Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround: 1/7/16
Hornets small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist vowed to return to action this season, three months after suffering a torn labrum in his right shoulder that appeared likely to cost him all of 2015/16, according to a report by Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. “For sure. No question I’m going to play this season,” Kidd-Gilchrist told Bonnell. “I’m going to play. It’s a matter of when now.” Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports originally reported that the former No. 2 overall pick faced a six-month recovery, though he later deemed him likely to miss the entire season.
Charlotte has managed to stay afloat this season despite the loss of Kidd-Gilchrist as well as center Al Jefferson to injury and a drug-related suspension. While the return of the defensive-minded swingman would certainly bolster the team heading into the playoffs, there is certainly a danger in him returning too soon from such a serious injury, as Chris Barnewall of SB Nation’s At the Hive noted. But the scribe also posited that the team may be rushing Kidd-Gilchrist’s return in an effort to improve its playoff chances, which could make Charlotte a more attractive place to sell potential free agents on this offseason. Barnewall also noted that the young forward has been prone to injury throughout his brief career, and the prospect of luring a big name player to Charlotte isn’t worth risking the long-term health of Kidd-Gilchrist, whom the Hornets signed to a four-year, $52MM extension before the season.
Now here’s the topic for today’s discussion: Should the Hornets allow Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to return to action this season?
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: Davis, McDaniels, Lawson
Anthony Davis‘ maximum salary extension kicks in next season, and the Pelicans will have five years to show the power forward that New Orleans can be a championship contender, though the organization doesn’t feel like it is “on the clock” with its star player, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes. “If you look at a situation like that where it is five years,” coach Alvin Gentry said when asked if he feels pressure regarding Davis, “and you’ve got five years to make something happen and keep a guy here — the one thing that [GM] Dell Demps and [team executive] Mickey Loomis have done is that they’ve taken Anthony and surrounded him with really good people, really good players. There is an opportunity for us. When we get everybody healthy, we feel like we can compete with everyone. There is time to get things right.”
Though the team has downplayed the notion that Ryan Anderson will be traded prior to February’s deadline, NBA executives believe that if New Orleans is to make any personnel moves this season it will involve the power forward, Deveney relays. “He is really the only one that has value if you’re a playoff team,” one NBA executive said of Anderson. “I wouldn’t say they’re shopping him, as far as I know, but I would say they’re listening [to offers].”
Here’s the latest from out West:
- The NBA has suspended Rockets point guard Ty Lawson three games for the second of his two DUI arrests last year, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle relays. The league previously suspended Lawson for two games after he pleaded guilty to driving while impaired in Denver last January, and this latest suspension stems from a DUI arrest last June in Los Angeles.
- The Timberwolves continue to suffer from a lack of outside shooting and youthful mistakes and interim coach Sam Mitchell has until the end of the season to turn around these deficiencies if he hopes to be named head coach on a permanent basis, writes Michael Rand of The Star Tribune. Mitchell needs to prove to team management that he is indeed the person best suited to develop the franchise’s young talent, Rand adds.
- The Rockets have assigned swingman K.J. McDaniels to their D-League affiliate, Feigen notes (via Twitter). This will be McDaniels’ fourth trek to Rio Grande Valley on the season.
2015/16 Salary Rankings: Point Guards
Hoops Rumors is in the process of ranking the cap hit for each NBA player by position. We already ran down how the league’s centers, power forwards and small forwards stacked up financially, and next we’ll check out the point guard position. All told, NBA teams have committed a total of $478,273,888 in salary this season to the men who make the offenses go around the league. The average salary for a point guard this season is a solid $4,469,849 with Chris Paul topping the list with the more than respectable amount of $21,468,696 to account for on his year-end W-2 form.
The purpose of this list is to show the relative pay scale by position, which is why all contracts are included in this post. The league’s point guards are listed below in descending order of salary. Please note that the official roster for each team was used for determining what position we listed each player under, and some of the players below may spend time at other spots on the hardwood:
- Chris Paul (Clippers) — $21,468,696
- Derrick Rose (Bulls) — $20,093,064
- Russell Westbrook (Thunder) — $16,744,218
- Kyrie Irving (Cavaliers) — $16,407,500
- John Wall (Wizards) — $15,851,950
- Goran Dragic (Heat) — $14,783,000
- Reggie Jackson (Pistons) — $13,913,044
- Eric Bledsoe (Suns) — $13,500,000
- Brandon Knight (Suns) — $13,500,000
- Tony Parker (Spurs) — $13,437,500
- Ricky Rubio (Timberwolves) — $12,700,000
- Ty Lawson (Rockets) — $12,404,496
- Kyle Lowry (Raptors) — $12,000,000
- Kemba Walker (Hornets) — $12,000,000
- Stephen Curry (Warriors) — $11,370,786
- Deron Williams (Mavericks) — $10,853,761 [Includes the $5,474,787 he will be paid by the Nets, who waived him via the stretch provision).
