Cleveland Cavaliers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cavaliers To Retain Jared Cunningham

January 7th, 2016 at 2:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Cavaliers have decided to keep Jared Cunningham past 4:00pm Central today, when his non-guaranteed contract would become fully guaranteed, league sources told Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer. That means his full $981,348 salary will stick on Cleveland’s books, unless the team trades him between now and the February 18th trade deadline. It would cost the Cavs about four times as much in tax penalties if they don’t offload salary by the final day of the regular season.

Cleveland was already in line to pay more than $170MM in payroll and taxes before they decided to keep Cunningham for opening night. He’s already incurred about 43% of his salary by virtue of sticking around to this point, causing the estimated bill to rise, and keeping Cunningham for a full season would entail an outlay of about $175MM if the Cavs don’t make any more moves this season. That would be the second highest amount any team has ever spent in a single season, behind the Nets, who shelled out about $190MM in 2013/14.

An injury to Joe Harris that’s poised to keep him out two to three months, as Dave McMenamin and Haynes reported, seems likely to foil the team’s apparent attempt to clear his fully guaranteed salary via trade. The Cavs made Harris available on the market in part because they wanted to keep Cunningham, according to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal, but it appears that Cunningham will stick anyway. The former 24th overall pick impressed during the preseason, and he’s developed a tight bond with LeBron James off the court, as Lloyd noted.

And-Ones: D-League Showcase, Cavs, Terry

January 5th, 2016 at 10:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former Nuggets point guard Erick Green heads the list of free agents at the D-League Showcase event that begins on Wednesday, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports opines. Shooting guard Elliot Williams, who was with the Pelicans, Hornets and Jazz last season, is second on Spears’ list, followed by point guard Lorenzo Brown, shooting guard Orlando Johnson and power forward Perry Jones. Brown saw action for the Timberwolves last season, Johnson played for the Pacers and Kings from 2012 to 2014 and Jones appeared in 43 games with the Thunder last season. Players at the Showcase are angling for opportunities to sign 10-day contracts.

In news around the NBA:

The Cavaliers are leaning toward retaining combo guard Jared Cunningham, a source informed Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. Unless Cleveland waives Cunningham by the close of business Thursday, his $981,348 salary for the remainder of the season is guaranteed. It’s a bigger money commitment than that, since his salary would cost the Cavs approximately $3.8MM in luxury tax if no other changes are made to the roster. Cunningham will accompany the Cavs on their upcoming road trip, McMenamin continues, and is viewed by them as a young, versatile bench player who has endeared himself to his teammates. Joe Harris‘ potentially season-ending injury will not influence Cleveland’s decision, McMenamin adds.
Jason Terry could be closing out more games for the Rockets, considering the way interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff gushed about him to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Terry, who has shared the point guard spot with Ty Lawson and Patrick Beverley, made a key basket and assist that lifted Houston to a two-point win over the Jazz on Monday. “Jet is clutch,” Bickerstaff said. “He’s been that way since I can remember, since he was in college at Arizona. In the big moments, when a big shot is needed, Jet makes those plays.”
The Thunder assigned small forward Josh Huestis to their D-League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, according to the team’s website. Huestis has already appeared in 10 games for the Blue.

Surgery Puts Season In Jeopardy For Joe Harris

January 5th, 2016 at 7:17pm CST by Chuck Myron

7:17pm: Harris will miss two to three months, a league source tells Chris Haynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Northeast Ohio Media Group (Twitter link). That would bring him back shortly before the end of the regular season.

4:56pm: Cavaliers reserve shooting guard Joe Harris will undergo surgery to remove a bone in his right foot, and it’s unclear whether he’ll return to play this season, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Cavs were reportedly seeking a second-round pick as they made Harris available in trade talk, as Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal reported last month, but the injury threatens to foil those efforts.

The news complicates Cleveland’s decision regarding Jared Cunningham, whose non-guaranteed contract becomes fully guaranteed if the team doesn’t waive him by the close of business on Thursday. Cunningham’s emergence and the team’s projected luxury tax bill were behind Cleveland’s interest in trading Harris, as Lloyd wrote. Dealing away Harris, who makes a fully guaranteed one-year veteran’s minimum salary of $845,059 this season, for no salary in return would help offset the cost of keeping Cunningham, whose full-season salary would cost the Cavs $947,276 plus a luxury tax hit of roughly four times that amount. Keeping Harris would entail a tax cost of about four times his salary, too, depending on other moves the team might make between now and the last day of the regular season, the date when the tax is accounted for.

