Pacific Notes: D. Green, Warriors, Clippers
It has been an interesting week for B.J. Armstrong of the Wasserman Media Group, who weighed in on on Derrick Rose‘s potential long-term future in New York and confirmed that Donatas Motiejunas isn’t reporting to the Rockets after having his offer sheet matched. Earlier in the week, Armstrong also provided his thoughts on another client, Draymond Green, telling Sam Amick of USA Today that the NBA’s rule changes are designed to make money rather than to improve the game. Specifically, Armstrong criticized the league’s “unnatural acts” rule which has penalized the Warriors big man for flailing his limbs and kicking opponents.
“People flail, people do things, and their bodies respond in certain ways,” Armstrong said. “I think it (Green’s play with James Harden last Thursday) is a no-call. … When I played, I would never, ever try to run Reggie Miller off the line because I knew Reggie. If I ran at him, and I was trying to run him off the line, I was going to get kicked. I knew that, and people around the league knew that. And players always adjust.”
Here’s more from around the Pacific division:
- In an interesting piece for The Vertical, Adrian Wojnarowski notes that the Warriors – along with the Spurs – made an effort to trade up in the 2011 NBA draft to select Jonas Valanciunas with the No. 5 pick. Ultimately, the Raptors kept that selection and took Valanciunas themselves, while Golden State and San Antonio got decent consolation prizes — they ended up with Klay Thompson and Kawhi Leonard, respectively.
- Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is “dead serious” about trying to move the club into a new arena when its lease with the Staples Center expires, writes David Aldridge of NBA.com. Aldridge’s piece provides plenty of other interesting tidbits on the Clippers, including a look at Lawrence Frank‘s role in the team’s basketball operations department.
- The fifth overall pick in the 2012 draft, power forward Thomas Robinson is still just 25 years old, but he has lived a nomadic existence in the NBA so far, having spent time with seven teams in just five seasons. Mark Whicker of The O.C. Register examines how Robinson is fitting in this year with the Lakers as he looks to find a consistent role in the NBA.
Kerr Expands On Marijuana Comments
- Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who sparked a controversy when he talked about trying marijuana to ease his back pain, believes the NBA should study the medical properties of the substance, relays Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. The league continues to drug test players and coaches, but Kerr said some exceptions should be considered in the new collective bargaining agreement. “I think the league should look into the use of medicinal marijuana for pain relief,” Kerr said. “As far as recreational, I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about pain relief and what’s best for our players’ health. That’s what should be in the CBA, and that’s what our owners and the league and the players’ union should be most concerned with.”
NBA Responds To Steve Kerr
On Friday, Steve Kerr admitted that he tried marijuana a couple times over the last 18 months in order to find a remedy for his back pain, as Chris Haynes of ESPN.com relays. “A lot of research, a lot of advice from people, and I have no idea if I would — maybe I would have failed a drug test,” Kerr said. “I don’t even know if I’m subject to a drug test or any laws from the NBA, but I tried it, and it didn’t help at all. But it was worth it, because I’m searching for answers on pain. But I’ve tried painkillers and drugs of other kinds, as well, and those have been worse. It’s tricky.”
Kerr added that he hopes that professional sports leagues soften their stance on the substance. “You’re seeing that change in these laws that you’re talking about in different states, including California. But I would just hope that sports leagues are able to look past the perception,” Kerr said.
Kerr’s comments elicited a response from the NBA. Earlier today, the league issued the following statement:
“All of our coaches are drug tested each season. Marijuana is included on our banned substances list. There are medical exceptions to our policy but, in this case, it’s not relevant because Steve said he did not find marijuana to be helpful in relieving his back pain.”
It’s unclear whether Kerr will face discipline from the league as a result of his comments. Regardless, his stance could spark a dialogue, Janie McCauley of the Associate Press writes. Kerr’s players believe their coach can make a difference when it comes to changing rules and the way people think.
“He’s a public figure with some notoriety making a statement,” David West said. “It brings more attention to a cause for something that people feel like there needs to be a shift in the way we monitor it and change things. Obviously somebody of his stature can give a little weight to the argument.”
The NBA is expected to reach an agreement with the National Basketball Players Association on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement sometime this month, though it’s unclear whether the issue of marijuana as a banned substance has been or will be a major topic during negotiations.
McGruder, McGee Receive Partial Guarantees
As our schedule of salary guarantee dates shows, four NBA players were originally believed to be on track to receive partial guarantees if they remained under contract through December 1. Two of those players – Briante Weber and Okaro White – were waived by the Heat earlier in the year, but the other two are still on their respective teams’ rosters.
