Eastern Notes: Cavs, Granger, Heat
The Cavs‘ big men have left quite a bit to be desired in their performance thus far this season. Cleveland currently ranks 22nd in blocks per game, 26th in rebounds, and 22nd in overall defense. It’s for these reasons that the Cavs have been searching for a rim protecting center all season, and Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders runs down ten possible targets for GM David Griffin to try and bolster his frontcourt with, including Timofey Mozgov (Nuggets), Brandan Wright (Celtics), Jordan Hill (Lakers), and Samuel Dalembert (Knicks).
Here’s more from the East:
- Danny Granger never expected to retire as a member of the Pacers and he doesn’t harbor any ill feelings toward the franchise despite being dealt to the Sixers last season, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel writes. “I didn’t think I would,” Granger said of eventually retiring with Indiana. “I mean, the time I spent there was very unusual. I didn’t want to get too wrapped up in the fact that I could have possibly been there my whole career. I knew that I wanted to. But I knew that the way the NBA is, and the type of business it is.“
- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has done his best to juggle Miami’s rotation in light of all the injuries that the team has had to deal with but this season has quickly become humbling for the proud franchise, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes. “We’re 30 some games in. It’s enough talking,” Chris Bosh said. “We’ve talked enough. It’s about getting the job done. We’re not doing it right now. It’s been up and down for the whole season. It’s not going to change until each person makes it change. Coach has a bunch of decisions to make. He has to do his job and figure things out just like we have to do our job and figure things out. He’s going to put the best group he feels needs to be out there. We have to respond as players. We haven’t done a very good job of that.”
- James Anderson signed an extension that includes a raise with Lithuania’s Zalgiris Kaunas, reports David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link). Anderson, who started 62 games for the Sixers last season, inked a one-year deal with Kaunas over the summer. That deal included an escape clause, but he decided against triggering it to sign the extension, which covers the rest of the season, Pick tells Hoops Rumors.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Trade Candidate: Wilson Chandler
Wilson Chandler won’t be hailed as a savior for any team should he be traded this season, but he’s nonetheless the sort of player capable of subtly tipping a title race during a season in which no clear favorite has emerged. Raw numbers suggest the 27-year-old has been remarkably consistent throughout his career. Save for his rookie season and his abbreviated eight-game 2011/12 campaign, the eighth-year veteran has never scored fewer than 13.0 or more than 15.3 points per game. His rebounds per contest, discarding his rookie year, have ranged from a career-low 4.7 last season to a career-best 6.1 this year. He’s reportedly drawn interest from the Thunder and no shortage of others, but the Nuggets are apparently reluctant to give him up. Still, as the season wears on, it would seem that barring a dramatic turnaround from their 13-18 start, there will be more motivation for the Nuggets to trade Chandler as the February 19th deadline draws near.
Chandler is on an expiring contract of sorts. He’s scheduled to make almost $7.172MM next season, but only $2MM of that salary is guaranteed. He offers the potential of salary cap relief, or at the very least flexibility, to teams that might pursue him via trade. Yet Denver would have little to gain from releasing him, since the Nuggets already have more than $58MM in commitments for next season, leaving the ability to clear only marginal room beneath a salary cap that the league projects to come in around $66.5MM for next season. He’s the team’s second-leading scorer this year, with his 14.5 PPG a shade better than Arron Afflalo‘s 14.4, but it remains to be seen just how much longer he’ll be a starter in Denver. Danilo Gallinari had a minor procedure recently on his right knee as he continues to shake off the rust from having missed all of last season with a torn ACL in his left knee, but once he’s back to full health, he’ll surely challenge Chandler for his playing time. Afflalo and Kenneth Faried man the other positions Chandler seems suited to play.
The Nuggets appear as though they’re in no rush to make drastic moves, but while they’ve gone 12-12 since a disconcerting 1-6 start, a .500 record won’t get it done in the Western Conference. It’s quite conceivable that the rival executives interested in Chandler are engaged in a waiting game of sorts, confident that Denver will deal by the deadline. By the same token, there’s a decent chance that Nuggets GM Tim Connelly is merely waiting to see if the offers improve. There’s no pressing need for Denver to deal Chandler, whose contract will continue to serve as a potential money-saver for teams into next season. Still, Denver finds itself in a most unenviable position, without any semblance of the pieces needed to contend and nowhere near the inside track to the top of the draft order. The Nuggets must either act decisively or languish.