Harris hasn’t appeared in a game for Cleveland since November 23rd, though he last played December 19th in the D-League while on an assignment that ended the next day. The Cavs picked him 33rd overall in the 2014 draft, but that was shortly before LeBron James announced his decision to return to the franchise, putting Cleveland in a win-now mode that hasn’t afforded Harris much opportunity at the NBA level. He’s become even more of an afterthought this season, as he’s logged only 15 total NBA minutes so far in 2015/16 after averaging 9.1 minutes per night across 51 games during his rookie campaign. The 24-year-old has posted 16.4 points in 33.1 minutes per game for the D-League Canton Charge this year. The Cavs have used his D-League time to showcase him for other NBA teams, according to Lloyd.

Eastern Notes: Cunningham, Celtics, Sixers

January 3rd, 2016 at 7:15pm CST by Will Joseph

The Cavs have not decided yet if they will keep combo guard Jared Cunningham after this week, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports, citing league sources. Unless Cleveland cuts Cunningham by the close of business Thursday, his $981,348 salary for the remainder of the season is guaranteed, as Haynes points out.

Cunningham was a preseason surprise for the Cavs, the 24-year-old’s fifth team in four years. While Cunningham had streaks of consistent playing time this season, he has not seen more than 15 minutes in a single game since December 11th, and that includes four games in which he didn’t even appear. Cunningham, whom coach David Blatt used in a variety of ways, has seen his minutes deteriorate because the Cavs are healthier, Haynes writes. Making the decision more interesting is Cunningham’s salary would cost the team approximately $3.8MM in luxury tax dollars if the Cavs maintain their current roster, Haynes adds.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

If the Celtics continue to struggle, there will be increased pressure on the front office to consider making a move to alleviate Boston’s frontcourt logjam, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com details. Jared Sullinger, Amir Johnson, Kelly Olynyk, David Lee and Tyler Zeller are each part of the Celtics’ big man rotation. Boston, as Forsberg points out, also tends to utilize Jae Crowder and Jonas Jerebko at the power forward spots. The large crowd has been a roadblock for rookie Jordan Mickey, who is thriving in the D-League, Forsberg adds.
Ish Smith, whom the Sixers acquired in a trade with the Pelicans last month, doesn’t seem fazed by playing for nine organizations in his career and having been included in 19 different transactions, Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com writes.
The Heat recalled Josh Richardson and Jarnell Stokes from the D-League, the team announced on its website.

Cavs Notes: Williams, Jefferson, Smith, Shumpert

January 3rd, 2016 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Having a healthy roster for the first time in more than a year is cutting into the playing time of some Cavaliers veterans, writes Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon-Journal. It’s a situation that Anderson Varejao has been dealing with all year. Now Mo Williams is joining him and Richard Jefferson could be in the same situation, Lloyd speculates. Williams signed with the Cavs over the summer to handle the point guard duties while Kyrie Irving recovered from a fractured kneecap. Now that Irving is healthy, Williams’ playing time has plummeted. He was held out of a game against the Suns last week, then played just five minutes against the Warriors and 10 against the Blazers. Lloyd writes that it’s obvious Williams has fallen to third on the point guard depth chart behind Irving and Matthew Dellavedova. “Guys gotta understand and I’ve told them this, only so many guys can play,” said coach David Blatt. “That’s just the reality of the limitations of the game. Some guys may find themselves for no other reason other than that not playing many minutes or not playing at all.”

There’s more this morning out of Cleveland:

Some veterans on the team weren’t happy with Blatt’s decision to not play Jefferson in the Christmas Day game against Golden State, Lloyd writes in the same piece. The writer believes Blatt will have to eventually decide between Jefferson and J.R. Smith for a rotation spot. Smith is currently a starter, but Lloyd expects Iman Shumpert to take over his role when Irving’s minutes restriction is lifted.
Williams showed up at the locker room barely an hour before game time Saturday, then seemed to be a reluctant participant in cheering his teammates, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. The writer sees the Cavs as primed for another run at the NBA Finals, but warns a counterproductive influence could help derail that.
Cleveland’s renewed defensive prowess has coincided with Shumpert’s return to the lineup, Lloyd writes in a separate story. Since Shumpert came back from a wrist injury three weeks ago, the Cavs lead the league in defensive field-goal percentage and 3-point percentage and are behind only the Spurs in points allowed per 100 possessions.

