2015/16 D-League Usage Report: Warriors
The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow, and this season a total of 19 NBA teams had one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those NBA organizations without their own affiliates were required to assign players to D-League clubs associated with other NBA franchises. D-League teams could volunteer to take on the assigned players, and if no volunteers emerged, the players were assigned at random.
This significant change from the 2014/15 season came about after the Pacers purchased the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and turned them into their one-to-one partner for the 2015/16 campaign. Other NBA teams have interest in following suit in the years ahead, and the NBA’s ultimate goal for the D-League is for all 30 NBA franchises to have their own D-League squads. You can view the complete list of D-League affiliates here.
We at Hoops Rumors are recapping the D-League-related activity from the 2015/16 campaign for each team, and we’ll continue with the Golden State Warriors, whose D-League affiliate is the Santa Cruz Warriors:
The Warriors made four assignments for the 2015/16 campaign, sending one player to the D-League for a total of 35 days. Listed below are all the assignments and recalls made by Golden State for the season:
- January 4th: Assigned Kevon Looney (1st) — Recalled January 24th
- January 28th: Assigned Kevon Looney (2nd) — Recalled February 2nd
- March 2nd: Assigned Kevon Looney (3rd) — Recalled March 7th
- March 12th: Assigned Kevon Looney (4th) — Recalled March 14th
Santa Cruz also had three players assigned to it from other NBA franchises via the flexible assignment rule:
- The Bulls sent Mike Dunleavy (one assignment, two days).
- The Blazers sent Cliff Alexander (one assignment, 10 days) and Luis Montero (one assignment, 10 days).
Here is how Looney performed while on assignment to the D-League this season:
- Kevon Looney: In 12 D-League appearances, the combo forward averaged 9.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 19.1 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .396/.310/.714.
Western Notes: Parsons, Woodley, Augustin
Chandler Parsons has been one of the Mavericks‘ most vocal free agent recruiters during his time in Dallas, but the forward, who is expected to opt out of his deal this offseason, noted that he has to resolve his situation prior to pitching the franchise to other players, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes. “Obviously it’s tough to recruit if I don’t know where I’m going,” Parsons said. “In the back of my head, Dallas is home to me and I love it here. I came here to be a great player and to win a lot of games. I’ve yet to do that here, so I feel like I have a lot of unfinished business that I’d love to continue and grow into the player that I saw myself being when I signed here. So the quicker we can get that done allows me to start recruiting and doing that whole thing.”
Here’s more from out West:
- The Grizzlies have named Matt Woodley as the head coach of their D-League affiliate in Iowa, the team announced. “We are pleased to announce Matt as head coach of the Iowa Energy,” Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace said. “As evidenced last season, our affiliation with the Iowa Energy provides us a critical resource in the development of our players and institution of our organization’s philosophies. Matt’s coaching acumen and background within the Energy franchise make him a terrific fit.”
- Over the past five seasons, the Thunder‘s winning percentage is second only to the Spurs, something Oklahoma City credits roster continuity for, Royce Young of ESPN.com writes. “That familiarity with your teammates is definitely something that’s under-rated in this league,” Kevin Durant said. “I think that’s one thing the Spurs are really great at, is knowing who they want on their team and knowing it’s going to take time to build a really good team. So guys like, obviously, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Kawhi Leonard, who they’ve groomed into a fantastic player, and along with getting LaMarcus Aldridge, they have guys that if you bring a new guy in, they can make them feel comfortable.“
- Point guard D.J. Augustin is thrilled at the trade that got him out of Oklahoma City and landed him on the Nuggets, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post relays. “I was in a tough situation in Oklahoma,” Augustin said. “It wasn’t working out. I did the right thing, my agent did the right thing, and talked to those guys and they were kind enough to trade me, trade me to a good situation. Everything worked out.” Augustin, who is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, said he hopes to re-sign with Denver, Dempsey adds.
Lakers Notes: Walton, Kupchak, Scott
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak told reporters today that the possibility of Luke Walton being hired by another team factored into the decision to fire Byron Scott, Bill Oram of The Orange County Register relays (via Twitter). The GM also noted that despite having other interviews scheduled after Walton’s, the team believed it found its man in the Warriors assistant and felt no need to continue the coaching search, Mike Trudell of NBA.com writes. “With the openings in the NBA at the time and the openings we felt might come about, once we finished the interview, we decided he was our first choice,” Kupchak said. “Why wait? Let’s get it done.”
