Nets To Interview Rosas, Karnisovas For GM Post
7:55pm: Brooklyn has also received permission from Denver to interview Karnisovas, NetsDaily reports. Karnisovas, 44, was a member of the NBA’s basketball operations office from 2003 to 2008. He then spent five seasons as an international scout for the Rockets, an experience that holds high value to the Nets, who want to ramp up their international scouting ties, according to Wojnarowski. The executive was named assistant GM of the Nuggets in July of 2013.
6:39pm: The Nets have requested and received permission from the Rockets to interview their executive VP of basketball operations Gersson Rosas for the team’s vacant GM post, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Brooklyn’s interest in Rosas was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. The Nets are also reportedly considering Denver assistant GM Arturas Karnisovas for the position.
Brooklyn reportedly wants to hire a GM before the February 18th trade deadline, which is two weeks from Thursday, and the Nets plan to begin formal interviews shortly, according to Wojnarowski. Nets officials want a greater emphasis on international scouting, feeling as though the team lacked that under former GM Billy King, the Yahoo scribe relayed. Rosas, a native of Bogota, Colombia, has been with the Rockets’ organization for 13 years, and has been the franchise’s Executive VP for the past five years. He was previously hired as Mavericks GM in 2013, but Dallas envisioned him as a clear subordinate to president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson, something that apparently didn’t sit well with Rosas, who resigned just three months into the job.
Rosas played a prominent role in the Rockets’ reshaping of their roster in the post-Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady seasons, when the franchise traded McGrady for multiple draft picks and built up the required assets to acquire James Harden via trade and sign Dwight Howard in free agency, according to Wojnarowski (h/t NetsDaily). He also played a major part in bringing Patrick Beverley from Europe as a free agent and drafting small forward Chandler Parsons, as Wojnarowski noted in his profile of the executive.
Sixers Notes: Colangelo, Saric, Noel, Smith
The Sixers don’t expect to be active at this season’s trade deadline, but team executive Jerry Colangelo wouldn’t rule out making a move if the right opportunity came along, Brian Seltzer of NBA.com relays. “In terms of trade, we’re not actively out there looking to make a trade,” said Colangelo. “But, you always have to be open. Things happen usually right around All-Star break. There’s a week or 10 days when there’s a lot of discussion. It may lead to nothing, and I think right now we’re kind of content to say there are too many question marks about certain players, health, and so forth that you have to be very careful. You have to be very selective. Timing’s everything.”
“We had a meeting [Tuesday] morning about the next five years of trade targets, and the next five years of free agency, and what that looks like, and how to put the pieces in place that can give you a chance to make, not just a first move on the chessboard, but the last move,” GM Sam Hinkie added. That’s really critical. I know that sounds sort of far off. Someone like me has to be willing to look around the bend at how we can actually get to where we’re trying to go.”
Here’s more from Philly:
- The addition of point guard Ish Smith has improved the play of the team’s outside shooters, a development directly related to Smith’s attacking style of play, Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com writes. “It gives us the opportunity to knock down shots,” Isaiah Canaan said. “With [Smith’s] speed, the defense has to take away his layups or the lob to Nerlens [Noel]. So with everybody running into the paint to lock in on him, it frees us up on our side to knock down shots. We tell him just find us and we’ll make them.“
- The team has maintained constant communication with draft-and-stash prospect Dario Saric, who has stated that he intends to join the Sixers next season, tweets Camerato.
- Philadelphia is still attempting to successfully blend the talents of big men Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor, a process that would be easier if Noel could play power forward more effectively, according to Colangelo, notes Tom Moore of Calkins Media (Twitter links). The executive admitted that the franchise would need to make a decision regarding its big men for the future, Moore relays.
