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Central Notes: Pistons, Bucks, Bulls

February 7th, 2016 at 2:00pm CST by Will Joseph

The Pistons seem less likely to make any sort of move before this year’s trade deadline for a variety of reasons that Keith Langlois of Pistons.com runs down. One of the main reasons why Langlois expects the Pistons to be quiet is because of the amount of moves executive/coach Stan Van Gundy made last year that have seemingly positioned the franchise to compete for the foreseeable future. What’s more, as Langlois writes, Van Gundy is fond of this team and there is not even an injury at this time that warrants Detroit making a move.

“I think we’re at the point that it would have to be anything that we would view as almost a no-brainer, a major upgrade,” Van Gundy said. “We’re not going to make any moves that would be lateral and we’re not going to move things we consider assets for guys on expiring contracts to just try to chase it for one year and then lose a guy. We’re still in the building phase and we’re going to protect our assets going forward.”

Here is more out of the Central Division:

The Bucks have not had enough time to evaluate their current starting five, so it is unclear if they will add to their bench or make a bolder move as the trade deadline draws near, Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel details. The Bucks employed a new starting group this season of Greg Monroe, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker and Michael Carter-Williams. The Bucks are an interesting team because they made moves in the summer with the hopes of making it to the playoffs, but are 20-32. Milwaukee, as a midmarket team, must use the draft and trades wisely to build a consistent winner, Gardner writes.
Mike Dunleavy Jr., 35, made his season debut Saturday for the Bulls and scored five points in 14 minutes. Dunleavy signed a three-year, $14.5MM contract last summer with the final year non-guaranteed. “A little late to the party, but good to be back,” Dunleavy said, per Nick Friedell of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link). “I felt quite honestly like I hadn’t played in eight months, but got a little better rhythm in the second half. And just testing out my hops again with that dunk.”

Central Notes: Lue, Smith, Butler

February 5th, 2016 at 10:22pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Bulls locker room has become a fragmented one that is separated into cliques, Ben Dowsett of Basketball Insiders relays. One group, which includes point guard Derrick Rose and center Joakim Noah, is harboring lingering resentment with the organization over the ousting of former coach Tom Thibodeau, Dowsett notes. The other group includes Jimmy Butler, who despite the public support of Pau Gasol, has struggled to establish himself as a leader and voice of the team, the Basketball Insiders scribe adds.

The best squads in the league have a culture where veterans and rookies are able to criticize one another in the pursuit of greatness, Dowsett notes. This isn’t something that occurs within the Bulls’ locker room, according to coach Fred Hoiberg. “You have to have that,” Hoiberg told Dowsett. “It has to be something where the guys can look at each other in the face, and be able to hold each other responsible and accountable when they’re not doing it on the floor, and to be able to take that.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Otis Smith has rekindled his passion for the game coaching the Pistons‘ D-League affiliate in Grand Rapids, Tim Casey of USA Today writes. The former Magic GM had zero interest when offered a front office role by coach/executive Stan Van Gundy in 2014, but the opportunity to develop young players through coaching held great appeal, Casey notes. “I like to teach,” Smith said. “Coaching, to me, is just another aspect of teaching … Even when I was in the general manager role, it’s just a broader brush, but it’s all that. It’s all teaching guys how to be men both off the court and men on the court.”
New Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue has risen through the coaching ranks quickly, but despite his relative inexperience, there is the general sense around the organization that the team is in better hands now than it was under former coach David Blatt, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe writes. One message that Lue is attempting to impart to the Cavs players is that they will need to be willing to sacrifice if they want to win a title, Washburn adds. “Winning takes care of everything,” Lue said. “Winning two championships with the Lakers for me, people probably wouldn’t even know who I was. I was the 15th man that first year and people love me in L.A. I was part of a team, part of a championship. It’s an unbelievable feeling.”

And-Ones: Morris, Dunleavy, Korkmaz, Labor

February 4th, 2016 at 1:49pm CST by Chuck Myron

Markieff Morris said he “never had a problem” with former Suns coach Jeff Hornacek, observes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. The incident in which he threw a towel that connected with Hornacek after the pair exchanged words during a game in December, prompting a two-game suspension for the power forward, was “misperceived,” Morris said. With trade rumors continuing to surround the Suns, see more from around the NBA:

Mike Dunleavy is poised to make his season debut Saturday and play his first game since signing a three-year, $14.4MM deal to remain with the Bulls in the offseason, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. A setback he suffered in November cost him several additional weeks as he fought to return from offseason back surgery. Nikola Mirotic is still targeting a return after the All-Star break in spite of an unexpected second procedure that came in the wake of his recent appendectomy, according to fellow Vertical scribe Shams Charania (Twitter link).
Euroleague shooting guard and 2016 draft prospect Furkan Korkmaz has a dead-eye stroke from behind the 3-point line and plenty of hops, but he has a long way to go on defense, as Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and the Vertical on Yahoo Sports examines. Givony ranks him 12th among the players expected to be in this year’s draft.
Using the lockout as a means to force the players union to make concessions is the true legacy of former commissioner David Stern, SB Nation’s Paul Flannery asserts amid a piece with fellow SB Nation scribe Tom Ziller analyzing the first two years of Adam Silver as Stern’s successor. It’s difficult to envision the union making concessions in 2017 without the threat of a lockout, Ziller writes.

