Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 1/20/16
Rockets center Dwight Howard is widely expected to turn down his player option for next season, which is worth $23,282,457, in pursuit of a long-term deal. Many league executives and agents believe that the NBA’s salary cap will escalate to a whopping $95MM for 2016/17, which is a higher figure than the league’s last projection of $89MM. This significant bump is a result of the league’s new $24 billion TV deal that kicks in just in time for next season. As a result of this increase there will be significantly more teams with enough available cap space to offer maximum salary deals, something that is not likely lost on Howard and his representatives.
Members of Houston’s front office told Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle prior to the disappointment of the season setting in that they had no intention of letting the big man depart this summer, but GM Daryl Morey said to Smith more recently that he’s not thinking too far in the future at this point. “We’re just focused on this season. So is Dwight,” Morey said. “If … he as a player play[s] like we know he’s capable [of] … all that stuff takes care of itself.”
The Rockets are clinging to the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference, and even if they do indeed make the playoffs a deep run isn’t likely given the talent present in the West. Howard is having a bit of a down year statistically, but that is due more to him receiving fewer touches in the team’s offense than him performing poorly. At this point in his career, Howard has almost assuredly peaked as a player, and he will likely never again become the dominant force that he was during his time in Orlando.
This brings me to the topic/question for today: Should the Rockets re-sign Dwight Howard to a long-term deal this offseason if the center opts out of his contract?
Houston has the look of a franchise that needs to hit the reset button, and if that is indeed the case, it has to decide if the 30-year-old Howard should be a part of its future. The team currently is projected to have approximately $7MM-$10MM in cap space this summer, a number that includes Howard’s 2016/17 salary. If the team decides to re-sign Howard, provided he opts out, that will prohibit the Rockets from adding a significant piece via free agency unless some salary is cleared via trade. The big man has had injury issues and he’s not likely to grow more durable with age, which makes any long-term deal a risk. But he’s also one of the more talented centers in the league and would be an extremely difficult player to replace.
So what say you? Should the team look to keep Howard no matter the cost, or should the Rockets look to use their cap space in a different manner and let him depart? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the subject. We look forward to what you have to say.
Western Notes: Parsons, Favors, Looney
Mavs small forward Chandler Parsons has been spending quite a bit of crunch time sitting on the bench, something the player understands is better for the team, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com writes. “I get paid to play basketball,” said Parsons. “Coach gets paid to make decisions and make substitutions. Whenever my number is called, I’ve got to be ready to play. I don’t really worry about things that are out of my control. I just try to do whatever it takes to help our team win games.” Parsons is still trying to regain his explosiveness after undergoing knee surgery last March.
“Of course, I want to be out there. I want to play,” Parsons continued. “It’s the most exciting part of the game, the most important part of the game. Nothing’s unconditional. I’m not saying every game I deserve to be out there at the end of the game, but obviously as a competitor and a player, you want to be out there and you want to play when it matters in crunch time.”
Here’s more from the West:
- Jazz power forward Derrick Favors, who has missed the last 15 contests with a back injury, is making his way closer toward a return to the court, Aaron Falk and Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune note. “With Derrick, it’s all a part of a process,” coach Quin Snyder said. “Back injuries are tricky. Some days you feel good, and you feel like you can play. Other days, you don’t feel so good. Above anything, we just want him to be healthy. But it’s a process, and we have to take it one day at a time.”
- Warriors 2015 first-rounder Kevon Looney is driven by his fall from being a projected lottery pick to the No. 30 overall pick, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com writes. Looney’s drop was due to concerns over his hip, which he underwent surgery to correct back in August, Howard-Cooper notes. “I feel like they missed out,” Looney said of the teams that bypassed him back in June. “I’ve been waiting to show them, to come back from an injury and show my whole game, take some of the labels off of me and show my talent and show I can really contribute. I want to show everybody. A lot of people have already written me off, saying, ‘I can’t wait to see you next year.’ Like it’s over for me and I had no chance of playing. But that’s not my plan. Hopefully I’ll get in this year and I’ll make a contribution and show everybody.“
Eastern Notes: Caldwell-Pope, Gortat, Noah
Pistons shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who engaged in a shouting match with coach/executive Stan Van Gundy after the player was ejected from Monday night’s contest, says their relationship is fine, David Mayo of MLive notes. “We’re good,” Caldwell-Pope said of he and his coach. “We had a talk before we got to Houston, so we’re good. Everything’s squared away. Everything was in the heat of the moment. We talked about it and squared it out.”
