And-Ones: Jennings, D-League, Knicks
Brandon Jennings, who has yet to play this season, is officially practicing with the Pistons, but it is still too early to know when he will appear in a game, Terry Foster of the Detroit News relays. Hoops Rumors’ Dana Gauruder recently profiled Jennings as a trade candidate because Jennings has an expiring contract at $8,344,497.
“We had one practice last week,” Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said, per Foster. “He got up and down and he brought good energy to the practice. We haven’t seen him in a week and when we do see him it is 15 minutes of action. It is really tough to gauge him in the little bit of time we see him. Right now it is once a week in short bursts.”
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- The Lakers recalled Tarik Black, Anthony Brown and Ryan Kelly from their D-League affiliate one day after assigning each player, the team announced (on Twitter).
- Kristaps Porzingis insists he has not hit a “rookie wall” after 25 games with the Knicks, Fred Kerber of the New York Post relays. Porzingis, who was sensational before the Knicks’ recent road trip was held scoreless Saturday for the first time. “A couple of bad games, it happens to all of us. Not only rookies. I’m just looking forward to the next game,” Porzingis said, per Kerber. “So ups and downs, obviously this is my rookie season.”
Western Notes: Lakers, Pelicans, Blazers
Despite a slow start for Lakers rookie D’Angelo Russell, GM Mitch Kupchak has a lot of confidence in the shooting guard, Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times relays. Russell has scored in double-figures in eight of the Lakers’ nine games this month. Kupchak attributed Russell’s success lately to figuring out the pace of the game and believes the young player will develop into a triple-double threat, Pincus adds.
“There’s never a doubt, when we scouted him last year and when we drafted him and worked him out, that he was going to be a very, very, very, very good player in this league,” Kupchak said in a live chat on Lakers.com, transcribed by Pincus. “That’s our feeling all along. He did not have a very good summer league and I think that was a wake-up call for him.”
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- The Pelicans re-signed Omer Asik to a five-year, $58MM contract in the summer, but the center’s performance has been underwhelming so far, John Reid of The Times Picayune writes. Only the first four years of the deal are guaranteed, as Reid notes. The total value of guaranteed money is close to $45MM and Asik will be able to get entire value of the contract if he meets a certain amount of performance-based incentives, according to Reid, but his play indicates that’s not likely to happen.
- C.J. McCollum is in the midst of a breakout season for the Blazers and there is a strong possibility he could be the league’s most improved player, Chris Fedor of the Northeast Ohio Media Group details. Portland exercised its rookie scale team option for the 2016/17 season with McCollum in September.
- The Wolves were a perfect fit for rookie Karl-Anthony Towns in comparison to the Sixers and Lakers because in Minnesota he has veteran mentors like Kevin Garnett, Jerry Carino of the Asbury Park Press writes.
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Celtics, Sixers
While some of the Raptors‘ highest-paid players continue to struggle, cheaper commodities that were obtained during the summer such as Bismack Biyombo and Luis Scola are carrying the team, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun details. Scola, who signed a one-year deal for $2.9MM, and Biyombo, who agreed to a two-year pact for nearly $5.755MM, have emerged as dependable starters. Meanwhile, stats indicate that the team is better when DeMarre Carroll, the team’s highest-paid player, is not on the court, according to Wolstat.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic Division:
- The Celtics have recalled Jordan Mickey from their D-League affiliate, the team announced (on Twitter).
- The Sixers recalled Christian Wood from the D-League, Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com tweets. Wood averaged 19.3 points and 11 rebounds per game in three games in the D-League.
- Kelly Olynyk, whom the Celtics exercised their fourth-year option on in October, is enjoying a strong season in part because he is shooting the ball more than he ever has, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com details. “He brings something different with his ability to really stretch the floor,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “Not only from 3-point line shooting it, but also with his ability to make plays off the bounce when he catches it outside the arc. We need him to continue to play well for us to be a good team.”
Eastern Notes: Heat, Bulls, Hornets
The early returns on the Heat‘s investment of $90MM over five years in Goran Dragic are not very good because the point guard and Dwyane Wade have been struggling to work together all season, Israel Gutierrez of ESPN.com details. Dragic’s seeming lack of confidence and reluctance to take open shots are not helping to resolve the issue, Gutierrez adds. This is not a new revelation, but Gutierrez expresses concern because many thought the problem would be behind the Heat by now.
