Western Notes: Suns, Rondo, Asik
The Lakers are reportedly the favorites to land unrestricted free agent Rajon Rondo this summer, but the franchise isn’t as enamored with the mercurial point guard as it once was, Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report writes. According to team sources, co-owner Jim Buss is not the believer he was earlier in the season when it comes to Rondo, and GM Mitch Kupchak now sees the player as a worthwhile value only at a lower salary, Ding adds. Despite Kobe Bryant‘s apparent desire to play alongside Rondo, the team has no intention to sign the guard just because the Mamba wants the team to, Ding notes.
Here’s more out of the Western Conference:
- The Suns haven’t been successful drafting near the middle of the first round the last few seasons, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic notes. Only two players out of the six taken by the team in the first round since 2008 are still with the franchise, which is not a great track record, Coro adds. Phoenix is projected to have the No. 13 pick in June’s draft according to our reverse standings.
- Pelicans coach Monty Williams values center Omer Asik, and considers him a player that the franchise intends to make a strong push to re-sign this summer despite his inconsistent play, John Reid of The Times Picayune relays. ”As far as Omer, he’s a huge part of what we do,” Williams said. ”If you look at our defensive numbers from last year to this year, we improved in a number of categories and Omer was a huge part of that. So he’s highly valued by this organization and that he’s an asset to this city.” Asik, 28, is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason. In addition to Asik, Williams indicated that he wanted all of his core players to return next season, Reid tweets.
- If the Trail Blazers were to lose unrestricted free agent LaMarcus Aldridge to another team this summer, the franchise would be just fine from a leadership standpoint thanks to the continued presence of Damian Lillard, Jason Quick of The Oregonian opines.
2014/15 D-League Usage Report: Nuggets
The relationship between the NBA and the D-League continues to grow, and 17 NBA franchises currently have one-to-one D-League affiliates amongst the 18 D-League teams. The remaining 13 NBA teams shared the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this season. We at Hoops Rumors will be recapping each team’s use of the D-League this season, looking at assignments and recalls as well as the players signed out of the D-League. We’ll continue onward with a look back at how the Nuggets utilized the D-League during the 2014/15 campaign…
D-League Team: Fort Wayne Mad Ants
Affiliation Type: Shared
D-League Team Record: 28-22
Number of NBA Players Assigned To D-League: 1
Total D-League Assignments: 1
Player Stats While On Assignment
- Erick Green: 1 assignment, 2 games, 21.0 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 3.0 APG. .517/.273/.900.
D-League Signings
- None
Assignment/Recall Log
- January 20th: Assigned Erick Green (Recalled January 25th)
Atlantic Notes: Casey, Celtics, Stevens
As the Raptors evaluate coach Dwane Casey‘s job performance, one negative that stands out is the team’s poor defense, Scott Stinson of The National Post writes. Casey, who came to Toronto with the reputation as a defense specialist, places the blame on the team’s offensive woes after DeMar DeRozan injured his groin, Stinson notes. “Where I thought we got discombobulated was, after DeMar went down, our defense took a huge hit, and I take accountability for it,” Casey said. “We kind of got away from some of our defensive principles to hide some weaknesses that we had. Trying to make up for the lack of DeRozan, in other words, despite the team still winning, was creating other problems. That way lies chaos. You kind of get disheveled on the defensive end and you never recover from that.” GM Masai Ujiri hasn’t confirmed that Casey would be retained, though he did indicate that if he had decided against keeping the coach, he would have said so.
Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Despite being swept out of the playoffs by Cleveland in the first round, the Celtics laid the groundwork this season for future success, Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders writes. “We know we can compete with anybody in the NBA,” said mid-season pickup Isaiah Thomas. “People counted us out and we just kept fighting. We kept believing in ourselves, we kept coming to work every day with our hard hat on and working hard and doing the things that we can control. If we can do that in the summer, next training camp, next season, then we’ve got a bright future with this group of guys.”
