Southwest Rumors: Asik, Pelicans, Chandler
Initial signs point to Omer Asik re-signing with the Pellicans, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Even though he had a poor playoff series against the Warriors, Stein says New Orleans likes having Asik as a physical rim protector next to Anthony Davis. Asik is in the final season of a three-year, $25MM contract given to him by the Rockets, and he will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Pelicans gave Houston a 2015 first-round pick last offseason to bring Asik to New Orleans.
There’s more from the Southwest Conference:
- The future of coach Monty Williams and GM Dell Demps isn’t as clear, Stein notes in the same article. Both were reportedly given “playoffs or else” ultimatums, and although the Pelicans made the postseason, their issues aren’t settled. Williams has often been booed and second-guessed by New Orleans fans, but he has formed a bond with Davis that works to his advantage. Stein said Demps did an admirable job of building the Pelicans bench, and he should be expected back next season. However, the fight within the Benson family over control of the franchise could impact both decisions.
- The Pelicans‘ first playoff experience should serve them well next season and beyond, according to Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune. Smith said that even though New Oreans got swept, the team never backed down against the league-best Warriors.
- Tyson Chandler is hoping his season, and possibly his second stint with the Mavericks, won’t end tonight, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Battling injuries and internal strife, Dallas trails the Rockets 3-0 in their playoff series. “The tradition and things that I remember and believe in every time I look up [at the 2011 championship banner] and step on the court – that, along with the emotions of coming back here – I don’t want it to end in a sweep,” said Chandler, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. “You don’t know what happens after that.” Whenever the Mavericks’ offseason arrives, it is expected to bring major changes. Rajon Rondo is almost certain to leave as a free agent, and Monta Ellis is expected to opt out of his deal and test free agency, according to Sefko.
Southwest Notes: Mavericks, Howard, Leonard
It’s possible that Raymond Felton and Richard Jefferson have played their last game with the Mavericks, according to Jenny Dial Creech of The Houston Chronicle. Both are listed as questionable for Game 4 of their series with the Rockets after leaving Game 3 early. Felton is battling a sore hamstring, and Jefferson has a calf injury. “I believe that Felton is probably going to be able to play,” coach Rick Carlisle said after today’s practice. “Jefferson is getting a lot of treatment so we will check on him tomorrow.” Felton has a player option for nearly $4MM next season, while Jefferson is on a one-year deal worth more than $1.4MM. The Rockets have a 3-0 lead in the series.
There’s more from the Southwest Division on a playoff weekend:
- After more than two months of battling knee problems, the Rockets‘ Dwight Howard looks like himself again, writes Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. Swelling in his right knee cost Howard a huge chunk of the regular season. He was able to return late in the year, but was on a strict minutes restriction. However, he has put up huge numbers in the playoffs, including a 26-rebound performance in Friday’s Game 3. “I think he’s getting comfortable with what he’s doing and playing well,” said coach Kevin McHale, “and he’s got great energy and his leg looks great, fantastic.” The Rockets are hoping to find playoff success with Howard, who has an opt-out clause after the 2015/16 season.
- The presence of Kawhi Leonard means the Spurs’ future is secure, contends Scott Cacciola of The New York Times. The 23-year-old, who was named Defensive Player of the Year this week, celebrated Friday by torching the Clippers for 32 points in Game 3 of their playoff series. Leonard can become a restricted free agent this summer, but is considered virtually certain to remain in San Antohio.
- Rookie Fuquan Edwin will join the Pelicans’ summer league team, according to Enea Trapani of Sportando. Edwin has signed to play in Venezuela with Guaros de Lara. He spent this season with Sioux Falls in the D-League, averaging 13.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
2014/15 D-League Usage Report: Mavericks
The D-League’s regular season is now complete, and the three-round D-League playoffs are winding down. The relationship between the NBA and the D-League continues to grow, and 17 NBA franchises currently have one-to-one D-League affiliates amongst the 18 D-League teams. The remaining 13 NBA teams shared the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this season.
