Cavs Owner Wants To Keep Dion Waiters
Dion Waiters has emerged as a trade candidate within the past couple of weeks, as a report late last month suggested the Cavs were shopping last year’s No. 4 overall pick while the team insisted it was merely fielding calls for him. Still, there appears to be little motivation at the highest level of the organization to trade Waiters. Owner Dan Gilbert is fond of the shooting guard and wants to keep him, tweets Chris Broussard of ESPN.com.
Broussard also notes that the relationship between Waiters and backcourt mate Kyrie Irving is improving. The ESPN scribe reported last month that rumors of a fight between Irving and Waiters were false, though Waiters and Tristan Thompson apparently engaged in a heated argument during a recent team meeting.
The Bulls, Knicks and Sixers have been among the teams rumored to be in the mix for Waiters, who turns 22 on Tuesday. Rival executives have expressed disbelief that the Cavs would give up on Waiters so soon, though the majority of Hoops Rumors readers who voted believe Cleveland should trade him away.
Central Rumors: Butler, Pistons, Cavs
The Pistons met the Bulls on Saturday in a game that would allow the winner to hit .500, and Detroit came away with the victory. That gives the Pistons the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference, where everyone’s looking up at the Pacers, now 18-2 after a resounding win against the Spurs. Here’s more from the Central Division:
- Caron Butler would be interested in putting a group together to buy the Bucks from Herb Kohl, reports Rich Kirchen of The Business Journal. Butler also says he’d like to take an active role in managing the team, but the 33-year-old would have to retire from playing first to accomplish either objective.
- The Pistons aren’t likely to send Tony Mitchell on a D-League assignment this season, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press, contradicting his report from before the season. The team feels differently about Peyton Siva, who could wind up in the D-League once Chauncey Billups and Will Bynum return from injury, Ellis adds.
- Some Cavs players haven’t been enamored with Mike Brown‘s strict coaching this season, the Plain Dealer’s Terry Pluto observes. The team gave Brown license to use a heavy hand with his four-year contract, Pluto writes.
California Rumors: Lakers, Lee, Fredette
Injuries to Steve Nash and Jordan Farmar have left the Lakers short on point guards, and they planned to assess the progress of Nash’s recovery in practice this week before exploring the idea of a roster move. Nash isn’t rushing his return, but another player who’s back to health might fit the bill. Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni tells reporters that Kobe Bryant will see time at the point when he makes his season debut Sunday against the Raptors (Twitter link). Here’s more from the state with the most NBA teams:
- The Warriors place a high value on David Lee, and his bloated contract, worth nearly $44.4MM through 2016/17, virtually ensures the team won’t find offers worthwhile enough to trade him, tweets Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group.
- James Ham of Cowbell Kingdom hears from a source that there was nothing substantial to a recent report that the Raptors were talking to the Kings about acquiring Jimmer Fredette, and spoke to Fredette about being the subject of trade rumors.
- The Kings recalled Hamady N’Diaye from the D-League in time for tonight’s game against the Jazz, according to a press release. N’Diaye appeared in just one game for the Reno Bighorns during his assignment, contributing to a win over the Santa Cruz Warriors by recording seven points, seven boards, and four blocked shots.
- The Los Angeles D-Fenders, the D-League affiliate of the Lakers, announced their acquisition of former Cavs swingman Manny Harris in a trade (on Twitter). Harris was in an NBA training camp this fall with the Magic.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Eastern Links: Rose, Sanders, Anderson
Derrick Rose was asked to comment on the idea that the Bulls should look to move on without him after his latest injury, and he had this to say: “What do you mean?…You can be a fool if you want to…I know I’m going to be alright…I know I am (going to be the same player). A better player…If anything, this should even me out. When I think about it, the injury, I just turned and this happened, kind of like a freak accident. I put all I had into coming back and if this was to happen 10 more times I’d be able to deal with it” (Sam Smith of Bulls.com).
Here’s more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:
- Earlier today, we made note that Rose wouldn’t rule out a return to the court if he managed to get healthy in time for the postseason. On the other hand, head coach Tom Thibodeau didn’t seem willing to entertain the thought of looking that far ahead: “To me, he’s out for the season…If something changes along the way…We want him to be completely healthy before he moves forward…We can’t worry about whether he may come back. Right now, it’s been determined that he’s out for the season, so that’s the way we’re going to approach it” (Sean Highkin of USA Today).
- In responding to one of his Twitter followers, Steve Kyler of Hoopsworld said that the notion of dealing Larry Sanders for a lottery pick next year would not even be a consideration (Twitter link).
- Keith Pompey of Philly.com talks about how James Anderson has excelled in his reserve role as of late after beginning the season as a starter for the 76ers.
- We’ve relayed quite a bit from the Knicks and Nets this evening, and five ESPN writers decided to chime in on why both teams have been playing poorly, who has the hotter seat between Mike Woodson and Jason Kidd, which team will be worse in April, and which has a rougher future ahead.
