Texas Notes: Matthews, Harrell, Duncan, Fredette
The Mavericks figure to have a balanced offensive attack again this season, writes Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com, but max-salary signee Wesley Matthews appears the best bet to take over the role of lead scorer from Monta Ellis, who’s now a Pacer, Sneed adds. That’s not a familiar job for Matthews, but given the similarity between the offense he was a part of under former Mavs assistant Terry Stotts with the Blazers and the one that Mavs coach Rick Carlisle employs, the shooting guard is confident he can expand his game, as Sneed relays.
“You know, I’ve never been one to allow someone to label me,” Matthews said. “I always continue to try to get better. I’m not a content type of person. If they come up with a term three-and-D and they want to fit me in that category, that’s fine. But there’s not a thing that I don’t think I can do on the court, and I’m excited for the opportunity. You know, talking to coach Carlisle, I’m obviously familiar with the system, having ran it in Portland. And talking to him, there’s opportunities that he sees how I can help this team. And I’m excited for those opportunities.”
See more from around the Texas triangle:
- The Rockets and Montrezl Harrell, this year’s No. 32 overall pick, remain in talks, as Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com writes at the end of a report on Jason Terry‘s decision to re-sign with Houston. A market value deal for Harrell, which would entail more than the minimum salary, or a contract that stretches more than two years would trigger a hard cap of $88.74MM for the Rockets, who are already approaching that amount.
- Tim Duncan knows some adjustment will be involved, but he’s enthusiastic about the marquee offseason additions the Spurs made, as Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News relays (Twitter link). Duncan re-signed with the Spurs on a discounted deal with a no-trade clause that will pay him $5.25MM with a player option worth $5,643,750 for 2016/17, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.
- The Spurs have a history of turning around faltering careers like his, but the pressure is on Jimmer Fredette to show he can stick in the NBA, as Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders examines. Fredette signed only a partially guaranteed deal with the Spurs, so he’ll have to prove his worth right away, Kennedy adds.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 8/15/15
JaVale McGee has shown flashes of becoming an impact player in the NBA. When the former No. 18 overall pick agreed to a buyout with the Sixers last spring, he failed to generate much interest as a free agent. His lack of development, along with his health concerns, were major reasons why teams weren’t champing at the bit to sign the center.
The Mavs finally signed McGee earlier this week. Dallas previously had serious concerns about the center’s health, but it has apparently cleared that hurdle, as the Mavs remain confident that his injured leg will heal in time for the 27-year-old to join the team in training camp.
McGee’s deal, which covers two seasons, is only guaranteed for $250K, with another $250K becoming guaranteed if he remains on the roster past September 29th. Dallas currently has 20 players under contract, as our Roster Counts page shows, but it needs to trim that down to 15 by opening night. The Mavs have 15 players with fully guaranteed deals on the roster and opening up a regular season roster spot for McGee will be especially difficult, as the team only has six players who are eligible to be traded prior to the season.
Dallas has shown a willingness to eat guaranteed money in the past, waiving Bernard James and Gal Mekel last fall despite their fully guaranteed salaries. Even if McGee makes the roster, he will face competition for minutes at the center spot. Samuel Dalembert and trade acquisition Zaza Pachulia are likely to see significant minutes. The team presumably will prioritize getting free agent signee Salah Mejri on the court to give the 2011 FIBA African Championship MVP a chance at locking down the team’s open starting center spot.
If McGee can defy the long odds of becoming the team’s starter at the five, or at least crack the rotation, he could put himself in great position to remain relevant in the NBA and potentially raise his stock for the summer of 2017, when he could become a 29-year-old free agent. Dallas is a franchise that has a history of rehabilitating player values, as I illustrated in the Free Agent Stock Watch of Wesley Matthews. The team employs Rick Carlisle, who is one of the best coaches in the league and has demonstrated he can get the most out of players.