Dead Money: Team Rankings
Not every dollar of each team’s payroll shows up on the court, as franchises often dish out funds to players who are no longer on their rosters or even in the league in some instances. Players with guaranteed money who are waived, either through a standard waiver release, use of the stretch provision, or when a buyout arrangement is reached, still count against a team’s cap figure for the duration of their contracts, or the amount of time specified by the collective bargaining agreement for when a player’s salary is stretched. NBA teams are currently in line to pay out approximately $76,938,241 in salary to players who are no longer on their rosters, with the Sixers topping out at an astronomical $28,493,696. You can view the full dead money breakdowns for the Atlantic, Central, Southeast, Northwest, Southwest and Pacific Divisions by clicking on the corresponding hyperlinks. Listed in descending order below are how each NBA team ranks in amount of dead money on the books this season:
- Sixers — $28,493,696
- Pistons — $9,353,478
- Wizards — $5,823,926
- Nets — $5,627,366
- Celtics — $3,819,456
- Timberwolves — $3,725,000
- Trail Blazers — $3,083,181
- Nuggets — $2,550,480
- Mavericks — $1,898,129
- Bucks — $1,865,547
- Jazz — $1,527,476
- Clippers — $1,412,964
- Grizzlies — $1,394,377
- Suns — $1,379,261
- Magic — $1,195,059
- Kings — $937,630
- Lakers — $620,035
- Pacers — $606,178
- Spurs — $507,711
- Bulls — $333,333
- Knicks — $275,000
- Raptors — $150,000
- Pelicans — $115,771
- Rockets — $88,187
- Hornets — $80,000
- Hawks — $75,000
- Cavaliers — $0
- Heat — $0
- Thunder — $0
- Warriors — $0
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Celtics Interested In Hawks’ Teague, Horford
The Celtics have contacted the Hawks to gauge the availability of both Jeff Teague and Al Horford, CSNNE’s Chris Mannix relayed during the network’s broadcast of Friday’s game against the Magic (h/t Darren Hartwell of NESN.com). “Atlanta, I’ve been told, is ready to turn the page, to give the team to Dennis Schröder , their young point guard, who is ready to step up and be a starter,” Mannix said. “Teague is available because Teague has some value. He has another year left on his contract, about $8MM per year, and teams across the league are looking to get him.” The idea that Atlanta is prepared to turn the team over to Schröder runs counter to a report by Zach Lowe of ESPN.com which relayed that the Hawks have “major trust issues” with Schröder, and were hesitant to part with Teague as a result.
“I’ve heard that Boston’s inquired about several players with Atlanta, Teague and Al Horford,” Mannix added. “Teague might seem like a weird fit with this team because they already have point guards, but he is an asset, He’s someone the Celtics could be interested in.” The point guards who Mannix refers to are Isaiah Thomas, who was selected as an All-Star reserve, and 2014 lottery pick Marcus Smart, who has struggled with injuries and his outside shooting since entering the NBA. Teague is making $8MM this year and is set to pull in the same next season as part of the four-year offer sheet he signed with the Bucks in 2013. Atlanta matched that bid, electing to retain him just weeks after drafting Schröder 17th overall.
Celtics executive Danny Ainge is seeking to add a star player to the roster, and Teague would certainly qualify as that, though Boston certainly has more pressing roster and rotation needs. One of those needs is a star big man, a description that Horford most definitely fits, but acquiring the center would represent a greater risk than landing Teague would, as Mannix noted. “Horford, a little more difficult. It would be a gamble going after Al Horford because Al Horford is in the last year of his deal and he’s going to command a salary north of $20MM next year. But as we know and as I just said, Ainge is a gambling GM. He could make a move like that, too.” The 29-year-old has appeared in 48 contests this season and is averaging 15.2 points and 7.1 rebounds on 53.7% shooting.
Eastern Notes: Mickey, Dudley, Hezonja
Celtics coach Brad Stevens is enamored with the potential of power forward Jordan Mickey, who was the No. 33 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com writes. “I think really highly of Jordan,” Stevens said. “I was disappointed that he came down with the ankle sprain because I think he’s got a lot of good things going for him and has been really consistent up [in Maine] every single night. I think the biggest thing about Jordan that you’ll all see more of down the road is he is a consistent personality. He works the same way and he doesn’t change his demeanor. He’s going to play the same way in Sioux Falls in a D-League as he will when he gets his opportunity in the NBA.”
