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Pacific Notes: Kings, Clippers, Lakers

December 24th, 2014 at 9:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings and Nets had more trade talks Wednesday regarding Deron Williams, but Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports writes that Sacramento’s desire to pick up Mason Plumlee remains a major obstacle to a deal. “Talks aren’t dead, but nothing’s going to happen with Plumlee involved,” according to an unidentified source. The Kings want Plumlee as a incentive to accept Williams, who has battled a string of injuries and has two full years and more than $43MM left on his contract. Plumlee is still on his rookie deal and is under Brooklyn’s control through the 2017/18 season.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Despite watching Carmelo Anthony and Rajon Rondo slip away, Kobe Bryant tells Sam Amick of USA Today that he still has faith in Lakers management. “We did what we could,” he said. “… It’s not from a lack of effort. It’s not from a lack of smarts, so I trust the process.” L.A. will be awash in cap room and is expected to continue to reach out to the top-tier free agents, which includes LaMarcus Aldridge, Goran Dragic and Kevin Love next summer and Kevin Durant in the summer of 2016. Bryant, 36, continues to insist he will retire after his two-year, $48.5MM contract expires after next season.
Pau Gasol, who left the Lakers to sign with the Bulls during the summer, expects an “emotional” experience Thursday night when his new team hosts his old team, reports Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. Gasol received a two-year deal from Chicago worth more than $14.5MM, with a 2016/17 player option for $7.769MM. In the same game, L.A.’s Carlos Boozer will return to Chicago for the first time since being amnestied.
The Clippers will likely be making a roster move soon, writes Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. He explains that the team is $788,256 below the NBA’s hard salary cap, which limits its ability to add players. The minimum salary for a veteran with at least two years’ experience would count $915,243 toward the cap, but because of a “nuance” in league rules, a free agent with less than two years’ experience eats up the same amount of cap room. That’s probably bad news for Jared Cunningham, whose salary won’t be guaranteed until January 10th. The Clippers could free up about $600K in cap room by waiving him before that date.

Central Notes: Cavs, Bucks, Bulls, Pistons

December 21st, 2014 at 8:57am CST by ChrisCrouse

Coach David Blatt believes the mediocre play of the Cavs this season is a result of their play on the defensive end, writes Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. “That’s the battle for consistency,” Blatt said of the defensive woes. “A lot of that is the plan and the principles and inherence to those things. A lot of that is commitment on the part of the guys to doing it. Of course you have the element of effort, which is critical. And then finally it’s the pride that you take in doing it if that is really and truly going to become part of who you are. And we’re working towards that.” The Cavs are allowing 99.7 points per game, which ranks 16th in the league.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

The Bucks are unexpectedly in the playoff hunt at 14-14, but even after the season-ending injury to rookie Jabari Parker, the team isn’t likely to make any moves with an eye only on contention this season, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel. “Nothing has changed. This is still about the future and the goals we have as we move forward, and that is to build this into a championship-caliber team,” GM John Hammond said. “We like where we’re at today, and we’re going to continue to battle throughout the season.”
The Bulls have a fortunate problem in that they have too many high caliber players competing for playing time, opines Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald. McGraw argues that although Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson are all veterans who have earned their stripes, rookie Nikola Mirotic is playing at a level that doesn’t warrant being sent to the bench once they are all healthy. The forward is shooting 44.1% from the field and 80.9% from the foul line during his potential rookie of the year campaign.
The Pistons are off to a rough start at 5-22, but the team isn’t making any trades with the short-term in mind, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Ellis notes that Detroit would like to trade Josh Smith, but other teams are asking for a first-rounder to take the the 29-year-old forward. The Pistons were in a similar predicament in 2012 when they sent a first-rounder to Charlotte in order to move Ben Gordon because of his player-friendly contract. Ellis adds that the team is unlikely to have a repeat of such a short-sighted move.

Central Notes: Rose, McDermott, Van Gundy

December 20th, 2014 at 7:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls may have to adjust to life with an “ordinary” Derrick Rose, opines Steve Aschburner of NBA.com. The former MVP is averaging 16.2 points, 5.1 assists and 3.2 rebounds in the 13 games he has been healthy enough to play this season, while shooting 41.4% — all far below his usual standards. “The thing about Derrick, he is the same person, he’s the same player,” teammate Taj Gibson said. “[The media] is so hypocritical in what he does. You got to understand, he’s playing with hamstring injuries. That stuff is tough. Track runners sit out after getting their hamstrings hurt.” Rose’s contract runs through 2016/17 and is worth a total of approximately $41.4MM over the final two seasons.