So here’s the topic of the day: Will JaVale McGee make an impact on the Mavs? Can a good environment in Dallas rehabilitate his value? Will he even make the team?
Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to reading what you have to say.
Note: Since these Shootarounds are meant to be guided by you the reader, we certainly welcome your input on the topics we present. If there is something you’d like to see pop up here for a discussion, shoot me a message at hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com or hit me up on Twitter at @CW_Crouse to submit topics or ideas for what we should present in future posts.
Western Notes: Morris, McGee, Grizzlies
Markieff Morris made it clear that he wants out of Phoenix and although his teammates would like him back next season, they understand the forward’s situation, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic writes.
“If he stays with us, we’d definitely love to have him,” said Brandon Knight, who signed a five-year, $70MM deal with the Suns this offseason. “Great player. I’m looking forward to playing with him. But if not, it’s a business. Like I said, I just want Markieff to be happy. That’s the main thing. I love him as a player. I love his game. So as of now, I’m excited to play for him.”
Here’s more out of the Western Conference:
- JaVale McGee has a chance to rejuvenate his career in Dallas, as we discussed in tonight’s Community Shootaround, and Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders wonders if McGee can have the same type of career turnaround that Jermaine O’Neal enjoyed after being traded to the Pacers. O’Neal spent his first four years playing for a Blazers team that didn’t give him the best chance to succeed before coming to Indiana and developing into a legitimate MVP candidate. Hamilton argues that while the idea of McGee becoming a crucial part of a successful Mavs‘ season may sound ludicrous, the idea of O’Neal leading a title contender after sitting on Portland’s bench was just as absurd.
- Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders believes the Grizzlies‘ offseason moves are being overlooked and the team quietly had one of the best summers in the league. Memphis was able to re-sign Marc Gasol, bring in Brandan Wright via free agency and add Matt Barnes via trade. Taylor expects this season to be a critical point regarding the team’s future. Barnes, Jeff Green, Mike Conley, Courtney Lee and Beno Udrih will all play major roles this season and will all be unrestricted free agents during the summer of 2016.
Pacific Notes: Kobe, Clarkson, Jordan, Cauley-Stein
Kobe Bryant isn’t making any definitive statements about whether he’ll retire after this coming season, even though that seems the most likely outcome. It’s also uncertain whether he’ll play in the 2016 Olympics, but USA Basketball executive director Jerry Colangelo said Bryant told him he’d love to “ride off into the sunset” with Team USA next summer, providing he’s still playing well enough to earn a roster spot, observes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. While we wait to see if Bryant’s storied career has a storybook ending, see more from the Pacific Division:
- Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak envisions D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson in the team’s backcourt for the next 10-12 years, as he recently told SiriusXM NBA Radio (Twitter link), and Clarkson sees that as a challenge to build on his breakout rookie season, as he said to Serena Winters of Lakers Nation. “If Mitch believes in us, we’re definitely trying to make that happen,” Clarkson said. “We’ve got to put our best foot forward if he believes in us like that and continue to work hard and put in great effort. Coach [Byron] Scott ain’t no easy guy to play for, so you’ve got to leave it all on the line when you play for him! So, we’ve just got to work hard and get better everyday and hopefully bring wins to the organization.”
- DeAndre Jordan knows it’ll take time to heal the wounds that he inflicted on the hearts of the Mavs when he reneged on his agreement to sign with Dallas, but the Clippers center said earlier this week that he’d talked to Chandler Parsons and that they’ll remain cordial, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com notes. Parsons previously called Jordan’s flip-flop “very unethical and disrespectful.” “I understand the whole situation and I’d be a little iffy too,” Jordan said. “But we were friends before and after basketball. It’s something that I don’t think he’s too happy about, but at the same time, it’s basketball and it happened.”
