Western Notes: Curry, Meeks, D-League
Stephen Curry is now in the second season of the four-year, $44MM deal that he inked with the Warriors, and he has become one of the most blatantly underpaid players in the game, DeAntae Price of The Sporting News writes. Part of the reason that Curry signed that deal was because he missed 40 games the prior season with an ankle injury, prompting him to become concerned about his ability to bounce back, notes Price. But Curry has no regrets about signing the contract, saying, “Yeah, you expect to continue to get better. Obviously, I was in a unique situation, one that I was very comfortable with the decision I made coming off the ankle surgeries. I was confident I’d be able to get back, but I didn’t know how long the road was going to be to get back to 100% and take my game to the next level. But four years is a long time and you hope you can prove that you’re that max type of player and talent.”
Here’s more from out west:
- The Jazz have recalled Toure’ Murry from the D-League, the team announced. The offseason signee was on assignment with the Idaho Stampede for nearly three weeks, putting up 14.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.3 steals in 31.5 minutes per game across six appearances.
- The Thunder have recalled both Mitch McGary and Grant Jerrett from the Oklahoma City Blue, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This was Jerrett’s third D-League assignment of the season and McGary’s first.
- The Lakers didn’t make an offer to Jodie Meeks when he became a free agent last summer because they wanted to maintain flexibility in case LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony decided to come to Los Angeles, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News writes. So Meeks took the sure thing and inked a deal with the Pistons instead, though he still has nothing but warm feelings for the Lakers, Medina adds. “I was getting some interest with the Lakers, but obviously they were waiting on Carmelo and LeBron,” Meeks said. “Who knows what would’ve happened had I waited, but I feel like this [Detroit] is the best place for me.”
Eastern Notes: Celtics, Sixers, Granger
With the Celtics struggling and the team in a rebuilding season it is time for head coach Brad Stevens to give rookies James Young and Dwight Powell more playing time, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe opines. Both the players and the franchise would benefit more from seeing what the two can do against NBA competition, rather than letting them spend significant time in the D-League, Washburn adds. “I would say right now, their opportunities have to continue to be taken out of practice,” Stevens said of Young and Powell. “They have to be ready. You never know. You’re one injury away on the perimeter or the forward spot from those guys to be playing. And I think that’s part of the reason why you have so many guys on your roster. It’s why the young guys can’t be surprised when their opportunity comes. You’ve got to be ready.”
Here’s more from the east:
- As injuries continue to mount for the Sixers, head coach Brett Brown is taking care not to push Nerlens Noel too far since the big man is struggling with a hip pointer that he suffered in practice on Sunday, Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com reports. “We hope to not go a step forward and three steps back because the kid is moving in the right direction,” Brown said. “We are going to go overboard making sure his health as we preach, is of number one importance. I expect him to be back soon, but I don’t know what that date is.”
- After the Sixers‘ brutal season a year ago, which helped garner two top-10 picks in the NBA draft, Brown believed immediate help would be on the horizon, Dan Gelston of The Associated Press writes. But instead, GM Sam Hinkie drafted Joel Embiid, who will likely miss the entire season due to injury, and Dario Saric, who is playing overseas, Gelston adds. “I didn’t know it was going to be like this in Year two,” Brown said. “Nobody really planned on, your draft picks aren’t going to play in Year two.” Brown did say that he doesn’t regret for a minute that he accepted Philly’s head coaching job, notes Gelston.
- Despite being available and healthy, Danny Granger has not seen much action for the Heat since returning from a strained hamstring, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes. Though he hasn’t called Granger’s number in the team’s last five contests, head coach Erik Spoelstra said the veteran is ahead of where the team thought he would be physically at this point of the season, Winderman notes.
Southwest Notes: Parsons, Jefferson, Joerger
The Mavericks didn’t sign Chandler Parsons to a three-year, $46.08MM deal for him to turn into a “poor man’s Kyle Korver,” something that Parsons has been thus far this season, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes. Parsons is still finding his way in Dallas’ system, something that both Parsons and head coach Rick Carlisle acknowledged, notes MacMahon. “I think people don’t kind of understand how difficult it is to play on a new team with a new system and new guys on the team,” Parsons said. “It takes time, and it’s a process. People look at my stats and see that they’re lower than last year, but my role is kind of different from last year. I’m shooting a lot more jump shots. I don’t have the ball in my hands as much this year, but I think all that will come.”