- Guiding Boston to the playoffs this season has proven that Celtics coach Brad Stevens belongs in the league, Ian Thomsen of NBA.com writes. “Where I feel much more comfortable is the understanding of 29 opponents, understanding the schedule, understanding the NBA and the game management,” Stevens said. “Those were all like knock-you-over experiences. Now I feel like I’ve got a handle on all that. Now it’s just about coaching this team as well as we can.“
- The Celtics‘ abbreviated playoff run has shown that the team badly needs to add a star player, but also demonstrated that rookie Marcus Smart is a cornerstone who the franchise can build around, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald writes.
Aleksandar Vezenkov To Enter Draft
Bulgarian forward Aleksandar Vezenkov, also known as Sasha Vezenkov, intends to enter the 2015 NBA draft, Alexander Sotirov of Sportal.bg tweets (hat tip to Enea Trapani of Sportando). Vezenkov spent the last four seasons with the Greek team Aris BC. The 19-year-old is a projected second-rounder in June’s draft. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranks him as the No. 32 overall prospect, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider Subscription required) slots him at No. 44 overall.
Vezenkov is a likely draft-and-stash pick, and his game needs refining before he is ready to be productive in the NBA. While he is a solid outside shooter with good court vision, Vezenkov needs quite a bit of work to become a passable NBA defender. With further seasoning Vezenkov could be a competent role-player off the bench in the NBA, but he’ll need to add strength if he hopes to survive the rigors of an 82 game season in the league.
In 21 appearances for Aris BC this past season, Vezenkov averaged 19.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 32.7 minutes per contest. His shooting numbers were .525/.439/.779.
Cavs Notes: Love, James, Thompson
As painful as it was for the city of Cleveland, LeBron James‘ departure for Miami back in 2010 laid the groundwork for the Cavs’ title chances this season, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald writes. If James had remained, the franchise would not have been in the position to draft Kyrie Irving, nor have had the opportunity to select Andrew Wiggins, who was the centerpiece of the deal to acquire Kevin Love, Bulpett notes.
“Could he have won a championship if he stayed here? We’ll never know,” said former Cav Jim Chones, who is the team’s radio color commentator. “But we do know this, and this is a fact, that we’re better than we were the first time he was here. And we also have other opportunities down the road because of draft picks that we’ve stored up, so Cleveland is in a position where they’re going to be good for a while, not just a flash in the pan. Looking back to when LeBron left, philosophically speaking, it created an acute awareness within our organization that we had to be better at everything we did. Him leaving … we were so dependent on him, as most teams are with the super players, that it put us in a position that we weren’t prepared for.”
Here’s more news out of Cleveland:
- Though their relationship hasn’t been perfect this season, James understands the difficulties that Love has had to deal with since coming to the Cavs, Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio relays. “He’s been highly criticized this year,” James said. “I know why. For a team that finally gets together, when you have a ‘Big Three,’ they’ve got to find someone. When I was in Miami, Chris Bosh was that guy at one point. I’ve seen it before. When you’ve been in position where you’ve had your own team and now you come and join forces, at one point in Miami we were 9-8. They started pointing fingers at anybody. They’ve got to find somebody.“
- The Cavs’ role-players are proving this postseason that Cleveland is more than just the “big three,” Tom Withers of The Associated Press writes. Just as James, Irving and Love have had to make personal sacrifices, the Cavs’ second-stringers have forgone individual accolades for team success, Withers adds. “It’s like a company. You have your janitor, your CEO. You have your secretaries,” said Tristan Thompson, who knows that his job is to bring energy as a reserve. “I don’t mind being the cleanup guy, punching the clock. I’ll do all the little things.”
Hoops Rumors Originals 4/19/15-4/25/15
Here’s a look at the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this past week…
- Chuck Myron examined the declining relative value of the mid-level exception in the NBA.
- I profiled 2015 draft prospect Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
- We are in the process of examining the players who are set to hit the open market this summer in our Free Agent Stock Watch series.
- Chris Crouse looked at Warriors GM Bob Myers as a candidate for Executive of the Year.