Chandler has been a minus defensively under coach Brian Shaw. The Nuggets were better on defense with Chandler on the floor during their 57-win season in 2012/13 by a measure of 2.6 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com. The opposite was true last season, when Denver was 4.1 points per 100 possessions stingier without him, and this season, the Nuggets are a stunning 10.2 points per 100 possessions better when Chandler sits. That’s approximately equivalent to the gap between Golden State’s NBA-best defense and the Pelicans, the league’s fifth least efficient defensive squad.
It’s not hard to see that the former 23rd overall pick from the 2007 draft has played differently under Shaw than he did for ex-Nuggets coach George Karl. A significantly higher percentage of his shots have come from behind the three-point arc the last two seasons, as Basketball-Reference shows, largely at the expense of his close-range looks. Chandler has proven a capable three-point shooter, nailing 41.3% of his tries in the last season before Shaw took over and 35.5% this year. He kept up his usual rate of heading to the free-throw line last year, but this season he’s taking only 1.7 free throws per game, his lowest number of such attempts save for his rookie campaign and that abbreviated 2011/12 season.
The net result of the changes under Shaw haven’t affected his points and rebounds, but his PER, a stout 16.6 in 2012/13, dipped to 12.4 last season and 12.7 this year, both marks well below the 15.0 threshold for an average player. He’s played almost exclusively as a small forward the past two years, but during his final season under Karl, he was mostly a power forward, according to Basketball-Reference.
Chandler’s value appears to depend on the context in which he’s playing. That’s why it’s not difficult to see why the Thunder are high on him. Oklahoma City could surround him with the long arms of Kevin Durant and perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate Serge Ibaka to minimize his defensive shortcomings. The Thunder, long in need of a reliable outside shooting complement to Durant and Russell Westbrook, could assign Chandler to that role. The stumbling block, as ever, is what the Nuggets would want in return.
Connelly probably can’t get a first-round pick for Chandler, and there’s little sense in merely pawning him off for second-rounders. The Nuggets could attempt to attach Chandler to an undesirable contract to help clear real cap flexibility for the summer ahead, but he wouldn’t be enough to entice a team to take back JaVale McGee and the $23.25MM in total salary he makes this season and next. J.J. Hickson doesn’t seem to be a fit in a crowded Nuggets frontcourt, but dealing his nearly $5.614MM salary for next season along with Chandler wouldn’t really move the needle much for Denver. The Nuggets stand to benefit from an infusion of intriguing young talent, but the Thunder aren’t blessed with much of that outside their core players.
The Rockets also make sense a suitor, given the strength of their defense and emphasis on outside shooting, and Houston has more fungible assets that Oklahoma City does. But Houston is always on the lookout for a star, and at this point the addition of Chandler wouldn’t do much to help the Rockets toward that goal. The Hawks have a top-10 defense, a penchant for three-pointers, and movable pieces, but there might not be a reason for Atlanta to make a win-now move this season.
There’s no obvious fit for Chandler. However, almost two months remain before the trade deadline, and costly injuries along with other seismic changes may still alter the picture. Chandler looms as a potential solution for a team in a position to help Denver lurch one direction or another away from the clutches of mediocrity.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Western Rumors: Chandler, Gasol, Mekel
Let’s dive in and have a look at the latest rumors and rumblings out of the NBA’s Western Conference:
- The Nuggets have received multiple inquiries about the availability of Wilson Chandler, but the team has expressed to the 29-year-old forward that they prefer to retain him, as Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post notes within his weekly mailbag column.
- Pau Gasol admits it was a tough decision to leave the Lakers and sign with the Bulls, and not only because of his emotional attachment to the city of Los Angeles, as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Times details. The Lakers offered offered Gasol deals featuring a no-trade clause worth $29MM over three years and $23MM over two years. Gasol, who eventually signed with Chicago on a three-year, $22MM deal, says it’s been difficult to watch the Lakers struggle this season but that he doesn’t regret his decision.
- Discussions between Gal Mekel and Maccabi Tel Aviv have hit a snag, reports David Pick of Eurobasket.com (via Twitter). We learned on Tuesday that the ex-Pelicans guard had an offer from Maccabi to return overseas, but that opportunity has apparently been put on hold. Instead, former eighth overall pick Joe Alexander is finalizing and agreement to leave the Santa Cruz Warriors of the D-League and join Maccabi, Pick passes along (Twitter links). Alexander had a deal in place to join the Nuggets for camp this fall before failing a physical.
