Hoops Rumors Originals 10/18/15-10/24/15
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.
- As a part of our continuing series, “The Beat,” Chuck Myron interviewed Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
- Zach Links highlighted some of the better basketball blogs around in his weekly installment of Hoops Links.
- If you missed any of our daily reader-driven discussions, be sure to check out the Community Shootaround archives.
- Zach interviewed Philip Rossman-Reich, who is the Managing Editor of Fansided’s Orlando Magic Daily, and Chuck spoke with Brian Robb, who is the owner and editor-in-chief of Celtics Hub, and checked in with David Zavac, who is the Managing Editor of SB Nation’s Fear the Sword, as a part of our Top Bloggers series.
- Here’s how you can follow Hoops Rumors on social media and RSS feed.
- Chuck looked at how Tristan Thompson‘s new contract affects the Cavs’ luxury tax bill.
- We answered reader questions in our Weekly Mailbag.
- Chuck broke down some roster spot battles from the Southeast Division.
- We reviewed our commenting policy. Play nice everyone.
- We asked readers to rank where each NBA team will finish the 2015/16 campaign. Here are the results for teams No. 8, No. 7, No. 6, and No. 5.
Mavs Release Ashley, Holloway, Wilson
The Mavericks have waived power forward Brandon Ashley, point guard Tu Holloway, and small forward Jamil Wilson, the team announced via a press release. Wilson and Ashley both have $50K partial guarantees on their deals, which Dallas will be responsible for provided they clear waivers. The terms of Holloway’s deal were not reported, though it was likely a minimum salary pact with little or no guaranteed money. The Mavs’ roster count now sits at 16 players, one over the regular season maximum.
Holloway played for the Venezuelan team the past two seasons and has also made stops in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Belgium and Turkey since going undrafted in 2012. He totaled 12 points, eight assists and three turnovers in nearly 44 minutes of action over four games with the Mavs summer league team in July of that year after posting averages of 17.5 points, 4.9 assists and 3.0 turnovers in 36.6 minutes per game as a senior for Xavier in 2011/12. He did not make an appearance during this preseason for Dallas.
Wilson, 24, played for the Wizards in this year’s summer league in Vegas. He averaged 7.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 41.7% from the field. He also saw action in all seven games this preseason and averaged 2.4 points and 1.6 rebounds in 17.5 minutes.
The 6’9” Ashley averaged 12.2 points and 5.2 rebounds as a junior last season before declaring for the draft. He averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds as a sophomore before breaking his foot in February of that season. Ashley played seven games for the Hawks in the Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 10.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists. Ashley appeared in all seven preseason contests for the Mavs this season and averaged 1.1 points and 2.6 rebounds in 12.1 minutes.
Mavericks Waive Samuel Dalembert
12:45pm: Dalembert has been released, Dallas announced via a press release.
11:43am: The Mavericks are waiving center Samuel Dalembert, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reports (Twitter link). The veteran big man’s minimum salary arrangement was fully guaranteed, so Dallas will be responsible for the $947,276 owed to the player for the 2015/16 campaign.
Dalembert was the Mavs’ No. 1 center as recently as 2013/14, when he started 68 games for them. He was then included in the Tyson Chandler swap with the Knicks. The 34-year-old only played 32 games for New York, including 21 starts, and averaged 4.0 points and 5.3 rebounds. Dalembert’s career stats through 886 regular season contests are 7.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks.
Dallas’ roster count now stands at 19 players, which means the team still needs to part ways with a minimum of four players prior to Monday’s deadline.
Pelicans Waive Adrien, Dejean-Jones, McCalebb
The Pelicans have waived power forward Jeff Adrien, as well as guards Bryce Dejean-Jones and Bo McCalebb, the team announced via a press release. Adrien and McCalebb were both in camp on non-guaranteed deals, so New Orleans won’t be on the hook for any salary for them, but Dejean-Jones’ deal includes a partial guarantee of $50K, which the team will be responsible for unless he is claimed off waivers. The Pelicans’ roster count is now at 14 players, one below the regular season maximum.