The GM also touted the city of Los Angeles as a natural draw for free agents and believes that the team will be extremely active in free agency this summer, Trudell relays. “We have the natural advantage of living in a great city with great fans I think will continue to be an advantage,” Kupchak said. “Last year or the year before we did not have as much to sell as we do this year. This year I think we have more talent on the court to convince free agents it might be a good place to play. Last year we had enough money for one player. This year we have enough for [two max players]. That makes a difference.”
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Walton has officially signed his contract with the team and it will take effect once the Warriors postseason run is complete, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
- Kupchak noted that the front office is planning to be more active in the team’s locker room this season, given that Walton is a young coach without extensive experience, Oram relays (Twitter links). The GM also added that there is a strong possibility the team will be seeking assistants who have previous head coaching experience, Oram notes. Los Angeles hopes to get the new coaches in place fairly quickly and likely won’t wait until Golden State’s season is over to make the hires, Pincus tweets.
- The team will have the final say on Walton’s coaching staff, Kupchak said, but the GM doesn’t envision it becoming a point of contention between the front office and head coach, adding that Walton has some people in mind already, Shahan Ahmed of NBCLA.com tweets.
- No player is off-limits this summer when the Lakers are discussing potential trades, Kupchak said, as Pincus tweets. But the GM did add that the team really likes its young core of players, tweets Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times.
- Scott spoke on ESPN’s “The Jump” about the tension between D’Angelo Russell and Nick Young that resulted from the point guard’s leaked video of Young, saying there wasn’t much he could do as a coach to fix the issue (h/t Nina Mandell of USA Today). “I mean from a coach’s standpoint you kind of sit back and hopefully let this thing heal itself,” Scott said. “You just hope time will allow that to happen. At the beginning obviously it’s going to be a strenuous situation because you have this one guy over here and everybody in the locker room looking at him like you did everybody wrong. So it’s going to take time to heal that. The one thing I couldn’t do was try to make sure I brought those guys together because if they don’t want to come together, they’re not coming together.“
Knicks Reach Out To Frank Vogel
The Knicks have contacted the representatives for former Pacers coach Frank Vogel regarding their vacant head coaching position, Marc Berman of The New York Post reports. The team has yet to request a formal interview, Berman notes, categorizing the talks as exploratory in nature.
GM Steve Mills is doing his due diligence in reaching out to Vogel’s representatives, Berman writes, though team president Phil Jackson has yet to make a definitive decision on how the franchise will proceed with Vogel. The main purpose for New York is to gauge whether or not Vogel would have interest in the vacant coaching post, and according to Berman, the coach is indeed willing to discuss the position. “I think the Knicks wanted to see where Frank’s head is at,” a league source informed Berman.
Vogel doesn’t exactly fit what the Knicks are said to be seeking in their next coach, which is someone who is familiar with the triangle offense the team is still attempting to implement. The former Pacers coach was criticized by team executive Larry Bird for not being willing to adapt his offense to a smaller lineup, so it remains to be seen just how amenable Vogel would be to running a completely foreign system. The disagreement over small ball versus traditional lineups is one of the contributing factors that led to Vogel being dismissed from the Pacers.
The Pacers went 250-181 in parts of six seasons under Vogel, who inherited the head coaching job, his first in the NBA, when the Pacers fired Jim O’Brien in January 2011. That record doesn’t include Vogel’s 31-30 postseason mark. Indiana made back-to-back conference finals under his watch in 2013 and 2014. The Rockets are also reportedly interested in interviewing Vogel.
Community Shootaround: Ryan Anderson
The NBA is about to enter its most exciting and unpredictable offseason in recent memory thanks to the projected jump in the salary cap to upward of $92MM. There will likely be more than a few deals inked this summer that will have folks around league scratching their heads. One player who is reportedly in line for such a pact is the Pelicans’ Ryan Anderson, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent.
Anderson is reportedly considering a change of scenery this summer when he hits the open market. Teams expressing interest in Anderson leading up to the February trade deadline included the Wizards, Pistons, Cavaliers, Clippers, Kings and Suns. It’s unclear just how many of those teams will pursue Anderson this summer, with Washington acquiring Markieff Morris, Detroit landing Tobias Harris, Channing Frye ending up in Cleveland and Jeff Green now a member of the Clippers as a result of various deadline trades.
