Atlantic Notes: Fredette, Saric, Prokhorov, Celtics
- Draft-and-stash prospect Dario Saric wished he could have joined the Sixers this past offseason and confirmed to the Croatian outlet Vecernji list that he intends to sign with Philadelphia when his overseas contract allows him to this coming summer (translation via Matt Lombardo of NJ.com). Saric, the 12th pick of the 2014 draft, added that he’s in constant communication with Sixers officials.
- The NBA blocked Mikhail Prokhorov’s plan to borrow money against his share of the Nets to purchase the minority portion that Bruce Ratner owns because it would give the team more than $250MM in debt, sources told Josh Kosman and Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. NBA teams can’t borrow more than that amount without a waiver. So, Prokhorov and Ratner are attempting to restructure the deal that would give Prokhorov 100% of the team, the Post scribes write, and it’s still on track to be complete by year’s end, a league source tells NetsDaily.
- The Celtics recalled Jordan Mickey and James Young from the D-League, the team announced. They received some extra practice reps while with the farm team after the C’s assigned them Tuesday. Keep tabs on all this year’s D-League assignments and recalls with our tracker, which we’ll be updating throughout the season.
Pacific Notes: Kerr, Crawford, Teletovic, Lakers
One Warriors player told ESPN’s J.A. Adande he wouldn’t be surprised if Steve Kerr is out until after the All-Star break, as Adande passed along as the sideline reporter for the network’s coverage of Golden State’s win Wednesday over the Clippers (transcription via James Herbert of CBSSports.com). Kerr told Adande that he’s still dealing with headaches and remains heavily medicated as he tries to recover from back surgery. The Warriors haven’t missed a beat under interim coach Luke Walton, who’s steered the team to a 5-0 record and dominant performances. See more from the Pacific:
- Jamal Crawford is seeing decreased minutes this season as expected, but he’s still OK with that, observes Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. Crawford, a subject of trade rumors this summer with the Heat, Cavs and Knicks reportedly having shown interest, wasn’t present when many of the Clippers traveled to persuade DeAndre Jordan to renege on his decision to bolt to the Mavericks, and when asked why, he said, “I can’t answer that,” according to Bresnahan. However, Crawford did allude to a pro-am tournament that he hosted the same day, Bresnahan points out.
- Offseason signees Sonny Weems and Mirza Teletovic have underwhelming numbers thus far for the Suns, observes Zach Buchanan of the Arizona Republic. Weems feels his defense and decisions have been solid even though he’s yet to score much, while Teletovic thinks a lack of playing time has affected his 3-point accuracy, which is at 25% for the season after Wednesday’s game. “You can’t expect me to come in and score three threes in two minutes,” Teletovic said prior to Wednesday’s game, as Buchanan relays. “It’s tough. You’re not in rhythm. Obviously coming in in the fourth quarter and stuff like that is really tough. I’m trying, but I’m still working.”
- The Lakers are hoping they can balance winning with player development this season, as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News told us for a recent edition of The Beat, and coach Byron Scott acknowledges that it’s his job to do both, as Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com relays. The 0-4 Lakers start a five-game road trip Friday at the Nets. “I’m not always thinking about necessarily developing them,” Scott said of his young players. “I’m always thinking about trying to win. I’m always thinking about trying to win. The development part comes secondary to that, but in practice and everything is where you really work on the development part.”
Atlantic Notes: Robinson, McConnell, Sullinger
- Sixers rookie T.J. McConnell‘s 12 assists Monday against the Cavs were more than he had in any college game, notes Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com, who chronicles the surprising impact of the point guard who made the team out of camp on a deal with only a $100K partial guarantee.
- Sixers coach Brett Brown is high on McConnell in spite of his desire for another point guard, as Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays, which has reportedly led the team to strike a deal with Phil Pressey. “We’ve unearthed something in T.J., that’s just a real pusher point guard, a pass-first point guard,” Brown added. “So I feel like what this team needs to protect ourselves as much as anything is another point guard.”
- Jared Sullinger made statements indicating that he felt counted out after the Celtics failed to sign him to an extension before Monday’s deadline, but the former 21st overall pick isn’t disappointed, as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com clarifies. “It’s part of the business,” Sullinger said. “My main objective is to focus on this basketball team, and try to make us better. That’s just the main focus going into this year. It’s not about extensions.”
And-Ones: LeBron, Noah, Lopez, Lamb, Ross
The combination of his on-court brilliance and his influence over coaching matters and player personnel give LeBron James unprecedented power, and GM David Griffin concedes to Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher that no one in the Cavs organization other than Dan Gilbert is as powerful as James is.
