Eastern Notes: Gortat, Budenholzer, Zeller, Hoiberg
The Wizards‘ Marcin Gortat is upset about being singled out by coach Randy Wittman following Tuesday’s 24-point loss to the Thunder, writes Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. Wittman angrily said that even he could get one defensive rebound in 27 minutes, as Gortat did in the blowout. “I don’t think it was necessary to call me out in the media like that,” Gortat said. “But it happened. I heard a different story in training camp, that stuff like that won’t happen. But it happened. So I disagree with what he did.” Gortat still has four seasons left on a five-year, $60MM deal he signed in 2014.
There’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- The Hawks released a statement this evening from coach/executive Mike Budenholzer explaining his absence from Friday’s game. “On Friday morning, I returned to Atlanta from Boston to be with my family due to an emergency medical situation involving my wife,” Budenholzer wrote. “We are encouraged by her progress to this point and remain cautiously optimistic.” He promised to return to the team “as soon as possible.” Assistant Kenny Atkinson will continue to coach the team until Budenholzer returns, writes Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- The Celtics‘ Tyler Zeller, who was passed over for an extension earlier this month, is dealing with severely reduced playing time, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com. Zeller has become the odd man out in Boston’s crowded frontcourt, getting just 14 minutes of court time over five games before his role was expanded in Friday’s victory over Atlanta. “Tyler’s a really good player. We just have a lot of bigs,” said coach Brad Stevens. “I don’t know how else to say it. We haven’t shot it great, so you want to play some guys that can stretch the floor and be guarded when the floor is stretched. And that leaves at least one person out.”
- Despite a couple of disappointing losses to the Hornets and Wolves, Bulls president Michael Reinsdorf tells K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune he is completely happy with the performance of new coach Fred Hoiberg. “Fred connects with the players,” Reinsdorf said. “He connects with everyone he talks to because of his experience as a player, executive and coach at the college level.” This is Hoiberg’s first NBA coaching job after spending five years at Iowa State.
Central Notes: Drummond, Budinger, Dellavedova
Andre Drummond reiterated his intention to re-sign with the Pistons this offseason when he is eligible to become a restricted free agent, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports relays. “I love it here. I plan on being here,” Drummond told Spears. Team owner Tom Gores, coach/executive Stan Van Gundy, and Drummond mutually agreed to hold off on signing an extension to allow the team to retain more cap space heading into next offseason in order to make further roster upgrades.
Here’s more from out of the Central Division:
- Small forward Chase Budinger is attempting to carve out his niche on the Pacers after having been acquired from the Wolves this past summer, writes Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star. “I’m still trying to figure that out, it’s still a work in progress,” Budinger said. “My role is still trying to evolve and trying to fit into this system and with this team. I’m still trying to find better ways to be more productive.” The 27-year-old has appeared in nine games this season, averaging just 4.1 points in 15.9 minutes per contest while shooting 41.9% from the field.
- Cavs point guard Matthew Dellavedova has used his strong playoff showing from a season ago as a springboard to a solid start to the 2015/16 campaign, Chris Fedor of The Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. “I feel confident,” Dellavedova told Fedor. “I think you should always be more confident in your game and that comes through putting in the work. I think it was a great experience for me playing in the playoffs last year and working hard in the offseason by playing with the national team. In a different role than I usually play here with the Cavs, and [I] have just tried to build on that. I think if you work hard that’s what helps with your confidence.“
- The Bulls lead the NBA in building through the draft, with a league-best 10 draftees currently on the roster, Sam Smith of NBA.com notes in his leaguewide rundown. “The franchise always has had a strong belief in building through the draft and developing our own players,” said Bulls GM Gar Forman. “It starts with [owner] Jerry [Reinsdorf], who always has been a strong believer in the draft.”
And-Ones: Durant, Green, Aldridge
Sean Deveney of The Sporting News mentions the Lakers, Bulls and Knicks as major-market suitors for Kevin Durant, and the Warriors as a team that could catch his eye, but people around the league have long felt as though Durant will either sign with the Thunder or the Wizards, Deveney writes. It’s a sentiment one Eastern Conference GM who spoke with Deveney confirms. Still, Washington doesn’t plan an extravagant pitch, a source tells Deveney, in keeping with the former MVP’s low-key personality. That said, neither the Warriors nor the Heat should be ruled out as potential Durant destinations, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. See more from around the NBA:
- Gerald Green punched a man who was trying to restrain him from going from the lobby of his condo building to his unit, according to a police report that Manny Navarro and Charles Rabin of the Miami Herald obtained. The man, who elected not to press charges, was attempting to keep Green in the lobby so that he would be there when rescue officials arrived, the report states, according to Navarro and Rabin. Green had earlier approached the front desk of the lobby with bloody hands and asked for a call to paramedics, then proceeded to the valet area in front of the building and collapsed, the report continues, as Navarro and Rabin detail. Green, who was handcuffed but not arrested, was hospitalized and later released and is serving a two-game suspension from the Heat. Team president Pat Riley said the team still believes it can count on Green, who issued an apology as part of a team statement, Navarro and Rabin add.