The 21-year-old has only played a total of six minutes for the Celtics this season, but is averaging 17.1 points and 10.4 rebounds in 21 appearances for the Maine Red Claws in the NBA D-League. The rookie isn’t upset about his lack of NBA minutes and embraces the opportunity the D-League provides, Forsberg adds. “Coming in, I figured I wasn’t going to get a lot of playing time, and I was going to have to go into the D-League and work anyways,” said Mickey. “Hard work is nothing new to me. I’ll go work to get better, listen to what the coaches tell me [in Boston], and implement it [in Maine].”
Here’s what else is happening in the Eastern Conference:
- The Wizards are a team struggling to find their identity on a nightly basis, a trend that is wearing on swingman Jared Dudley, who believes Washington needs to take a more modern approach to its offense, Ben Standig of CSNMidAtlantic.com notes. “I keep hearing, what’s our identity, what’s our identity,” forward Jared Dudley said.”Basically our identity for us on this team is to space the floor, put pressure on the defense. We’re a 3-point shooting team that can go in to Nene. We have to be aggressive defensively. Those are our strengths.”
- Magic coach Scott Skiles envisions rookie Mario Hezonja evolving into a force on both ends of the court, which is a major reason the swingman’s minutes have been limited thus far, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel writes. Skiles wants Hezonja to build a solid base on the defensive end of the floor, and believes that holding the rookie accountable, even if it means him sitting on the bench as a result, is the best way to instill this mindset, Robbins adds. “We picked him with the goal of him being a two-way player,” Skiles said. “The reality is there aren’t that many of those in the NBA. Teams can be a good defensive team without having great defensive players if they have a good defensive system and the players marry themselves to it. But, then, you have the Klay Thompsons, the Jimmy Butlers, and there’s more than that — the guys that are legit two-way players. They can lock you up. Our goal for is for [Mario] to at some point be that type of player, and so we’re trying to help him build a foundation on the other end of the floor.“
Hoops Rumors Originals 1/24/16-1/30/16
Here’s a look back at the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this past week…
- If you missed the week’s live chat, you can view the transcript here.
- Chuck Myron looked at the number of three- and four-team trades since the 2010/11 season.
- Zach Links highlighted some of the better basketball blogs around in his weekly installment of Hoops Links.
- Chuck examined Hawks point guard Jeff Teague and Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov as trade candidates.
- I broke down the dead money on the books for the teams of the Central, Southeast, Southwest and Northwest divisions.
- Will Joseph answered reader questions in our Weekly Mailbag.
- Chuck ran down every current draft-and-stash player whose rights have been traded more than once.
- If you missed any of our daily reader-driven discussions, be sure to check out the Community Shootaround archives.
- Here’s how you can follow Hoops Rumors on social media and RSS feeds.
- You can keep track of where your favorite team currently stands in relation to the 2016 NBA Draft lottery with our reverse standings tracker.
- We reviewed our commenting policy. Play nice everyone.
- Chuck broke down the trade restrictions regarding future first round draft picks for the entire league as related to the Stepien rule.
- Here’s how you can follow specific players on Hoops Rumors.
Pacific Notes: Griffin, Morris, Weems
Thanks to the rash of backcourt injuries that have plagued the Suns this season, Sonny Weems is finally getting his opportunity to play, and the shooting guard hopes to demonstrate how valuable he can be to the team, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. “I think I can do a lot more,” Weems said. “I think I’m a more complete player than most think I am. It’s still a long season. I still have got time to show the complete game that I have.”