- No. 6 overall pick Willie Cauley-Stein has a quirky, one-of-a-kind personality, but Kings assistant coach John Welch lights up when talking about his performance in summer league, and Cauley-Stein tells James Herbert of CBSSports.com that Sacramento sees his unique manner as a plus. “The way I see it is, like, it was kind of meant to happen like that because [owner] Vivek [Ranadive] and [executive] Vlade [Divac] love the fact that I’m a bit of an artistic mind and I think outside of the box,” Cauley-Stein said. “They were really intrigued by that. That’s one of the main reasons why they chose me. So it worked out like that.”
And-Ones: Rose, McGee, Jordan
The Hawks have hired former NBA player Malik Rose as their manager of basketball operations, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (via Twitter). Rose confirmed the news via his personal Twitter account. Rose will report to coach Mike Budenholzer, who remains in charge of player personnel as president of basketball operations. The 40-year-old spent 13 seasons in the NBA as a player with the Hornets, Spurs, Knicks, and Thunder.
Here’s more from around the league:
- The first year of JaVale McGee‘s deal with the Mavericks is partially guaranteed for $250k, with another $250k becoming guaranteed if he remains on the roster past September 29th, and an additional $250k will become guaranteed if he is still on Dallas’ roster past October 27th, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. The second season of the arrangement is non-guaranteed, Pincus adds.
- McGee is still undergoing rehab for his injured leg, but the Mavs remain confident that he will be ready to play in time for training camp, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com relays (on Twitter).
- Former St. John’s University shooting guard Rysheed Jordan is considering playing overseas or joining the NBA D-League for next season, Keith Schlosser of SBNation writes. “I don’t know yet. It’s either overseas or the D-League, two options,” Jordan told CityofBasketballLove.com. “It depends whether I would prefer to go far or stay local.” Jordan departed the Red Storm after his sophomore season, and back in June said, “Playing professional basketball has always been a goal of mine. I believe I am ready to take the next step in my basketball career and plan to work hard to achieve my dream of playing in the NBA. I am thankful for the opportunities and support St. John’s University has provided to me. This decision was made with my family’s best interests in mind.“
Mavs Sign JaVale McGee
The Mavericks have signed JaVale McGee, the team announced, as Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com tweets. The team had initiated talks with the center last month, as Shams Charania of RealGM had reported, but it seemed like that door was closed when the Mavs signed Samuel Dalembert and others to bring themselves to 15 fully guaranteed deals. Dallas also had serious concerns about McGee’s health, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, but it appears as though the Mavs are willing to take a risk. The Mavs have been holding on to their $2.814MM room exception, but McGee will see only the minimum in his contract, which covers two years with a team option on the final season, Stein tweets.
The Wasserman Media Group client had reportedly rejected a similar offer from the Celtics late last season, preferring a player option instead. Boston and McGee had seemingly been close to a deal at that point, and plenty of rumors have surrounded the 27-year-old for the past several months as he’s lingered in free agency. The Sixers waived him shortly after acquiring him from the Nuggets at the trade deadline. Philadelphia did so even though McGee still had $12MM coming to him for this season, but the center’s deal with Dallas, which will pay him the seven-year veteran’s minimum of $1,270,964 this season, means the Sixers are eligible to withhold as much as $212,953 via set-off rights.
The Mavericks reportedly held strong interest in McGee this spring after talks with the Celtics fell through, and the Warriors, Raptors, Rockets and Heat were also apparently eyeing him, though reports conflicted on just how much Golden State wanted the former 18th overall pick. The Mavs eventually dropped out of the running, too, and while McGee later reportedly backed off his demand for a player option, no deal materialized until now. Reports indicated that the Celtics appeared ready to jump back in the mix after the end of this past season, the Kings set their sights on him in June, and the Clippers planned to talk with him in July, but it was the revived interest from the Mavs that ultimately lured the 7-footer.
