Southwest Notes: Howard, Thornton, Dekker
The Mavericks have no interest in signing Rockets center Dwight Howard if he opts out this summer, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Sefko touched on two other free agent centers, stating that Dallas is concerned about “off-court issues” involving Miami’s Hassan Whiteside, while Atlanta’s Al Horford would be a nice fit between Dirk Nowitzki and Chandler Parsons. In a question-and-answer session, Sefko also said the Mavericks may pursue Harrison Barnes if Parsons opts out, but he believes Barnes will stay with the Warriors.
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Former Rockets guard Marcus Thornton cleared waivers this afternoon, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Houston released Thornton on Friday after he was sent to Detroit in a deal at the deadline that was later voided because of health concerns involving Donatas Motiejunas. Despite trading for Thornton, the Pistons don’t have any interest in signing him.
- The Rockets have recalled rookie combo forward Sam Dekker from their D-League affiliate, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Houston made Dekker the 18th overall pick in last summer’s draft, but he has only appeared in three games for the Rockets because of back surgery. A Wisconsin native, Dekker was called up just in time for the team’s trip to Milwaukee on Monday. “That’s just how it worked out,” he said. “… Now I get to go home, see my family. … I’m sure there will be a lot of Badger fans in Bradley Center tomorrow.”
- The versatility of Lance Stephenson, who was acquired in a draft day trade with the Clippers, has helped the Grizzlies deal with the loss of Marc Gasol, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. There were concerns that Memphis might collapse after Gasol’s broken foot, but the team was averaging 108.6 points in five games without their center before Saturday’s loss at Phoenix. “It’s a whole new identity for us with different groups, different guys,” coach Dave Joerger said. “I’m trying to play Lance at four different positions. Matt Barnes is playing two different positions, sometimes three. We can struggle defensively, but we’ll just keep working at it.”
Central Notes: Monroe, Butler, Bullock, McCallum
Bucks coach Jason Kidd is defending his decision to use center/forward Greg Monroe off the bench, writes SB Nation’s Paul Flannery. Monroe was Milwaukee’s prize offseason addition, but the team’s disappointing season has led Kidd to shake up the rotation. Monroe was placed in a reserve role, along with former Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams. “Our bench has gotten better with Michael and Moose,” Kidd said. “You start those two and our bench gets really thin. With those two guys being unselfish and knowing that they want to start, and we all know they do, for the betterment of the team right now we need those guys to come off the bench.”
There’s more from the Central Division:
- The Bulls got some good news Saturday about injured shooting guard Jimmy Butler, according to Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. The latest MRI on Butler’s sprained left knee “looked good,” said coach Fred Hoiberg. “The swelling is significantly down and now it’s just a matter of Jimmy getting back out there, getting his timing back, getting his conditioning and getting comfortable,” Hoiberg said. “He still hasn’t exploded off the one leg, he’s done some two-foot jumping. He’s done some lateral slides, now it’s about getting him out there in scrimmage-type situations and getting him ready to play.” Butler hasn’t played since hurting the knee on February 5th. He was orginally projected to be out for three to four weeks.
- Reggie Bullock may have revived his career in Detroit with a 16-point outburst Wednesday, writes Rod Beard of The Detroit News. Bullock, who came to the Pistons from Phoenix in the Marcus Morris trade, was used in 10 of the season’s first 15 games, but offensive problems forced him out of the rotation and eventually to D-League assignments. “Reggie always plays to his strengths and he knows who he is,” said coach/executive Stan Van Gundy. “He’s got to defend and he’s got to make open shots. He certainly made open shots [Wednesday]. Those are the two things that really make him a good player.”
- Van Gundy has a long friendship with University of Detroit Mercy basketball coach Ray McCallum Sr., which may give the Pistons some interest in McCallum’s son if the Spurs release him, tweets Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. The younger McCallum will likely be waived to make room for the signing of Andre Miller.
Northwest Notes: Martin, Sampson, Thunder
The Wolves will probably reach a buyout agreement with shooting guard Kevin Martin before Tuesday, according to Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune. The Spurs were reported earlier today as the front-runner to land Martin if a buyout occurs. However, San Antonio already has a full roster and is expected to sign point guard Andre Miller, who was waived by Minnesota on Thursday, so it’s uncertain how that will affect their pursuit of Martin.
The Wolves already have one open roster spot with the loss of Miller. It’s not cleaer whether he or Martin will be replaced, but coach Sam Mitchell said injuries to Nemanja Bjelica, Kevin Garnett and Nikola Pekovic have created a need for an extra big man.
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Getting used to the altitude is the biggest adjustment for JaKarr Sampson as he settles in with the Nuggets, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. The Nuggets signed Sampson on Monday after Philadelphia waived him to make room for Joel Anthony in a three-way trade with the Pistons and Rockets that was later voided. “I’m blessed to be here,” Sampson said. “I think it’s a great situation for me. There’s a lot of young talent here. They are a great, young team. I feel like it’s a real good situation for me.”