“He’s going to have the biggest voice, he’s the most important, accomplished player in the league and he’s an absolute basketball savant,” Griffin said. “He has the most thorough understanding of X’s and O’s on the floor and best mind for the game off the floor of any human being I’ve ever known. Coach, front-office person, anything. It would be crazy for me not to consult with him on what we want to do.”
Still, Griffin rejects the notion that James runs the franchise, and executives around the league tell Bucher that Griffin has earned the trust of the four-time MVP. While we wait for James to resume his quest for a fifth MVP tonight against the Knicks, see more from around the NBA:
- Joakim Noah makes it clear that he reveres Thunder coach Billy Donovan, who was his coach at the University of Florida, but Noah, poised to hit free agency this summer, wouldn’t say in a Q&A with Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com whether he’s considered playing for Donovan again. Noah’s Bulls and Donovan’s Thunder play Thursday. “I just know I’m going to want to win really bad. Not because I’m playing against Coach Donovan; I love Coach Donovan, obviously,” Noah said to Friedell. “He’s like a father figure to me. Somebody that I’ve gone through a lot with. My time with him as a coach was the best time of my life, and it was a lot more than just basketball.”
- Brook Lopez and his representatives sought to persuade the Nets to keep his name out of trade rumors as they negotiated the three-year max deal that Lopez ultimately signed with Brooklyn this past summer, as he tells Chris Mannix of SI.com. Reports indicated that the Wasserman Media Group client twice nearly ended up in deals that would have sent him to the Thunder last season. “We asked them to temper those ideas,” Lopez said. “We told them to pump the brakes a little.”
- Jeremy Lamb will have to make major improvements to justify his three-year, $21MM extension, writes Ben Golliver of SI.com, who argues that Charlotte has too optimistic a view on the potential of the former lottery pick. The Terrence Ross deal meanwhile offers a decent chance for both him and the Raptors to extract value, Golliver opines as he hands out grades for both extensions.
Atlantic Notes: Green, D-League, Ross
Spurs shooting guard Danny Green acknowledged that the Knicks had reached out to him over the summer, but said that he couldn’t gauge their sincerity and he instead agreed to re-sign with San Antonio when the free agent signing period began back in July, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. “I was very much leaning towards [the Spurs] than anywhere else,’’ Green said. “New York reached out, but I don’t think they were as interested as I thought they’d be. My deal was done pretty quick.’’
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Celtics have assigned power forward Jordan Mickey and swingman James Young to the Maine Red Claws, their D-League affiliate, the team announced (via Twitter). This marks the first assignment of the 2015/16 season for each player. The Red Claws don’t officially open their season until November 12th, so this is likely a move designed to get the duo more practice time, though that is merely my speculation.
- Terrence Ross, who signed a three-year contract extension with the Raptors on Monday, will earn $10MM in 2016/17, and $10.5MM per year for the 2017/18 and 2018/19 campaigns, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Nets have officially added Randy Ayers and Bob Bender to their player personnel scouting staff, the team announced. Ayers was named to the position of college scout, while Bender was named pro scout, according to the press release.
- Jared Sullinger, who failed to reach an agreement with the Celtics on an extension prior to Monday’s deadline, said that he’ll be playing the rest of the season with a chip on his shoulder, and added that even some of his own family members have doubted his abilities, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe relays (via Twitter).
NBA Teams Designate Affiliate Players
NBA teams cut as much as 25% of their rosters at the end of the preseason, but franchises that have D-League affiliates have a way to maintain ties to many of the players they release from the NBA roster. An NBA team can claim the D-League rights to up to four of the players it waives, as long as the players clear waivers, consent to join the D-League, and don’t already have their D-League rights owned by another team. These are known as affiliate players, as our Hoops Rumors Glossary entry details.