There’s more from the Central Division:

The Bulls‘ Doug McDermott is focused on returning as soon as possible from his meniscus tear, reports Sam Smith of Bulls.com. McDermott said he was “shocked” to learn the MRI results. His prognosis is three to six weeks out of action, but the rookie is hoping to cut that down. “I’m trying to take it as a positive,” McDermott said, “settle down and take a deep breath and learn from Jimmy [Butler] and Mike [Dunleavy] and watch them play and watch [coach Tom Thibodeau] and how everyone reacts on the floor. I think it will be a good thing to watch practice every day and get better.”
Give Stan Van Gundy a second chance at the offseason, and David Mayo of MLive believes several things would have turned out differently. Mayo speculates that if Van Gundy, the Pistons‘ coach and president of basketball operations, knew what he knows now, he would have traded Josh Smith to the Kings, spent money on a high-profile wing player and not connected any other moves to Greg Monroe‘s decision. The writer also believes the team would have passed on Aaron Gray and Cartier Martin.
Bucks coach Jason Kidd tells Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report that he has no regrets about leaving the Nets. Kidd said Brooklyn’s front office was leaning toward letting him go after a slow start last season, then agreed to let Milwaukee talk to him about the coaching job in the summer. “Everybody can run with their conspiracy theories or power struggles,” Kidd said. “But at the end of the day, Milwaukee asked Brooklyn for permission and they granted it.” The Bucks dealt two second-round picks to the Nets in July for the rights to Kidd.

Central Notes: Anthony, Pistons, Bulls

December 19th, 2014 at 5:10pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau reflected on Chicago’s recruiting efforts of Carmelo Anthony this past summer, and though Anthony chose to remain in New York, Thibodeau offered nothing but praise for the Bulls’ free-agency plan, as well as Anthony, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune writes. “I have great respect for what he’s done. He’s a great talent. But he’s a great person, too,” Thibodeau said of ‘Melo. “I got to know him a little through USA Basketball and Coach [Jim] Boeheim. And the things Coach [Mike] Krzyzewski and Coach Boeheim said about him told me that he would be a great fit for any team. When you look at his career, it speaks for itself. The numbers are incredible. He probably doesn’t get the credit for being the passer and playmaker that he is.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Thibodeau was also asked how ‘Melo would have fit on the Bulls alongside Derrick Rose, who had been rumored to have declined to take part in recruiting Anthony, something all parties have since denied, Johnson adds. “I don’t even want to go there,” Thibodeau said. “I think he’d fit great with any team. He’s a great talent.“
Pistons president Stan Van Gundy has previously stated that his team would be looking to add some quickness to their roster through the trade market. But the head man in Detroit also insists his team can play better even without any roster changes, Shawn Windsor of The Detroit Free Press writes. Van Gundy wouldn’t say whom the team was shopping or what players the Pistons have their eye on. What he did say is that the team could use more quickness and length, Windsor adds.
With the Pistons‘ winning percentage a dismal .192, Van Gundy can’t say he’s done a great job cultivating the talent he inherited, Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News writes. But he does possess the power to change the personnel and chart the course of whether moves will be made to salvage the season or to look ahead, although he would never directly admit to throwing away a season, Goodwill notes.

Eastern Notes: Jackson, Pistons, Anthony, Bulls

December 18th, 2014 at 8:40pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Knicks president Phil Jackson took to Twitter today to defend his trade of Tyson Chandler to the Mavs in response to a tweet by Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops. In a series of tweets, Jackson said, “I’m okay with the Dallas deal. Tyson fits there and our 3 players, Jose Calderon, Samuel Dalembert, and Shane Larkin are on the court. Our season got off to a rocky start thanks to injuries. Tyson could not have changed the outcome. Trades are judged in 4-5 year terms. Remember how people complained about the Pau Gasol trade? How does that trade look now? Just relax…and be patient.”

Here’s more out of the Eastern Conference:

When Pistons president Stan Van Gundy was asked if Detroit is involved in trade talks, Van Gundy replied, “We’re 5 and 21. I don’t think you need to say a whole lot else. Of course we’re talking,” Keith Langlois of NBA.com tweets.
What Detroit is looking for in the trade market are high-energy players, David Mayo of MLive.com reports. Van Gundy hopes to remake the Pistons into a smaller, quicker team, Mayo adds. “We need high-energy guys,” Van Gundy said. “And going with that, you say energy, but part of that is quickness and stuff. Slow guys are never going to look high-energy. We definitely have had trouble keeping up. We’re a step behind defensively on some things, and the game has changed, it’s spread out. So quickness, length, people who really can cover some ground, I think, would be another thing [that the Pistons seek].”
Bucks rookie Jabari Parker suffered only a “slight” tear of the ACL in his left knee, tweets Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. While this is good news for Parker’s long-term prospects and recovery, the news doesn’t necessarily change the prognosis that he is likely done for the season.
Carmelo Anthony has been struggling with knee issues all season, and people close to him are now recommending that the Knicks‘ star take a few weeks off from basketball activities, Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com reports. “I have multiple people say kind of just shut it down,” Anthony said. “Or just take time off. But at the end of the day, it’s hard for me to just do that right now in the midst of what’s happening with the team and this season. So just trying to be smart about that.”
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau is very comfortable with how Chicago’s free agency plan worked out this season, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune writes (Twitter link). Thibodeau said that the Bulls “ended up fine, just as we did in 2010. We came out great with Pau [Gasol].“