The stretch four is expected to attract a salary starting of $16MM-$18MM when he hits the market this summer, which is quite a princely sum for a player with a career 13.1 points per game scoring average who isn’t a strong defender or rebounder. But with the league placing a premium on bigs who can stretch the floor on offense, Anderson is certainly hitting free agency at the right time.
That brings me to the topic for today: What is the maximum annual salary that Ryan Anderson is worth on his next contract?
Take to the comments section to share your thoughts and opinions on the subject, as well as to chime in on where you think Anderson will be playing next season. We look forward to what you have to say.
And-Ones: Barnes, Clippers, Briscoe
Despite the reports that the Warriors are planning to make a run at Kevin Durant this offseason, Harrison Barnes, who is set to become a restricted free agent, said during a podcast appearance opposite Tim Kawakami of The Bay Area News Group that he doesn’t take such chatter personally. When asked if he has accepted that Golden State may try to sign Durant this summer, Barnes noted it wasn’t the first time he’s dealt with rumors. “For sure. It was after my first year, was that when Dwight Howard was thinking about leaving? So it was funny, Andrew Bogut texted me and asked me, are we going to L.A.? Because he was going to come here,” Barnes said. We joked about that. And last summer it was [the] Kevin Love thing, is he going to come here? So me and David Lee were joking about the fact that we might have to buy winter coats.”
“You always kind of take it with a grain of salt,” the forward continued. “We’re a great team. And this is a place where people want to play now. Front office is going to do their job, and they’re going to go and try to recruit the best talent, that’s what they’re going to do. You don’t really get too personal about it, or say oh my gosh, they’re looking at other players. Because that’s how business goes.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers noted that the franchise wants to establish its own D-League affiliate in the near future, Rowan Kavner of NBA.com relays. “We’re going to discuss it, for sure,” Rivers said. “I don’t know if we’ll be able to do it by the start of the [2016/17] season, but it’s something we want to do. We’re a ways away from it, but we’ve had discussions with some outside forces that could make that happen, possibly.” Los Angeles was one of 11 NBA teams without its own D-League affiliate this season.
- Kentucky point guard Isaiah Briscoe worked out for the Spurs on Wednesday and has workouts scheduled with the Clippers this week and the Lakers after the scouting combine is complete, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress tweets.
- Creighton junior point guard Maurice Watson Jr. has withdrawn from the 2016 NBA Draft and will return to school for the 2016/17 season, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). Watson is the 70th-best prospect among juniors, according to Givony’s rankings.
- San Diego State sophomore small forward Malik Pope has workouts scheduled for later this month with the Celtics and the Jazz, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv tweets. Pope is the No. 25 sophomore according to Givony and the No. 46 player overall according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com.
Eastern Notes: Hill, Lue, D-League
Because the Pacers declined to exercise their team option on Solomon Hill for 2016/17, the small forward is now set to become an unrestricted free agent and Indiana cannot offer Hill a salary for next season greater than $2,306,019, which is the value of the option the Pacers declined. Team executive Larry Bird, speaking at today’s press conference, noted that he told Hill in his exit interview that that the team would consider re-signing him, Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star relays in a series of tweets. Bird also told the 25-year-old that he did him a favor by declining the option because it lit a fire under him this season, Buckner adds. Hill made 59 appearances for the Pacers this season, notching averages of 4.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 14.7 minutes per contest. His shooting line on the season was .447/.324/.857.
Here’s more from out of the Eastern Conference:
- Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue has consistently held LeBron James accountable for his mistakes, something former coach David Blatt was unable or unwilling to do, and it has strengthened the relationship between James and Lue as a result, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com writes.
- Bucks GM John Hammond told members of the media that Milwaukee hopes to establish its own D-League affiliate in time for the 2017/18 season, as Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor relays (via Twitter).
- The Nets made significant strides in their 3-point shooting as a team after David Nurse joined the team as a shooting coach in January, Ian Begley of ESPN.com notes (ESPN Now link). Prior to Nurse’s arrival, Brooklyn shot just 32.6% from beyond the arc, which was good for 28th in the league, Begley writes. But the Nets actually led the league from deep after Nurse came aboard, sinking a stellar 40.7% of their 3-point shots.