And-Ones: Mavs, Nuggets, Mekel
Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson expressed confidence that Dallas would soon bolster its bench with the addition of either Jermaine O’Neal or Josh Smith, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com reports. “I feel pretty good that we’ll be able to come to terms with one,” Nelson said. “Certainly to come up with both would be just hitting a grand slam home run. Look, there’s a long line for suitors on both fronts. I think the fact that Jermaine has chosen Dallas to be his home in the long term certainly has its place and resonates with time with family and such. And here’s a guy who has a long history not only with our coach but with our point guard/quarterback. That certainly has a place.”
As for Smith’s potential role with the team, Nelson said, “If he did fit and if he joined us, it would be a sixth man situation, but we’d see him as a starting-caliber type guy. He’s got a very rare combination of strength and versatility. He’d be a great addition for whatever team is lucky enough to get his services, but he understands and is fully aware that we have a power forward that we’re very comfortable with and Tyson [Chandler] has got the center position locked down, so he would be a heck of a piece at any one of our three frontline positions.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- Nuggets coach Brian Shaw has repeatedly told his players that they must improve their play soon or the team is at risk for changes, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post reports (Twitter links). “You see teams are making moves and making changes. I’m sure we’d be one of those teams, too,” Shaw said.
- The Rockets sent the Wolves $1MM as part of the Corey Brewer trade, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link).
- Gal Mekel‘s agent, Maurizio Balducci, is exploring a return overseas to Maccabi Tel Aviv for his client, who was recently waived by the Pelicans, David Pick of Eurobasket reports (Twitter links). Maccabi is offering Mekel a long-term agreement with multiple NBA outs, Pick adds. New Orleans coach Monty Williams had also previously indicated that the Pelicans were considering offering a new deal to Mekel.
Northwest Notes: Jazz, Stephenson, Garcia
It’s not shaping up to be a banner night for the league’s Northwest Division, with the Nuggets losing big in Charlotte, the Blazers down 20 at the half in Houston and the Jazz facing a 21-6 Grizzles team in Memphis. But that hasn’t affected the buzz coming out of the division on Monday night. Let’s round up the latest news and notes here:
- The Jazz have no interest in pursuing Josh Smith should he hit free agency, reports Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune (via Twitter). This news certainly comes as no surprise, as Utah remains committed to developing their young frontcourt of Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter and Rudy Gobert, as Jones notes.
- Matching Charlotte’s $63MM offer sheet on Gordon Hayward, perhaps the most critical member of the Jazz‘s young core, is looking even better for Utah considering that the Hornets ended up with Lance Stephenson as a result, writes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. With the Jazz in Charlotte this past weekend, Genessy rehashes the offseason’s festivities with Hayward, who has enjoyed a breakout season for Utah.
- Speaking of Stephenson, Nuggets coach Brian Shaw said the much-maligned Hornets guard, who he coached in Indiana, is misunderstood and might be a victim of unrealistic expectations in Charlotte, writes Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post. “Obviously he does some stuff out there on the floor that a lot of people don’t agree with,” Shaw said. “That’s just part of maturity with him. But it’s also part of his edge. You see Kevin Garnett on the court, and he’s always talking sometimes to the opponent, but a lot of times to himself, just trying to do what it takes to get himself pumped up to win the game. Lance is much the same way.” The Nuggets are one of a handful of teams that have been linked to Stephenson.
- The Timberwolves did not put in a waiver claim on Francisco Garcia, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (via Twitter). Garcia was waived on Friday after he declined to be traded to Minnesota, but there were reports that the Wolves may still try to add the veteran off waivers.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Cavs Eye Brook Lopez, Robin Lopez
The Cavs have interest in twins Brook Lopez and Robin Lopez, but their respective salaries mean the acquisition of either is unlikely, reports Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. Brook Lopez makes more than $15.719MM and has a player option worth in excess of $16.744MM for 2015/16. Robin Lopez is set for free agency this summer after he earns nearly $6.124MM this season. The Nets are reportedly willing to trade Brook Lopez, who’s also drawn interest from the Hornets, but there are no such rumors surrounding Robin Lopez, who’s set to miss several more weeks with a broken hand. Robin Lopez also recently indicated a contentment with playing in Portland.