For his part, Van Gundy wasn’t concerned about the incident, Mayo adds. “I don’t care about that,” Van Gundy said. “Look, I used to go through that with guys a lot more than this. I’m worried about how they play and what kind of people they are. The guy was really frustrated. If you’re going to say something to a guy, in a situation where he’s already frustrated, any of us would do the same thing. I mean, I shouldn’t have said what I said to him. No, I shouldn’t have, because it wasn’t the time, it wasn’t productive, because I couldn’t keep him in the game. He and I had a good talk yesterday. Look, he’s a great guy, he works his [tail] off, he’s not a hothead or anything like that. He had a bad day in terms of that and he got frustrated, and that’s all it was. He yelled something back at me and that part was actually meaningless. The tough part was him getting thrown out.”
Here’s more from the East:
- The Wizards have been hit hard by injuries this season, something that center Marcin Gortat says the players are to blame for, Gene Wang of The Washington Post writes. “It’s not easy,” Gortat said. “We’ve got a lot of vets. We’ve got a lot of older guys. They’ve got to take care of their bodies. At the end of the day it’s the players’ responsibility. I personally can’t understand how this is possible, how people can get constantly hurt. You’ve got to do something. You’ve got to change something in your routine to become a bigger pro, to become a better player and more professional about stuff you do.”
- No player better epitomizes Chicago sports than Joakim Noah, whose pending free agency could see him playing elsewhere next season, writes David Haugh of The Chicago Tribune. The Tribune scribe also opines that the Bulls‘ worst-case scenario involving Noah is that he makes a full recovery and joins Tom Thibodeau, who is reportedly on Brooklyn’s radar for its next coach, with the Nets.
Atlantic Notes: Lopez, DeRozan, Nets
DeMar DeRozan missed 22 games last season for the Raptors with a groin injury and the shooting guard used the scare it gave him to motivate himself to return to form in 2015/16, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca writes. “I don’t talk about it too much,” DeRozan said of the time he missed in 2014/15. “But mentally that injury was tough on me. It took a lot out of me just to accept that I was hurt and I was going to be away from the game that long.”
The swingman also used the time to study the game and players who excelled by the use of their brains not their athleticism, Grange adds. “I watched all these guy who were successful and weren’t even athletic and I asked myself: How were they successful when they weren’t the fastest on the court?” DeRozan told Grange. “You tried to figure out how they did it and apply that to your game, so I didn’t have to jump higher than the defender or be faster than the defender, but just be craftier, smarter and be more patient.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Knicks center Robin Lopez has become a more integral part of the team’s offense recently, something he credits to becoming more comfortable with his teammates as well as the addition of a hook shot to his game, Fred Kerber of The New York Post writes. “I think I have a better idea of where guys are on the floor and where my opportunities are going to present themselves,” said Lopez. “Guys, the team, coaching staff, they’re developing a confidence in me and that helps, that’s contagious.“
- The Nets‘ offseason signings of Shane Larkin, Thomas Robinson, Wayne Ellington and Andrea Bargnani were considered low risk at the time, but with each underachieving this season their deals could hamper the franchise next season, NetsDaily opines. All four players possess player options for next season and if they all opt in it could impact the team’s free agent plans, NetsDaily notes.
Pistons To Target Ryan Anderson, Motiejunas?
The Pistons are reportedly seeking an upgrade at the power forward position and intend to target soon-to-be free agents Ryan Anderson and Donatas Motiejunas in the offseason, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe in his most recent podcast. “They want a four in free agency this summer, the Pistons, really badly,” Lowe said. “They’re going to look at Stan’s [Van Gundy] old friend Ryan Anderson. I’ve heard they’re hot on Motiejunas from Houston who’s always hurt. So, who knows how hot they actually are?”
