Grizzlies, Lakers Audition Tyrus Thomas
The Grizzlies have brought in Tyrus Thomas for a workout, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). Thomas apparently left Memphis without an reaching an agreement with the team because he’s scheduled to let the Lakers take a look at his wares next, Kennedy adds, though the date of the Los Angeles workout was not relayed in Kennedy’s tweet.
Memphis looks to be in the market for a reserve big man with the team having brought in veteran forward Kenyon Martin earlier this week, though the reports were conflicting as to whether or not Martin was being looked at as a player or a coach. The Grizzlies have only 14 players on their roster after waiving Kalin Lucas this past weekend, so the team has the flexibility to take on Martin without needing to let anyone else go.
With Memphis less than $1MM shy of the luxury tax line, any deal would likely be a non-guaranteed, minimum-salary arrangement so as not to hamstring the franchise for any further moves later on in the season. But with Thomas looking to make a comeback after being out of the NBA since the Hornets placed him on amnesty waivers back in July of 2013, that would likely be in line with what the player and his new agent, Roger Montgomery of the Montgomery Sports Group, would expect.
As for the Lakers, the team has the league-maximum 15 players currently on its roster, so a corresponding move would be needed to accommodate Thomas if the team chose to sign him. The NBA recently granted Los Angeles a disabled player exception worth $1,498,680 as a result of the season-ending injury to Julius Randle, but it’s unlikely that the team would spend any more than the minimum salary to ink Thomas, though that is just my speculation.
Thomas’ career averages through 400 contests are 7.7 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 0.9 APG, and 1.3 BPG. His career slash line is .438/.235/.732.
Nemanja Nedovic Signs With Valencia
FRIDAY, 8:06am: The deal is official, the team announced (Twitter link). The pact runs through June 2016, according to the club. It’s unclear whether there are any NBA escape clauses involved.
THURSDAY, 5:01pm: Nemanja Nedovic has cleared waivers after being released by the Warriors and has signed a deal with Valencia of Spain, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reports (Twitter link). The length and terms of the deal have not been released. Nedovic was also reportedly being pursued by Efes, Laboral Kuxta, and Fenerbahce Ulker.
Valencia had shown interest in Nedovic prior to his release from Golden State after the Warriors had declined his rookie scale team option for 2015/16. Golden State is still on the hook for Nedovic’s 2014/15 guaranteed salary, worth more than $1.1MM, though set-off rights could allow the Warriors to reduce that amount, depending on how much Nedovic makes in Europe this season.
Nedovic, 23, appeared in 24 games with the Warriors last season as a rookie, averaging 1.1 points in 5.9 minutes per contest. He didn’t see any regular season action this year after averaging 9.2 points, 2.6 assists and in 15.9 minutes in the preseason.
And-Ones: Silver, Harris, Bryant, Celtics
Commissioner Adam Silver fired back at union executive director Michele Roberts, who held up players as the linchpins of the league while calling the salary cap “incredibly un-American.” The NBA sent remarks from Silver to media, including John Schuhmann of NBA.com, just hours after Roberts made her comments, “We couldn’t disagree more with these statements,” Silver said. “The NBA’s success is based on the collective efforts and investments of all of the team owners, the thousands of employees at our teams and arenas, and our extraordinarily talented players. No single group could accomplish this on its own. Nor is there anything unusual or ‘un-American’ in a unionized industry to have a collective system for paying employees – in fact, that’s the norm.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- Tobias Harris says his first choice would be to remain with the Magic in restricted free agency this summer, according to John Denton of Magic.com. A report Wednesday indicated that Harris has strong interest in signing with the Knicks, so perhaps New York is Plan B.