- I reviewed the Cavaliers‘ and Mavericks‘ utilization of the NBA D-League this past season.
- Here’s how you can follow specific players on Hoops Rumors.
- I answered reader questions in our weekly mailbag.
- Zach Links highlighted some of the best basketball blogs around in the week’s installment of Hoops Links.
- Chuck looked at the likelihood that each eligible player will receive a qualifying offer from his team this offseason.
- I reviewed the 2015/16 salary commitments for all 30 NBA teams.
- We reviewed our commenting policy. Play nice everyone.
- Chuck provided an in-depth explanation regarding cap holds.
- Here’s how you can follow Hoops Rumors on Facebook, Twitter, and your RSS feed.
Kawhi Leonard Unlikely To Pursue Offer Sheets
Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard, who is set to become a restricted free agent this summer, doesn’t intend to pursue offer sheets from other teams, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. San Antonio would have the right to match any offer sheet that the young forward were to sign, provided they tender him a qualifying offer worth $4,433,683, which the franchise is almost assuredly going to do.
Leonard had previously spoken about his free agent plans, saying, “I feel like they like me here and I’m going to come back, but we’ll see. We’re going to see this summer.” The talented forward may require surgery this offseason to repair the torn ligament in his right hand, but that likely won’t have any bearing on his contract negotiations given his youth and skill level.
For his part, Leonard wants to remain with San Antonio, and the Spurs are expected to reach out to the 23-year-old on July 1st with a maximum salary offer, Wojnarowski relays. The franchise resisted offering Leonard a contract extension last offseason, which was by design, so that the Spurs could preserve cap space for this summer, the Yahoo! scribe adds. The Spurs hope to add another star free agent this offseason. LaMarcus Aldridge has already been reported to be a prime target of the organization, should he choose to leave Portland as an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Marc Gasol has also been reported as a potential free agent target as well. San Antonio’s offseason strategy still hinges on whether or not Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili return for another run, or one or both call it a career and retire.
The low-key Leonard said he wasn’t perturbed by the team holding off on signing him to an extension. “I don’t think I’m going anywhere,” Leonard said. “I mean they love me here. I like the organization, and if it was up to me, I want to finish out with one team like a lot of great players have done, to stay with one organization their whole career and just be loyal to that. You never know. We’ll see what happens next summer, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be in a Spurs jersey for my whole life.
The 2014/15 Defensive Player of the Year appeared in 64 games this season, averaging 16.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 31.8 minutes per contest. In his four NBA seasons, the 6’7″ forward out of San Diego State has notched career averages of 12.3 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 1.8 APG. Leonard’s career slash line is .496/.368/.802.
Atlantic Notes: Love, Knicks, Valanciunas
Brad Stevens would be a great coaching fit for Kevin Love if the big man chose to opt out of his deal with the Cavs and sign with the Celtics this offseason, Tim Welsh of CSNNE.com opines. “He fits in as a guy that can score, an up-front scorer. They [the Celtics] don’t have that. They’re built on guys, a lot of wing players … they’ve got the two tough guards out front with Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart that can really defend,” Welsh said. “And I think the thing with Kevin Love, too — and other free agents will obviously look at — is what Brad Stevens has done. He’s kind of resurrected a lot of different guys here in a short period of time.” Welsh cited Evan Turner, Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder and Jonas Jerebko as examples of players whose games Stevens has elevated.
Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- The Raptors have a decision to make regarding Jonas Valanciunas, who is eligible to sign an extension this offseason, Eric Koreen of The National Post writes. The reference point for a new contract would be the four-year, $53MM extension that the Magic inked with Nikola Vucevic last offseason, Koreen notes. If the Raptors do indeed sign Valanciunas to a long-term deal, they have to commit to integrating him a bit more in the offense, because Valanciunas does not provide the defensive value that justifies a salary similar to Vucevic’s, Koreen concludes.
- Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge believes that Gigi Datome has a place in the NBA, though he isn’t sure if the team will have a roster spot for the Italian next season, Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald writes. “This is a really hard business,” Ainge said. “There’s 400 players in this league, and 60 more who get drafted each year. You’ve got a former NBA player of the week in Jordan Crawford who can’t get back in the league the next year. Now he’s leading [the Fort Wayne Mad Ants] to the D-League finals. So you don’t know. But in my eyes Gigi has proven that he’s an NBA player.” Datome can become a restricted free agent if Boston tenders him a qualifying offer this summer worth $2,187,500.
- Since James Dolan purchased the Knicks the franchise has continually tried to sell its fanbase on the promise of the future, a trend that continues under team president Phil Jackson, Johnette Howard of ESPNNewYork.com writes.
Week In Review 4/19/15-4/25/15
A group fronted by private equity mogul Tony Ressler finalized a deal with Hawks controlling owner Bruce Levenson to buy the team for approximately $850MM, a figure that includes roughly $120MM worth of arena debt. “We are honored and thrilled to have been chosen to become the new stewards of the Hawks,” said Ressler. “We respect the NBA’s approval process and, accordingly, can say no more other than we are incredibly excited by the Hawks’ success and wish them luck in the playoffs.” The sale, which also includes operation of Philips Arena, requires the approval of the NBA Board of Governors before it can formally take place. The new owners indicated that they plan to keep CEO Steve Koonin and coach/acting GM Mike Budenholzer aboard.
Here’s more from the week that was…
Coaching News/Rumors
- The Thunder fired longtime coach Scott Brooks. UConn coach Kevin Ollie was the front-runner to replace Brooks as OKC’s head man, but Ollie indicated that he wasn’t inclined to leave UConn for the NBA due to personal reasons. Florida coach Billy Donovan and Spurs assistant Ettore Messina are also being mentioned as a possibilities for the Thunder’s now vacant coaching position.
- People close to Tom Thibodeau are convinced that the Bulls will fire him after the season is over.
- During his end-of-season press conference Flip Saunders gave no indication that he’s planning on stepping away from his Timberwolves coaching duties.
- The Rockets cut ties with D-League coach Nevada Smith of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the team’s affiliate.
2015 NBA Draft News
- Projected lottery pick Jakob Poeltl decided not to enter this year’s draft.
- Arizona freshman forward Stanley Johnson intends to enter the 2015 NBA draft.
- Rich Kleiman of Roc Nation Sports and Leon Rose of the Creative Artists Agency will team up to represent Willie Cauley-Stein.
- Croatian shooting guard Mario Hezonja intends to enter the 2015 NBA draft.
- Purdue junior A.J. Hammons will skip the NBA draft this season and return to school for his senior campaign.
- South Korean prospect Jong-Hyun Lee intends to enter the 2015 NBA draft.
- Myles Turner hired agent Andy Miller of ASM Sports to represent him.
- Projected second-round pick Petr Cornelie will pass on entering this year’s draft.
- Brazilian point guard George Lucas will enter this year’s draft.
- Justise Winslow decided on agent Joe Branch of Roc Nation Sports to represent him.
- Hazan Sports Management signed on to represent University of Houston guard Jherrod Stiggers and Michigan State guard Russell Byrd.
- Spanish center Guillermo Hernangomez will enter this year’s draft.
- Projected first-round pick Caris LeVert will stay for another year at the University of Michigan.
- Louisiana-Lafayette forward/center Shawn Long intends to return to school for his senior season and bypass this year’s draft.
- Satnam Singh Bhamara, a 7’1” 290-pound player from India, is considering declaring for the 2015 NBA Draft.
- Oklahoma junior shooting guard Buddy Hield will return to Oklahoma for his senior year.
- Senegalese center Moussa Diagne is entering this year’s draft.
- Providence sophomore point guard Kris Dunn will return to school for another season.
- First-round prospect Christian Wood has decided to enter this year’s draft.
- Tennessee Tech junior center Charles Jackson has decided to enter this year’s draft and signed with agent Scott Nichols.