We at Hoops Rumors will be recapping each team’s use of the D-League this season, looking at assignments and recalls as well as the players signed out of the D-League. We’ll continue onward with a look back at how the Mavericks utilized the D-League during the 2014/15 campaign…
D-League Team: Texas Legends
Affiliation Type: One-to-one
D-League Team Record: 22-28
Number of NBA Players Assigned To D-League: 2
Total D-League Assignments: 17
Player Stats While On Assignment
- Ricky Ledo: 9 assignments, 26 games, 15.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 4.2 APG. .446/.288/.756.
- Dwight Powell: 8 assignments, 8 games, 28.3 PPG, 9.4 RPG, and 3.3 APG. .600/.440/.612.
D-League Signings
- None
Assignment/Recall Log
- November 20th: Assigned Ricky Ledo (Recalled November 24th)
- November 27th: Assigned Ricky Ledo (Recalled December 4th)
- December 5th: Assigned Ricky Ledo (Recalled December 6th)
- December 8th: Assigned Ricky Ledo (Recalled December 12th)
- December 18th: Assigned Ricky Ledo (Recalled December 18th)
- December 19th: Assigned Ricky Ledo (Recalled December 20th)
- December 27th: Assigned Ricky Ledo (Recalled December 28th)
- December 27th: Assigned Dwight Powell* (Recalled December 28th)
- January 3rd: Assigned Ricky Ledo (Recalled January 6th)
- January 9th: Assigned Ricky Ledo (Recalled February 2nd)
- March 7th: Assigned Dwight Powell (Recalled March 8th)
- March 11th: Assigned Dwight Powell (Recalled March 12th)
- March 12th: Assigned Dwight Powell (Recalled March 13th)
- March 14th: Assigned Dwight Powell (Recalled March 15th)
- March 21st: Assigned Dwight Powell (Recalled March 23rd)
- March 25th: Assigned Dwight Powell (Recalled March 26th)
- April 3rd: Assigned Dwight Powell (Recalled April 4th)
*Note: Powell had five previous assignments as a member of the Celtics.
Southwest Notes: Rondo, Parsons, Leonard
The Mavs‘ Chandler Parsons indicated that he might not be ready for the start of training camp next season, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com tweets. Parsons is out for the remainder of the playoffs with an injured knee that will require surgery to repair, and the estimated recovery time won’t be known until after the procedure has been performed, Sneed notes. The forward just completed the first season of the three-year, $46.08MM deal he signed last offseason.
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- The trade for Rajon Rondo was a high risk, high reward move that failed miserably for the Mavericks, Mark Followill of The Dallas Morning News writes. Dallas needed to acquire more All-Star level talent to compete in the Western Conference, but Rondo was clearly not the same player physically that he was prior to his knee injury, Followill notes.
- Reflecting back on the Spurs‘ decision to draft Kawhi Leonard back in 2011, GM R.C. Buford knew he was a raw player, but Leonard’s potential was evident from the beginning, Mike Monroe of The San Antonio Express-News writes. “I don’t know that we were trying to anticipate a best-case scenario,” Buford said. “We needed a small forward that came with a defensive mentality, that would complement the skill sets of the guys we had. But there also needed to be a lot of growth and development to fit into that.” Leonard can become a restricted free agent this summer if San Antonio tenders him a qualifying offer worth $4,433,683, which it almost assuredly will do.
- Rondo is just another in a long line of veteran players whose reputations have been destroyed after a stint with the Mavs, Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM writes. Dallas has tried to shoehorn in a number of players over the years who were poor fits for the team’s roster and system, a practice that needs to cease if the team wishes to contend in the West once again, Tjarks notes. The RealGM scribe cites Lamar Odom, Darren Collison, Delonte West, O.J. Mayo and Chris Kaman as previous examples of this pattern.
Spurs, Mavs Believe They Can Lure Aldridge
FRIDAY, 8:28am: Two executives told Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com last month that there was a belief among some around the league that Aldridge would consider the Knicks as well as the Spurs this summer.
