D-League Notes: Roberson, Thomas, Hairston
The Thunder announced that they have recalled forward Andre Roberson from the Tulsa 66ers of the D-League. During his most recent stint with the 66ers, Roberson averaged 17.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 3.0 steals, 2.5 blocks and 40.5 minutes while helping the team to a pair of road wins at Bakersfield and Los Angeles. Over three assignments this season, the forward is averaging 16.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.9 steals and 1.3 blocks in 37.1 minutes in seven games (all starts). Here’s more out of the NBADL..
- The Spurs today announced that they have recalled forward Malcolm Thomas from the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League. In 10 games with the Toros this season, Thomas is averaging 15.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.40 blocks in 32.6 minutes. The San Diego State product was signed by the Spurs on Dec. 3.
- Scott Rafferty of Ridiculous Upside recaps P.J. Hairston‘s D-League debut. The former UNC forward led the way with a team-high 22 points in 28 minutes off the bench.
- Dakota Schmidt of Ridiculous Upside checked in with Red Claws coach Mike Taylor to discuss Rajon Rondo‘s recent workout with the team, his relationship with Celtics coach Brad Stevens, and some of Maine’s impact players.
Eastern Notes: Stern, ‘Melo, Rondo, Embiid
An end of an era is drawing near when NBA commissioner David Stern will turn the keys over to Adam Silver at the end of this month. Mark Heisler of Sheridan Hoops reminisces on his memories of Stern and the great impact he had on the NBA. Heisler sums up his memories with the following statement. “Whether you loved him, hated him, respected him or lived in fear of angering him, if you played, worked in or followed the NBA, you have him to thank. For people like me, you have him to remember and to miss.”
For those of us who will still be following the NBA beyond Stern’s retirement, here are a few notes around the Eastern Conference.
- According to Al Iannazzone of Newsday, the primary job for the Knicks‘ front office until February 20th is to figure out if Carmelo Anthony wants to stay in New York and what it will take to keep him there. Iannazzone thinks the Knicks should use every effort they can over the next month to get whomever Carmelo wants to play with or they won’t likely have Anthony’s services next season. If they can’t get who Carmelo wants for teammates, Iannazzone urges the Knicks to trade Anthony before the deadline. If not, they risk a very likely chance they lose Carmelo this summer while getting nothing in return.
- One of Carmelo’s desired teammates is rumored to be Rajon Rondo. Reports of Rondo being traded have resurfaced of late and Matt Moore of CBS Sports breaks down why trading Rondo makes sense for the Celtics. Moore believes if the Celtics can get a first-round pick for him they should trade Rondo right away. With Rondo entering a contract year next year Moore reasons the Celtics (as typical of most teams under the current CBA) are unlikely to extend Rondo during the season and wait until the following summer. Moore believes that will be too late for Boston because Rondo won’t wait around for the Celtics current rebuilding project. In addition, according to Moore “the number one rule for any rebuild is you move your best player on a big contract. It gets you the most assets back.”
- While not currently in the NBA, a look at our reverse standings indicates Joel Embiid will very likely join a team from the Eastern Conference next summer. After Embiid’s performance yesterday Jeff Goodman of ESPN (Insider piece), Josh Newman of Zagsblog, and Gary Parrish of CBS Sports all think Embiid has moved into at least the top three of next summer’s draft and potentially the number one pick overall.
Odds & Ends: Rondo, Bosh, McCollum
Fallout from the two Nets trades earlier today continues into the evening. Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders provides his analysis to the trades. According to Brigham, the deal “makes sense for everyone involved”.
A few other notes around the league.
- The famous trade that sent Kevin Garnett to the Celtics may have never happened if it wasn’t for Timberwolves‘ owner, Glen Taylor removing his demand for Rajon Rondo. Peter May of The New York Times writes that Celtics’ owner Wyc Grousbeck stayed firm on his offer and wasn’t willing to part with Rondo in any trade with the Timberwolves.
