Omri Casspi Plans To Continue Career In NBA
Having been waived by the Warriors over the weekend to make room on the roster for Quinn Cook, Omri Casspi will officially clear waivers and become a free agent later this week. However, while he isn’t expected to catch on with another NBA team this season, Casspi remains focused on sticking in the NBA next year, per Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee.
According to Voisin, Casspi intends to spend the next few weeks in his native country of Israel, visiting family in Tel Aviv. Then he’ll return to Los Angeles to continue rehabbing the ankle injury that has sidelined him in recent weeks, and will train in preparation for the 2018 free agency period. While Casspi could technically be scooped up by another NBA team this week, his ankle injury and his lack of eligibility for the playoffs make it far more likely that he’ll return for 2018/19.
“I want to stay in the NBA,” Casspi told Voisin. “I learned so much this year with the Warriors. That’s what makes this so hard. That is an amazing organization, and (Warriors head coach) Steve (Kerr), the way he handles things, the good times and the adversity, is really impressive. He told me he loves what I bring, too, and I could tell it was hard for him to tell me.
“When we met with (Warriors GM) Bob (Myers) last night, Steve kept looking down,” Casspi continued. “I told him, ‘I love you guys. I understand.’ I just feel if I could have ever gotten healthy, I’d be on on the playoff roster. But what are you going to do? This is a hard business sometimes.”
As Marc Stein of The New York Times writes, Casspi chose to sign with the Warriors during the 2017 offseason because he wanted to compete for a championship. That meant turning down interest from the Nets, who would have paid him closer to $5MM rather than the minimum salary he received from the Dubs, says Stein.
Casspi won’t get a chance to compete for a title this season, having become what Kerr referred to as “a victim of circumstance” in Golden State. It will be interesting to see whether the veteran forward prioritizing joining a contending team again during the coming offseason, or if he’ll be more inclined to opt for a bigger offer from a team willing to give him a more significant role.
Warriors Waive Omri Casspi; Quinn Cook Signing Imminent
In a long-anticipated move, the Warriors have waived veteran forward Omri Casspi to create a roster opening for Quinn Cook, writes Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News.
Cook, Golden State’s starting point guard with Stephen Curry sidelined by injury, must have his two-way deal converted to a standard NBA contract by Tuesday to be eligible for the postseason. The Warriors have discussed a two-year arrangement that will run through the 2019/20 season, but don’t plan to officially sign Cook until Tuesday, when playoff rosters must be finalized.
The Warriors were facing a deadline of 5pm Eastern today to waive Casspi because he has a guaranteed contract, tweets Chris Haynes of ESPN. The deadline allows 48 hours for Casspi to pass through waivers and is set for today because some teams wrap up the season on Tuesday, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).
Golden State’s front office was hoping to keep Casspi, but decided the team needed all of its centers — Zaza Pachulia, David West, JaVale McGee, Kevon Looney and Damian Jones — to provide more flexibility for playoff matchups, adds Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link). It’s an unfortunate outcome for Casspi, who bypassed a potentially better deal with the Nets last summer to sign for the veteran’s minimum with the Warriors in hopes of winning a title, Stein adds (Twitter link). Even if another team were to claim him, Casspi wouldn’t be eligible for the playoffs because he was on Golden State’s roster past March 1 (Twitter link).
The decision on Casspi was influenced by a sprained right ankle that has kept him out of the past 10 games, Medina notes. A recent MRI showed inflammation in the ankle and he had discomfort when making hard cuts. Casspi appeared in 53 games this season, averaging 5.7 points and 3.8 rebounds and shooting .455 from 3-point range.
Kerr: No Update On Stephen Curry
- Warriors coach Steve Kerr declined to offer an update on Stephen Curry before tonight’s game, tweets Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. The star guard will miss at least the first round of the playoffs with an MCL sprain. “There’s nothing there,” Kerr said. “[Check back] next week.”
Patrick McCaw To Be Re-Evaluated In Four Weeks
The Warriors issued an update on injured guard Patrick McCaw today, announcing in a press release that McCaw didn’t suffer any neurological damage after falling to the floor during Saturday’s game against Sacramento. However, the second-year guard has been diagnosed with a a lumbosacral bone bruise and will remain sidelined for the rest of the regular season and the start of the playoffs.
According to the Warriors, McCaw will be re-evaluated in four weeks. Even if he’s able to return at that point, McCaw would miss the entire first round of the postseason, as well as the start of the second round.
With McCaw and Stephen Curry expected to be out of action to open the playoffs, the Warriors will lean more heavily on Shaun Livingston, Klay Thompson, and Nick Young in their backcourt. Two-way player Quinn Cook is also expected to sign a standard NBA contract in the coming days in order to ensure that he’s eligible for the postseason.
McCaw’s contract with the Warriors is set to expire this summer, so while Golden State is the team most invested in his health at the moment, potential offseason suitors will also be keeping a close eye on the 22-year-old’s recovery. McCaw will be eligible for restricted free agency, giving the Dubs the opportunity to match any offers he receives.