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Richard Jefferson and Charlie Villanueva have needed to accept reduced roles on the Mavs this season, something not necessarily ideal for the veterans, but both are producing when called upon, Dwain Price of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes. Jefferson was informed by Carlisle prior to signing with the team this summer that he was being brought in for a smaller role than he was used to, notes Price. “When you hear that for the first time in your career, it can be a bit frustrating,” Jefferson said. “And I’m not going to lie, the first couple of weeks were tough, not being able to contribute, especially I felt like I came in [to training camp] in shape and had a good preseason, and did everything. I didn’t really feel like there was anything else that I could do — I just was kind of out the mix, but I’m at ease with it right now. I’m very comfortable with my role and I embrace it.”
- Villanueva is also embracing his new role with the Mavs, Price adds. “I learned that in being in my situation in Detroit that whenever the opportunity comes, take advantage of it,” said Villanueva. “I don’t get discouraged at all. I’m a professional at the end of the day, so I’ve just got to stay ready at all times. I think I prepared myself for that, so I’m just going with the punches now.”
- Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger, who was named NBA coach of the month for November, credits the Memphis players for the honor, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal writes in a subscription-only piece. This is Joerger’s third such award since becoming the Grizzlies head man.
Kirilenko Family Matter Clouds Trade Talk
12:13pm: The situation will probably keep him from traveling with the team for road games, Kirilenko told reporters, including Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, who notes that the family issue involves Kirilenko’s wife (Twitter link). Kirilenko also said that the matter won’t be resolved until early February, Vasquez notes (via Twitter).
11:48am: Nets GM Billy King confirmed today that Kirilenko has returned to practice, tweets Andy Vasquez of The Record.
MONDAY, 8:15am: Kirilenko is set to rejoin the Nets for practice today, a source tells Robert Windrem of NetsDaily (Twitter link). The forward has been absent from the team for more than a week, ostensibly to tend to the family issue.
SATURDAY, 1:56pm: Several contending teams that have inquired about trading for Nets forward Andrei Kirilenko were given the impression that Kirilenko’s desire to attend to an unspecified family matter in New York would make any deal impractical for the foreseeable future, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. The Cavs and Clippers are two franchises with needs on the perimeter who will wait and see if Brooklyn makes the 33-year-old Russian available as February’s trade deadline moves closer, or if Kirilenko and the Nets reach a buyout agreement before then, Wojnarowski adds.
Kirilenko left the team recently while the Nets were on a west coast trip to return to New York in order to deal with this family matter. With the veteran seemingly out of head coach Lionel Hollins‘ rotation prior to his departure from the team, Brooklyn has been looking for a trade partner who would be willing to take on the remaining balance of Kirilenko’s $3.3MM salary for this season, notes the Yahoo! scribe.
If the Nets were unable to find a contending team willing to acquire Kirilenko, then Brooklyn would likely need to package him along with future second round draft picks in order to find a rebuilding team with free cap space to rid themselves of the Russian, Wojnarowski adds. In that instance, Kirlilenko would likely be waived by the team acquiring him. The Sixers would certainly seem like a fit in this scenario, but Philadelphia has asked for too much draft compensation to close the deal with the Nets, Wojnarowski notes. Talks with Philadelphia are not completely dead, but no longer include Nets forward Sergey Karasev, Wojnarowski’s sources said. The Jazz were also said to be interested in acquiring Kirilenko, but there were conflicting reports regarding Utah’s involvement.
The Nets may be able to garner a better deal if they wait until February when contending teams would have a better handle on when Kirilenko would be able and willing to report to them, and this may remove the need for Brooklyn to part with any draft picks, Wojnarowski concludes.
Northwest Notes: Wolves, Durant, Thunder
With the Nuggets seemingly on the upswing, the Wolves have become the team most likely to shake things up through multiple trades this season, Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) writes. If Wolves president Flip Saunders acknowledges his preseason hope of competing for a playoff spot is no longer realistic, Minnesota could look to trade Thaddeus Young, Corey Brewer, or Kevin Martin, once he returns from his wrist injury, Pelton opines.
Here’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Many teams around the league are rooting for the Thunder to miss out on the playoffs this season, Sam Amick of USA Today writes. Similar to how many believed that the odds of LeBron James leaving the Heat as a free agent last summer would increase if Miami fell to the Spurs in the NBA Finals, the widely-held belief around the league now is that the odds of Kevin Durant leaving Oklahoma City will spike if he doesn’t win a title [or two] in the next two seasons, notes Amick.
- Knicks head coach Derek Fisher credits Scott Brooks and the Thunder‘s coaching staff for preparing him for the jump from player to coach, Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman writes. “They were just very open to relationships with the players, being in close contact and engaged with their players,” Fisher said. “It really opened my eyes as to how impactful coaches can be in this league. For a long time, coaching wasn’t really something that people thought professional players really needed.”