- Regarding current trade possibilities, Chris Bosh has taken a note from Pau Gasol‘s book by trying to find interests outside of basketball when trade rumor volume increases each year. Bosh noted to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel that he likes how Gasol can be “comfortable in who he is” and not let the constant rumors bother him.
- C.J. McCollum revealed to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders his friendship with fellow Trail Blazer Damian Lillard extends long before becoming teammates this summer. Lillard was someone McCollum wanted to play like and began learning from the guard prior to his last season at Lehigh University.
Celtics Attempting To Move Rajon Rondo?
Just earlier today, we passed along that ESPNBoston.com’s Chad Forsberg suggested it was unlikely Rajon Rondo would be moved, but Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News hears from “more than a few” executives around the league that the C’s will try to deal Rondo, either at the trade deadline or before the draft this June. According to Lawrence, the proposed move would probably be appealing to the recently returned Rondo since he likely won’t be eager to accept a role on a rebuilding team. He’s signed through 2014/15, and will earn about $13MM next season.
There have been a steady flux of Rondo trade rumors since the Celtics and Nets hooked up last summer on the blockbuster deal that sent Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to Brooklyn. Boston GM Danny Ainge has repeatedly dismissed these rumors and continues to stress that he pegs Rondo as the cornerstone to build the franchise around. Rondo has recently been part of rumors involving a potential deal with the Knicks, but Lawrence hears that Phoenix and Houston are two of the most likely landing spots for him. Dallas seems to have an affinity for Rondo as well, but it doesn’t look like they’ll have the proper assets to put together a desirable package for Boston.
Lawrence’s piece implies it’s essentially a foregone conclusion that Rondo will be dealt, which I find a little surprising since there are so many questions about how he will bounce back and perform on the court after recovering from his ACL tear. Rondo’s talent is enticing though, and it’s tough to imagine there are many teams in the league that would object to his presence on their roster. We’ll likely continue to hear trade chatter about Rondo as the February 20th trade deadline fast approaches.
Eastern Notes: Rondo, Celtics, Bulls, Bennett
Rajon Rondo made his long-awaited season debut for the Celtics last night and played 19 minutes in a 107-104 home loss to the Lakers. It was the first time that Rondo had taken the floor since tearing his ACL last January, and he put up eight points while dishing out four assists. Here’s more on Rondo and the Eastern Conference:
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com opines that the Celtics’ decision to name Rondo captain of the team should help to dispel any trade rumors that involve the veteran point guard. It’s unlikely the club decides to name Rondo captain and then one month later ships him off to another team, Forsberg writes.
- In the same piece, Forsberg mentions that Celtics GM Danny Ainge likes the makeup of his team but feels they still need to develop: “We have a long way to go. There’s a lot of good positive things that are happening with our team and a lot of good development with a lot of our young guys. We have some good veteran guys who have set great examples, hard-workers for our young guys. And I feel like we’re figuring out who we want on the bus.“
- The Bulls created quite a bit of financial flexibility when they dealt Luol Deng to Cleveland, but Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders notes that the flexibility will more than likely be used to sign multiple players in free agency, rather than one big name like LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony.
- It’s been a tough season for last summer’s number one pick in the draft, Anthony Bennett. The Cavaliers have yet to get valuable minutes out of the forward from UNLV, and Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer notes that the acquisition of Deng will limit his time on the floor even further. Schmitt Boyer hears Cleveland isn’t against the idea of sending Bennett to the D-League, but for now the team believes his time is better spent in the NBA.
