Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 2/15/16
The Thunder possess the most dynamic 1-2 punch in the league in All-Stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Both players have stayed healthy this season and, not surprisingly, put up big numbers. Durant is averaging 27.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists while Westbrook, the All-Star Game MVP, has been a triple-double machine while averaging 24.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 10.0 assists.
Oklahoma City collected 40 wins before the break and have a realistic shot at 60 before the playoffs. With Durant and Westbrook leading the way, the Thunder would seem a like a major title contender in almost any season.
Instead, the amazing consistency of the Warriors and Spurs has relegated the Thunder to an afterthought. A Western Conference finals matchup between those powerhouses seems almost inevitable, given that both clubs have been invincible at home and show no signs of letting up.
Is there anything Oklahoma City can do to change that perception? Perhaps adding another starting piece by this week’s trade deadline could make people think twice about the Thunder’s chances of upsetting the Spurs and Warriors and reaching the NBA Finals.
Seemingly, the Thunder have enough “bigs” to compete with the other top echelon teams with Serge Ibaka, Steven Adams, Enes Kanter and Nick Collison giving them impressive depth at power forward and center.
Oklahoma City could use an upgrade at the wings. The shooting guard spot has been an issue for the Thunder, with Dion Waiters seeing the most action at the position. They could also seek a starter-quality small forward and go smaller with Durant playing more minutes at power forward. That would help them match up better with the Warriors, who use Draymond Green at power forward and even center at times while “downsizing” their units.
This leads us to our question of the day: What player should the Thunder target in trade talks this 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: Morris, Kings, Gasol
The Suns want a package that includes a younger player and a first-round pick for power forward Markieff Morris, several league executives told Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. Phoenix has no intention of bringing back Morris next season but GM Ryan McDonough could wait until the summer to deal him if he doesn’t get the desired package, Wojnarowski continues. Phoenix already owns five first-rounders over the next three drafts, which motivates McDonough to get more than just a pick for Morris, Wojnarowski adds.
In other news around the league:
- The Kings and Magic are under internal pressure to make the playoffs and that increases the chances of those teams making a deadline deal, David Aldridge of NBA.com tweets. Kings owner Vivek Ranadive and vice president of basketball operations Vlade Divac were also canvassing league officials during the All-Star break on possible GM candidates, Wojnarowski reported in his trade deadline update. Divac holds the title of GM but the team is looking for someone who has more experience working with the collective bargaining agreement to assist him, as Wojnarowski details.
- The Knicks could make a play for the Bulls’ Pau Gasol, an unrestricted free agent this summer, even though center is not a clear position of need, Marc Berman of the New York Post opines. A source told Berman that money isn’t a primary concern for Gasol, which bodes well for the Knicks. Gasol is one of Knicks president Phil Jackson’s favorite players and he would make a perfect mentor to rookie power forward Kristaps Porzingis, Berman continues. The Knicks could attempt to trade current starter Robin Lopez to open up a spot for Gasol and might also clear cap space sooner by dealing backup big man Kyle O’Quinn, whom they’ve reportedly offered around, before the trade deadline, Berman adds.
- Lakers reserve shooting guard Nick Young is hopeful of getting traded to a playoff-bound team, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News reports. The club wants to move Young, as it tried to do during last season’s trade deadline and the offseason, but has struggled to find a taker, Medina continues. Young has two years and approximately $11.1MM remaining on his contract after this season, with a player option on the final year.
- There is only a slim possibility that the Warriors will make a trade before Thursday’s deadline, a source told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
Timberwolves Interested In Miles Plumlee
The Timberwolves are interested in acquiring center Miles Plumlee from the Bucks, a source told Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The club is trying to move shooting guard Kevin Martin and power forward Adreian Payne and is also willing to deal point guard Ricky Rubio, the source also told Broussard.
Plumlee was moved into Milwaukee’s starting lineup just before the All-Star break in an effort by coach Jason Kidd to shake things up on his disappointing club. Otherwise, Plumlee’s role has been limited most of the season. He’s averaging 3.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 9.5 minutes over 33 games. ESPN.com’s Marc Stein reported in December that the Bucks were shopping Plumlee.