- Jrue Holiday (Pelicans) — $10,595,507
- Mike Conley (Grizzlies) — $9,588,426
- Rajon Rondo (Kings) — $9,500,000
- Brandon Jennings (Pistons) — $8,344,497
- George Hill (Pacers) — $8,000,000
- Jeff Teague (Hawks) — $8,000,000
- Jose Calderon (Knicks) — $7,402,812
- Cory Joseph (Raptors) — $7,000,000
- Rodney Stuckey (Pacers) — $7,000,000
- Isaiah Thomas (Celtics) — $6,912,869
- Greivis Vasquez (Bucks) — $6,600,000
- Patrick Beverley (Rockets) — $6,486,486
- Jarrett Jack (Nets) — $6,300,000
- Shaun Livingston (Warriors) — $5,543,725
- D’Angelo Russell (Lakers) — $5,103,120
- Darren Collison (Kings) — $5,013,559
- C.J. Watson (Magic) — $5,000,000
- Jameer Nelson (Nuggets) — $4,345,000
- Mario Chalmers (Grizzlies) — $4,300,000
- J.J Barea (Mavericks) — $4,290,000
- Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers) — $4,236,287
- Devin Harris (Mavericks) — $4,053,446
- Raymond Felton (Mavericks) — $3,950,313
- Dante Exum (Jazz) — $3,777,720
- Patty Mills (Spurs) — $3,578,947
- Marcus Smart (Celtics) — $3,431,040
- Austin Rivers (Clippers) — $3,110,796
- Emmanuel Mudiay (Nuggets) — $3,105,240
- Norris Cole (Pelicans) — $3,036,927
- D.J. Augustin (Thunder) — $3,000,000
- Jerryd Bayless (Bucks) — $3,000,000
- Kirk Hinrich (Bulls) — $2,854,940
- Brian Roberts (Hornets) — $2,854,940
- Trey Burke (Jazz) — $2,658,240
- Elfrid Payton (Magic) — $2,505,720
- Shelvin Mack (Hawks) — $2,433,333
- Michael Carter-Williams (Bucks) — $2,399,040
- Aaron Brooks (Bulls) — $2,250,000
- Tony Wroten (Waived by Sixers) — $2,179,353
- Steve Blake (Pistons) — $2,170,465
- Ramon Sessions (Wizards) — $2,170,465
- Beno Udrih (Heat) — $2,170,465
- Kendall Marshall (Sixers) — $2,144,772
- Jeremy Lin (Hornets) — $2,139,000
- Gary Neal (Wizards) — $2,139,000
- Mo Williams (Cavaliers) — $2,100,000
- Cameron Payne (Thunder) — $2,021,520
- Terry Rozier (Celtics) — $1,824,360
- Toney Douglas (Pelicans) — $1,764,858 (Includes the $600,000 he is owed by the Pacers, who waived him)
- Dennis Schröder (Hawks) — $1,763,400
- Tyler Ennis (Bucks) — $1,662,360
- Jerian Grant (Knicks) — $1,572,360
- Delon Wright (Raptors) — $1,509,360
- Shane Larkin (Nets) — $1,500,000
- Andre Miller (Timberwolves) — $1,499,187
- Ronnie Price (Suns) — $1,499,187
- Pablo Prigioni (Clippers) — $1,421,348 (Includes the $440,000 he is owed by the Nuggets, who waived him)
- Shabazz Napier (Magic) — $1,294,440
- Tyus Jones (Timberwolves) — $1,282,080
- Matthew Dellavedova (Cavaliers) — $1,147,276
- Ish Smith (Sixers) — $1,100,602
- Donald Sloan (Nets) — $1,015,421
- Joseph Young (Pacers) — $1,007,026
- Isaiah Canaan (Sixers) — $947,276
- Ray McCallum (Spurs) — $947,276
- Seth Curry (Kings) — $947,276
- Raul Neto (Jazz) — $900,000
- Jordan Clarkson (Lakers) — $845,059
- Spencer Dinwiddie (Pistons) — $845,059
- Tim Frazier (Trail Blazers) — $845,059
- Langston Galloway (Knicks) — $845,059
- Tyler Johnson (Heat) — $845,059
- Russ Smith (Waived by Grizzlies) — $845,059
- Pierre Jackson (Waived by Sixers) — $750,000
- Bryce Cotton (Waived by Suns) — $700,902
- Jimmer Fredette (Waived by Sixers and Pelicans) — $579,388
- Marcelo Huertas (Lakers) — $525,093
- T.J. McConnell (Sixers) — $525,093
- Jordan Farmar (Waived by Clippers via stretch provision) — $510,922
- Gal Mekel (Waived by Mavericks) — $315,759
- Scottie Wilbekin (Waived by Sixers) — $200,000
- Phil Pressey (Waived by Sixers and Jazz) — $195,027
- Keith Appling (Waived by Magic) — $100,000
- Erick Green (Waived by Nuggets) — $100,000
- Ryan Boatright (Waived by Nets) — $75,000
- Lorenzo Brown (Waived by the Timberwolves) — $75,000
- Travis Trice (Waived by the Knicks) — $50,000
- Nate Robinson (Waived by Pelicans) — $44,094
- Shannon Scott (Waived by Raptors) — $25,000
- Eric Atkins (Waived by Jazz) — $6,178
Central Notes: Butler, Christmas, Dinwiddie
