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2016 NBA All-Star Game Reserves Announced

January 28th, 2016 at 6:14pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The NBA has officially announced the reserves for the 2016 All-Star game, which will be played at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Sunday, February 14th. The names of the reserves were first reported by Carron J. Phillips of The News Journal and confirmed by Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution (All four Twitter links). The starters for both conferences were announced last week, with Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard voted to tip off the exhibition in the West and LeBron James, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Kyle Lowry slated to represent the East.

While the starters are selected by the fans, reserves are chosen by the coaches in each conference, though they are not permitted to vote for players on their own team. Listed below are the reserves for the 2016 NBA All-Star game for each conference:

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

Who was the biggest surprise among the All-Star reserves announced tonight? Share your thoughts with a comment.

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Pacific Notes: Myers, McDonough, Goodwin

January 28th, 2016 at 11:02am CST by Chuck Myron

Reigning Executive of the Year Bob Myers and Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob are persistent talent-seekers, but Myers acknowledges the value of standing pat sometimes, as the team has benefited from having done this past offseason, observes Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group. The continuity is a part of the relaxed culture of togetherness that coach Steve Kerr is building, as Kawakami examines.

“You have to kind of take your ego out of it sometimes and just say, ‘Look, leave it alone. Don’t screw it up,’ “ Myers said.

Golden State nonetheless continues to look around for potential ways to tweak the roster, perhaps with another shooter for the bench, though it’s only logical for the team to do so, Kawakami adds. See more from the Pacific Division:

  • The Suns would like to make at least one trade before the deadline and perhaps more, GM Ryan McDonough said Wednesday in his weekly appearance on the “Burns and Gambo” show on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM radio, as Adam Green of ArizonaSports.com transcribes. “So yeah, I think we’ll be active,” McDonough also said. “We’re not going to act like everything’s OK or like we don’t need to do anything to reposition our team going forward. But will we do a deal or how many deals will we do, I couldn’t tell you at this point.”
  • Injuries to Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight and Ronnie Price have prompted the Suns to turn to Archie Goodwin at the point, and Goodwin is embracing the role, believing that the chance to handle the ball is a better fit for his game, as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic details. Goodwin becomes eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer.
  • Kobe Bryant took a swipe at former Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni in giving praise to Pau Gasol this week, as Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com relays. Gasol has said he’s “very likely” to turn down his player option and become a free agent this summer. “I think the city of L.A. didn’t really appreciate what [Gasol] did and what we had, and so as a consequence, everybody kind of fell in line with the Mike D’Antoni rhetoric of small ball and all this other [expletive],” Bryant said. “For a guy that has two championships to be treated that way, you don’t do that, man.”
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Central Notes: Drummond, Blatt, Longabardi

January 28th, 2016 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Andre Drummond‘s free-throw shooting leaves much to be desired, but he’s working on it with Pistons shooting coach Dave Hopla, and the deficiency is not nearly glaring enough to dissuade the team from giving him a maximum-salary contract in the summer, MLive’s David Mayo contends. Besides, failing to max him out would break the trust between team and player forged when they let the extension deadline pass in the fall for the benefit of cap flexibility in the offseason ahead, and the consequences of such a betrayal would be profound, Mayo argues. See more from the Central Division:

  • The lack of pace with which the Cavs played under former coach David Blatt was a source of conflict between him and the front office, as even though Blatt was aware the team played better when it ran, he was unable to quicken the attack, according to Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Still, members of the Cavs have told Pluto that the team could take a step back before it improves while adjusting to the new speed under Tyronn Lue.
  • The Cavs formally hired Mike Longabardi as an assistant coach before Wednesday’s game, the team announced. Longabardi was one of two assistants the Suns fired a month ago. Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com first reported that Longabardi would be joining the Cleveland staff as a defensive specialist.
  • Mike Dunleavy will play rehab games on D-League assignment before making his return to the Bulls from back surgery, his father, Mike Dunleavy Sr., said Wednesday on SiriusXM NBA Radio, as host Justin Termine tweets.
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And-Ones: Gasol, Mirotic, Bazemore

January 27th, 2016 at 10:26pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The latest indications coming out of Chicago are that the Bulls want to re-sign Pau Gasol this offseason rather than deal him prior to the trade deadline, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. The Bulls have reportedly gauged the trade market for Gasol in discussions that have more often centered on Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson. 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. However, he did add that he would like to remain in Chicago beyond this season.