It would be the second time in as many seasons Plumlee would be moved just before the trade deadline if the Timberwolves acquire him. Plumlee was part of a three-way deal involving the Bucks, Suns and Sixers last season that included Brandon Knight and Michael Carter-Williams. He made 107 starts in 134 games with Phoenix after playing 14 games during his rookie campaign in 2012/13 with the Pacers.
The Timberwolves have paired up Gorgui Dieng and rookie sensation Karl-Anthony Towns in their lineup but have lacked depth up front because of nagging foot issues plaguing former starting center Nikola Pekovic.
Previous reports have indicated that Martin, Payne and Rubio were available, with Martin also drawing buyout interest if he’s not dealt. The Bucks appeared to have at least passing interest in Martin as of about a month ago.
Wizards Notes: Trade Targets, Dudley, Temple
The Wizards shouldn’t regard taking on a long-term salary as a deal killer if they want to make noise in the playoffs, Ben Standig of CSN Mid-Atlantic opines. While Washington has diligently cleared cap space to make a run at Kevin Durant this offseason, it is only three games out of the eighth spot in the East and can’t pin all of its hopes on free agency, Standig continues. Power forwards such as Thaddeus Young, Markieff Morris, Tobias Harris, Ryan Anderson and even Blake Griffin are the type of players the Wizards should consider if they’re serious about a playoff push, instead of staking all their hopes on landing Durant, Standig adds.
In other notes regarding the Wizards:
- Jared Dudley has exceeded all expectations as the team’s stretch four, Michael writes in his All-Star break evaluation. Dudley cost the Wizards virtually nothing in the offseason trade with the salary-dumping Bucks, Michael continues, but he’s emerged as Washington’s undersized power forward ahead of Nene and Kris Humphries. He’s also the quarterback of the defense, making the right rotations and trying to cover for other players’ mistakes while calling for adjustments when needed, Michael adds. Dudley, who is making $4.375MM, is one of many Washington players with expiring contracts.
- Shooting guard Garrett Temple also gets a high mark from Michael, who notes that Temple is the only starter with a positive net rating. Michael doesn’t believe that’s a statistical quirk but rather speaks to Temple’s ability to finish in transition, hit open jumpers and keep the ball moving while also establishing himself as the club’s top one-on-one defender. Temple is providing all this while making $1.1MM on an expiring deal.
Southwest Rumors: Mavs Trade Talk, Davis, Spurs
The Mavericks are not looking to making a major move, which all but rules out a potential blockbuster scenario for James Harden or Dwight Howard, according to Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. It doesn’t make sense that the Rockets would deal one of their stars to an in-state team within their division, Sefko argues, plus the Mavs have few tradeable assets. Even if they manage to pull off such a deal, it would not push them past the Warriors or Spurs, so they’d be better off holding onto and developing young players like forwards Dwight Powell and Justin Anderson, Sefko continues. However, Dallas could make a smaller move for another shooter or an athletic big man, and the team would also be interested in bringing in either Kevin Martin or Joe Johnson if those veteran shooting guards reach buyout agreements with their respective clubs, Sefko adds. A closer look at some of the Mavs’ potential trade targets can be found here in a Morning News sidebar.
In other news around the Southwest Division:
- The Pelicans will run any potential moves by their superstar Anthony Davis before pulling the trigger, Brett Dawson of The New Orleans Advocate writes. The All-Star power forward told Dawson that he will be asked for his input if New Orleans’ front office gets into any serious trade discussions. “I trust our organization,” Davis said. “Whatever they decide to do, of course they’re going to make sure I’m involved with it. I don’t go out [and say], ‘Let’s do this; let’s do that.’ I try to let them handle that and they come to me, and we all sit down collectively and try to figure out what’s the best move.”
