Southwest Notes: Davis, Gasol, Grizzlies
A max deal is waiting for Kawhi Leonard, but Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili hold the keys to the Spurs‘ summer, Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors wrote last week. If they retire, the Spurs will have the capacity to sign an elite free agent without moving anyone. If they stay, it may displace other key members of the team. While we wait to see how this pivotal offseason plays out for the Spurs, here’s a glance at the rest of the Southwest Division..
- The Pelicans have a lot of big decisions to make this summer, but nothing will carry more weight than trying to get Anthony Davis to sign a five-year extension, John Reid of The Times-Picayune writes. New Orleans is preparing a max money five-year offer and that’s no surprise given the year that he had. Davis ended the regular season with an eye-popping 30.8 PER, the eleventh highest for a single season in league history.
- The Grizzlies‘ trade of Pau Gasol to the Lakers in the deal that fetched them Marc Gasol was controversial at the time, but GM Chris Wallace felt that it was the right move, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com writes. “Our crowds were minuscule, and in our own market we were second but might as well have been 100th,” Wallace said. “We were nowhere near the Memphis Tigers in terms of capturing the imagination of the city. Pau’s candle had been doused; he wasn’t performing well and we weren’t performing well as a team.” Of course, that deal brought Pau’s brother, Marc Gasol, to Memphis.
- Gasol could be a franchise changer for the right team, Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders writes. Memphis officials have maintained that bringing Gasol back is their top priority this summer and all signs point to him staying put with the Grizzlies. However, he’s still expected to explore his options.
Draft Notes: Towns, Okafor, Milutinov
Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) still has Karl-Anthony Towns as the No. 1 overall pick in his latest mock draft. If the Wolves wind up with the top choice, Goodman writes that the Wolves already have a below-the-rim big man in Nikola Pekovic, which would lead them to Towns over Jahlil Okafor. If the lottery goes according to script (though, it rarely does), that would allow the Knicks to take Okafor at No. 2 with the Sixers plucking D’Angelo Russell at No. 3. While we wait to see where the ping pong balls land, here’s a look at the latest draft news..
- Multiple NBA teams have interviewed KK Partizan center Nikola Milutinov and come away with a positive impression of him, David Pick of Eurobasket.net tweets. The Serbian 7-footer is currently projected to go early in the second round by DraftExpress.
- Former Duke guard Rasheed Sulaimon told Goodman that he has committed to Maryland and will spend his final season with the Terps. Sulaimon was dismissed from the Blue Devils’ program in January. Once considered a potential first-round pick after his freshman year, the shooting guard is now ranked only as the No. 45 player in his class by DraftExpress.
- Derek Bodner of USA Today (video link) wonders if Okafor can present a legitimate challenge to Towns to be the No. 1 choice.
Texas Notes: Rondo, Stoudemire, Spurs
Last night in Los Angeles, the Rockets were on the wrong side of a one-sided affair as they fell 128-95 to the Clippers. Houston’s strategy of intentionally fouling DeAndre Jordan didn’t pay off as the big man put up 26 points and 17 boards to put his team up 3-1 in the series. Here’s today’s look at the other two teams in the Lone Star State..
- Mavs guard Rajon Rondo is entering free agency after a down year and Keyon Dooling thinks that whoever signs him will get a tremendous value, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes. “I think his future is bright, I think someone will be getting a hungry veteran who’s still in the prime of his career,” Dooling said. “We’re talking about one of the most unselfish players in the league in his selfish ways. It’s like an anomaly. He’s the most unselfish player in the world on the court but for some reason he has a selfish image. I’m biased because that’s my friend, but I just don’t get it.” Rondo and Dooling (now retired) were teammates in Boston.
- Another pending Mavs free agent, Amar’e Stoudemire says that he could envision a return to Dallas. “There was a lot at stake this season. I’m sure there’s going to be another round of free agency happening again, as it was in 2010. I’ll make my rounds and see what teams are saying, but I think Dallas is a place where I feel comfortable here. I have a chance to have great success here with this franchise. We’ll see,” Stoudemire told Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. Stoudemire appeared in 23 games for Dallas this season but saw the team fall in the first round of the playoffs. The veteran says that he’s “already paid in full” and will be prioritizing winning this summer over money.
- The Spurs will have options via sign-and-trade to add a max free agent this summer, but doing that could put Danny Green‘s future with the team in jeopardy, Dan McCarney of the Express News writes. McCarney runs down Green’s solid resume in San Antonio and concludes that they’ll have a serious hole to fill if he goes elsewhere.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo Likely To Join Knicks
The Knicks have informed the representatives for Thanasis Antetokounmpo that they will likely sign him to an NBA deal for next season, agent Tim Lotsos tells Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. Last summer, the athletic forward turned down a two-year, $550K deal overseas to play for the Knicks’ D-League team in Westchester. Now, it seems like his sacrifice will pay off rather immediately.