“I like seeing guys go through a struggle to see how they respond, and he responded in a very positive way,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I think it was great to see him show some character when the chips are not going your way. You can grind through it and help your team.”
Here’s more out of the Eastern Conference:
- The addition of coach Fred Hoiberg was supposed to gin up the Bulls offense, but instead it’s been the mainstay of their defense that has the Bulls in third place in the Eastern Conference in spite of some disconcerting signs early this season, observes TNT’s David Aldridge, who writes in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com.
- Hornets coach Steve Clifford did not dismiss the idea that Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who has a dislocated right shoulder, would appear in the playoffs, but added there is no timeline for the small forward to return, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer tweets.
- Ian Mahinmi, who is in the final year of his contract with the Pacers, has solidified his role as a solid shooting center and veteran locker room presence, Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star writes.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 12/13/15
Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal has said in the past he has no desire to play for any other team as he approaches restricted free agency next summer, even after Washington didn’t sign him to an extension. Yet now Beal is sidelined once again with another leg injury.
The prevailing thought is that Beal will still re-sign with the Wizards in the offseason. After all, the first-round pick in 2012 is still only 22 and is averaging 19.8 points per game this season. But what will be the cost? The Wizards might be able to bring back Beal at a lower rate because of his history of battling injuries. Beal will likely see a minutes restriction when he initially returns to the court, but what happens if Beal’s injury lingers the rest of the season, though? It appeared Beal was in line to receive a max offer at the start of this season, but that might be in jeopardy now.
That leads us to the question for today: What effect will Bradley Beal’s injury history have on his restricted free agency in the summer?
Being mindful of our commenting policy, let us know in the comments section below what you think. We look forward to learning about what you have to share.
And-Ones: Shumpert, D-League, Ross
Iman Shumpert, who made his season debut Friday after breaking his right wrist just before training camp, is viewed by the Cavs as more of a long-term part of the team compared to J.R. Smith, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. That is one reason why, according to Pluto, the Cavs re-signed Shumpert, 25, to a four-year, $40MM deal very early in the summer. The Cavs believe Shumpert can be a significant part of a championship team because he is unselfish and is a solid 3-point shooter, Pluto adds. In comparison, the Cavs did not re-sign Smith until late August. Smith’s deal was a two-year pact with a player option for 2016/17.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- The Grizzlies recalled James Ennis from the D-League, the team announced. It was the small forward’s third trip to the D-League this season. The 25-year-old has averaged has 23.3 points in 36.8 minutes in three games in the D-League.
- The Lakers assigned Tarik Black, Ryan Kelly and Anthony Brown to their D-League affiliate, the team announced (on Twitter).
- Terrence Ross, who signed a three-year, $31MM extension with the Raptors last month, has not been able to string together consistent performances since inking the deal, Eric Koreen of the National Post writes. Toronto has tried in a variety of ways to spark Ross, including having him come off the bench, but nothing seems to stick, Koreen adds.
Western Notes: Howard, Pachulia, Teletovic
It’s been an unusually quiet season for Dwight Howard, who can opt out of his current deal after the season and become an unrestricted free agent, as the Rockets center is averaging only 12.7 points per game, the fewest since he averaged 12 as a rookie in 2004/05, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle observes in an explanatory piece. For his part, Howard, as Feigen points out, has had no complaints about his seemingly diminished role in the Rockets’ offense.
“To us, it’s important that Dwight serves his role,” Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Dwight’s not a one-dimensional player. Dwight knows how to impact winning in a bunch of different ways. He’s not a guy who has to score the basketball to be effective. As long as he understands how important he is to us and his teammates let him know how important he is to our success, I think he’s confident he’ll go out and do what he’ll have to do to help us win.”
Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- Zaza Pachulia, in a Q&A with Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype, said he initially had mixed feelings regarding his trade to the Mavs from the Bucks, but warmed up to the idea rather quickly. “Here it’s a totally different situation for me,” Pachulia told Sierra. “I was one of the oldest guys in Milwaukee, now I’m coming here and I feel like I’m one the younger guys. So many veterans around me.”
