Western Notes: Kings, Wolves, Lakers
The Kings have quickly become a mess of a team since former coach Mike Malone was fired, Robert Windrem of Nets Daily writes. Sacramento’s problems include DeMarcus Cousins, who was reportedly upset with the dismissal of Malone, not playing up to par, especially on the defensive end, and the players finding out about Tyrone Corbin being signed as coach for the rest of the season from the media, which didn’t sit well with them at all, Windrem notes.
Here’s what else is happening around the Western Conference:
- The Wolves‘ 2013 draft night trade of Trey Burke for Shabazz Muhammad is beginning to pay off thanks to Muhammad’s marked improvement this season, Andy Greder of The Pioneer Press writes. “We’re talking a guy that has been inserted into the starting lineup and is becoming a guy that is a major factor in what we are trying to accomplish,” president of basketball operations Flip Saunders said.
- One of the Wolves‘ recent additions, Troy Daniels, is starting to pay dividends thanks to his deft outside touch, Kent Youngblood of The Star Tribune writes. “He is going to have opportunities,” Saunders said. “He brings something that we lack, perimeter shooting, the ability to stretch the floor a little bit.”
- The main reason that the Lakers hired Byron Scott as their coach this past summer was because of his relationship with Kobe Bryant, Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes. Few other coaches would be have been able to get Bryant to agree to skipping practices, taking games off, and the minutes restriction that Kobe is currently under, Markazi adds.
Emeka Okafor To Delay Return Until 2015/16?
With numerous teams around the league seeking frontcourt help, the pool of available players may just get a tad thinner. Veteran center Emeka Okafor is giving strong consideration to delaying his comeback from a neck injury until next season, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports. Stein’s sources say that Okafor, who missed the entire 2013/14 campaign after he suffered a herniated disk in his neck, could wait until this summer before inking a deal with a new team in order to give himself more time to continue strength and conditioning work.
According to Stein, numerous teams with a need for a rim protecting big man, including the Cavs, Mavs, and the Heat, have interest in signing Okafor if he decided to play this year. Prior to the season, nearly half of the teams in the league reportedly had interest in the services of the 32-year-old veteran out of Connecticut. Okafor had reportedly auditioned for the Clippers back in August, but the two sides did not reach a contract arrangement.
Okafor’s last action came during the 2012/13 season when he averaged 9.7 points and 8.8 rebounds in 26.0 minutes per contest for the Wizards. Prior to the beginning of the 2013/14 season, the Wizards dealt Okafor to the Suns for Marcin Gortat. Both sides were aware that Okafor was likely to miss the entire season with his injury, but Phoenix was interested in Okafor’s expiring $14.5MM contract to use as a potential trade chip, though no deal involving Okafor ever came to fruition for the Suns.
In nine seasons, Okafor’s career numbers are 12.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. His career slash line is .512/.000/.584.
Eastern Notes: Sanders, Anthony, Magic
Bucks big man Larry Sanders will be away from the team indefinitely due to personal reasons, Charles F. Gardner of The Journal Sentinel reports. When asked about a timetable for Sanders’ return, coach Jason Kidd said, “That’s a good question so you don’t have to ask me tomorrow or Sunday or Monday, so there’s no timetable. Being sick, away from the team, guys go on as you see. Charlotte, we played without him. The other night we played without him [in Cleveland]. It’s nothing new to this ball club. Injuries happen. The train keeps moving forward.”
When pressed for details regarding Sanders either being ill, injured, or having personal issues, Kidd said, “It’s just personal. There’s nothing I can give you more. That’s the way the question will be answered.” Sanders has not played since the Bucks’ home loss to Charlotte on December 23rd, Gardner notes.
Here’s more from the East:
- The Magic‘s primary focus in free agency next summer will be to land a power forward, Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel writes. Orlando needs to improve its rebounding, notes Schmitz, something that drafting Aaron Gordon and signing Channing Frye to a four-year, $32MM deal this past offseason hasn’t fixed.
