Week In Review 2/21/16-2/27/16
Marc Gasol will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery last Saturday on his broken right foot. The 31-year-old is expected to recovery fully, the team’s statement added, and the club’s brass doesn’t expect the injury to alter his career path, a source informed Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal. The technical term for the ailment is a non-displaced Type II fracture of the navicular bone, according to the Grizzlies’ official statement. The news that Gasol will miss the rest of 2015/16 is no shock, as Marca.com reported a couple of weeks ago, in the immediate wake of the injury, that Gasol was liable to miss four to six months. The team didn’t reveal a specific timeline for the center’s recovery, but GM Chris Wallace hinted in the press release that the team believes Gasol will be ready to start next season.
“Marc remains a cornerstone of our franchise and we are pleased to hear that the surgery went according to plan,” Wallace said. “Marc’s determination and competitive spirit will serve him, his family and the team well as he begins the healing and rehab process from which we expect him to make a full recovery. We are confident we will have Marc back anchoring our team next season and beyond.”
Here’s more from the week that was…
Signings
- The Warriors signed Anderson Varejao.
- Kings affiliate player Vince Hunter left Sacramento’s D-League team to sign with Panathinaikos of Greece.
- The Nuggets signed JaKarr Sampson.
- The Bucks signed Steve Novak.
- The Knicks signed Jimmer Fredette to a 10-day deal.
- The Mavericks signed David Lee.
- The Clippers signed Alex Stepheson to a 10-day contract.
- The Suns signed Phil Pressey to a 10-day deal.
- The Hornets signed Jorge Gutierrez to a 10-day deal.
- The Pistons signed Justin Harper to a 10-day contract.
- The Wizards signed J.J. Hickson.
- Mavs affiliate player Brandon Ashley signed with the German club Alba Berlin.
- The Nets are expected to sign Sean Kilpatrick.
- The Cavaliers intend to sign Jordan McRae to a 10-day contract.
You can stay up to date on all the 10-day deals handed out with our 10-day contract tracker.
Waivers
- The Nets waived Joe Johnson as part of a buyout arrangement.
- The Timberwolves waived Andre Miller as part of a buyout arrangement.
- The Suns waived DeJuan Blair.
- The Magic waived Jared Cunningham.
- The Bucks waived Chris Copeland.
- The Warriors waived Jason Thompson.
- The Mavs waived John Jenkins.
- The Nets waived Andrea Bargnani in a buyout deal.
- The Magic claimed Chris Copeland off waivers from the Bucks and subsequently waived him.
- The Suns claimed John Jenkins off waivers from the Mavericks.
- The Rockets waived Marcus Thornton.
Miscellaneous News
- The players union’s executive committee voted unanimously to stiffen enforcement of a rule banning agents from representing both coaches and players, a practice that’s been commonplace in spite of regulations against it. The union also passed other rules for agents, including increased dues and requirements that agents pass a written test on the collective bargaining agreement and maintain at least one NBA client over a period of five years.
- The Wasserman Media Group officially renamed itself the Wasserman agency.
- Bryce Dejean-Jones will miss the rest of the season for the Pelicans after undergoing surgery on his broken right wrist.
- Dwight Howard fired agent Dan Fegan.
D-League News
- Point guard Dwight Buycks will join the Thunder’s D-League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue.
- The Bulls officially announced that their new D-League affiliate, which begins play next season, will be called the Windy City Bulls.
You can stay up to date on all the D-League assignments and recalls for the season here.
Eastern Notes: Sullinger, Thornton, Moore
Jared Sullinger is in line to become a restricted free agent this offseason provided the Celtics submit a qualifying offer worth $4,433,683, but the big man would prefer to remain in Boston for the long-term instead of heading elsewhere, Mike Petraglia of WEEI 93.7FM writes. “Most definitely. Most definitely. My oldest brother always told me that the worst thing to happen to me sometimes is change and that I don’t handle change well. I strongly disagree,” Sullinger said, responding to a question regarding his desire to remain in Boston. “Sometimes, you just don’t want to change the scenery. When you play for the greatest franchise in the NBA and you see all those banners and all the fans come at you, you don’t want to leave that place because you know it’s a special place in your heart. It’s the first team I played for in the NBA and hopefully it’ll be the last.”