Adrien appeared in 17 games with the Timberwolves last season, averaging 3.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in 12.6 minutes. The 6’7” forward, who played in China after Minnesota waived him in January, has played for five teams in his five-year career. He appeared in three preseason games this year, averaging 6.3 points and 6.0 rebounds.
Dejean-Jones averaged 12.8 points in 21.6 minutes per game for the Pelicans’ summer league entry, nailing 61.9% of his shots from the floor and nine of his 18 three-point attempts. Those were better numbers than he posted in his lone season with the Cyclones after having previously played at USC and UNLV. The 6’5″ Dejean-Jones put up 10.6 PPG in 23.0 MPG with 32.9% three-point shooting as a senior at Iowa State.
McCalebb, 30, has played overseas since going undrafted in 2008, save for a summer league stint with the Kings in July of that year. He was the top scorer in the Euroleague in 2011/12, notching 16.9 points per game for Siena of Italy. His assists were up last season with FC Bayern Muenchen of Germany, when he averaged 4.8 per game to go along with 12.4 PPG in 25.7 MPG.
Thunder Waive Cobbins, Farrakhan
The Thunder have waived power forward Michael Cobbins and combo guard Mustapha Farrakhan, the team announced via a press release. Both players were signed to non-guaranteed pacts, so OKC won’t be on the hook for any funds as a result of these moves. The team’s roster count is now at 15 players, which is the regular season maximum.
Cobbins, 23, went undrafted out of Oklahoma State this year after appearing in 105 career collegiate contests and averaging 5.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 25.4 minutes per game. A two-time member of the Big 12 All-Defensive Team, Cobbins ranked second in the conference in blocks per game (1.83) during his senior season.
Farrakhan, 26, spent the 2011/12 and 2012/13 campaigns in the NBA D-League, averaging 8.0 points, 1.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 18.3 minutes in 70 games split between four teams. The University of Virginia product spent the 2013/14 season overseas with Melbourne United in Australia, notching averages of 10.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 20.8 minutes per contest.
Wolves Waive Three Players
The Timberwolves have waived shooting guard Lorenzo Brown, center Kleon Penn, and swingman Nick Wiggins, the team announced via a press release. Both Penn and Wiggins were signed to non-guaranteed deals, so Minnesota won’t be responsible for any salary as a result of those moves, but Brown’s deal includes a $75K partial guarantee, which the team would be responsible for unless he is claimed off waivers. The Wolves’ roster count is now at the regular season maximum of 15 players.
Penn, 29, went undrafted out of McNeese State back in 2009, and he has played outside the U.S. ever since. He spent the 2014/15 season playing for the Puerto Rican team Vaqueros de Bayamon. In 44 contests last season, Penn averaged 4.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks in 19.3 minutes of action per night. His career NCAA numbers were 5.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 2.9 BPG to go along with a shooting line of .601/.000/.565.
Wiggins, 24, is the older brother of Andrew Wiggins. The elder Wiggins went undrafted in 2014 out of Wichita State after averaging 5.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.6 assists as a Senior. He spent the 2014 summer league playing for the Kings’ squad before signing a deal to play with Tigers Tübingen of the Basketball Bundesliga, though his tenure with the team ended after just 11 contests. Wiggins played for both the Jazz and Wolves in the summer league this offseason.
Brown, 25, has made a total of 55 appearances in two NBA seasons, averaging 3.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists to go along with a slash line of .375/.155/.656.
Hawks To Waive Earl Barron, DeQuan Jones
The Hawks are waiving center Earl Barron and combo forward DeQuan Jones, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports (Twitter link). The team has yet to make an official announcement, though Vivlamore indicates the moves have already taken place. Both players came to camp on non-guaranteed deals, so Atlanta won’t be responsible for any salary as a result of these moves. The team’s roster count will drop to 15 players, which is the regular season maximum, once these two cuts become official.
