And-Ones: Len, Brown, Cavs, Roberts
Suns interim head coach Earl Watson has no qualms about pairing up centers Alex Len and Tyson Chandler in the starting lineup, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Watson wants to utilize Len as the team’s primary offensive target the rest of the season and foster his development, Coro continues. “Who’s playing two 7-footers any more?” Watson explained to Coro. “We have this trend of playing small ball and we know the greatest small ball team is the Warriors. We’re not going to catch them. Let’s create a new trend. Let’s let Alex Len get experience.”
In other developments around the Western Conference:
- Swingman Jabari Brown, who played with the Lakers last season, is joining the team’s D-League D-Fenders after returning from China in recent days, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports tweets. Brown, who appeared in 19 games with the Lakers as a rookie, was the last player cut in training camp when the club decided to keep veteran Metta World Peace.
- A coaching change that’s produced only an 11-6 record so far and the inability to land Joe Johnson are among the problems that ail the Cavaliers, as TNT’s David Aldridge examines in his Morning Tip for NBA.com. Internal carping from players about their respective roles, shots and ability to mesh on the court with LeBron James has also been a factor, Aldridge hears.
- Point guard Brian Roberts, whom the Trail Blazers recently acquired from the Heat, believes he’ll land an NBA job next summer when he enters the free agent market, Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders reports. Roberts passed through the Heat organization via the Hornets after he was included in the three-team deal that sent Courtney Lee from the Grizzlies to Charlotte. “I feel like I’m a guy that whatever opportunities I get I’m going to make the most of it,” he told Brigham. “I’m reliable, and that’s what it comes down to in this league. If you can be dependable every night, you’ll have a job.”
- Pelicans power forward Ryan Anderson will be a prime target for the Mavericks in free agency, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News opines. Anderson’s ability to stretch the floor would make him a very good fit but he’ll be in heavy demand, Sefko notes.
- The Grizzlies recalled rookie power forward Jarell Martin from the Iowa Energy, the D-League club tweets. Martin, a first-round pick, averaged 18.3 points over three games in his latest assignment there. He made his fourth appearance with Memphis on Monday night.
- The Bucks recalled small forward Damien Inglis from the D-League’s Westchester Knicks, Milwaukee announced through its website. Inglis played 13 games for the Knicks’ D-League affiliate, averaging 9.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 21.4 minutes.
Pistons Notes: Harris, Motiejunas, Morris
The Pistons had reportedly been targeting power forwards for free agency this summer, but with the acquisition of Tobias Harris, coach/executive Stan Van Gundy would feel comfortable if Harris and Marcus Morris were the team’s starters at the two forward positions beyond this season, notes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “I think they’re both starting-caliber guys. It all depends on where your roster goes and everything else,” Van Gundy said. “You’d love to get to the point where you have starting-caliber guys coming off your bench. But certainly if we have to go into next season and beyond with those two guys as our starting forwards, we’re pretty happy with that.”
In other news regarding the Pistons:
- Donatas Motiejunas believes a change of heart, instead of a medical issue, was the reason his trade from the Rockets was voided, according to an item in BasketNews.lt that Dan Feldman of NBCSports.com relays. According to the translation of Motiejunas’ quotes, he felt he passed the team’s physical examinations, Feldman continues. The power forward and shooting guard Marcus Thornton, since waived by Houston, were traded to Detroit in a three-team deal in which the Rockets would have received Detroit’s first-round pick, with some protections. “Those 48 hours actually just let the team decide whether they want you or not,” Motiejunas reportedly said. “The Pistons announced I did not pass the medical, although I surely did pass it and played even before it. … The injury was a pretense to call off the trade. They changed their minds.”
- Morris is making a case for one of the NBA’s All-Defensive teams, according to Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. Morris is a hard-nosed one-on-one defender, though he doesn’t record many steals or blocks, Ellis continues. Raptors coach Dwane Casey told Ellis and other media members on Sunday that Morris has a defensive presence. “Most of all, it’s his defensive toughness,” Casey said. “With the defensive disposition he brings, it’s not like you’re just going to catch the ball down there and go to work on him in the low post.”
