Cleveland Cavaliers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Monroe, Dinwiddie, Mirotic, Irving

March 21st, 2015 at 6:27pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pistons are getting a sneak peek at life without Greg Monroe, writes David Mayo of MLive.com. Monroe, who has been sidelined since hurting his knee in Monday’s practice, will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy said his absence is forcing big changes. “We post Greg a lot and we don’t have, really, that anymore,” Van Gundy said. “So that’s a tough element for us to miss. And we’re putting more and more on our point guards to make plays on pick and rolls. The post game’s not only effective for us, but gives guys a rest — throw it in, space the floor, spot up, catch your breath. It requires a lot more energy, the other stuff that we do, and that’s how we have to play now.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

Spencer Dinwiddie is the one sure thing in the Pistons‘ point guard equation for next season, Mayo writes in a separate story. With Reggie Jackson entering free agency and Brandon Jennings hoping to recover from a season-ending injury, the Pistons are sure Dinwiddie will be around when they need him. Unlike most second-round picks, Dinwiddie has a fully guaranteed second year on his contract. Jennings’ misfortune has created extra playing time for the rookie out of Colorado, and although Dinwiddie’s shooting numbers aren’t impressive, other elements of his game have been. “How he’s playing, his composure, his poise on the floor, his ability to handle pressure, that’s all been good, his decision making,” Van Gundy said. “But he’s got to get the ball in the basket.”
Nikola Mirotic has been one of the few bright spots for the Bulls this month, according to Steve Aschburner of NBA.com. With Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson all sidelined by injuries, Mirotic has raised his game, averaging 20.8 points and 8.2 rebounds during March. Chicago acquired the rights to the 24-year-old rookie from Montenegro in a 2011 trade.
His team has far bigger goals, but Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving is taking time to enjoy his first official trip to the NBA playoffs, writes Chris Fedor of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. Cleveland clinched a postseason spot with Friday’s win over the Pacers. “It’s an exciting moment,” Irving said. “It’s been four years. I was just talking to [Kevin Love], all of us coming together as a team and us making the playoffs for the first time is an awesome thing.”

And-Ones: Lottery, Monroe, Harris

March 20th, 2015 at 4:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said changes to the draft lottery favored by the majority of teams will likely be postponed because the NBA Players Association recently turned down the league’s smoothing proposal regarding salary-cap increases, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports. The dramatic increase in the salary cap from $63MM to an estimated $90MM during the summer of 2016 makes changes to the lottery system unfeasible, Silver told Houston-based reporters on Thursday. “What I am hearing from some of the general managers in the league is that because it’s unclear how the cap will operate with a massive amount of cap room in ’16 and ’17 and potentially in the year after that it may be premature to change the lottery until we have a better understanding of what the changed behavior will be, so it’s something we are going to continue to look at,” Silver said.

In other news around the league:

The Pistons are unlikely to sign and trade Greg Monroe this summer, David Mayo of MLive.com opines. Mayo doubts that any team interested in signing Monroe, who becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, would give up anything of value for him. The Pistons would probably have to take back a bad contract to execute such a deal, which makes it unwise for them to make such a move, Mayo continues. The only party who would truly benefit from a sign-and-trade deal would be Monroe, who could get a bigger contract without having to return to Detroit, Mayo concludes.
Dirk Nowitzki is averaging 20.3 points on 52.4% shooting from the field for the Mavericks over the last three games and a less taxing schedule is the primary reason for the veteran forward’s recent outburst, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Nowitzki said to the team’s beat writers that longer stretches in-between games has made him feel fresher, “Going into the break, I think we had the most games in the league,” Nowitzki said. “Then coming out of the break, we had the shortest break and then we had five games in seven days. A brutal stretch for us, but finally it slowed down a little bit. It allowed us to get a little healthy, mix in some good rest with good work. I think it helped us and helped me.”
The Cavaliers assigned guard Joe Harris to their D-League affiliate, the Canton Charge, Cleveland GM David Griffin announced Friday on the team’s official website. Harris has appeared in 47 games with the Cavs this season, averaging 2.5 points in 9.2 minutes per game. He has played in seven games for the Charge, averaging 17.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 32.3 minutes per game.

