Eastern Notes: DeRozan, Nets, Jefferson, Curry
Coach Dwane Casey isn’t quite sure why DeMar DeRozan has been playing better of late, but the Raptors nonetheless believe his improved shooting and overall play are sustainable, based on an uptick that dates back to this past March, observes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. DeRozan has a player option worth slightly more than $10MM for next season, but it seems a near-certainty that he’ll decline it and hit free agency in the summer. See more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Nets CEO Brett Yormark spoke about the need for the team to play better in an interview with Crain’s New York Business, and while his remarks weren’t particularly substantive, they demonstrate a continued increase in Yormark’s basketball chatter, NetsDaily points out (Twitter link). Yormark, if given basketball decision-making power, would like to offer “everything under the sun” to bring John Calipari back to the Nets, as Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post wrote in a chat last week (hat tip to Sam Amico of Amico Hoops). However, owner Mikhail Prokhorov wants to make CSKA Moscow team president Andrey Vatutin the next Brooklyn GM, with current GM Billy King‘s contract up after the season, as Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.net reported earlier today.
- Al Jefferson‘s history of injuries juxtaposed against a rising salary cap suggest that the Hornets face a difficult choice as they ponder whether to re-sign him in free agency this summer, writes Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders.
- Stephen Curry has no shortage of affection for Charlotte, where he grew up, but a multitude of reasons that extend even beyond his idyllic basketball situation with the Warriors convince Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer that Curry won’t give the Hornets a second thought when he hits free agency in 2017.
Atlantic Notes: Nets, Knicks, Valanciunas, Carroll
The Nets are actively exploring the trade market for upgrades in the near and long term, league sources tell Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. Their desire to win more now is rooted in their desire to show this summer’s free agents that they’re making strides, as one source explained to Bulpett, as well as the lack of an incentive to tank, given that they owe their 2016 first-rounder to the Celtics without protection. Bulpett also intimates that the Nets want to make the pick that they owe the C’s as low in the order as possible to avoid the embarrassment and potential fan alienation of having traded away a top pick, though it’s unclear if that’s truly behind Brooklyn’s thinking. In any case, Nets GM Billy King said earlier today that although he’ll apply for a disabled player exception, he doesn’t think any point guards on the market could improve the team in the wake of starting point guard Jarrett Jack‘s season-ending injury. See more from the Atlantic Division:
- The crosstown Knicks are looking to upgrade at the point, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post, who looks at a few potential options for the club.
- More conservative use of Jonas Valanciunas on defense has allowed the Raptors to become about as efficient defensively with Valanciunas on the floor as they are with offseason signee Bismack Biyombo, a noted stopper, observes Eric Koreen of the National Post. Still, Valanciunas has his limitations that make it easy to see why his defense was the most significant question surrounding the team’s decision to sign him to a four-year, $64MM extension this past offseason, as Koreen examines.
- It’s been a frustrating, injury-filled season for DeMarre Carroll, but Toronto’s prize offseason acquisition has still been a help to the Raptors, writes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca.
Nets To Apply For Disabled Player Exception
The Nets will apply for a disabled player exception to compensate for the loss of starting point guard Jarrett Jack to a season-ending right knee injury, GM Billy King said today to reporters, including Brian Lewis of the New York Post (on Twitter). King nonetheless said he’s not sure that the team will use it, saying that no point guard on the market at present would “move the needle” and that he would like to give current Nets point guards Shane Larkin and Donald Sloan opportunities to fill the void, observes Andy Vasquez of The Record (Twitter links).
The Nets have to formally submit their application for the exception by January 15th, and while it seems likely the league will grant it, the team will have only until March 10th to use it. The exception would be worth $3.15MM, half of Jack’s $6.3MM salary for this season. The team could use it to sign a player to a deal for the rest of the season. Brooklyn could also claim a player off waivers making that amount or less on an expiring contract. The Nets can use the value of the exception plus $100K to accommodate a player via trade, but, as with a waiver claim, that only works if the player is in the final year of his deal.
Brooklyn is about $2MM shy of the luxury tax threshold, so it’s unlikely the team uses the full value of the exception unless it sheds other salary via trade or waiver. Sloan is the only Nets player without a full guarantee on his contract, but Hollins’ comment suggests the Nets will keep him past Thursday, the last day the team could waive him before his salary becomes fully guaranteed.