The 34-year-old Barron’s 16 games with the Suns in 2014/15 were the most he had played in an NBA season since 2010/11, when he totaled 21 appearances split among three teams. The center’s best season was 2007/08, when he appeared in 46 contests, and 15 of them as a member of the starting lineup, for the Heat. The big man’s career numbers through 140 regular season NBA contests are 4.6 points and 3.5 rebounds to go along with a slash line of .371/.167/.702.
Jones, 25, went undrafted out of Miami back in 2012. He then secured a training camp invite from the Magic which he parlayed into a regular season roster spot for the 2012/13 campaign. Jones made 63 appearances for Orlando that season, including 17 starts, and averaged 3.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.3 assists to go along with a slash line of .436/.257/.667. The forward spent the 2014/15 season with Pallacanestro Cantù of the Lega Basket Serie A.
Northwest Notes: Chandler, Jazz, Saunders
Taylor also noted that GM Milt Newton and interim coach Sam Mitchell have the authority going forward to make trades and player personnel decisions in Saunders’ absence, Zgoda adds. “We haven’t put anything on hold,” Taylor said. “Milt’s handling it just the way I’d expect him to. He tells me what he thinks, and we talk about things, just the same as I did with Flip. Milt’s just stepped in. Sam has to be his own coach. He won’t do things exactly as Flip does, and I wouldn’t expect him to.”
Here’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Taylor was re-elected as the chairman of the NBA Board of Governors, commissioner Adam Silver announced at a press conference on Friday (h/t Tim Bontemps of The New York Post via Twitter).
- The Nuggets have in the past asked for either two first-round picks or a first-rounder and a young player in exchange for Wilson Chandler, league sources told Grantland’s Zach Lowe, and while Lowe thinks it’s conceivable that price comes down, he still doesn’t believe a Chandler trade is likely. Meanwhile, the chatter surrounding the idea of a Kenneth Faried trade that’s been going on for the past two years hasn’t stopped, Lowe adds.
- The Jazz intend to utilize their wing players as playmakers this season, which will influence a number of the team’s roster decisions, Aaron Falk of The salt Lake Tribune writes. “I think we’ve got good ball handlers on the wings, and you get to a point where you have to make tough decisions,” coach Quin Snyder said. “… We have Joe Ingles. We have Alec Burks. We have Rodney Hood and Gordon Hayward. Those guys can all handle the ball and make plays.”
- Mitchell and Newton indicated that the Wolves still intend to continue with the youth movement put in place by Saunders, who is on a leave of absence while he battles Hodgkins’ Lymphoma, writes Michael Rand of The Star Tribune. “Most definitely the vision is still to develop our young players. We’d love to make the playoffs, but we’re not going to circumvent the process that it’s going to take to be a perennial playoff team,” Newton said. “You have to win to learn how to win, but overall the vision is to develop that young core we have to become that perennial playoff team.”
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Week In Review 10/18/15-10/24/15
The Cavaliers and restricted free agent power forward Tristan Thompson signed a five-year, $82MM deal, finally ending the power forward’s holdout. Cleveland had held the upper hand in these negotiations since Thompson’s choices were limited to signing a long term deal with the Cavs, signing an offer sheet with another team, or continuing to sit out. March 1st would have been the last day for him to sign an offer sheet this season, if the drama dragged on that long, and if he held out all season, Cleveland would have had the chance to issue another qualifying offer to renew his restricted free agency next July. The 24-year-old becomes the sixth highest paid power forward in the league behind Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, Blake Griffin, Paul Millsap, and David Lee.
Here’s more from the week that was…
Free Agent Signings
Eastern Conference
- The Cavaliers signed Jack Cooley.
- The Heat signed Briante Weber.
- The Thunder signed Michael Cobbins and Mustapha Farrakhan.
- The Pistons signed Ryan Boatright.
Western Conference
- The Jazz signed E.J. Singler.
- The Warriors signed Xavier Henry.
- The Spurs signed Julian Washburn.
Overseas
- Quincy Miller signed with the Serbian team Red Star Belgrade.
You can stay up to date on all of the signings with Hoops Rumors’ free agent tracker.
Waivers
Eastern Conference
- The Cavaliers waived Chris Johnson.
