Luke Ridnour To Sit Out 2015/16 Season
Luke Ridnour will sit out this season and it’s likely he won’t play in the league again, reports Yahoo Sports’ Marc J. Spears, who cites a source.
The 34-year-old free agent was traded four times in one week during the summer. The Raptors waived the point guard in July.
Ridnour received interest in free agency, but it wasn’t reciprocated, Spears adds. The 12-year veteran has not announced his retirement, but a return appears doubtful, according to Spears.
Ridnour had career lows in points, assists and minutes per game this past season. He is only two years removed from having started all 82 games for the Timberwolves in 2012/13.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 9/20/15
Tristan Thompson‘s salary dispute with the Cavs is ready to carry into training camp because the two sides have been in an impasse since negotiations began in July. Regardless, Thompson appears headed toward signing the Cavs’ qualifying offer and entering unrestricted free agency next summer.
It’s been widely believed that Thompson’s immediate future is in Cleveland, but for how long? If Thompson has a big season how likely is it that he would bolt from the Cavs?
That brings us to today’s topic: What do you think Thompson’s future in the league is and where will he be playing after this season (assuming he signs the Cavs’ qualifying offer for this season)?
Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the subject. We look forward to what you have to say!
Hoops Links: Bucks, Knicks, Suns
Every Sunday, we link to some of the very best work from around the basketball blogosphere. Do you have a link to a great basketball blog post – either your own or someone else’s – that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Then you should send it to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s rundown…
- The Love Of Hoops breaks down the Bucks‘ turnaround season and offseason additions.
- Realballinsiders.com examined the future of the Knicks and Carmelo Anthony.
- Truschoolsports.com wrote about league agent Zachary Charles.
- Welcometoloudcity.com discussed how seeding changes could hurt the Thunder.
- Thesportsquotient.com looked into whether stars suffer a statistical decline over the season.
- Fearthesword.com discussed lineup combinations for the Cavs.
- Brightsideofthesun.com wrote about the Suns‘ dual playmaker system.
Please send submissions to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
Suns Notes: Teletovic, Morris, Chandler
After battling breathing issues last season, Mirza Teletovic, whom the Suns signed to one-year, $5.5MM deal, believes his 3-point shooting ability should help him fit in nicely with his new team, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes in a worthwhile feature on the player from Europe. Teletovic chose a one-year deal in Phoenix over multiyear offers from the Kings, Bucks and his former team, the Nets.
“Coach Jeff [Hornacek] has the center rolling and the four-man [power forward] popping and spreading the court,” Teletovic said. “They like shooting 3s. I like the energy around the team. Goran really liked the place and the people around the place. And Phoenix had wanted me before I went to Brooklyn [in 2012].”
Here’s more on the Suns:
- While what happens with Markieff Morris is the obvious daily storyline to watch regarding the Suns, the New York Post’s Tim Bontemps writes (on Facebook) that since Morris has a team-friendly long-term contract, Phoenix has no need to rush into a trade just to make one.
- Nothing the Suns did — or didn’t do — during the summer suggests the team is headed in the right direction, writes Shaun Powell in his 30 teams in 30 days series for NBA.com. Powell criticizes a few of the Suns’ biggest moves this season, notably the decision to sign Tyson Chandler, who is 32, to a four-year contract worth $52MM. Besides Chandler’s age, Powell questions the move because it takes minutes away from Alex Len. Powell also second-guesses the Suns’ decision to re-sign Brandon Knight because, according to Powell, the team gave him the kind of money that the Bucks wanted to avoid.
And-Ones: Nets, Clippers, Blazers
The non-guaranteed deal that 11-year veteran Dahntay Jones signed with the Nets earlier this month doesn’t fit with the rest of the team’s offseason signings, NetsDaily writes, because he is the oldest Net at 34 and averaged less than a point, less than a rebound and less than an assist per game in a mere 33 games for the Clippers. Jones, however, is known for his toughness and leadership and those are the kind of qualities coaches like on a contender, not a rebuilding team, NetsDaily adds.
Here’s more from around the league:
- D’Angelo Russell, whom the Lakers chose with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, believes he can win the Rookie of the Year award this season and that the Lakers will be in the playoffs, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders writes.
- With size, strength and athleticism, there’s a decent chance Cliff Alexander, who has a non-guaranteed contract worth a reported $525,093, will be a low-risk, high-reward building block for the Blazers‘ future, Mike Richman of The Oregonian writes.
- Former Mavs center Greg Smith did not have an impressive showing in a workout for the Guangdong Tigers, international correspondent David Pick reports (via Twitter).
- The Kentucky Wildcats will showcase their players to league executives in a combine on October 11th, tweets Basketball Insiders’ Alex Kennedy, who cites sources.
- After a productive offseason that was highlighted by the re-signing of DeAndre Jordan and the additions of Paul Pierce, Lance Stephenson, Josh Smith and Pablo Prigioni, the 2015/16 version of the Clippers is the most talented team the franchise has ever assembled, Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders opines.
Warriors Offer Harrison Barnes Extension
The Warriors have offered Harrison Barnes a four-year, $64MM contract extension proposal, reports Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, who cites league sources.
The offer wasn’t accepted, Wojnarowski adds, but this appears to be a starting point in talks that could last until the November 2nd deadline for rookie extensions. Golden State has been reportedly seeking a deal with Barnes and fellow extension-eligible Festus Ezeli.