Do you agree or disagree with King’s assessment that no point guard on the market would move the needle for the Nets? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Atlantic Notes: McCullough, Raptors, Grant
Nets fans seeking a sliver of hope for the future of the team can look to the impending return of 2015 first-rounder Chris McCullough, who recently began practicing on a limited basis with his teammates, Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes. “It felt great to be out there finally doing some 5-on-5 contact. It felt great,’’ said McCullough. “Every step I take is big. Right here playing 5-on-5 contact is definitely a big step, and it just feels great to be out there.’’
The forward isn’t likely to see any game action until after the All-Star break, though that timetable is just an estimate at this point, Lewis notes. “I’m not really sure right now [when I’ll debut]. I’m just limited in what I can do. … I just take it day by day,’’ McCullough said. “It was good [to practice]. Just have to get accustomed to the speed of the game, and stuff. I haven’t had a 5-on-5 contact practice since last January. I just have to get accustomed to it and I’ll be good.’’
Here’s what else is happening around the Atlantic Division:
- Raptors coach Dwane Casey believes this year’s roster is better prepared for the playoffs than the 2014/15 version, which is the result of the team’s offseason moves designed to make them tougher defensively, Mike Ganter of The Toronto Sun writes. “I think this year we’re grittier, it’s not as pretty but I think we’re grittier, grimier and I think those type of games help you win against good teams down the stretch or in tough situations,” Casey said after Wednesday night’s game against the Wizards. “Does it make you win every night? No, but it gives you a better chance and that’s the difference between this year and last year is just our entire disposition. We have a tougher disposition, I think, from a coaching standpoint.”
- The Sixers are encouraged by the play of Jerami Grant at the power forward spot, and the team believes he may have a future in the league as a stretch-four, Brian Seltzer of NBA.com relays. “I think he’s a modern day four-man,” coach Brett Brown said. “Look at what he’s going to be when his body gets older. He can play three for sure, and he’s that versatile that when you say, there’s small-ball, you got a person.”
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Sixers, Knicks
DeMarre Carroll, who joined the Raptors this past summer when he signed for four years and $58MM, is still in the process of finding his rhythm in Toronto’s offense, Eric Koreen of the National Post details. Carroll was supposed to be a significant part of the Raptors’ success, but so far he has had an unimportant role, Koreen adds. Carroll has missed 12 games and has played with nagging injuries, as Koreen points out. At 20-13 heading into action Friday, the Raptors have managed despite Carroll’s struggles, but if the small forward gets going, Toronto’s future is all the more bright, Koreen surmises.
Here’s more on the Atlantic Division:
- Nets rookie power forward Chris McCullough practiced for the first time since he tore his ACL while at Syracuse last year, NetsDaily tweets. He is not yet cleared to play in games, however.
- The Sixers need high-ceiling young prospects and should use Nerlens Noel as a trade piece because they have a surplus at the center position, John Smallwood of the Philadelphia Daily News opines. A topical converstation lately has been centered on whether or not Noel and Jahlil Okafor can coexist. Smallwood lists Marcus Smart, Dennis Schroder, Zach LaVine and Victor Oladipo as players the Sixers should go after.
- Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis has not been tempted by the city’s night life and that likely can be attributed to the 20-year-old living with his parents in White Plains and not indulging in alcohol, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News writes. The drinking age in Latvia is 18, as Bondy points out.
Atlantic Notes: Early, D-League, Sixers
With the shooting of Knicks forward Cleanthony Early on Wednesday, plus a number of other unfortunate player incidents over the past year, Frank Isola of The New York Daily News opined that free agents may avoid signing with New York based franchises going forward. Nets point guard Jarrett Jack acknowledged that living and playing in New York is different than many other NBA locales, and believes players are targets because of the popularity of the sport in the area, Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes. “Since being in New York for a couple years, and how seriously sports are taken in this city, you’re a lot more visible than your typical team. When the Knicks draft somebody it’s headline news, or when they trade for somebody it’s headline news,’’ said Jack.
