Hoops Rumors Originals
Here’s a look at the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff in the last week..
- The Pistons pulled the rare trifecta of lowering their payroll for this season and clearing $3MM from their books for next season while adding a player who’s more well-regarded than any they gave up, Chuck Myron writes.
- In his financial rundown of the Atlantic Division, Chuck looked at the Isaiah Thomas deal, Kevin Garnett‘s departure from Brooklyn, and more.
- Will the Heat make the playoffs? About 55% of you voted yes in Chris Crouse’s poll.
- Eddie Scarito fielded your questions in this week’s mailbag.
- Chuck looked at the financial impact of the deals in the Southeast Division, including the Goran Dragic trade.
- Chuck also looked at the Pacific Division, including the ultra-busy Suns.
- In the Southwest Division, Chuck looked at the financial impact of the moves made by the Rockets and Pelicans.
- We rounded up the best of your comments in this week’s edition of Hoops Rumors Featured Feedback.
- If you missed out on this week’s chat, check out the transcript.
- Play nice, everyone. Here’s a refresher on our commenting policy.
Week In Review: 2/23/15 – 3/1/15
Our look back at the week that was..
- Derrick Rose has a torn meniscus in his right knee for the second season in a row and will require surgery. The good news is that he’s expected to return in four to six weeks.
- Larry Sanders isn’t sure that he’ll ever return to the NBA.
- The Sixers claimed Thomas Robinson off waivers from the Nuggets, spoiling Brooklyn’s deal to sign him. To make room, Tim Frazier was released from his 10-day deal.
- The Pistons claimed Shawne Williams off waivers.
- Three-time All-Star and 14-year NBA veteran Richard Hamilton announced his retirement.
- The Cavs officially signed Kendrick Perkins.
- Mike Miller plans on picking up his $2.8MM player option for next season.
- Brandon Knight acknowledged that remaining with the Suns beyond this season is an attractive option for him.
- It’s unclear if Ray Allen will return this season, but if he does, it won’t be for the Cavs.
- A person familiar with coach George Karl’s thinking says the Kings wouldn’t rule out trading DeMarcus Cousins or anyone else on their roster at the trade deadline.
- More bidders have emerged for the Hawks.
- The Bulls have engaged in exploratory talks for Nate Robinson.
- Lakers coach Byron Scott announced that Ronnie Price will miss the rest of the season after surgery to repair a bone spur in his right elbow, though he could conceivably be back before the finale.
- The Celtics reportedly promised Tayshaun Prince that they would buy him out but reneged when they traded him to the Pistons.
- The Thunder let the Nets know they wouldn’t do the proposed Jackson/Brook Lopez trade just 15 minutes before the deadline.
- The Bulls reached out to the representatives for Mike James and Jannero Pargo, but they won’t fill their open roster spot now that Rose is slated to return in four to six weeks.
- There’s little optimism that Darren Collison will play again this season.
- The Sixers supposedly didn’t want a buyout with JaVale McGee, and he didn’t want one either. However, the two sides are now having discussions about a potential buyout.
- The Jazz and draft-and-stash prospect Tibor Pleiss were working on a deal that would bring the 7’2″ center to Utah, but it appears that they won’t get anything done this season.
- The Clippers signed Jordan Hamilton to a 10-day pact.
- The Heat signed Michael Beasley to a 10-day contract.
- Isaiah Thomas insists he didn’t verbally push the Suns to deal him to the Celtics last week.
- The Jazz signed Jack Cooley to a 10-day deal.
- The Jazz signed Bryce Cotton to a 10-day deal.
- Former Trail Blazers forward Victor Claver will sign with Russia’s Khimki Moscow.
- Former Mavs and Pelicans point guard Gal Mekel has signed with Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod.
- Small forward Darius Miller has signed with Brose Baskets Bamberg.
- The Grizzlies and JaMychal Green agreed to a three-year pact.