The minimum-salary contract for Rodney McGruder, another member of the Heat, called for his partial guarantee to increase to $400K on Thursday, leaving only about $144K in non-guaranteed money on his deal. The rookie shooting guard has been a regular part of Miami’s rotation so far, averaging 22.9 minutes per game, so he looks like a safe bet to remain on the roster for the season, given his role and his contract situation.
Meanwhile, JaVale McGee‘s minimum-salary contract with the Warriors reportedly called for his partial guarantee to increase from $250K to $500K on Thursday. McGee has only played sparingly for Golden State in the early going, but he has a unique skill set on a Warriors team that lacks a traditional rim-protecting center. That could mean an increased role for him later this season, though his roster spot may not be entirely safe if the team finds a more reliable veteran center via free agency or trade.
So far, there have been no indications that either the Heat or Warriors pushed back their guarantee dates for McGruder or McGee, respectively, so we’ll assume both players received their increased partial guarantees unless we hear otherwise. Their salaries for 2016/17 will become fully guaranteed if they’re still under contract on January 10.
Warriors Rumors: Durant, Jones, New Arena
Kevin Durant has quickly assimilated himself into the Warriors’ offense and his production is comparable to his MVP season in 2013/14, Sam Amick of USA Today points out. Durant is on pace to have the most efficient season of all time for a player averaging at least 25 points a game, Amick notes. The perennial All-Star forward has posted a player efficiency rating of 30.7, higher than the 29.8 PER he had during that MVP season with the Thunder. Unlike the struggles of the Heat’s Big Three during their first season together, the Warriors are already maximizing the talents of Durant, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, as they are taking nearly the same amount of shots, Amick continues. The Warriors are averaging 117.6 points a game, which would make them the most prolific offense since the 1991-92 Warriors, Amick adds.
In other Warriors news:
- First-round pick Damian Jones is unlikely to claim a rotation spot this season, GM Bob Myers said in a radio interview that was relayed on CSNBayArea.com. Jones has been shuttling between the Warriors and the team’s D-League affiliate the past two weeks after recovering from a pectoral injury. The 7-footer out of Vanderbilt has yet to make his NBA debut. He is averaging 2.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks over 19.4 minutes per contest with the Santa Cruz Warriors. “It’s gonna be hard to crack our rotation,” Myers told radio station 95.7 The Game. “He hasn’t played basketball in seven months. He needs to play a lot more basketball. But we’re encouraged.
- Rockets star guard James Harden wasn’t upset that Durant left the Rockets off his list of teams that he visited during free agency last summer, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com writes. “It would have been nice for a visit,” Harden told Watkins. “For himself and his family, he made the decision, and he’s very confident about it.”
- Rick Welts, the team’s Chief Operating Officer, said in a statement the franchise plans to break ground soon on a new arena now that another legal hurdle has been cleared, according to Monte Poole of CSNBayArea.com. The California Appeals Court upheld a previous ruling that declared the Environmental Impact Report for the team’s site on San Francisco’s Mission Bay met all required standards. The ruling is likely to be appealed by the Mission Bay Alliance to the California Supreme Court, Poole continues. The Warriors plan to vacate Oracle Arena after the 2018/19 season and move into Chase Center in 2019, Poole adds.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/30/16
Here are Wednesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA, with the latest updates added to the top of the list throughout the day:
4:55pm:
- The Nets have assigned a pair of players to the D-League, sending Yogi Ferrell and Chris McCullough to the Long Island Nets, the team announced today in a press release. Long Island will host an afternoon contest against the Santa Cruz Warriors on Thursday, so the duo will likely suit up for that game.
12:54pm:
- As expected, the Hawks have assigned 2016 first-rounder DeAndre’ Bembry to the D-League, tweets Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution. Since Atlanta doesn’t have its own D-League squad, Bembry will play for the Salt Lake City Stars, Utah’s affiliate.
- A day after being recalled by Golden State, rookie center Damian Jones has been sent back to the Santa Cruz Warriors, the team announced today in a press release. Santa Cruz had an early game today, which Jones participated in — he picked up two points, four rebounds, and a pair of blocks.
- In addition to confirming Nerlens Noel‘s D-League assignment (noted below), the Sixers announced today that they’ve recalled Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot from the Delaware 87ers after a brief D-League stint for the rookie.
9:52am:
- The Sixers are sending Nerlens Noel to their D-League affiliate for injury rehab purposes, league sources tell Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com. According to Spears, Noel, who has yet to make his 2016/17 debut after undergoing a knee procedure, is set to practice on Wednesday with the Delaware 87ers, Philadelphia’s D-League affiliate. Like Jerryd Bayless, who was recently assigned to the 87ers on a rehab assignment, Noel is not expected to play in any games during his time in Delaware. The big man hopes to return to the Sixers by mid-December.
