Hoops Links: Murray, Maker, Barnes, Christmas
On Sundays, we link to some of the very best work from around the basketball blogosphere. Do you have a link to a great basketball blog post – either your own or someone else’s – that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Send it to us at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s rundown:
- The Jump Ball discussed Joel Embiid‘s case for Rookie of the Year.
- Kwame Fisher-Jones of The 76er Files wrote about Philadelphia’s recovery from three straight sub-20 win seasons.
- Mike Cortez of Hardwood and Hollywood implored the Knicks to build through the draft rather than overspend on free agents.
- Daniel C. Lewis of Denver Stiffs thinks Jamal Murray should take home Rookie of the Year honors.
- Mitchell Maurer of Brew Hoop assesses Thon Maker‘s athletic potential.
- Tyler Birss of Hardwood and Hollywood chronicled Matt Barnes‘ history with the Warriors.
- Kings coach Dave Joerger is holding off on playing younger guys until they’re ready, Omer Khan of SacTown Royalty writes.
- Tim Wray of Behind the Buck Pass answered questions in his weekly mailbag.
- Josh Padmore of 8 Points, 9 Seconds took a look at Rakeem Christmas‘ impressive play of late.
Heat Notes: Weber, McGruder, Richardson, Wade
When the Heat host the Hornets on Wednesday, it will mark their first game against training camp cut Briante Weber, notes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Weber had been a fixture on Miami’s D-League affiliate in Sioux Falls for the past two seasons, helping the Skyforce win the league title in 2015/16. He signed two 10-day contracts with the Warriors last month, but was released when Golden State wanted to make room for Jose Calderon, and later Matt Barnes. Weber agreed to a 10-day deal with Charlotte February 27th. “I just told him I appreciated his attitude and his effort and what he brought to us,” Stephen Curry said about Weber’s time with the Warriors. “He has a lot to offer this league, his tenacity on the defensive end and his confidence. … He’s going to be around for a long time.”
There’s more news out of Miami:
- Rodney McGruder has come a long way to earn a starting job and get consideration for the All-Rookie team, Winderman writes in a separate story. McGruder went undrafted out of Kansas State in 2013, then played in Hungary and the D-League before making the Heat roster at the start of this season. “It is nice being mentioned,” he said. “… But I’ve just got to thank my teammates. The coaching staff put me in a great situation, that’s what I always say.”
- The injuries that have followed Josh Richardson through his first two NBA seasons are a new experience, writes Shandel Richarson of The Sun-Sentinel. The former Tennessee standout said he never missed a game in college and only one in high school. But injuries limited him to 52 games last season, and he has sat out 30 already this year because of knee surgery and ankle problems. “Figuring out how to get through injuries has been good for me,” Richardson said. “… Now I just got to get my basketball rhythm back. I think I was starting to show good growth before I was injured the last time.”
- Dwyane Wade keeps dropping hints about opting out of next season’s contract with the Bulls, but Dave Hyde of The Sun-Sentinel argues that it’s not time for a reunion in Miami. Signing Wade, who would want more than the $23.8MM he’s scheduled to get from Chicago, would make it unlikely that the Heat could keep Dion Waiters, who has been a major part of their recent surge back into playoff contention.
Hawks Claim Jose Calderon Off Waivers
The Hawks have claimed Jose Calderon off waivers, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
Atlanta had been hoping to add Calderon as a backup to Dennis Schroder, either by submitting a claim or signing him once he cleared waivers. Hawks officials decided to go with the safest route and enter their own claim on Calderon.
The move will cost Atlanta $247,991 for the rest of the season, tweets Bobby Marks of the Vertical. That will cover the salary that Golden State gave Calderon when it signed and released him on Wednesday, and that money will come off the Warriors’ cap.
Calderon played 24 games for the Lakers this season before agreeing to a buyout on Monday. He had a salary of slightly more than $7.7MM, and L.A. will still be responsible for the money it owes him for the rest of the season. Calderon didn’t make any salary concessions in his buyout agreement, according to Marks (Twitter link).
The Hawks had an open roster spot after waiving Lamar Patterson, so another move won’t be necessary to add Calderon. He is expected to be in uniform for Sunday’s game with the Pacers, tweets Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The 35-year-old will be eligible for the playoffs after the league ruled that Golden State waived him in time. He is now with his seventh NBA team, if the Warriors are included.
