Lakers To Guarantee Jordan Clarkson’s Contract
No surprise here, but the Lakers will keep Jordan Clarkson and allow his contract to become guaranteed for a year, a team spokesman confirmed to Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times. Contractually, the Lakers had the option of waiving Clarkson on or by August 1st (Saturday) without penalty before his deal was locked in. Because Clarkson played with the Lakers’ summer league team, the guarantee date of his contract moved up from around Halloween to the first day of August, Pincus explains.
Clarkson became the team’s primary point guard for most of the second half last season. In that time, the guard averaged 15.8 PPG, five APG, and 4.2 RPG, earning a spot on the NBA’s all-rookie first team. Pincus notes that this season, Clarkson may slide over to the two next to rookie D’Angelo Russell, with veteran Kobe Bryant moving to the three, though Byron Scott recently said his rotation will be determined in training camp.
Back in May, Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak opined that Clarkson compares similarly in terms of athleticism and style of play to Russell Westbrook.
“If there’s a player in the league that plays like him, it’s Russell Westbrook,” Kupchak said. “Now, I’m not saying for a second that Jordan Clarkson is the next Russell Westbrook, but he’s that kind of a ball-handling guard.”
Wolves’ Flip Saunders On Love, Garnett, Bennett
Before the D-League, there was the Continental Basketball Association. Like the D-League, the CBA gave a platform to some of the less-heralded players out there to show their stuff and earn NBA deals. In the case of Flip Saunders, the CBA was a springboard to a successful NBA coaching career. This week, the head coach/president of basketball operations/part owner of the Timberwolves spoke with Zach Lowe of Grantland about Kevin Love, Kevin Garnett, his journey, and much more. Here’s a look at some of the highlights..
On Kevin Love:
I didn’t have a problem keeping Kevin into the final year of his deal and coaching him. Guys just don’t turn down the extra year and $30MM. Even though he maybe wanted to leave, I thought we still had an opportunity to re-sign him. When you are patient, you can say, ‘This is what we need to get something done, and if we don’t get it, we’re keeping him.’
Then things kind of fell into place, with LeBron going to Cleveland and [Andrew] Wiggins becoming available…People thought it was [bluster when I said I wanted to keep him]. Thoughts might have changed when I announced I would coach. Because what coach wouldn’t want to coach a guy who was All-NBA? Coaches want to win that night. I’m in a unique situation, because as the coach, I live in the present, but as the GM, I look into the future. I try to steer both courses. But people believed I would coach the guy.
On balancing roles and whether he watches college game film to scout draft prospects:
I do watch a lot, actually. You also have to trust people you hire. I’ve been in the league for 18 years. I have an understanding of players. I have a wide base of college coaches I talk to, so I know a lot about guys before they even come into the league. Look, there are positives and negatives to it. You need checks and balances. You can’t make snap decisions. What helps is, I came up in the CBA, where you did everything. I was president, GM, coach, everything, for seven years there. You get to understand the intermingling of the business and basketball sides, because they both have to be successful. You learn how to deal with agents. Building trust with agents is as important as anything in our league now.
On Kevin Garnett‘s role:
He’s gonna start. That’s who he is. KG is a starter. He’s the best power forward on our team, actually. No one rebounds better. He’s the best help defender. No one communicates better. He knows the offense, and he can pass it.
On whether he’ll exercise Anthony Bennett‘s fourth-year option:
We’re going to evaluate him over the summer. He played a good Pan American Games. There is no question about his talent. It’s about getting in shape. He’s in shape now. But it’s going to be competitive with all those guys, and also Nemanja Bjelica, who no one talks about.
DeAndre Kane Signs In Germany
Germany’s Ratiopharm Ulm announced the signing of guard DeAndre Kane, as writes. The Hawks had Kane on their Summer League team this year and had plans to discuss a free agent deal with the 26-year-old, but that apparently won’t be taking place.
The Celtics, Kings, and Jazz all had their eyes on Kane back in January while he was playing for the Antwerp Giants in Belgium. However, due to a contract that ran through the remainder of the NBA season, he wasn’t eligible to come over as an in-season addition.
In his senior season at Iowa State, Kane averaged 17.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 5.9 assists across 36 games. After helping to vault the Cyclones to the Sweet Sixteen, Kane hit the workout circuit hard and auditioned for a number of teams, including the Kings and Jazz.
Kane first established himself as an intriguing prospect at Marshall, where he played his first three seasons of collegiate ball. He also made a transfer of sorts in his first year overseas – Kane signed on with Russia’s Krasny Oktyabr but joined up with Antwerp following his November release.
Kane averaged 14.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 5.4 APG in the EuroChallenge last season.
Marcelo Huertas Still Eyeing NBA Deal
It appears that Brazilian point guard Marcelo Huertas (also known as Marcelinho Huertas) does not have a deal with Galatasaray, despite reports to the contrary by Turkish media. Agent Gerard Darnes of Octagon Basketball took to Twitter (h/t Sportando) to declare that Huertas is focused on the NBA and he added that agent Alex Saratsis is still talking with some NBA clubs.