And-Ones: Lamb, James, D-League

January 1st, 2016 at 10:30pm CST by Will Joseph

Former Thunder shooting guard Jeremy Lamb will face his old team for the first time Saturday and comes into the game playing the most consistent basketball of his four-year career in his first season with the Hornets, Erik Horne of The Oklahoman details. The Hornets acquired Lamb in a June trade. The 23-year-old then signed a three-year, $21MM extension in November, a deal that was met with some criticism because Lamb had not shown any consistency. Entering action Friday night, Lamb was averaging per game career highs in points (11.3), rebounds (4.4), minutes (21.7) and field goal percentage (47.5), as Horne notes.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

LeBron James‘ season to this point has a positive vibe to it, something that was absent in the first two months of last season, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes. The difference has to do with James, who recently turned 31, feeling healthier now than he did last year, Vardon adds. “I think he’s pretty healthy,” Cavs coach David Blatt said. “I think he’s obviously been able to play in every game. He could’ve played in the Miami game. I pulled him out. It wasn’t his wish or any need on his part except for what I saw not wanting him to play in that horrific back to back that we had. I think he’s good, I think he’s strong. I think he feels good and hopefully that’s going to continue in the same vein. When and if necessary we’ll look to reduce the load on him if we can.”
The Raptors recalled Anthony Bennett, Norman Powell and Delon Wright from their D-League affiliate, the team announced (on Twitter).
The Magic assigned Devyn Marble to their D-League affiliate, per Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).

Central Notes: Jackson, Jennings, Cavs

December 30th, 2015 at 5:00pm CST by Will Joseph

Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson opened up on why he turned down the Thunder’s four-year, $48MM extension offer last year, telling Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (link to Podcast) that he was unhappy with his role on the team and wanted to start (the interview was transcribed by Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman here). Jackson made it clear before last season that he wanted to start at point guard and after his agent, Aaron Mintz, requested that the Thunder make a trade, the Pistons acquired Jackson in February. Jackson also said he was not surprised by the critical reactions to the five-year, $80MM deal he inked with the Pistons in July, but he didn’t pay much attention to them.

“I knew it was going to wow some people,” Jackson said. “Definitely it was going to wow the general population of the world. I had an idea it was going to be an eye-opener.”

Here’s more from around the Central Division:

Speaking of the Pistons, Marc Berman of the New York Post speculates that Detroit point guard Brandon Jennings would be a good fit for the Knicks. Jennings played against the Knicks Tuesday night in his season debut. His name comes up in trade speculation because he is set to be a free agent this summer and the Pistons are already financially committed to Jackson. Backup Steve Blake has played well, too, as Berman points out. “I’m not really worried about contracts,’’ Jennings said. “I’m just worried about getting into the flow of basketball. My first game back, hopefully I’ll be blessed to play rest of season with no injuries.’’
LeBron James made headlines when he said Kevin Love was the “focal point” of the Cavs coming into the season, but now the reality is setting in that Love has been inconsistent and as long as James is in his prime, he’ll always be the main point of the offense, Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. Love, however, should be able to understand now, in his second year with the Cavs, that James has his support, Haynes adds.
After recovering from his broken leg, Paul George is producing perhaps his best season and that is something the Pacers star intended on doing, Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports relays. “I really came into this season wanting to be here, wanting to be on top of the league now,” George told Lee. “I didn’t see it no other way.”

Central Notes: Hill, Morris, Portis

December 29th, 2015 at 12:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Pacers small forward Solomon Hill has maintained a positive attitude despite falling out of coach Frank Vogel‘s regular rotation, which could have been an issue for the player seeing as he’s in the final year of his contract, Mark Montieth of NBA.com writes. “I have to keep being upbeat,” Hill said. “If I was down in the gutter and C.J. Miles went out and I was thrown out there and I’m not ready, it’s just going to show why I shouldn’t be playing. It’s days like this that show my hard work is paying off.” Hill also noted that he’s aware that he has been mentioned as a potential trade candidate, but insists he doesn’t want to leave Indiana, even if it would mean more playing time, Montieth adds. “I’m an Indiana Pacer,” he said. “They drafted me. I’d definitely love to be here and be part of something great with this team. We have the makings of a special team. We have the potential to be one of the top two teams in the East.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Marcus Morris is excelling for the Pistons and he should be given a larger role in the offense, David Mayo of MLive.com argues. Morris isn’t pushing for more shots, as he thinks more opportunities will come within the offensive system. “At the end of the day, coach does a great job of getting me the ball, finding spots for me to get the ball in my isos and my posts, so I’m not really too worried about whether I’m going to get my shots up, because half the time I know they’re going to come,” Morris said. “It’s more just the ball-movement thing.”
With so many players returning from injury, the Cavs realize it’s going to take time for the team to gel, Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal writes. “Just because guys are coming back doesn’t mean everything is going to be right,” LeBron James said. “It’s going to take time because for the first eight weeks we had built chemistry, we knew who was playing, we knew who wasn’t playing. We had rotations, Coach had rotations down, so we got to get back to that.”
The solid play of rookie Bobby Portis for the Bulls will make it difficult for coach Fred Hoiberg to sit him when Joakim Noah returns from injury, writes Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com. “He’s not afraid of the moment that’s for sure,” Hoiberg said of Portis. “To be 20 years old and go out there, big minutes against Oklahoma City in a game on Christmas Day on ABC, it shows you what the kid’s makeup is all about. The kid’s got no concern, just thrives and has all kinds of confidence. You love to see that. He’s not gonna back down from anybody.”

