Suns Coach Saw Harden's Potential Early
Manu Ginobili is giving the Spurs more of “the old Manu” this season, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express News. At 39, the 15-year veteran was instrumental in wins this week over the Pelicans and Rockets. He continues to amaze teammates, who marvel at his work ethic and passion for the game. After considering retirement last summer, Ginobili signed a one-year deal worth $14MM. He hasn’t said whether this will be his final year in the NBA. “Manu is Manu,” said coach Gregg Popovich. “When he gets on the court, he is there ready to play and compete and he’s done it for his whole career. And he’ll do it until he stops playing. I don’t care what his age is.”
- Suns coach Earl Watson recognized the star potential in Rockets star James Harden before he reached the NBA, relays Doug Haller of The Arizona Republic. In back-to-back years, Watson recommended Russell Westbrook and Harden to Thunder GM Sam Presti. “If you go play pickup anywhere in L.A. and if there’s NBA players, you will find Russell Westbrook or James Harden in that game,’’ Watson said. “Even this summer coming up, they love to hoop. There’s something about players that love to play. You can only get good at what you love to do consistently over and over and over.”
Rockets Notes: CBA, Harden, Capela
The CBA will give the Rockets the ability to sign James Harden to a super-max contract extension next summer due to a provision that allow the shooting guard to sign an extension in back-to-back offseasons. Houston’s front office/ownership initially proposed the rule and then pushed for it during negotiations, a source tells Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The team obviously wants to keep Harden in town long-term with an unanimous team executive telling Feigen that if the the Rockets could, they “would give [Harden] a 100-year extension.”
Here’s more from Houston:
- The Rockets informal policy is to only discuss contracts extensions with a player once the deadline to do so approaches, though Harden may be the exception to that thinking, Feigen writes in the same piece. Harden could opt to become a free agent
- Harden is thrilled with Houston and the ability to sign an even longer deal with the team, as Feigen relays in the same piece. “I love being here,” Harden said. “We’re going to win a lot. I’m excited to be here. That’s one of the reasons I extended this summer. Obviously, this year’s been great. I’ve been happy, probably the happiest I’ve been since I’ve been in a Rockets uniform. Everybody else is happy.”
- The Rockets are having issues rebounding without Clint Capela in the line-up, Feigen writes in a separate piece. “We miss Clint. There’s no doubt,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. In this week’s edition of Fantasy Hoops, I examined which players are poised to take on a bigger role with Capela missing time.
Gordon: Chemistry Key To Rockets Success
- Eric Gordon said “chemistry” is a major reason why the Rockets are succeeding this season, as he tells Michael Lee of The Vertical. “Everybody gets along. Everybody is on one task. We’re all here to win. Nobody cares what anybody else says on the outside. Everybody is locked in on one goal and that’s trying to win games and win a championship.”
New CBA Grandfathers Harden, Westbrook For New Extensions
The new CBA will not allow for players to sign contract extensions in back-to-back offseasons, but the agreement will include a provision that will allow James Harden and Russell Westbrook to do exactly that, Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical reports. The new labor agreement will grandfather Harden and Westbrook into the pool of players eligible to be designated for the super-max contracts by their respective teams.
Both players signed contract extensions this past offseason, but the league and the union agreed that neither player – nor the Rockets or Thunder – should be penalized for operating within the current framework, as the teams and players were not aware that the new CBA would offer such a benefit for waiting just one more season.
Westbrook could sign a five-year, $219MM extension with the Thunder that would begin in the 2018/19 season, according to Wojnarowski. Harden could sign with the Rockets for an additional four years and $171MM on top of the $58.7MM he is set to receive over the next two seasons.
Wojnarowski hears that out of the two players, Westbrook is more likely to sign another extension this summer. Harden may prefer to wait until closer to the end of his current deal to gauge whether or not Houston is able to truly become a title contender.
Harden’s current deal includes a player option for the 2019/20, meaning he could become an unrestricted free agent during the 2019 offseason. At that time, Harden will be entering his 10th year in the league, which is another reason he needed to be grandfathered as an eligible player. The new Designated Player Veteran Exception rule covers players entering their eighth or ninth years of service, per Wojnarowski.
Gordon Thriving In Houston
- Eric Gordon tells Michael Lee of The Vertical that his transition to the Rockets has been “smooth sailing.” Gordon has made the second most 3-pointers in the league this season (behind only Stephen Curry) and he credits coach Mike D’Antoni‘s system as part of the reason for his success. “It’s a little bit of everything,” Gordon said. “Style of play, and playing with a guy who can really pass the ball, and like I said, it’s a free-flowing system where everybody is able to get good shots and I’m just taking advantage and knocking down shots.”
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/20/16
Here are Tuesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
3:21pm:
- After participating in the Raptors 905 game at the Air Canada Centre today, Bruno Caboclo and Fred VanVleet were recalled to the NBA squad, the Raptors announced (via Twitter). The D-League game at the ACC set a new league record for attendance, with more than 15,000 fans in the building.
- The Kings have assigned rookies Georgios Papagiannis and Skal Labissiere to the D-League, according to a press release issued by the club. Fellow first-rounder Malachi Richardson apparently won’t be joining them on their latest NBADL assignment, as he has multiple times this season.