- Knicks coach Derek Fisher acknowledged that at some point the team might need to shut down Carmelo Anthony due to his ailing knee, Mitch Abramson of The New York Daily News writes. “I think everybody involved is reasonable enough and smart enough as people in this business to come together on that if that time comes,” Fisher said. “I can’t speak for all of the different parties but from the conversations I’ve been a part of- I think everybody is smart enough to realize, calendar wise, timing wise- that there may come a point that’s the decision that needs to be made but that we can’t force Carmelo to that point just yet.“
- Anthony has stated that it’s ultimately his decision whether or not to continue playing, something that Fisher doesn’t fully agree with, Abramson adds. “There’s a balance between a player and his health and the part that he plays in the decision-making process and then where we are as a team and giving our thoughts and our opinion to it,” Fisher said. “I think our medical staff, our training staff, continue to have conversations with him about where he is. He’s conversing with us about how he’s feeling, what the symptoms are. As each day kind of unfolds decisions are being made. It’s not something that we’re just kind of stepping back and saying, Carmelo, you kind of tell us when you don’t feel like playing anymore.”
2015/16 Salary Rankings: Power Forwards
Hoops Rumors is in the process of ranking the cap hit for each NBA player by position. I previously ran down the point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, and center salaries for the 2014/15 season. I’ve also begun looking ahead to the 2015/16 campaign with a rundown of the cap hits for the point guards, shooting guards, and small forwards. Next on the agenda will be a look forward at the salaries for power forwards already inked to deals for next season.
All told, NBA teams have committed a total of $352,785,930 in cap hits so far for next season to the men manning the block around the league. The average hit for the four spot so far for 2015/16 is an extremely robust $5,427,476, with Chris Bosh of the Heat topping the list with an impressive $22,192,730 coming his way. However, it should be noted that the list and rankings will change greatly depending on how the free agent market develops next summer.
I also should add that teams won’t necessarily pay out every dollar listed here. There are quite a few players who have non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts. Some of those players will be sweating it out until the January 2015 deadline. That’s when teams must waive players with no specific guarantee date written into their contracts to avoid having to guarantee their salaries for the rest of that season.
Most salaries align with cap hits, but that’s not the case for players like Jeremy Lin , who’s receiving close to $15MM from the Lakers during the 2014/15 season even though his cap hit was little more than half that amount, because of the contract he signed through the Gilbert Arenas Provision. In addition, incentive clauses that a player either triggers or fails to meet can leave a player with more or less money than his cap hit reflects. Still, 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 power forwards are listed below, in descending order of cap hit for next season:
- Chris Bosh (Heat) $22,192,730
- Blake Griffin (Clippers) $18,907,725
- Kevin Love (Cavs) $16,744,218 [Player Option]
- David Lee (Warriors) $15,493,680
- Nene (Wizards) $13MM
- David West (Pacers) $12.6MM [Player Option]
- Serge Ibaka (Thunder) $12,350,000
- Derrick Favors (Jazz) $12MM
- Kenneth Faried (Nuggets) $11,235,955
- Thaddeus Young (Wolves) $9,971,739 [Early Termination Option]
- Zach Randolph (Grizzlies) $9,638,555
- Ryan Anderson (Pelicans) $8.5MM
- Taj Gibson (Bulls) $8.5MM
- Tiago Splitter (Spurs) $8.5MM
- Dirk Nowitzki (Mavs) $8,333,334
