Cavs Notes: Sims, Felix, Shaw, Bennett
Here’s today’s look at the Cavs..
- The Cavs announced that they have assigned center Henry Sims and guard/forward Carrick Felix to their D-League affiliate, the Canton Charge. Sims has appeared in six games for the Cavs this season, averaging 1.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in 5.8 minutes per game and Felix has appeared in three games, averaging 1.3 points in 5.0 minutes per game. To keep up on all of this year’s D-League assignments, take a look at Hoops Rumors’ running list.
- Bob Finnan of the Plain Dealer look at how Nuggets coach Brian Shaw nearly became Cleveland’s head man.
- Former Cavalier J.J. Hickson can empathize with struggling No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett and has some advice for him, writes Sam Amico of FOX Sports.
Eastern Rumors: Shumpert, Afflalo, Cavs
Following up on Carmelo Anthony‘s recent comments suggesting that the Knicks were missing the veteran leadership of players like Jason Kidd, Rasheed Wallace, and Kurt Thomas, Mike Woodson agreed, but stressed that the team must move on.
“They’re not here this season and they’re not going to walk through that door,” Woodson said of those ex-Knicks, according to Al Iannazzone of Newsday. “We’ve got to go with what we have. And I think what we have is good enough to win with.”
Let’s round up a few more stories on the Knicks and several other Eastern Conference teams…
- In their stories on the Knicks‘ Sunday loss to the Pelicans, Marc Berman of the New York Post and Frank Isola of the New York Daily News both suggest that the strong play of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Iman Shumpert‘s confrontation with Carmelo Anthony might make Shumpert even more available.
- Arron Afflalo is playing the best ball of his career so far this season, which could put him in the All-Star conversation, but also means his trade value may never be higher. Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel takes a look at Afflalo’s unusual situation with the Magic.
- In addressing the possibility of the Cavaliers starting Anthony Bennett at small forward, Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio passes along a tidbit from a scout this past offseason. In the scout’s opinion, no matter what other moves the Cavs made, “if they’re still starting [Alonzo Gee] at small forward, they’re not gonna be that great.”
- While many Bulls fans would like to see the team tank and grab a pick near the top of a strong 2014 draft, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times cautions against that approach. Speaking to Cowley, Bulls GM Gar Forman suggests it’s possible to find value in the first round no matter where the team’s pick lands.
Odds & Ends: Beasley, Wilkins, Claver, Lakers
If it looks like Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is only now starting to formulate a plan for offseason pickup Michael Beasley, you’re not far off, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. “With Michael,” Spoelstra said, “it was more about, initially, we felt he was part of our family. We drafted him. We spent a lot of time with him, not only during those two regular seasons, but during the offseasons and we just wanted to open up our arms back into our family,” the coach said. Here’s more from around the Association..
- Damien Wilkins, who was in training camp with the Hawks over the summer, has reached agreement on a deal with Beijing in China, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM.
- Victor Claver spoke with El Mundo after the rumors about his future published by Spanish media and Emiliano Carchia of Sportando provides the translation. “Portland is the team where I want to play. But at the same time I want to play more and here I don’t have chances to. The season is very long, let’s see if something will change. Right now I am not thinking about returning to Europe. I have no idea if there is a chance to be traded. But if it happened, I hope it is for the better,” said the Spanish forward.
- Nick Young has jokingly touted himself as a Sixth Man of the Year candidate at times this season, but coach Mike D’Antoni believes the swingman has a legitimate shot at the award, notes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
- D’Antoni is overseeing a locker room with ten players on expiring contracts, but he appears much more effective at building camaraderie with this Lakers team than with last year’s, as Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times observes.
- In this week’s mailbag, Mary Schmitt-Boyer of the Plain Dealer fields questions on the possibility of the Cavs trading for Luol Deng and more.
Odds & Ends: Bennett, Ledo, Pistons, Heat
The Cavs drafted Anthony Bennett first overall with many in the organization envisioning him becoming a small forward at some point, notes Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. Lloyd argues that the team should make the former UNLV big man the starter at that position now. Cleveland’s win tonight brings the team’s record to just 5-12, so Lloyd believes it’s an idea worth trying in a season when few of coach Mike Brown‘s gambits have worked. Here’s more from around the NBA:
- The Mavericks assigned Ricky Ledo to their D-League affiliate today, the team announced via press release. Ledo has appeared in six games with Dallas for a total of just 16 minutes so far.
- Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News breaks down the dilemmas facing first-year Pistons coach Maurice Cheeks, whose team is off to a worrisome 6-10 start in spite of owner Tom Gores’ playoff aspirations.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel wonders if Kobe Bryant‘s lucrative extension will prompt LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to prioritize money over championships next offseason.
Central Links: Cavs, Asik, George, Hinrich
The Pacers are the class of the NBA, but next they face a tough Western road trip that includes tough tests against the Clippers, Blazers, Spurs and Thunder. The only breather appears to be their matchup with the league-worst Jazz. There’s more from Indiana as we check the latest from the Central:
- The Cavs have “kicked the tires” on Omer Asik in the past, writes Bob Finnan of The News-Herald. It’s not clear when Cleveland showed interest in the Rockets center, but it doesn’t appear from the report like the Cavs are in on him now.