Detroit has indicated that it intends retain current starter Ersan Ilyasova, whose $8.4MM salary for 2016/17 becomes fully guaranteed if he remains on the roster past July 1st, but the franchise would prefer to use the big man off the bench, Lowe notes. The 28-year-old has appeared in 41 games for the Pistons this season, all as a starter, and he is averaging 11.1 points and 5.5 rebounds in 27.6 minutes per game. His career numbers through 494 regular season NBA contests are 10.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists to accompany a slash line of .445/.371/.770.
As for Detroit’s reported targets, Anderson, whom New Orleans has reportedly been listening to offers about, isn’t likely to come cheap. A source within an NBA team told Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times and Basketball Insiders that he expects that Anderson will be able to command a maximum-salary contract this summer. Anderson is making $8.5MM in the final season of his contract. He’ll be a veteran of eight years by this summer, so he’d be eligible for the middle-tier max of a projected $24.9MM. The stretch-four has ties to Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy, having played for him when the duo were with the Magic. The 27-year-old is averaging 16.8 points and 6.1 rebounds in 39 contests this season.
Motiejunas, 25, has only appeared in 14 games this season for the Rockets as he struggles with back issues. He is averaging 5.6 points and 2,1 rebounds in 13.4 minutes per game this year, with career numbers of 8.0 points and 4.0 rebounds on 48.2% shooting. Motiejunas has never appeared in more than 71 games in a season during the course of his NBA career, which speaks to the injury issues that Lowe mentioned in his podcast. The Rockets will be able to match offers for him as a restricted free agent if they tender a qualifying offer worth nearly $3.279MM.
Week In Review 1/10/16-1/16/16
The Nets were the major newsmakers of the past week, firing coach Lionel Hollins and removing Billy King from his GM job with the intention of reassigning him to another position within the organization. Brooklyn named assistant Tony Brown interim head coach, and assistant GM Frank Zanin will run the front office.
“After careful consideration, I’ve concluded that it’s time for a fresh start and a new vision for the direction of the team,” Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov said in the team’s statement. “By making this decision now, it enables our organization to use the rest of the season to diligently evaluate candidates with proven track records. It’s clear from our current state of affairs that we need new leadership. With the right basketball management and coach in place, we are going to create a winning culture and identity and give Brooklyn a team that it can be proud of and enjoy watching. We have learned a great deal during the past six years and our experiences will guide us for the future. Following the consolidation of team ownership last month, I can assure you that I’m more determined and committed than ever to build a winner.”
The team hired Hollins in the summer of 2014 shortly after the departure of Jason Kidd for the Bucks. Hollins went 48-71 with Brooklyn during the regular season over a season and a half, and the Nets fell in six games to the Hawks in the first round of the playoffs last year.
Here’s more from the week that was…
Miscellaneous News
- Joakim Noah dislocated his left shoulder and is expected to miss four to six months.
- Pelicans small forward Quincy Pondexter is scheduled to undergo season-ending surgery January 20th on his left knee.
- Kobe Bryant announced that he won’t pursue a spot on the 2016 U.S. Olympic team.
- The Kings have given Luc Mbah a Moute a financial settlement stemming from the dispute over his voided contract with Sacramento this past offseason.
- Bradley Beal acknowledged that he’ll “probably” have to deal with a minutes limit for the rest of his career as he continues to have trouble with injuries.
- John Wall fired agent Dan Fegan of Relativity Sports and hired Rich Paul of Klutch Sports.
- Enes Kanter dropped agent Max Ergul, who helped him land his maximum-salary offer sheet this summer.
- Greivis Vasquez hired agent Alex Saratsis of Octagon after leaving Darren Matsubara of the Wasserman Media Group.
- The Warriors delayed their scheduled move from Oakland to San Francisco for one year, from 2018 to 2019.
Trades
- The Cavaliers traded Joe Harris to the Magic along with a top-55 protected 2017 pick for a top-55 protected 2020 pick.
Signings
- The Nuggets signed Sean Kilpatrick to a 10-day contract.