- Channing Frye (Magic) $8,193,029
- Markieff Morris (Suns) $8MM
- Ersan Ilyasova (Bucks) $7.9MM
- Boris Diaw (Spurs) $7.5MM
- Pau Gasol (Bulls) $7,448,760
- Anthony Davis (Pelicans) $7,070,730
- Marvin Williams (Hornets) $7MM
- Carl Landry (Kings) $6.5MM
- Jason Thompson (Kings) $6,431,250
- Patrick Patterson (Raptors) $6,268,675
- Anthony Bennett (Wolves) $5,803,560
- Josh McRoberts (Heat) $5,543,725
- Nikola Mirotic (Bulls) $5,543,725
- Marcus Morris (Suns) $5MM
- Trevor Booker (Jazz) $4,775,000
- Kris Humphries (Wizards) $4,440,000
- Aaron Gordon (Magic) $4,171,680
- Marreese Speights (Warriors) $3,815,000 [Team Option]
- Nerlens Noel (Sixers) $3,457,800
- Mike Scott (Hawks) $3,333,333
- Julius Randle (Lakers) $3,132,240
- Anthony Tolliver (Suns) $3MM
- John Henson (Bucks) $2,943,221
- Noah Vonleh (Hornets) $2,637,720
- James Johnson (Raptors) $2.5MM
- Terrence Jones (Rockets) $2,489,530
- Andrew Nicholson (Magic) $2,380,593
- Donatas Motiejunas (Rockets) $2,288,205
- Jared Sullinger (Celtics) $2,269,260
- Perry Jones III (Thunder) $2,038,206
- Adreian Payne (Hawks) $1,938,840
- Ryan Kelly (Lakers) $1,724,250
- Mitch McGary (Thunder) $1,463,040
- Cartier Martin (Pistons) $1,270,964
- Ed Davis (Lakers) $1,100,602 [Player Option]
- Jon Leuer (Grizzlies) $1,035,000
- Joey Dorsey (Rockets) $1,015,421
- Brandon Davies (Sixers) $947,276
- Grant Jerrett (Thunder) $947,276
- Tony Mitchell (Pistons) $947,276
- Mike Muscala (Hawks) $947,276
- Cameron Bairstow (Bulls) $845,059
- Tarik Black (Rockets) $845,059
- Drew Gordon (Sixers) $845,059
- Cory Jefferson (Nets) $845,059
- Eric Moreland (Kings) $845,059
- Johnny O’Bryant III (Bucks) $845,059
- Dwight Powell (Celtics) $845,059
- JaKarr Sampson (Sixers) $845,059
- Jarnell Stokes (Grizzlies) $845,059
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Rajon Rondo Notes: Defense, Mavs, Trade
Rajon Rondo admitted that his defensive effort during his last few seasons with the Celtics was lacking, and that the trade to the Mavs has reinvigorated him, especially on the defensive end, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes. “I haven’t played defense in a couple years,” Rondo said. “I’ve been able to hide a lot with Avery Bradley on the ball. He’s helped out, the young guy. But [in Dallas] they expect me to play defense and, in the West, if you don’t play defense you’ll get embarrassed every night at the point guard position.”
Here’s more on Rondo:
- Rondo said that he didn’t expect the trade that sent him from the Celtics to the Mavs, Brian Robb of Boston.com writes. “I was surprised,” Rondo said. “I was actually asleep around five o’clock and I woke up and saw [Celtics GM] Danny Ainge pop up on my cell phone and I was like ‘oh [expletive]’. That’s when it happened and he told me to come out to the [practice] facility.”
- The former Celtics star also said that all of the trade speculation when he was in Boston didn’t distract him, Robb notes. When asked if it felt good to finally have closure, Rondo said, “I mean it didn’t make a difference. I’ve gone through it for about seven or eight years. I came into the league traded. I’m not the only one who goes through trade rumors each year. Obviously dealing with Boston sports and the media is a lot bigger than a lot of other cities but it’s part of it. I think I handled it pretty well but I didn’t let it affect me as far as my game and play.”
- Rondo admits that he was fortunate to be dealt by the Celtics to a contending team like Dallas, Robb adds. “It’s a great situation,” Rondo said. “Danny [Ainge] and Wyc [Grousbeck] could have sent me anywhere, but I think it shows the type of class they have to send me to an organization [like Dallas]. I’ve done a lot for this organization and they didn’t just throw me on the backburner to any team. They put me in a situation where I could still excel and win a championship. I’m grateful for that situation as well.”