And-Ones: Buyouts, Referees, Lorenzo Brown, Lottery
Some team executives have proposed changing the buyout process that favors successful organizations, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. That inequity was on display this week as the Cavaliers added Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut and the Warriors picked up Matt Barnes after Kevin Durant was injured.
Possible solutions include moving the date that players have to be waived to retain postseason eligibility to before the trade deadline or creating a “buyout wire.” The wire would allow teams with cap room to bid on players who get bought out, with the highest bidder winning regardless of the players’ wishes. Early Bird rights could even be tied to this system to encourage more bidding, Lowe states. If there are no bidders, then teams over the cap would be allowed to pursue the players, possibly in reverse order of record.
There’s more news from around the basketball world:
- The NBA announced several initiatives Thursday to improve the quality of officiating, relays Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press. The league will introduce an Officiating Advisory Council and will expand the number of referees from 64 to at least 70 next season. There are also plans to change their travel schedule and the system of evaluation. Overseas officials will be among those considered for NBA jobs. “Twenty-five percent of our players now are international or not born in the U.S., so why shouldn’t we try to match some of that in terms of talent coming from international flavor into the ref population as well?” said Byron Spruell, the president of league operations.
- Lorenzo Brown, who has played for three teams in three NBA seasons, has signed a contract with the D-League, tweets Chris Reichert of The Step Back. The Grand Rapids Drive, Detroit’s affiliate, owns the rights to the 26-year old point guard, who had been playing in China. Brown spent eight games with the Suns last season. He has also played for the Sixers and Wolves.
- Joel Brighham of Basketball Insiders examines whether teams on the postseason bubble are better off making the playoffs or getting a lottery pick.
Calderon Got Hefty Paycheck For Short Stay
Jose Calderon received approximately $400K for his very brief stay with the Warriors, Sam Amick of USA Today tweets. Golden State signed the veteran point guard to a guaranteed contract for the remainder of the season, then released him approximately two hours later after Kevin Durant was injured. The Warriors then signed Matt Barnes on Thursday to fortify their small forward position. Calderon became a free agent after the Lakers bought him out on Monday.
Warriors Sign Matt Barnes
MARCH 2: The Warriors have officially signed Barnes to fill their 15th and final roster spot, the club announced today in a press release.
MARCH 1: The Warriors intend to sign free agent forward Matt Barnes to a contract, sources tell ESPN’s Marc Stein and Chris Haynes (Twitter link). Barnes will fill the 15th slot on Golden State’s roster and will receive a rest-of-season contract rather than a 10-day deal, per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Jose Calderon, who will clear waivers on Wednesday, had been set to sign with the Warriors, having reached an agreement with the team over the weekend. As Stein explains (via Twitter), Golden State still plans to sign Calderon as promised. However, the team will then waive him in order to sign Barnes.
The Dubs’ change of direction – from Calderon to Barnes – comes on the heels of Kevin Durant leaving Tuesday night’s game against the Wizards with a hyperextended left knee. The severity of that injury won’t be confirmed until Durant undergoes an MRI, but the fact that the Warriors are adding Barnes suggests that the club may view the injury as more than just a day-to-day issue.
Barnes, who will turn 37 next Thursday, signed a two-year deal with the Kings last summer and appeared in 54 games for the team this season. In 25.3 minutes per contest, Barnes recorded 7.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 2.8 APG. However, he lost his roster spot last week when Sacramento needed to cut a player in order to complete the DeMarcus Cousins trade. The Kings waived Barnes despite the fact that he had a $6.4MM player option for 2017/18.
Barnes, a Warrior from 2006 to 2008, will come with some baggage as he begins his second stint in Golden State. The UCLA product was allegedly involved in an altercation at a Chelsea nightclub in early December, and was recently booked for misdemeanor assault. He’ll have to appear in a Manhattan courtroom at a later date as a result of the charge.
Because he was waived prior to March 1, Barnes will be playoff-eligible for Golden State. Calderon will also retain his postseason eligibility as long as he’s signed and waived by the Warriors before the end of the day on Wednesday.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Warriors Sign, Release Jose Calderon
7:13 p.m.: Golden State has officially released Calderon, the team tweeted.
5:28pm: The Warriors have signed former Laker Jose Calderon, filling a promise to the veteran point guard, but he’s not expected to be with the team by the end of the day.