2:03pm: All options are on the table for Aldridge this summer, including a departure from the Blazers, a source familiar with his free agency strategy told Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. The source also said to Berger that he wouldn’t be surprised if the All-Star signed with a Texas team.
THURSDAY, 8:59am: The Spurs and Mavs believe they can convince LaMarcus Aldridge to sign with them in free agency this summer, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Both teams are planning aggressive pursuits of the Blazers power forward, and the Knicks and Lakers will go after him, too, Stein also says. It’s the latest ominous news for Portland’s hopes of keeping the No. 4 player in our Free Agent Power Rankings, in spite of his insistence last summer and before the season that he intends to re-sign, and the Blazers have their “work cut out” for them if they’re to retain their star, as Stein puts it.
A Blazers teammate who spoke with The Oregonian’s Jason Quick earlier this month cast it as a 50-50 proposition that the Arn Tellem client would be back with the Blazers. Quick noted that Aldridge feels as though the franchise is behind him, but the veteran of nine NBA seasons, all of them in Portland, recently expounded to Michael Lee of The Washington Post on times when he didn’t sense that sort of support from the Blazers. The Blazers have been “very, very scared” that Aldridge will leave, as one rival executive said to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News in February, though that executive chalked the team’s feeling up to paranoia.
Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News first reported in November that Dallas planned to target the native of nearby Seagoville, Texas, while Grantland’s Zach Lowe has consistently heard chatter vaguely linking Aldridge to San Antonio. The big man praised Knicks president Phil Jackson and the city of New York and said that he thought he’d be a fit for the triangle upon prompting from New York media at the All-Star Game. There hasn’t been much connecting Aldridge to the Lakers, besides a report from Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders indicating that the prospect of the former No. 2 overall pick winding up in purple-and-gold was a long shot. Still, Aldridge makes sense for a Lakers team with plenty of cap flexibility and an ever-present desire to chase star free agents.
The same can be said for the Knicks, and the Mavs have max-level flexibility, too, though the team’s apparent willingness to move on from Rajon Rondo will help Dallas clear the cap space necessary to put a max offer in front of Aldridge. The Spurs have a more complicated path as long as Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili decide they want to return, but having decided against a lucrative extension for Kawhi Leonard this past fall gives the Spurs a chance to clear max cap room. His cap hold remains just slightly more than $7.235MM until San Antonio signs him to a new deal or matches an offer sheet for him.
And-Ones: Monroe, Rondo, Draft
The Pistons haven’t given up hope that they can re-sign unrestricted free agent Greg Monroe this summer, Terry Foster of The Detroit News writes. In a letter sent to the team’s season ticket holders, coach/executive Stan Van Gundy indicated that Monroe was one of the players whom the franchise hoped to build around, Foster relays. “We have a nice young nucleus forming with Andre Drummond [22 years old], Reggie Jackson [24 years old], Kentavious Caldwell-Pope [22 years old], Greg Monroe [24 years old] and Spencer Dinwiddie [21 years old],” Van Gundy wrote. “We will continue to build around this young group with quality veterans cut from the same mold as Caron Butler, Tayshaun Prince, Joel Anthony and Anthony Tolliver.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- Brad Stevens, Rajon Rondo‘s coach while a member of the Celtics, said he was shocked with all the difficulties Rondo has had with the Mavs, Jimmy Toscano of CSNNE.com writes. “Yeah. I am,” Stevens said when asked if he was surprised by his former point guard’s issues in Dallas. “And I haven’t paid as much attention or read every article or even really watched anything on it. So yeah I was a little bit surprised.”
- Coach Rick Carlisle says he was simply being truthful when he said that he didn’t expect to see Rondo in a Mavericks uniform again during an appearance on “The Afternoon Show with Cowlishaw and Mosley” (hat tip to the Dallas Morning News). “Well it’s highly unlikely, to be honest,” Carlisle said. “I think it’s important to be truthful in these situations. But here’s the other fact: this is a guy that’s going to have a lot of free-agent options in the summer. If we wanted to get him back, we were going to be bidding against multiple other teams with a lot of cap space, and there’s going to be a big market for him So that’s where all that stuff is at, but right now our attention and focus has got to be on Game 3.”