NBA teams allocated 46 affiliate players to the D-League at the beginning of the season last year, and this year, that number has risen to 56, according to the list the D-League announced today. These players are going directly to the D-League affiliate of the NBA team that cut them and weren’t eligible for the D-League draft that took place Saturday. Teams that designated fewer than the maximum four affiliate players retain the ability to snag the D-League rights of players they waive during the regular season, but for now, this is the complete list:
Boston Celtics (Maine Red Claws)
Cleveland Cavaliers (Canton Charge)
Dallas Mavericks (Texas Legends)
Detroit Pistons (Grand Rapids Drive)
Golden State Warriors (Santa Cruz Warriors)
Houston Rockets (Rio Grande Valley Vipers)
Indiana Pacers (Fort Wayne Mad Ants)
Los Angeles Lakers (Los Angeles D-Fenders)
Memphis Grizzlies (Iowa Energy)
Miami Heat (Sioux Falls Skyforce)
New York Knicks (Westchester Knicks)
Oklahoma City Thunder (Oklahoma City Blue)
- Michael Cobbins
- Mustapha Farrakhan
- Michael Qualls
- Dez Wells
Orlando Magic (Erie BayHawks)
Philadelphia 76ers (Delaware 87ers)
Phoenix Suns (Bakersfield Jam)
Sacramento Kings (Reno Bighorns)
San Antonio Spurs (Austin Spurs)
Toronto Raptors (Raptors 905)
Utah Jazz (Idaho Stampede)
Also, several players who were on NBA preseason rosters are on D-League rosters through means other than the affiliate player rule. Most of them played under D-League contracts at some point within the last two years, meaning their D-League teams have returning player rights to them. Others entered through last weekend’s D-League draft, while others saw their D-League rights conveyed via trade. Most of these players aren’t with the D-League affiliate of the NBA team they were with last month, with a few exceptions.
- Keith Appling, Magic — Magic affiliate
- Jordan Bachynski, Pistons — Knicks affiliate
- Earl Barron, Hawks — Suns affiliate
- Sampson Carter, Grizzlies — Cavaliers affiliate (D-League draft)
- Patrick Christopher, Grizzlies — Grizzlies affiliate
- Bryce Cotton, Jazz — Spurs affiliate
- Michael Dunigan, Cavaliers — Cavaliers affiliate
- Jarell Eddie, Warriors — Spurs affiliate
- C.J. Fair, Pacers — Pacers affiliate
- Jimmer Fredette, Spurs — Knicks affiliate
- Stefhon Hannah, Bulls — Pistons affiliate
- Jaron Johnson, Wizards — Rockets affiliate
- Omari Johnson, Trail Blazers — Celtics affiliate
- Perry Jones III, Celtics — Grizzlies affiliate (D-League draft)
- Tre Kelley, Heat — Heat affiliate
- Jordan McRae, Sixers — Sixers affiliate (D-League draft)
- Cartier Martin, Pistons — Grizzlies affiliate
- Toure’ Murry, Wizards — Mavericks affiliate (traded with Rockets affiliate for his D-League rights)
- Dan Nwaelele, Grizzlies — Warriors affiliate
- Marcus Simmons, Bulls — Pacers affiliate
- E.J. Singler, Jazz — Jazz affiliate
- DaJuan Summers, Knicks — Knicks affiliate
- Adonis Thomas, Pistons — Pistons affiliate
- Sam Thompson, Hornets — Pistons affiliate (D-League draft)
- J.P. Tokoto, Sixers — Thunder affiliate (traded for his D-League rights)
- Talib Zanna, Thunder — Thunder affiliate
Roster information from Adam Johnson of D-League Digest, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor and freelancer and Hoops Rumors contributor Mark Porcaro was used in the creation of this post.
Nets Likely To Make Mike Conley Top 2016 Target
People around the team believe that Mike Conley is the 2016 free agent that the Nets are most likely to make their top target next summer, according to Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal in Memphis. His connection to Nets coach Lionel Hollins, who used to be the bench boss for the Grizzlies, remains strong, with Conley having called him “like a second father almost to me,” as Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com noted this weekend. Still, Mazzeo suggests that it will be tough for the Nets to make themselves appealing to the point guard who’s No. 3 behind only LeBron James and Kevin Durant in our latest Free Agent Power Rankings, and Herrington doesn’t regard the Nets as a serious threat to sign him.
Conley, 28, is coming to the end of a deeply discounted contract that’s set to give him only slighly more than $9.588MM this season, but not many believe he’ll leave Memphis, as TNT’s David Aldridge wrote this summer. Marc Gasol hinted this summer that Conley is planning a long-term future with the Grizzlies, though the center more recently said he wouldn’t try to coerce his teammate into staying.
The Nets have a hole at point guard, where Jarrett Jack, who’s been a reserve for most of his 10 previous seasons in the NBA, is the starter in the wake of the team’s offseason buyout deal with Deron Williams. Brooklyn owes its 2016 first-round pick to the Celtics without protection, so GM Billy King will likely have to turn to veterans if he is to upgrade the roster after this season. The Nets have only about $45MM committed for next summer, when Joe Johnson comes off the books, and some around the league believe the salary cap will shoot up to $95MM.
Conley will be eligible for a projected maximum starting salary of $24.9MM for 2016/17, though that number is based off the league’s official cap projection of $89MM, and since max salaries are tied to the cap, a $95MM cap would enable Conley to command more. His agent is Mike Conley Sr., his father.