- The Mavericks weren’t the favorites for LaMarcus Aldridge, but they still had a chance to sign him when they abandoned their pursuit to instead nail down the more certain acquisition of Wesley Matthews, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports details in an inside look at Aldridge’s free agency. Aldridge liked Kobe Bryant‘s basketball chat but little else about the Lakers presentation, while Aldridge was reluctant to share the marquee with James Harden despite an intriguing Rockets pitch and found Raptors GM Masai Ujiri appealing but not convincing enough to sway him to Toronto, according to Wojnarowski.
- The Spurs wooed Aldridge with a casual, face-to-face approach from Gregg Popovich and other San Antonio principals, Wojnarowski explains in the same piece. Popovich’s decision to fly in for a second visit, prompted by Aldridge’s second Lakers meeting, helped sealed the deal for the Spurs, thanks in part to a last-minute appeal from Riley that the Heat president intended to use to sell Aldridge on a secondary role in Miami, Wojnarowski writes. Instead, Aldridge took Riley’s message to heart as he embraced the idea of sacrificing some of his impressive offensive numbers in San Antonio’s egalitarian offense, as the Yahoo scribe details.
D-League Notes: Bulls, Hawks, Celtics, Sixers
GM Gar Forman said the Bulls haven’t used the D-League that frequently because they wanted the players “in our culture,” K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune passes along via Twitter. Earlier today, the Bulls formally announced that they will have their own D-League team starting in the 2016/17 season, so that concern will no longer be an issue.
Here’s more D-League news to pass along:
- Edy Tavares is headed to the D-League affiliate of the Spurs, the Hawks announced today, confirming Tuesday’s report from Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Atlanta was sending the rookie on assignment. The Hawks don’t have a D-League affiliate, so it wasn’t initially clear where he’d end up, though it’s no surprise to see him head to the Austin Spurs, given the ties between the Atlanta and San Antonio organizations.
- The Sixers sent point guards Kendall Marshall and Tony Wroten to their D-League affiliate, the Delaware 87ers, the team announced via press release. The duo aren’t expected to play in any D-League games, but they will work out with the team as they recover from their respective injuries, per John Finger of CSNPhilly.com. These are the first D-League assignments of the season for Philadelphia.
- The Celtics assigned James Young to the Maine Red Claws, their D-League affiliate, and later recalled both him and Jordan Mickey, the team announced (Twitter links). Both players were sent to Maine to log more practice time. It was the third D-League assignment of the season for Young, and the second for Mickey, as our assignment and recall tracker shows.
- The Rockets have assigned swingman K.J. McDaniels to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This is the first D-League assignment of the 2015/16 season for both the player and team.
Eddie Scarito contributed to this post
D-League Formally Adds Bulls Affiliate For 2016/17
The D-League will expand to add a one-to-one affiliate of the Bulls for the 2016/17 season, the league and the Bulls formally announced via press release. The Bulls will own the team outright, running its basketball operations as well as the business side. The affiliate will be based at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. The team is the third that’s set to join the D-League for next season, when the minor league is poised to swell to 22 teams, all of which will be affiliated directly with an NBA parent club. The Hornets and Nets are the other NBA teams starting up their own D-League affiliates next season.
“We’re extremely excited for the valuable investment the Bulls are making by owning and operating an NBA D-League franchise,” Bulls executive VP of basketball operations John Paxson said in the team’s statement. “While it will ingrain our brand more deeply in the surrounding communities, it will also strengthen our team on the court. Our younger players will have a place close to home to grow and mature while playing within a developmental platform that is consistent with Bulls basketball.”
Formal news about a D-League team in Chicago has been expected since the team acknowledged its plans late last month, as Eric Peterson of the Daily Herald detailed. The team won local government approval in Hoffman Estates this week, though a lease agreement still must be finalized.
Still, the Bulls seemed an unlikely candidate to jump into the D-League game before news of their plans emerged. They haven’t made any D-League assignments since 2013, when they twice sent Marquis Teague to the affiliate they used to share with multiple other NBA teams. Before that, their last D-League assignment took place in 2010. The addition of the Bulls affiliate leaves the Hawks, Nuggets, Clippers, Bucks, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Trail Blazers and Wizards as the only NBA franchises without D-League teams that are either already in operation or in place for next season.