“That’s where New York separates itself from a lot of cities. That can be good and bad, but I think you’ve just got to understand what it is and just take it for what it’s worth. Whenever I go somewhere … day or night, we always survey the crowd,” Jack continued. “We always understand what the crowd is wherever we’re going. Like I said, no matter where you go, no one deserves for that to happen. A lot of people want to say ‘It’s his fault, he [Early] shouldn’t have been [out]. How is it his fault?”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Sixers coach Brett Brown is still trying to figure out how too best utilize Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel, and admits the answer to this particular riddle still eludes him, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays.”The four-five, five-four you know it’s still a mystery right now,” Brown said of deciding where to play the two big men. “It really is. And I think we are going to have this conversation throughout the whole year. Trying to grow those two guys is a challenge. So for me, it ends up more matchups than this overwhelming responsibility where it hurts the team. You know we want to win games. How I navigate that is a challenge.“
- The Celtics have assigned power forward Jordan Mickey, point guard Terry Rozier and shooting guard R.J. Hunter to their D-League affiliate in Maine, the team announced. This will be Mickey’s ninth stint with the Red Claws on the season, the fourth for Rozier and the first for Hunter.
And-Ones: Bryant, Van Gundy, Nets
Kobe Bryant claims that former Hornets coach Dave Cowens told him that Charlotte wasn’t interested in him during the 1996 draft, Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com reports. Bryant was shipped to the Lakers for Vlade Divac soon after the draft. “Cowens told me he didn’t want me,” Bryant told reporters in Charlotte. “It wasn’t a question of me even playing here. They had a couple of guards already, a couple small forwards already.” Cowens refuted Bryant’s account of his draft-night odyssey to Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe. Cowens told Himmelsbach that the Hornets were more concerned at the time that Bryant would play professionally in Italy, as his camp threatened if he didn’t wind up with the Lakers or Knicks. Cowens also denied telling Bryant the Hornets didn’t have a spot for him. “I’d never say anything like that to a player,” Cowens told Himmelsbach. “I didn’t know him and he didn’t know me. It wasn’t about him not being able to play for us. It was just [the trade] was already worked out.”
In other news around the league:
- Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy expects a lot of volatility in the Eastern Conference standings this season. Detroit is among 10 conference teams above the .500 mark. “Cleveland hasn’t created a lot of space but they’ve sort of separated themselves as the team at the top of the East. But then everybody else, it’s sort of gone up and down,” he told the assembled media, including Hoops Rumors, last week. “The standings change every single day. We’ve played enough now to say there’s a good chance it stays like that throughout most of the rest of the year. There’s a lot of parity.”
- The D-League’s experiment with coaches challenging an official’s call is still a work in progress, as Adam Johnson of the D-League Digest examines. In its current structure, a coach can only challenge fourth-quarter calls. They lose a timeout if the challenge fails. Limiting challenges to the final quarter is just one of the complaints about the system, Johnson adds.
- The Nets are expected to play more than a dozen doubleheaders next season with their new D-League affiliate’s games preceding the NBA game at Barclays Center, team officials told NetsDaily. The Long Island Nets will begin their inaugural season next November. Barclays will curtain off parts of the arena during D-League games, the report adds.
Atlantic Notes: Crowder, Nets, Ross
Nets CEO Brett Yormark recently mentioned Brook Lopez, Thaddeus Young, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Bojan Bogdanovic as players to build around, and the team indeed intends to keep those four around rather than using them to replenish their depleted draft assets, NetsDaily hears. Yormark also alluded to some of the team’s younger players as building blocks without naming them, and the NetsDaily report speculates about who they might be.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Celtics are thrilled with the play of Jae Crowder, whom the team re-signed over the summer to a five-year, $35MM deal, especially on the defensive end, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. “Jae’s playing at a high level right now on both ends,” said coach Brad Stevens. “But we need him to defend the way he is. The thing about Jae that I think Jae has really improved on throughout the years: being in the right place at the right time from a position standpoint because he’s so … he’s a good physical defender when he’s there.”
- Knicks coach Derek Fisher is still struggling to find the right bench combination, and the playing time of rookie point guard Jerian Grant has taken a hit with veteran Sasha Vujacic assuming an expanded role, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. “We’re still trying to find a way to have five guys that are playing together, flowing together. Sasha obviously has familiarity and history with what we’re trying to do offensively,” Fisher said. “We continue to search for how to get ourselves organized and we feel like Sasha gave us a chance to do so.”