- Jazz training camp cut J.J. O’Brien rejoined the team on a 10-day deal.
- The Magic plan to sign Keith Appling, who was with Orlando for the preseason, to a 10-day contract.
- Veteran small forward Reggie Williams, who played with the Spurs last season, signed a deal to play with Avtodor Saratov in Russia.
- Kostas Papanikolaou, whom the Nuggets released twice this season, has a deal with Olympiacos of Greece.
You can stay up to date on all the 10-day deals handed out with our 10-day contract tracker.
Waivers
- The Magic waived Joe Harris.
D-League News
- Veteran point guard Baron Davis signed with the NBA D-League.
- Recent former Suns power forward Cory Jefferson is expected to sign with the D-League. Phoenix waived him this month just before his salary would have become guaranteed.
- Bryce Cotton, whom the Suns also waived prior to the leaguewide contract guarantee date, rejoined the D-League affiliate of the Spurs.
- Former Grizzlies and Pelicans point guard Russ Smith signed with the D-League and the affiliate of the Sixers claimed him.
- Eight-year NBA veteran point guard John Lucas III has entered the D-League and will play for the Pacers affiliate.
- Veteran shooting guard Keith Bogans intends to sign with the NBA D-League.
You can stay up to date on all the D-League assignments and recalls for the season here.
Hoops Rumors Originals 1/10/16-1/16/16
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.
- Zach Links highlighted some of the better basketball blogs around in his weekly installment of Hoops Links.
- Chuck Myron examined Kevin Martin as a trade candidate and Dana Gauruder looked at Taj Gibson.
- Will Joseph answered reader questions in our Weekly Mailbag.
- 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 looked at the coaching turnover the Nets have undergone since Mikhail Prokhorov purchased the franchise.
- Chuck also broke down different scenarios involving the protections attached to 2016 first-round picks that have already been traded.
- Here’s how you can follow specific players on Hoops Rumors.
- You can stay up to date on all the 10-day deals handed out with our 10-day contract tracker.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 1/14/16
Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal acknowledged that he’ll “probably” have to deal with a minutes limit for the rest of his career as he continues to have trouble with injuries, according to TNT’s David Aldridge and J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com. Concern about his health reportedly played a role in Washington’s part of a mutual decision not to extend Beal’s rookie scale contract this past fall, though Sean Deveney of The Sporting News reported at the time that the Wizards were planning to offer Beal a new maximum-salary contract when he hits restricted free agency in July.
Beal is only 22 years old, so any possibility of an injury that will hinder him for the remainder of his career is alarming, especially for the team that will sign his paychecks. The fourth-year pro missed 26 games his rookie season, nine the next year and 19 last year with various ailments, though it was a high right ankle sprain Beal played through as a rookie that led to the stress reaction he’s dealing with now, according to Michael’s report.
Washington appeared to have every intention of re-signing Beal for the maximum this summer when he is eligible to become a restricted free agent. The Mark Bartelstein client will be able to negotiate with other teams, but the Wizards can match any offer sheet he were to agree to. Beal could also simply sign his qualifying offer, which would be worth about $7.471MM, and hit unrestricted free agency the following offseason, but that would entail a significant discount from his projected maximum salary of $20.4MM for next season. But these choices are dependent upon Washington still being willing to pony up a max offer, or to match another team’s offer sheet worth that amount, which isn’t necessarily a given at this point.
This brings me to the topic/question for today: In light of Bradley Beal’s potential minutes cap and increased risk of injury, should the Wizards follow through with their intent to ink him to a max salary deal?
It was debatable prior to Beal’s minutes cap statement whether or not he was worthy of a max contract, but this latest news certainly makes the Wizards’ decision regarding him much more difficult. Do you feel that the franchise should still take the gamble and lock down Beal for the long term, regardless of the injury concerns? If so, what sort of contract do you believe would be fair for both parties? Or are you a pessimist who believes that the young swingman is no longer worth the risk and that the Wizards should allow him to explore the free agent market, even if it means potentially losing Beal to another team? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the matter. We look forward to what you have to say.