The Bulls have gone 10-4 since Jimmy Butler made his controversial remarks about Fred Hoiberg‘s laid-back coaching style, and the team appears to have rallied together while playing some of its best basketball of the season, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune writes. “We’re just playing good basketball,” point guard Derrick Rose said. “On the offensive side the ball is moving. It seems like we know who is getting the ball at certain times. On the defensive side, it’s all about rebounding. If we rebound it’s like a 90-some percent chance we win the game. So it’s all about just communicating when we’re out there and getting rebounds.”
Rose, who has reportedly been at odds with Butler on occasion, was asked if the swingman was the most talented teammate he’s had since arriving in the NBA, to which Rose responded, “I think so, man. Who knows how good he can become? I just love his patience right now. He’s playing with unbelievable patience. He’s not rushing anything, he knows what he’s getting whenever he’s in the pick-and-roll or whenever he’s in the isolation. He’s reading everything the right way now.”
Here’s more from out of the Central Division:
- Free agent Dionte Christmas, whom the Cavaliers waived shortly before the season started, has signed with the Greek club AEK Athens, the team announced (h/t to international journalist David Pick). The 29-year-old shooting guard averaged 6.8 points in 19.9 minutes per game over four contests in the preseason for Cleveland.
- The return of Brandon Jennings from injury has created a bit of a logjam at point guard for the Pistons, but according to coach/executive Stan Van Gundy, it’s far from the worst thing a team could be faced with, notes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. When asked if dividing minutes between Jennings and Reggie Jackson could become a problem for him, Van Gundy said, “It will become an issue I’m sure. Anytime you’re dealing with the issue of trying to get enough minutes for more good players, that’s a good issue to have.”
- The Pistons have assigned point guard Spencer Dinwiddie to their D-League affiliate, the team announced via press release. Dinwiddie has appeared in nine games for Detroit this season and is averaging 4.4 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 12.3 minutes per game.
Atlantic Notes: Anthony, Battier, Smart
Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony‘s willingness to reduce his role in the offense shows that he trusts in his teammates to execute, which is a major step forward from the Melo of last season, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com relays. “I probably wouldn’t have been at ease because I was the guy who always had to go out there and score 30, score 40 points to even have a chance to win the basketball game,” Anthony said of his willingness to shoot less. “Now, with the makeup of this team, I don’t really have to do that. I feel a lot more comfortable now with … letting somebody else have a breakout game and letting other guys get involved [to] get their confidence up. I feel more comfortable with that now.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Retired forward Shane Battier met with members of the Sixers today, Derek Bodner of PhillyMag.com relays (via Twitter). Battier has a relationship with GM Sam Hinkie that goes back to their time spent together in Houston, and all indications are that the team was merely meeting with him to pick his brain, not to discuss a potential contract, Bodner adds.
- Despite their offseason focus on improving defensively, the Raptors are struggling on that end of the court, and the issue goes beyond the loss of DeMarre Carroll to injury, Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun writes. “We’ve got guys that have been here with us, that should know the defensive schemes, that do know the defensive schemes,” coach Dwane Casey said. “We’re trying to get guys back in, [but] health and injuries are part of this league,” he continued. “All those are excuses. Next man up, everybody wants an opportunity, that’s what it’s all about. One guy goes down, the next guy has to take up the slack.”