- Greek power forward Dimitrios Agravanis intends to enter the 2015 NBA draft, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress tweets. The 20-year-old isn’t expected to hear his name called in June’s draft after averaging 4.4 points and 2.7 rebounds for Olympiakos this past season.
- Serbian point guards Miroslav Pasajlic (20) and Nikola Radicevic (20) will enter the 2015 NBA draft, Givony reports (Twitter link). Neither player is projected to be drafted come June.
Texas Notes: Morey, McHale, Rondo
Reports have indicated the Rockets would like to re-sign Patrick Beverley and Josh Smith, and GM Daryl Morey tells Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com that the same feeling applies to other Rockets.
“We’re pretty focused on now, but obviously pretty much everyone on this team, we’re going to be focused on trying to bring them back,” Morey said. “We got quite a few free agents, Josh Smith is one, we’re going to address in the offseason. We feel if our team can keep executing, we feel like we can keep getting better with the group that we have here.”
Corey Brewer, Jason Terry and K.J. McDaniels are the team’s other soon-to-be free agents. Here’s more from Houston and elsewhere around the Lone Star State:
- Morey also lauded Kevin McHale in his interview with Watkins, saying that a team’s coach “has a huge impact” on the decisions free agents make when they sign. The Rockets inked McHale to a three-year extension in December.
- Several members of the Mavs organization rolled their eyes after the team announced Wednesday that Rajon Rondo was out indefinitely with a back injury, seemingly dubious that his health has anything to do with his absence from the team, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com examines. Coach Rick Carlisle acknowledged that he doesn’t expect Rondo, set for free agency this summer, to return to Dallas.
- Sources close to Rondo tell Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders that the Mavs have never been an ideal fit for the point guard and that everyone involved has just been trying to make the best of it, as Kyler writes within in NBA AM piece.
- The Spurs and Mavs reportedly believe they’ll have a chance to sign LaMarcus Aldridge this summer, as we passed along earlier.
Southwest Notes: Rondo, Parsons, Anderson
Mavs point guard Rajon Rondo has been ruled out indefinitely due to an injured back, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. This announcement comes after Rondo only played 34 seconds in the second half of Tuesday night’s loss to the Rockets. When asked after the game if Rondo was benched due to his injury, coach Rick Carlisle said, “You can ask him that question. All I know, right now, is that we need everybody at their competitive best. This isn’t about one guy who did or didn’t play. This is about everybody pulling in the same direction for the organization,” Vernon Bryant of The Dallas Morning News relays. Rondo is set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and it’s growing increasingly doubtful that he’ll return to Dallas next season.
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- The Mavs‘ path to the second round of the playoffs has gotten even more difficult. In addition to the loss of Rondo, Chandler Parsons is out for the remainder of the playoffs with an injured knee, the team announced in a press release. Parsons is expected to explore surgical options to correct the issue, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports tweets.
- The Spurs have recalled Kyle Anderson from the Austin Spurs, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. In the 2015 D-League Playoffs, Anderson averaged 17.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals in five appearances.
- Since being acquired by the Pelicans in February, Norris Cole has become a mentor to Anthony Davis, Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com writes. The veteran point guard also has a wealth of playoff experience from his time in Miami, a valuable asset for such a young squad, Haberstroh adds. “It’s all in the preparation.” Cole said. “I try to tell the guys, it’s all in the preparation. As long as you prepare, which I believe we are, we give ourselves a good chance to win and go out there and compete and fight.”
- One Spurs official estimates that there is a 55% chance that Manu Ginobili will retire at season’s end, Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News writes. Other members of San Antonio’s front office believe that Ginobili’s future will depend on the outcome of this season’s playoffs, and that if the Spurs are ousted early the veteran guard would return for another campaign, Harvey adds.
Lakers ‘Inevitable’ Destination For Rajon Rondo?