Central Notes: Vasquez, Love, Budinger
Greivis Vasquez is just 4 for 29 from behind the 3-point line thus far this season, but the Bucks aren’t fretting about the offseason trade acquisition, notes Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“He’s a vet. He understands he’s got to shoot his way through this. His teammates are telling him to keep shooting,” Kidd said. “If it helps him, I ended my career without making a shot. Hopefully that makes him feel better.”
Kidd was making a self-deprecating reference to his 0 for 17 performance in the final 10 games of his career. With the Bucks possessing a 4-3 record and apparently in a jovial mood, they aren’t the only ones with a relatively carefree attitude to start the season. See more from the Central Division:
- Kevin Love is carrying a looser demeanor and he and LeBron James seemingly have a much more open dialogue than they did last season, observes Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. Love, despite rumors that he would bolt, was the first of the major Cavs free agents to recommit to the team this past summer, as I noted when I examined the team’s offseason accomplishments earlier today.
- Chase Budinger, a summer trade pickup, was struggling to find his role on the Pacers leading up to Monday’s game, as Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star examines, and coach Frank Vogel absorbs responsibility for it. “I haven’t really called Chase’s number very much at all,” Vogel said. “I told him a couple days ago that’s on me. I got to make sure we’re taking advantage of his skill set more.”
- The Bulls received approval from the village board in suburban Hoffman Estates, Illinois for their plan to place a one-to-one D-League affiliate there starting next season, writes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. The lease agreement for the team to use the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates isn’t final, but it’s expected to become so, according to Johnson, who adds that the Bulls have called a press conference for Wednesday. Presumably, a formal announcement about the D-League team will take place at that point.
And-Ones: Bryant, Barnes, Pacers
Kobe Bryant would be thrilled to play for USA Basketball in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, he told Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press. Bryant, who won gold medals the past two Olympics, could end his competitive basketball career in the Olympics if he chooses to retire after this NBA season, Reynolds adds. “It would mean the world to me to be around those guys,” the veteran Lakers’ swingman said. “I think to be able to have a chance to continue the relationship that I already have with most of those guys, talking and just kind of being around each other and understanding that this is it, it’s just us being together, that would be fun.” The 12-player roster is expected to be revealed in June.
In other news around the league:
- Dragan Bender, a 7’0” forward who plays for Maccabi Tel Aviv, heads the list of Top 10 NBA prospects compiled by Kevin O’Connor of DraftExpress.com and Celticsblog.com. The 17-year-old could be a draft-and-stash option for the Celtics, who own the struggling Nets’ 2016 first-rounder. The next three players on his list are also 6’10” or taller — LSU point forward Ben Simmons, Kentucky center Skal Labissiere and Duke forward Brandon Ingram.
- Matt Barnes is still furious that Knicks coach Derek Fisher went to the authorities after their October altercation at the home of Barnes’ estranged wife, Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times tweets. “We’re two grown men who should have handled two grown men’s business, but he wanted to run and tell the cops and the NBA,” the Grizzlies’ small forward said. The NBA is still investigating the matter, according to Ryan Lazo of the New York Post.
- Indiana’s Capital Improvement Board unanimously approved a contract Monday to allow the Pacers to build a $50MM practice facility, Mark Alesia of the Indianapolis Star reports. The five-story, 130,000-square-foot facility will be located across from Bankers Life Fieldhouse and is scheduled to open in 2017.
Central Notes: Bulls, Pistons, Bucks
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg is not sure when rookie Bobby Portis will start to see consistent time on the court, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link) relays. The Bulls drafted Portis with the 22nd pick. Portis has not played in six of the Bulls’ first seven games, with his only appearance coming in a lopsided contest. Portis, according to Hoiberg, is not letting a lack of playing time derail his work ethic. “He says practices are his games,” Hoiberg said. “He’s getting out there, stirring things up. He’ll continue to do that every time he steps on the court.”
Here’s more from around the Central Division:
- It’s Hoiberg’s first season with the Bulls, but the group is exhibiting one of the same problems it had under former coach Tom Thibodeau and that is a lack of effort, Friedell writes in a full story. With Thibodeau as its leader, Chicago was known as a hard-nosed defensive team, but this year’s Bulls have yet to discover their identity, Friedell adds, and that has contributed to the inconsistent start.
- The Pistons need to acquire a power forward before the trade deadline or via free agency next summer, David Mayo of MLive.com opines in a mailbag response. Ersan Ilyasova is under contract through 2016/17, but Anthony Tolliver is set to be a free agent after this season, as Mayo points out.