- Hawks GM Danny Ferry voiced his support for Cavaliers coach Mike Brown, telling FOX Sports Ohio’s Sam Amico: “(Brown’s) a relentless worker and a quality, high character person. He is a good teacher and holds players accountable. His will and passion for defense will always give any team a strong chance to be successful. This will have such a strong impact for a team establishing a foundation for years to come.”
- There may have been a chorus of boos for Kidd tonight at the Barclays Center during the pre-game introductions, but the Nets coach gets a vote of confidence from his former teammate J.R. Smith: “Criticism is going to come…He’s a first-year coach and he’s a great basketball mind. Just unfortunately, he’s going through it early. Some coaches have success early, some struggle early. He just happens to be struggling right now…I think he’s the best fit for that job and he knows how to get out of it. He’s got a great core of vets, so he’ll be fine” (Roderick Boone of Newsday).
- The Celtics sit atop the Atlantic Division, but the team isn’t letting their early success get to their head and remains focused on continuing to work hard (Marc D’Amico of Celtics.com).
Cavs Notes: Sims, Felix, Shaw, Bennett
Here’s today’s look at the Cavs..
- The Cavs announced that they have assigned center Henry Sims and guard/forward Carrick Felix to their D-League affiliate, the Canton Charge. Sims has appeared in six games for the Cavs this season, averaging 1.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in 5.8 minutes per game and Felix has appeared in three games, averaging 1.3 points in 5.0 minutes per game. To keep up on all of this year’s D-League assignments, take a look at Hoops Rumors’ running list.
- Bob Finnan of the Plain Dealer look at how Nuggets coach Brian Shaw nearly became Cleveland’s head man.
- Former Cavalier J.J. Hickson can empathize with struggling No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett and has some advice for him, writes Sam Amico of FOX Sports.
Eastern Rumors: Shumpert, Afflalo, Cavs
Following up on Carmelo Anthony‘s recent comments suggesting that the Knicks were missing the veteran leadership of players like Jason Kidd, Rasheed Wallace, and Kurt Thomas, Mike Woodson agreed, but stressed that the team must move on.
“They’re not here this season and they’re not going to walk through that door,” Woodson said of those ex-Knicks, according to Al Iannazzone of Newsday. “We’ve got to go with what we have. And I think what we have is good enough to win with.”
Let’s round up a few more stories on the Knicks and several other Eastern Conference teams…
- In their stories on the Knicks‘ Sunday loss to the Pelicans, Marc Berman of the New York Post and Frank Isola of the New York Daily News both suggest that the strong play of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Iman Shumpert‘s confrontation with Carmelo Anthony might make Shumpert even more available.
- Arron Afflalo is playing the best ball of his career so far this season, which could put him in the All-Star conversation, but also means his trade value may never be higher. Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel takes a look at Afflalo’s unusual situation with the Magic.
- In addressing the possibility of the Cavaliers starting Anthony Bennett at small forward, Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio passes along a tidbit from a scout this past offseason. In the scout’s opinion, no matter what other moves the Cavs made, “if they’re still starting [Alonzo Gee] at small forward, they’re not gonna be that great.”
- While many Bulls fans would like to see the team tank and grab a pick near the top of a strong 2014 draft, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times cautions against that approach. Speaking to Cowley, Bulls GM Gar Forman suggests it’s possible to find value in the first round no matter where the team’s pick lands.
Odds & Ends: Beasley, Wilkins, Claver, Lakers
If it looks like Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is only now starting to formulate a plan for offseason pickup Michael Beasley, you’re not far off, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. “With Michael,” Spoelstra said, “it was more about, initially, we felt he was part of our family. We drafted him. We spent a lot of time with him, not only during those two regular seasons, but during the offseasons and we just wanted to open up our arms back into our family,” the coach said. Here’s more from around the Association..
- Damien Wilkins, who was in training camp with the Hawks over the summer, has reached agreement on a deal with Beijing in China, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM.
- Victor Claver spoke with El Mundo after the rumors about his future published by Spanish media and Emiliano Carchia of Sportando provides the translation. “Portland is the team where I want to play. But at the same time I want to play more and here I don’t have chances to. The season is very long, let’s see if something will change. Right now I am not thinking about returning to Europe. I have no idea if there is a chance to be traded. But if it happened, I hope it is for the better,” said the Spanish forward.
- Nick Young has jokingly touted himself as a Sixth Man of the Year candidate at times this season, but coach Mike D’Antoni believes the swingman has a legitimate shot at the award, notes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
- D’Antoni is overseeing a locker room with ten players on expiring contracts, but he appears much more effective at building camaraderie with this Lakers team than with last year’s, as Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times observes.
- In this week’s mailbag, Mary Schmitt-Boyer of the Plain Dealer fields questions on the possibility of the Cavs trading for Luol Deng and more.