Weems noted that he still tries to speak regularly with his former CSKA Moscow coach, Ettore Messina, who is an assistant with the Spurs, but he runs into trouble doing so, Coro adds. “I’m stuck here for the next two years and he’s there so we can’t talk about anything,” said Weems, whose deal includes a team option for next season. The guard did note that he appreciates the opportunity Phoenix has given him but he wants a more substantial role, Coro relays. “I actually like Phoenix,” Weems said. “You really can’t complain when you see the sun shine every day and it’s 70 degrees. I really like it. As far as playing time, I wish I had more playing time. Of course, every NBA player wishes he could play a lot more. I understand the business. I’m just waiting my turn. When it comes, I’m going to be ready. I love Phoenix.”
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers notes that power forward Blake Griffin, who is expected to miss up to two months after breaking his right hand in an altercation with the team’s equipment manager, is genuinely remorseful for the incident, Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com relays. “He feels awful about it, and he’s let everyone know that,” Rivers said. “That’s all you can do. You have to forgive people at some point. I believe that. We built Richard Nixon a library. I mean, my goodness. You forgive people. You really do. You kind of move on, and you build it back.” Rivers also noted that the franchise will defer to the league in regard to any discipline meted out, Arnovitz adds. “Both parties will get together,” Rivers said. “Usually the league leads on that stuff.“
- It’s still a matter of when, not if, the Suns will trade Markieff Morris, executives from around the league tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com, but Phoenix is holding tight in search of better offers with his market value trending relatively low, according to Stein.
- The Clippers sent $456,921 to the Rockets as part of the Josh Smith trade, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders notes (on Twitter).
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Dead Money: Pacific Division
Not every dollar of each team’s payroll shows up on the court, as franchises often dish out funds to players who are no longer on their rosters. Players with guaranteed money who are waived, either through a standard waiver release, use of the stretch provision, or when a buyout arrangement is reached, still count against a team’s cap figure for the duration of their contracts, or the amount of time specified by the collective bargaining agreement for when a player’s salary is stretched.
There are even situations that arise, like the one with JaVale McGee and the Sixers, where these players are actually the highest-paid on the team. McGee is set to collect $12MM from Philly, and he won’t score one point or collect one rebound for the franchise this season. The next highest-paid athlete for the Sixers is Gerald Wallace, who was also waived, and he is scheduled to earn $10,105,855 for the 2015/16 campaign. In fact, the total payroll for the Sixers’ entire active roster this season is $32,203,553, which is merely $3,709,857 more than the amount being paid to players no longer on the team!
Listed below are the names and cap hits associated with players who are no longer on the rosters of teams in the Pacific Division:
Golden State Warriors
- None
Los Angeles Clippers
- Carlos Delfino (Waived via the stretch provision) — $650,000
- Jordan Farmar (Waived via the stretch provision) — $510,922
- Miroslav Raduljica (Waived via the stretch provision) — $252,042
Total= $1,412,964
Los Angeles Lakers
- Jonathan Holmes (Waived) — $525,093
- Michael Frazier (Waived) — $50,000
- Robert Upshaw (Waived) — $35,000
- Jabari Brown (Waived) — $9,942
Total= $620,035
Phoenix Suns
- Michael Beasley (Waived via the stretch provision) — $777,778
- Cory Jefferson (Waived) — $372,820
- Bryce Cotton (Waived) — $228,663
Total= $1,379,261
Sacramento Kings
- Wayne Ellington (Waived via the stretch provision) — $882,630
- Vince Hunter (Waived) — $30,000
- Marshall Henderson (Waived) — $25,000
Total= $937,630
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Week In Review 1/24/16-1/30/16
Clippers power forward Blake Griffin is expected to miss up to two months of action as he recovers from surgery to repair a fracture in his right (shooting) hand suffered during an altercation with team equipment manager Mathias Testi. The team released a statement, co-signed by owner Steve Ballmer and coach/executive Doc Rivers, that clearly expressed displeasure for Griffin’s actions. “This conduct has no place in our organization and this incident does not represent who are as a team,” the statement read. “We are conducting a full investigation with assistance from the NBA. At the conclusion of the investigation, appropriate action will be taken.”
Here’s more from the week that was…
Miscellaneous News
- Cavs shooting guard J.R. Smith was cleared of wrongdoing in the alleged choking incident he was involved in outside of a New York nightclub in November.