Golden State tweeted an announcement about the signing, which it pledged to Calderon when he agreed to a buyout with L.A. on Monday. However, after Kevin Durant suffered a knee injury Tuesday night that may keep him out for the rest of the season, the Warriors felt they needed a bigger player to take his place, so that roster spot will eventually go to Matt Barnes.
Golden State will waive Calderon later today to allow him to sign with another organization and still be eligible for the postseason. He will receive the guaranteed rest-of-the-season contract that he was originally promised and will go back on waivers for 48 hours. The Hawks are reportedly among the teams interested in signing Calderon once he clears waivers again.
Bob Myers Talks Durant's Injury, Warriors' Expectations
There was a 10- or 15-minute period when the Warriors feared that Kevin Durant‘s knee injury would be much worse than an MCL sprain and bone bruise, GM Bob Myers tells Sam Amick of USA Today. However, after the MCL sprain showed up on an MRI, Golden State was able to diagnosis the bone bruise with a CT scan, alleviating the club’s most serious concerns.
The Warriors are certainly in no danger of losing their playoff spot, but with Durant potentially out until the postseason and the Spurs hot on their tails, the Dubs will be focusing on getting healthy and holding their No. 1 seed over the next several weeks, according to Myers.
“Health is probably the most important (issue), but (playoff) seeding is right up there,” the Warriors GM said. “I know we’re going to try to win as many games as we can. …We will do our best to keep the positioning we have now, but it’s not going to be easy.”
- Matt Barnes‘ contract with the Kings didn’t feature any set-off language, according to Bobby Marks of The Vertical (via Twitter). That means that Barnes will continue to earn his full salary on his deal with Sacramento, and will receive a prorated minimum salary from the Warriors on top of that.
Kevin Durant To Be Re-Evaluated In Four Weeks
9:02am: Durant has suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain and a tibial bone bruise, the Warriors announced today (via Twitter). According to the team’s announcement, the veteran forward will be sidelined indefinitely and will be re-evaluated in four weeks. While there’s no timetable for Durant’s return, the club says he could play again before the end of the regular season.
7:56am: The Warriors are hopeful that the knee injury Kevin Durant suffered on Tuesday night will not be season-ending, according to Mike Wise of The Undefeated (Twitter link). However, as Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports, Golden State is bracing for the possibility that Durant may be sidelined for the rest of the regular season, or even longer.
Durant, who was initially diagnosed with a hyperextended left knee, underwent an MRI on Tuesday night to assess the extend of his injury, per Wojnarowski. Doctors are evaluating the results of that test, and the Warriors are expected to make a formal announcement on Durant’s status later on Wednesday.
As Wojnarowski details, there are some team officials and members of Durant’s camp who fear that the injury will prevent the star forward from returning to the Warriors’ lineup before the playoffs begin in April. Some sources close to Durant are worried that the injury could keep him out of action for longer than that, sources tell Wojnarowski.
With their top scorer likely to miss extended time, the Warriors have reached an agreement to sign Matt Barnes. The former King will help provide depth at both forward positions in Durant’s absence, but Golden State will have to rely on its other All-Stars like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to help shoulder more of the scoring load with Durant on the shelf.
The Warriors’ interior players will face added pressure during Durant’s absence as well, since the 28-year-old had been arguably been the team’s best rim protector this season, averaging a team-high 1.6 blocks per contest.
Andrew Bogut, Jose Calderon Finalize Buyouts
Andrew Bogut and Jose Calderon have completed their buyouts, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter links). Per Marc Stein of ESPN, neither player can sign with a team until clearing waivers Wednesday. While Bogut is likely to join the Cavs, he will hold talks with the Spurs, Rockets, and Celtics before reaching a decision (Twitter links).
Both the Lakers and Sixers have announced the transactions via press release. Now presumed to join the Warriors, Calderon and his agent released a statement commending the Lakers’ accommodation.
“I’m very appreciative of the Lakers doing this,” Mark Bartelstein told Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News. “This is something we had gone to them and talked about since Jose wasn’t playing much…I’m very appreciative of Magic [Johnson] doing this. Jose’s got a lot of basketball left in him and can play at a high level. But with the Lakers being in a rebuilding state, it didn’t make sense from a playing perspective.”
Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com discussed obstacles in Bogut’s path to Cleveland, noting Houston’s interest in the Australian big man. Following their signing of Isaiah Taylor, the Rockets should have more than $3MM of cap space to offer Bogut.