And-Ones: Embiid, Johnson, Spurs, Thomas
The Sixers were willing to trade rookie center Joel Embiid for a high draft pick, according to Mark Heisler of Forbes.com. Philadelphia drafted Embiid third overall last June, but he had offseason surgery to repair a broken bone in his right foot and has yet to take the court for the Sixers. Philadelphia was unable to work out a deal for Embiid, but did send reigning Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams to the Bucks in a three-team deal that brought back the Lakers‘ top-five protected first round pick for this year.
There’s more news from around the league:
- The Rockets announced that they have recalled Nick Johnson from the D-League, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (via Twitter). Johnson’s assignment was his fourth trip down this season, as our assignments/recalls log shows. The 22-year-old guard has seen time in 18 games for the Rockets this season, averaging 3.1 PPG and 1.3 RPG in 10.3 minutes per contest.
- Some people, like Charles Barkley, aren’t so wild about analytics. However, Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express News writes that the Spurs are undeniable proof that analytics can help to build a tremendous roster.
- New Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas did his best to squash rumors that he was unhappy with his role while with the Suns, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe tweets. “The guy that complained, you seen it in the media. I didn’t say anything,” Thomas said.
Arthur Hill contributed to this post.
Central Notes: Cavs, Miller, Pistons
Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith are giving LeBron James even more reason to believe in the Cavaliers, Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. Shump and Smith shined against their former team over the weekend and no moment encapsulated that better than the alleyop lobbed by the former to the latter in the fourth quarter. “They’ve given us everything we’ve asked, and more,” James said, about the former Knicks. “We love them. I know I do. I love them and I’m happy to have them on board.” More from the Central Division..
- Mike Miller‘s role on the court with the Cavs has been reduced quite a bit, but he believes that he still has a place on the team and in this league. Miller has a $2.8MM player option for the 2015/16 season and as of now he says his intentions are to pick up that option, Chris Haynes of The Plain Dealer. “I would say yes. I am coming back, but it’s a long year,” Miller said. “I’m going to see how this one goes. All I’m focused on is what we do here. We’ve got 25 games here and then a playoff run. We’ll see how that goes. Where I’m at now, I’ve been blessed to do 15 years. It’s a year-by-year basis. I love what I’m doing.”
- The Pistons were reluctant to trade Kyle Singler at the deadline, Vincent Ellis of the Detroit Free Press tweets. Detroit knew he was about to hit restricted free agency, however, and more importantly they really wanted to land Reggie Jackson.
- More from Ellis (link), who says that despite what’s being said, it’s hard to see Brandon Jennings remaining with the Pistons after next season. Jennings is out for the remainder of this campaign after suffering a torn Achilles tendon. He makes $8MM this season and has one more year worth nearly $8.344MM left on his deal.
Atlantic Notes: AK47, Prince, Blatche, Bass
Andrei Kirilenko said he doesn’t understand why the Sixers kept him for more than two months, waiving him only this weekend instead of cutting him soon after they traded for him in December, as he told Pavel Osipov of Sport-Express (translation via Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.net). He said he didn’t hear anything from Sixers brass for two weeks following the trade, and the forward confirmed that he went on unpaid suspension when he refused to report. Here’s more from the Atlantic..
- The Celtics promised Tayshaun Prince that they would buy him out but reneged when they traded him to the Pistons, a source told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. The Clippers, he adds, were likely disappointed when Prince was shipped to Detroit.
- The Nets don’t have any other moves planned at this time and they’re not willing to eat any of their current contracts to make space for Andray Blatche, according to Robert Windrem of NetsDaily (on Twitter).
- While his role in Boston has fluctuated, Brandon Bass told A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com that he would “definitely” be open to signing a new deal to stay with the Celtics. “If I’m wanted back then yeah, I would want to be back for sure,” said Bass. “It’s been a blessing for me to be here four years, to finish out my contract here. I’m excited about that. Hopefully everything will continue to go in a positive direction.” Bass is earning $6.9MM in his walk year.
- A chance to get on the floor was among the many reasons Gigi Datome was excited when he learned that he had been traded to the Celtics, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes.