Stephen Curry On: Durant, Free Agency, Hornets
As a result of the Warriors’ offseason addition of Kevin Durant via free agency, Stephen Curry is no longer leading the team in scoring and is averaging 2.5 less shots per game than he did a season ago. Despite the slight hit his statistics have taken in 2016/17, Curry says he is fine with the arrangement and welcomes the addition of Durant, Scott Fowler of The Charlotte Observer relays. The point guard is still stung by the Warriors’ collapse against the Cavaliers in last year’s NBA Finals, when Golden State blew a 3-1 series lead, thus, making him more amenable to sharing the spotlight if it helps the franchise regain the NBA title this season, Fowler notes. “It’s something you’ll never forget, just because it was so close and we didn’t get the job done,” Curry told the scribe. “Does it haunt me? I would more say that it motivates me.”
“It’s been a pretty natural transition,” Curry said of the addition of Durant. “Early in the preseason, we had to find the flow, and just trying to figure out how the ball moves and whatnot. …But with the unselfishness of everybody on our team, and obviously the talent, the ball has been hopping. We’re getting everybody involved. It’s been very, very unforced.”
When asked about how big an adjustment Curry had to make now that Durant is his teammate, coach Steve Kerr told Fowler, “He [Curry] spent most of the preseason sitting back and letting Kevin score and get acclimated and get comfortable. And then maybe the last preseason game or two, he really got aggressive again. But I don’t think his game has changed a whole lot. He [Curry] came into the season realizing that we’re going to play the same way, but he’s probably going to take maybe a couple fewer shots per game and score a couple fewer points. That’s about it.”
The 2016/17 campaign is the only one that Durant and Curry are guaranteed to be teammates, with Curry set to hit unrestricted free agency in July and Durant possessing a player option for 2017/18, Fowler writes. While Curry will assuredly be in wide demand next offseason, re-signing with Golden State appears to be his preference, Fowler adds. “Obviously I love it here in the Bay Area,” Curry said. “It’s all I’ve known in the league. And if the situation is right going forward, this is a place I would love to play.”
One competitor for Curry’s services will be the Hornets, with the guard having grown up in North Carolina. Charlotte already has Kemba Walker at point guard, but Curry could conceivably play alongside him at shooting guard, Fowler opines. When asked if he would consider playing for the Hornets, Curry told Fowler, “I don’t know.” Curry did note that joining Charlotte would have been a greater possibility earlier in his career, Fowler relays.
“Obviously I had a strong tie to Charlotte and would have loved to play there. I’m very comfortable in that city. It’s hard to say exactly what the situation will be this summer,” Curry said. “[Free agency] is on my radar, but it’s not really on my mind as much day-to-day. I’m just trying to enjoy what this season is going to bring.”
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/28/16
Here are Monday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
11:00pm:
- The Nets have assigned forward Anthony Bennett to their Long Island affiliate, the team announced in a press release. He has played 10 games for Brooklyn, averaging 5.3 points and 2.6 rebounds per night.
2:32pm:
- The Warriors have recalled rookie center Damian Jones from the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. It’s not clear if Jones is ready to make his NBA debut quite yet, or if he’s just being called up to practice with Golden State for now.
- A day after he was on the receiving end of an emphatic dunk by Wayne Selden, forward Rakeem Christmas has been recalled by the Pacers, according to a team release. Christmas contributed 18 points and seven boards to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants’ win on Sunday.
- The Magic have assigned rookie center Stephen Zimmerman to the Erie BayHawks, the team announced today (via Twitter). A second-round pick in June, Zimmerman has only appeared in two regular season games so far for Orlando.
- Chris McCullough continues to be shuttled back and forth between the Brooklyn Nets and the Long Island Nets. The team announced today in a press release that he has been sent back to the D-League, where he has appeared in four games so far for Long Island, averaging 17.5 PPG and 6.5 RPG.
Jones To Make D-League Debut
- Warriors rookie Damian Jones is expected to make his debut for Golden State’s D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz this evening, Adam Johnson of D-League Digest tweets. The late first-round pick has been out of action since undergoing surgery back in June for a torn right pectoral muscle, which he suffered during a weight-lifting session.
Warriors' Rim Protection Issues Overblown?
- Golden State is now among the top five teams in the NBA in blocked shots per game, and concerns about the Warriors‘ rim protection appear to have quieted down over the course of their eight-game winning streak, writes Anthony Slater of The Bay Area News Group.