Eastern Notes: Turner, Ferrell, Wade
The Celtics have struggled to begin the 2016/17 campaign, and one reason given by point guard Isaiah Thomas is the absence of swingman Evan Turner, who signed with Portland as a free agent this offseason, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald relays.
“The wing position is a very important position in this league, and if you’re missing that, then it’s going to be tough for you,” Thomas said after Thursday’s practice. “Especially we don’t have Evan Turner, so it’s like, we’re not just missing Jae Crowder [who is injured], we’re missing Evan, who was a big part of what we’ve done. Now we’ve got a rookie [Jaylen Brown] in his place that things are coming fast for him, so he’s trying to figure out on the fly, as well, and, at the same time, play at a high level. So it’s tough, but we’ve got to just sustain or whatever we need to while Jae’s out, help rook at the things he needs to get better at and go from there. But all the things that we’re getting beat at are not because certain guys are out. It’s because we’re not playing with our heart. We’re not giving it our all for whatever reason.”
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Yogi Ferrell‘s minimum salary deal with the Nets will run two years, with the second season being a team option, NetsDaily relays (via Twitter). The point guard is also on Brooklyn’s books for $100K from the first time he was waived by the team.
- Heat president Pat Riley says he has reached out to former player Dwyane Wade via e-mail, which is the first contact the executive has attempted with the shooting guard since Wade’s departure over the summer, Dave Hyde of The Sun Sentinel writes. “I hope he got it,” Riley said regarding his message. “You know those guys changing phone numbers and e-mails …” Riley also noted that the lack of offseason contact between the pair is nothing new, Hyde adds. “He’d get three letters from me,” Riley said. “One asked if his a– was in shape, one said to get his a– in shape and one said he’d better be in shape.“
- The solid play of the Hornets‘ reserves is a major reason for the team’s hot start to the season, as Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer notes. The scribe also points to the team’s acquisition of Marco Belinelli from the Kings in exchange for the No. 22 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft as a move that is paying early dividends for Charlotte.
Following Specific Players On Hoops Rumors
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Western Notes: Nowitzki, Rubio, Beverley
Mavs big man Dirk Nowitzki, who is recovering from a strained right Achilles tendon, told Marc Stein of ESPN.com, that he has resumed on-court work as he moves toward a return to the lineup. “It’s definitely better, but I really haven’t done much yet,” Nowitzki told Stein. “Today was good, but we didn’t go anything close to full speed. Just started moving on the court a bit. We don’t want to rush anything and go back to where we were last week. So if I feel anything this weekend, they’re going to ease off again. Obviously I want to play in the Garden on Monday [against the Knicks] and I want to play in Boston [on Wednesday] — two of my favorite road spots. But I just don’t know at this point if it’s going to happen.”
Here’s more from out West:
- Ricky Rubio, who has been out of action after suffering a sprained right elbow, may be nearing a return after practicing with the Wolves today, the team announced (via Twitter).
- Rockets guard Patrick Beverley, who underwent knee surgery last month, could be cleared to return to practice as early as next week, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). If that is indeed the case, Beverley could be back in Houston’s rotation by the end of November, Watkins adds.
- James Harden has been impressive for the Rockets under new head coach Mike D’Antoni, but despite the guard putting up NBA-worthy numbers for Houston, the team still has work to do in order to be considered contenders, Oliver Maroney of Basketball Insiders writes. “We pretty much think James can do anything in Houston,” Morey told Basketball Insiders. “We’re happy he is showing it but we aren’t focused on it – we’re trying to improve the defense and get more wins. James is playing great. He’s the leader we need to go deep into the playoffs.”
- Lance Stephenson, who was recently waived by the Pelicans after sustaining an injury, was a “model citizen” during his time in New Orleans, team sources told Stein in a separate article.
And-Ones: Fizdale, Jefferson, Thompson
New Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale has drawn rave reviews from a number of his former players, including Mike Miller, who says Memphis hit the jackpot by hiring the former Heat assistant this offseason, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post relays. “He’ll do a great job because he can communicate,” Miller said. “At this level it’s becoming that, it’s communicating with your players and obviously being organized. He’s going to take that same culture that was in Miami. He’s from the Pat Riley [coaching] tree, you know he’s going to be organized and prepared. For him, the biggest challenge will be coaching the personnel and not the system. That’s going to be his challenge, but I think he’ll do a phenomenal job.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- Cory Jefferson, who was in training camp with the Cavaliers this year, has signed a contract to join the D-League, Adam Johnson of D-League Digest reports (via Twitter). Jefferson’s rights are currently held by the Austin Spurs, San Antonio’s affiliate, Johnson adds.