In late April, we heard that the guard was looking to make the jump to the NBA in 2015/16. Then, a May report indicated that Huertas would remain with his Spanish club, FC Barcelona. For the time being, it appears that Huertas will resist overtures from overseas clubs with the intent of signing with an NBA team.
“This is the right time,” the 31-year-old told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports back in April. “[Rockets guard] Pablo Prigioni is the guy most likely to get compared to me, because our career trajectory had been similar in Europe. And like him, I can run a team without worrying about scoring.”
Huertas was effectively blocked from coming to the United States in the past because his contracts contained exorbitant buyouts. In 29 games for FC Barcelona this past season, the 6’3″ Huertas averaged 7.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in 21.7 minutes per contest. As Huertas told Wojnarowski, he’s anxious to bring his dynamic playmaking and leadership abilities to the Association.
“If you look at NBA rosters, there are unbelievable starting point guards, but maybe not as many guys who can come off the bench able to run the team, score the ball – as well as being able to be a leader for young players,” Huertas said in the spring. “Those are things I know I’ll be able to bring with me.”
David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link) first reported Huertas’ NBA aspirations back in April.
Knicks Sign Kristaps Porzingis, Jerian Grant
The Knicks announced (via Twitter) that they have officially signed first-round picks Kristaps Porzingis and Jerian Grant. The Knicks selected Porzingis No. 4 overall and selected Grant with their other first-round selection at No. 19.
The selection of Porzingis was panned by many Knicks fans who were hoping for a more familiar name, but he has since silenced critics with some impressive performances in Summer League action. Recently, Knicks GM Steve Mills said that scout Clarence Gaines believed the Knicks should have taken Porzingis first overall if they had won the draft lottery. The Knicks weren’t ready to go quite that far, but they were happy to have the forward fall to them at No. 4. Porzingis, who turns 20 on Sunday, was praised by DraftExpress for his fundamentally sound shooting and high-level mobility for a 7-footer.
On draft night, the Knicks shipped Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Hawks to secure the No. 19 pick, which they used to select Grant. The Notre Dame standout spent five years – including a redshirt season – in South Bend, and has shown tremendous poise for a player his age. Prior to the draft, I spoke with Grant about why he didn’t declare for the draft earlier and the progress he made as a senior last season. Grant also told Hoops Rumors that he was hearing he would not slip past No. 22 in the draft and he was proven right in June.
Porzingis is slated to earn $18.65MM over the next four years, according to the 2015 rookie scale. Grant, meanwhile, will earn $7.568MM over that period of time.
Central Notes: Pacers, Allen, Bucks
Earlier this month, the Pacers and Lavoy Allen reached agreement on deal that will keep the big man in Indiana for next season and beyond. Indiana shelled out the money to keep Allen, in part, because they want to pick up the pace on offense.
“That’s one of the main reasons they brought me back was the talk about playing more uptempo,” Allen told Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports. “I think that will really benefit us with the people we have — the shooters and bigs who can run.”
Still, Allen is one of six bigs – or seven, counting Paul George at power forward – on the Pacers and it’s not clear how much time he’ll see on the court. Allen, like the Pacers’ fans, says he’s curious to see how it all shakes out. Here’s more from the Central Division..
- Rising sophomore Shayne Whittington envisions the recently re-signed Allen as having a breakout year for the Pacers, Candace Buckner of the Indy Star writes. “I know we brought Lavoy in for a reason, he’s a great rebounder. He’s a great offensive presence, he can shoot the ball very well. Ian is one of our best defensive assets that we have. I personally think that he’s going to blow up this year if he gets that starting spot. His confidence will skyrocket if he gets that.“
- Between the success of the arena plan and the team’s basketball moves, Bucks owner Wes Edens said, “I think our offseason was a 10. We’re undefeated in the offseason,” Charles F. Gardner of the Journal-Sentinel tweets. On Tuesday, the Bucks’ arena plan cleared a major hurdle.
- Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter) has the details on Rakeem Christmas‘s deal with the Pacers. Christmas’ deal is fully guaranteed for two years with a $50K guarantee in year three and a team option on year four. If that fourth-year option is exercised, then he’ll have a $52K guarantee.
Wolves Notes: LaVine, Miller, Garnett
The staff at ESPN.com ran down a number of topics for the upcoming NBA season, including a debate on who the top breakthrough player will be, and J.A. Adande chose Wolves youngster Zach LaVine. LaVine, he feels, will go from a guy known just for his dunks into someone who will be recognized as a legitimate player. The Wolves made LaVine a full-time starter for the final stretch of is rookie year and he averaged roughly 20 points, 6 assists, and 5 boards in that time. Here’s more on the Wolves..