Eastern Notes: Cavs, Knicks, Sixers

March 19th, 2015 at 6:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cavs first-year coach David Blatt believes that finishing second in the Eastern Division is a worthy goal the remainder of the regular season, according to Chris Fedor of Northeast Ohio Media Group. Cleveland’s relative lack of playoff experience, other than LeBron James, makes homecourt advantage even more essential, the story continues. The Cavs have not lost a home game since January 7th. Blatt may still rest some of his top players at times but not if it costs the team in seeding, Fedor adds. “I’d like us to finish as high as possible because there’s value in that,” Blatt said to the team’s beat reporters. “We’re going to come out and try to win every game regardless of who we are putting on the floor. If we see the need and we have the ability to rest someone we may do that too. We’re not going to lose sight of the fact that we’re going to compete every single game and not give anything away.”

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

Knicks first-year coach Derek Fisher says the most frustration he’s experienced this season is trying to instruct and lead players from the sidelines rather than on the court, Fred Kerber of the New York Post reports. “A lot of times, you see things in them that they’re still trying to discover in themselves,” Fisher said. “Being a guy that was just in that position a year ago at this date, there are a lot of things I can relate to and I can offer.”
The Sixers are winning too much for their own good and need to stay among the top four in the draft to get an impact player, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer opines. Philadelphia, which currently owns the third-worst record in the league, has won three of its last six. It plays the Knicks, who are tied for the worst record, and Lakers, who have the fourth-worst record, this weekend. Pompey notes that Jahlil Okafor, Emmanuel Mudiay, Karl Anthony-Towns and D’Angelo Russell are generally considered by most NBA scouts as the only sure things in the draft. You can track all of the teams in the hunt for the No. 1 overall pick by visiting our Reverse Standings page.
Miles Plumlee is making the most of his extended playing time with the Bucks, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel. The team likes what the 6’11” center has brought to the court since coming to Milwaukee in a deal with the Suns at the deadline. “I think his athletic ability, his ability to set screens and run the floor [was impressive],” coach Jason Kidd said. “The big thing is rebounding the ball, and he had 11 rebounds in 18 minutes. We have to get him more time on the floor.”

Chris Crouse contributed to this post.

Central Notes: George, Kaun, Van Gundy

March 19th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Paul George should come back to play if he’s healthy enough to do so before season’s end, but not so he can help the Pacers win more games down the stretch, argues Steve Aschburner of NBA.com. Instead, the focus should be on helping George shake off the rust so he can be ready to go full-speed next season, even if there’s concern that inserting him into the lineup would disrupt the rhythm of this year’s team, Aschburner believes. Here’s more from around the Central Division, which has a strong chance to send the Pacers and three other teams to the playoffs this year:

The Cavs are giving thought to signing draft-and-stash prospect Sasha Kaun this summer, according to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia. The 29-year-old from Kansas is on an expiring contract with Russia’s CSKA Moscow, as Mark Porcaro shows in our Draft Rights Held Players database, and Carchia hears that Kaun has told the Russian club that he won’t be back next season. Cavs coach David Blatt coached Kaun on the Russian national team, Carchia notes.
The Pistons are in line for the seventh overall pick pending the lottery, as our Reverse Standings show, but coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy admits that he hasn’t seen an entire Kentucky game all year, MLive’s David Mayo observes. Van Gundy’s coaching duties have kept him from seeing much college basketball at all this season, and breaking down prospects is a task that he’s left to scouts and other staffers, as Mayo details. Still, Van Gundy added that he intends to watch video before the draft of just about every game the top 10 or 15 prospects played this season, according to Mayo.
Draft-and-stash signee Nikola Mirotic has raised his game to fill the void of the injured Jimmy Butler, Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson, turning into the sort of shooter the Bulls had hoped fellow rookie Doug McDermott would become, writes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com.

2015/16 Salary Commitments: Cavaliers

March 18th, 2015 at 10:57am CST by Eddie Scarito

With the NBA trade deadline now passed, teams are focusing on locking down playoff spots or vying for a better chance in the draft lottery. Outside of the players who are added on 10-day deals, or those lucky enough to turn those auditions into long-term contracts, teams’ rosters are relatively set for the remainder of the season.

We at Hoops Rumors are in the process of taking a look ahead at each franchise’s salary cap situation heading into the summer, and the free agent frenzy that occurs every offseason. While the exact amount of the 2015/16 salary cap won’t be announced until July, the cap is projected to come in at $67.4MM, with the luxury tax threshold projected at approximately $81MM. This year’s $63.065MM cap represented an increase of 7.7% over 2013/14, which was well above the league’s projected annual increase of 4.5%.