- The Spurs have used their D-League affiliate in Austin as a means to develop several players in recent seasons, as Melissa Rohlin of the San Antonio Express-News examines. Point guards Ray McCallum and Cory Joseph, shooting guard Jonathon Simmons and small forward Kyle Anderson are examples of players who have improved their games via their D-League experiences under the tutelage of Austin coach Ken McDonald, Rohlin adds.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 2/1/16
The WNBA shook up its postseason format last week in an effort to create more interest and excitement. Its postseason will no longer be divided into Eastern and Western Conference brackets. Instead, the top eight teams will qualify and be seeded based upon their winning percentage. There will also be byes for the top teams during the early rounds.
It’s hard to imagine the NBA rewarding its top qualifiers byes, simply because of the loss of playoff revenue in those markets. The idea of eliminating conference affiliation in the playoffs has been bandied about in recent years, particularly because of the Western Conference’s overall strength.
This season, things appear to have evened out, with more teams owning winning records in the East than the West. But there’s still some merit to adopting a playoff structure similar to the one that the WNBA has embraced. The top eight teams in each conference could qualify, or simply the top 16 teams by record, and then seeded 1-16 regardless of conference affiliation.
That would certainly add a little more intrigue to their early rounds and eliminate the same teams facing each other so often in the postseason. How about a Mavs-Bulls first-round playoff series? Or a Clippers-Celtics opening-round matchup? Or a Cavs-Rockets first-round duel?
The other obvious reason to making such a radical change would be to increase the possibility of the two best teams, regardless of conference affiliation, making the Finals. The Spurs certainly didn’t acquit themselves last week by getting blown by both the Warriors and Cavaliers but prior to those games, San Antonio and Golden State were considered the league’s premier teams. Under the current format, those teams can only meet in the conference finals.
This leads us to our question of the day: Would you like see the league shake up its playoff format and erase conference affiliations when it comes to seedings and matchups?
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.
D-League Notes: Dunleavy, Dinwiddie, Harrison
The Bulls have assigned veteran small forward Mike Dunleavy to the D-League’s Santa Cruz Warriors as he continues to rehab from a back injury that has kept him out all season, the club announced on Monday. Dunleavy will practice there during the Bulls’ West Coast swing but will not appear in a game, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports tweets. The most prominent player to appear in a D-League game this season was Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings, who played one game with the team’s affiliate in Grand Rapids in December while rehabbing from an Achilles tendon injury.
In more news involving the D-League:
- Pistons point guard Spencer Dinwiddie has averaged 16.7 points and 6.1 assists in 10 games since he was assigned to Grand Rapids on January 7th. But coach Stan Van Gundy has no plans to bring him back to Detroit in the near future. “Right now, with three healthy point guards, there’s not much reason to bring him back here and sit in street clothes out there,” Van Gundy told the assembled media over the weekend, including Hoops Rumors. “I think it’s better for his development that he gets a chance to play and practice every day.”
- The Hornets reassigned rookie point guard Aaron Harrison to the D-League’s Oklahoma City Blue on Monday, the NBA club announced on its website. Harrison, who played one game with the Blue in January, has appeared in 13 games for Charlotte. The Hornets do not have their own D-League affiliate.
- Hawks center Edy Tavares has returned from his D-League stint with the Austin Spurs, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. Tavares was assigned to Austin on January 27th.
- The Spurs recalled point guard Ray McCallum from Austin, the team tweets. McCallum has appeared in 20 games with San Antonio this season and seven with its D-League affiliate.
- The Timberwolves recalled power forward Adreian Payne from the D-League’s Erie BayHawks, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (Twitter link). The team’s PR department later confirmed the move. Payne has appeared in 30 games with the Timberwolves and three with the BayHawks this season.
Central Rumors: Cavs, Meeks, Vasquez
All-Star small forward LeBron James, point guard Kyrie Irving and power forward Kevin Love admitted fault of their own even as they laid out expectations for their teammates during a sometimes contentious players-only meeting the Cavs had in the immediate wake of David Blatt’s firing, as reported by Dave McMenamin, Brian Windhorst and Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. Accountability and double standards were key issues in the meeting that GM David Griffin asked reserve shooting guard James Jones to organize, as McMenamin, Windhorst and Lowe detail. The net effect appears to have been positive, based on the team’s 4-1 record since and the input a pair of sources gave the ESPN scribes.