Lotsos tells Begley that Antetokounmpo’s “first goal” is to play for the Knicks, but he also wants to get his NBA opportunity. The Knicks have been wowed by the small forward’s athleticism, but they’ve also wanted him to get a little more polished before making the leap to the Association. Last year, when the Knicks were clearly out of the playoff mix, there was some speculation that the Greek standout could get a call up to the varsity squad, but that never materialized.
The Knicks could offer Antetokounmpo a tender for next season and retain his rights, but that would give him the opportunity to seize a more lucrative overseas deal this time around. Last year, Antetokounmpo earned just $25K, less than 10% of what he would have made elsewhere.
Antetokounmpo, the older brother of Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, was drafted late in the second round of the 2014 draft by team president Phil Jackson, who was very impressed with his athleticism. Antetokounmpo averaged 15.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per 36 minutes this past season in the D-League, but Begley hears from scouts that say he’s still too raw and too inconsistent with his jumper to contribute at the next level.
Rockets Hope To Sign Marko Todorovic
The Rockets are pushing to sign big man Marko Todorovic this summer, according to the player who spoke with Catalan newspaper L’Esportiu (translation via Aris Barkas of EuroHoops.net). Todorovic, whose draft rights are owned by Houston, is in the midst of a strong season for Bilbao Basket of the Spanish ACB League while on loan from Barcelona.
“The Rockets want me and in the summer I will [make] my decision. I believed that my style of play doesn’t fit the NBA, but the interest of the Rockets made [me] change my mind,” Todorovic said.
Barkas also hears from sources that Houston intends to make an offer to the 6’11” forward/center. Todorovic was originally drafted by the Blazers with the No. 45 overall pick in the 2013 draft. Just a couple of weeks later, he was sent to the Rockets in a deal that brought Thomas Robinson to Portland while giving Houston enough cap space to sign Dwight Howard.
Barkas also hears that the buyout on Todorovic’s deal is fairly close to the maximum allowed by the NBA’s CBA before it would count against the salary cap. That figure is $625K for 2015/16 but, if necessary, a team could exceed that amount by using cap room or an exception.
Todorovic is currently averaging a career high 11.5 PPG with 4.4 RPG in 27.3 minutes per contest. In March, Todorovic was named the ACB league’s player of the month (Spanish link).
Dirk Nowitzki Wants To Finish Contract
In a recent interview on KTCK-AM 1310, Mavs forward Dirk Nowitzki ruled out the possibility of retiring this season (transcript via SportsDayDFW.com). In fact, we can expect to see the Mavs star to play through his age-38 season.
“No. I definitely want to fulfill my contract. I signed on for three years last summer and I’m not going to retire after the first year. If I commit to something, I commit to it fully,” the 13-time All-Star explained. “I’ve got two more years and hopefully make it count, make it good ones. Hopefully deep playoff runs, that’s what we wanted this year. We wanted home court advantage to set us up for a nice little run, we just weren’t consistent enough to really get there, so, we’ll see how the next few years play out.”
Nowitzki, who averaged 17.3 PPG and 5.9 RPG in 2014/15, admitted that the grind of this past season got to him, but retirement still wasn’t a consideration for him. The 36-year-old (37 in June) said that he still loves to compete and he knows that he’ll find a way to battle through the rigors of another 82 game season as well as grueling summer workouts.
Late last month, Nowitzki said he would be willing to come off the bench for the Mavs next season if it would help the team. At the same time, he cited concerns about feeling stiff if he were to come out of the starting lineup. After holding up solid averages last season and posting an above-average 19.2 PER, it’s possible that the subject won’t even be broached with the 7-footer.
Nowitzki is set to earn roughly $8.3MM in 2015/16 and $8.7MM in the following year. For his career, Nowitzki has averaged 22.2 PPG and 5.9 RPG while shooting 38.3% from three-point range.
Hoops Links: D-League, Heat, Parsons
On this date in 1987, Warriors guard Sleepy Floyd set two NBA playoff records when he dropped 29 points in the fourth quarter and 39 points in the second half. Thanks to Floyd, Golden State beat the Lakers 129-121 in a high-scoring Game 4. In total, Floyd put up a whopping 51 points against Los Angeles.
Got a great basketball blog post that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Send it to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s look around the basketball blogosphere…
- Upside Motor looked at how NBA assignees impacted the D-League standings this year.
- Posterized Basketball reflected on the season in Miami.
- Fantasy Basketball Money Leagues says Chandler Parsons is the face of the Mavs.
- Rant Sports says Kevin Love belongs in Los Angeles.