- The long-term success of the Bucks largely depends on Jabari Parker and how the small forward comes back from his injury, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com writes in a detailed piece. The Bucks have a talented young roster, but they are hoping Parker, who was the second overall pick in the 2014 draft, develops into a star after his rookie season was cut short by the knee injury in December.
Jabari Parker Hires New Agent; Gasols Looking
3:53pm: Parker has chosen Dr. Charles Tucker as his new agent, Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago reports (Twitter link).
3:27pm: Parker is leaning toward hiring Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, Pick hears (Twitter link).
1:10pm: Gerald Henderson is also parting ways with Armstrong, a source tells international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). The Blazers swingman is in the final season of his contract.
11:28am: Jabari Parker is leaving the Wasserman Media Group and agent B.J. Armstrong, he confirmed to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and Pau Gasol and Marc Gasol are also looking for new agents in the wake of Wasserman super agent Arn Tellem’s departure, USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt reports (All Twitter links). Zillgitt doesn’t specify whether the Gasol brothers have left Wasserman just yet, but it’s nonetheless the latest round of disappointing news for the agency that’s lost LaMarcus Aldridge, Al Horford, Danilo Gallinari and Joe Johnson in recent months. Michael Tellem, the son of Arn and the agent who inherited many of his clients, is reportedly leaving the agency, too.
Each of the Gasols is doing his own search for an agent, and they’re not necessarily a package deal, Zillgitt hears (Twitter link). That makes sense, since they’re in different stages of their contracts. Marc re-signed with the Grizzlies this summer on a five-year max deal, while Pau can opt out of his deal with the Bulls this summer. Marc has said he’ll try to recruit Pau to join him on the Grizzlies. Parker is still close to two years away from the next significant negotiation on his NBA contract, since he won’t be eligible for a rookie scale extension until July of 2017.
Arn Tellem left the agency during the offseason to become the vice chairman of Palace Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the Pistons. That’s touched off a whirlwind of movement as many of his former clients have sought new representation. Wasserman isn’t the only agency to suffer high-profile losses of late, with Harrison Barnes and DeAndre Jordan also among those making changes.
Offseason In Review: Chicago Bulls
Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team’s offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees and more will be covered as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.
Signings
- Aaron Brooks: One year, $2.25MM. Signed via taxpayer mid-level exception.
- Jimmy Butler: Five years, $92.350MM. Signed via Bird Rights.
- Mike Dunleavy: Three years, $14.4MM. Signed via early Bird rights. Third year partially guaranteed for $1,662,500.
Extensions
- None
Trades
- None
Waiver Claims
- None
Draft Picks
- Bobby Portis (Round 1, 22nd overall). Signed via rookie exception to rookie scale contract.
Camp Invitees
- Jake Anderson — Waived.
- Jordan Crawford — Waived.
- Cristiano Felicio — Two years, $1.4MM. Signed via minimum salary exception. Non-guaranteed.
- Stefhon Hannah — Waived.
- Marcus Simmons — Waived.
Departing Players
Rookie Contract Option Decisions
- Doug McDermott (third year, $2,483,040) — Exercised.
- Tony Snell (fourth year, $2,368,327) — Exercised.
The Bulls ended their 2014/15 campaign with a playoff ouster at the hands of the Cavaliers, making it the fourth straight season that the team failed to advance beyond the second round of the postseason. The organization clearly believed that the team’s shortcomings were more a matter of coaching style than an issue with personnel, and it cut ties with coach Tom Thibodeau after the season, but not before taking some parting shots at the man who guided the franchise to an overall regular season mark of 255-139 during his tenure.
Chicago replaced Thibs with Fred Hoiberg, and the front office’s hope is that Hoiberg can revamp the team’s offense, an area that Thibodeau was heavily criticized for neglecting in favor of defense, as well as for Hoiberg to foster better working relationships between the coaching staff, players and team management. For his part, Hoiberg firmly believes that he can win with the current roster, an unsurprising stance for the new coach.
“I love this roster,” Hoiberg said during his introductory news conference. “I absolutely love this roster. I love the versatility of the players. The different lineups that we’re going to be able to play, [we] can play small, can play big. You’ve got lineups that I really think can get out and play with pace. You’ve got a great group of veteran players that know how to play. I think Tom Thibodeau is an excellent, excellent basketball coach and I think he instilled a lot of unbelievable qualities in this team that hopefully I can build on.”