- Kobe Bryant has the same amount of championship rings as Tim Duncan (five), but that doesn’t stop the Lakers star from being envious of how the Spurs have kept their core together for so many years, Dan McCarney of The San Antonio Express-News writes. Bryant told Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times, “I’m extremely jealous of that. I don’t know if I can express to you how jealous I am of the fact that Tim [Duncan], Tony [Parker], Manu [Ginobili] and Pop [Gregg Popovich] have been together for all those years. Like, I can’t even. It would be like if me, Pau [Gasol], L.O. [Lamar Odom] and Phil [ Jackson], if we were all here still. It’s crazy.”
- The Celtics were one of the teams reportedly interested in acquiring Kevin Love this past summer, but Boston wasn’t able to entice the Wolves into making a deal. Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com believes that with the way the franchise’s young core is performing it may end up being a blessing that no trade came to pass. Forsberg does add that the team still needs another star player to pair alongside Rajon Rondo, and Love would have certainly fit that bill.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Western Notes: Brooks, Warren, Livingston
Former Lakers guard MarShon Brooks‘ time with Olimpia Milano of Italy may be coming to an end, David Pick of Eurobasket reports (Twitter link). It is unclear if this means Brooks will be waived by the Italian team or if a buyout arrangement is being discussed. The 25-year-old shooting guard was pursued by the Pacers, Kings and an unnamed “title-contending team” from the east prior to Brooks inking his overseas deal this summer, and with the rash of early season injuries Brooks could have a number of NBA opportunities if he returns stateside.
Here’s more from out west:
- The Suns assigned T.J. Warren to the D-League earlier today but his stint shouldn’t be a long one, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. “T.J. is going to be a great player,” head coach Jeff Hornacek asserted. “This team has a lot of guys at his spot right now, but he’s going to be around. He’s going to be a factor. He’s got great hands. He knows how to score, but the transition [defensively] has been pretty good, too.” The first-rounder out of North Carolina State has only seen one minute of NBA action thus far this season.
- Shaun Livingston will face off against the Nets tonight, his former team, and he discussed why he chose to sign with the Warriors this summer, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News writes. “It was about putting myself in the best position to win, and also to get the value as a player. Your market value,” Livingston said. “That was my case. I was hoping to [finally get a big offer] and ideally that was the thought process going into free agency, but, man, I’ve been in a couple of situations where I thought I was going to get paid and I was going to come back and it just didn’t work out. I mean, my injury [in 2007], that year I was supposed to get an extension and I didn’t. I had a good a year with the Wizards [in 2009/10] and then they end up getting John Wall with the first pick.”
- With his excellent numbers filling in for the injured Russell Westbrook, the Thunder‘s Reggie Jackson is generating a market value that will test the team’s willingness to match any offer sheets he is likely to receive this summer, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports opines. It’s not clear exactly how much Jackson will command on his next contract but Wojnarowski suggests that the annual salary could be in the $13MM-$14MM range.
Offseason In Review: Detroit Pistons
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
- Jodie Meeks: Three years, $18.81MM. Signed via cap room.
- Caron Butler: Two years, $9MM. Signed via cap room. Second year is non-guaranteed.
- D.J. Augustin: Two years, $6MM. Signed via cap room.
- Greg Monroe: One year, $5.48MM. Signed qualifying offer.
- Aaron Gray: Two years, $2.584MM. Signed via cap room. Second year is player option. Subsequently waived.
- Cartier Martin: Two years, $2.417MM. Signed via cap room. Second year is player option.
Extensions
- None
Trades
- Acquired Joel Anthony from the Celtics in exchange for Will Bynum.
Waiver Claims
- None
Draft Picks
- Spencer Dinwiddie (Round 2, 38th overall). Signed via cap room for three years, $2.525MM. Third year is non-guaranteed
Camp Invitees
- Josh Bostic
- Lorenzo Brown
- Brian Cook
- Hasheem Thabeet
Departing Players
Rookie Contract Option Decisions
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (third year, $2,891,760) — Exercised
- Andre Drummond (fourth year, $3,272,091) — Exercised
Detroit entered this past offseason fresh off of their second consecutive 29-win campaign and with a roster still filled with a number of ill-fitting parts, but there is reason for hope in the Motor City with the arrival of new team president and head coach Stan Van Gundy. Both Van Gundy and the organization realize that any turnaround will take some time, but after seven consecutive seasons of under .500 basketball, any positive development is cause for celebration.