- Jabari Davis of Basketball Insiders runs down a number of potential trade candidates in the Western Conference, including Kenneth Faried, JaVale McGee, and Danilo Gallinari of the Nuggets, the Clippers’ Reggie Bullock and Matt Barnes, and Jordan Hill and Steve Nash of the Lakers.
And-Ones: Cobbs, Bass, Wright, Casey
Justin Cobbs has signed a deal with the Fraport Skyliners Frankfurt, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reports (Twitter link). Cobbs was released yesterday by the German club VEF Riga after a one-month tryout. The 23-year-old point guard signed with Riga earlier this month shortly after the Hornets released him in advance of opening night.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Brandon Bass‘ minutes are down this season to 18.5 minutes per game from 27.6 last season, but the Celtics big man is still determined to be productive, Jimmy Toscano of CSNNE.com writes. “My mindset? It’s the same,” Bass said. “I’m just trying to get better, try to make the best of my opportunities. I try to be efficient and see how it goes.”
- The Mavs’ Brandan Wright is on a record-breaking pace for field goal percentage in a season thus far, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes. This increase in production comes at a good time for Wright, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. “Brandan’s come a long way,” head coach Rick Carlisle said. “He’s worked very hard since getting here. He’s gotten stronger, his shooting has gotten better. His free throw shooting has come light years. And he’s a smart player. He knows how to play within our system very well. And this year, he’s playing the four [power forward] pretty well, too. And that’s challenging without the spacing of a stretch-four out there beside him. We just need him to continue on the path he’s on, because he’s a very important guy for us.”
- Raptors head coach Dwane Casey, whom the team re-signed to a three-year deal this offseason, has been garnering nothing but praise around the league for his work in Toronto the last two seasons, Eric Koreen of The National Post writes.
- The Pistons have re-assigned forward Tony Mitchell to the Grand Rapids Drive of the NBA D-League, the team announced in a press release. This will be Mitchell’s second trip to the D-League this season.
Wolves Sign Jeff Adrien
3:33pm: The signing is official, the team announced.
2:36pm: The Timberwolves have signed free agent forward Jeff Adrien, Shams Charania of RealGM reports. Minnesota is inking Adrien using a hardship exception, notes Charania. It had previously been reported that Minnesota president Flip Saunders was considering filing for the hardship exception, and if Adrien is being brought on board, then it’s likely the team has received approval from the league to temporarily add a 16th player to its roster. Terms of the deal were not released, but it is most likely a minimum-salary arrangement.
Minnesota has lost the services of Ricky Rubio, Kevin Martin, Nikola Pekovic, and Ronny Turiaf to injuries. Martin is out six to eight weeks after having wrist surgery, and Rubio isn’t likely to return until January at the earliest after injuring his ankle. Both Pekovic and Turiaf will both be reevaluated next week.
The 28-year-old Adrien has appeared in 136 career games, averaging 4.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest. He was in training camp with the Rockets this year prior to being waived, after appearing in 25 games for the Hornets last season.
Offseason In Review: New Orleans Pelicans
Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team’s offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.
Signings
- John Salmons: One year, $2MM. Signed via room exception.
- Darius Miller: Two years, $1.897MM. Re-signed via minimum-salary exception. First year is partially guaranteed for $400K. Second year is non-guaranteed.
- Patric Young: Two years, $1.352MM. Signed via minimum-salary exception. First year is partially guaranteed for $55K. Second year is non-guaranteed.
- Jimmer Fredette: One year, $948K. Signed via minimum-salary exception.
Extensions
- None
Trades
- Acquired 2014 pick No. 47 from the Sixers in exchange for the rights to Pierre Jackson.
- Acquired Alonzo Gee from the Cavaliers in exchange for the Clippers’ 2016 second-round pick (top-55 protected).
- Acquired Scotty Hopson from the Hornets in exchange for cash.
- Acquired Omer Asik, Omri Casspi and $1.5MM cash in a three-way trade with the Rockets and Wizards in exchange for Alonzo Gee, Scotty Hopson, Melvin Ely and New Orleans’ 2015 first-round pick (picks 1-3 and 20-30 protected). Casspi was subsequently waived.
Waiver Claims
- None
Draft Picks
- Russ Smith (Round 2, 47th overall). Signed via cap space for three years, $2.333MM. Second and third years are non-guaranteed.