Atlantic Notes: Bargnani, Garnett, Anthony
The Knicks‘ biggest offseason acquisition could be headed to the pine. Andrea Bargnani has been struggling as of late and coach Mike Woodson won’t rule out the possibility of moving him to the bench, writes ESPNNewYork.com’s Ian Begley. Putting Bargnani on the bench would allow Carmelo Anthony to play power forward. “That’s a possibility,” Woodson said before tipoff on Friday. “I know we were great last year with Melo at [power forward] and Melo hasn’t had an opportunity to play a lot of four this year based on, you know, Bargnani, and having Kenyon Martin and Amar’e Stoudemire. You’ll probably see more four now that those guys are out. Bargnani could possibly come off and back up Tyson at the center spot.” More out of the Altantic..
- Joel Anthony has an opportunity to start fresh with the Celtics, writes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. As a seven-year, two-championship ring veteran of the Heat, there’s going to be a certain amount of separation remorse, but he also understands that all good things must end.
- Iman Shumpert has been the subject of trade rumors for months, but the Knicks guard says that he hasn’t lost confidence over it, Begley writes.
- Prized offseason acquisition Kevin Garnett is more than OK with limited minutes, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
Celtics Rumors: Rondo, Ainge, Trade
The latest on the Celtics as they take on the Lakers tonight in Rajon Rondo‘s big return..
- Rondo is set to make his return from a torn ACL for the Celtics tonight, but the Celtics aren’t just showcasing him for a trade, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. The C’s have kept in contact with their point guard about their long-term plan, which focuses on the summer of 2015, according to Deveney. That’s when Rondo can become an unrestricted free agent, and he’s relishing the chance to take over as the unquestioned star of the Celtics, Deveney hears.
- Celtics GM Danny Ainge describes this week’s trade as a “building block,” and explains to reporters, including Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe, what the deal accomplishes for Boston. “They are not the deals that are going to turn the franchise around,” Ainge said. “I think this is just one of those. It opens up opportunities for other guys to play and it gives us some assets to draft players, such as Big Baby [Glen Davis] or Leon Powe that we’ve gotten with second-round picks in the past, or second-round picks that we’ve traded to unload contracts, as we’ve done recently or move up in the draft. Draft picks are very important assets and they are always tradeable, no matter how well they play.”
- Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders wonders how Rondo will look once he’s back on the hardwood.
How Warriors/C’s/Heat Trade Works Financially
The primary reason the Warriors dealt two first-round picks and three bloated contracts to the Jazz this summer was to clear enough room to absorb Andre Iguodala, who came from the Nuggets in that same three-way deal with Utah. Yet if it weren’t for a vestige of that trade, the Warriors wouldn’t have been able to pull off yesterday’s three-teamer with the Celtics and Heat.
Golden State had four trade exceptions at its disposal entering Wednesday. Two of them were for less than $1MM, so they were of no help in acquiring Jordan Crawford and MarShon Brooks. That left them with a choice of either the sizable $11.046MM exception created when the Warriors sent Richard Jefferson to the Jazz, and the other a $4MM exception for Brandon Rush, who also went to Utah. According to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders, the Warriors chose to use the larger Jefferson exception (Twitter link). That makes sense, since the Warriors are more likely to find a deal that would allow them to use most or all of the $4MM Rush exception than to use the $11.046MM Jefferson exception to somehow fit an eight-figure salary onto their payroll without giving up commensurate salary.
The combined incoming salary of $3,372,499 that Golden State acquired in Wednesday’s trade is greater than 150% plus $100K of the outgoing salary of Toney Douglas, who’s making just $1.6MM this year. Ordinarily, the Warriors would have to send out another player to make the deal work, but the Jefferson exception allows them to absorb the $1,210,080 salary of Brooks by itself. That means the Warriors can treat the exchange of Douglas for Crawford as its own transaction, and Crawford’s $2,162,419 pay is less than $150% of the money Douglas makes, so it satisfies the salary-matching requirements.