It’s been over 16 months since Josh Smith inked his four-year, $54MM contract, and the franchise is still trying to figure out how to best utilize him. I’m sure that in theory, forming a frontcourt that featured a trio of talented big men seemed like an intriguing premise, but the results have been quite disappointing thus far. Smith’s field goal percentage has plummeted and it might be time for both the 28-year-old and the team to acknowledge that he isn’t suited to play small forward, nor is it in the best interests of either for him to keep firing away with ill-advised three-pointers.
The Pistons were supposedly shopping Smith during the offseason, and there was talk that the Kings were interested in acquiring the 28-year-old forward, but no deal came to fruition. Unloading Smith would present a challenge, as there aren’t many teams eager to shell out $13.5MM per year for a limited offensive player on the downswing of his career. Smith even at his best is not a true No. 1 option on a contending club, but rather a talented complementary piece.
While Smith is arguably the biggest name on the roster, the storyline that dominated Detroit’s sports pages all offseason were the talks between the team and Greg Monroe. Monroe showed little interest in signing a long-term deal with the Pistons, and he and agent David Falk reportedly sought sign-and-trade deals rather than offer sheets with the fear that the Pistons would match, keeping him in Detroit for the long-term. Instead, Monroe took an unusual and riskier path, signing his qualifying offer, worth only about $5.48MM for one season, setting himself up to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
By signing the team’s qualifying offer Monroe all but assured two things: He’ll be on the Pistons roster for the entire season, and he’ll be wearing a different team’s jersey the next one. Theoretically Monroe can still be dealt during the season, but because he signed the qualifying offer, he can veto any trade, and unless things truly become untenable for him in Detroit, he would most likely do just that, since any team that traded for him wouldn’t have his Bird rights. The Pistons would also only get pennies on the dollar for him at this point, since other teams wouldn’t give up the farm for a player who would essentially be a rental, so there would be little incentive at this point to try and deal Monroe.
Monroe hasn’t completely ruled out re-signing in Motown, but if he truly wanted to stay, the ink from his signature would have dried on a new deal already. Of course, things can always change, and if the franchise has a strong season, or if Van Gundy can convince Monroe during the year that the Pistons are truly the right team for him, then it’s possible Monroe could have a change of heart.
The 24-year-old will likely seek max money in his new deal, something I quite frankly don’t feel that he is worth. He’s a young, productive big man whose best seasons are still likely to come, but with the league moving further and further away from being a post-up league, Monroe’s limited offensive game and less-than-stellar defense do not warrant that large of a financial commitment. The Pistons could just look to Roy Hibbert‘s deal with the Pacers as a cautionary tale in this regard. For his part, Monroe is playing like he’s in a walk-year thus far, logging 17.3 points and 11.0 rebounds a night.
Van Gundy was quite busy this offseason in the free agent market, and he made a number of moves to address the team’s lack of outside shooting. I’m a big fan of signing Caron Butler, whose professionalism and work-ethic are fantastic, and just what a younger team like Detroit needs. The lack of a guarantee on the second year also mitigates the franchise’s financial liability greatly, which was a shrewd move. I also like the deal that Van Gundy gave to D.J. Augustin, a solid backup at the point whose two-year pact is quite reasonable.
The move I have an issue with is signing Jodie Meeks to a three-year, $18.81MM contract. This is one that I believe will stain Detroit’s balance sheet for its duration. As I mentioned, the Pistons desperately needed outside shooters to spread the floor so that Monroe, Smith, and Andre Drummond could have more room to operate down low. But Meeks is a complementary rotation piece at best, and his career-high 15.7 PPG last season was grossly inflated by playing for the Lakers, who needed someone to take those shots in the absence of Kobe Bryant. Plus, with the rise of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Meeks should prove to be even more of an unnecessary acquisition. I firmly believe that Meeks is more likely to be the player who had a career 7.4 PPG average heading into the 2013/14 campaign than a true game-changer when he returns from the back injury that has kept him out of action thus far.