- 76ers GM Sam Hinkie is stockpiling second-round picks because, out of a handful, he figures to hit on at least one, as Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “We will not bat 1.000 on every single draft pick,” Hinkie said. “We have them by the bushelful in part because of that, because we don’t have any hubris that we will get them all right. We’re not certain we have an edge over anyone else. We’re not certain we have an edge at all. That’s OK. It’s a hard league, with 30 teams trying to clamor to the top of the same mountain.” The GM continued his polarizing rebuild plan at this year’s trade deadline when he moved Michael Carter-Williams for draft considerations.
- New Nets acquisition Thaddeus Young is motivated by the death of his mother and the promise of making a playoff push, Lenn Robbins of BrooklynNets.com writes.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Sixers Claim Ish Smith, Waive Malcolm Thomas
MONDAY, 9:34am: Philadelphia acquired Smith via waiver claim, doing so Saturday instead of Sunday, according to the RealGM transactions log.
SUNDAY, 4:56pm: The Sixers confirmed both moves via press release, referring to Smith’s acquisition as a signing. That makes sense given the timing, since Smith would have cleared waivers Saturday.
4:40pm: To make room for Smith, the Sixers have waived Malcolm Thomas, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter).
Thomas signed a four-year, non-guaranteed deal for the minimum salary with Philly back in December. The deal was similar to the one he had just signed in October with the club, though that pact gave him a $474K partial guarantee.
Thomas, 26, appeared in 17 games for the Sixers this season, averaging 2.6 PPG and 3.3 RPG in 11.4 minutes per contest. Over parts of four seasons in the NBA, Thomas has appeared in a grand total of 40 games with averages of 1.9 PPG and 2.4 RPG.
4:24pm: The Sixers have claimed guard Ish Smith off waivers, a league source told Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com (via Twitter). The guard was waived by the Pelicans late last week.
Of course, Smith’s stay in New Orleans was incredibly short-lived. The Pelicans acquired Smith from the Thunder in one of the less-heralded deadline day trades. In the swap, New Orleans received Smith, the rights to Latavious Williams, cash considerations, and a 2016 protected second round choice. OKC made the deal to get their roster count to the league maximum of 15 players.
Smith appeared in 30 games this season for the Thunder, averaging 1.2 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. Since going undrafted out of Wake Forest back in 2010, Smith has appeared in 221 career games for the Suns, Magic, Rockets, Bucks and Grizzlies, averaging 2.7 points, 1.9 assists and 1.4 rebounds. His career slash line is .388/.216/.581.
And-Ones: Durant, Heat, Celtics, Hawks
The Thunder announced via press release that Kevin Durant underwent a procedure on his right foot to help alleviate the soreness he has been experiencing. There’s no exact timetable for KD’s return at the moment, but we should have a better idea when he’s reevaluated a week from now. Here’s tonight’s glance around the Association..
- Because of luxury-tax implications, the Heat may have to bypass spending the entire $2.65MM salary-cap exception received for Josh McRoberts‘ knee injury, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes. The Heat have until March 10th to use that DPE, but they’re only $1.4MM below the 2014/15 luxury tax line of $76.8MM. The immediate luxury tax payment would be minimal, but it would reset the team’s luxury tax clock.
- Even with Isaiah Thomas now in the fold, the loss of Jared Sullinger may be enough to sink the Celtics‘ playoff hopes, Jeremy Gottlieb of Boston.com writes. The C’s announced on Sunday that Sullinger will miss the remainder of the season because of a metatarsal stress fracture in his left foot. Sullinger was averaging 14.4 points and 28.7 minutes per game this season, both career highs.
- Who says you need a superstar to win? The Hawks are shunning convention with their roster and soaring, Eric Koreen of the National Post writes.