11:53am:
- With Clint Capela sidelined due to a fibula fracture, the Rockets have recalled 2016 second-rounder Chinanu Onuaku from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the team announced today (Twitter link). Onuaku, who had been on his latest D-League assignment for nearly a month, has averaged 10.7 PPG, 10.3 RPG, and 1.5 BPG in 16 games for the Vipers this season.
- Maurice Ndour and Marshall Plumlee have been assigned to the D-League by the Knicks, according to the team (Twitter link). The duo will join the Westchester Knicks in time for New York’s NBADL affiliate to take on the Los Angeles D-Fenders tonight.
- The Thunder have sent Josh Huestis back to the D-League, according to a press release issued today by the team. Huestis, who has been shuttled back and forth frequently between the NBA and NBADL, has appeared in nine games for the Oklahoma City Blue, but has yet to play this season for the Thunder.
Rockets Exploring Trade Market For Big Men
With Clint Capela expected to be sidelined until late January due to a leg injury, the Rockets are probing the trade market for available bigs, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter). Since the trade deadline is still more than two months away, teams may not be compelled to deal quite yet, so the most likely scenario is that Houston gives Capela’s minutes to players like Nene and Montrezl Harrell, per Wojnarowski.
While Nerlens Noel has been the most-discussed trade candidate over the last few days, there are several big men around the NBA believed to be available. Greg Monroe has long been on the block in Milwaukee, and players like Kosta Koufos, Andrew Bogut, and Kenneth Faried have been mentioned as trade candidates in recent months, though their teams aren’t necessarily looking to move them right now. As Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer details, a handful of teams around the NBA have frontcourt logjams, so there could be a few potential matches for Houston.
Free agency is also an option for the Rockets, though the team would have to open up a spot on its 15-man roster to sign someone. The most notable big man on the free agent market also seems unlikely to sign with Houston — Donatas Motiejunas is now an unrestricted free agent, after enduring a contract standoff with the Rockets that lasted several months.
While it’s worth keeping an eye on the Rockets in the coming weeks, the team would probably be more inclined to make a move if Capela’s injury was projected to keep him out for most or all of the season. According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Houston is still waiting for “final medical intel” on Capela’s injury, but is expecting him to miss about four to six weeks. That timeline would put him on track to return well before the February 23 trade deadline.
John Lucas III Competes Against Father
- Veteran Wolves guard John Lucas III is squaring off against his father tonight for the first time in his NBA career, notes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Lucas III earned a roster spot in Minnesota in the preseason, while the elder Lucas serves as head of player development for the Rockets.“It’s good to see him being back doing the thing he loves to do, being around the game. He’s enjoying it. I like seeing him back out there, passing on his knowledge,” Lucas III said.
Poll: Biggest Threat To Warriors In West?
The Warriors entered the 2016/17 season as significant favorites to come out of the Western Conference and win the NBA Finals, and little has changed during the first couple months of the season. Golden State isn’t quite on a 73-win pace again this season, but the team is 23-4 and its offense is producing at a historic pace.
Although the Warriors haven’t looked invincible, they also haven’t had to endure many growing pains as they’ve incorporated prized offseason signee Kevin Durant into their rotation. It will be an extremely tall order for any Western Conference team to beat Golden State four times in a seven-game playoff series, but a handful of teams in the conference have looked good so far.
The Spurs have the West’s second-best record, at 21-5, though advanced statistics suggest that pace is probably unsustainable, as Mika Honkasalo of HoopsHype writes. The Clippers got off to a hot start and briefly looked like they belonged in the discussion with the Warriors, but a cool stretch starting in late November brought them back down to earth, and they’ve struggled against Golden State in recent years. L.A. has lost its last seven games to the Warriors, and was blown out in the only meeting between the two teams so far this season.
While San Antonio and Los Angeles were expected to be the Warriors’ top challengers coming into the season, another trio of teams has helped form a strong second tier in the conference. The Rockets, led by MVP candidates James Harden and a record-setting barrage of three-pointers, have won nine games in a row and are tied with the Clips at 20-7. The Grizzlies, who surged without their top player (Mike Conley), are right behind them, and the Jazz, who have battled injuries all year, look like they could be a dangerous club if and when they finally get healthy.
What do you think? Which of these teams should the Warriors be most worried about facing in the Western Conference portion of the postseason? Is there another team in the conference that could create problems for Golden State? Weigh in below with your vote!
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Motiejunas Drama Reopens Door for Bobby Brown
Eric Gordon is enjoying one of the most productive seasons of his nine-year career and while he may not top some of the scoring outputs he registered with the Pelicans and Clippers now that he’s been slotted in as the sixth man of his new club, he’s playing a vital role on a Rockets team in contention for the Western Conference title.
- If there is one individual who has benefited from this week’s Donatas Motiejunas drama, it’s Bobby Brown. The veteran is eager to pick up where he left off with the Rockets prior to being waived ahead of the Motiejunas contract drama, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Prior to being cut initially, Brown had seen minimal action in just five games this year, but his depth of international experience could give head coach Mike D’Antoni roster flexibility as the season progresses.
- Speaking of Motiejunas, the big man left the Toyota Center on Saturday expecting to rejoin the Rockets but that never came to be. Speaking to Feigen, D’Antoni called the 26-year-old a “piece that could have been helpful [from a team standpoint].”