- Celtics point guard Marcus Smart is rounding back into form after missing time with a leg injury, and his recent play has sparked the team on the defensive end, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes.
Suns Waive Cory Jefferson
THURSDAY, 4:10pm: The Suns have officially announced the release of Jefferson.
WEDNESDAY, 11:06pm: The Suns are waiving power forward Cory Jefferson, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reports (Twitter link). The move comes prior to Thursday’s leaguewide contract guarantee date, so Phoenix won’t be on the hook for the remainder of Jefferson’s $845,059 salary for the season.
Jefferson, 25, was the No. 60 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft. He has only appeared in six contests for Phoenix on the season, averaging 2.0 points and 1.7 rebounds in 4.7 minutes per game. The 6’9″ forward appeared in 50 games for the Nets in 2014/15 when he notched averages of 3.7 points and 2.9 rebounds on 44.9% shooting. Jefferson had been waived by Brooklyn back in July so that the team could avoid his non-guaranteed salary for 2015/16 becoming partially guaranteed for $150K. He inked a training camp deal with Phoenix in August and subsequently made the regular season roster.
The Suns’ roster count will drop to 14 players as a result of waiving Jefferson, which will leave one open slot to add a player via a 10-day signing or a trade.
Pelicans To Retain Toney Douglas
The Pelicans intend to retain combo guard Toney Douglas past 4:00pm Central today, when his partially guaranteed contract would become fully guaranteed, league sources told Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops (on Twitter). That means his full $1,164,858 salary will remain on New Orleans’ books, unless the team trades him between now and the February 18th trade deadline.
New Orleans signed the 29-year-old guard back in October after it had waived Nate Robinson. Douglas is currently in his second stint with the Pelicans after signing two 10-day contracts and a multiyear deal with the team last season. The Pelicans had waived him back in July to avoid guaranteeing his salary for this season. Douglas had also spent time during the preseason this year with the Pacers prior to catching on with New Orleans.
Douglas has made 19 appearances for the Pelicans this season and is averaging 6.2 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 14.7 minutes per night. His career numbers through seven NBA campaigns are 7.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists to go along with a slash line of .406/.354/.824.
Eastern Notes: Mozgov, Lee, Ujiri
Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov has seen himself go from a starter to a reserve this season, which has multiple teams inquiring about his availability via trade, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports relays. Cleveland has not expressed any desire to move the center publicly, but the team’s daunting luxury tax bill, as well as Mozgov’s pending free agency, could eventually persuade the team to deal him, Spears adds. The 29-year-old has appeared in 30 games for the Cavaliers this season, including 25 as a starter, and he is averaging 6.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in 17.8 minutes per night.
Here’s more from out of the Eastern Conference:
- Wesley Matthews “badly wanted” this past summer to sign with the Raptors, who had mutual interest, but the thought of signing a player still recovering from a torn Achilles tendon was too much for the Raptors to bear, Sportsnet’s Michael Grange writes. That led Toronto to DeMarre Carroll, who’s since suffered injuries of his own, though GM Masai Ujiri played hardball, telling Carroll when he met with him that the team’s offer would come off the table if he didn’t commit before the end of the meeting. Carroll, of course, ended up signing with the Raptors for $58MM over four years. It’s much too early to say the Carroll signing was a mistake, but his injury illustrates how even seemingly safe choices carry risk, leaving the Raptors in limbo, Grange argues.
- Ujiri said he was “torn” before he made the decision to turn down a “great offer” to stay with the Nuggets to become Raptors GM in the summer of 2013, calling Denver team president Josh Kroenke “like a brother” in an appearance on “The Vertical” podcast with Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (audio link at 21:30 mark). “It haunts you for a long time,” Ujiri said. “I know I made the right decision, but sometimes I don’t know if I failed with loyalty there.” Still, the lure of the Raptors, whom Ujiri called a top-three organization in the league, proved too strong.