We’ll continue by taking a look at the Cavs’ cap outlook for 2015/16…

Here are the players with guaranteed contracts:

Joe Harris — $845,059
Kyrie Irving — $15,856,500
Anderson Varejao — $9,638,554

Here are the players with non-guaranteed contracts:

Brendan Haywood — $10,522,500

Players with options:

LeBron James (Player Option) — $21,573,398
Kevin Love (Player Option) — $16,744,218
Mike Miller (Player Option) — $2,854,940
Timofey Mozgov (Team Option) — $4.95MM
J.R. Smith (Player Option) — $6,399,750

The Cavs’ Cap Summary for 2015/16:

Guaranteed Salary: $26,340,113
Options/Non-Guaranteed Salary: $63,044,806
Total: $89,384,919

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

Eastern Notes: Rose, Stevens, LeBron, Pistons

March 17th, 2015 at 10:12pm CST by Charlie Adams

After Derrick Rose tore his meniscus, he was given a six-week recovery timeline that began on February 27th, but Tom Thibodeau said today that the former MVP is “ahead of schedule” in the healing process, notes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Thibodeau also said he was “hopeful” that Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler would return to action this week, but the Bulls coach stopped short of making any guarantees. Here’s tonight’s look at the Eastern Conference:

Celtics coach Brad Stevens is defying stereotypes and proving a coach hired straight out of the NCAA can be effective in the NBA, writes Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops, who points to P.J. Carlesimo, Tim Floyd, Leonard Hamilton, Lon Kruger, Mike Montgomery, Jerry Tarkanian, and Rick Pitino as big names who failed to make their mark at the NBA level.
Pat Riley admitted he was surprised when LeBron James left the Heat to re-join the Cavs, and he regarded the decision made by LeBron a result of the “contemporary attitude of today.” However, Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer isn’t shocked in the least at James’ decision and argues that the same attitude is the what led LBJ to originally leave Cleveland in 2010.
The Pistons took a risk when they made a deal to acquire Reggie Jackson, and given Detroit’s 2-10 record in games in which Jackson appears, both the soon-to-be restricted free agent and the team are hoping they can figure out how to effectively mesh during the last month of the season, as David Mayo of MLive details. It’s worth noting that Jackson scored 23 points and dished out 20 assists in tonight’s win over the Grizzlies.

Rival Execs Unsure Cavs Want Love On Max Deal

March 17th, 2015 at 12:24pm CST by Chuck Myron

Kevin Love silenced many rumors when he said in January that he plans to opt in for next season with the Cavs, but rival executives have begun to question whether Cleveland would want to re-sign Love for the maximum salary if he were to opt out, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN (video link). Many executives think Love will leave the Cavs, perhaps to sign with the Lakers, Broussard also says, reiterating earlier reports that the power forward has denied amid continued insistence that he’d like to stay in Cleveland. The Cavs haven’t given any indication that their desire for Love has waned, Broussard cautioned.

Love has missed the last two games because of a minor back ailment, and when he has played, he’s often sat out during fourth quarters. He hinted of frustration earlier this month with a role that has him acting as more of a spot-up shooter than in the past, though he’s mostly remained upbeat even amid a downturn in his scoring and rebounding averages and shot attempts per game. The Cavs have taken off despite the failure of Love to once again become the dynamic force he had been in years past with the Timberwolves, with Cleveland having gone 24-6 over its last 30 games to climb comfortably into second place in the Eastern Conference.

The 26-year-old has a player option worth $16.744MM for next season, but he’d likely be in line for a higher salary on a maximum-salary contract if he were to opt out and if a team were to make such an offer. The Cavs have plenty of other concerns this offseason, when all but five of their players can hit free agency, making it a distinct possibility that the team will have to pay the luxury tax next season if it returns largely intact.

The Celtics are reportedly among the teams planning a run at Love if he opts out, and he’d reportedly be willing to at least take a meeting with the Lakers if he becomes a free agent. In spite of his insistence that he wants a long-term future in Cleveland, the majority of Hoops Rumors readers believe he won’t remain on the Cavs next season.

Celtics Notes: Datome, Larranaga, Zeller

March 17th, 2015 at 9:00am CST by Chuck Myron

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge isn’t insisting on a development-focused approach from Brad Stevens, who’s instead doing what he can to help the team win now and grab a playoff berth, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald details. So, soon-to-be free agent Gigi Datome has taken 2014 first-rounder James Young‘s place in the rotation, Bulpett writes. That leads right into other news from Boston, as we detail:

Datome says he’s having a “fantastic” time as a member of the Celtics, who’ve given him the sort of playing time he never saw with the Pistons, observes Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. Datome is set for restricted free agency this summer.
Celtics assistant coach Jay Larranaga wouldn’t leave the Celtics for a college job, but he’ll consider interviewing for George Mason’s open head coaching position out of respect for the program, which used to employ his father in that job, a source tells Murphy for the same piece. The school had yet to reach out to Larranaga by midday Monday, a source told Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link), and both Bulpett and Mannix hear that Larranaga is happy in Boston. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported early Monday that the school was eyeing him for the gig.
The Celtics pulled off a steal when they landed Tyler Zeller from the Cavs this past summer, opines Jimmy Toscano of CSNNE.com. Boston gave up only a protected second-round pick that the team is unlikely to ever have to actually convey to Cleveland, and the C’s also took back Marcus Thornton and a first-rounder, which they flipped to the Suns at the deadline for Isaiah Thomas, further sweetening the deal. Zeller scored a career-high 26 points Monday.