The power forward has enjoyed flying under the radar this season thanks to the attention All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas has received, Petraglia adds. “It’s a lot of fun, it’s a lot of fun. Growing up, I wasn’t really a high-profile guy,” Sullinger relayed. “Going into middle school, especially entering high school, and I kind of came out of nowhere and came into my own. My main thing was just to win. When they see you win, they see all the big-time games. That’s what I was told, especially in the AAU. Playing in the AAU, the more you win, the more you play against high-profile that get to this level, and the more you get exposure. The more you win, it just takes care of itself. As long as you focus on winning, the outcome is always greater.”
Here’s the latest from the Eastern Conference:
- Despite Marcus Thornton being part of the nixed trade for Donatas Motiejunas, the Pistons likely won’t have any interest in signing him now that the Rockets have waived him, Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press notes (on Twitter). According to Ellis, Thornton was just “trade filler” and Detroit had no plans to use him in the rotation.
- The Hawks were extremely interested in signing center Anderson Varejao after the Blazers waived him, but the veteran chose to head west and join the Warriors instead, Vivlamore tweets.
- After languishing on Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg‘s bench early in the season, E’Twaun Moore has flourished since being moved into a starter’s role, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune writes. “I’ve always been confident,” Moore said. “I know I’m capable of playing well. It’s not really a surprise. And I don’t think it’s a surprise to my teammates either. They see how hard I work and they’ve got faith in me. It’s no big deal to me.“
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 2/26/16
Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony has been through four coaches and three general managers since being acquired from Denver five years ago in a blockbuster deal that was supposed to change the tide of New York basketball for the better. Unfortunately for the team and its fanbase, the results have been less than stellar since Anthony arrived in the Big Apple. The franchise has essentially had one standout season during Anthony’s tenure — the 54-win 2012/13 campaign that saw the Knicks reach the second round of the playoffs only to fall in six games to the Pacers. It’s hardly the return the organization envisioned when it gutted the roster to acquire the talented scorer from the Nuggets.
With the 2015/16 campaign rapidly spiraling out of control for the Knicks, there are rumblings that perhaps Anthony wants out of New York and wants greener pastures as his career winds down. The small forward hasn’t been shy about expressing his displeasure at the state of the franchise lately, which only serves to fuel the speculation that Melo’s tenure in New York is coming to an end. “It’s been tough. It’s challenging,” Anthony said. “It’s challenging to kind of stay strong and positive through all this. You can’t control that. When you look at it, how many different coaches? Four different coaches. [A lot of] different players. I mean, that’s a lot to go through.” Several teams reportedly believe that if New York doesn’t make much progress in its rebuilding by the middle of July, Anthony would be willing to waive his no-trade clause for a better chance at competing for an NBA title with another franchise.
The Knicks will have the opportunity to improve themselves via free agency this summer, though top-tier players certainly haven’t been falling over themselves to join the Knicks the past few years. This certainly casts some doubt on team president Phil Jackson‘s ability to add the second star player that Anthony has been clamoring for this offseason. Rookie big man Kristaps Porzingis certainly has the potential to evolve into a superstar, but that may take a few more seasons to come to fruition. With Anthony most certainly in his decline phase at 31 years of age, there’s no guarantee that he will still be considered a star by the time Porzingis is ready to carry the franchise.
This brings me to the topic for today: Should Carmelo Anthony waive his no-trade clause and push for a deal that would get him out of New York? What team would be the best fit?
Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the matter. We look forward to what you have to say.