Outside of shuffling head coaches, the Bulls’ most pressing offseason business revolved around re-signing restricted free agent swingman Jimmy Butler, who gambled as he passed up a proposed extension with Chicago a year ago that would have seen him earn an average annual salary of approximately $11MM. That gamble paid off handsomely for the 26-year-old. The former 30th overall pick apparently would have settled for between $12.5MM and $13MM a year during extension talks, but his performance during the 2014/15 season, which earned him the Most Improved Player of the Year award, sent his value rocketing into the stratosphere.
Butler had reportedly intended to seek short-term offer sheets this past summer, but instead he wound up re-signing with Chicago on a deal that won’t allow him to hit free agency until 2019. That’s not too great a sacrifice considering that when the Bulls tendered him a maximum qualifying offer, that meant Butler would not have been permitted to sign an offer sheet that would let him into free agency sooner than 2018 anyway, and he apparently nixed his scheduled meetings with the Lakers, Sixers and Mavs when Chicago issued its proposal. His only recourse at the time would have been to sign his standard qualifying offer, which would have been worth less than $4.434MM. That would have allowed Butler to hit unrestricted free agency in 2016, but it would have entailed a significant financial sacrifice for this season, as well as a risk that he could suffer a serious injury without the security blanket a long-term pact provides.
Now that the Bulls have secured Butler’s services for the long term, there are concerns regarding what is reportedly a strained relationship with the team’s other star, oft-injured point guard Derrick Rose. While the two have downplayed any possible rift between them, the alleged discord stems from Butler’s dissatisfaction with Rose’s work ethic, an unnamed former member of the Bulls told Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “Personally, the two are great. Professionally is where they have a difference of opinion,” the source said. Cowley’s source also noted that Butler took offense to a comment Rose made during the playoffs last season, when the point guard was asked if Butler had reached superstar status. “I think it’s going to take a little minute for Jimmy to get there,’’ Rose said, according to Cowley. Regardless of Rose’s thoughts on the matter, Butler is now certainly being paid like a superstar, and it will be interesting to see if his hefty payday will affect his play and preparation going forward.
Rose, the former alpha of the team, is apparently looking ahead to his own opportunity to potentially hit the open market, which he is eligible to do after the 2016/17 campaign. The veteran playmaker caused a stir during the team’s media day when he said that he’s already looking toward his next foray into free agency. “You see the way all this money will be passed around in this league. My day is coming,” Rose said. And while Rose did add that he expects to stay in Chicago for the long term, it remains to be seen if both parties will be amenable to a new arrangement when the time comes.
Chicago re-signed two other valuable rotation pieces over the summer in Mike Dunleavy and Aaron Brooks. Brooks, a seven-year veteran, earned himself a slight raise, going from the $1,145,685 minimum salary he made last season to a $2.25MM slice of the taxpayer’s mid-level exception in 2015/16. Chicago can’t trade him without his consent, since he’s on a one-year deal and he’d lose his Early Bird rights if the Bulls did trade him, though that isn’t a major concern since he’s not a likely trade candidate anyway.
Dunleavy’s deal is a bit more problematic, given his age, 35, as well as his injury history, with the swingman appearing in an average of just 60 contests per season over the last seven years. He’s not likely to buck that trend as he enters the back end of his 30s, and an excellent chance exists that Chicago ends up regretting this deal by year two thanks to the luxury tax implications. The team is over the tax threshold by almost precisely the value of Dunleavy’s $4.5MM salary for this season. The Bulls did hedge their bets somewhat on Dunleavy’s deal, only partially guaranteeing the final year, a wise move on their part, all things considered.
The team’s final significant addition was selecting Arkansas power forward Bobby Portis with the No. 22 overall pick in this year’s NBA draft. Portis has the potential to be a steal, with his high motor, versatile game and scoring ability. The only shade I can throw Chicago’s way over its draft choice is that the team is currently overcrowded in the frontcourt, and barring injuries, it will be difficult for the rookie to provide early returns on the team’s investment. With more pressing needs in the backcourt and on the wing, the Bulls may have been better served to go in a different direction, but he was an excellent value pick that late in the first round, so it’s difficult to be too critical of his addition. Hopefully for the Bulls, his development won’t be stunted languishing on the bench, as Portis does have the capability to be a solid player in the league for seasons to come.
This year’s iteration of the Bulls has quite a bit to prove. It will be interesting to see where the blame falls if the team regresses, whether it’s on the new coach and his system, the players — who are the one constant after the dismissal of Thibodeau — or the front office for not recognizing the need for roster change. With approximately $64.75MM in guaranteed salaries already on the books for 2016/17, and a decision to make on center Joakim Noah, who’s set to hit unrestricted free agency next summer, the front office had better hope it was correct in identifying Thibodeau as the issue, because it will be difficult to make significant roster upgrades, even with the expected increase in the salary cap.
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.