- David Lee chose his words carefully as he expressed frustration and disagreement to reporters about the decision Celtics coach Brad Stevens made to take him out of the rotation, making it clear that he still respects the coach and hadn’t requested a trade, as MassLive’s Jay King relays. Still, Lee said that his lack of playing time is more frustrating this year than it was in Golden State last year. The Celtics are already reportedly making him available in trade talk.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
And-Ones: Simmons, Bickerstaff, D-League
LSU combo forward Ben Simmons is getting lots of attention as the No. 1 prospect for the 2016 draft, but it’s much too early to declare him a lock for the top pick, as Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress said to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports on “The Vertical” podcast (audio link at one-hour, one-minute mark). Duke small forward Brandon Ingram, No. 2 in Givony’s rankings, has fans in high places. “I think Ingram is absolutely still in the mix,” Givony said. “I know a lot of teams that have a real split in their front office right now. Some of them, you love the productivity of Simmons, he’s a safe pick, he’s an easy guy, you know he’s going to be a very, very good NBA player, while some of them say, ‘Hey, I love the upside of Brandon Ingram.’ Who knows what this kid can become three to four years from now? Is he going to be a Giannis Antetokounmpo, or someone like that, who just continually improves physically and skillwise and just becomes this devastating, 6’10” small forward who can score from all over the floor?”
Here’s more from around the league:
- The players on the Rockets enjoy watching interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff grow into his new role with the team, Jenny Dial Creech of The Houston Chronicle notes. “He is growing and learning … it’s like any rookie,” small forward Trevor Ariza said. “They have to take their bumps and bruises. You learn from them. He has done a great job learning – he is here all the time. He has improved game by game and day by day.” Ariza also noted that he appreciates Bickerstaff’s level of communication with the team, Creech adds. “He asks for everyone’s input on how we feel, what’s working, what we see and he puts his own twist on it to make us better,” Ariza said.
- If the NBA D-League is to continue to grow without diluting the available talent pool significantly, the league’s players may need to unionize in order to make salaries more competitive with overseas clubs, Adam Johnson of D-League Digest posits. D-League players don’t fall under the jurisdiction of the NBPA and player contracts are signed directly with the D-League while teams dictate which salary tier players are allotted, Johnson notes. While the pay in the D-League may not be significant, the showcase it provides for prospective NBA suitors is still a major benefit for players, the D-League Digest scribe adds. “Everyone wants to point to the salaries as being an issue, and while it is a valid criticism you can’t put a price on the level of exposure the league provides,” an NBA scout told Johnson.
- For the latest on the business relationship between LeBron James and Browns quaterback Johnny Manziel, check out our sister site, Pro Football Rumors (@pfrumors on Twitter).
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Western Notes: Rondo, Gentry, Kerr
One aspect of Alvin Gentry‘s coaching style that has endeared him to his players on the Pelicans is his willingness to hold all players equally accountable, including star power forward Anthony Davis, John Reid of The Times Picayune writes. ”That’s how you get credibility in this league as a coach,” point guard Norris Cole said. ”The top coaches are tough on everybody, including the star players. They always say, it starts at the top, coach is consistent. It doesn’t matter who you are; if he feels he needs to get on you, he will get on you. If you look at all the great coaches, they get on their star players before they get on anybody else. We respect coach and he’s consistent with what he’s trying to bring and what wants out of us.”
Davis welcomes Gentry’s input, even if it means the coach being hard on him, Reid notes. ”He gets on everybody coaches, players,” Davis said. ”He doesn’t care who it is because he wants all of us to be better. If that’s what it takes for us to be better then I’m down for it. Like I said, he got on me during Saturday’s game and I was totally fine. Perk [Kendrick Perkins] gets on me, I don’t care. I know that they have my best interests [in mind].”
Here’s the latest from out West:
- Despite his strong individual numbers this season, point guard Rajon Rondo has not improved the Kings‘ offense, and the team has actually been statistically more efficient when the point guard is on the bench, Mika Honkasalo of HoopsHype writes in his analysis of the team. Sacramento has been outscored by 5.4 points per 100 possessions with Rondo on the floor, and the Kings have actually outscored teams by 1.5 points without Rondo, Honkasalo notes.
- The Warriors still don’t know when Steve Kerr will be able to return to coaching the team and much still depends on how Kerr’s body responds to travel, Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group relays. “He’s trying,” GM Bob Myers said. “He wants to get back, but it’s just tough right now. He’s not able to do it, and we hope it will be soon. “So he’s kind of putting his toe in the water, getting on the road with the team to see how he can handle that, handle the travel and the up and downs of the road. If he can get through that OK, then we’ll see. But it’s tough for me. If you had him on right now, he’d probably tell you he doesn’t know [how soon he might be back]. So for me to say anything is just speculation.”