- In the same piece, Finnan asserts that the Cavs shouldn’t trade Dion Waiters because he might be the team’s best player, even with Kyrie Irving around. Irving is off to a slow start, but Waiters hasn’t been any better statistically, so I’m not sure that part of the argument holds any water.
- Paul George spoke to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune this week about a variety of topics, including whether he gave thought to signing with a glamour team in free agency before he agreed to a long-term extension with the Pacers. “Of course everyone does, but you have to look at the bigger picture and the bigger picture here is we’re all young, we did so well last year, we have a core group of guys who are going to be here for a while,” George said. “There’s no need to go to a big market when I have a market where I can win here.”
- George also told Zgoda about his predraft workout with the Timberwolves in 2010, revealing that they didn’t show much interest in him because they were sold on Wesley Johnson. George, the 10th pick that year, still holds a grudge against the nine teams that passed him up, as Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star details.
- The Bulls signed Kirk Hinrich last year with the thinking that they’d reduce his role this season, but the 32-year-old soon-to-be free agent is again a key player for the team after another Derrick Rose injury, observes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
Most Partial Guarantees Have Already Been Paid
The timing of the Lakers release of Elias Harris yesterday was financially motivated, and it had to do with the $100K partial guarantee on his contract. It’s the same calculus that would have forced the Cavaliers to release Matthew Dellavedova yesterday if they wanted to avoid paying him more than the $100K partial guarantee on his deal, which was identical to the one Harris signed. Dellavedova has played a key role for his team, unlike the little-used Harris, so Cleveland has seen fit to keep him beyond yesterday’s deadline to waive him so that he’d clear waivers before Tuesday, the day when his accrued salary will exceed $100K.
Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors explained earlier this month how the proration of salaries comes into play with partially guaranteed deals, pointing to Lance Thomas and his deal with the Pelicans as an example. Thomas had the league’s smallest partial guarantee to start the season, and even though he lasted only a couple weeks before New Orleans let him go, he had already earned more than his $15K guarantee, making the guarantee irrelevant in the team’s decision to waive him.
That’s the case for majority of players with partial guarantees at this point. Eleven of the 18 guys on partially guaranteed contracts have already earned more money than their guarantees cover, meaning they’re on de-facto non-guaranteed contracts. Their teams could waive them at any time and not owe them any extra money.
A handful of players still haven’t accrued as much as their partial guarantees, though the Bobcats and Jannero Pargo are scheduled to cross that threshold this weekend. Charlotte will have to waive Pargo by tomorrow so he’s off the roster by Wednesday, when his earnings will exceed $300K.
Three players have partial guarantees that they won’t exceed until after the leaguewide guarantee date of January 10th. That means the only date that matters to their teams is January 7th, the last day to place those guys on waivers without fully guaranteeing their contracts.
Here’s the complete list, broken down by category:
Already exceeded their partial guarantees
- Hollis Thompson, 76ers
- Henry Sims, Cavaliers
- Mike Scott, Hawks
- Shawne Williams, Lakers
- Josh Harrellson, Pistons
- Julyan Stone, Raptors
- Ronnie Brewer, Rockets
- Dionte Christmas, Suns
- Ryan Gomes, Thunder
- Kent Bazemore, Warriors
- Matthew Dellavedova, Cavaliers (Had to have been placed on waivers yesterday to be off the roster in advance of December 2nd)
Will soon exceed their partial guarantees (player must be waived three days in advance of listed date)
- Jannero Pargo, Bobcats (December 4th)
- Peyton Siva, Pistons (December 20th)
- Ian Clark, Jazz (January 6th)
- Hasheem Thabeet, Thunder (January 7th)
Won’t exceed their partial guarantees until after the leaguewide guarantee date (January 10th)
- Erik Murphy, Bulls
- Andrew Bynum, Cavaliers
- Hedo Turkoglu, Magic
ShamSports was used in the creation of this post.
Odds & Ends: Tanking, DeRozan, Vucevic
While ownership, team executives, and coaches may sometimes choose to tank games (usually referred to by some as “focusing on the future”), Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld writes that players aren’t in on it, especially if they’re trying to prove themselves or avoiding the possibility that their potential replacement gets drafted.
Here’s more of tonight’s miscellaneous news and notes:
- Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun (via Twitter) wonders if the Raptors should look to move DeMar DeRozan while his value is high, especially if they can’t find a taker for Rudy Gay.
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel writes that the Magic are trying to figure out center Nikola Vucevic‘s worth and thinks that the potential numbers on an extension could be between what Larry Sanders and Nikola Pekovic got from their respective teams this past summer.
- Looking back at how his tenure as the Trail Blazers’ head coach came to an end, Pacers assistant Nate McMillan tells Joe Freeman of the Oregonian that his one regret was trying to fit Gerald Wallace into the starting lineup (to keep the veteran from becoming disgruntled) despite Nicolas Batum needing the development.
- ESPN looked to 5 of its writers to give their thoughts on how much hope that Knicks, Nets, Cavaliers, Bulls, and Lakers fans should have moving forward this season.