- Sampson could find himself in the starting lineup in the wake of Danilo Gallinari‘s ankle injury, Dempsey writes in a separate story. That’s a possibility if coach Michael Malone wants to keep his bench rotation intact. Otherwise, Will Barton could get the starting nod.
- The Thunder recalled forwards Josh Huestis and Mitch McGary from Oklahoma City Blue of the D-League, the team announced today. Huestis has played 16 games for the Blue, averaging 11.8 points and 5.9 rebounds. McGary has appeared in 15 games for the D-League team, averaging 14.4 points and 9.1 rebounds.
- Former Blazer Tim Frazier has joined the D-League’s Maine Red Claws as a returning player, tweets Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor. Portland waived Frazier on February 18th when it traded for Anderson Varejao, though Varejao was subsequently waived as well.
Southwest Notes: Howard, Motiejunas, Joseph
Rockets center Dwight Howard offered little explanation about his motive for firing agent Dan Fegan in comments to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Howard, who seems virtually certain to opt out of the final year of his contract this summer, announced Friday that he was severing ties with Fegan and Relativity Sports. “It was nothing against my agent,” Howard said. “It wasn’t anything bad that he did to me. Sometimes, change is good. I just made a decision based on what I feel I needed to change. I always respect him and love him. We still talk now. But as far as him being my representation, I decided to go other ways.” Howard said he hasn’t thought about choosing a new agent or his possible free agency, but said he has been considering how to improve his “situation” since the All-Star break.
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- The Rockets‘ Donatas Motiejunas, whose trade to the Pistons was voided Monday due to health reasons, has received medical clearance to start playing again, Feigen writes in a separate story. The Lithuanian big man was able to participate in the Rockets’ shootaround this morning. Back troubles have limited Motiejunas to 14 games this season, and he hasn’t played for Houston since December. “All the doctors that I consult are one of the best in the United States for back injuries and none of them saw any change or anything,” he said. “I’m ready to go. I played four games in the D-League. I practiced already with the team. I practiced by myself. I feel great lately.”
- Cory Joseph, who signed with the Raptors in free agency last summer, credits the four years he spent with the Spurs with making his a better player, according to Chris O’Leary of The Toronto Star. “I went to two finals, I went to the Western Conference finals, and was knocked out in the first round of the playoffs last year,” Joseph said. “You play a lot of big games and you get the full experience.” Joseph, who received about $30MM over four years, is averaging 9.1 points per game as a reserve in his first season in Toronto.
- The loss of Bryce Dejean-Jones less than a week after signing a three-year contract continues a three-year string of injuries for the Pelicans, writes Justin Verrier of ESPN.com. Dejean-Jones is expected to miss six to eight weeks after breaking his right wrist.
Central Notes: Van Gundy, Monroe, Johnson
The Pistons are still thin in the frontcourt after the trade for Donatas Motiejunas was voided over medical concerns, but there currently aren’t any players available who fit what the team is seeking, Rod Beard of The Detroit News writes. “So far, nothing on any of the guys who have been bought out or waived,” coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said. “There hasn’t been anybody that we’ve seriously talked to.” While there are a number of guards who are available, the backcourt isn’t currently an area of need for the team, Beard notes. “Where our real need is right now obviously is up front. It’s hard to say [whether we’re interested in guards] because you’d have to weigh quality,” Van Gundy continued. “It depends. If you had a great wing option, that would outweigh certainly a mediocre big. Our need is more up front.”
Van Gundy also acknowledged that the team will be limited financially in its free agent pursuits and could be outbid for any potential targets, Beard adds. “Some teams have money; there are teams that are under the cap and have money to offer. It all depends on what certain guys are looking for,” Van Gundy noted. “If they’re looking for an additional payday, there’s places they can go to get it. If they’re looking to get to the best team, they can. They all have different goals in what they’re trying to do.”
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- Greg Monroe says he still feels that he has the support of the Bucks‘ coaching staff despite being shifted to a reserve role and being mentioned in trade deadline rumors, Chris Mannix of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports writes. The big man also believes that the team can turn around its fortunes prior to the end of the season, Mannix adds. “Everyone has kind of given up on us, everyone except for us in this locker room,” Monroe said. “We can be a good team. We have balance. We have players on the floor who can make plays. With me and Michael Carter-Williams coming off the bench, we can score. We just need to keep the focus, keep fighting. We just need to keep trying to find ways to win.”