- The Bucks waived Jorge Gutierrez, Marcus Landry and Josh Powell.
- The Celtics waived Coty Clarke, Malcolm Miller and Levi Randolph.
- The Nets waived Ryan Boatright, Quincy Miller and Chris Daniels.
- The Heat waived Corey Hawkins.
- The Pistons waived Cartier Martin, Adonis Thomas and Jordan Bachynski.
- The Magic waived Keith Appling and Jordan Sibert.
- The Cavs waived Nick Minnerath.
- The Hawks waived Terran Petteway.
- The Bulls waived Jordan Crawford and Marcus Simmons.
- The Magic waived Greg Stiemsma.
- The Magic waived Melvin Ejim.
- The Hornets waived Jason Washburn, Damien Wilkins, Sam Thompson, and Elliot Williams.
- The Cavs waived Jack Cooley, Dionte Christmas, Austin Daye and D.J. Stephens.
- The Knicks waived Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Darion Atkins and DaJuan Summers, Travis Trice and Wesley Saunders.
- The Magic waived Nnanna Egwu.
Western Conference
- The Spurs waived Keifer Sykes.
- The Lakers waived Robert Upshaw and Michael Frazier.
- The Spurs waived Jimmer Fredette.
- The Jazz waived Bryce Cotton and Treveon Graham.
- The Spurs waived Deshaun Thomas and Youssou Ndoye.
- The Kings waived David Stockton.
- The Jazz waived E.J. Singler.
- The Thunder waived Michael Qualls, Talib Zanna, Julyan Stone, and Dez Wells.
- The Mavs waived Jarrid Famous.
- The Warriors waived Chris Babb, Jarell Eddie, Xavier Henry and Chris Udofia.
- The Blazers waived Phil Pressey and Omari Johnson.
- The Lakers waived Jonathan Holmes.
- The Rockets waived Jeremy Tyler, Chris Walker, Will Cummings and Denzel Livingston.
Contract Options
- The Jazz exercised third-year options on Dante Exum and Rodney Hood and fourth-year options on Trey Burke and Rudy Gobert.
- The Wolves exercised their options on Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, Shabazz Muhammad, Gorgui Dieng and Adreian Payne.
- The Magic exercised their options on Aaron Gordon, Victor Oladipo, Shabazz Napier and Elfrid Payton.
- The Thunder exercised the fourth-year options on Steven Adams and Andre Roberson in addition to their third-year option on Mitch McGary.
D-League News
- Combo forward Coty Clarke, who was waived by the Celtics on Tuesday, will play this season for Boston’s D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws.
Miscellaneous News
- Pelicans swingman Tyreke Evans underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and he is expected to be out of action for six to eight weeks.
- Al Horford hired BDA Sports founder Bill Duffy as his agent.
- Vanderbilt junior center/forward Damian Jones says he plans to enter the 2016 draft.
- Spurs coach/president Gregg Popovich will succeed Mike Krzyzewski as head coach of Team USA.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 10/23/15
An unwillingness to adjust his freewheeling college game to the NBA style of play led to Jimmer Fredette‘s lack of success in the league, a former NBA assistant told Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports. The Spurs waived Fredette on Wednesday, though four other NBA teams still reportedly have some level of interest in him. Fredette is a former lottery pick, having gone 10th overall to the Kings back in 2011. Still, he didn’t make too much of an impact during his rookie season, and his numbers have declined ever since. He shot only 18.8% from three-point range last season with the Pelicans and didn’t make a three-pointer in the preseason this month for the Spurs.
This brings me to the topic/question of the day: Does Jimmer Fredette have a future as an NBA player? If so, what adjustments to his game need to be made?
Fredette thus far has shown himself to be a one-dimensional player, and his one marketable skill, outside shooting, hasn’t been consistent enough to allow him to stick on an NBA roster thus far in his professional career. Do you believe Fredette can alter his game enough to become a reliable contributor in the league, or is his dream of being an NBA player at an end? Is there a team or system that would be ideal for the shooting guard? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the subject. We look forward to what you have to say.