McGee has played in only 28 games after suffering a stress fracture early in the 2013/14 season. He’s nonetheless another contender to start at center for the Mavs, whom DeAndre Jordan notoriously spurned after initially having agreed to sign with them. Dalembert and trade acquisition Zaza Pachulia also appear to be in the mix, with free agent signees Salah Mejri, Jarrid Famous and incumbent Dwight Powell also available at the position.
All the new faces leave the Mavs with only six players eligible for inclusion in a trade, notes former Nets executive Bobby Marks (Twitter link), and that’s troublesome, given that McGee is joining a roster that already featured 15 fully guaranteed salaries. Still, Dallas has shown a willingness to eat guaranteed money in the past, waiving Bernard James and Gal Mekel last fall despite their fully guaranteed salaries. Powell, Famous, Jamil Wilson and Brandon Ashley nonetheless face long odds to make it past the preseason, since their salaries aren’t fully guaranteed.
Do you think the McGee signing will work out for the Mavs? Leave a comment to tell us.
Lakers Work Out Jeremy Tyler
Forward Jeremy Tyler worked out for the Lakers this week, David Pick of Eurobasket.com reports (Twitter link). Ricky Ledo, Toure’ Murry, Sean Kilpatrick, Bobby Brown, Eric Moreland and D.J. Kennedy are also among those reportedly trying out this week for a spot on the Los Angeles roster. The Lakers currently have a roster count of 16 players, 12 of whom possess fully guaranteed pacts, with two other players owning partial guarantees, making it a long shot for any of the previously mentioned players to remain with the team come the regular season, even if they sign.
The 24-year-old’s last NBA regular season action came during the 2013/14 campaign when he played in 41 contests for the Knicks, averaging 3.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks in 9.7 minutes per outing. The Lakers signed him for the preseason last fall, waiving him shortly before opening night. His career numbers through 104 regular season games are 3.6 PPG, 2.6 RPG, and 0.4 BPG to accompany a slash line of .450/.000/.557. Tyler was the No. 39 overall pick back in 2011.
Tyler played for the Mavericks’ entry in the Las Vegas Summer League this year, notching averages of 11.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 1.8 SPG in six contests.
And-Ones: Bucks, Oden, McRoberts, Nets
A new arena for the Bucks moved one step closer to reality today, when Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker signed a bill that calls for $250MM of public financing, write Mary Spicuzza And Jason Stein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Walker has long backed the arena project and said when the bill emerged from the state legislature late last month that he’d sign it. The team must still arrange for a land sale with Milwaukee County and receive approval for construction from the Milwaukee Common Council, Spicuzza and Stein note, but Bucks executives have said that can take place between now and the fall. Groundbreaking must take place soon for the team to stay on schedule to meet a league-imposed deadline, lest the league seize the franchise from its owners and move it elsewhere, but today’s news indicates that the Bucks remain on track to stay in Milwaukee. Here’s more from around the league:
- Former No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden will take part in a weeklong workout later this month for Jiangsu Kentier of the Chinese Basketball Association, the Altius Culture agency tweets. It’ll constitute an audition for the team, the agency indicates. He reportedly drew eyes from the Mavs, Hornets and Grizzlies early in the summer.
- Josh McRoberts had a frustrating, injury-riddled year for the Heat last season after his breakout campaign for Charlotte in 2013/14, and the subtraction of his nearly $5.544MM salary would go a long way toward preventing the Heat from paying repeater tax penalties this season. Still, he’s eager to return to playing in Miami, as he tells Kyle Neddenriep of his hometown Indianapolis Star. “I feel confident and comfortable going back there,” McRoberts said. “I kind of saw how things were last year. I’m excited to be back and part of the team because when you’re hurt, you are kind of isolated on your own. You’re not practicing and playing in games with them every day. I’ve worked with the coaches throughout the summer different times and feel good about the direction we’re headed.”
- Nets majority owner Mikhail Prokhorov agreed to push back today’s deadline for minority owner Bruce Ratner to pay back his company’s debts to Prokhorov’s company, reports Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg.com (Twitter links). Ratner’s group now has until September 8th to pay or let their 20% share become 8%, with Prokhorov’s group taking over the other 12%.