- LeBron James confirmed the Cavs’ interest in Joe Johnson, who is expected to sign with the Heat when he clears waivers today, but added that he did not reach out to the veteran swingman to make a recruiting pitch, Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon notes. “He knows that we want him,” James said. “If he decides to come here, it’d be great. If not, then we’ll continue to move on with what we have. He’s a great piece for any team. If we’re lucky enough to get him, he would mean something to us. If not, we have enough here to compete.”
Eastern Notes: Sullinger, Thornton, Moore
Jared Sullinger is in line to become a restricted free agent this offseason provided the Celtics submit a qualifying offer worth $4,433,683, but the big man would prefer to remain in Boston for the long-term instead of heading elsewhere, Mike Petraglia of WEEI 93.7FM writes. “Most definitely. Most definitely. My oldest brother always told me that the worst thing to happen to me sometimes is change and that I don’t handle change well. I strongly disagree,” Sullinger said, responding to a question regarding his desire to remain in Boston. “Sometimes, you just don’t want to change the scenery. When you play for the greatest franchise in the NBA and you see all those banners and all the fans come at you, you don’t want to leave that place because you know it’s a special place in your heart. It’s the first team I played for in the NBA and hopefully it’ll be the last.”
The power forward has enjoyed flying under the radar this season thanks to the attention All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas has received, Petraglia adds. “It’s a lot of fun, it’s a lot of fun. Growing up, I wasn’t really a high-profile guy,” Sullinger relayed. “Going into middle school, especially entering high school, and I kind of came out of nowhere and came into my own. My main thing was just to win. When they see you win, they see all the big-time games. That’s what I was told, especially in the AAU. Playing in the AAU, the more you win, the more you play against high-profile that get to this level, and the more you get exposure. The more you win, it just takes care of itself. As long as you focus on winning, the outcome is always greater.”
Here’s the latest from the Eastern Conference:
- Despite Marcus Thornton being part of the nixed trade for Donatas Motiejunas, the Pistons likely won’t have any interest in signing him now that the Rockets have waived him, Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press notes (on Twitter). According to Ellis, Thornton was just “trade filler” and Detroit had no plans to use him in the rotation.
- The Hawks were extremely interested in signing center Anderson Varejao after the Blazers waived him, but the veteran chose to head west and join the Warriors instead, Vivlamore tweets.
- After languishing on Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg‘s bench early in the season, E’Twaun Moore has flourished since being moved into a starter’s role, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune writes. “I’ve always been confident,” Moore said. “I know I’m capable of playing well. It’s not really a surprise. And I don’t think it’s a surprise to my teammates either. They see how hard I work and they’ve got faith in me. It’s no big deal to me.“
Central Notes: Kidd, Motiejunas, Hoiberg
Bucks coach Jason Kidd appears to be losing his influence with team ownership after a number of personnel decisions have gone awry or have met with disapproval, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports relays (video link). Kidd, who holds sway over the team’s basketball operations, was the engineer of the trade that shipped out Brandon Knight in exchange for point guard Michael Carter-Williams, which, according to Wojnarowski, has upset team management in the wake of his disappointing play.
The scribe also relays that ownership nixed a potential deadline trade with the Pelicans this year that Kidd was spearheading, though the players involved were not named in the report. The team is also showing increased reluctance to allow Kidd a say in personnel matters, which may become an issue for the coach, considering Kidd reportedly wants to move into a front office position that would allow him even more power, Wojnarowski adds.
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- The Pistons may have dodged a bullet when the three-team trade that would have landed Donatas Motiejunas was nixed over medical concerns regarding the power forward, David Mayo of MLive writes. The Pistons now retain their 2016 first round pick and will still have the opportunity to pursue Motiejunas this summer when he becomes a free agent, though doing so may raise some eyebrows around the league after the team pulled out of the trade, Mayo adds.
- Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg lacks the fiery outward demeanor of his predecessor Tom Thibodeau, but he scoffs at the notion he isn’t tough on his players, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune writes. “We’ve had some pretty heated conversations over the course of the year,” Hoiberg said. “If we need a little kick in the butt, you get on them and hopefully they respond. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t.” Chicago has been criticized this season for lacking toughness and Hoiberg wonders if that can be altered this late in the season, Johnson adds. “I just look at the different ebbs and flows,” Hoiberg said. “If you look before January 1st, we were winning a lot of these battles. We were fourth in the league in defense and doing a lot of really good things on that end of the floor. It was winning games for us when our offense wasn’t very good. We’ve slipped. Some of it has to do with some of the bodies we don’t have. But guys have to give effort. In this league, if you don’t make first contact, you’re going to get hit.”
- Longtime Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao wasn’t taking a shot at his former club when he announced upon arriving in Golden State that he was glad to come to a locker room where the players love each other. He was merely expressing his excitement at joining the Warriors, Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer writes. Varejao signed with the Warriors after being waived by the Blazers, who acquired him from the Cavs in a deadline deal. When initially informed of Varejao’s comments, LeBron James responded, “I would hope if you’re 50-5 that everyone loves each other. … What else do you want at that point? … Duh,” Pluto notes.