And-Ones: Diversity, Udrih, De Colo
There is growing concern that the NBA is overlooking qualified African-Americans when hiring top basketball executives, which has led to talk that the league may need to institute a policy similar to the NFL’s “Rooney Rule,” Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com writes. For those not familiar, the Rooney Rule requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate for vacant head coaching positions. The league has thus far scoffed at implementing such a change, noting that there are loopholes in the policy and minority hires have actually decreased in the NFL in recent years, Goodwill adds.
“We have a long history of minorities being well-represented as top basketball executives. I think it’s a matter of time before the numbers move up,” deputy commissioner Mark Tatum told Goodwill, while also relaying that he believes hiring patterns are cyclical and noting nearly one-third of the basketball operations positions were held by African-American men in 1994/95. “But we’re always focused on committing to a culture of inclusion through our league. We’re not standing idly,” Tatum added.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Beno Udrih underwent surgery as planned today on his right foot, the Heat announced, reiterating their expectation that he’ll miss three months (Twitter link). He’s said he’ll try to beat the three-month timetable, notes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (on Twitter).
- Former NBA player Nando De Colo has received interest from multiple NBA teams, but the point guard prefers to sign an extension with CSKA Moscow, his current team, international journalist David Pick relays (via Twitter). De Colo, who last appeared in the NBA during the 2013/14 season when he split time between the Spurs and the Raptors, was reportedly considering a return to the NBA back in September.
- The Hawks have assigned Edy Tavares and Lamar Patterson to the D-League, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution relays. Both players will go to the Austin Spurs as part of the flexible assignment rule since Atlanta doesn’t have its own affiliate. This will mark Tavares’ eighth trek to the D-League on the season, and Patterson’s fourth.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Heat Interested In Marcus Thornton
The Heat have interest in signing Marcus Thornton, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reports (Twitter link). No signing is imminent and Thornton is in no rush to find his next team as he will likely have several options, plus he will also need to clear waivers prior to any deal, Jackson adds. Miami is already reportedly set to ink swingman Joe Johnson when he clears waivers on Saturday. The Rockets waived the 28-year-old Thornton earlier today.
There are luxury tax considerations to adding Thornton, though its unclear if that will be an issue for the Heat now that the decision has apparently been made to ink Johnson. Miami was reportedly reluctant to cross the luxury tax threshold and would have needed to wait until March 6th to sign any players if it wished to avoid putting itself in line to pay repeat-offender tax penalties. Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel noted earlier that the team could seek to waive a player prior to signing Johnson to avoid the tax, but that scenario would be dependent on the team either getting a player to agree to a buyout or another team making a waiver claim on whomever was released. Both instances are far-fetched, which most likely means the team will dip into the tax, though that is merely my speculation.
Playing time will likely be the determining factor for where Thornton decides to head next, as the player expressed frustration in December about the inconsistency of his usage, and his minutes have continued to fluctuate. Thornton hasn’t played since the Rockets put him into the failed trade for Donatas Motiejunas. The shooting guard appeared in 47 contests for Houston prior to his release and averaged 10.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 18.8 minutes per night. His slash line on the year is .400/.338/.879.
Western Notes: Durant, Jenkins, D-League
If the Warriors go on to win their second consecutive NBA title this season, it may actually act as a deterrent for pending unrestricted free agent prize Kevin Durant, Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report opines. The scribe cites Durant’s disdain for playing second fiddle, which he certainly would have to do on any team Stephen Curry is a part of. The small forward is also conscious of his legacy and would possibly consider going to a ready-made championship team unseemly, Ding also opines. There’s still no guarantee that Durant will re-sign with the Thunder and he still maintains some regrets about not having a player option added on his last deal that would have afforded him a chance to hit the open market earlier in his career, Ding relays. The Warriors are reportedly well out in front as Durant’s top choice should he leave Oklahoma City this summer.