Marc Gasol On Free Agency, Lakers, Grizzlies
Memphis big man Marc Gasol is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season and will not lack suitors for his services. The Knicks, Spurs, Lakers and Raptors have already been reported to be interested in signing the 29-year-old, and the list of parties wanting to lure him away from the Grizzlies is likely to keep on growing. Gasol sat down with the Los Angeles Newspaper Group (hat tip to Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News) to discuss a number of topics. The entire article is worthy of a look, but here are some of the highlights…
On what variables Gasol is going to weigh when making his free agency decision:
“I haven’t weighed anything yet. Knowing that Arn [Tellem] will handle pretty much the load of everything else, whenever July comes, it’ll come. We’ll sit down and have a human eye-to-eye conversation and we’ll see what we’re looking for and looking at for the next four or five years of my life with the team and different teams and my family. Whatever decision I make, it would be the best.”
On if he would consider the Lakers as an option:
“I haven’t even looked at it yet. Whenever the time comes, I’m not going to say no to anything or refuse anything. I’m not going to agree to anything. We’re much in no man’s land right now. I pretty much just have to wait until July.”
On if his brother, Pau Gasol, provided any perspective on playing in Los Angeles:
“That was Pau’s time. I won’t say no to anything right now. It’s not something I have in front of me right now. If it’s presented to me, I’ll think about it. If not, I won’t.”
On his thoughts about being included in the 2008 trade that brought his brother to the Lakers:
“I never thought I would be in this league. I was happy for Pau because I knew that he needed a new start. I didn’t see myself as an NBA player. I didn’t see myself coming over here [from his native Spain]. I knew the Lakers didn’t know much about me. I never talked to them and they never came over. They gave me a training camp minimum contract. I wasn’t going to leave my team to be a training camp guy, especially not knowing what a training camp guy is. I would have a slim chance of making the team. It happens, but it normally doesn’t happen. I was just happy for Pau, honestly. I think it worked out pretty well for both sides. The Grizzlies got what they want, which was rebuilding and the cap space at that time and some young players. I don’t think they knew what that could turn into. The Lakers obviously have two rings, which is the ultimate goal and a great, unique and outstanding player in Pau. I don’t think they’ll get another one like that in years to come.”
On if he knew that he would develop into one of the best centers in the game after being dealt:
“I don’t think they knew the player I was. Nobody knew. Even today, I don’t think I’m the player I can still be. You never know. You make a decision and you have your side. They got a pretty good result having Pau for 6 and a half years. I don’t think they got the most out of Pau. They used Pau well for the 3 and a half years. But after that, the team didn’t have everything figured out. It was sad to see that. Move on and onto the next goal and next thing.”
And-Ones: LeBron, Thunder, Fisher
LeBron James is expected to miss the next two weeks of action thanks to injuries to his back and left knee, the Cavaliers have announced. Coupled with the season-ending injury to Anderson Varejao, Cleveland suddenly finds itself a bit short-handed. The league has approved the franchise’s request for a disabled player exception, but with the league maximum 15 players already on their roster the Cavs would need to waive or deal a player to be able to utilize it.
Here’s more from around the league:
- The Thunder are edging closer toward the summer of 2016, which is when Kevin Durant can elect to depart Oklahoma City as a free agent, and the speculation is that it will take an NBA title to keep him in town beyond then. The team’s play as of late has gotten it back on track for the season after enduring a multitude of injuries, Jeff Caplan of FOX Sports Southwest writes. “I’m excited. Obviously we need everybody healthy,” coach Scott Brooks said. “But I like the fact that our guys compete regardless of who’s on the floor. They get out there and compete. We haven’t had as many wins as we would like, but we’re competing every night. We put ourselves in a position to win games and we have a no-excuse mentality.”
- Derek Fisher said that the Lakers never reached out to him after last season, and the Knicks were the only offer he had to become a head coach, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. “I never had any conversations with the Lakers of coaching the team,’’ Fisher said. “This was the only one. It doesn’t disappoint me in any way. I never pretended to run the Lakers or make decisions for them. I did the best I could when I played. They don’t owe me anything. I don’t owe them anything.’
- Brandon Jennings has emerged as a leader since the Pistons released Josh Smith, Brendan Savage of MLive.com writes. “Brandon has noticeably gotten back to probably what is his natural personality,” coach Stan Van Gundy said. “He’s really having fun. He’s talking a lot, joking with guys, things like that. I think he had been suffering. He hadn’t been playing real well, we hadn’t been winning. He had gotten really quiet.” There were conflicting reports regarding Detroit shopping the veteran point guard prior to Smith being released.
