Cavs need Hood to fill the void in those situations, Kalbrosky adds.
- The additions made at the trade deadline have improved the Cavs’ defense but it’s still not at the level of other title contenders, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer argues. The roster is now younger and more athletic but none of the newcomers are All-NBA defenders, Fedor adds.
Pacific Notes: Chandler, Kings, Ballmer, Pachulia
Suns center Tyson Chandler is unsure when he’ll be able to play again because of a neck injury, Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic reports. Chandler has missed five of the last six games due to swelling in a neck joint. That swelling has caused his neck to spasm and even lock up, Chandler told Bordow. “Coming back from the All-Star break I was looking forward to playing really well down the stretch,” Chandler said. “So it’s disappointing coming back having to deal with this.” The Suns miss Chandler’s leadership when he’s out, Bordow writes in a separate piece, noting the Suns are 5-25 when either he or Devin Booker doesn’t play.
In other news around the Pacific Division:
- The fact that Kings coach Dave Joerger has agreed to a 10- or 11-man rotation shows that he has a good working relationship with GM Vlade Divac, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes in a mailbag column. Joerger had been asked to expand the rotation to get more minutes for his younger players, even though he’d probably prefer a shorter rotation, Jones continues. Divac also consults with Joerger on when to send players to the G League, Jones adds.
- Clippers owner Steve Ballmer doesn’t believe in tanking despite the team trading away Blake Griffin to the Pistons late last month. Ballmer made the statement at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference and the quotes were relayed by ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz. “I think bottoming out is a dangerous game,” Ballmer said. “If you have to play it, maybe you have to play it. Then again, superstars don’t want to go to teams that look like absolute losers. … In a way you’re being dismissive of your fans by taking that big a step back.”
- Warriors center Zaza Pachulia was not disciplined by the league for falling onto Thunder All-Star Russell Westbrook on Saturday, Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post tweets. Westbrook called Pachulia a dirty player after the incident.
Central Rumors: Griffin, Pistons, Giannis, Terry
The Pistons lost five of their last six games entering Monday’s contest against the Raptors but Hornets coach Steve Clifford endorses Detroit’s Blake Griffin gamble, as Keith Langlois of Pistons.com reports. Griffin is the type of player who can make a difference in the postseason, according to Clifford. “The NBA is about winning in the playoffs, right? When you’re a coach, you look at it like this. Tie score in a Game 7, there’s 12 seconds on the clock, Blake Griffin’s one of the … I don’t know, 12 to 15 guys in the league that you can’t guard one on one,” Clifford said. “The guys they gave up are terrific, OK, but they’re not go-to, Game-7-of-a-series guys that are going to dictate a double team. That’s the number one thing you have to have to win big and that’s what they picked up.”
In other news around the Central Division:
- The Pistons’ bench has been outscored by its counterparts by an average of 21.1 points over the last six games. Coach Stan Van Gundy has tried a number of different combinations but nothing has worked. Detroit’s reserve unit has struggled since point guard Ish Smith was forced into the starting lineup after Reggie Jackson suffered a severe ankle sprain in late December. “The biggest problem is it’s become a lower-energy lineup,” Van Gundy told Hoops Rumors.
- The Bucks have locked up Giannis Antetokounmpo through the 2020/21 season but he has no desire to go to a big city like Los Angeles anyway, as Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays. Antetokounmpo prefers the less hectic pace of a city like Milwaukee. “I love Milwaukee — it’s low-key,” he told Velazquez. “I can walk down the road, down the streets without anybody bugging me — nobody interrupts my conversation or anything. I love how quiet and calm Milwaukee is.”
- Bucks reserve guard Jason Terry wants to play at least one more year in the league, which would allow him to reach another milestone in his long career, Genaro Armas of the Associated Press writes. “For sure, 100 percent, my goal is to play 20 seasons,” Terry said. “The organization understands that and I think the league is on notice.” Terry, 40, is averaging 2.6 PPG in 11.9 MPG. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Mavs Sign Scotty Hopson To 10-Day Contract
The Mavericks have signed swingman Scotty Hopson to a 10-day contract, according to a team press release. The team has an open roster spot and thus does not need to make another move to add Hopson.
This confirms an ESPN report on Friday that Dallas intended to sign him.
Hopson, 28, has spent virtually all of his professional career overseas. He played two games for the Cavaliers during the 2013/14 season. That offseason, Hopson was traded four times before the Kings waived him.
Hopson has been playing with Galatasaray in the Turkish league this season. In 13 games, he averaged 11.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 1.8 APG and 21.8 MPG.
The 6’7” Hopson went undrafted in 2011 after playing three seasons at Tennessee. He’s played in Greece, Israel, Spain and China as well as Turkey.