- The recent play of Terrence Ross is justifying the Raptors‘ decision to ink him to a three-year contract extension back in November, Doug Smith of The Toronto Star writes. “The big word is confidence. He’s playing with a tremendous amount of confidence. He’s seeing the ball go through the basket,” coach Dwane Casey said. “I think his defense has been solid, too. It’s not just his offense that’s been pretty solid, it’s his defense, both phases of the game.” Ross has scored 10 or more points in six straight games and is averaging 15.2 points per game over that span, while shooting 49% from the field and connecting on 47% of his 3-point attempts.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson To Miss 3 Months
DECEMBER 28th, 11:38am: In an article he penned for Sportsblog.com, Hollis-Jefferson indicated that he will remain out of action until after the All-Star break. “Physically, I’m feeling better. Each day I’m getting one step closer to fully walking and doing things on my own. It’s looking like I’ll be able to get back on the court after All-Star break, probably around the beginning of March,” wrote Hollis-Jefferson.
DECEMBER 9th, 11:36am: Nets team doctor Martin O’Malley estimates it will take Hollis-Jefferson eight to 10 weeks to return to the court, as O’Malley said in a statement the team sent out as part of a press release announcing that Hollis-Jefferson underwent surgery this morning. The procedure was to repair a fracture of the posterior talus in his right ankle, O’Malley also said.
DECEMBER 8th, 5:55pm: Nets rookie swingman Rondae Hollis-Jefferson suffered a non-displaced fracture of the posterior talus in his right ankle during practice on Sunday and he is scheduled for surgery later this week, Andy Vasquez of The Record notes (Twitter link). A timetable for the player’s return will be provided after the procedure is completed, though coach Lionel Hollins indicated Hollis-Jefferson would be out for approximately 10 weeks during his pregame press briefing this evening, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com relays (via Twitter).
This news is certainly unwelcome for Brooklyn, whose 5-15 start has called into question Hollins’ job security, though the team quickly shot down the reports that it was seeking a replacement for the coach. Hollis-Jefferson’s averages of 5.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game aren’t eye-popping, but the rookie has shown excellent promise and tremendous energy during his limited court time thus far. While Hollis-Jefferson’s continued presence over the coming months wasn’t likely going to improve the team’s winning percentage dramatically, any loss of development time for the young player will certainly impact the team down the line given its distinct lack of draft picks over the next few seasons.
The absence of the 20-year-old will likely mean increased minutes for Bojan Bogdanovic, who is averaging 8.1 points on 43.1% shooting this season. Bogdanovic has been rumored to be on the trading block, though other reports have disputed that. The loss of Hollis-Jefferson could also impact the status of Joe Johnson, whom an ESPN.com panel opined was a prime candidate to reach a buyout arrangement with the Nets this season. With Brooklyn’s depth at the wing now compromised, it could quash any potential moves involving Johnson or Bogdanovic for the time being, though that is merely my speculation.
Eastern Notes: Nets, Pistons, Pacers
During the 2010 offseason, the Nets had dreams of drafting John Wall and luring LeBron James and Chris Bosh via free agency, but the team ended up drafting Derrick Favors and signing veterans Travis Outlaw and Johan Petro, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com details. The Nets ultimately traded 11 first-round picks — including Favors and pick swaps — with the hopes of winning a championship, but the team has won just one playoff series since 2010.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- The Nets hope to make a significant splash in free agency at the end of the season, Mazzeo adds in the same piece. Brooklyn has slightly over $50.5MM in guaranteed salary on the books for the 2016/17 season, as our Salary Cap Projection page shows.
- The Pistons‘ trade for Ersan Ilyasova has worked out for Detroit, but the team’s best trade during the offseason was for Marcus Morris, David Mayo of MLive opines in his latest mailbag. Mayo believes Morris’ four year, $20MM extension, which he signed while a member of the Suns, will prove to be valuable to the team during its lifetime.
- The Pacers have assigned Glenn Robinson III and Joseph Young to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Indiana’s D-League affiliate, according to the team’s website. The team also recalled Shayne Whittington from the Mad Ants.