- Nuggets assistant GM Arturas Karnisovas and Rockets executive VP of basketball operations Gersson Rosas have reportedly become serious candidates for the Nets GM vacancy.
- Thunder swingman Andre Roberson will miss at least three weeks with a right knee sprain.
- Wizards point guard John Wall hired agent Rich Paul and the Klutch Sports Group to represent him.
- Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic was diagnosed with an acute appendicitis and underwent surgery this week. The power forward is expected to be out until after the All-Star break.
- The league announced the reserves for the 2016 NBA All-Star game.
- The three-year maximum-salary contract that Brook Lopez signed this past summer with the Nets reportedly contains only conditional guarantees for next season and 2017/18 based on the health of his right foot.
Signings
- The Nuggets signed Sean Kilpatrick to a second 10-day contract.
- Free agent shooting guard Elijah Millsap signed with the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv.
- The Clippers signed Jeff Ayres to a 10-day contract.
- Grizzlies camp cut Lazeric Jones signed with Pinar Karsiyaka of Turkey.
- The Jazz signed Erick Green to a 10-day contract.
- The Suns inked Jordan McRae to a 10-day contract.
- Former Pistons affiliate player Ryan Boatright signed with Italy’s Orlandina.
- The Knicks signed Thanasis Antetokounmpo to a 10-day contract.
- Wolves camp cut Nick Wiggins, the older brother of Andrew Wiggins, signed with the Canterbury Rams of Australia’s National Basketball League for the remainder of the season.
- The Magic re-signed Keith Appling to a second 10-day contract.
You can stay up to date on all the 10-day deals handed out with our 10-day contract tracker.
D-League News
- Bryce Cotton has left the Spurs’ D-League team in Austin to sign with Xinjiang in China.
- Keith Bogans joined the Knicks’ affiliate in Westchester.
You can stay up to date on all the D-League assignments and recalls for the season here.
Atlantic Notes: DeRozan, Saric, Williams
DeMar DeRozan has been trying to silence his doubters since entering the NBA as the No. 9 overall pick in 2009, and the Raptors shooting guard readily admits to being motivated by any negativity he comes across, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca writes. “Man, there’s been so much stuff, honestly,” DeRozan told Lewenberg. “I could write a book [with] how much stuff was said. ‘He’ll just be an average player, he’ll never…’. There’s so many things you could start [with]. It’s crazy. But you can’t look at it and get sad or cry about it, you’ve got to use that as motivation. At the end of the day, the same people who probably said this, or whatever it was, you feel better knowing they’re eating their words. And that’s what it’s all about. You can’t get mad. I understand. I take all that frustration out when I’m working out in the summer, try to come back and prove everybody wrong.” DeRozan was recently added to the Eastern Conference’s 2016 NBA All-Star squad as a reserve.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- In his latest mailbag, Philadelphia magazine’s Derek Bodner opines that Sixers draft-and-stash prospect Dario Saric should make an immediate impact on the court if he indeed joins the NBA next season. Bodner pegs Saric’s role as the team’s sixth man and his creativity on offense is something the roster sorely needs. Saric has indicated that he intends to join Philadelphia for the 2016/17 campaign.
- Former Nets point guard Deron Williams is surprised at how quickly things turned south for the franchise after his departure, Andy Vasquez of The Record relays. “I figured they’d be a lot better,” Williams said regarding the Nets. “But I know they’ve struggled with some injuries and things like that that have definitely hurt them, and the coaching change and [former GM] Billy [King] getting let go, so there’s a lot of things going on over there right now.”
- Williams also noted that he didn’t expect the Nets would fire coach Lionel Hollins when they did, Vasquez adds. “I was a little surprised,” Williams said, “because Lionel’s only been there a year and a half. I thought he’d get a little bit more of a chance, but that’s the nature of this business. You see how things are going around the league, not just there. You look at — David Blatt got fired and he was supposed to be coaching the All-Star game, so it’s just the nature of this business.”