- Also signing a D-League contract is Mychel Thompson, whose rights are held by the Santa Cruz Warriors, Johnson relays (via Twitter). Thompson has played parts of the last three seasons with the Warriors’ affiliate. He also appeared in 14 games with Pallacanestro Varese of Italy last season before rejoining Santa Cruz.
- Former Relativity Sports executives Happy Walters and Josh Swartz are launching a new venture, Catalyst Sports & Media, an agency that will focus on representing athletes who play basketball, soccer and esports, Ian Thomas and Liz Mullen of The Sports Business Journal report.
Eastern Notes: Brown, Smith, Hawes
If the Sixers continue to lose games at their current rate, team executive Bryan Colangelo could press ownership to fire coach Brett Brown, Bob Brookover of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. With the team winless to start the season despite the presence of center Joel Embiid, Brown may end up shouldering the blame for the team’s woes now that former GM Sam Hinkie is gone, the scribe adds. “Yeah, I’m aware of it,” Brown said regarding the added pressure to win this season. “I’m not young anymore. I come in here and I do my job. I know what we do at practice. I know what goes on behind the scenes. I know the preparation we put into about everything.”
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- J.R. Smith, who signed a four-year deal with the Cavaliers this offseason, wants to remain in Cleveland for the rest of his NBA career and beyond, Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal writes. “It makes no sense to go anywhere else,” Smith said. “To get treated the way we get treated here from the people, from the police, from everybody. There’s nothing but love here. I couldn’t imagine going anywhere else.”
- The Knicks are a team rife with dysfunction after just six games this season and much of the blame should fall on team president Phil Jackson, Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post opines. The Post scribe calls out the executive for his stubborn insistence on running the triangle despite the players not buying into the system, as well as his puzzling decision to install assistant coach Kurt Rambis as the “defensive coordinator” despite him being an offensive specialist by trade and not having had success as a head coach in the NBA.
- Hornets coach Steve Clifford is raving about Spencer Hawes‘ basketball IQ, something the player admits he has to rely on given that he is not an elite athlete, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer relays. “It’s his IQ. He understands basketball and has such a feel for the game. And he has a terrific skill level,” Clifford said. “He had 11 defensive rebounds [against the Pacers]. He’s always been a pretty good defensive rebounder, even for a center. He brings intelligence to the court every time he plays, which is important.”
- The Pacers are struggling on the defensive end, something head coach Nate McMillan chalks up to the team’s new personnel not having great chemistry with one another yet, Mark Montieth of NBA.com writes. “The offense normally is ahead of the defense when you start out,” McMillan said. “Most of the guys, that’s how they got here, their offensive skills. Defense requires you to commit, not only individually but collectively.”
Atlantic Notes: Ilyasova, Horford, Harris
The Sixers‘ swap with the Thunder that sent Jerami Grant to OKC in exchange for Ersan Ilyasova and a protected first-round draft pick signals a change in the organization’s philosophy from previous years, Derek Bodner of Philadelphia magazine writes. The team appears to no longer be comfortable with hoping to strike gold with castoffs and role-players, and the franchise is looking to make itself more attractive to potential free agents by maximizing its on court potential rather than looking ahead to the draft for a sense of hope, Bodner notes.
The scribe also ran down the benefits of Philly making the trade, noting that Ilyasova’s outside shooting is a boon to the team, considering the lack of deep threats on the team’s roster. Bodner also notes that Grant didn’t have a long-term future with the Sixers given his lack of offensive improvement and the wealth of forwards on the roster. While Bodner takes a generally favorable view of the trade, he does add that it remains to be seen how it will affect Dario Saric, whose playing time is likely to decrease, and how much Ilyasova will play once Ben Simmons is healthy enough to return to action. Saric is averaging a rookie-high 26.4 minutes per game through the Sixers’ first five contests, notching 9.6 points and 5.5 rebounds to go along with a shooting line of .358/.400/.571.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Kristaps Porzingis represents a major part of the Knicks‘ future, but coach Jeff Hornacek doesn’t want to place added pressure on the young big man and prefers not to make him the focal point of the team’s offense, Al Iannazzone of Newsday relays. “You don’t want to put that on a — what did he, just turn 21; second year in the league — when you have players like Carmelo Anthony and now Derrick Rose, guys who have proven it in this league for years,” Hornacek said. “We try not to make [Porzingis] the focal point, but we’re trying not to make Carmelo necessarily the focal point or Derrick the focal point. We want everybody to be involved.”
- Celtics center Al Horford, who has missed three games after suffering a concussion in practice last week, has not shown much improvement and his return date still remains in question, Mike Petraglia of WEEI 93.7 FM writes. “He has not advanced in the protocol, based on what I’ve been told,” coach Brad Stevens said. “I have not gotten anything deeper than that but he did not do anything with our team today.”