Here’s the latest from around the NBA:

  • Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic was diagnosed with an acute appendicitis and underwent surgery earlier today, the team announced. The power forward is expected to be out until after the All-Star break.
  • Hawks shooting guard Kent Bazemore is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and the Nuggets are one potential destination, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. Denver coach Michael Malone is familiar with Bazemore from their time spent together with the Warriors when Malone was an assistant, Dempsey notes. “I’m very proud of him,” Malone said of Bazemore. “He was a guy that when he was with us in Golden State, worked hard. Before practice, after practice, barely got a chance to play the year I was there but never dropped his head. He’s got a great work ethic and I think a great story for a lot of these young kids that want to come in the NBA — keep on working, get better.”
  • The Raptors have recalled Lucas Nogueira and Norman Powell from their D-League affiliate and have assigned Anthony Bennett and Bruno Caboclo to the Raptors 905, the team announced (Twitter links).
  • The Hawks have assigned center Edy Tavares to the D-League, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution relays (via Twitter). The big man will be assigned to the Austin Spurs since Atlanta does not possess its own affiliate. Tavares has been assigned to the Spurs‘ affiliate five times this season and the Cavs‘ once.
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Eastern Notes: Skiles, Noah, Winslow

January 27th, 2016 at 5:20pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Magic coach Scott Skiles, when asked about his tenure as Bucks head coach, said he considered his time there a failure, Charles F. Gardner of The Journal Sentinel relays. “Any time you’re someplace four or five years, you have friendships,” Skiles said regarding his time spent in Milwaukee. “We have a sailboat on Lake Michigan. We had a good time this summer here — all six weeks of it. That was a fun year [in 2010]. But like all coaches or like anybody in sports, you’ve got to be judged by wins and losses. From a personal standpoint because we weren’t able to sustain that, I look at it as a situation where I failed.” Skiles’ regular season record as Bucks coach was 162-182.

Skiles did add that the lack of All-Star level talent contributed to the Bucks difficulties, Gardner notes. “From year to year, things change,” Skiles told Gardner. “It’s hard. The teams that can sustain it, it’s not a secret why. They typically have two or three All-Stars that stay for a long period of time and a really solid core, and they just plug other guys in. If you don’t have that, it’s very hard, because other teams are getting better. Everybody’s goal is to have those guys, but there aren’t that many of them.” The last Milwaukee player selected to the NBA All-Star game was Michael Redd, way back in 2004.

Here’s more from out of the East:

  • Bulls center Joakim Noah has dealt with injuries and having his playing time drop this season, the last on his current deal, but he hopes to show the league he can still be a valuable contributor going forward, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com writes. “It’s not easy, but I know there’s people out there who it’s a lot harder for, so I’m not complaining,” Noah said of his pending free agency. “These are my cards right now. And it’s all about how you bounce back. I just want to prove that I have a lot more basketball in me.“
  • The Heat want to continue to expand the role of rookie Justise Winslow and view him as player who can be utilized at multiple positions, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel writes. Winslow, for his part, embraces the variety, Winderman adds. “I mean, that’s the type of player I was growing up, and at Duke, especially, versatile, just trying to do everything,” Winslow said. “I had a post up [Tuesday], knocking down a 3-pointer and playing a little point, just doing a little bit of everything.” The 19-year-old is averaging 5.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists over his 43 appearances this season.
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And-Ones: Durant, Noah, LeBron, Draft

January 26th, 2016 at 2:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

Kevin Durant fielded the first direct questions in more than two months about his upcoming free agency today as the Thunder prepare to play the Knicks in New York, and his answers revealed little, with mostly boilerplate responses surrounding his sentiments for playing at Madison Square Garden, as The Oklahoman’s Anthony Slater transcribes. Still, he dismissed the notion that a large market would be any better for his business profile than small-market Oklahoma City and said his main focus is on the court, anyway. He spoke fondly of New York basketball culture, but that’s standard fare, as Durant himself essentially suggested.