- Power forward Justin Harper helped his case for another 10-day contract by hitting three 3-pointers against the Raptors, Ellis writes in a separate notebook. Harper, who officially signed on February 24th, has one more game remaining against the Spurs on Wednesday before his 10-day expires. It would not be a surprise if Harper gets another 10-day, David Mayo of MLive.com writes, but the team will also scour the waiver wire for a veteran point guard or power forward.
Southeast Rumors: Hardaway Jr., Johnson, Harris
The Hawks’ draft-night acquisition of shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. from the Knicks is finally paying off, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. The Knicks received the rights to point guard Jerian Grant and appeared to get the upper hand in the deal during the first half of the season, as Hardaway languished on Atlanta’s bench. Hardaway appeared in just four of the Hawks’ first 35 games but now has a rotation spot as the backup shooting guard, including a 25-minute stint on Sunday. “I feel like he is starting to understand what we expect from him, what we need,” Atlanta center Al Horford told Vivlamore. “More than anything, defensively he is bringing it.” While Hardaway’s playing time is increasing, Grant has seen decreased minutes under Knicks interim coach Kurt Rambis, including three DNP’s in the past eight contests, Vivlamore adds.
In other news around the Southeast Division:
- Joe Johnson wants to finish his career with the Heat, observes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com. The 34-year-old shooting guard signed with Miami after reaching a buyout agreement with the Nets and clearing waivers. Johnson, who scored 12 points in his Heat debut on Sunday, hopes it’s not a short-term arrangement, as he told Youngmisuk and other members of the media. “I think we’ve got a lot of veteran guys who know what it takes to win [and the possibility of remaining with the Heat] was another key thing for me,” he said. That’s certainly feasible from a salary-cap standpoint, as the Heat have only $48MM in guaranteed salary commitments next season.
- The Tobias Harris trade could define the tenure of Magic GM Rob Hennigan, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel opines. Harris was traded to the Pistons for the expiring contract of point guard Brandon Jennings and power forward Ersan Ilyasova. With a partial guarantee on the final year of Ilyasova’s contract, the Magic could have $45MM to spend on free agents this summer, Schmitz continues. Harris’ growth had leveled off, in Schmitz’s view, but the trade only works out if Hennigan can land a top-level free agent.
- Josh Richardson has been a revelation as the Heat’s new backup point guard, according to Ethan J. Skolnick of the Miami Herald. Thrust into the role because of injuries, Richardson has called upon the leadership qualities he showed in college at Tennessee, Skolnick adds. “It was tough at first, but now that I’ve kind of been forced into the backup point guard role, it’s a leadership role again,” Richardson told Skolnick. “So I get to kind of be me again, and talk and direct traffic.”
Pistons Sign Justin Harper To 10-Day Contract
WEDNESDAY, 8:55am: The signing is official, the team announced via press release. The contract will cover four games, against the Sixers, Raptors, Bucks and Spurs. Meanwhile, the Pistons will re-evaluate Johnson in a week, the team also announced.
TUESDAY, 12:03am: The Pistons plan to sign power forward Justin Harper of the Los Angeles D-Fenders to a 10-day contract, league sources tell The Vertical’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). The 6’10” Harper was averaging 14.8 points and 5.0 rebounds for the D-Fenders, Chris Reichert of Upside Motor tweets.
The 26-year-old Harper has not appeared in an NBA game since the 2011/12 season, when he played 14 games with the Magic. He was on the Nets’ training camp roster last fall but was waived after appearing in six preseason games.
A series of events led to the Pistons’ interest in Harper. They acquired power forward Donatas Motiejunas from the Rockets in a three-team deal at the trade deadline but it was voided on Monday because Motiejunas didn’t pass the team’s physicals. The voided trade left the team with an open roster spot.