- Second-round prospect Tyrone Wallace will return to Cal rather than enter this year’s draft.
- Greek power forward Dimitrios Agravanis intends to enter the 2015 NBA draft.
- Small forward Nedim Buza has decided to enter this year draft.
- Serbian point guards Miroslav Pasajlic and Nikola Radicevic will enter the NBA draft.
- LSU sophomore power forward Jarell Martin signed with agent Andy Miller of ASM Sports.
- Oklahoma State senior swingman Le’Bryan Nash hired Matt Babcock and Adie von Gontard of APAA Sports Group to represent him.
- Italian forward Simone Fontecchio, 19, will enter the 2015 NBA Draft.
Signings
- Jarvis Varnado, who was in camp with the Sixers this past fall, signed to play in Puerto Rico with Piratas de Quebradillas.
News/Rumors
- Soon-to-be free agent Lou Williams won this year’s NBA Sixth Man of the Year award.
- Free agent Greg Monroe indicated that the Pistons have the upper hand to re-sign him.
- LaMarcus Aldridge‘s teammates are reportedly concerned that he may leave Portland as a free agent this summer. The Spurs and Mavs reportedly believe they’ll have a chance to sign the forward this summer.
- There are strong indications that the Lakers are the favorites to sign pending free agent Rajon Rondo this offseason. Rondo is out indefinitely with an injured back, and coach Rick Carlisle believes that he’s seen the last of the mercurial point guard in a Mavs uniforrm.
- Hawks head man Mike Budenholzer won the NBA’s Coach of the Year award.
- Joel Freeland would prefer to remain in the NBA and with the Blazers.
- Knicks team president Phil Jackson suggested that he would be more likely to trade New York’s first-round pick if it falls to fifth.
- The Rockets and Josh Smith have mutual interest in the player re-signing with the team for the 2015/16 season.
- Kawhi Leonard won the Defensive Player of the Year award.
- All of the week’s NBA D-League assignments and recalls can be found here.
- Jason Richardson is reportedly open to re-signing with the Sixers this summer.
- Hornets big man Cody Zeller had successful surgery to repair damage to his right shoulder and is expected to be out of action for three months.
- Mavs forward Chandler Parsons is out for the remainder of the playoffs with an injured knee and is expected to explore surgical options to correct the issue.
- Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge made it clear that he’d like to have soon-to-be restricted free agent Jae Crowder back with the team next year.
Hoops Rumors Weekly Mailbag 4/19/15-4/25/15
In addition to our weekly chat, which Chuck Myron facilitates every Wednesday, we have a second opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap, or the NBA draft? Drop me a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com or @EddieScarito on Twitter. Now for this week’s inquiries:
“Did the Thunder make the right move in firing coach Scott Brooks?” — Ernie.
That’s the question everyone associated with the Thunder is asking themselves currently. If the team makes it back to the NBA Finals then the franchise absolutely did the right thing. If it’s right back to the status quo in OKC, then they simply made a move for the sake of change. Which isn’t the best reason to part ways with a coach who has a career record of 338-207.
Brooks wasn’t a perfect coach by any means, but it’s doubtful that any other coach could have guided the Thunder to the playoffs this season with the brutal rash of injuries the roster suffered. I absolutely give him a pass on the 2014/15 campaign, but GM Sam Presti obviously disagreed with my point of view here. Honestly, Presti deserves as much of the blame for OKC’s issues as Brooks does. Perhaps more when seeing how well James Harden has performed for the Rockets since being dealt away for pennies on the dollar.
But the nature of the league is to place the initial blame for a team’s failure on the coach, which certainly occurred in this instance. Firing Brooks was also about angling to keep Kevin Durant in town when he hits free agency in 2016. It’s also a gambit I don’t believe will work, regardless of next season’s outcome for the Thunder. I firmly believe Durant will bolt OKC at his first opportunity.