“They link everybody with New York City,” Durant said, according to Slater’s transcription. “One of the greatest cities in the world. They link everybody with this city. So it’s not a bad thing. Great city. Great place to visit, great place to live, I’m sure. They link everybody, it’s not just me.”

See more from around the NBA:

  • Joakim Noah, another soon-to-be free agent, hopes he’ll be back with the Bulls next season, as he told reporters, including Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com (Twitter link). It’s not uncommon for players to say that about their incumbent teams as they approach free agency, but he has reportedly been displeased with how the team has viewed him this year, one in which he played mostly in a backup role before suffering a shoulder injury that’s likely to have ended his season.
  • Heat minority share owner Ranaan Katz is among those who say that LeBron James engineered the firing of former Cavaliers coach David Blatt, adding that James tried and failed to oust Erik Spoelstra when they were together in Miami, according to international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). Spoelstra is currently the NBA’s second longest-tenured coach.
  • Ben Simmons goes to the Sixers, Brandon Ingram to the Lakers and Dragan Bender to the Celtics in the top three picks of the latest mock draft from Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.
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Central Notes: George, Dunleavy, Baynes

January 25th, 2016 at 7:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Paul George is feeling fatigued after playing heavy minutes during the first half of the season and Pacers coach Frank Vogel is mulling a reduction in minutes for his star small forward, according to Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star. George acknowledged to Taylor on Monday that he’s struggling to maintain his optimal performance level because his legs are weary. “I think a lot of it is just being overly confident that I can go out and still do the things I was doing [earlier in the season],” George said. “It’s not the case. It’s hard and it’s weighing on me right now, it’s weighing on my body, it’s weighting on my mental [approach].” George has played at least 30 minutes in every game this month except for one game when he was in foul trouble, Taylor points out. Vogel has rested George in a couple of recent practices and will monitor his minutes during the team’s upcoming homestand, Taylor adds. “It’s definitely something that’s limiting him right now and limiting us and we’ve got to keep a close eye on it,” Vogel told Taylor about George’s energy level.

In other news around the Central Division:

  • Bulls small forward Mike Dunleavy is targeting a February return from the back injury that has kept him out all season, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports. Dunleavy will participate in a controlled contact scrimmage Tuesday after joining the team in non-contact practices for weeks, Johnson adds. Dunleavy, who signed a three-year, $14.5MM contract last summer with the final year non-guaranteed, was originally slated to return in mid-December from his offseason surgery until he suffered a setback during his rehab. “The main thing is staying on top of the exercises and the maintenance stuff I’ve got to do for my back,” Dunleavy told Johnson. “I’m not really thinking, ‘Oh, man, is this thing going to go on me?’ I’m comfortable and confident.”
  • One of the underrated aspects of Aron Baynes‘ game is the hard screens he sets, Rod Beard of the Detroit News writes. The Pistons’ second-unit center, who was signed away from the Spurs during the offseason with a three-year, $19.5MM deal, frees his teammates up with his big body and positioning, Beard adds. “It’s no offense to Andre [Drummond], but Aron Baynes is probably the best screener in the league,” Detroit rookie small forward Stanley Johnson told Beard. “He’s really nailing guys.”
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Central Notes: Cavs, Bulls, Pistons

January 24th, 2016 at 3:15pm CST by Will Joseph

Knicks reserve center Louis Amundson, who spent time with the Cavs last season, in citing a poor locker room atmosphere, wasn’t overly surprised that Cleveland fired coach David Blatt, Marc Berman of the New York Post relays. Amundson said Blatt lacked the experience of coaching in the NBA, which he added is necessary to succeed. The Knicks’ locker room felt more like a team than the Cavs’ to Amundson, Berman writes.

“It didn’t feel like it should feel,’’ Amundson said. “A team with championship aspirations, that’s not how it was supposed to feel. Teams go through ups and downs, but I just think the atmosphere and energy wasn’t there. It wasn’t a healthy atmosphere. Teams go through issues, but it still feels you work through stuff being productive. In that disagreement, it didn’t feel like that. But they did manage to get it together.’’