Over the past two games, the Pistons have suffered injuries to their frontcourt. Power forward Anthony Tolliver is expected to miss two to four weeks with a knee injury, and rookie swingman Stanley Johnson sprained his shoulder against the Cavaliers on Monday night, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 2/22/16
We saw quite a bit of activity during the final days leading up to last Thursday afternoon’s trade deadline, though there were no earthshaking moves.
The biggest names in the rumor mill — Dwight Howard, Kevin Love, Blake Griffin and Pau Gasol — stayed put. There were still some eye-catching trades.
The Pistons and Magic fired an early salvo as Detroit acquired a young, prolific scoring forward in Tobias Harris in exchange for point guard Brandon Jennings and power forward Ersan Ilyasova. Both were previously coached by Scott Skiles and can help Orlando’s playoff push while giving the Magic flexibility this summer. Jennings has an expiring contract, and Ilyasova’s contract for next season isn’t fully guaranteed.
The Clippers dealt away Lance Stephenson to the Grizzlies for Jeff Green, giving Los Angeles coach Doc Rivers a better scoring option at small forward.
The Grizzlies were also involved in a three-team deal earlier in the week, sending shooting guard Courtney Lee to the Hornets.
The Thunder picked up a quality guard in Randy Foye from the Nuggets, shipping out guards D.J. Augustin, Steve Novak and a couple of second-round picks for him.
The Wizards made a significant frontcourt move, acquiring talented but controversial power forward Markieff Morris from the Suns. Phoenix received Washington’s first-round pick (top-nine protected) and a couple of veteran power forwards, Kris Humphries and DeJuan Blair (who was waived).
Channing Frye was shipped by the Magic to the Cavaliers, giving the Cavs a stretch four at their disposal for the playoffs. Orlando got rid of Frye’s contract, which runs through the 2017/18 season, while also receiving Jared Cunningham and an unprotected second-round pick.
The Trail Blazers received the Cavaliers’ top-10 protected 2018 first-round pick as an incentive to take Anderson Varejao‘s contract off their hands and help their luxury-tax situation.
This leads us to our question of the day: Which team made the best trade last week?
Please take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the subject. We look forward to what you have to say.
And-Ones: Conley, Thompson, Dekker
Former Grizzlies and Nets coach Lionel Hollins said in a SiriusXM NBA Radio interview that Mike Conley will seek the best offer on the free-agent market, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News writes. Hollins doubts the Grizzlies point guard will accept a hometown discount to stay in Memphis, Bondy continues. The Knicks are among the teams expected to pursue Conley, the top guard on the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings. “You have the hammer in your hand and you have to wield it because you may never get it again,” Hollins said in the interview. “The reality is you have to do what’s best for your family and the future. And if somebody comes around and offers Michael $18MM and Memphis can’t match, I think you have to make those decisions from that perspective.”
In other news around the league:
- Jason Thompson‘s struggle to grasp the complexities of the Warriors’ schemes was a major factor why he was waived, according to Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN.com. Thompson lost his roster spot in favor of center Anderson Varejao, who was signed on Monday. The team needed more depth in the middle because of injury concerns, but Strauss also believes Thompson’s lack of an advanced feel for the game made him the odd man out.
- The Rockets recalled rookie small forward Sam Dekker from the D-League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the team tweets. Dekker, who underwent back surgery three months ago, made his season debut with the Vipers on Friday night, as Adam Johnson of the D-League Digest details. Dekker’s recall was simply to participate in a practice, as he will return to play a few more games with the Vipers, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports (Twitter link).
- Center Tibor Pleiss was recalled by the Jazz from the D-League’s Idaho Stampede on Monday, according to the team’s website. Pleiss, a 7’3” center, has appeared in 12 games with the Jazz and 15 more for the Stampede this season.