Western Notes: Plumlee, Jones, Garnett
The Pelicans‘ season has not gone as planned and the team has begun exploring its options in the trade market, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports relays. In addition to power forward Ryan Anderson, whom New Orleans has reportedly been listening to offers about, the team has also discussed various trade scenarios involving swingmen Tyreke Evans and Eric Gordon, the Yahoo scribe notes. Gordon, who is earning approximately $15.5MM this season, is in the final year of his contract, but Evans’ deal still has one more season on the books valued at $10.2MM. Here’s more from out West:
- Blazers big man Mason Plumlee is still trying to make his case that he has what it takes to be a special player, Jason Quick of CSNNW.com writes. “I’m at a point right now where I still very much feel like I’m trying to prove myself in this league,’’ said Plumlee. “I think there are a lot of guys who think they can hang around because they are big or athletic, but I really want to thrive, I really want to be somebody in the NBA. And I don’t think that’s proven yet.’’ Plumlee points to Warriors forward Draymond Green as an example of a player who wasn’t satisfied with merely making it into the NBA, which is the path he wishes to take, Quick adds. “You look at Draymond: a late draft pick, could have been satisfied with establishing himself in the league,’’ Plumlee continued. “But now, he’s doing special things, becoming a special player. So I ask myself: Do I want to just be a player in the NBA, or do I want to excel and be special?’’
- Rockets combo forward Terrence Jones has turned a corner as a player and may be on his way to fulfilling some of the promise that made him the No. 18 overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com writes. “The talent is there with Terrence,” interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “We need to get to a point where it’s there every night and we can depend on Terrence because he’s a big part of what we do. He’s a big part of our big rotation up front — he, Clint [Capela] and Dwight [Howard] right now get all the minutes at the big spots for us. This is the type of performance that he had tonight and [Tuesday, when he scored 20 points] that he’s capable of. We just need him to string those performances together.”
- Kevin Garnett is only averaging 14.9 minutes per night for the Wolves, but the veteran has been remarkably efficient during his limited time on the court and his leadership has proven to be a great resource to the team, Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune writes. “He’s still very valuable to what we’re trying to do,” interim coach Sam Mitchell said of Garnett. “Those 10 minutes that he plays, he sets the tone. It’s 10 minutes our young guys get a chance to see one of the greatest defenders ever play. They get a chance to play with him. They’re learning experience, whether KG is on the floor for 10 minutes or 17 minutes. It’s invaluable.”
Eastern Notes: Brown, James, Pistons
Nets forward Thaddeus Young pulled no punches when discussing the difference in playing for interim coach Tony Brown versus former coach Lionel Hollins, who was fired on Sunday, Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily relays (via Twitter). When asked his feelings about suiting up for Brown, Young said, “When your coach is not panicking and he’s staying positive and he’s continued to motivate us, it’s huge for us as far as an energy standpoint. It makes us continue to want to go out there and continue to play, and it doesn’t keep us thinking about what happened before as much. But Tony’s mentality is, forget what happened before this and let’s try to push and try to win this game. That’s huge for us as a team. It says a lot that he believes in us, that he wants us to compete.”
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Cavs shooting guard J.R. Smith notes that the team’s excellent work ethic comes from following the example set by LeBron James, whose dedication has rubbed off on his teammates, as Marc Narducci of HoopsHype relays. When asked what it has been like to play alongside James, Smith told Narducci, “For one, he elevates everybody’s game and holds everybody to a higher standard. He makes you hold yourself to a higher standard. This is the first team I have been on where everybody stays after practice to work on their game. Everybody wants to be better every single day and a lot of that has to do with him. He is a credit to that. He holds himself to a high standard. We see how hard he works each and every day. If your best player is working twice as hard as the next person, it gives you enthusiasm and drive to work harder.”
- Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy is using the Spurs’ track record of consistency as an organization as a model for how he wants to build Detroit’s roster, John Niyo of The Detroit News writes. “I do think, looking forward, one of things we’ve talked about in trying to build this team is we have a chance for continuity,” Van Gundy said. “And I think you see it when you see a team like San Antonio, that over time it allows you to build on what you’re doing.”