- Former Nets exec Bobby Marks (on Twitter) opined that if he were a young player, he would want to join up with the Wolves to play with Kevin Garnett and Andre Miller. The Wolves signed Miller on Wednesday, presumably in large part because of his basketball IQ and the wisdom he can impart on the team’s younger players. Before signing Miller, Marks notes (on Twitter) that the Wolves had the eighth-youngest team in the NBA at an average of about 25 years old. Nine of those Wolves players are under the age of 25.
- Wolves coach/exec Flip Saunders may still add another veteran between now and the start of the season, Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press tweets.
- Jerry Zgoda of the Star-Tribune (on Twitter) also believes that the Wolves could add another vet to their young roster. Another roster move involving Damjan Rudez or Anthony Bennett could make room for a free agent signing, Zgoda says.
- Miller “was sold on the direction of the [Wolves] and the veteran leadership he could provide,” agent Andy Miller told Krawczynski (on Twitter).
Atlantic Notes: Celtics, 76ers, Raptors
Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has put together an interesting roster and it’s now up to head coach Brad Stevens to figure out who fits where, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe writes. At this point, Washburn writes that a starting five could be comprised of Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Amir Johnson, and David Lee, though that leaves Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk, and Isaiah Thomas on the outside, not to mention the likes of Evan Turner, Jonas Jerebko, and Tyler Zeller. While Stevens attempts to figure out that puzzle, here’s a look at more items out of the Atlantic Division..
- All signs continue to point to No. 58 overall pick J.P. Tokoto remaining unsigned this season, according to Jake Fischer of SI Now (Twitter link). Tokoto let the Sixers know he was open to playing in the D-League or overseas before Philadelphia drafted him, as Fischer previously reported. Fischer added at that point that Tokoto would have a chance to impress the team during summer league and claim a roster spot anyway, but with summer league in the books, the chances of that happening are apparently slim.
- Former Nets exec Bobby Marks (Twitter links) wouldn’t be surprised if Richaun Holmes‘ contract with the Sixers is similar to what Jerami Grant received last year. Grant inked a four-year deal with Philly in which the first two years were guaranteed and the last two were non-guaranteed. Marks gives the Sixers credit for controlling the process for second-round picks and he says that the player is somewhat at the mercy of the team in these situations.
- The Raptors announced that they have hired Jerry Stackhouse, Rex Kalamian, and Andy Greer as assistant coaches. The hiring of the trio completes head coach Dwane Casey‘s staff. Stackhouse, who played 18 years in the league, is coaching for the first time in the NBA.
- Earlier today we rounded up more news out of the Atlantic.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Northwest Notes: Durant, Thunder, Blazers
The Blazers acquired Mike Miller from the Cavs earlier this week but he’s probably not sticking around for long. The veteran is a “strong candidate” to negotiate a buyout with Portland, Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears, and the Grizzlies, Thunder, and Mavs already appear to be interested. While we wait for more on that, here’s more from the Northwest Division..
- The Thunder remain the front-runners for Kevin Durant‘s 2016 free agency, but Sean Deveney of The Sporting News sizes up the chances that the Wizards, Warriors,
Rockets, Heat, Clippers, Mavericks, Celtics, Knicks and Lakers all of have of convincing the former MVP to leave OKC. - The Thunder viewed Kevin Seraphin as a possible fall-back option if they did not re-sign Enes Kanter, a person with knowledge of the situation tells Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post. At this point, a one-year deal is more likely for Seraphin than a long-term pact, Castillo writes. OKC, of course, has retained Kanter. The Knicks, Lakers, and Wizards are showing interest in Seraphin at this time.
- The SI.com staff debated which team took the biggest step back this summer and multiple writers cast their ballots for the Trail Blazers. The Blazers, of course, have watched Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Robin Lopez wind up elsewhere this summer. Damian Lillard has been surrounded with some promising young talent, but they seem likely to take a big step back in 2015/16.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Hoops Links: Aldridge, Pistons, Lawson
Roughly 17 years ago today, the Hawks became the first NBA team to play in the Soviet Union. Atlanta got the W in the exhibition contest against the (Soviet) Georgia All-Stars when they won 85-84.
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…
- Fantasy Pros ran down the top moves of the offseason, including LaMarcus Aldridge to the Spurs.
- Tru School Sports caught up with Pistons scout Jon-Robert Holden.
- House Of Houston asks if Ty Lawson should start for the Rockets.
- Press Break wonders how good the Western Conference can be next season.
- Hardwood Paroxysm wonders if Roy Hibbert and Kobe Bryant are a ticking time bomb.
- Three And D gave us a glimpse at the Summer League.
- Nets Daily gave us an update on Brooklyn’s offseason.
- Shaw Sports looked at the good and the bad from The Players’ Awards.
- Fueled By Sports says rookie Bobby Portis is already impressing the Bulls.
- Queen City Hoops says Tyler Hansbrough won’t get much burn in Charlotte.
Please send submissions for Hoops Links to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.