Odds & Ends: Bennett, Ledo, Pistons, Heat
The Cavs drafted Anthony Bennett first overall with many in the organization envisioning him becoming a small forward at some point, notes Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. Lloyd argues that the team should make the former UNLV big man the starter at that position now. Cleveland’s win tonight brings the team’s record to just 5-12, so Lloyd believes it’s an idea worth trying in a season when few of coach Mike Brown‘s gambits have worked. Here’s more from around the NBA:
- The Mavericks assigned Ricky Ledo to their D-League affiliate today, the team announced via press release. Ledo has appeared in six games with Dallas for a total of just 16 minutes so far.
- Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News breaks down the dilemmas facing first-year Pistons coach Maurice Cheeks, whose team is off to a worrisome 6-10 start in spite of owner Tom Gores’ playoff aspirations.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel wonders if Kobe Bryant‘s lucrative extension will prompt LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to prioritize money over championships next offseason.
Central Links: Cavs, Asik, George, Hinrich
The Pacers are the class of the NBA, but next they face a tough Western road trip that includes tough tests against the Clippers, Blazers, Spurs and Thunder. The only breather appears to be their matchup with the league-worst Jazz. There’s more from Indiana as we check the latest from the Central:
- The Cavs have “kicked the tires” on Omer Asik in the past, writes Bob Finnan of The News-Herald. It’s not clear when Cleveland showed interest in the Rockets center, but it doesn’t appear from the report like the Cavs are in on him now.
- In the same piece, Finnan asserts that the Cavs shouldn’t trade Dion Waiters because he might be the team’s best player, even with Kyrie Irving around. Irving is off to a slow start, but Waiters hasn’t been any better statistically, so I’m not sure that part of the argument holds any water.
- Paul George spoke to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune this week about a variety of topics, including whether he gave thought to signing with a glamour team in free agency before he agreed to a long-term extension with the Pacers. “Of course everyone does, but you have to look at the bigger picture and the bigger picture here is we’re all young, we did so well last year, we have a core group of guys who are going to be here for a while,” George said. “There’s no need to go to a big market when I have a market where I can win here.”
- George also told Zgoda about his predraft workout with the Timberwolves in 2010, revealing that they didn’t show much interest in him because they were sold on Wesley Johnson. George, the 10th pick that year, still holds a grudge against the nine teams that passed him up, as Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star details.
- The Bulls signed Kirk Hinrich last year with the thinking that they’d reduce his role this season, but the 32-year-old soon-to-be free agent is again a key player for the team after another Derrick Rose injury, observes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
Most Partial Guarantees Have Already Been Paid
The timing of the Lakers release of Elias Harris yesterday was financially motivated, and it had to do with the $100K partial guarantee on his contract. It’s the same calculus that would have forced the Cavaliers to release Matthew Dellavedova yesterday if they wanted to avoid paying him more than the $100K partial guarantee on his deal, which was identical to the one Harris signed. Dellavedova has played a key role for his team, unlike the little-used Harris, so Cleveland has seen fit to keep him beyond yesterday’s deadline to waive him so that he’d clear waivers before Tuesday, the day when his accrued salary will exceed $100K.
Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors explained earlier this month how the proration of salaries comes into play with partially guaranteed deals, pointing to Lance Thomas and his deal with the Pelicans as an example. Thomas had the league’s smallest partial guarantee to start the season, and even though he lasted only a couple weeks before New Orleans let him go, he had already earned more than his $15K guarantee, making the guarantee irrelevant in the team’s decision to waive him.
That’s the case for majority of players with partial guarantees at this point. Eleven of the 18 guys on partially guaranteed contracts have already earned more money than their guarantees cover, meaning they’re on de-facto non-guaranteed contracts. Their teams could waive them at any time and not owe them any extra money.
A handful of players still haven’t accrued as much as their partial guarantees, though the Bobcats and Jannero Pargo are scheduled to cross that threshold this weekend. Charlotte will have to waive Pargo by tomorrow so he’s off the roster by Wednesday, when his earnings will exceed $300K.
Three players have partial guarantees that they won’t exceed until after the leaguewide guarantee date of January 10th. That means the only date that matters to their teams is January 7th, the last day to place those guys on waivers without fully guaranteeing their contracts.
Here’s the complete list, broken down by category:
Already exceeded their partial guarantees
- Hollis Thompson, 76ers
- Henry Sims, Cavaliers
- Mike Scott, Hawks
- Shawne Williams, Lakers
- Josh Harrellson, Pistons
- Julyan Stone, Raptors
- Ronnie Brewer, Rockets
- Dionte Christmas, Suns
- Ryan Gomes, Thunder
- Kent Bazemore, Warriors
- Matthew Dellavedova, Cavaliers (Had to have been placed on waivers yesterday to be off the roster in advance of December 2nd)
Will soon exceed their partial guarantees (player must be waived three days in advance of listed date)
- Jannero Pargo, Bobcats (December 4th)
- Peyton Siva, Pistons (December 20th)
- Ian Clark, Jazz (January 6th)
- Hasheem Thabeet, Thunder (January 7th)
Won’t exceed their partial guarantees until after the leaguewide guarantee date (January 10th)
- Erik Murphy, Bulls
- Andrew Bynum, Cavaliers
- Hedo Turkoglu, Magic
ShamSports was used in the creation of this post.