To be fair though, seven years is a long time for players to listen to one coach. In a player-driven league like the NBA, there’s only so long that most coaches can remain effective. Coaches like Gregg Popovich are of course the exception, though winning multiple titles certainly helps matters. OKC missed its title window with the current roster, and it’s probably as good a time as any to hit the reset button. The team will likely see an uptick in performance next season as a result. Fresh blood tends to have a positive short-term impact, which should be the case in OKC. But even more important will be keeping the roster healthy. If the team’s stars like Durant and Russell Westbrook can remain on the court for the bulk of the season, the Thunder should be back in the playoffs in 2015/16…regardless of who is calling the plays on the sideline.
“Where do you see Roy Hibbert ending up next season?” — Johnny V.
Despite the Pacers dropping not at all subtle hints that they would really like Hibbert to decline his $15,514,031 player option for 2015/16, I just don’t see that happening. That is a ridiculously player-friendly salary that the big man would be borderline insane to pass up. While height will always be an asset in the league, there is little call for a slow-footed, offensively-challenged big man who is a surprisingly poor rebounder, and inconsistent rim protector. Especially one who makes over $15.5MM a season. This makes Hibbert’s contract virtually untradeable, which means the two parties are likely stuck together for one more season. Indiana would likely have to take back some awful contracts in return in order to move Hibbert, which would be counterproductive. Unless Larry Bird can fleece a team the way Masai Ujiri robbed the Knicks with the Andrea Bargnani trade, Hibbert will more than likely be in a Pacers uniform next season.
“At this point is Rajon Rondo really a better option at point guard for the Lakers next season than Jordan Clarkson?” — Malik
If it’s the Rondo we saw this season, and if it would require a max contract to ink him, then absolutely not. The jury is out on whether or not Rondo has fallen that far as a player, or if this season was simply an aberration. Remember, he began the season hurt and then never quite fit in with the young Celtics team he was a part of, and his stint in Dallas was a mild disaster.
Clarkson was a nice find for the Lakers, but also remember that he was putting up numbers on a very bad team. I really like Clarkson as a player, though I do believe he’ll regress a bit next season. He’s definitely a keeper, and should be a big part of the Lakers’ rotation in 2015/16, but I don’t see Los Angeles returning to glory with him as the starting point guard.
The “x-factor” in this situation is the rapidly aging Kobe Bryant, who has one or two seasons left in him at most. This puts added pressure on the franchise to maximize what time the Mamba has remaining. That means an upgrade at the point, and if the rumors hold, then that likely means a Rondo and Kobe pairing. I’m not sure how much Rondo has left in his tank, but watching Bryant and Rondo dealing with Nick Young‘s antics, if he remains in L.A., should make Los Angeles sports writers salivate at the potential drama that could result.
“If the Wolves nab the No. 1 overall pick, who should they select? Do they consider trading the pick in that instance?” — Salvatore
I think the Wolves need to go big with their selection this year, regardless of where they are picking. The team has a number of exciting players in the backcourt and at small forward, and center Nikola Pekovic is no lock to recover from his Achilles injury for next season, if at all. If Minnesota nabs the No. 1 overall pick, I would take Karl-Anthony Towns with it in a heartbeat. While Jahlil Okafor is also an intriguing option, the thought of adding Towns’ athleticism to their already potent mix is an exciting prospect. The Wolves would be amazing to watch in transition with the likes of Ricky Rubio, Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, and Towns running the break. I think the Kentucky big man would be the absolute perfect fit in Minnesota.
As for dealing the pick, I don’t see the logic in it for this franchise. The team would be better served to develop a young core who will grow together, and hopefully reach their potential together as well. While dealing the pick could net Minnesota a few extra draft selections, they shouldn’t pass up a potential superstar just to add more depth and likely role-players. Trading for an established star could seem appealing, but unless it’s a player like DeMarcus Cousins, it would be counter productive to what Flip Saunders has been constructing. I say keep the pick and nab a potential young superstar.
That’s all the space that I have for this week. Thanks for all the questions and keep them coming! I’ll be back next week with another round of answers.