Camp Invitees
Departing Players
Rookie Contract Option Decisions
- Anthony Davis (fourth year, $7,070,730) —Exercised
- Austin Rivers (fourth year, $3,110,796) — Declined
The Pelicans are a franchise on the rise thanks to the continued development of their centerpiece player, Anthony Davis. Davis showed remarkable improvement in every facet of his game last season, though his strides weren’t able to prevent New Orleans from notching its third straight losing campaign. The sky is the limit for the 21-year-old big man out of Kentucky, and he is posting MVP-like numbers thus far this season. Davis draws mention in debates about the best player in the league, and in a few short seasons he may be the first player who comes up in those conversations. But the Pelicans’ overall growth as a team the next couple of seasons will be limited by a number of questionable contracts that occupy their balance sheet.
One of the Pelicans’ biggest weaknesses as a team is their outside shooting, and the wing is where two of their more questionable contracts happen to reside in the deals the team gave to Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans. Neither player has come close to justifying his salary cap number, and it will be extremely difficult for New Orleans to take the next step forward until one or both can be removed from its balance sheet. Gordon’s making nearly $14.899MM this season with a player option for more than $15.514MM next year, while the deal for Evans runs through 2016/17 with salaries that range upward from this season’s more than $9.904MM.
The Phoenix front office is thanking its lucky stars that the Pelicans matched the offer sheet the Suns had inked Gordon to back in 2012. At the time it seemed like a wise move, since the then-23-year-old guard certainly appeared to be a star on the rise. But injuries and unhappiness with his surroundings have rendered him a shell of the player who averaged 22.3 points per game back in 2010/11. It is highly likely that New Orleans will be stuck with Gordon for one more season since he’ll almost certainly exercise his player option.
Barring a trade, Evans will also be occupying a healthy chunk of the team’s cap space for two more seasons beyond this one. The four-year, $44MM offer sheet that New Orleans had inked Evans to before working out a sign-and-trade deal with the Kings was ill-advised, seeing as how Evans’ scoring averages had dropped every season since his Rookie Of The Year campaign back in 2009/10. Evans hasn’t lived up to his contract, but there’s an easy argument to be made that he has provided exactly the production that should have been expected given his track record.
The Pelicans reportedly made Gordon and Evans available in trade talk this past summer, though there were some conflicting reports about whether that was the case with Evans. New Orleans won’t be able to surround Davis with the players needed to maximize his talent and to help the franchise break through in the challenging Western Conference while Gordon and Evans occupy roughly $26MM of cap space. Evans can still be a useful piece despite being overpaid, but Gordon’s deal is an albatross. Either of these two wings will be tough to deal thanks to their contracts, and the Pelicans would likely have to package draft picks and assets alongside either player in order to make a trade palatable to the other team, which presents long-term roster building issues of its own.
New Orleans’ most noteworthy offseason move was the deal that netted them Omer Asik from Houston, one that forced the Pelicans to overcome several obstacles to complete. It was a risky deal on the Pelicans’ part because they sent away a protected first-rounder for 2015, and Asik can become an unrestricted free agent next summer. I like the addition of Asik for basketball reasons since he’ll add rebounding and defense to a team that needed both, but with the Pelicans more than likely to convey that pick to the Rockets next spring, it puts added pressure on New Orleans’ front office to re-sign Asik. He’ll likely command an average annual salary in the $12MM to $14MM range, given his status as an elite defensive force, though that’s just my estimate. It would take up a hefty chunk of cap space, and coupled with player-friendly deals for Evans, Gordon, Ryan Anderson and Jrue Holiday, and with Davis eligible to sign an extension next summer, the Pelicans would soon find themselves severely limited in flexibility moving forward. Plus, Asik proved disruptive regarding his playing time last year with the Rockets, and the Pelicans will have to keep that in mind when they think about re-signing him to a long-term deal.
Pelicans GM Dell Demps didn’t have the cap flexibility this offseason to pursue any big-name free agents, but he did manage to add a number of useful pieces on team-friendly deals. I like that New Orleans took low-risk gambles on Jimmer Fredette, Darius Miller, and John Salmons. None of those players are true game-changers, but all can be valuable bench contributors and offer strong work ethics, and in the case of Fredette and Miller, upside. I also like the team picking up the undrafted Patric Young, who was in the running at times to become an early second-round pick. He’s a long-term project who could end up paying dividends in a season or two.
The Pelicans were without a first-round pick in this year’s draft thanks to the trade with Philadelphia that netted them Holiday. In the second round, Demps did well to snag Louisville point guard Russ Smith, who has the ability to become a valuable reserve for this team, and whose intangibles make him worth having around. Smith should be able to develop enough to replace former No. 10 overall pick Austin Rivers, who can depart as a free agent next summer, since the team declined his fourth-year option. Rivers never lived up to his high draft position, and he could benefit from a change of scenery.