The offer of $16MM per year annually had been negotiated by Barnes’ former agent, Jeff Wechsler, according to Wojnarowski. After that initial offer, Wechsler countered with a figure north of $16MM annually before he and Barnes parted ways, league sources told Wojnarowski. Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports is representing Barnes now. Former Nets executive Bobby Marks tweets that the proposed deal would allow the Warriors to stay under the tax in the 2016/17 season and allow them to re-sign Stephen Curry in 2017/18 and still have money left for free agents.
Eastern Notes: Heat, Pistons, Wizards
Heat assistant Dan Craig was hired as head coach of the franchise’s D-League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski reports, citing league sources. Craig, who has worked for the Heat for 12 years, has coached the Heat’s summer league teams for the past three years, as Wojnarowski points out.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- There’s a good chance it won’t happen until February, but it is difficult to imagine the Pistons not making a trade involving one of their point guards, David Mayo of MLive.com writes. That’s because, Mayo adds, once Brandon Jennings — who is not expected back from his Achilles injury until December — returns, the Pistons could have three reserve point guards with trade value. Jennings will be on a high-value expiring contract, and Steve Blake will be on a more affordable expiring contract, Mayo writes. Blake was acquired to give the Pistons three healthy point guards to start the season, according to Mayo. Spencer Dinwiddie is also expected to see time at point guard for the Pistons.
- Tim Bontemps of the New York Post believes the Wizards are once again a middle-of-the-pack kind of playoff team (Facebook link). Bontemps adds that the Wizards improved during the summer with a series of small, but smart moves, such as acquiring Kelly Oubre in the draft, signing Gary Neal and trading for Jared Dudley.
Western Notes: Williams, Pressey, Blazers
While Deron Williams was regarded as one of the league’s top point guards not too long ago, just being a serviceable option seems to be the goal nowadays for the former All-Star, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com writes in a lengthy explanatory piece on Williams’ decline. The Mavs signed Williams to a low-risk, two-year contract worth about $10MM with the hopes that the 31-year-old will regain some form.
“I don’t think he’ll be an All-Star again because of how good the West guards are,” one longtime executive told Berger. “I don’t think he’s a top-15 point guard right now, but I think he can eventually get there.”
Here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- Entering his third NBA season, Phil Pressey will begin his first season with the Blazers and enter another training camp competing with Tim Frazier for a backup point guard role, Mike Richman of The Oregonian writes. Both young guards will compete for minutes behind All-Star Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. In his assessment of the player, Richman writes that Pressey is a pure point guard with natural passing instincts who struggles to shoot the ball. Pressey, as Richman points out, has a non-guaranteed contract worth $947,276.
- Frazier, who has a non-guaranteed contract worth $845,059, has a shot for more playing time, according to Richman in another story, because he loves to push the pace in transition and is a natural, willing passer.
Jazz Notes: Favors, Burks, Booker
Four years after the trade that sent Deron Williams from the Jazz to the Nets in exchange for Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, draft picks and cash considerations, it’s Favors who has emerged as the top player, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News writes.
Favors, who averaged a career-high 16 points per game last season along with 8.2 rebounds per game and 1.7 blocks per game, said his goal is to make the All-Star team this year for Utah. Meanwhile, the Nets waived Williams in a buyout agreement during the summer.
“I thought about the trade for the first couple of years and what might’ve been if I stayed on [with the Nets],” Favors told Bondy. “But obviously it worked out for me.”
Here’s more out of Utah:
- Alec Burks, who had left shoulder surgery in January, can be looked at as the best addition to the Jazz because he missed the majority of last season and Utah did not make any splashy signings in the summer, Ben Dowsett of Basketball Insiders writes in a preview of the team. Burks, who was a breakout player in his last full season, has some work to do defensively, as Dowsett adds. The Jazz signed Burks to a four-year extension worth $42MM plus incentives, so the 24-year-old is a cornerstone for the team.
- Trevor Booker said surgery to repair a nasal fracture went well and he’ll start playing basketball next week, Andy Larsen of Saltcityhoops.com tweets. Booker’s salary for this season is fully guaranteed for $4.775MM.
Southwest Notes: Pelicans, Davis, Mavs
When the Pelicans signed Anthony Davis to a max extension, the move put the franchise in win-now mode for five years, writes Shaun Powell in his 30 teams in 30 days series for NBA.com. The Pelicans, Powell adds, are anticipating a better record than last year’s with Alvin Gentry as the new coach. That’s partially why the franchise decided to stand pat this summer. Another reason for not making a move, as Powell points out, is because the contracts of Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson expire after this season. Seemingly being counterproductive, however, the Pelicans decided to spend a lot of money to re-sign Omer Asik and re-sign Alexis Ajinca, Powell adds.
Here’s more from around the Southwest Division:
- Speaking of Gentry, the Pelicans coach said on SiriusXM NBA Radio (Twitter link) that he would not hesitate to rest players like Davis, and Jrue Holiday during the season.
- The Mavs should be better in the backcourt with new starters Wesley Matthews and Deron Williams taking over for Monta Ellis and Rajon Rondo, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes, but overall, the team does not seem improved enough to be a lock for the playoffs. The team is expected have several position battles during camp, so the Mavs should nonetheless be a fun team to keep an eye on, Sefko adds.
- In the same piece, Sefko elaborates on the Mavs‘ bench and writes that Dallas added young players with upside, but the unit isn’t necessarily any better than last year’s group. The Mavs added Jeremy Evans and John Jenkins. Former Dallas bench players Al-Farouq Aminu, Amar’e Stoudemire, Richard Jefferson each bolted elsewhere during the summer.