Rockets Rumors: Harden, Motiejunas, Contracts
Franchise player James Harden believes the Rockets have already shown better chemistry as they head into training camp on Saturday, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports. Harden admits that many of the team’s problems last season could be blamed on a lack of harmony but that has changed, Feigen continues. “We’re doing something I haven’t (experienced) since I’ve been here in Houston,” Harden told Feigen. “Just trying to shake things up, just trying to make sure we really know each other in and out on and off the court. I think that will translate to a better team.” That improved camraderie was evident in mini-camps and workouts that Harden organized, Feigen adds. Along with team bonding, Harden has been focused on avoiding a repeat of last season, when the Rockets went .500 and were knocked out in the opening round of the playoffs after reaching the Western Conference Finals the previous season. “I’ve been training all summer,” Harden said. “Last season wasn’t great at all. It was very disappointing. I don’t want to let that happen two years in a row. I’ve been in the gym working out to get my mind, body and soul right.”
In other developments regarding the Rockets:
- Harden says that signing restricted free agent Donatas Motiejunas is “very important,” Feigen relays in a tweet. There’s not much going regarding the impasse between the Rockets and Motiejunas, a source told Feigen (Twitter link). The power forward has not received a serious offer from the club, according to his agent, B.J. Armstrong. Motiejunas does not want to sign the $3.4MM qualifying offer the Rockets have made. The Pistons rescinded a deal with the Rockets at the trade deadline in February when Motiejunas failed a physical because of lingering back problems.
- The team plans to sign point guards Gary Payton II, Isaiah Taylor and Bobby Brown and power forward Kyle Wiltjer on Thursday or Friday, Feigen added in the same tweet regarding the lack of progress with Motiejunas’ contract talks. Those contracts are likely to to be two-year deals, according to Feigen. Payton II, Taylor and Wiltjer are undrafted rookies who agreed to deals shortly after the draft. Brown, who hasn’t played in the NBA since 2010, agreed in July to attend the Rockets’ camp.
Hawks Sign Richard Solomon
SEPTEMBER 20: The Hawks have officially announced the signing of Solomon, issuing a press release today to confirm the move.
SEPTEMBER 15: Power forward Richard Solomon will sign a non-guaranteed contract with the Hawks and join them for training camp, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
The 6’10” Solomon, who played college ball at California, obviously impressed the club enough during workouts on Wednesday and Thursday to receive an offer. He still faces long odds to make the opening-day roster. The Hawks already have 15 fully guaranteed contracts on the books, plus one more player with a partial guarantee. Vivlamore previously reported that the team wanted to add another point guard and a frontcourt player to bulk up its roster for the preseason.
Atlanta’s power forward spot looks crowded with Solomon joining Paul Millsap, Kris Humphries, Mike Scott and Mike Muscala. Though Muscala’s contract is not guaranteed, Solomon would probably need an injury or two to the players ahead of him on the depth chart to survive the final cut.
Solomon at least has a chance to make the team, unlike some of the other players the team recently inquired about or tried out. It was reportedly speaking with Bryce Cotton prior to the guard signing a one-year deal with the Turkish club, Anadolu Efes.
The Hawks also worked out forward Ryan Kelly and guards Xavier Munford and Dionte Christmas.
Solomon appeared in 59 games in the Japanese League last season and averaged 11.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 0.9 assists. His shooting line was .536/.179/.660. In his senior season with the Bears, he averaged 11.0 points and 10.2 rebounds in 29.2 minutes.
In July, he played in Orlando for the Suns’ summer league squad and then in Las Vegas with the Thunder, according to Vivlamore. Solomon reportedly worked out for the Jazz on Monday and Tuesday.
And-Ones: Pressey, Cavs, Rose, Bulls
The Warriors have acquired the D-League rights to training camp invitee Phil Pressey via a trade with the Jazz’s D-League affiliate, according to a press release from the Salt Lake City Stars. The Santa Cruz Warriors secured the returning player rights of Pressey in exchange for the same rights to point guard Aaron Craft and a 2017 D-League second-round pick. Pressey, a 25-year-old point guard, signed what is believed to be a non-guaranteed, one-year contract with Golden State, which already has 16 other players under contract. By acquiring his D-League rights, the Warriors can not only ship him to their affiliate if he makes the 15-man roster but also keep him in the organization even if he doesn’t secure a spot.
- The Cavs are renegotiating the contract of assistant coach Larry Drew, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com reports. The former head coach of the Hawks and Bucks will be head coach Tyronn Lue’s chief assistant and associate head coach this season. Drew, who is entering his third season with Cleveland, will get a raise but the two sides are still working out the details, Vardon adds.
- Attorneys for the woman who has accused Knicks point guard Derrick Rose of sexual assault are demanding an NBA investigation into the 2013 incident, Julia Marsh of the New York Post relays. Waukeen McCoy, one of those lawyers, suggested that the league and team should enforce the morality clause in Rose’s contract and suspend him, Marsh adds. A lawsuit filed in California is scheduled for trial on October 4.