In other news around the Central Division:
- Pistons shooting guard Jodie Meeks has suffered a setback during his rehab from a broken right foot, David Mayo of MLive.com tweets. Meeks met Monday with surgeon Martin O’Malley, who determined that the foot had not fully healed, Mayo continues. Meeks must stop practicing, which he began doing last week, and he also has to cut his rehab activity, Mayo adds. Meeks was expected to miss 12-16 weeks after he was injured during the team’s home opener but the club was hopeful of getting him back by the All-Star break.
- Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy, who is also the team’s president of basketball operations, doubts he would trade for a player that becomes an unrestricted free agent after the season, Rod Beard of the Detroit News reports. Detroit has been linked to Pelicans power forward Ryan Anderson, who is in his walk year, but Van Gundy doesn’t want to mortgage the future for a player who might depart after this season. “I’m not willing to yield an asset right now — even for a guy I really like — if he’s unrestricted and we could lose him in the summer for nothing,” Van Gundy told the team’s beat reporters. “That would be a step back in our building, even if it’s a minor one. We’re not going to give up a pick for a guy. If we were going to make a trade, it would be a for a guy who’s still got contract time left after next year, that we know we’d have.”
- Bucks point guard Greivis Vasquez expects to play again this season, Charles Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. Vasquez, who underwent right ankle injury in mid-December, is not close to returning but Vasquez remains optimistic, as he told Gardner. “I didn’t play the way I wanted to, but I needed to get healthy,” he said. “I know I’m going to come back before the season is over. Hopefully, we rack up a few wins and I can help.”
Trade Candidate: Rudy Gay
Rudy Gay has played in the NBA since the 2006/07 season and posted steady numbers throughout his career. He still tends to leave his coaches and home fans exasperated, wondering why his multi-dimensional skills fail to translate into greater production. So it’s not surprising that Gay is apparently on the trading block for the third time in four years.
Scan the basic numbers and Gay ranks as one of the league’s top small forwards. Virtually any team would be satisfied with a player who averages 18.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 35.8 minutes — his career numbers.
Gay averaged a career-high 21.1 points and 3.7 assists last season, as he took a larger offensive role for a Kings team that struggled to find a consistent point guard. The acquisition of Rajon Rondo, the league’s assists leader, has led to a dip in Gay’s numbers (18.0 points, 1.7 assists) but he’s pulling down more rebounds (6.9 compared to 5.9 a year ago) as he switches back and forth between the forward spots.
In terms of ESPN’s Player Efficiency Rating, Gay is having another solid season. He ranks 10th among small forwards at 16.69. That’s down from his career best 19.46 PER last season and the 18.40 he posted in 2013-14 but still well above the league average of 15.0.
Basketball Reference’s Offensive and Defensive Box Plus/Minus ratings provide a different perspective on Gay’s effectiveness. His OBPM is 0.3, while his DBPM is 0.0 — the epitome of average. Gay earned a career-best 2.8 OBPM last season but that figure was twice as high as any of his other seasons. For his career, Gay averages a 0.5 OBPM and a 0.1 DBPM, evidence for his critics that he’s not as good as his basic numbers would suggest.
Gay doesn’t provide much of a 3-point threat, averaging one make per game while shooting 34.3% from long range. He also has a tendency to miss games with nagging injuries — he hasn’t played more than 75 games since the 2009/10 season.
As Kings beat writer Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee recently pointed out, much has changed since the Kings made him virtually untouchable in trade talks last season. He has struggled to fit into coach George Karl‘s system, Jones noted, while the team has concerns about its depth at the two-guard spot.
Any team acquiring Gay would have to view him as its starter through next season, if not 2017/18 as well, because of his contract status. He signed a three-year extension in November 2014 and is making $12.4MM this season. He’s guaranteed approximately $13.33MM next season and holds a player option for $14.26MM for the following season.
Sacramento is seeking a quality young player, or a rotation player with at least one year left on his contract, in any trade involving Gay, according to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein.
