Pacific Notes: Anthony, Fizdale, Bradley, Bjelica
When he joined the Lakers, Carmelo Anthony knew he’d be coming off the bench, just like he did last season with the Trail Blazers. Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times wonders if Anthony might be a candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year award this season.
For his part, Anthony is more focused on team success than individual accolades at this point in his career.
“[It’s] understanding what I have to do in those roles in order to help this team,” Anthony said. “So, in my mind, it’s not about winning the Sixth Man of the Year award. It’s about being the best sixth man for our team, if that’s the case. Knowing that, I have something to look forward to night in and night out, knowing that I got to come in fully prepared and ready to go.
“I think having that mentality kind of forces you or pushes you to play at a high level every night. Right?” Anthony said. “And not look in front of you or besides you and say, ‘I got so-and-so, I got this, I got that, I got that.‘”
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Lakers assistant coach David Fizdale is back home in Los Angeles and happy to be there, according to Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group. Goon takes an in-depth look at the veteran coach, who grew up in the L.A. area rooting for the Lakers.
- Avery Bradley, whom the Lakers claimed off waivers, recently opened up to Bill Oram of The Athletic about missing the team’s title run during the 2019/20 season. Bradley wanted to be with the club, but chose to opt out of the bubble to protect his son, who had a severe case of pneumonia in 2019. “We play this game for our family,” Bradley said. “Of course I love the game of basketball. That’s how I take care of my family is this game. It would be backwards if I didn’t focus on my family first.” The interview is worth reading in full.
- The Warriors‘ Bob Myers recently stated that the team tried to trade for free agent acquisition Nemanja Bjelica last season, writes Alex Didion of NBC Sports Bay Area. “We tried to trade for him a few times last year and just couldn’t find the right deal for (the Kings) and us, and then he got moved to Miami and never really got a foothold there,” Myers said Thursday morning on 95.7 The Game. “We’ve always liked him because we thought he could fit what we do, which is what you guys see, it’s a lot of read and react stuff, lot of randomness.“
Gerald Green Retires, Joins Rockets Coaching Staff
Veteran guard Gerald Green has retired from the NBA as a player and will be joining the Rockets as a player development coach, the team announced (Twitter link).
Green, who played 12 seasons in the NBA, worked out for the Rockets last month, but wasn’t picked up by the rebuilding team. He joined the Rockets for the 2020/21 preseason, but was waived before the season started due to cap constraints. He suffered a broken foot in October of 2019 and missed the entire 2019/20 season because of the injury. The last time he played in regular season games was in 2018/19, when he was a rotation player for the Rockets.
The 18th pick of the 2005 draft, Green played in 658 NBA games during his 12 seasons, holding career averages of 9.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 19.8 minutes per game, with a shooting slash line of .417/.361/.818.
Arguably his best individual season came in 2013/14 with Phoenix, when he played all 82 games (48 starts) and averaged 15.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 28.4 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .445/.400/.848.
The Houston native played for eight teams over the course of his career: the Celtics, Timberwolves, Mavericks, Nets, Pacers, Suns, Heat, and Rockets. He had two separate stints with both the Celtics and Rockets.
An amazing athlete, Green was one of the best dunkers the NBA has ever seen. He was the champion of the 2007 Slam Dunk Contest and runner-up in 2008. He also developed into a strong, albeit streaky, three-point shooter in the latter portion of his career, playing important minutes in Houston’s run to the Western Conference Finals in 2017/18.
Labissiere, Knight Among Players Eligible For G League Draft
NBA veterans Skal Labissiere and Brandon Knight are among a list of 101 players eligible for the 2021 G League Draft, which takes place tomorrow, October 23.
Some other interesting names on the list, with varying amounts of NBA experience, include Lance Stephenson, Nate Darling, Trevon Duval, Shamorie Ponds, Karim Mane, and Joe Young.
Marc Stein of Substack tweets that Stephenson might land with the Nuggets‘ affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold.
Knight was signed and waived last week (Knicks), as was Darling (Clippers), so perhaps there were procedural issues with their affiliate rights, similar to what happened with the Hornets and LiAngelo Ball.
The full G League Draft order can be found here.
Timberwolves Sign, Waive Vince Edwards
OCTOBER 16: The Wolves have waived Edwards, according to an announcement from the team. Minnesota’s roster should now be set for the regular season, with 16 players under contract, including 14 on standard deals.
OCTOBER 15: The Timberwolves have signed forward Vince Edwards, per a team press release.
Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but it’s almost certainly an Exhibit 10 contract. Edwards will likely be waived before the season starts and will be in line for a bonus of up to $50K if he sticks with the Iowa Wolves for at least 60 days.
Edwards was the 52nd overall pick of the 2018 draft after a very respectable four-year college career at Purdue. He played in two games for the Rockets in 2018-19, but only saw action for 16 total minutes. He’s spent the majority of the past three seasons in the G League, most recently with the OKC Blue.
Thunder Sign, Waive Zavier Simpson
OCTOBER 16: As expected, Simpson has been waived, according to a tweet from their PR department. Simpson will likely play for the Blue once he clears waivers.
OCTOBER 15: The Thunder have signed Zavier Simpson to an Exhibit 10 deal, per Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (via Twitter). The move was first reported yesterday by Hoops Rumors’ JD Shaw.
Simpson will likely be waived before the start of the regular season. If he spends at least 60 days with the OKC Blue, the Thunder’s G League affiliate, he could earn a bonus of up to $50k.