And-Ones: Knicks, Batum, Cauley-Stein, ‘Melo

December 18th, 2014 at 10:29am CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks have been “very active” in trade discussions this week, as Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com reports amid a story on the team’s apparent peripheral involvement in Rajon Rondo talks. That seems to jibe with a report from Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck earlier this week that all the Knicks aside from Carmelo Anthony are available. Rumors are indeed flying fast around the NBA these days, and here’s a look at some of the latest news from around the league:

Nicolas Batum has pondered what it would be like to play for the Spurs, but he doesn’t see much need to leave the Blazers when he hits free agency after next season, as he tells Shams Charania of RealGM. “I still have time and I like low key so there’s no reason to think yet, but why not stay in Portland?” Batum said. “I’ve been here for seven years now, so why not?”
Kentucky’s Willie Cauley-Stein has been on quite a tear recently, and this has catapulted him from No. 16 all the way to No. 8 on Chad Ford of ESPN.com‘s insider-only Big Board. Cauley-Stein is currently ranked 10th in Hoops Rumors’ 2015 NBA Draft Prospect Power Rankings.
‘Melo would have been better off joining the Bulls, opines Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, but there’s plenty of reason to believe that the Bulls lucked out when he decided not to, writes Sam Smith of Bulls.com.
Three-year NBA veteran Josh Harrellson has been released by the Chongqing Flying Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association, Enea Trapani of Sportando reports (Twitter link). The Pistons had waived Harrellson in mid-July rather than guarantee his minimum salary for the 2014/15 season.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.

Knicks Notes: Anthony, Chandler, Jackson

December 17th, 2014 at 6:14pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Carmelo Anthony gave serious consideration during his free agency this past summer to relocating to Chicago. With the Knicks off to a 5-22 start, second-guessing his decision to return to New York would only be natural, but Anthony won’t allow himself to dwell on what might have been, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com writes. “If I start doing that and saying what if to myself and second-guessing and questioning myself, it won’t be right,” Anthony said. “For me, mentally it won’t be right, so I will not allow myself to sway toward asking myself what if with this situation or that situation. What’s done is done. I kinda don’t look at it. I kinda don’t think about it anymore. That’s in the past for me.”

Here’s more out of the Big Apple:

Trading Tyson Chandler to the Mavs this past summer is coming back to haunt the Knicks this season, especially since team president Phil Jackson failed to garner an equal return on his most valuable trade asset in the swap with Dallas, Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal opines.
As the Knicks’ struggles continue, the scapegoating of Chandler as the alleged source of New York’s difficulties last season seems more like a smokescreen by the team with every passing game, George Willis of The New York Post writes. Judging by the warm reception the big man received from his former teammates before and after Tuesday night’s game against Dallas at Madison Square Garden, Chandler seems to be genuinely missed, and New York seems to be dealing with much more internal strife than a season ago, sans Chandler, Willis notes.
Reflecting back on the trade that sent Anthony from the Nuggets to the Knicks, a Denver executive marveled at how desperate New York’s front office was to obtain a player whom they could have just signed as a free agent a few months later, Frank Isola of The New York Daily News writes. “We were trying to figure out a way to create rosters spots because they were willing to give us anything we wanted,” said a Denver executive involved in the negotiations. “We kept thinking, ‘don’t they realize he’ll be a free agent in July?’ They could just sign him then.” Stripping the franchise of all those assets to obtain ‘Melo is still haunting the team to this day, Isola adds.

Central Notes: Monroe, Parker, Hansbrough

December 16th, 2014 at 5:50pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Greg Monroe is growing weary of the trade rumors surrounding him and the Pistons, Vince Ellis of USA Today reports. “The same thing happened this summer,” Monroe said. “They put that stuff out there, say somebody said it, and then I got to answer for it. I really don’t have time for that. Especially right now. After losing 13 straight and finally getting a couple of games, and then you got to come in here and hear this when you getting ready for a game. At this point, it’s definitely annoying. We’re trying to turn things around here right now, and I gotta come in here and answer to stuff that I absolutely have nothing to do with. It is annoying, yes.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