Here’s more out of the Central Division:

  • Taj Gibson is the most likely player to be traded from the Bulls because Chicago would already have a replacement in rookie Bobby Portis, Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com details (Insider subscription required). It is still unclear if the Bulls view themselves as buyers or sellers as the trade deadline nears, Doolittle adds. If Chicago is looking to add, Luol Deng or Joe Johnson would be sensible targets, Doolittle writes. With Joakim Noah out with an injury, he is almost certainly off the market, according to Doolittle.
  • It isn’t crazy to think that the Pistons will be playing in their own arena in downtown Detroit in less than 10 years, David Mayo of MLive opines. Pistons owner Tom Gores confirmed last week that such a move is being considered, but everything is still in the preliminary stage. In the short-term, however, the Pistons are committed to The Palace of Auburn Hills because they own it debt-free and attendance has been consistent, Mayo writes.
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Dead Money: Central Division

January 23rd, 2016 at 5:20pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Not every dollar of each team’s payroll shows up on the court, as franchises often dish out funds to players who are no longer on their rosters. Players with guaranteed money who are waived, either through a standard waiver release, use of the stretch provision, or when a buyout arrangement is reached, still count against a team’s cap figure for the duration of their contracts, or the amount of time specified by the collective bargaining agreement for when a player’s salary is stretched.

There are even situations that arise, like the one with JaVale McGee and the Sixers, where these players are actually the highest-paid on the team. McGee is set to collect $12MM from Philly, and he won’t score one point or collect one rebound for the franchise this season. The next highest-paid athlete for the Sixers is Gerald Wallace, who was also waived, and he is scheduled to earn $10,105,855 for the 2015/16 campaign. In fact, the total payroll for the Sixers’ entire active roster this season is $32,203,553, which is merely $3,709,857 more than the amount being paid to players no longer on the team!

Listed below are the names and cap hits associated with players who are no longer on the rosters of teams in the Central Division:

Chicago Bulls

Total= $333,333

Cleveland Cavaliers

  • None

Detroit Pistons

Total= $9,353,478

Indiana Pacers

Total= $606,178

Milwaukee Bucks

Total= $1,865,547

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

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Eastern Notes: Afflalo, Mirotic, Jennings

January 23rd, 2016 at 11:36am CST by Eddie Scarito

Knicks shooting guard Arron Afflalo is fine with playing second fiddle to small forward Carmelo Anthony in New York, but he’s ready to answer the call as the team’s go-to player if needed, Mike Coppinger of USA Today writes. “[Anthony] is one of the best scorers of all time, so I don’t mind being second fiddle to that,” said Afflalo. “But, for example, if he ever was to get hurt, or if he’s out of the game for any reason, I don’t have any issues with stepping into that role.”

Most NBA players begin to decline when they reach the age of 30, but Afflalo, who turned 30 in October, believes he can buck that trend, Coppinger relays. “I think I’m only going to get better as I get older because of my style of play,” Afflalo said. “I like to play a more post game, spot-up 3s, coming off screens. These are things that as long as you’re in good condition – I’m not really relying on heavy speed or heavy athleticism – I’m more relying on my footwork and skill and my body. So I feel as I get older with more experience, I’m just going to get better with age.”

Here’s the latest from the Central Division:

  • Bulls combo forward Nikola Mirotic is struggling with his confidence this season after losing his spot as a starter, but he understands he needs to keep working to regain his form, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune writes. “I’m struggling a little bit now and not shooting well,” Mirotic said. “I’m not feeling the same confidence I was before. The only way to get it back is to work hard and stay positive. I need to forget what happened yesterday. I’m not scoring easy baskets. I’m not running like before. I’m not making those open 3s. I’m not doing things in the low post. But if I can do it last year in March, I can do it this year, too. I think it will come soon.“
  • Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy is pleased with Brandon Jennings‘ performance leading the team’s second unit, but he doesn’t think the point guard will be back to full speed until training camp next season, MLive’s David Mayo notes. “For the most part, our team has played well with him on the court, I think because of the way he pushes the ball, and moves the ball, and everything else,” Van Gundy said. “Not only are you coming back off injury, but you miss 30-plus games, and you missed all of the summer. It just takes time to get back into it.“
  • The Celtics have assigned James Young to their D-League affiliate in Maine, the team announced.
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