The Pistons were also limited in what they would be able to garner on draft night, thanks to the first-round pick they had to surrender to the Hornets when the lottery slotted them just one spot shy of the protected range on the selection they owed from the Corey Maggette/Ben Gordon deal. But Van Gundy did very well to maximize the value of his lone second-rounder when he chose Spencer Dinwiddie, a player who would have been a likely mid-to-late first rounder if he had not been injured during his final season at Colorado. It will take him some time to regain his form, but for the long-term, he was a steal.
Detroit has a number of roster issues to address as it moves onto its next chapter. With only $39,479,553 in guaranteed money committed for 2015/16, Van Gundy will have a great opportunity to reshape the roster. But by next season, Monroe will likely be playing elsewhere, Smith will probably still be taking up a large chunk of cap space, and Brandon Jennings, who continues to try to prove that he can be a successful floor general, will still likely be on the books for $8,344,497. Thankfully, the Pistons have Drummond, who is one of the most intriguing big men in the league, to build around. But with the rise of the Cavs and the continued excellence of the Bulls in the Central Division, the franchise is still a ways from being a contender.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Eastern Notes: Cavs, Patterson, Wade
Nate Duncan of Basketball Insiders runs down some possible options the Cavs have to fortify their struggling roster. Given Cleveland’s proximity to the luxury tax line, their spending flexibility is somewhat limited, so Duncan isn’t convinced that extending Anderson Varejao was the right decision.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Earlier this week I ran down the highest paid players in the NBA and Kobe Bryant topped the list with his salary of $23.5MM for 2014/15. Chris Johnson of SI.com took a look at this same topic, but factored in taxes (city/state/Federal), NBPA fees, as well as the cuts that the players’ agents receive. According to Johnson’s new calculations the player who is actually taking home the most cash this season is the Nets‘ Joe Johnson.
- Patrick Patterson said that he was “very tempted” to sign with the Magic this past summer, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports reports (Twitter link). Orlando’s pitch tried to sell Patterson on an opportunity to be a starter, but in the end the forward wanted to play for a contending team, something re-signing with the Raptors gave him a much better chance at this season, notes Lewenberg.
- Miami’s Dwyane Wade is much happier this season despite the Heat having lost LeBron James to the Cavs via free agency this past summer, Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald writes. This isn’t because of any issues Wade had with James, but now Wade gets to have the ball in his hands more often, notes Goodman, something that makes Wade more comfortable as a player.
Charlie Adams contributed to this post.
Offseason In Review: Orlando Magic
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
- Channing Frye: Four years, $32MM. Signed via cap room.
- Ben Gordon: Two years, $9MM. Signed via cap room. Second year is non-guaranteed.
- Luke Ridnour: Two years, $5.5MM. Signed via cap room. Second year is non-guaranteed.
Extensions
Trades
- Acquired 2014 pick No. 10 from the Sixers in exchange for 2014 pick No. 12, Orlando’s 2015 second-round pick, and Philadelphia’s 2017 first-round pick that the Sixers had given up in a previous trade.
- Acquired Evan Fournier and 2014 pick No. 56 from the Nuggets in exchange for Arron Afflalo.
- Acquired Anthony Randolph, the more favorable of Chicago’s and Portland’s 2015 second-round picks, the more favorable of Chicago’s and Portland’s 2016 second-round picks, and cash from the Bulls in exchange for the rights to Milovan Rakovic. Randolph was subsequently waived.
Waiver Claims
- Willie Green: Claimed from the Clippers. One year, $1.448MM remaining.
Draft Picks
- Aaron Gordon (Round 1, 4th overall). Signed via rookie exception to rookie scale contract.
- Elfrid Payton (Round 1, 10th overall). Signed via rookie exception to rookie scale contract.