The Grizzlies can use Bird rights to go over the cap to retain Conley, though with less than $48MM committed for 2016/17, they have the cap flexibility to go after another team’s key free agent. Herrington speculates that they might pursue Harrison Barnes, who broke off extension talks with the Warriors last week, though Barnes will be a restricted free agent, meaning the Warriors can match offers for him.
What do you think of Brooklyn’s chances to land Conley or another marquee free agent next summer? Leave a comment to let us know.
Atlantic Notes: Ross, Thomas, Lopez, Fisher
The Raptors have had talks with Terrence Ross but had made no offer as of late Sunday, Sportsnet’s Michael Grange reports. The Aaron Mintz client presents a conundrum because his skill and athleticism don’t always show up in his performance, as Grange examines.
“Consistency is the key on both ends of the floor, not just his offense but his defense,” said Raptors coach Dwane Casey. “And that’s a huge question with him.”
Ross said he likes his new role as a bench player, but despite his status as a reserve, Grange believes $10MM is not out of the question if he and the team agree to terms. As the hours dwindle in advance of tonight’s rookie scale extension deadline at 11pm Central, see more from the Atlantic Division:
- Langston Galloway is continuing to thrive for the Knicks on his partially guaranteed deal this season, and the same is true for Lance Thomas, as Marc Berman of the New York Post examines. Thomas re-signed with New York on a one-year deal of nearly $1.637MM, slightly above the minimum. It doesn’t hurt that Thomas is an ex-teammate of Kevin Durant, Berman posits.
- The roster the Nets put together for this season is thin on three-point shooting, and that allows defenses to focus on stopping Brook Lopez inside, which has forced Lopez to take far fewer shots from close to the basket than he did last season, fellow Post scribe Tim Bontemps observes. Brooklyn re-signed Lopez this summer for three years at the max.
- Knicks coach Derek Fisher is stepping out from team president Phil Jackson‘s shadow as he’s moved away from the triangle somewhat during the team’s first few games this season, notes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
Nets To Decline 2016/17 Option On Sergey Karasev
The Nets will not pick up Sergey Karasev‘s $2.5MM team option for the 2016/17 season, Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops reports (Twitter link).
Karasev underwent season-ending surgery on his right knee in March, but he entered the regular season at full health. Karasev, 22, is not an integral part of the Nets’ rotation. He played only two minutes in Friday’s game and did not play in Brooklyn’s other two contests. We noted that it was generally likely for Brooklyn to pick up the option, considering the cost, but as Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com points out (on Twitter), the decision indicates the Nets likely do not think too highly of Karasev. Brooklyn does not have any other pending rookie scale team options for this year. The Nets have $45,379,214 in guaranteed salary for 2016/17.
Karasev appeared in 33 games for Brooklyn last season season, averaging 4.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 16.8 minutes per contest. The swingman was originally drafted by the Cavs with the No. 19 pick in the 2013 draft.
Atlantic Notes: DeRozan, Conley, Hollis-Jefferson
The Raptors‘ DeMar DeRozan told Sean Deveney of The Sporting News he has no regrets about signing a four-year, $40MM extension in 2012. The deal came just before DeRozan’s break-out season that saw him raise his scoring average to 18.1 points per game. Even though DeRozan could have made much more by waiting for restricted free agency, he doesn’t wish he had taken the gamble. “I don’t regret anything,” DeRozan said. “Everything happens for a reason, man. This is the place I wanted to be, so that’s where I wanted to be. I never second-guessed or thought twice about anything.”
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Mike Conley could be the Nets‘ answer at point guard, according to Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com. The columnist says Brooklyn seems certain to pursue the 28-year-old Grizzlies star when he becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer. He concedes it will be a difficult sell, as Conley is part of a successful franchise in Memphis and the Grizzlies will be able to offer an additional year and roughly $30MM more in salary.
- The Nets had Rondae Hollis-Jefferson rated 12th on their draft board, tweets NetsDaily.com. As he began to slide, Brooklyn made a deal with Portland, which selected him with the 23rd pick.
- The Sixers will endure a year of criticism from fans and the media as they go through what is likely to be another 60-loss season, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Alth0ugh the columnist said the team has been successful in its plan to stockpile assets, cap space and draft picks, the on-court product looks terrible again. The latest public heat on the front office came after this week’s decision to pick up the third-year option on Joel Embiid, who hasn’t played an NBA game and is out for the season after bone-graft surgery in his right foot. Pompey noted that the Sixers have bright spots in Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor and Nik Stauskas, but speculates it will take at least three years to build a contender around them.