Chris Crouse contributed to this post.

Central Notes: Jennings, James, Hoiberg

December 28th, 2015 at 3:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Bulls VP John Paxson admitted that Fred Hoiberg is still learning how to survive in the NBA, but noted that the team is firmly behind its new coach, Teddy Greenstein of The Chicago Tribune writes. “Fred has a lot to learn,” Paxson said. “He’ll acknowledge that. We all will. The system he wants to implement offensively is taking some time to really come to fruition. And when you don’t have certain players in terms of spacing the floor like [the injured] Mike Dunleavy — and that’s not an excuse it’s just our reality — that can slow the process as well.”

Paxson did add that Hoiberg’s calm demeanor on the sideline has impressed him, Greenstein relays. “I played for Phil Jackson. He sat most of the game. He was laid-back but intense. You see some coaches who are maniacs on the sideline,” Paxson said. “The last thing as a player you need when there’s stressful situations is to look to the sidelines and there’s a guy over there going nuts. I see that in college all the time.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings insists that he’s ready for action immediately, but understands the team being cautious with him as he makes his return from an Achilles injury suffered back in January, Terry Foster of The Detroit News relays. “I’m fine, I’m ready,” Jennings said. “However, this is not my decision. This is my coach’s decision, so I wait and see.” Detroit coach/executive Stan Van Gundy indicated he’s waiting to see how Jennings responds to back-to-back practices before settling on an exact return date for the veteran playmaker, Foster adds. “Our whole team needs work but it’s good for Brandon,” Van Gundy said. “We practiced before but it was more four-on-four. He got up and down. I think this is the first time he will get two practices in a row to get his legs underneath him.“
LeBron James has called for more clarity and consistency in the Cavaliers‘ rotation this season, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes. “For us to have a full unit, we’ve got to practice, we’ve got to play some games where we know what we want to do, what lineups we want to play out there,” James said. “It’s an adjustment period. It’s not just going to happen – you plug a guy in there, plug two guys in there and it automatically happens. It’s going to be an adjustment period, but we’ll be fine. We’ll be fine toward February and March.“
The Pacers have recalled Joe Young and Glenn Robinson III from Fort Wayne, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. Indiana also assigned center Shayne Whittington to the Mad Ants, the team noted in the same press release.

And-Ones: Howard, Roberts, Jones, Kidd

December 23rd, 2015 at 10:20pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Rockets center Dwight Howard recently turned 30 and hopes he can continue to play in the NBA into his 40s, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle relays. “That’d be fun if I was to play this game [that long],” Howard told Feigen. “That was always my goal, to play 20 years, 20-something years in this league. I’m extremely happy and blessed to have been able to play this game for as long as I have been so far. I have played a lot of minutes. I’ve been doing a lot since I came into the league. I’m thankful. I’m not going to complain about it. I’m happy that I’ve been able to play 12 years so far. A lot of NBA players never played this long so I am very happy and blessed that I’ve been able to play 12 years in the NBA. Hopefully, I can play another 10, but the time I’ve played, I’ve enjoyed it.”

Here’s more from around the league:

Several NBA teams have expressed interest in Raptors preseason cut Ronald Roberts, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv relays (via Twitter). In 10 appearances for the Raptors 905 this season Roberts is averaging 17.9 points and 13.0 rebounds on 67% shooting.
Timberwolves rookie point guard Tyus Jones believes his recent stint in the D-League will help him to contribute more at the NBA level, Jace Frederick of The Pioneer Press writes. “That definitely helped me out and definitely prepared me even more than I was, and it’s just helped my process,” Jones said. “I think it did prepare me a little bit better to help this team out.”
The Knicks‘ trade of J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to the Cavaliers was a move met with displeasure by the team’s fanbase, but it has worked out well for both sides so far, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. “We made the decision,’’ Knicks coach Derek Fisher said. “It seems like it’s worked out well for both. J.R. and Shump, they seem happy. We like our team as it is at this point. I think our team would be OK if they were here or not because of what [habits] we’re doing every day.’’
Bucks front office officials would have liked to have drafted Bobby Portis with the 17th overall pick this year, but coach Jason Kidd went with Rashad Vaughn instead, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (audio link via Twitter at 57-minute mark). Kidd is calling the shots on personnel, as Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times told us in a recent edition of The Beat. People around the league wonder whether Kidd’s leave of absence for hip surgery is the first step toward him dropping the coaching job and moving into a full-time front office role with the team, Wojnarowski hears.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.