D-League Notes: Motiejunas, Dunleavy, Whittington

February 3rd, 2016 at 10:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow, and this season a total of 19 NBA teams possess one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those 11 NBA teams without their own D-League squads this season have to assign players to D-League clubs affiliated with other NBA franchises. We at Hoops Rumors track all the NBA D-League assignments made during the course of the season and you can view the complete tracker, which is updated regularly, here.

Here are the D-League happenings for today:

The Pacers recalled center Shayne Whittington from their D-League affiliate, the team announced. Whittington has appeared in 24 games for the Mad Ants, averaging 12.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game during his four stints with the team this season.
The Bulls have recalled small forward Mike Dunleavy from the Warriors’ D-League affiliate, where the Bulls had sent him via the flexible assignment rule, the team announced via press release.
The Grizzlies recalled James Ennis and Jarell Martin from their D-League affiliate earlier today and later reassigned the pair to the Iowa Energy, the team announced. This will mark Ennis’ eighth jaunt to the D-League on the season and Martin’s fifth.
The Jazz recalled big man Tibor Pleiss from the Idaho Stampede, their D-League affiliate, the team announced.
The Rockets have reassigned Donatas Motiejunas to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. As was the case with his previous assignment this season to Rio Grande Valley, both Motiejunas and the NBPA had to sign off on the move because he is a fourth-year veteran.

Central Notes: Mirotic, Mahinmi, Blatt

February 3rd, 2016 at 8:21pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Bulls originally believed Nikola Mirotic would return after the All-Star break, but that timeline is now up in the air after the forward underwent hematoma removal surgery over the weekend, Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com writes. Mirotic was originally out of commission due to an appendectomy he underwent on January 27th. “He’s still in the hospital,” coach Fred Hoiberg said. “He developed a hematoma, which is a collection of blood, that he had to go back in and have a second surgery to remove. He’s on a liquid diet right now. He’s in quite a bit of pain, but his spirits are OK. Hopefully he’ll get out of the hospital soon and just get him back. As far as a timetable for Niko to get back on the floor, we just don’t know yet. But he had the complication, got it fixed. Hopefully we’ll get him back soon.”

“It’s still too early to tell,” Hoiberg said, when asked about the post-All-Star break timeline. “We’ll have a better idea once Niko gets out of the hospital and just gradually have to get his strength back. Hopefully he’ll be out in the next day or two, out of the hospital. Hopefully Niko will recover quickly from it, but you got to be careful any time you’re dealing with surgery. Not just one, but two, you got to be a little bit careful.”

Here’s more from the NBA’s Central Division:

The struggles he’s had dealing with injuries thus far this campaign have Pacers center Ian Mahinmi calling 2015/16 one of his difficult seasons as a pro, Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports notes. “Yeah, it’s been a little bit of a tough year as far as injuries [for me],” Mahinmi, a free agent at season’s end, told Agness. “When you look at it, I only missed a few games. I probably missed like, what, five games this year. So overall, it’s not crazy. That’s the behind-the-scenes thing that fans and people that work the game don’t really know about it. How much your body goes through. It goes through a lot. You got to keep playing games, and you got to keep practicing every day. It’s been tough. It’s been one of the toughest years for me. Knock on wood — it hasn’t been anything bad, injury wise.”
Cavs shooting guard J.R. Smith appreciates the opportunity former coach David Blatt gave him in Cleveland and believes Blatt will be a head coach in the league again, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com writes. “I mean, I think he’s a good coach,” Smith said. “I think he has an opportunity to get another job somewhere. I think somebody will give him a shot given the circumstances. I think before he took the [Cleveland] job, it was pretty much he was going to coach a different team until LeBron James and Kevin Love and everybody came to the situation. So it was kind of weird, I’m sure, for him from the start for him because he was expecting just to have Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson and before you know it, you got all these other guys. So, I think he has a good chance of getting a job somewhere else. It’s just a matter of time.”

