Training Camp Depth Charts
There has been a flurry of activity in recent weeks, as teams finalized their rosters heading into training camp. With so much happening around the league, it can be difficult to keep track of where everybody landed.
No worries, we’ve made it simple to find out all that information. Jason Martinez of RosterResource.com constantly updates all the player movement, so that you know who’s on the roster of your favorite team — along with the rest of the teams in the league. You can find the latest training camp depth charts by clicking here.
You can also go to RosterResource.com to find out what every player’s salary is for the upcoming season and how he was acquired by his current team, as well as plenty of draft-related information.
Atlantic Rumors: Raptors, Crowder, Embiid
Raptors coach Dwane Casey admits he will not be able to replace Bismack Biyombo with just one player, Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun reports. Biyombo signed a four-year, $72MM contract with the Magic, leaving the Raptors without an obvious backup to center Jonas Valanciunas. Potential candidates include Jakob Poeltl, Pascal Siakam and Lucas Nogueira. Jared Sullinger could also see time there, Ganter adds. “Somebody in that group is going to step up and protect the paint,” Casey told Ganter. “It’s going to be not just on the bigs, but on the guards and wings to make sure they contain the ball and do a better job of not letting the ball get to the paint, so we don’t put as much pressure on our rim protection and our rim defense.”
In other news around the Atlantic Division:
- Celtics small forward Jae Crowder believes the high right ankle sprain he suffered in March caused his shooting numbers to take a tumble late last season, Taylor C. Snow of Celtics.com reports. Crowder shots 45.3% from the field and 35.4& from 3-point range during the first 65 games and 32.9% and 24.0%, respectively, following his injury. “My ankle was more fatigued than I really realized,” Crowder told Snow. “The way the season ended really gave me a chip on my shoulder to get better and to get in the lab and work and get better at the things I needed to work on.”
- Sixers coach Brett Brown is practically giddy over the play of oft-injured Joel Embiid in training camp, Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com writes. Embiid has missed the last two seasons with right foot injuries but the center has shown great desire to get out on the court even while battling flu-like symptoms, Seltzer adds. “You just continually see how much he loves basketball,” Brown said to Seltzer. “He really loves playing basketball. He doesn’t like being pulled out. He wants to play.”
- Veteran power forward Luis Scola, who signed a one-year, $5.5MM contract with the Nets this offseason, has taken a leadership role during training camp, Brian Lewis of the New York Post reports. New coach Kenny Atkinson offered high praise of Scola’s early impact. “I don’t think you can overstate it, everything he brings to the table, how he’s shown our young guys how to work, how to be professional, how to play the game, intelligence, composure,” Atkinson said. “I know it’s early, but he’s been everything, as advertised.”
Southwest Notes: Barnes, Spurs, Grizzlies, Rockets
- The Spurs have waived big man Ryan Richards, according to the team’s website. They signed the 2010 second-round draft choice to a training camp contract earlier this month. He played with teams in Iran, Lebanon and Bahrain last season.
- The Rockets have high expectations for center Clint Capela as Dwight Howard‘s replacement, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com writes. The team signed Nene Hilario to back up and mentor Capela, who is expected to move into the starting lineup, Watkins continues. GM Daryl Morey told Watkins that Capela must become an impact player. “Clint is someone for us, to have the season we want to have — to get home court in the Western Conference and to make a deep playoff run and hopefully to go deeper than we’ve ever been in my career — Clint is going to have to take a big step forward,” Morey said. “It’s not an easy step, from playing 15 to 20 minutes against … often, but not always, the starting center to playing 25-plus minutes against front-line guys.”
- New Grizzlies coach David Fizdale has big plans for small forward James Ennis, Ron Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal writes. Ennis was re-signed by the club this offseason on a two-year, $6MM contract and Fizdale sees him as a valuable rotation piece, Tillery continues. “He’s what today’s NBA is. He’s a Swiss Army knife,” Fizdale told Tillery. “He can guard a lot of different people. I’ve got him in a good place and he’s taking advantage of that.”
Cameron Payne Suffers Another Foot Fracture
Thunder point guard Cameron Payne suffered an acute fracture to his fifth metatarsal in a Tuesday scrimmage, the team announced via its website.
If Payne misses an extended period, it would be a major blow to their backcourt rotation. No timetable for his return has been set, as Payne will see his attending physician and additional specialists this week to determine the next course of action, the team’s release added.
Payne underwent Jones fracture surgery to his right foot in July but recovered quickly and was cleared to practice when training camp opened. He went through full contact during Oklahoma City’s first two days of practice prior to the scrimmage.