And-Ones: Anthony, D-League, Mack
Despite the mild awkwardness of being back in a Pistons uniform after the three-team trade he was a part of was nixed, Joel Anthony says he’s glad to return to Motown after nearly becoming a member of the Sixers at the trade deadline, David Mayo of MLive writes. “It is obviously a little awkward, a little weird,” Anthony said. “It’s been one of the weirdest weeks I’ve had as a professional. It’s great to be back here. I love the guys on the team. Everyone was happy with me coming back. So just looking forward to being a part of this team and helping us move forward.”
“Things like this happen in the league where guys get hurt, guys get injured,” Anthony also said. “It’s really about that next man up, the next guy’s supposed to step up. You have guys on the roster for a reason, so those guys are going to have to play their role the way they’re supposed to, and continue to help us win.”
Here’s the latest from around the league:
- Shelvin Mack has impressed the Jazz with his solid play since arriving in a trade deadline deal from Atlanta, but his emergence may further cloud Utah’s unsettled point guard rotation, writes Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. “We’ve had — I wouldn’t say a revolving door — but we’ve found that depth from internally, essentially using guys out of position,” coach Quin Snyder said. “If we would have had three point guards at the beginning of the year, you’d see some sort of separation in the early part of the year. We haven’t had that. As a result, that process has to occur now. There’s going to be decisions I have to make relative to who’s going to play.”
- The Jazz have assigned center Tibor Pleiss to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Pleiss’ fifth trek to Idaho on the season. He has appeared in 15 games, averaging 12.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.7 assists in 31.3 minutes per contest.
- The Kings have recalled power forward Duje Dukan from the Reno Bighorns, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This concludes Dukan’s fifth trip to the D-League.
Pistons Sign Justin Harper To 10-Day Contract
WEDNESDAY, 8:55am: The signing is official, the team announced via press release. The contract will cover four games, against the Sixers, Raptors, Bucks and Spurs. Meanwhile, the Pistons will re-evaluate Johnson in a week, the team also announced.
TUESDAY, 12:03am: The Pistons plan to sign power forward Justin Harper of the Los Angeles D-Fenders to a 10-day contract, league sources tell The Vertical’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). The 6’10” Harper was averaging 14.8 points and 5.0 rebounds for the D-Fenders, Chris Reichert of Upside Motor tweets.
The 26-year-old Harper has not appeared in an NBA game since the 2011/12 season, when he played 14 games with the Magic. He was on the Nets’ training camp roster last fall but was waived after appearing in six preseason games.
A series of events led to the Pistons’ interest in Harper. They acquired power forward Donatas Motiejunas from the Rockets in a three-team deal at the trade deadline but it was voided on Monday because Motiejunas didn’t pass the team’s physicals. The voided trade left the team with an open roster spot.
Over the past two games, the Pistons have suffered injuries to their frontcourt. Power forward Anthony Tolliver is expected to miss two to four weeks with a knee injury, and rookie swingman Stanley Johnson sprained his shoulder against the Cavaliers on Monday night, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.
Western Notes: Gasol, Olshey, Motiejunas
The Blazers approached this season’s trade deadline determined not to part with one of their top rotation players unless the team was able to land a major upgrade in return, Jason Quick of CSNNW.com relays. “We went into the trade deadline trying to be opportunistic,’’ Portland executive Neil Olshey said. “I’m happy for this group. What they have been able to do on the floor put us in position where we weren’t looking to break up the roster and look to change the core group of guys. It’s a testament to the work they have done and the success they have had. We shaded ourselves toward more future assets as opposed to bringing in guys right now who might – quite honestly – disrupt the chemistry we have going. It took a lot of work to put this group together knowing how all the pieces fit and how they would fit into [coach] Terry’s [Stotts] system and how they would fit into our culture and how they would basically fall in line behind Damian Lillard‘s leadership. We are not going to tinker with that.’’
Here’s more from out West:
- The Rockets don’t mind being back over the luxury tax threshold as a result of the Donatas Motiejunas trade with Detroit being voided, but the loss of the top-eight protected 2016 first-round pick they would have received from Detroit stings, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com notes (via Twitter). The power forward not passing Detroit’s physical scuttled a three-way deal made prior to last Thursday’s trade deadline.
- According to a physical therapist who is well-versed in the recovery process ahead of Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, the chance that the big man returns to the form he displayed before his injury is less than 10%, Peter Edmiston of The Commercial Appeal relays (on Twitter). Gasol will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery Saturday on his broken right foot.
- The Rockets have assigned Sam Dekker to their D-League affiliate as he continues to make his way back from surgery, the team announced. This will be the rookie’s third trek of the season to Rio Grande Valley.