- Joe Harris has been a pleasant surprise for the Nets thus far this season and he credit the team’s coaching staff for giving him the room to develop, something that he was afforded during his time with the Cavs, Bryan Fonseca of NetsDaily relays. “Looking back at my time in Cleveland, it was really valuable in a lot of ways,” Harris said. “Just being around some really high level players, guys that have had a lot of success, I’ve learned a lot from them just by watching. [Cleveland’s] emphasis wasn’t necessarily on letting guys learn through mistakes. It was more so, ‘you come in, and you help impact the game’ because they’re trying to win championships. I feel like the vibe here is a little bit more, ‘if you make a mistake, so be it, you’ve got to learn through it.’ It’s different to be a guy like where I was in Cleveland chasing after spots with guys in front of me like Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith and Richard Jefferson.”
Western Notes: Thompson, Rubio, Finney-Smith
Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson denied a suggestion that his early season struggles were a result of the team’s offseason addition of Kevin Durant, Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN.com relays. “Not at all,” Thompson said when asked if his cold spell had anything to do with Durant. “I struggled last year for the first 20 games, and Kevin wasn’t here. So it has nothing to do with Kevin. So last year I struggled, then I went on a tear, so it’s just like any other season. Obviously we have different players, but I’m still getting the shots I always got before he was here, so it’s not on Kevin at all.” Thompson, who made 42.5% of his three-point shots during the 2015/16 campaign, has shot only 19.6% from beyond the arc through the Warriors’ first six outings.
Here’s more from out West:
- Ricky Rubio, who has missed the Wolves‘ last three contests due to a sprained right elbow, is making steady progress in his recovery, according to coach/executive Tom Thibodeau, Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune relays. No timetable has been relayed regarding when the point guard can return to action, Zgoda adds.
- Spurs rookie Dejounte Murray credits much of his success and development to the influence of Clippers veteran Jamal Crawford, who has mentored the rookie for years, writes Rowan Kavner of NBA.com. “It means a lot,” Murray said of Crawford’s assistance. “When you’re successful, a professional athlete, you can help a lot of others. That’s one thing he did, is help me get to where I’m at today. I’m trying to have a long career like he has. He’s 36, he’s played a lot of years. He’s successful, and he’s still climbing in that top 100 scoring list. He’s a great dude.”
- Mavericks rookie Dorian Finney-Smith has been pressed into action due to injuries on the team, but he is quickly earning the trust of the coaching staff with his strong play, Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders writes. “Finney-Smith is a more-experienced player in the American game,” coach Rick Carlisle said after Tuesday night’s game. “He’s an excellent defender. We don’t normally do it, but he got the game ball tonight. He was plus-19 when he was on the floor and Milwaukee was only 0.56 points per possession when he was on the floor. Other guys are doing it too, but it’s not a coincidence that the game changed on some level when he was out there.”
Dion Waiters On: Free Agency, Durant, OKC
Shooting guard Dion Waiters left Oklahoma City this offseason in order to sign a team-friendly two-year pact with the Heat. The player sat down with Erik Horne of The Oklahoman to discuss a number of topics, including his departure from the Thunder and his expectations with Miami. The entire interview is worth a look, but here are a few of the highlights:
On what he believes his mission to be this season:
“Just go out there and playing every night. Playing hard. Do what I do. Just enjoy the experience as far as just learning how to be a dominant player every night, not just on the offensive end but the defensive end. Knowing I’m giving my team a chance to win every night. Being able to enjoy the good and the bad, trying to be consistent every night. Being able to have that opportunity to do those things. Every night is not going to be your night, I understand that. But I learned how to impact the game other ways and I think my defense, my playmaking ability is surprising a lot of people. I never really had many opportunities to show my playmaking ability.”
On his relationship with Kevin Durant during the 2015/16 season:
“It was special just for me and him because we opened up to one another as far as real life stuff, what happened growing up, things like that. We got kinda close. We was more alike off the court just growing up. We grew up similar. We built that relationship. That’s why I hung out with him pretty much all the time – him, A-Mo, Cam, Russ. We built that camaraderie, that loyalty. We could talk to each other on the court when everybody thinks we’re cussing each other out. In reality, we’re playing.”
On his reaction when he found out Durant signed with the Warriors:
“I don’t know to be honest with you. He made his decision as a man. He probably wanted change in his life, to do different things. He knew all that was gonna come and he left for that challenge to see how you grow, you grow as a person. I wasn’t shocked or anything, I just was like … ‘OK.’ Everyone was stealing my phone like ‘you knew you knew.’ I was like ‘no.’”