- Devyn Marble (2013, Round 2, 50th overall). Signed via cap room for three years, $2.71MM. Second and third years are non-guaranteed.
Camp Invitees
- Kadeem Batts
- Drew Crawford
- Seth Curry
- Peyton Siva
Departing Players
Rookie Contract Option Decisions
- Evan Fournier (fourth year, $2,288,205) — Exercised
- Maurice Harkless (fourth year, $2,894,059) — Exercised
- Andrew Nicholson (fourth year, $2,380,594) — Exercised
- Victor Oladipo (third year, $5,192,520) — Exercised
The Magic entered the offseason looking to continue onward with their plan of rebuilding through young, athletic talent. Orlando isn’t a realistic playoff contender for the 2014/15 campaign, despite playing in the Eastern Conference, nor do the Magic necessarily expect themselves to be in the postseason mix this season. Success this year will be measured more in player development rather than in the standings. With that mission in mind, the team’s offseason should be considered mostly a success.
Orlando began the summer by agreeing to a trade with the Nuggets that sent Arron Afflalo back to Denver for the younger, cheaper Evan Fournier and a second-rounder. I must admit at first blush that I wasn’t a fan of the deal. Afflalo had two solid seasons in Orlando in which he averaged 16.5 and 18.2 points per game, respectively. His salary was extremely reasonable at $7.5MM with a player option for the same amount in 2015/16. So, there was no real need to get him off of the books, despite Orlando having a league leading $14,705,259 in dead money against the salary cap for this season.
But at second pass the deal makes complete sense given the team’s youth movement. The 29-year-old Afflalo has probably peaked as a player, and with the Magic a year or two away from the playoffs, he wasn’t likely to be a major contributor by the time the team made it to the postseason anyway. Fournier is only 22 years old, and his skill set is similar enough to Afflalo’s that he’ll slot in nicely to Orlando’s system. So far the move has worked out rather well, with Fournier averaging 16.0 PPG compared to Afflalo’s 10.8 PPG on 38.7% shooting.
When rebuilding around younger players, one of the most important aspects of the process after development is the retention of that talent and not letting another franchise reap the rewards of your coaching staff’s hard work. To this end, the team met with mixed results.
Orlando and Nikola Vucevic reached an agreement on a four-year, $53MM contract extension that will keep the seven-footer in the Magic Kingdom through the 2018/19 season. Vucevic had a solid 2013/14 campaign but didn’t quite show the improvement from the previous season that the franchise and its fans had hoped for, though injuries certainly played a part in that result. He’s still only 24 years old and hasn’t hit his prime, and the early returns this year are very encouraging with averages of 18.6 PPG and 12.3 RPG.
On the negative side of the equation, the Magic failed to come to terms with their young forward Tobias Harris. Though the 22-year-old has said that he wants to remain in Orlando, at least one report indicated that his eye is wandering. Also not helping Orlando’s cause is that Harris is playing like he’s in a contract year, putting up 16.7 points and 8.1 rebounds through the first seven contests. Harris will become a restricted free agent this summer, so the Magic will have an opportunity to match any offer sheet Harris signs, though if another team jumps in and is willing to overpay similar to the Mavericks’ deal with Chandler Parsons, I would speculate that Orlando would let Harris walk.
This year’s NBA Draft was a boon for the franchise, and landing both Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton laid the groundwork for some exciting basketball in the seasons to come. Gordon was a bit of a surprise at the fourth overall pick since a number of mock drafts, including DraftExpress, had Gordon going somewhere between the seventh and tenth picks. But his upside was too good to ignore, and he’s shown flashes of the player he can become even though he doesn’t have a well-defined position yet.