Simpson, a 6’0″ point guard, went undrafted in 2019-20 after four seasons with the Michigan Wolverines. He played well as a senior, averaging 12.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 6.9 APG (33.7 MPG) in 30 games. He spent last season with the OKC Blue in the G League bubble, averaging 9.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 6.1 APG (28.5 MPG) in 15 games, all starts.
Mavericks Waive Tyrell Terry, Carlik Jones, Feron Hunt
The Mavericks announced in a press release that they have waived Tyrell Terry, Carlik Jones, and Feron Hunt.
Terry, the 31st overall pick of the 2020 draft, was on a guaranteed contract worth more than $3.3MM over the next two seasons, including a bit more than $1.5MM this season. If no team claims him off waivers, Dallas will be responsible for the full amount of the guaranteed money left on his deal.
Terry played just 11 games as a rookie last season, missing significant time due to personal reasons. He had been away from the team during preseason action as well, reportedly due to a family matter.
The 21-year-old had a strong freshman season with Stanford in 2019/20, putting up 14.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 3.2 APG (32.6 MPG) in 31 games, with a shooting line of .441/.408/.891. Many analysts considered him one of the best shooters in the 2020 draft, but had reservations about his slender frame and defense.
Jones and Hunt were undrafted rookies on Exhibit 10 contracts, and could see time with the Texas Legends, the Mavericks’ G League squad, if they’re not picked up by other teams. If they stick with the Legends for at least 60 days, they could earn bonuses of up to $50K. Both players played all four preseason contests with the Mavericks.
The moves bring the Mavericks to a full 15-man roster, with both two-way contracts filled. Terry being waived likely means that both Moses Brown and Frank Ntilikina made the team.
Heat Waive Potter, Smart, Smith, Stewart
The Heat have waived Micah Potter, Javonte Smart, Dru Smith, and D.J. Stewart, per a team press release. All four players were on Exhibit 10 contracts.
All four players were undrafted rookies, and if they spend at least 60 days with the Heat’s G League squad, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, they could earn a bonus of up to $50K.
Potter, 6’10”, played two seasons with Ohio State before transferring to Wisconsin. He showed an impressive shooting touch for a big man, connecting on 38.6% of his three-point attempts and 84% of his free throws as a senior. He also had a strong preseason showing with the Heat, appearing in three games with averages of 10.3 PPG and 11.3 RPG in 24.0 minutes.
Smart, a 6’4″ guard, played college ball at LSU, averaging 16.0 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 4.0 APG (35.6 MPG) in 28 games as a senior. He appeared in five preseason contests with the Heat.
Smith, a 6’3″ guard, played for Evansville before transferring to Missouri. He averaged 14.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.8 APG, and 2.1 SPG (34.1 MPG) in 26 games as a senior. He appeared in three preseason games with the Heat.
Stewart, a 6’6″ wing, declared for the draft after two seasons at Mississippi State. He averaged 16.0 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 3.1 APG (35.0 MPG) in 28 games as a sophomore and appeared in four preseason contests with the Heat.
The moves leave the Heat with 14 players on guaranteed contracts and both two-way slots filled.
Kings Release Emanuel Terry
The Kings announced in a press release that they have waived Emanuel Terry. He had been signed to an Exhibit 10 deal. The Kings previously secured his G League rights in a separate transaction.
Terry, a 6’9″ power forward, played for the Kings in both Summer League and preseason. The plan is for him to join the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League affiliate, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). If he spends at least 60 days with Stockton, Terry could earn a bonus of up to $50k.
Terry made three brief NBA appearances in 2018-19, two with Phoenix and one with Miami. He played for teams in Israel and Serbia in 2020. A veteran of 54 total G League contests, he averaged a double-double with the Agua Caliente Clippers last season.
The move leaves the Kings with a full 15-man roster, with both two way contracts filled.
Bulls Sign Troy Baxter Jr.
The Bulls announced in a tweet that they have signed Troy Baxter Jr. Terms of the contract weren’t disclosed, but it’s likely to be an Exhibit 10 deal.
Baxter is a rookie after going undrafted in 2021, so the move secures his G League rights. It’s highly likely that he’ll be waived before the season starts, and if he spends at least 60 days with the Windy City Bulls, Baxter would be eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K.
Baxter, a 6’9″ forward, played for three different college teams prior going undrafted: UNLV, Florida Gulf Coast, and Morgan State. He averaged 15.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 1.6 BPG in 27.0 MPG for Morgan State as a senior, with a .426/.350/.744 shooting line. He most recently suited up for the Bulls’ Summer League team, appearing in four contests with modest stats.
Knicks Waive Brandon Goodwin
The Knicks announced in a tweet that they have waived point guard Brandon Goodwin. He was signed to an Exhibit 10 deal yesterday.
Goodwin appeared in parts of the past three seasons with the Nuggets and Hawks. He played in 47 games as a backup for the Hawks last season, averaging 4.9 PPG, 1.5 RPG, and 2.0 APG (13.2 MPG) with a .377/.310/.651 shooting line. He also played in 43 G League games from 2018-20, averaging 20.5 PPG, 6.6, and 6.2 APG in 35.1 MPG.
Goodwin would be eligible for a bonus worth up to $50K if he spends at least 60 days with the Westchester Knicks, New York’s G League affiliate.
The move leaves the Knicks with 19 players under contract: 14 on guaranteed deals, both two-way spots filled, and three players (Wayne Selden, Aamir Simms and M.J. Walker) vying for the 15th roster spot, assuming the team carries 15 players to start the season.