On if he was disappointed that he didn’t re-sign with the Thunder:
“At first I was but then it was like … life goes on. At the end of the day, everything happens for a reason. Once the team was pretty much broken up, I kinda figured where it was going, so I just wanted to make the best decision for me. Not for money or things like that. I wanted to go somewhere I could have fun and try to prove myself. Even though the team we had could have won it all, it is what is.”
On the extent of his negotiations with OKC this past offseason:
“We had talks but we wanted to wait it out. We talked about certain things, what was gonna happen, but it never happened. I don’t want to talk about it. It is what it is. It’s business. I ain’t gonna get into all that happened. That ain’t who I am. You’ve gotta roll with the punches.
At the end of the day, I wish they would have done whatever they were gonna do earlier. That’s my biggest thing right there. You pretty much knew. If they would have just done it earlier, I would have respected it because we had offers. A lot. I didn’t know what was going on. I was kinda in the dark. I was actually working out when that happened [when the Thunder rescinded Waiters’ offer sheet]. … But I love the fans. I love the people. They’ll always be in my heart. Some of the best fans ever, especially all year long just supporting us when I was there.”
Hoops Rumors Originals: 10/30/16-11/5/16
Here’s a look back at the original content and analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this past week.
- As part of our Offseason In Review Series, we looked at the following teams:
- Will Joseph highlighted some of the better basketball blogs around in his weekly installment of Hoops Links.
- Here are the key dates to mark on your calendars for the 2016/17 season.
- We recapped the 2017/18 team option decisions.
- Arthur Hill answered reader questions in our Weekly Mailbag. Here’s how you can submit your own questions for our mailbag feature.
- We ran down the top 50 NBA player salaries for this season.
- In our Community Shootarounds this week we discussed:
- Have the Warriors regressed enough on defense to cost them a shot at another NBA championship, or even a third straight Western Conference title?
- Which of the NBA’s five remaining undefeated teams do you think will continue to rank among the league’s elite?
- Which of the NBA’s four remaining winless teams will turn things around, and which ones are well on their way to landing in the lottery?
- You can stay up to date on any contract extensions agreed to this season with our tracker.
- If you haven’t already, be sure to download the Trade Rumors app for your iOS or Android device.
Week In Review: 10/30/16-11/5/16
With the regular season entering its second week, here’s a look back at all the notable news and events from around the NBA this past seven days:
Extensions
- C.J. McCollum (Trail Blazers): Four years, $106,633,450 (story)
- Steven Adams (Thunder): Four years, $100,000,000 (story)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks): Four years, $100,000,000 (story)
- Rudy Gobert (Jazz): Four years, $94,000,000 (story)
- Victor Oladipo (Thunder): Four years, $84,000,000 (story)
- Gorgui Dieng (Timberwolves): Four years, $62,800,000 (story)
- Dennis Schroder (Hawks): Four years, $62,000,000 (story)
- Cody Zeller (Hornets): Four years, $55,625,000 (story)
Waivers
- The Hawks waived Edy Tavares.
Signings/Agreements
- The Hawks signed Ryan Kelly.
- The Kings signed Jordan Farmar.
Trades
- The Thunder dealt Ersan Ilyasova to the Sixers along with a conditional future draft pick. Oklahoma City will receive Jerami Grant in return.
Option Decisions
- The Bucks picked up the third-year option on Rashad Vaughn‘s rookie-scale contract.
- The Thunder exercised their third-year options on Josh Huestis and Cameron Payne.
- The Hornets exercised their third-year option on Frank Kaminsky.
- The Nets exercised their team options on Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Chris McCullough for the 2017/18 season.
- The Rockets picked up their team option on Sam Dekker for the 2017/18 season.
- The Celtics exercised their 2017/18 team options on Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier.
News/Rumors
- Former NBA guard Marquis Teague was released by his Israeli team.
- Ex-NBA players Jeremy Evans and Robbie Hummel signed with Khimki Moscow.
- Ray Allen formally announced his retirement.
- Bulls guard Michael Carter-Williams is expected to be sidelined for four to six weeks due to injuries.
- Jazz guard Alec Burks underwent a successful arthroscopic procedure to debride his left ankle and will be out indefinitely.
- Former second-round pick Orlando Johnson, who appeared in regular-season games with the Suns and Pelicans last season, signed a three-month deal with Russian team UNICS Kazan.
- The league announced the D-League affiliate players for each franchise.
- Free agent guard Jorge Gutierrez signed with the Turkish team Trabzonspor.
- Point guard Lorenzo Brown signed with Russia’s Unics Kazan.
- Forward Jonathan Holmes is headed overseas after agreeing to a contract with FC Barcelona.