Eastern Notes: Irving, Heat, Scott, Perkins

March 16th, 2015 at 4:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

Reports last season that made claims of a rift between Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters and alleged that Irving wanted to leave the Cavaliers put a strain on the point guard, as he tells Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. Irving silenced much of the chatter when he agreed to a five-year extension with Cleveland on the first day he could this past July.

“It really got to me,” Irving said of the rumors. “I’m not a big Twitter person and I don’t tweet a lot of my emotions, but last year I was clarifying because there were so many sources. I’m dealing with people coming at my character. Saying I’m detrimental to my teammates and I’m like, ‘Man, that’s not even close to who I am at all.’ It started to get to me because once people start to question the things that you’re doing, and you know you’re not doing them, then it starts to get to you.”

There’s more on the Cavs amid the latest from around the Eastern Conference:

Dwyane Wade believes Goran Dragic is a fit for the Heat, but even if he re-signs and Chris Bosh and Josh McRoberts return healthy for next season, Wade thinks the team would still need to add more to return to contention, as he told Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post.
Mike Scott is expected to miss four to six weeks with his broken left big toe, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The Hawks signed Austin Daye on Saturday to a 10-day contract to help offset the loss. The regular season ends four weeks from this coming Wednesday.
Kendrick Perkins is enthusiastic about the way he’s fit in with the Cavs and the warm reception his new teammates have given him, as he tells Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter links). Perkins, who nonetheless added that he misses his former Thunder teammates, will once more hit free agency in the summer.
Public funding for pro sports facilities is coming under fire from President Obama, who’s proposed eliminating the ability for states and cities to use bonds that are exempt from federal taxes to raise money for construction, reports Elaine S. Povich of Stateline (USA Today link). It’s unclear whether that would affect the Bucks‘ plan, which is based on a “jock tax” that draws from players.

Central Notes: Jackson, Bulls, Love, Pacers

March 15th, 2015 at 9:00am CST by ChrisCrouse

The Pistons are only 1-10 since Reggie Jackson made his debut. The team parted with D.J. Augustin and Kyle Singler to obtain the point guard at this year’s deadline and Jackson hasn’t been spectacular since coming to Detroit, especially on the defensive end. However, I believe the team’s woes have just as much to do with losing Singler as they do with Jackson’s struggles. The Pistons did not have much depth before the deadline and making a two-for-one trade further diminished an area of weakness. Detroit sits at 23-43 on the season, which is seven games behind Charlotte for eighth place in the Eastern Conference.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

The Bulls have lost four out of their last five games and coach Tom Thibodeau is concerned about how the team is playing, writes Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com. “Everyone is going through the same thing right now, you’re headed down the stretch,” Thibodeau said. “So if your house is not in order now, you’re in trouble.” Chicago currently has a 14-man roster, as our Expanded Roster Counts Page indicates. Adding someone, even on a 10-day contract, to help the team while Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler recover from their respective injuries, may be something the team should look into.
The Cavs‘ recent stretch of success has helped Kevin Love cope with his struggles this season, writes Michael Wallace of ESPN.com. “Everything is easier when you’re winning,” Love said. “So you can have some really good games, and then some tough times. The rotation might be different. But as long as you’re winning, it kind of makes up for everything. And that’s the kind of way it’s been here.” In my latest poll, nearly 60% of Hoops Rumors’ readers believe Love will leave Cleveland in the offseason.
Paul George‘s return may be dominating headlines in Indiana, but the team is focused on making the playoffs with the players currently on the court, writes Shaun Powell of NBA.com. “Honestly, we’re not even thinking about Paul right now,” coach Frank Vogel said. “How effective is he going to be having not played in a year? This is a serious injury. He still has a lot of hurdles to pass before he even gets back on the court. We’re trying to become the best possible team we can be without him and if he gets back, that’s just going to be a bonus.” The Pacers own a record of 30-35, which is good for seventh place in the Eastern Conference.