New Orleans needs to be active and creative in the trade market this year to try and clear some much-needed cap room they can use to surround Davis with more productive talent. The Pelicans are a team on the rise, though the strength of the Western Conference will probably force them to miss the playoffs once more this spring. The Pelicans need to give Davis a reason to want to re-sign for the long-term, as well as maximize the contention window that his incredible skills will provide them. If Demps is unable to remove one or more of the questionable deals on the team’s books, it will be a few seasons before he’ll be able to alter the roster significantly. The franchise and its fans had better hope that Davis will not have soured on the team’s losing ways before then and decide to take his skills elsewhere.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post. Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Pacific Notes: Nedovic, Lakers, Williams
Nemanja Nedovic gave up $599,760 of his $1.104MM guaranteed salary in an apparent buyout deal to secure his release from the Warriors, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). Golden State’s cap hit this season for Nedovic will be $504,240, notes Pincus. Nedovic was waived by the Warriors earlier this month and then inked a deal with Valencia of Spain.
Here’s more from out west:
- With the Lakers roster currently at the league-maximum 15 players, GM Mitch Kupchak would need to waive a player prior to adding another healthy body long-term, something he is more likely to do via trade than signing a free agent, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News writes. “We would have to find a better player than who is on our roster now since you have to cut somebody,” said Kupchak. “I’m not sure those players exist as free agents. When we get something closer to the trade deadline, there might be something there.” The Lakers have applied for a 16th roster spot, but that’s only a temporary measure. NBA has granted the Lakers two disabled player exceptions for the season-ending injuries to Julius Randle and Steve Nash, and they’re looking to receive a third for Xavier Henry.
- Matt Peterson, Ben York, and Greg Esposito of NBA.com looked back and debated which trades, draft picks, and free agent signings have worked out the best for the Suns.
- The increase in Derrick Williams‘ playing time recently could mean that the Kings are showcasing the forward to increase his trade value, Rui Williams of Cowbell Kingdom opines. Williams’ minutes have increased over the last five contests from 5.5 per game to 19.2. The Kings scribe points out that a similar situation occurred last season with Luc Mbah a Moute, who was subsequently dealt to Minnesota for Williams.
Lakers To Sign Earl Clark
SATURDAY, 9:42am: Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has filed for a disabled player exception for Henry, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News tweets. Los Angeles has also filed for a hardship exception that would allow the team to temporarily add a 16th player until Kelly returns from his hamstring injury, Medina adds. This could indicate that the Lakers are holding off on signing Clark until they are granted that hardship exception, and Henry might not necessarily be waived to accommodate the addition of Clark, though that is just my speculation.
WEDNESDAY, 3:08pm: The Lakers will sign forward Earl Clark, Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times reports. The deal will be a one-year, fully guaranteed pact, notes Bresnahan, and Los Angeles is likely to waive the injured Xavier Henry in order to open up the required roster spot for Clark. Shams Charania of RealGM had first reported the likelihood of the Lakers adding Clark earlier today, and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports had then relayed that Clark’s deal would be for a pro-rated portion of the veteran’s minimum and would be fully guaranteed. These moves will still leave the Lakers with the league-maximum 15 players on their roster.
Clark’s arrival cannot come soon enough for a Lakers team that has been besieged by a rash of maladies. Steve Nash and Julius Randle were already lost with season-ending injuries when Henry went down in practice Monday with a ruptured left Achilles tendon. Coupled with Ryan Kelly being out for at least another 4 weeks with a torn right hamstring, the Lakers were in dire need of frontcourt help, which Clark will be able to provide.
The 26-year-old Clark was averaging 28.8 points and 7.3 rebounds in 35.8 minutes per game in four appearances so far for the Rockets D-League affiliate this season. Houston briefly had him on its NBA roster after claiming his training camp deal off waivers from the Grizzlies, but the Rockets waived him before opening night. In 251 career NBA contests Clark has averaged 4.4 PPG and 3.0 RPG. His career slash line is .404/.331/.167.
If Henry is indeed waived, he’ll still receive the remainder of his $1.082MM fully guaranteed contract for 2014/15, Bresnahan adds. Henry is expected to recover in time for the start of 2015/16, and he was already set to become an unrestricted agent at the end of this season. It’s unclear how the injury will affect the market for his services next summer, but more than likely it will force Henry to accept a shorter deal than he would have desired in order to prove that he’s fully recovered from such a serious injury, though that is just my speculation.