Here’s more from out West:
- John Jenkins is thrilled to have been released by the Mavericks and claimed off waivers by the Suns because it will provide him a better opportunity to show what he can do on the court, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. “I was praying and hoping that I’d get an opportunity,” Jenkins said. “I’m with a lot of young guys, which helps me a lot. I’m actually probably more experienced than some of them so that’s different for me. Just try to be a leader from that standpoint. But I definitely think I’m rejuvenated. A fresh start is always good.” The 24-year-old only appeared in 21 contests for Dallas on the season and averaged a meager 9.2 minutes per contest prior to being waived.
- The Grizzlies should strongly consider exercising their team option for 2016/17 on Lance Stephenson, whose versatility could allow him to flourish in Memphis, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal opines. Memphis gambled on the upside of Stephenson, whom the scribe notes is only 25 years old and a little more than 18 months removed from being a nightly triple-double threat while with the Pacers. Stephenson’s option for next season is worth $9.405MM.
- The Thunder have assigned Mitch McGary and Josh Huestis to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be McGary’s seventh trip to the D-League this season and Huestis’ 10th.
2015/16 Salary Cap Update: Chicago Bulls
The NBA’s salary cap for 2015/16 is set at $70MM, which is good for an 11% increase from last season, and the luxury tax line is fixed at $84.74MM. With the February 18th cutoff date for trades now past and the de facto deadline of March 1st for buyouts rapidly approaching, we at Hoops Rumors are in the process of updating the salary cap commitments for each NBA franchise for the 2015/16 campaign. Here’s the cap breakdown for the Chicago Bulls, whose regular season roster can be viewed here:
- 2015/16 Salary Cap= $70,000,000
- 2015/16 Luxury Tax Line= $84,740,000
- Fully Guaranteed Salary Commitments= $87,116,711*
- Remaining Cap Room= –$17,116,711
- Amount Above Luxury Tax Line= $2,376,711
*Note: This amount includes the $333,333 owed to Richard Hamilton, who was waived via the stretch provision.
Cap Exceptions Available:
- Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception: $1,126,000
- Trade Exception: $2,854,940 (Kirk Hinrich. Expires February 18th, 2017)
Cash Available to Send Out In Trades= $3,400,000
Cash Available to Receive Via Trade= $3,400,000
Note: Despite the trade deadline having passed, the NBA season technically doesn’t end until June 30th. Teams are able to again make trades upon the completion of the regular season or when/if they are eliminated from the playoffs, whichever comes later. So these cash limits still apply.
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Atlantic Notes: Rambis, Stevens, Prokhorov
Knicks interim coach Kurt Rambis referred to his team as immature and has changed his squad’s practice routine to include more team-oriented activities to help improve cohesiveness, Frank Isola of The New York Daily News writes. “Even though we got some older veteran ballplayers on our team, this is a relatively new team,” Rambis said. “I use the word immature but I don’t mean not having the maturity as individuals but just the growth process and how long these guys have been together and know how to work off of each other and help each other. They are not connected that way yet. You don’t get enough of it just by playing games. We got to be out there on the court so that they can actually work on timing and talk about timing and ‘Hey this is what I was thinking, what were you thinking on that play?’ so they get better communication, so they have an understanding out there.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- While the Knicks may not have as much talent as the teams they are chasing in the standings, Rambis believes improved team chemistry can help bridge some of that gap, Isola adds in the same piece. “They got to think like winners and believe like they are winners,” Rambis said. “I agree with you. We have talented guys on this ball club, but talent is not enough. This talent has got to play together. When this talent is combined with the unity that you have to have out there on the court, then we will be fine. When we are doing it right, we are playing really well. But we can’t just sustain or maintain it.”
- One of the Celtics‘ strongest franchise assets is coach Brad Stevens, who has quickly developed into one of the league’s best coaches, Ben Dowsett of Basketball Insiders notes. “I think that’s all overblown with me,” Stevens said of his growing reputation as a high-IQ leader. “I don’t think I have anything to do with that. I think we’ve got really good players that are really smart players. They [were] high-IQ players long before they got here. You look for high-IQ players, and savvy players, period. Because it’s a long year, you see a lot of situations – you have to change on the fly, you have to tweak on a dime.”