And-Ones: Gasol, Barnes, Garnett, Horford

February 3rd, 2016 at 2:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

Two executives from other teams aren’t sold on the idea that the Bulls are done gauging the trade market for Pau Gasol in the wake of injuries to Joakim Noah and Nikola Mirotic, reports K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, who adds that the Bulls want to re-sign Gasol this summer but at a limited price. Gasol said today that he doesn’t view a trade as likely but wouldn’t be completely shocked if the Bulls dealt him, adding that he wished he had a no-trade clause in his contract, notes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com (ESPN Now link). Gasol also expressed a desire for a no-trade provision in his next contract, which he could only get if he signs with the Grizzlies or Lakers or re-signs with the Bulls on a one-year deal. Formal no-trade clauses are only available to veterans of eight or more years (Gasol qualifies there) who sign with teams they’ve spent at least four seasons with. Gasol is in just year No. 2 with Chicago, but anyone who re-signs with his team on a one-year deal, or a two-year deal with a player option, can veto trades. See more from around the league:

Harrison Barnes has fans within the Timberwolves organization, as Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities says in a podcast, though it’s not entirely certain that Minnesota will pursue the soon-to-be restricted free agent. Barnes engendered an “undercurrent of disenchantment” within the Warriors when he stayed for as long as he did with a sprained ankle that prompted him to miss 16 games this season, as Monte Poole of CSNBayArea.com reported earlier. Wolves GM Milt Newton has no guarantee of running the team’s front office beyond this season after inheriting the authority from the late Flip Saunders.
Kevin Garnett is “no lock” to play next season, as many people close to him aren’t sure whether or not he intends to do so, Wolfson says in the same podcast. In July, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune raised the specter of Garnett moving into a front office position with the Timberwolves next season if he’s not healthy enough to play. Garnett, who turns 40 in May, has appeared in 38 of Minnesota’s 50 games this year and is set to make $8MM in 2016/17 on the two-year contract he signed this past summer.
Soon-to-be free agent Al Horford said he feels like Atlanta is home and added that he isn’t focused on trade talk as the February 18th deadline looms, observes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. That echoes the mostly glowing remarks Horford made about Atlanta and the Hawks organization to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports, and though the Hawks want to-resign him, it’s unclear whether they’re willing to shell out the max contract he’ll be seeking, according to Spears. Horford also said to Spears that other cities probably offer more business and marketing opportunities than Atlanta does, and the Hawks are expected to listen to offers for Horford out of concern that he might walk in free agency this summer, Spears reports.

D-League Notes: Dunleavy, Dinwiddie, Harrison

February 1st, 2016 at 10:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bulls have assigned veteran small forward Mike Dunleavy to the D-League’s Santa Cruz Warriors as he continues to rehab from a back injury that has kept him out all season, the club announced on Monday. Dunleavy will practice there during the Bulls’ West Coast swing but will not appear in a game, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports tweets. The most prominent player to appear in a D-League game this season was Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings, who played one game with the team’s affiliate in Grand Rapids in December while rehabbing from an Achilles tendon injury.

In more news involving the D-League:

Pistons point guard Spencer Dinwiddie has averaged 16.7 points and 6.1 assists in 10 games since he was assigned to Grand Rapids on January 7th. But coach Stan Van Gundy has no plans to bring him back to Detroit in the near future. “Right now, with three healthy point guards, there’s not much reason to bring him back here and sit in street clothes out there,” Van Gundy told the assembled media over the weekend, including Hoops Rumors. “I think it’s better for his development that he gets a chance to play and practice every day.”
The Hornets reassigned rookie point guard Aaron Harrison to the D-League’s Oklahoma City Blue on Monday, the NBA club announced on its website. Harrison, who played one game with the Blue in January, has appeared in 13 games for Charlotte. The Hornets do not have their own D-League affiliate.
Hawks center Edy Tavares has returned from his D-League stint with the Austin Spurs, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. Tavares was assigned to Austin on January 27th.
The Spurs recalled point guard Ray McCallum from Austin, the team tweets. McCallum has appeared in 20 games with San Antonio this season and seven with its D-League affiliate.
The Timberwolves recalled power forward Adreian Payne from the D-League’s Erie BayHawks, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (Twitter link). The team’s PR department later confirmed the move. Payne has appeared in 30 games with the Timberwolves and three with the BayHawks this season.