- Six Championship Drive ranks this summer’s free agents.
Please send submissions for Hoops Links to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
Pistons Notes: SVG, Villanueva, Draft
Only seven of the coaches hired in the summer of 2013 still remain with the teams that brought them aboard then, Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors wrote on Thursday. The first coach from that class to get dropped was Maurice Cheeks, who was canned by the Pistons midway through the 2013/14 season. Cheeks lost his gig largely because he couldn’t get through to prized offseason acquisition Josh Smith, but neither interim coach John Loyer or current coach Stan Van Gundy were successful in that regard either. More from Detroit..
- Pistons GM Jeff Bower believes that Stan Van Gundy‘s dual role will help in the development of draft picks, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes. “Stan has a long-term approach,” Bower said. “He’s got the ability to see a strength in a player and envision how he can work with that player on that strength to make it an even bigger strength. And then what he could take advantage of as a coach on the floor.” There have been many cases in the game’s history where a draft pick doesn’t succeed because of a power struggle between the front office and the coaching staff. Because SVG is a part of both units, there’s no risk of him not giving a fair chance to a rookie.
- Mavericks big man Charlie Villanueva believes that his struggles with the Pistons helped set him up for greater success with Dallas, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com writes. “It was just the hard times in Detroit preparing me for a moment like this,” the sharpshooter explained. “I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Coach (Carlisle) always said to just stay ready and that the opportunity will come, but he just didn’t know when. I just kept working on my craft, stayed sharp, and whenever my name was called I made the most of it.” Villanueva signed a ~$40MM deal with Detroit back in July of 2009 and never lived up to that contract.
- Every conceivable Pistons target at No. 8 or No. 9 will be at the draft combine, including Justise Winslow, Stanley Johnson, Kelly Oubre, and Frank Kaminsky, Langlois tweets. However, the European players who could be under consideration – Kristaps Porzingis and Mario Hazonja – won’t be in attendance.
Heat Notes: Carroll, Chalmers, Deng
Heat president Pat Riley had the opportunity to blow it all up and build from scratch when LeBron James left to join the Cavs last summer. Instead, he re-signed Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade and added Luol Deng in an effort to keep Miami in the playoff mix. As an executive who wants to win in the here and now, it’s perhaps not surprising to hear that Riley’s focus is more on free agency than the draft.
“The very, very best teams in this league are playing developed players, who have had three or four years, or five or 10 years of experience,” Riley said late last month.
More from Miami..
- If the Heat don’t re-sign Deng, Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post wonders if Miami could look to pluck a replacement from a divisional rival. Hawks small forward DeMarre Carroll will be available this summer and he is coming off of a career year. Carroll is also a year younger than Deng and has logged 20,000 fewer minutes, so he could be a safer investment. On the other hand, Carroll will probably command a longer pact than Deng this offseason.
- Going into another contract year, Mario Chalmers must show more consistency and poise if he wants to remain with the Heat beyond 2015/16, Surya Fernandez of FOX Sports writes. Last season, Chalmers’ scoring went up only slightly (9.8 PPG in 2013/14 to 10.2 PPG in 2014/15) but his shooting percentage dropped dramatically (45.4% to 40.3%). His three-point shooting also plummeted as he fell to a career-worst 29.4% from the outside.
- In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if he’s concerned about Goran Dragic and Deng hurting the Heat’s salary cap situation. In Winderman’s view, neither Dragic or Deng really look like salary cap obstacles when considering what the Heat will be paying Chris Bosh for the next four seasons. On top of that, many have said that the Heat have been hurt by a lack of continuity, so retaining both players long-term could be the smart move.
Mirza Teletovic Hopes To Stay With Nets
At a press conference in Bosnia, Mirza Teletovic told reporters that his “desire is to stay with the Nets,” according to Robert Windrem of NetsDaily (on Twitter). Teletovic is eligible for restricted free agency this summer and he cited the Nets’ treatment of his blood clots as a reason for wanting to remain in Brooklyn.
Earlier this week, Nets GM Billy King confirmed that the Nets will extend the more than $4.21MM qualifying offer required to match competing offers for the sharpshooter. King also added that the market will dictate Teletovic’s next deal and from the outside it seems very possible that the Nets will set a hard limit on how far they’re willing to go to keep him.
Teletovic is in the final year of his contract, making slightly more than $3.368MM, and he said in the fall that he planned to listen to offers from the Nets as well as others after the season. The 29-year-old was averaging 8.5 points and 4.9 rebounds in 40 games this season before he was diagnosed with multiple blood clots in his lungs in January. The third-year veteran had been seeing more minutes per game this season (22.3) than in his previous two NBA campaigns, though his playing time had been receding with each passing month.