The 14th overall pick in the 2015 draft averaged 5.0 points, 1.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 57 games during his rookie season. The team also has Ronnie Price and Semaj Christon as potential backups to starter Russell Westbrook, though Victor Oladipo could also see some action at the point.
Central Rumors: James, Pacers, Bulls, Pistons
- Pacers power forward Kevin Seraphin thought he might end up in Europe this season because there was so little interest in him during free agency, Jim Ayello of the Indianapolis Star writes. Seraphin signed a two-year, $3.6MM deal with Indiana after a poor season with the Knicks in which he was overweight, missed games with a knee injury and lost confidence, Ayello continues. Seraphin fired his agent and thought he’d end up in Europe until the Pacers came to the rescue, Ayello adds. “It was tough,” Seraphin told Ayello. “All that waiting. I kept thinking, ‘How the (heck) do I not have an offer?’ I feel like I’m young, and I still have a lot of potential; I still have a lot in the tank.”
- Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo have taken leadership roles in the Bulls’ early practices, Sam Smith of Bulls.com reports. They have already done some on-court counseling to their younger teammates and that’s an encouraging development for a team that suffered through chemistry problems last season, Smith adds. “You just want to cut down all the chatter,” Rondo told Smith. “Only a couple of guys should be talking in practice. As far as disrupting, when they do stop practice coach has the voice, then assistant coach has the voice and then the other players.”
- The Pistons gave journeyman power forward Jon Leuer a surprisingly lucrative four-year, $41MM contract this summer because of his offensive versatility but he’s also making a strong impression defensively in training camp, according to Aaron McMann of MLive.com. “The one thing I would say I’m surprised with is that he’s a lot better defensively than I thought,” coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy told McMann. “I thought he was decent – maybe average – defensively. I think he’s got a chance to be a lot better than that.”
Knicks Notes: Triangle Offense, Anthony, Noah
- Carmelo Anthony believes that free agent acquisition Joakim Noah will make the Knicks a more focused team, according to Jonah Ballow of NBA.com. Noah bolted the Bulls, who didn’t make a serious attempt to re-sign him, and inked a four-year, $72MM contract. “He pushes you to go out there and compete every play, every time,” Anthony told Ballow. “If not, you’re going to hear about it. I think that’s something we’ve been missing, this team needed, this organization needed and I like it. We like it.”
- Noah acknowledges that a comment by Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, who said he was no longer a frontline player, irritated him, Adam Zagoria of SNY.TV reports in his blog. “It’s alright, he’s entitled to his opinion, you know?” Noah said to Zagoria. “I feel like I have no regrets about my time in Chicago. I gave it everything I had. To me, that’s all that matters. I know I did everything I could for that organization. I thought it was a little bit of a low blow, but at the end of the day I have nothing but respect for that organization and I’m just excited for that new chapter in my career.”
Southeast Notes: Millsap, Heat, Wall, Hornets
Hawks power forward Paul Millsap recently underwent a procedure to reduce mild swelling in his right knee, RealGM.com relays via a team press release. The procedure was not surgical and all indications are that he will be ready to play at the start of the season, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter links). Millsap, who has averaged 17.1 points and 9.0 rebounds last season, has earned a reputation of being an iron man since joining the league during the 2006/07 season. He appeared in 81 regular-season games and 10 playoff games last season and has never missed more than nine games in any season.
In other news around the Southeast Division:
- Nevada Smith has been named head coach of the Heat’s D-League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald reports. Smith previously coached the D-League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers for two seasons. Former Heat point guard Anthony Carter will join Smith’s staff. Former Skyforce Dan Craig has joined Heat coach Erik Spoelstra’s staff along with Octavio De La Grana, who served as a Skyforce assistant coach last year.
- Wizards coach Scott Brooks is uncertain about point guard John Wall’s status for the start of training camp, according to Candace Buckner of the Washington Post. Brooks is unsure when Wall, who underwent two knee operations during the offseason, will be cleared for five-on-five contact. “He’s improving,” Brooks told Buckner. “His body looks great [but] his conditioning is going to be behind. Once you step into an NBA practice, the level goes way up. Especially in a training camp situation where you have guys trying to make it, guys trying to fight for minutes, trying to fight for starting jobs, but we have to make sure [about Wall] because that’s when things can go sideways.”
- The Heat’s decision on whether Chris Bosh will be cleared to play is not a function of the salary cap, Ira Winderman of the Florida Sun-Sentinel writes. Bosh, who has been diagnosed with blood clots in his leg the past two seasons, must be cleared by medical personnel and the rules of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement have to be followed, Winderman continues. Neither the team nor the players’ union will draw a line in the sand over one player, especially when either could opt out of the CBA as early as mid-December, Winderman adds.