- Hoopsworld’s Moke Hamilton discusses what he calls the “Derrick Rose dilemma” for Chicago – deciding whether or not to stay the course or start tear down the current team in order to build for the future.
- Although it’s possible that the Bulls will make a move or two to address the team’s current situation, Herb Gould of the Chicago Sun-Times points out that the return of Jimmy Butler to the lineup will help and how Chicago already proved they can at least stay competitive during the regular season without Rose.
Central Notes: Deng, Bulls, Pacers
The Cavaliers reportedly had interest in trading for Luol Deng this past summer but were rebuffed by the Bulls, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. As of now, Deveney adds, it doesn’t appear that anything on that front will change anytime soon, and unless Chicago can obtain a 2014 draft pick, there isn’t much sense in moving Deng. Here’s more out of the Central Division tonight, including much more from Deveney:
- That same piece explores the trade value of Carlos Boozer, who according to one general manager isn’t really being sought after by any team at this point. While the Bulls still have the former Duke product on their books until 2015, Deveney opines that the Knicks might become desperate enough to make a move for him to shore up their struggling front court.
- Deveney also writes that Joakim Noah still has high value around the league despite his battles with injury over the last few seasons. The Knicks would appear to be another logical landing spot for the 6’11 center, although the Pelicans, Thunder, and Mavericks are expected to be in pursuit should the Bulls place Noah on the trading block.
- Lastly, with reports that Nikola Mirotic – whose draft rights are still owned by the Bulls – has developed into a star in Spain, Deveney says that if Chicago were to package his rights in a deal including Deng, Noah, or Boozer, they would be looking to get a star player in return. According to one scout, Mirotic is currently the “best player who is not in the NBA right now.” If Mirotic weren’t included in a deal involving any of those three, the Bulls would supposedly settle for cap relief, draft picks, and/or young talent.
- Sam Smith of Bulls.com opened his mailbag and dissects trade suggestions sent in by his readers.
- Sports Illustrated’s Ian Thomsen thinks the Pacers currently have the requisite pieces in place to make a title run this season. However, considering Indiana’s vow to remain under the tax threshold, the team isn’t likely to maintain the same type of depth after this year, especially with Danny Granger‘s contract set to expire and Lance Stephenson due for a new contract.
Berger On Asik, Stuckey, Waiters, Sixers
It’s Black Friday in North America, and Ken Berger of CBSSports.com has provided a shopping list for teams scouring the trade market for roster improvements. In the process of listing his 10 trade candidates, Berger provides a handful of interesting tidbits on those players, so we’ll round up several of the highlights below:
- A rival GM described the Rockets‘ asking price in Omer Asik trade talks as “delusional,” according to Berger.
- Rodney Stuckey is in the final year of his contract, but a source tells Berger that the Pistons “are not trading” the veteran guard.
- Some rival executives find it hard to believe that the Cavs would give up so quickly on Dion Waiters, who is still just 21 years old.
- Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes represent the Sixers‘ two most logical trade candidates, but Berger hears from rival execs that it’s worth keeping an eye on Thaddeus Young as well.
- While several executives named Ed Davis as a possible trade candidate, Berger believes the Grizzlies are more likely to explore dealing Zach Randolph. Berger adds that agent Rob Pelinka is “notorious for gaming the system in free agency,” so if Memphis does move Davis, it may be out of a fear that Pelinka has already lined up a team to sign him next summer.
Eastern Notes: Shumpert, Waiters, James, Heat
Here are a few notes from the Eastern Conference:
- The latest piece by Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com examines Iman Shumpert‘s trade value and the likelihood that the Knicks guard develops into an elite player. Shumpert has been discussed as a potential trade candidate throughout the season, and Begley suggests that his value lies in his potential and not proven production. So far in his career, the former first-round pick has scored 8.2 PPG in 26.5 MPG.
- Marc Berman of the New York Post compares Mike Woodson‘s tough treatment of Shumpert this season to his treatment of J.R. Smith last season. Smith responded positively and ended up winning sixth man of the year, but it remains to be seen whether or not Shumpert will respond in such a way.
- Dion Waiters has been another popular name in trade rumors around the league. We learned yesterday that the Cavaliers are shopping Waiters, and Bob Finnan of the News Herald reveals that Waiters is attempting to stay focused on the court amid all the trade talks: “I’m out here and still smiling. There’s nothing I’d rather be doing than playing basketball. I’ll leave that all to the press. I’ll let them have fun with that.”
- Much was made of LeBron James and “The Decision,” but Tommy Beer of HoopsWorld notes that James’ decision to sign with the Heat was unselfish in the sense that he took less guaranteed years and a significant pay cut in order to play for a championship-caliber club. In fact, James could have made an additional $15MM had he signed a more lucrative contract that was available to him.
- Speaking of the Heat, Shandel Richardson of the Sun Sentinel writes that Miami and the Big Three have come a long way since their 9-8 start in 2010/11 that had critics questioning whether or not the superstar packed club could succeed. James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade each have early termination options on their contracts for the 2014/15 season, but there’s been little evidence to suggest any of them are eager to explore free agency.