Western Notes: Morris, Brase, Arthur
Markieff Morris, who has reportedly cut off contact with the Suns and supposedly wants out of Phoenix in the wake of his twin brother, Marcus Morris, being dealt to the Pistons, is considered a good teammate, according to Phoenix guard Archie Goodwin, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. In an interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio on Monday, Goodwin said, “I can’t speak too much on that situation but I can say that the last couple years I’ve been with [him], Markieff is a great guy, one of my favorite guys to be around. He’s a really positive guy to me and for everybody else. He’s always been a team-first guy. I love Markieff. I love Marcus. I hope [Markieff] stays with us. I don’t know what’s going to happen with that situation. That’s why I really can’t speak on it. I really enjoy being around him and I wish the best for him whether he is with us or another team.” Coro recently chatted with Hoops Rumors about a number of topics regarding the Suns, and you can read the full interview here.
Here’s more out of the Western Conference:
- Matt Brase is expected to be named head coach of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets‘ NBA D-League affiliate, sources have informed Adam Johnson of D-League Digest. Brase is currently the director of player personnel for Houston, and was a former assistant coach for the Vipers, Johnson notes. Brase replaces former coach Nevada Smith, who spent two seasons with the Vipers and compiled an overall record of 60-46, including a mark of 27-23 last season, Johnson adds. The Rockets organization cut ties with Smith at the end of 2014/15.
- Samuel Dalembert received a fully guaranteed minimum salary on his one-year deal with the Mavericks, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. Dallas will pay $947,276 and the league will cover the rest of the $1,499,187 tab for the 14-year vet. The club currently has 15 guaranteed contracts and 19 players overall, Pincus adds.
- The Nuggets used their room exception to re-sign Darrell Arthur to a two-year pact, and the forward’s deal includes a player option worth $2,940,630 for the 2016/17 season, Pincus tweets.
Chuck Myron and Dana Gauruder contributed to this post.
Kings Rumors: Rondo, Koufos, Cauley-Stein
George Karl is looking forward to the challenge of handling Rajon Rondo, even though the point guard has clashed with coaches in the past, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Rondo signed a one-year free agent deal with the Kings last month after a stormy half-season in Dallas. He joins an already-rocky situation in Sacramento where Karl and DeMarcus Cousins are trying to repair their relationship after early-summer trade rumors. Karl is aware of the clashes Rondo had with Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle, but he wants to offer the point guard a new start in Sacramento. “I just sold him on how I like to let my guys have freedom,” Karl said. “I talked to him once before he signed and it’s going to be fun coaching him. I think he wants to lead our team but he also wants to be part of the decision-making, and that can be somewhat combustible but it can also work at a high level because I think we’re all trying to make the team the best.”
There’s more news out of Sacramento:
- Signing Kosta Koufos and drafting Willie Cauley-Stein has given the Kings a logjam at center, Washburn notes in the same story. Although it may mean pushing Cousins to power forward, Karl is confident he can find ample playing time for all three. “Kosta is solid fundamentally, doesn’t make many mistakes, defensive-minded, tough-minded,” the coach said. “Willie is a young athlete. We have to show him how to play. I think it’s a great combination and how much we play big is all going to be determined on how successful it is.”
- The only surprise in Nancy Lieberman being named an NBA assistant coach is that it took so long, writes Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. Lieberman was a college star and Olympic silver medalist back in the 1970s, coached the Mavericks’ D-League team into the playoffs and has worked as an assistant general manager. Despite that, her entry into coaching at the NBA level didn’t come until after the Spurs broke down the barrier by hiring Becky Hammon. “I’m like the loyal dog,” Lieberman said. “My only frustration was wondering if this was ever going to happen – if somebody was ever going to take a look at me and say, ‘She can do this.’”