- The Raptors have recalled Bruno Caboclo from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the D-League, the team announced in a press release. This was Caboclo’s first D-League assignment of the season.
2015/16 Salary Rankings: Small Forwards
Hoops Rumors is in the process of ranking the cap hit for each NBA player by position. I previously ran down the point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, and center salaries for the 2014/15 season. I’ve also begun looking ahead to the 2015/16 campaign with a rundown of the cap hits for the point guards and shooting guards. Next on the agenda will be a look forward at the salaries for small forwards already inked to deals for next season.
All told, NBA teams have committed a total of $344,562,057 in cap hits so far for next season to the men manning the wing around the league. The average hit for the three spot so far for 2015/16 is a very healthy $6,380,779, with Joe Johnson of the Nets topping the list with an impressive $24,894,863 coming his way. However, it should be noted that the list and rankings will change greatly depending on how the free agent market develops next summer.
I also should add that teams won’t necessarily pay out every dollar listed here. There are quite a few players who have non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts. Some of those players will be sweating it out until the January 2015 deadline. That’s when teams must waive players with no specific guarantee date written into their contracts to avoid having to guarantee their salaries for the rest of that season.
Most salaries align with cap hits, but that’s not the case for players like Jeremy Lin , who’s receiving close to $15MM from the Lakers during the 2014/15 season even though his cap hit was little more than half that amount, because of the contract he signed through the Gilbert Arenas Provision. In addition, incentive clauses that a player either triggers or fails to meet can leave a player with more or less money than his cap hit reflects. Still, 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 small forwards are listed below, in descending order of cap hit for next season:
- Joe Johnson (Nets) $24,894,863
- Carmelo Anthony (Knicks) $22,875,000
- LeBron James (Cavs) $21,573,398 [Player Option]
- Kevin Durant (Thunder) $20,158,622
- Paul George (Pacers) $17,120,106
- Gordon Hayward (Jazz) $15,409,570
- Chandler Parsons (Mavs) $15,361,500
- Rudy Gay (Kings) $12,403,101
- Nicolas Batum (Blazers) $12,235,750
- Danilo Gallinari (Nuggets) $11,559,259
- Tyreke Evans (Pelicans) $10,734,586
- Luol Deng (Heat) $10,151,612 [Player Option]
- Gerald Wallace (Celtics) $10,105,855
- Jeff Green (Celtics) $9.2MM [Player Option]
- Trevor Ariza (Rockets) $8,193,030
- Wilson Chandler (Nuggets) $7,171,662
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Hornets) $6,331,404
- Andrew Wiggins (Wolves) $5,758,680
- Martell Webster (Wizards) $5,613,500
- Paul Pierce (Wizards) $5,543,725 [Player Option]
- P.J. Tucker (Suns) $5.5MM
- Josh Smith $5.4MM [Waived by Pistons via the stretch provision]
- Nick Young (Lakers) $5,219,169
- Jabari Parker (Bucks) $5,152,440
- Chase Budinger (Wolves) $5MM [Player Option]
- Kostas Papanikolaou (Rockets) $4,797,664 [Team Option]
- Otto Porter (Wizards) $4,662,960
- Caron Butler (Pistons) $4.5MM
- Thabo Sefolosha (Hawks) $4MM
- Harrison Barnes (Warriors) $3,873,398
- Steve Novak (Jazz) $3,750,001
- Terrence Ross (Raptors) $3,553,917
- Matt Barnes (Clippers) $3,542,500
- Mirza Teletovic (Nets) $3,368,100
- Maurice Harkless (Magic) $2,894,059
- Mike Miller (Cavs) $2,854,940 [Player Option]
- Doug McDermott (Bulls) $2,380,440
- Danny Granger (Heat) $2,170,465 [Player Option]
- Shabazz Muhammad (Wolves) $2,056,920
- T.J. Warren (Suns) $2,041,080
- Tony Snell (Bulls) $1,535,880
- Bruno Caboclo (Raptors) $1,524,000
- Solomon Hill (Pacers) $1,358,880
- Shawne Williams (Heat) $1,356,146
- Rodney Hood (Jazz) $1,348,440
- Damjan Rudez (Pacers) $1,149,500
- Kyle Anderson (Spurs) $1,142,879
- Al-Farouq Aminu (Mavs) $1,100,602 [Player Option]
- Robert Covington (Sixers) $1MM
- Robbie Hummel (Wolves) $880K
- Damien Inglis (Bucks) $855K
- Cleanthony Early (Knicks) $845,059
- Jerami Grant (Sixers) $845,059