The Warriors could also make the trade work if they used the Jefferson exception for Crawford and made it a one-for-one swap of Douglas-for-Brooks. That option would create a new trade exception, but it would nonetheless allow for less flexibility. The Douglas-for-Brooks swap would create a tiny exception worth $389,920, which is equal to the difference between the Douglas and Brooks salaries. That amount of money would only be enough to take on a prorated salary. Crawford’s salary would meanwhile eat up a larger portion of the Jefferson exception. Putting Brooks, who makes less than Crawford does, into the Jefferson exception leaves it at $9,835,920. That’s much more useful than creating a new exception for less than $400K, and it allows for greater flexibility than if the Jefferson exception had been reduced to $8,883,581, as would have happened if the Warriors had employed it to absorb Crawford’s salary.
There are still a couple of new exceptions that Wednesday’s trade creates for each of the other teams in the deal. Boston couldn’t absorb Joel Anthony‘s $3.8MM salary for Brooks, since it’s more than 150% plus $100K of what Brooks is making, but Crawford’s salary would fit within those bounds. That allows the Celtics to treat their unloading of Brooks as its own transaction. So, the Celtics have a $1,210,080 exception, equal to the amount of Brooks’ salary, that they can use anytime until the one-year anniversary of Wednesday’s trade.
The Heat gave up one player and received another, so the calculus is simpler for them. They receive a trade exception worth $2.2MM, the difference between the salaries for Anthony and Douglas. Like the Celtics, Miami will have up to one year to use its exception.
Executives from all three teams have said since the trade that they continue to look to make changes. That means the exceptions left over for the Warriors, and the ones that the Celtics and Heat created, could soon play a role, with the trade deadline looming next month.
ShamSports was used in the creation of this post.
Odds & Ends: Nets, Aldridge, Heat, Bogut
Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov believes in the importance of positive thinking. “I still think we have a chance to be a championship if, of course, stars align,” Prokhorov said before the Nets beat the Hawks, 127-110, at O2 Arena in London today. “I think we like sport because it is really unpredictable. So it’s unpredictable, but possible.” Tim Bontemps of the New York Post has more from the Nets’ charismatic owner’s chat with reporters today. Here’s tonight’s look around the league..
- The Blazers are having fun playing together and Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (on Twitter) hears LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum, and Damian Lillard have discussed their plans to play together long-term. Recently, Aldridge expressed openness to signing an extension with Portland.
- Sam Amick of USA Today (video link) breaks down the three-way deal between the Warriors, Heat, and Celtics and what it means for all parties involved.
- His health history is iffy, but Andrew Bogut has been the Warriors‘ iron man this year, writes Carl Steward of the Mercury News. The big man inked a three-year, $42MM extension with Golden State back in October.
Eastern Notes: Knicks, Smith, Deng, C’s
Can the Knicks make the playoffs? Chris Broussard of ESPN.com checked in with four Eastern Conference scouts to find out what they think of New York’s chances going forward. Two scouts say the Knicks can get home court advantage in the postseason, one scout sees them getting in the lower half but not getting far, and the other scout says their recent success is a product of the Eastern Conference’s weakness. More out of the East..
- Mike Woodson said if J.R. Smith isn’t with the program, he should get used to sitting at the end of the Knicks‘ bench, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday. “Put it this way, he’s going to have to be with it if he’s going to want to be a part of it,” Woodson said. “As a coach, it’s my job to make sure that that happens.’‘ It sounds like the Knicks would like to move the outspoken guard, but that could prove to be difficult.
- Bob Finnan of The News-Herald says that the newly-acquired Luol Deng is filling the bill at small forward for the Cavs.
- Caron Butler is happy to be playing for his hometown Bucks, but he wants more playing time, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Journal-Sentinel. “The information I received before coming here is that ‘You’re going to play a lot,‘” said Butler, who thought being traded from Phoenix to Milwaukee would signal more playing time. “And I want to play. I want to be out there to help the situation.“
- Going from least valuable to most valuable, Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req’d) looks at the Celtics‘ trade assets. No surprise here, but the worst trade asset the C’s have is the cumbersome contract of Gerald Wallace.