- Nate Loenser has been the named the head coach of the Bulls’ new D-League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, the team announced via press release. Loenser was the Chicago Bulls’ video coordinator last season. He’s also coached at Southern Mississippi and Iowa State. Bulls assistant GM Brian Hagen will also serve as Windy City’s GM.
- Guard Langston Galloway signed a two-year, $10MM contract with the Pelicans but he still doesn’t think he’s established himself in the league, as he told Jake Rauchbach of Basketball Insiders in an exclusive interview. “I’ve got a lot to prove,” Galloway told Rauchbach. “I want to be one of those top guys one day and I gotta go out and prove it to each of the guys that I play against every night. Like, ‘Hey, I am trying to be at that level.’ That’s what I gotta go out there and do.”
Nowitzki Could Play Beyond Two-Year Deal
Dirk Nowitzki has not ruled out playing beyond the two-year contract he signed with the Mavericks this summer, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com tweets. Nowitzki will see how his body responds this season before making any decisions on his future, he told MacMahon and other media members. Nowitzki will receive $25MM this season, with a $25MM team option on the second year, including a $5MM guarantee. “Obviously, I would love to play the next two years and then just see how it goes,” he said. Nowitzki averaged a team-high 18.3 points last season in 75 games.
In other highlights of the interview:
- Team owner Mark Cuban actually gave Nowitzki a bigger raise than he was expecting. Nowitzki waited until the Mavs finished their off-season business before signing his deal to give them cap flexibility, according to Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. “We had settled on a number,” Nowitzki said. “And then Mark actually said, ‘OK, everybody’s signed, and we actually have this much money to give you.’ So, he actually gave me another raise, which was obviously nice for him, and he’s been incredibly loyal to me. And I’ve shown, obviously, that I’ve wanted to be here the last couple years. I think he wanted to reward me in a way.”
- Nowitzki was impressed by the additions of small forward Harrison Barnes and center Andrew Bogut from the Warriors, MacMahon relays: “They’re champions,” he said. “They’re great players.”
- Nowitzki has noted Barnes’ desire to become a better all-around player in the wake of his huge payday, as MacMahon reports. Barnes received a four-year, $94MM contract. “A lot of guys come here, sign here or get traded here and they’re telling me they’re gym rats, but I haven’t really seen many in my 18 years, but he’s the one guy that walks the walk,” Nowitzki said. “He’s there in the morning, we’re working out with the guys, he goes back at night and he wants to get better.”
Pelicans Invite Chinese Forward He Tianju To Camp
The Pelicans have extended a training-camp invitation to forward He Tianju of the Chinese Basketball Association’s Liaoning Flying Leopards, according to Justin Verrier of ESPN.com. Assuming the offer is accepted, the 6’9” Tianju would play in New Orleans’ two preseason Global Games matchups in China against the Rockets, Verrier adds (Twitter links).
Tianju, who has played six seasons in the Chinese Basketball League, is considered an above-average three-point shooter. The 25-year-old small forward also has a history with the Pelicans, having played on their summer-league squad in 2015. He had a nine-point game in 12 minutes of action in one of those Las Vegas Summer League games against the Bucks.
The Pelicans already have 15 players with guaranteed contracts on their roster, along with three others on non-guaranteed deals. So even if Tianju signs a training-camp deal, it’s highly unlikely the Pelicans will keep him around. But the bonus of playing two games in his home country would certainly be a major selling point.
Coach Alvin Gentry told John Reid of the New Orleans Times Picayune during Tianju’s summer-league foray that Tianju needed to improve his footwook.
”Defensively, he has got to be able to move his feet better to play the quicker players,” Gentry told Reid.”But I think he is smart enough and his rebounding is very good. I think he’s done a very good job on the boards. The only thing I see is his lateral quickness and guarding quicker players out on the floor.”
Nate Wolters Agrees To Deal With Nuggets
SEPTEMBER 15: The signing is official, per team release.
AUGUST 19: Free agent guard Nate Wolters has agreed to a deal with the Nuggets, league sources told Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link).
Wolters, the 38th pick in 2013 draft, played in Turkey last season. He appeared in 58 games with the Bucks, including 31 starts, in 2013/14. He averaged 7.2 points and 3.2 assists that season. He then played another 11 games with Milwaukee the following season and 10 more with the Pelicans off the bench.
The 6’4” Wolters has a chance to make the final roster as the No. 3 point guard behind Emmanuel Mudiay and Jameer Nelson.
And-Ones: Davis, Pacers, Clippers, Warriors
Pelicans power forward Anthony Davis has been medically cleared to play, according to the team’s official website in news that was passed along by ESPN.com’s Justin Verrier. Davis participated in his first scrimmage on Wednesday and GM Dell Demps said at a season-ticket holder event that Davis is expected to start the season without any restrictions, Verrier adds. Davis’ 2015/16 season ended prematurely because of a left knee injury. He underwent an ultrasonic debridement and received an injection of his own bone marrow March 25.