- Nicolas Batum believed the Blazers, as they were constructed last season, had at least another run in them, Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders writes. Things changed, of course, when LaMarcus Aldridge decided to sign with the Spurs. “I understand his choice,” Batum said. “He had done a lot of things for the Portland franchise, but to get a chance with the Spurs to win a ring right away? I think a lot of people would have done the exact same thing. He wanted to go to another place to win a championship, and I respect that. I’m not mad about it, but I was surprised. It was a good run, and it was fun, but it’s time to move on.”
- Mirza Teletovic is enjoying a strong bounce-back season with the Suns after inking a one-year deal following his issue of blood clots, Howard Megdal of USA Today Sports details.
Eastern Notes: Irving, Porzingis, Zeller
Kyrie Irving is ready to play, according to a source who spoke with ESPN.com’s Dave McMenamin, but Cavs coach David Blatt told reporters the star point guard won’t see the court Tuesday. Despite Irving practicing well and looking good, according to Blatt, the Cavs prefer to use extreme caution with Irving, McMenamin details. While it was reported that Irving would play before January, a Cavs source told McMenamin that the he wouldn’t mind if Irving sat out until February if it meant Irving’s chances of being healthy for an extended playoff run would increase.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Cody Zeller, whom the Hornets exercised their 2016/17 rookie scale team option in November, is thriving in the role of center after playing his first two years in the league as a power forward, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes.
- Kristaps Porzingis has likely hit a rookie wall, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News opines. The Knicks‘ European sensation went scoreless for the first time in his NBA career on Saturday and finished a three-game road trip with averages of 5.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game on 24% shooting, Bondy writes. Porzingis played in only 50 games last season in Spain over nearly seven months, and he is already more than halfway toward reaching his minutes total from last season, according to Bondy.
Pacific Notes: Morris, Russell, Mitchell
Trade speculation continues to grow the more Markieff Morris sits on the Suns‘ bench, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic details. Morris, as Coro notes, has seen only seven minutes of action in the past four games after being removed from his role as the team’s starting power forward. Jon Leuer and Mirza Teletovic have played over Morris during this recent stretch.
“We had a couple games where Markieff’s been out where the ball has moved around a little bit differently,” Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said, per Coro. “We have no real post-up threat we can go to in those situations. Markieff will get back. It’s a struggle for him right now but we all feel he’s a good player and he’s going to get it back. Right now, Jon and Mirza are playing better.”
Here’s more out of the Pacific Division:
- The development of rookie D’Angelo Russell has hit a curious snag because of Kobe Bryant‘s farewell tour, Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports writes. Lakers coach Byron Scott‘s decision to sit Russell late in games is confusing to some members of the Lakers’ front office who were convinced to forget about Kristaps Porzingis and Jahlil Okafor because Scott favored Russell, Lee reports.
- On the other hand, J.A. Adande of ESPN.com argues that Scott’s handling of Russell makes sense because he is allowing the young player to remain hungry for minutes. As Adande points out, Russell is actually fourth among rookies in minutes played at 28.4 per game so it seems as if Russell is not being singled out or anything along those lines.
- Tony Mitchell, whom the Warriors waived in October, signed with Venezuela’s Cocodrilos de Caracas, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando relays.
Atlantic Notes: D’Antoni, Thomas, Knicks
- The Celtics have been a different team since the arrival of Isaiah Thomas in last February’s trade deadline and the point guard is emerging as a possible all-star this season, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com writes. Boston owns a .627 winning percentage in his Thomas’ first 51 games in Boston, according to Forsberg. After making only one start last season with the Celtics, Thomas has started 21 times this year and is averaging 20.8 points per game.
- In order to turn their season around, the Knicks need more out of Carmelo Anthony despite the star coming off surgery, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News opines. Bondy compares Anthony to Rajon Rondo of the Kings because they are both polarizing figures, and writes that Anthony needs to have the kind of season that Rondo is experiencing before Kristaps Porzingis becomes the clear face of the franchise.
- Kendall Marshall, who played in his first game of the season Friday night, should provide the Sixers stability at the point guard position with his ability to take care of the ball and 3-point shooting, Derek Bodner of Phillymag.com details.