In January, Gay was linked in trade rumors to two other Western Conference teams, the Pelicans and Kings. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported that Sacramento refused New Orleans’ offer of shooting guard Eric Gordon and small forward Alonzo Gee.
Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops reported earlier that the Kings wanted to trade Gay for power forward Ryan Anderson, an unrestricted free agent after this season, but the Pelicans wouldn’t bite. The offer involving Gordon, who is also an unrestricted free agent after the season, came prior to the finger fracture he suffered that will keep him out of action for four to six weeks.
While an intriguing possibility for the Pelicans, who are trying to climb back into the playoff race, the potential acquisition of Gay would negatively impact the team’s cap space, as Justin Verrier of ESPN.com recently wrote. It remains to be seen whether the Pelicans will be buyers or sellers in this market, given their current record, and taking Gay’s contract would be a significant commitment.
Grizzlies beat writer Ronald Tillery of The Memphis Commerical Appeal recently suggested that the club could improve its current roster and future outlook by reacquiring the player it traded away to the Raptors midway through the 2013/14 season. Tillery opined that Gay would bring scoring, versatility and tough defense to the perennial playoff team. Pure speculation on my part but that proposal would probably have to include one or both of their impending free agent wings, Jeff Green (making $9.45MM in his walk year) and Courtney Lee (5.675MM).
Gay has also been linked in the past to the Bulls and Clippers and, given their current injury issues, it’s not a big stretch to see a match with either of those teams. The Clippers have a hole at small forward and Gay could also play the power forward spot with Blake Griffin on the mend from a broken hand.
The Bulls’ frontcourt depth has taken some hits with the season-ending loss of Joakim Noah, along with Nikola Mirotic‘s appendectomy that will keep him out through the All-Star break. Pairing up Gay with Jimmy Butler would give the Bulls one of the strongest 1-2 punches at the wing spots in the league.
There are some strong arguments for the Kings to retain Gay. They have moved into the playoff picture and may not want to interrupt their chemistry with a big trade. They would also need a wing player or two to justify the trade, since Gay’s backup Omri Casspi has defensive limitations and, as previously pointed out, the Kings could use an upgrade at shooting guard.
As James Ham of CSNBayArea.com recently reported, Gay also has a strong relationship with DeMarcus Cousins and Rondo. He was one of the principal players in recruiting Rondo as a free agent last summer.
Add all the factors together and there’s undoubtedly more trade rumors involving Gay to come this month. It’s unclear, though, whether the Kings will actually shake up their starting lineup and take that big step.
Do you think the Kings will trade Gay before this month’s deadline? Leave a comment to weigh in.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 1/25/16
It’s easy to dismiss the Sacramento Kings, given their recent track record and the volatility of their top players.
Center DeMarcus Cousins and point guard Rajon Rondo have made plenty of headlines over the years for their emotional outbursts aimed at coaches, officials and teammates. Their veteran coach, George Karl, isn’t afraid to speak his mind or criticize his players, fostering the notion that the Kings are a fragile team as presently constructed and could implode at any time.
During the first two full months of the season, the Kings seemed headed for another forgettable campaign. They entered the New Year eight games under .500 and rumors were abound that Cousins would be dealt.
Rather than rolling over and continuing another slide into oblivion, the Kings have suddenly found a winning formula and there’s a new vibe around the franchise. They have reeled off five consecutive wins and currently hold the eighth and last playoff seed in the Western Conference.
Naturally, the Kings are benefitting from the Western Conference’s general decline, with only seven of 15 teams above the .500 mark. But give the Kings some credit. Karl has them playing with fire and passion, led by the mercurial Cousins.
Cousins has posted strong numbers all season but he’s been a monster this month, averaging 32.5 points and 13.7 rebounds. Rondo is averaging 12.9 assists in January and the team has also received a big boost from rookie center Willie Cauley-Stein, who has solidified their backline defense.
The Jazz are currently the Kings’ closest pursuers for the final playoff berth, with the Nuggets, Trail Blazers and revived Pelicans also in the hunt.
This leads us to our question of the day: Will the Kings make the playoffs this season?
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.