Cleveland continues to search for help at center, as the Cavs are one of the teams in the mix for Kosta Koufos, and they tried over a period of months to pry Timofey Mozgov from the Nuggets. However, the Cavs and Nuggets haven’t spoken about Mozgov recently, a source tells Amico. Cavs GM David Griffin and company have reportedly made several passes at the Blazers for Wesley Matthews, Robin Lopez’s teammate, but Cleveland doesn’t have as much interest in the shooting guard as previously indicated, Amico writes. The Cavs have used 35-year-old backup center Brendan Haywood sparingly this season, but Amico hears that other teams have expressed their interest in him because of his contract, an unusually valuable asset, as I explained earlier.
The Cavs also had talks about acquiring Corey Brewer, though they never became serious, league sources tell Amico. Minnesota wanted draft picks and likely a player in return, Amico adds, which falls in line with what the Wolves received when they shipped Brewer to Houston instead.
Western Notes: Dragic, Pelicans, Nuggets
Multiple teams are inquiring as to what it would take to pry Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe or Isaiah Thomas away from the Suns, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Berger notes that rival executives have gotten the impression that Dragic is the player whom Phoenix would most like to keep out of the three. Dragic is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season and will likely warrant a raise on his current $7.5MM per year salary, although that is just my speculation.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- Although Damian Lillard was drafted before the Pelicans had a chance to acquire him with the 10th pick in the 2012 draft, the team would have been ecstatic to pair the point guard with first overall pick Anthony Davis, writes Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune. “I loved him,” coach Monty Williams said. “And I didn’t even see him play a lot. I just had a meeting with him, watched a little bit [of film] on him but after I talked to him face-to-face, I jammed him up on a few questions that he didn’t buckle. He didn’t get it right but he didn’t clam up. He just looked me in the eye and he got it wrong, but he stayed right there.” New Orleans ended up drafting Austin Rivers with the 10th overall pick in the draft.
- The next few weeks could be key in determining what roster moves the Nuggets will make, opines Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. Denver came into the season with playoff aspirations but currently owns a record of 12-15. If the team continues to win at this pace, Dempsey believes the Nuggets should begin to trade some of their veteran players for prospects or draft picks.
- Andre Roberson could play a key role for the Thunder this season and his defense is being noticed around the league , writes Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. In the win against the Lakers on Friday night, Roberson guarded Kobe Bryant and held him to just nine points while allowing him to shoot only 21.4% from the field.
Western Notes: D-League, Daniels, Garcia
Prior to being waived by the Rockets yesterday, Francisco Garcia declined to be traded to the Wolves, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). There is still a possibility that Minnesota will claim Garcia off of waivers, Spears adds.
Here’s the latest from out west:
- The Wolves‘ acquisition of Troy Daniels in the trade for Corey Brewer nets them an effective outside shooter, something the team was lacking, Michael Rand of The Star Tribune writes. If Daniels can indeed fill that role, his team-friendly salary for this season and next will make him a steal, Rand opines.
- The Pelicans have recalled point guard Russ Smith from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA D-League, the team announced in a press release. In two D-League assignments this season, Smith has appeared in six games with Fort Wayne, averaging 16.5 points, 6.2 assists and 1.8 steals.
- Ricky Ledo has been recalled by the Mavs from the Texas Legends, their D-League affiliate, the team announced in a press release. This was Ledo’s fifth sojourn of the season to the D-League.
- The improved play of Darrell Arthur should benefit the Nuggets big man when he inks his next deal, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. Arthur is in the final season of a three-year contract worth $9MM, and will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Judging by the high-volume of trade calls Denver has received about him this season, Arthur’s value on the open market will likely be high, Dempsey adds.
- For the fifth time this season, the Thunder have assigned Grant Jerrett to the Oklahoma City Blue, their D-League affiliate, the team announced.
Latest On Lance Stephenson
8:22pm: The Hornets have not received an offer for Stephenson that they are inclined to accept, and will “keep him for now,” Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link).
THURSDAY, 8:10am: Charlotte isn’t making any progress in its talks with Indiana, and the market in general for Stephenson is lean, Wojnarowski tweets.
TUESDAY, 1:04pm: The Heat are among the teams to have called the Hornets about the mercurial shooting guard, but there’s no traction toward a deal, since Miami doesn’t have much that would entice Charlotte, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
MONDAY, 6:28pm: Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer confirms that the Hornets are aggressively looking to move Stephenson, but his sources say that they are nowhere close to a deal.