4:50pm: During a press conference today, Carlisle was asked if he expected Rondo to wear a Mavericks uniform again, to which the coach responded, “No, I don’t,” Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com tweets. The coach was also asked if he believed that he could coexist with Rondo in the future, to which Carlisle responded, “Absolutely. I like Rondo. My relationship with him was professional.”
8:59am: Rajon Rondo hasn’t given up on the Mavericks, but there’s strong momentum toward an “inevitable” departure for the Lakers in free agency this summer, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Rondo won’t return to Dallas as long as Rick Carlisle is the coach, sources told Wojnarowski, who suggests that the Mavs might not want the point guard back, anyway. In any case, no team is planning a maximum-salary offer for Rondo, whose value has been in decline since he suffered a torn ACL in January 2013, according to Wojnarowski.
Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com also uses the word “inevitable” to describe Rondo’s parting from the Mavericks. MacMahon reported earlier this month that the Bill Duffy client was expected to ask for more than the Mavs were willing to pay him, adding that the Mavs’ stance on the matter was subject to change if Rondo played well in the postseason. That hasn’t happened, as the Rockets outscored Dallas by 25 points with Rondo on the floor in Game 1, and Carlisle saw fit to have Rondo on the floor for fewer than 10 minutes in Game 2, as MacMahon points out. The Mavs played 11 men during the fourth quarter, but Rondo wasn’t one of them, notes Ben Golliver of SI.com (Twitter link). Chandler Parsons wasn’t one of them either, as he sat out with a knee injury from which he won’t return during the Rockets series, sources told Wojnarowski.
Reports indicated that the Rockets pushed to trade for Rondo almost until the Celtics sent him to the Mavs instead, but Duffy never wanted Rondo in Houston, since his presence would hinder fellow Duffy client Patrick Beverley‘s value, as Wojnarowski details. Still, the Rockets went after Rondo in an attempt to drive up the price for the Mavs, according to Wojnarowski. Rondo planned to sign a max deal with the Lakers prior to the trade, but afterward he became open to re-signing with Dallas, Wojnarowski writes. However, it now appears as though there’s little chance the point guard will re-sign with the Mavs. Kobe Bryant has made no secret of his desire to recruit Rondo to the Lakers, who’ve reportedly been likely to make a summer pursuit of the point guard since at least the beginning of the season.
And-Ones: Cauley-Stein, Parsons, Knicks
Mavs forward Chandler Parsons understands the criticism levied against him regarding his production not being worthy of his $14.7MM salary this season, Ben Golliver of SI.com writes. “The whole expectations of being a max player and taking that next step, it’s tough to manage at first,” Parsons said. “A lot of people look at me like I’m a different player. I’m the same player. I’ve gotten better. My numbers are down a little bit but at the same time I continue to get better. I’m on a different team. We’re very explosive offensively, we have more of a balanced attack, and I’m playing five minutes less than I did in Houston. I’m a basketball player and I impact the game in many different ways. My job is to be a good teammate, work extremely hard and do whatever it takes to win games.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- Rich Kleiman of Roc Nation Sports and Leon Rose of the Creative Artists Agency will team up to represent Willie Cauley-Stein, as Liz Mullen of the SportsBusiness Journal reports in a subscription-only piece. The center from the University of Kentucky is the No. 6 prospect in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings and No. 7 with Chad Ford of ESPN.com.
- Nuggets GM Tim Connelly indicated that there are no players on Denver’s roster who are untouchable in terms of trades, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post tweets.
- The Knicks are expected to have a busy offseason, and team president Phil Jackson will need to make decisions regarding a large number of players on his current roster. Marc Berman of The New York Post breaks down the team’s roster, and who the franchise should retain for the 2015/16 campaign. Players whom the Post scribe believes the team should bring back include Louis Amundson, Lance Thomas, and Cleanthony Early, while the team should part ways with Cole Aldrich and Travis Wear.
- The Cavaliers have assigned Joe Harris to the Canton Charge, their D-League affiliate, the team announced.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.