While I like the selection of Gordon, I absolutely love the team nabbing point guard Elfrid Payton as the fruit of a draft-night swap with the Sixers. Payton is far from a finished product, and his jump shot mechanics are a major work in progress. But as a ballhandler and distributor, he’s already NBA-caliber, though his 3.0 turnovers a game will need to be improved upon. The true value of Payton though is that he will allow the team’s star player, Victor Oladipo, to return to his natural shooting guard position. While Oladipo was serviceable at the point, he and the team will be much better served long-term if Oladipo doesn’t have to wear himself out being the primary ballhandler and having to play defense against the likes of Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, and Russell Westbrook on a nightly basis.
This summer wasn’t all about youth for the Magic, and that’s where the team’s strategy showed some cracks. Signing Luke Ridnour to replace the departed Jameer Nelson as backup point guard was a decent signing, though Nelson’s leadership in the locker room will be missed. The second year of Ridnour’s deal is non-guaranteed, so the team limited its risk and allowed itself some flexibility moving forward.
The other two free agents the team added are a bit more puzzling to me. While Orlando didn’t guarantee the second year of its deal with Ben Gordon, a two-year, $9MM arrangement for an oft-injured aging veteran for whom there wasn’t stiff competition is a head-scratcher. But the four-year, $32MM fully guaranteed deal they gave to Channing Frye was downright confounding.
Stretch fours are all the rage in the league nowadays, but for a young rebuilding team like Orlando, Frye is an unneeded luxury, especially with the team having drafted Aaron Gordon, and also given the ability of Harris to fill that same role. Paying that stiff a price for a relatively one-dimensional player like Frye has all the earmarks of a contract that the team will regret in a year or two. This deal looks even worse to me when compared to the two-year, $14MM contract the Hornets inked with Marvin Williams.
Things will be brighter in Orlando in the coming seasons, and the franchise did well to extend Vucevic while making the most of draft night. Top free agents don’t see Orlando as a desirable free agent destination just yet, which may help explain the gross overpay for Frye. But with Oladipo, Vucevic, Payton, and Aaron Gordon, the franchise does have an exciting young core to build around.
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.
Highest Paid Players For The 2014/15 Season
The NBA salary landscape could look very different in a few seasons. That’s not merely true of the salaries of individual players, but for the salary cap structure in its entirety. Both the players and the owners can opt out of the current CBA in 2017, and with a new $24 billion TV deal set to kick in for the 2016/17 campaign, this is all but assured. Not only is the salary cap expected to increase significantly, there has also been talk that the players will push to do away with maximum salary restrictions altogether, to which the owners may counter with the insistence that a hard cap go into effect. Neither side has explicitly stated these demands, but they’ll almost certainly discuss the ideas during the negotiations.
Yesterday I ran down the highest paid player on each franchise’s roster, with the mean highest salary sitting at $15,742,918 for the 2014/15 campaign. Today I’ll be taking a look at the 20 highest paid players in the entire league. There are a number of players with expiring contracts on this list, such as Amar’e Stoudemire, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Marc Gasol. Outside of a freakishly productive season, Stoudemire isn’t likely to make this list next year, but Aldridge and Gasol have a great shot at moving closer to the top after they sign their new contracts this summer. As you can see from the dollar figures below, it’s good to be an NBA star. Here are the top earners for the 2014/15 season:
Note: Players who are still being paid after being waived using the amnesty provision are not included on this list. Only salary that counts against the cap is reflected.