12:51pm: The Nuggets have recently been in the mix for Stephenson, too, as Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio hears.
SUNDAY, 6:10pm: The Hornets are targeting the Pacers and Nets as destinations for Stephenson, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Wojnarowski also hears that, so far, Charlotte has shown no inclination to package a future draft pick to move Stephenson.
Stephenson’s inability to co-exist on the floor with point guard Kemba Walker is among the main reasons for the franchise’s desire to move him, according to sources who spoke with Wojnarowski. The Pacers, meanwhile, are all too familiar with Stephenson’s troubles and are acting with little urgency in the talks.
When it comes to talks with the Nets, the Hornets have been willing to consider center Brook Lopez, whom they nearly signed to an offer sheet in 2012, league sources told the Yahoo scribe. Charlotte has been open to discussing the high-priced Lopez and Joe Johnson as part of a broader Stephenson package. However, they’re not interested in Deron Williams, thanks to his sizable contract and the emergence of Walker.
4:50pm: The Nets and Clippers are researching Stephenson’s time in Charlotte but they’ve yet to show serious interest, sources tell Wojnarowski (on Twitter).
Meanwhile, the Kings are not among the teams with interest due to concerns about Stephenson, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. It’s not hard to imagine other teams having worries about the guard.
4:38pm: The Hornets will be allowed to trade Lance Stephenson starting Monday and they’re exploring their options to move him, league sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stephenson has been the subject of trade rumors for weeks now and if the Hornets can find a trade partner, their union could be coming to an end within the next couple of months.
Meanwhile, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter) hears that the Hornets and Pacers have had preliminary talks to facilitate a possible Indiana return for Stephenson, but those discussions haven’t gone far. So far, the Hornets have been unwilling to attach a first-round pick to unload Stephenson, Wojnarowski tweets. That could have enticed the Pacers to make a move, he adds.
The Hornets are only 23 games into the Stephenson era, but a disappointing 6-17 start has them antsy to make moves. They’re not in move-him-at-all-costs mode, Stein writes, but they’re ready to bail out on their gamble if the right deal presents itself. So far, Stephenson appears to be a poor fit alongside Charlotte’s established core of Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker, shooting 38.9% from the floor and going 8 for 48 from downtown. The Brooklyn native has a 10.5 PER this season, his worst since becoming a starter in 2012/13.
Late last week it was reported that four or five teams have let the Hornets know they have strong interest in acquiring the shooting guard. For his part, Stephenson wouldn’t mind returning home to join the Nets, but it remains to be seen if there’s a match there.
Western Notes: Allen, Kuzmic, Crawford
One of the Warriors’ few weaknesses this season is the backup shooting guard spot, a void that free agent Ray Allen would fill perfectly, Tim Kawakami of The Bay Area News Group opines. Golden State has been having internal discussions about making a run at adding Allen to its roster, should he decide to play this season. With Corey Brewer once again being made available by Minnesota, he could also become a potential trade target, though that is just my speculation.
Here’s more from out west:
- The Warriors have assigned Ognjen Kuzmic to the Santa Cruz Warriors, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Kuzmic’s second trek to the D-League this season.
- Sources close to the Kings have denied reports that team owner Vivek Ranadive tried to dictate who ex-coach Mike Malone played, Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reports (Twitter links). Although, one known instance of Ranadive suggesting whom to play was this past Saturday when Ranadive suggested that Ryan Hollins start after the death of his father, a move that Malone reportedly agreed with, Broussard adds.
- The Clippers‘ Jamal Crawford has parted ways with agent Andy Miller, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group reports (Twitter link).
- Crawford has said that the trade rumors regarding himself don’t bother him, and though he would prefer to stay with the Clippers, Crawford intimated that he could play “wherever,” Dan Woike of The Orange County Register tweets.
- Most league executives unsurprisingly believe Brook Lopez will pick up his $16.744MM player option for next season with the Nets, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe writes amid a broader look at the Warriors and possible trade fits for David Lee.
- Pops Mensah-Bonsu is set to be released by Hapoel Jerusalem, David Pick of Eurobasket.com reports (Twitter link). Mensah-Bonsu, who was briefly in training camp with the Nuggets this fall, was brought in by Hapoel on a month-to-month deal for the EuroCup competition, and is no longer needed since the team has been eliminated from the tournament, Pick adds.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.