After being drafted by the Bucks with the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s NBA draft, Jabari Parker said that he would like to remain in Milwaukee for his entire career, a statement Parker still stands by, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes. “I want to be here as much as possible, I want to stay as long as possible,” Parker said. “I want to just grind it out and see what happens. Even if I were to slump and they wanted to trade me, I would probably want to try and get better so I could stay here.”
The primary reason for Parker’s comfort level with the Bucks is how team owners Marc Lasry and Wes Edens have sold their vision for the future of the franchise to the young player, Deveney notes. “I feel very comfortable with them [Lasry and Edens],” Parker said. “A lot of times, when you think of ownership, it is almost like you think of slavery. You’re a piece of property. But with them, it is a partnership.”
Ben Hansbrough will have his D-League rights rescinded by the Grand Rapids Drive, the Pistons‘ affiliate, to accommodate an overseas deal, Gino Pilato of D-League Digest reports (Twitter link). Hansbrough was in training camp with the Bulls this season.
Larry Drew doesn’t harbor any resentment toward the Bucks after being fired as head coach so that Milwaukee could replace him with Jason Kidd, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. “I’ve seen stranger things happen,” Drew said. “Whether you think it’s fair or not, I don’t really dwell on that. I look back at guys who have been in similar situations and had stuff happen to them. I’ve learned to move on. I don’t any hard feelings about how things happened. Certainly, I wish it could have been handled a little differently [in Milwaukee] but it wasn’t.”

Central Notes: Stephenson, Josh Smith, Bulls

December 15th, 2014 at 10:00am CST by Chuck Myron

The Central Division hasn’t been the hub of many roster moves so far this season, aside from A.J. Price‘s Cavs-to-Pacers-to-Cavs odyssey and Will Cherry‘s brief tenure in Cleveland. That figures to change before too long, since today is the first day that most offseason signees are eligible for inclusion in trades. The Cavs apparently have their eyes on a pair of Grizzlies, while the Pacers are reportedly one of multiple teams in talks to trade for Lance Stephenson, though Indiana doesn’t appear to be in any hurry to make such a move. There’s more on Stephenson amid the latest items trickling out of the Central Division:

The chance the Pacers have to bring back their old core for another run in 2015/16 and erase the mistakes they and Stephenson made in free agency this summer should lead Indiana to trade for its former shooting guard, opines Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star. Buckner thinks, after having spoken with league sources, that Stephenson would welcome a Pacers reunion.
Vincent Ellis of the Detroit Free Press doesn’t foresee a Josh Smith trade happening soon, figuring that teams would want the Pistons to attach a first-rounder to Smith’s contract, worth $40.5MM between this season and its expiration after 2016/17 (Twitter links). Kings management tried to trade for Smith this summer over the objections of soon-to-be former coach Michael Malone, but the Pistons didn’t like what Sacramento was offering.
The Bulls‘ decision to deal Luol Deng turned out to be a prudent one, as Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com writes. In the short term, the cap flexibility that Chicago freed up in the Deng deal took them out of luxury tax territory. From a broader perspective, the deal (plus the amnestying of Carlos Boozer‘s contract) gave the Bulls enough wiggle room to land Pau Gasol.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Central Notes: McDermott, Mirotic, Waiters

December 14th, 2014 at 10:56am CST by ChrisCrouse

Doug McDermott will likely be sidelined for six to eight weeks following surgery by team physicians to repair a small meniscus tear in his right knee, reports K.C. Johnson of the Chicago tribune (Twitter link). Before the injury, McDermott was off to a slow start to the season averaging just 3.2 points per game in 11.6 minutes per game for the Bulls.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

A series of injuries on the Bulls have created an opportunity for Nikola Mirotic and he has thrived in his increased role, writes Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald. Mirotic’s teammates are certainly noticing the stellar play of the forward. “Niko, he doesn’t know how good he is right now,” Derrick Rose said. “He can rebound, he can cut, he can pass. I don’t know what he can’t do on the floor.” Mirotic is shooting 43.9% from the field in 17.7 minutes per game during his rookie campaign.
Cavs guard Dion Waiters chalks up his improved play to an attitude adjustment, writes Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. Waiters’ role and minutes on the team have fluctuated and he was the subject of trade talks earlier this season. The up-and-down playing time clearly bothered the former fourth overall pick. “I would be mad before I even got in the game,” Waiters told Haynes. “I was mad, [but] it is what it is.” Now, Waiters is more understanding of his role in Cleveland and understands the team’s intention is to help him improve. “I was just fighting myself, man,” Waiters said. “That’s what I was doing. I just left it alone. I’m going to make the best of it. I’ve got good people in my corner who actually care for me. I’ll be good.”
Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the most improved sophomores in the league, opines Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel. Coach Jason Kidd believes Antetokounmpo’s increase in free-throw attempts have been key to his success. “He’s learning how to play without having to score the ball, say shooting threes or shooting jump shots. He can live at the free-throw line. Some of the top players in this league, that’s what they do,” said Kidd. The forward has already shot 98 free-throw attempts in just 24 games this season after only shooting 202 attempts in 77 games last year.