- Point guard Dwight Buycks will join the Thunder’s D-League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, international journalist David Pick tweets. Buycks signed with Fujian Sturgeons in the Chinese Basketball Association in September and was among the league leaders in assists, Pick adds. Buycks played 14 games with the Raptors during the 2013/14 season and six more with the Lakers last season after signing a 10-day contract in April. He was also on the Lakers’ summer-league squad.
Eastern Rumors: Frye, Evans, Fredette
Channing Frye realizes he may not get much playing time with the Cavaliers, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer reports. The power forward was acquired in a deadline deal and made his Cleveland debut Monday night, playing nine minutes. “I don’t think they need anything,” Frye told reporters prior to the game. “I think I’m just another option. I like to space the floor and I think I can give guys an opportunity not to get double-teamed. … I know there are All-Stars playing ahead of me so I’m going to have to earn my minutes whenever possible and just be ready.”
In other news around the Eastern Conference:
- Veteran power forward Reggie Evans will not be joining the Celtics, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com opines (Video link here). The Celtics were reportedly one of the teams interested in signing Evans, who has not played in the league this season. Blakely said that Celtics won’t be filling their open roster spot, created by the release of power forward David Lee, with the 35-year-old Evans. “If you’re thinking you’re going to get that guy, not going to happen,” Blakely said during the team’s pregame broadcast on Monday.
- Point guard Brandon Jennings admits he’s still not all the way back from the Achilles tendon tear that he suffered last January, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Jennings, who will be an unrestricted free agent after this season, was traded to the Magic last week along with power forward Ersan Ilyasova while forward Tobias Harris was shipped to the Pistons. “My goal was to get back to that level again — and it still is,” Jennings told Robbins. “So, it’s been a challenging year. Coming off the bench, of course, has been challenging for me. It’s the first time I’ve done it in my career. But I took on the challenge. I’ve accepted it.” The Magic brought in the duo to provide some veteran help to a young nucleus as part of a playoff push, Robbins adds.
- Interim Knicks coach Kurt Rambis said shooting guard Jimmer Fredette will have to outplay someone over the next 10 days to stay on the roster, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN New York tweets. Fredette signed a 10-day contract on Monday and played two minutes in the Knicks’ loss to the Raptors on Monday night.
Mavs Notes: Lee, Jenkins, Matthews
David Lee expects to gain a rotation spot with the Mavericks but didn’t ask for any promises before joining the club on Monday, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com reports. Lee officially signed with Dallas on Monday after being released by the Celtics last week as part of a buyout agreement. While the veteran big man only requested an “opportunity,” he clearly doesn’t want to get buried on the bench, as he did in Boston. “I look forward to being able to help us on the glass and offensively and defensively fitting in with a team that’s already done pretty well this season,” Lee told MacMahon. “Really, I don’t believe much in them promising me a number on minutes. This is something that I’m coming in here and expect to earn playing time by playing well and helping the team get wins.” Lee was informed by coach Rick Carlisle that he will receive the bulk of his minutes backing up center Zaza Pachulia.
In other news concerning the Mavs:
- Carlisle wants the team to re-sign shooting guard John Jenkins sometime in the future, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com tweets. Jenkins, who signed a three-year deal prior to this season with only a first-year guarantee, was released on Monday to make room for Lee. Jenkins had earned a lot of respect inside the locker room, Sneed adds, but got caught in a numbers crunch.
- Wesley Matthews continues to struggle with his shooting and it’s fair to wonder whether the club should have handed the former Trail Blazers shooting guard a four-year, $70MM contract, MacMahon examines in a separate story. While owner Mark Cuban recently proclaimed that the club didn’t sign Matthews for this season, he has shown no progress in his first season since recovering from a left Achilles tendon tear. Matthews is averaging just 10.7 points since the New Year while shooting 37.4% from the field and 30.5% on 3-point tries, MacMahon points out. If Dallas doesn’t start getting better production from its highest-paid player, it has virtually no chance of winning a playoff round and could even slide out of the postseason picture, MacMahon adds.