- Kobe Bryant (Lakers): $23.5MM
- Amar’e Stoudemire (Knicks): $23,410,988
- Joe Johnson (Nets): $23,180,790
- Carmelo Anthony (Knicks): $22,458,401
- Dwight Howard (Rockets): $21,436,271
- LeBron James (Cavs): $20,644,400
- Chris Bosh (Heat): $20,644,400
- Chris Paul (Clippers): $20,068,563
- Deron Williams (Nets): $19,754,465
- Rudy Gay (Kings): $19,317,326
- Kevin Durant (Thunder): $18,995,624
- Derrick Rose (Bulls): $18,995,624
- Blake Griffin (Clippers): $17,674,613
- Zach Randolph (Grizzlies): $16.5MM
- LaMarcus Aldridge (Blazers): $16,256,000
- Paul George (Pacers): $15,925,680
- Marc Gasol (Grizzlies): $15,829,688
- Russell Westbrook (Thunder): $15,719,062
- Brook Lopez (Nets): $15,719,062
- Kevin Love (Cavs): $15,719,062
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Eastern Notes: Brooks, Dellavedova, Powell
Bulls guard Aaron Brooks credits coach Tom Thibodeau with rebuilding the confidence that once made him the NBA’s Most Improved Player, according to Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. Thibodeau quickly became a fan of the 6’0″ guard after he signed a one year deal with the Bulls in the offseason for $915,243. “I came in here lacking confidence,” Brooks admitted. “Even when I doubted myself, he was there to tell me, ‘You know what? I’ve watched you play, you’ve done well’ and just to keep working hard. It’s been a breath of fresh air for me.” Brooks earned the Most Improved Player award with the Rockets during the 2009/10 season, but has since bounced around the league, playing for the Suns, Kings, Rockets again and Nuggets before signing with Chicago.
Here’s more from the east:
- Matthew Dellavedova has been diagnosed with an MCL sprain in his right knee and is expected to miss four to six weeks of action, the Cavs announced in a press release. The backup point guard is averaging 2.7 points and 2.3 assists in three appearances.
- Celtics forward Dwight Powell has been assigned to the Maine Red Claws of the NBA D-League, the team has announced. The rookie has yet to make a regular season appearance after averaging 1.7 points and 1.2 rebounds in 9.0 minutes per game in six preseason appearances.
- The Pacers are doing their best to remain positive despite a spate of injuries affecting their top seven players, according to Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star. “It’s almost comical,” point guard Donald Sloan said. “Just how it’s happening. It seems game by game, it’s something. Same story.” The latest victim is center Roy Hibbert, who is day-to-day after leaving Saturday’s loss to the Wizards with a bruised left knee. The spiral for the 1-6 Pacers, who were the East’s top seed last season, began when Paul George suffered a broken leg in August during an exhibition game with the USA Men’s National Team.
Arthur Hill contributed to this post.
Hoops Rumors Originals
Here’s a look back at the past week’s original content from the Hoops Rumors staff…
- Chuck Myron took a look at which NBA teams are in danger of paying the luxury tax this season.
- I took a look back at the Heat’s offseason moves.
- Chuck reviewed how the Hornets’ offseason went.
- I ran down the events of the Knicks’ busy offseason.
- Chuck reviewed all of the teams that owe their 2015 first round picks to other franchises.
- We took a look at the highest paid players on each team for the 2014/15 campaign.
- Zach Links had a chance to interview Craig Hodges, a former Bulls player and current assistant coach for the Westchester Knicks.
- Chuck Myron ran down the important offseason moves for the Hawks.
- We held our weekly live chat and you can check out the full transcript here.
- Chuck reviewed which teams entered the 2014/15 season with the most roster stability.
- In a reader poll, Alex Lee asked which unbeaten team (at the time) was the best, and a healthy majority of you picked the Warriors.
- Be sure to follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or subscribe to our feed through your RSS reader of choice.
- Chuck Myron took a look at how players fared in free agency after their teams had declined their 2014/15 rookie scale options.
- In a reader poll, Charlie Adams asked which extension signed this season was the most team-friendly. A plurality chose the four-year, $48MM extension that Nikola Vucevic signed with the Magic.
- Chuck looked back at the offseason for the Raptors.
- We ran down the 2014 training camp invitees who made regular season rosters.
- I reviewed the former second-round draft picks currently on rosters.
- Chuck Myron reviewed how the Celtics’ offseason went.
- I ran down how much dead money against the salary cap each team owes this season.
- We highlighted some of the best comments and feedback from our readers.
- In case you missed it, the Trade Rumors App is here! Download the app today to get up-to-the-second updates from Hoops Rumors, MLB Trade Rumors, and Pro Football Rumors.
- Play nice, everyone. Review our commenting policy.