- The return of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist from injury and the addition of free agent center Roy Hibbert raises the defensive ceiling for a team that already ranked in the league’s top 10 last season, according to Basketball Insiders’ season preview of the Hornets. Basketball Insiders takes an optimistic view of the Hornets, with its reporters predicting anywhere from a first to third-place finish for the club this season.
Euro Star Milos Teodosic Eyes NBA in 2017
The 6’5” Teodosic, who is primarily a point guard but can also play off the ball, averaged a career-high 17.8 points and 5.7 assists in 29 Euroleague games last season. He will be entering his sixth season with CSKA Moscow.
“In the past I felt that playing in the NBA was not something really close to me,” Teodosic wrote in his blog. “Now, I think about it. I want to travel to the States, play in the NBA and compete against the best players in the world. Maybe now I am more ready mentally and also on the court. I know what I can do it, I believe in myself and I have no doubts or second thoughts.”
Earlier this summer, a report surfaced that the Serbian Olympian would prefer to sign with either the Spurs or the Jazz if he made the jump to the NBA. The Grizzlies reportedly offered him more than $5MM in 2013 but he opted to stay in the CSKA Moscow.
Teodosic, who went undrafted in 2009, reiterated in the blog that he would be picky when it came to signing with an NBA franchise.
“I will not sign anywhere just to be able to say that I played in the NBA,” he wrote. “I need the whole package that will excite me. So it depends on what offers I get as a free agent and the way the teams approach and talk to me.”
The five-time all-Euroleague selection and Euroleague MVP in 2010 started for Serbia in the Rio Olympics. He averaged 11.1 points and 5.4 assists as his home country reached the Gold Medal Game, which was won the United States, 96-66.
Dahntay Jones To Rejoin Cavs At Training Camp
Veteran shooting guard Dahntay Jones has agreed to join the defending champion Cavaliers for training camp on a non-guaranteed contract, according to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.
The 35-year-old Jones was signed by Cleveland just before the end of the regular season this spring. He appeared in one regular-season game, then saw spot duty in 15 postseason games. He scored five key points late in the first half of Game 6 during the NBA Finals.
Jones was released in late July, just before his $1.55MM contract for this season would have been guaranteed.
Jones attended LeBron James‘ mini-camp in Santa Barbara, California earlier this week, according to Vardon.
The Cavaliers have just 12 players with guaranteed contracts and two others with non-guaranteed deals. However, that does not include starting shooting guard J.R. Smith, who is expected to eventually re-sign with the team. The Cavaliers already have plenty of other veterans along with James at the wing positions, including Richard Jefferson, Iman Shumpert, Mike Dunleavy and James Jones, which means Dahntay Jones could have difficulty making the opening night roster.
The journeyman guard’s career dates back to 2003/04, when he played for the Grizzlies. He’s also played for the Kings, Nuggets, Pacers, Hawks, Mavericks and Clippers.
Community Shootaround: Chris Bosh
Chris Bosh‘s medical issues have created a cloud of mystery heading into the Heat’s training camp next week. Bosh believes he’s ready to return to the court, while the team wrestles with the consequences of giving him the green light after two blood clotting episodes.
Bosh had his season cut short after 44 games two seasons ago when the medical condition initially surfaced. He made it through 53 games last season before a second blood clot was discovered in his leg.
At that time, team doctors told him that his career was probably over. Bosh has resisted that diagnosis, believing that the problem can be controlled by medication without significant risk. In recent years, the NHL’s Tomas Fleischmann has taken blood thinners that leave the body quickly and allow him to play and practice.
However, the team has not cleared him to play and as ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported this week, the franchise is concerned about bringing him back over the long term. Bosh has threatened to get the NBA Players Association involved if the Heat continue to block his attempt to play again. According to another ESPN report, there is no timetable for a resolution.
There’s no question that the Heat look like a much more serious contender in the Eastern Conference with Bosh in uniform. He averaged 21.1 points and 7.0 rebounds in 2014/15 and 19.1 points and 7.4 rebounds last season.
Bosh’s $23.7MM takes a big chunk of the team’s salary cap and the team has already spent over the cap for the upcoming season. Miami’s unimposing options at power forward besides Bosh – Derrick Williams, James Johnson, Josh McRoberts and Stefan Jankovic – reinforce the notion that the Heat need Bosh in the lineup to become a viable playoff contender.
That leads us to our question(s) of the day: Should the Heat allow Chris Bosh to play again despite his blood-clotting issues? If so, do you think Bosh can make it through the season without any setbacks?
Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the topic. We look forward to what you have to say.