Warriors Talking To Quinn Cook About Long-Term Deal
The Warriors are negotiating a long-term contract with two-way player Quinn Cook, tweets Chris Haynes of ESPN. It would be fully guaranteed for the rest of this season, along with next season, adds Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link).
Cook has to be signed to a regular NBA contract by April 10 to be eligible for the postseason. The move has been expected based on his outstanding play in the wake of two injuries that sidelined Stephen Curry. Cook is averaging 8.9 points in 29 games and shooting ,429 from 3-point range. He is expected to be the team’s starting point guard for the first round of the playoffs while Curry continues to heal.
It’s a breakthrough performance for the 25-year-old, who has struggled to earn a spot in the league since going undrafted out of Duke in 2015. His only previous NBA experience came last season when he played five games for the Mavericks and nine for the Pelicans.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr has begun talking about Cook as though he’ll be on the postseason roster, relays Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News (Twitter link). “This is what we’ve come to expect from Quinn.” Kerr said after Tuesday’s win at Oklahoma City. “He’s probably not going to be a 30-point guy in the playoffs.”
Golden State has a full roster, so a move will have to be made before Cook’s new contract can be finalized. The most likely candidate to be waived is veteran forward Omri Casspi, whose veteran’s minimum contract expires at the end of the season. Casspi is dealing with pain in his right ankle, Haynes tweets, and did not accompany the Warriors on their current road trip.
Warriors’ Patrick McCaw Leaves Game On Stretcher
12:08pm: The MRI showed that McCaw is “structurally sound” and he may be released from the hospital today, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. No timetable has been set for him to return to the court.
9:59am: An MRI is scheduled for today on Warriors guard Patrick McCaw after a dangerous fall in Saturday’s game with the Kings, according to Chris Haynes of ESPN.
McCaw crashed to the court after colliding with Vince Carter on a drive to the basket. He remained on the floor for about 10 minutes as paramedics stabilized his neck and loaded him onto a stretcher. He was taken to a nearby medical center, where a chest X-ray and CT scan both came back clear.
“It was really scary,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. “He was in a lot of pain, laying on his back. … It’s scary stuff.”
Kerr lashed out at Carter immediately after the incident, but changed his mind as he saw that Carter was disturbed by McCaw’s injury and walked onto the court to console him. David West, Shaun Livingston and JaVale McGee spent time in the locker room to compose themselves, and both teams gathered in prayer as McCaw was taken off the court.
“I just hope he’s OK,” said Carter, who was given a flagrant foul on the play. “I play this game because I love it and enjoy it, not to see young guys get hurt. He has a bright future. I just hate to see it.”
Warriors players believe it was an accident and aren’t blaming Carter for what happened.
“I know Vince’s spirit and his heart. I don’t believe it was intentional at all,” Kevin Durant said. “It looked like he was just caught in the middle of the play and wanted to move out of the way, but Pat was coming so fast. It was just an unfortunate play. Nobody in our locker room thinks Vince did that on purpose.”
Warriors On 26th Different Starting Lineup
- Klay Thompson‘s expected return for tonight’s game will result in the Warriors’ 26th different starting lineup of the season, notes Darryl Matsuda of The San Jose Mercury News.
Klay Thompson Ready To Play Tonight
After missing eight games with a fractured right thumb, Klay Thompson plans to play tonight against the Kings, tweets Chris Haynes of ESPN. Thompson went through the morning shootaround and is officially listed as probable for the contest.
Golden State has gone 3-5 without Thompson and has settled into the second spot in the Western Conference standings. The Warriors are starting to get healthy ahead of the playoffs, with Kevin Durant and Draymond Green already back in the lineup, although Stephen Curry is sidelined through at least the first round of the playoffs.
Thompson is averaging 19.7 points through 66 games and is shooting a career-best .443 from 3-point range. He has been an All-Star the past four seasons.
Warriors Have Yet To Approach Cook About Converting Contract
- The Warriors haven’t yet approached Quinn Cook about the possibility of converting his two-way contract into an NBA deal, he said on Thursday night (video link). Still, Anthony Slater of The Athletic suggests that move still looks like a “sure thing” to make Cook playoff-eligible. The 25-year-old guard has thrived for the injury-plagued Dubs lately, averaging 20.6 PPG, 5.1 APG, and 4.7 RPG on .547/.526/.800 shooting in his last seven games.
Thompson Nearing Return, Iguodala Battling Sore Knee
- The Warriors can’t seem to get everyone healthy as the regular season winds down. As Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle details, head coach Steve Kerr said Klay Thompson could return on Saturday from the thumb injury that has sidelined him for over two weeks. However, Andre Iguodala left Thursday’s game in the third quarter with a sore left knee, jeopardizing his short-term availability (link via ESPN.com).