In other news around the league:
- Nick Zeisloft’s training camp deal with the Pacers includes a $25K guarantee, league sources told Scott Agness of VigilantSports.com. Zeisloft’s one-year, rookie minimum contract allows the Pacers to retain his rights for D-League purposes, Agness adds. The signing of the 6’4” shooting guard was somewhat surprising, considering he only averaged 6.5 points with the Indiana Hoosiers last season and wasn’t on the Pacers’ summer league teams.
- The Clippers have hired Monte Mathis as a scout under new GM Lawrence Frank, sources told ESPN.com’s Marc Stein (Twitter link). Mathis was previously an assistant coach with the Mavericks and Magic.
- Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t see the Lakers becoming playoff contenders any time soon, he told Bill Oram of the Orange County Register and other reporters during Hall of Fame weekend. “I mean, they’ve still got to go up against Golden State in the West, they’ve got to go up against OKC, still got to go up against Cleveland, the Rockets. So they have a long way to go to be a contender,” O’Neal said. “Every now and then they’ll make some noise and get the people in the Staples Center excited.”
- Warriors rookie center Damian Jones is showing progress from a pectoral injury but is unlikely to be healthy enough to participate at the start of training camp, Anthony Slater of the San Jose Mercury News tweets. Jones, who suffered the injury in June, has begun to lift weights, Slater adds. The 7-footer was the 30th overall pick in the draft.
Charlie Villanueva Exploring Options In China
Community Shootaround: Western Conference Playoffs
Normally filled with 50-win teams, the Western Conference had a few “haves” and way more “have nots” last season. The Warriors and Spurs separated themselves from the pack quickly, while the Thunder and Clippers cruised to the third and fourth spots. No other team won more than 44 regular-season games and spots 5-9 were separated by a mere four games.
That suggests we could see some upheaval in terms of the playoff picture this season. The Thunder will struggle to match, or even come close, to the 55 wins they collected last season with Kevin Durant now wearing a Golden State uniform. The teams in the bottom half of last season’s playoff bracket could be in danger of falling into the lottery, as most of the non-playoff teams appear to be on the upswing.
The Jazz just missed out on the playoffs and have fortified their young core with playoff-tested veterans, including George Hill, Joe Johnson and Boris Diaw. The Nuggets have a deep team led by point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, who could be poised for a breakout season after getting a trial by fire in his rookie season.
The Pelicans were a colossal disappointment a year ago after making the 2014/15 playoffs but any team anchored by Anthony Davis has to be respected. If rookie guard Buddy Hield makes an immediate impact as a scorer, New Orleans could be poised for a turnaround.
Perhaps no team in the league has more young talent than the Timberwolves. Led by franchise player Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, the club could take a big jump with defensive-minded coach Tom Thibodeau at the helm.
The Suns added power forwards Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss in the draft and with better health for guards Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight, they should be much more dangerous.
The Kings made some curious off-season moves but they still have arguably the league’s top center in DeMarcus Cousins. The Lakers did some roster tinkering, including the addition of veteran forward Luol Deng, but their biggest hope is that lottery pick Brandon Ingram develops into a franchise player.
This leads us to our question of the day: Which Western Conference team that missed last season’s playoffs will make the postseason in the upcoming season and what will put that team over the top?
Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the topic. We look forward to what you have to say.
Reinsdorf Bullish On Wade-Rondo-Butler Trio
Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf believes that the headstrong trio of Dwyane Wade, Rajon Rondo and Jimmy Butler will be successful because they’re “high character guys who want it to work,” K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune tweets. Wade and Rondo signed with Chicago as free agents this summer and the club held onto Butler despite trade rumors swirling around him, particularly on draft night. The Bulls are projected to pair up Wade and Rondo in the backcourt while Butler sliding to small forward, though they are all subpar 3-point shooters.
In other highlights of the interview as reported by Johnson:
- Reinsdorf expressed surprise that Wade ditched the Heat to join his hometown team (Twitter link). Wade signed a two-year, $47MM deal in mid-July.
- The owner believes the team will be “competitive” this season but wouldn’t offer any predictions. Chicago’s failure to make the playoffs last season “bothered me a lot” because “we lost a lot of games to teams we shouldn’t have lost to.” (Twitter links)
- Looking back on recent years, Reinsdorf laments the knee injuries that plagued former franchise player Derrick Rose. He had high hopes for the group and its inability to accomplish more during that era was “disappointing.” (Twitter link) Rose was traded to the Knicks in June.
- Joakim Noah‘s leadership and involvement in the community will be missed but Reinsdorf is happy that the free agent center “got that kind of money.” (Twitter link). Noah signed a four-year, $72MM pact with the Knicks.