And-Ones: Lee, Gasol, Griffin

January 31st, 2016 at 10:28pm CST by Will Joseph

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has had conversations with David Lee and his representatives regarding the power forward’s future with Boston, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com reports. Our own Chris Crouse examined Lee as a trade candidate earlier today. The Celtics are open to moving to moving Lee, who is set to be a free agent after the season. Ainge would not detail to Blakely what the conversation was about, but did compliment Lee for dealing with what many would label as a difficult situation; Lee, who has experienced plenty of success over his 10-year career, is no longer in the Celtics’ rotation.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Pau Gasol‘s new agent is Steven Heumann of Creative Artists Agency, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune confirms. Gasol hired Creative Artists Agency to represent him earlier this month. The Bulls are familiar with the firm because the agency is headed by Leon Rose, who represented former coach Tom Thibodeau, Johnson adds. Gasol possesses a player option worth $7,769,520 for 2016/17 and has said that he’s leaning toward opting out of his contract this summer.
The NBA’s investigation of Blake Griffin‘s fight with an assistant equipment manager is still ongoing Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reports. Broussard previously reported that the investigation was complete. There is no timetable for an announcement regarding any discipline for Griffin, per Broussard.
Center Tyson Chandler remains committed to Phoenix despite the Suns‘ disappointing season, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News relays. The Suns signed Chandler to a four-year, $52MM deal this past summer after his productive season with the Mavs. “I’m not jumping ship,” Chandler said. “If the organization decides to move me or something like that, then clearly, that’s something that’s out of my control. But I came here for a reason. I thought it was a young, promising team and I wanted to be a part of helping turn this around and help go to the next level. And I feel like I’m capable of doing that and this organization is capable of doing it. Clearly some things have to change.”

And-Ones: Dunleavy, Thomas, Cameras, D-League

January 30th, 2016 at 10:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

Mike Dunleavy Jr., who hasn’t played since undergoing offseason back surgery, could return before the All-Star break, according to Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. Proclaiming himself “pain free,” Dunleavy said he hopes to practice with Golden State’s D-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, during the Bulls‘ road trip this week. “I feel good,” Dunleavy said. “I’m getting real close. I’m going to spend some time down there next week with the D-League team, some practices. Try to get a little more rhythm and repetition because obviously our team is playing too many games. Gotta get that done and then see where we’re at.” The veteran small forward added that he won’t rush to return and will only play when he’s sure his back is ready.

There’s more tonight from around the world of basketball:

Tyrus Thomas, the No. 4 pick in the 2006 draft, has found peace while playing in Germany’s Bundesliga league, writes K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. Thomas has barely played in the NBA since Charlotte used the amnesty clause to unload his contract in 2013. He signed a 10-day deal with the Grizzlies last year, appearing in two games, and spent much of the season in the D-League. “My career didn’t end the way I wanted,” Thomas said. “But I’m not trying to make up for anything. I’m grateful with the way my career played out because I don’t think I would be the man that I am now if I wouldn’t have had the hardships that I had.”
The NBA has isued an immediate ban on midcourt sideline television cameras, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. The move was prompted by a minor injury to referee Scott Wall, who tripped over a cameraman during a January 21st game in Denver. LeBron James was involved in a similar incident during last year’s Eastern Conference Finals.
The Rockets have assigned K.J. McDaniels and Donatas Motiejunas to their D-League affiliate in Rio Grande Valley, the team tweeted today. Both Motiejunas and the NBPA had to sign off on the move because he is a fourth-year veteran.
The Raptors recalled Anthony Bennett and Bruno Caboclo from their D-League affiliate this evening, the team tweeted.

L.A. Rumors: Griffin, Russell, Gasol, Black

January 30th, 2016 at 9:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA’s investigation of Blake Griffin‘s fight with an assistant equipment manager is complete, according Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. An announcement is expected next week, and the Clippers have been talking to league officials about disciplinary action. Griffin is expected to be sidelined for about two months after breaking his right hand in a January 23rd altercation with Matias Testi at a Toronto restaurant. “He feels awful about it, and he’s let everyone know that,” coach Doc Rivers said of Griffin. “That’s all you can do. You have to forgive people at some point. I believe that.” A source tells Broussard that Testi won’t be fired and will probably rejoin the team next week.

There’s more tonight out of Los Angeles:

Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan are both more valuable to the Clippers than Griffin, contends Tim Kawakami of The Bay Area News Group, who thinks the team should pursue a trade. The columnist cites Griffin’s defensive failings, his tendency to dominate the ball and L.A’s record (now 14-3) without him.
Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell has heard plenty of criticism this season, but he tells Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times that he tries to be hard on himself as well. Russell is averaging 3.4 assists and 2.4 turnovers per game in an up-and-down rookie year, but he thinks he understands the prescription for improving his game. “Don’t take plays off on the defensive end, and on the offensive end don’t be nonchalant.” Russell said. “No player in this league — they might be really, really good and they look like they’re playing nonchalant, but they’re not. Me, at this point, I tend to be nonchalant at times — just getting it out of my system.”
Pau Gasol had mixed emotions about leaving the Lakers for the Bulls in free agency in 2014, writes Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. Gasol talked about a discussion he had with Kobe Bryant before deciding to move on. “Whatever we talked about, which was probably a year-and-a-half ago in free agency, stays there,” Gasol said. “I did tell him that I wanted to play if I could with him forever. But I was ready to move on and put myself in a situation where I thought I was going to be a lot happier and play the way I’ve been playing.”
The Lakers have assigned center Tarik Black to the D-League, tweets the team’s affiliate, the D-Fenders.