- James Ennis (Heat) $507,336
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Celtics Notes: Rondo, Young, Smart
Rajon Rondo will return to Boston on Friday night, and the veteran was was emotional when discussing the franchise that helped turn him into an NBA star, Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald writes. “That’s where I started. That’s where I got molded,” Rondo said. “That’s where everything happened for me. The best years are still ahead of me, but I was an All-Star four times, won a championship in Boston. I can’t thank the fans enough. Even when we were losing 18 in a row the first year, the fans still showed a lot of support. They came to every game. When I was out on the streets, they didn’t kill me or heckle me. It was always supportive. They’re true fans. They’re not fair-weather fans, when you’re losing, they’re gone. They ride it out and [want you to be] a Celtic for life.”
Here’s more from Boston:
- The Celtics announced Thursday that they have recalled guard/forward James Young from the Maine Red Claws, their D-League affiliate. Young is averaging 21.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.7 steals in seven contests with the Red Claws this season.
- Brandon Bass disputed the notion that Rondo wanted out of Boston prior to being dealt to the Mavs, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes. “He wanted out? Why would he want out? I don’t think that,” Bass said. “He never told that to me. This is home for him. I thought he would want to finish his career here. I think he’ll finish his career in Dallas now. What better way to start and finish your career?“
- Pairing rookie Marcus Smart alongside the newly acquired Jameer Nelson is benefiting both Smart and the Celtics, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald writes. “When you’re tasked with running the offense and getting people in spots, and playing well yourself, it’s a difficult job,” coach Brad Stevens said. “I think that being able to manage those duties a little bit with a guy like Jameer is helpful. We’ll see how it continues to play itself out, but [Smart is] going to have some ups and downs. I just hope he continues to play hard through them.”
Arthur Hill contributed to this post.
Western Notes: Nash, Wolves, Harris
Steve Nash has been away from the Lakers since being ruled out for the rest of the season, but the veteran finally paid the team a brief visit, Arash Markazi of ESPN.com writes. Nash greeted the team at the airport as they prepared to board a flight to Chicago, Markazi notes. “It was great to see him, first of all, and for all the players to see him,” coach Byron Scott said. “It was a great gesture on his part to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. He still has to deal with the fact that his career might be over. That’s still something he’s wrestling with. I’m still inviting him to come around here for practice and to join in and just be a part of the team and part the coaching staff. That’s something that he has to deal with and when he wants to and he feels he’s able to do that, whatever time that might be, he’ll be welcome with open arms.”
Here’s more out of the West:
- The improved play this season of Gorgui Dieng and Shabazz Muhammad is making the 2013 trade of Trey Burke to Utah look like a great deal for the Wolves, Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune writes.
- Former Lakers guard Manny Harris has inked a deal to play in Turkey with Eskisehir Basket, the team announced via Twitter (translation by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Harris was with Los Angeles on a pair of 10-day contracts during the 2013/14 campaign, and he spent parts of 2010/11 and 2011/12 with Cleveland.
- With the Nuggets‘ season all but lost, it is now up to GM Tim Connelly to try and rebuild the franchise through trades, Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post opines. If the Nuggets want to tank for a chance at a higher draft pick, then Ty Lawson is the obvious player to trade, Kiszla notes. After Lawson, there isn’t another player on the roster who can consistently direct Denver’s already unreliable offense, and the result of dealing him could be a top five draft pick, Kiszla adds.