- New Nets GM Sean Marks said team owner Mikhail Prokhorov understands the rebuilding process won’t be a quick fix and the Russian billionaire will exercise more patience going forward, NetsDaily relays. “I think he understands now that there’s not a quick fix all the time,” Marks told Evan Roberts of WFAN. “And there’s processes you have to go through and when you skip steps, you potentially wind up paying a lot of money, and it doesn’t work out all the time.”
Magic Waive Chris Copeland
11:59pm: The team still has yet to announce the waiver, but the move has taken place, according to the RealGM transactions log.
4:35pm: The Magic have waived combo forward Chris Copeland, Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports reports (via Twitter). The Magic claimed Copeland off waivers after he was released by the Bucks on Monday in order to clear a roster slot for the team’s signing of Steve Novak. Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel was the first to report that Orlando intended to waive Copeland.
Orlando saved itself approximately $315K by claiming Copeland as it allowed the team to reach the $63MM salary floor, as Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports explained. The Magic will be responsible for the remainder of Copeland’s $1.1MM salary for 2015/16 and his entire cap hit, provided he clears waivers. Orlando’s roster count now stands at 14 players, one below the league maximum.
The Bucks had signed Copeland this past offseason, but the veteran never made much of an impact with the team. The 31-year-old is averaging 2.1 points and 0.5 assists in 6.5 minutes per game this season. The 31-year-old’s career numbers are 5.8 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.6 assists to accompany a slash line of .427/.365/.752.
And-Ones: Ashley, Williams, Thomas
During an appearance on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, Suns GM Ryan McDonough admitted that he’d erred in trading away point guard and 2016 NBA All-Star Isaiah Thomas last February. “I think in retrospect trading Isaiah Thomas when we did was a mistake. I think sometimes in the recruitment process things sound better in July [luring Thomas in free agency] than they do in November,” McDonough said. “He wanted more. He wanted a bigger role and I understand why: He’s a talented player. In retrospect, we should have carried him into the summer. If there’s one [decision] that stands out, if I could get a mulligan, that’d be it.” In 58 appearances for the Celtics this season Thomas is averaging 21.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 6.8 assists with a slash line of .422/.348/.898.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Mavs affiliate player Brandon Ashley has signed with the German club Alba Berlin, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor reports (on Twitter). The exact terms of the deal are unknown, but international journalist David Pick (Twitter link) notes that Ashley’s deal includes an option for 2016/17, though it is unclear if that option belongs to the player or the team.
- Thunder coach Billy Donovan indicated no date has been set for assistant coach Monty Williams to return to the team, John Reid of The Times-Picayune writes. Williams is still mourning the tragic loss of his wife Ingrid in a car accident earlier this month. ”I don’t have really know the answer to that,” Donovan said regarding Williams’ return.”We haven’t talked about when he’ll be coming back. It’s been more of how he and his children are doing; just them adjusting to life without Ingrid and just getting the kids settled and back in school. I haven’t really talked to him about that, but whatever he decides to do I’m behind him on that 100% because the one thing I know and respect about Monty is that he’s going to put his family and children first. Those decisions I think will be made once he gets to a point when he can get them into some kind of rhythm and routine after what happened.”
- If the Rockets sign another player this season, he will likely be a power forward who is a solid defender, which probably rules out any interest in Joe Johnson, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com tweets. The Nets waived Johnson earlier today as part of a buyout arrangement.
- Tim Frazier, whom the Blazers waived last week, is expected to rejoin the Maine Red Claws in the coming days, Reichert relays (via Twitter). Maine is the Celtics‘ D-League affiliate, though Frazier will be free to sign with any NBA team that were to come calling.