Rockets To Interview Jeff Hornacek, Stephen Silas
The Rockets have interviews scheduled with former Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek and Hornets assistant coach Stephen Silas for their vacant head coaching position, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Calvin Watkins report (ESPN Now link). The specific dates and times of the meetings are not yet known.
Hornacek was fired by the Suns in February and replaced by Earl Watson, who recently had his interim tag removed and will lead Phoenix next season. The 53-year-old has a career regular season mark of 101-112, including a record of 14-35 in 2015/16. He failed to guide the Suns to the postseason during his tenure with the franchise. Hornacek has also been mentioned as a potential head coaching candidate for the Pacers, Kings, and Lakers.
Silas, 43, is the son of longtime NBA coach Paul Silas. He has served as an assistant for the Hornets, Pelicans (prior to the team being re-named), Warriors and Cavaliers, as well as serving a brief stint as an advance scout for the Wizards.
Houston is also reportedly considering Lionel Hollins, Mike D’Antoni, Kenny Smith, Sam Cassell, David Blatt, and Chris Finch for the vacant post, though, Jeff Van Gundy appears to be the favorite for the job. The Rockets are also said to be intrigued by college coaches Shaka Smart (Texas) and Bill Self (Kansas).
Submit Your Questions For Hoops Rumors Mailbag
In addition to our regular weekly chat, which Chuck Myron facilitates every Wednesday, we have a second opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in our weekly mailbag feature, which is posted every Sunday.
Have a question regarding player movement, free agent rumors, the salary cap, the NBA draft, or the top storylines of the week? You can e-mail them here: hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com. Feel free to send emails throughout the week, but please be mindful that we may receive a sizable number of questions and might not get to all of them.
Western Notes: Pachulia, Abrines, Babby
Zaza Pachulia is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but the big man wants to return to Dallas and he hopes his strong 2015/16 campaign made an impression on the Mavs‘ front office, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com relays. “Well, I wish I had a lifetime contract, but it’s not the first time. You know, I’ve been a free agent a couple of times now, and it’s a process. You’ve got to be smart with the decisions, so I’m looking forward to it,” Pachulia said. “We’ll see what’s going to happen. I feel real confident. And once the time comes, I think I have made all the right decisions in my career, whether to stay or whether to go. But I’m confident. And with the use of my experience, I hope I’m going to make the right decision that’s best for me and my family. Whoever would come here for this team and for this organization would love it. I mean, very few percentage of the players wouldn’t like here. You know, it’s the city, the fans, the organization, the personality and the heart. This team is all about winning. And if you’re a winner, then definitely this is the place to be.”
Here’s more from out West:
- The Thunder are extremely high on draft-and-stash prospect Alex Abrines, who beat out Dario Saric for the Euroleague’s Rising Star award, as Royce Young of ESPN.com and international journalist David Pick relay (Twitter links). The 22-year-old signed an extension last May with Barcelona of Spain that carries through the 2018/19 season, and it isn’t known if that pact includes an NBA out clause that would allow Abrines to join Oklahoma City in 2016/17.
- After spending the past season as a part-time advisor for the Suns, former team president Lon Babby is ending his tenure with the team this week, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic reports. “I’m very appreciative for the opportunity to come to Phoenix, be part of a wonderful community and see and learn a lot of things that have been very gratifying,” Babby said. “I look forward to staying involved here in the community and being more involved with my family. I turned 65 in February and consider myself a full-fledged snowbird.”
- Former Lakers coach Byron Scott said he was shocked that he was fired by the team, adding that he believed management would give him at least one more season to try to turn around the rebuilding squad, Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com relays. “When you have conversations with guys [team management], you take them for their word,” Scott said. “And that’s what I did. Our conversation a couple of years ago was, ‘This is a rebuilding process. It’s going to take two to three years. It’s going to be very tough. Are you OK with that?’ And as I stated, I said, ‘Yeah I’m OK with it. Are you guys OK with it? If you can deal with it, I can deal with it.’ And so when I said I was ‘blindsided’ by it, I figured I at least had another year to get this thing turned around, and I was preparing for that and looking forward to next year. And then boom, that happened, and I said, ‘Wow.’“