- The Mavs are still looking to add another shooter, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News hears. They could be interested in two-guards Joe Johnson or Kevin Martin if either reaches a buyout agreement and gets released, though Sefko has doubts whether the Mavs would cut into Matthews’ minutes by signing Martin.
Central Rumors: Motiejunas, Novak, Love
Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy doesn’t regret making the trade deadline acquisition of Rockets power forward Donatas Motiejunas, even though the team voided the three-team deal on Monday because of concerns over Motiejunas’ health, David Mayo of MLive.com reports. Motiejunas, who underwent back surgery after last season, failed physical exams conducted in New York and Detroit, Mayo continues. “I would do it over again, if it were out there,” Van Gundy told the team’s beat reporters. “We did our due diligence and just thought there was too much risk.” The Pistons have an open roster spot and will comb through the waiver wire, as well as consider D-League prospects, to add depth at power forward. The club is thin at that position with Anthony Tolliver sidelined by a knee injury expected to keep him out two to four weeks, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com (Twitter link).
In other news around the Central Division:
- Van Gundy told Langlois that the Pistons and Rockets couldn’t change the parameters of the protected first-round pick Detroit would have traded to Houston because the trade deadline had expired (Twitter link). That contradicts an earlier tweet from The Vertical’s front office expert Bobby Marks that indicated protections on the pick could have been changed.
- Veteran shooting guard Steve Novak is thrilled the Bucks wanted him because they are his hometown team, Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. Novak was traded last week by the Thunder to the Nuggets, who promptly released him as part of a buyout agreement. Milwaukee was looking for 3-point shooting off the bench and signed Novak, who attended Marquette, on Monday. “I always dreamed of playing for the Bucks, but at this point I didn’t know if it was something that would ever happen,” Novak told Gardner. “I think we were lucky enough that Denver said they would do a buyout and Milwaukee called and said they had interest. It was a phone call I wasn’t sure I’d ever get but I was pretty pumped.”
- Kevin Love would rather be the third option on a championship team than the star of a lesser team, Steve Aschburner of NBA.com writes. The Cavaliers power forward has gotten used to hearing his name in trade rumors, as Aschburner details, but Love refutes the notion that he’d rather be posting bigger stats as another team’s No. 1 option. “All things considered, I’ve always said if I could win, be happy and get paid, that was kind of it,” Love told Aschburner.
Latest On Chris Bosh
12:58pm: Bosh is taking blood-thinners and has hopes of playing again this season, Reynolds hears (Twitter link).
TUESDAY, 12:01am: Bosh is expected to meet with doctors on Thursday to determine the seriousness of the clotting in his left calf and whether blood thinners could allow him to return this season, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports.
MONDAY, 10:46pm: Heat perennial All-Star power forward Chris Bosh may be dealing with another serious health situation, multiple sources told Barry Jackson and Ethan J. Skolnick of the Miami Herald. Bosh has a blood-clot scare, a source told the Associated Press’ Tim Reynolds, but Bosh’s season has not been declared over (Twitter link). Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops tweeted first that multiple sources had told him Bosh might have a serious issue.
Bosh missed Sunday’s All-Star game with a strained calf and returned to Miami for additional tests, according to Jackson. A person in contact with the Heat’s front office indicated a problem surfaced Monday beyond a strained calf.
Bosh sat out the second half of last season after potentially life-threatening blood clots were found in his lungs but the current problem is not life threatening, a source told Jackson. Bosh’s agent, Henry Thomas, told Jackson via text that it’s “too soon” to declare that Bosh has a blood clot in his calf.
A blood clot would require Bosh to take blood thinners that would put him out of action indefinitely, the Herald story adds. Bosh was on blood thinners for seven months after being diagnosed with blood clots, according to Jackson.
If Bosh is sidelined, the Heat’s chances of making the playoffs would obviously be dealt a severe blow. They have limited options at power forward and Chris Andersen and Josh McRoberts have been nagged by injuries much of the season. It could also alter their strategy heading into the trade deadline, where they might be more inclined to be sellers than buyers.