Southwest Notes: Davis, Anderson, Grizzlies
The Mavericks are happy to welcome Amar’e Stoudemire to town but they haven’t forgotten about the way he dominated them in the 2005 playoffs, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes. “They had a tough team to guard,” said Dirk Nowitzki, remembering the Mavericks’ six-game loss to the Suns in the second round of the playoffs. “And Amar’e was amazing rolling right down the middle, finishing above the rim. Nobody could get to him. He was, for a 6-10 guy, as explosive as this league has probably seen. He could just take off from outside the charge circle and dunk on everybody. He was a beast.” More from the Southwest Division..
- Good news for Anthony Davis and the Pelicans, as tests revealed there was no structural damage to his shoulder, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The big man is now expected to be out for 1-2 weeks.
- Unfortunately, Ryan Anderson figures to be out a little while longer. The Pelicans announced that the forward has been diagnosed with an MCL sprain in his right knee and he’s expected to miss 2-4 weeks of action. Anderson suffered the injury in the second quarter of Saturday night’s contest against the Heat.
- The Grizzlies announced that they have re-assigned forward/center Jarnell Stokes and guard Russ Smith to the their D-League affiliate, the Iowa Energy. This marks the fifth assignment to Iowa for Stokes and the second for Smith, who had three prior stints this season with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Stokes, a University of Tennessee product, spoke with Hoops Rumors prior to the 2014 draft.
Central Notes: LeBron, Prince, Knicks
It was obvious to Frank Isola of the Daily News that LeBron James wasn’t being entirely honest when he announced his return to Cleveland in July. “I’m not promising a championship,” James wrote in Sports Illustrated. “I know how hard that is to deliver. We’re not ready right now. No way. Of course, I want to win next year, but I’m realistic. It will be a long process, much longer than it was in 2010.” Now, however, it’s clear that the Cavs are gunning to win it all. Here’s more from the Central Division..
- Some have speculated that Tayshaun Prince would ask the Pistons for a buyout, but coach Stan Van Gundy doesn’t see that happening, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press writes. “I don’t think it’s a case of that,” Van Gundy said. “You guys can talk to him. I think what happened is, quite honestly, he expected one thing and it didn’t happen. It takes a little bit to adjust, but we talked today and I think he’s ready to go and will be a big help to us down the stretch.”
- If LeBron were ever to leave the Cavs for the Knicks, it would be to team up with Carmelo Anthony and not because he wants to play in the Garden, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. James once again professed his love for MSG as the Cavs came to town to take on the Knicks this weekend.
- When the Knicks traded J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to the Cavaliers, the idea was addition by subtraction, but they have become vital cogs for the title-contending Cavs, Andrew Beaton of the Wall Street Journal writes. “Both of those guys have come in with such great attitudes and given us such great play,” Cleveland coach David Blatt said on Saturday. Still, Beaton writes that it’s not clear if the duo could have found that same success in New York as they might have needed a change of scenery.
- Smith is silencing critics with his play with the Cavs, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders writes.
Atlantic Notes: Robinson, Nets, Datome
Lakers coach Byron Scott told reporters, including Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News (on Twitter), that he dislikes the Celtics so much that he wouldn’t coach them had they ever been interested. It’s been years since Scott donned a purple and gold jersey, but his hatred of Boston doesn’t seem to have died down very much. Here’s tonight’s look at the Atlantic Division..
- Tim Bontemps of the New York Post (via Twitter) doesn’t expect to see the recently-waived Thomas Robinson wind up with the Nets. The Nets, along with the Spurs, Suns, Heat, and Hornets, were said to be one of the teams that have checked in with the former No. 5 overall pick, but Bontemps (link) hears that Brooklyn doesn’t have interest.
- The Celtics were heavily connected to Gigi Datome a couple of years ago but told reporters today, including A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (on Twitter), that Boston never made him an offer. The C’s acquired Datome from the PIstons in last week’s Tayshaun Prince trade.
- Iman Shumpert is no longer a member of the Knicks, but he believes prospective free agents will still want to come to New York this summer, Adam Zagoria of SNY writes. “Without a doubt, I mean it’s New York and I think that the guys in their locker room are happy to be playing here,” Shump said before the Cavs beat the Knicks, 101-83.