Southwest Notes: Cummings, Holiday, Gordon
Will Cummings, who will join the Rockets in training camp after signing with the team, understands Houston has well-established point guards on the roster, but hopes to learn as much as possible from them, Colby Giacubeno of SB Nation writes.
“It’s going to be a great experience going against [Patrick Beverley and Ty Lawson] in practice. Pat has been back in Houston, so I’ve been able to work out with him a few times now and putting me through different types of workouts, which definitely helps give me a jump-start going to training camp,” Cummings said. “It’s really just a blessing to be playing at the highest level and learn as much as I can from the guys who have been there and want to be the best.”
Cummings went undrafted after leading Temple University in points (14.8), assists (4.2) and steals (1.9) per game as a senior last season.
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Jrue Holiday is still rehabbing from the surgery on his right leg, but the point guard is optimistic about returning to the court full-time, John Reid of the Times Picayune tweets. ”I’m not doing everything that [the team] is doing [in volunteer workouts], my time is limited which I think is really good,” Holiday said.
- The stakes are high for Eric Gordon this season, Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders opines. Gordon will be a free agent after the season and Blancarte believes if the shooting guard can stay healthy, he will have a big contract waiting for him next summer. Shooting guards Wes Matthews and Khris Middleton just received $70MM each on their contracts this summer and Blancarte believes Gordon’s potential deal next summer could top both of those.
Southwest Notes: McGee, Motiejunas, Walker
Much will be expected of prominent offseason additions Wesley Matthews and Deron Williams, but the Mavericks will keep it simple with first-round pick Justin Anderson and free agent signee JaVale McGee, observes Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. Anderson, this year’s 21st overall pick, has the comfort of a four-year rookie scale contract on his side, but McGee has only a $250K partial guarantee protecting his place on the roster.
“Well, I definitely feel like we’re different players, the centers that we have, so it’s definitely going to be good competition,” McGee said. “But that’s what basketball is for, competition, so it’s definitely going to make us all better. It’s definitely a positive thing, being a leaper as I am and a shot blocker and a dunker, so that’s definitely what teams need. I’m just somebody who keeps it simple, who dunks the ball, blocks shots and is just a presence in the paint. … [coach Rick Carlisle] just wants me to keep it simple, and just play as hard as I can and be a presence in the paint.”
McGee was a popular choice among Hoops Rumors readers in a recent poll about the starting center job in Dallas, but while we wait to see if McGee makes the regular season roster, much less the starting lineup, here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Donatas Motiejunas won’t say for sure if he’ll be healthy enough for the start of Rockets camp later this month, observes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). A back injury that required surgery ended his 2014/15 season prematurely this spring, and a November 2nd deadline looms for a rookie scale extension. I looked at his extension candidacy last month.
- Chris Walker‘s camp deal with the Rockets is simply a one-year, non-guaranteed arrangement for the minimum salary, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Walker was once a heralded prospect before his stock fell during his time at the University of Florida.
- Pincus clarifies his earlier report on Sean Kilpatrick‘s camp deal with the Pelicans, revealing that Kilpatrick’s partial guarantee of $50K doesn’t kick in unless he sticks with the team through October 27th (Twitter link). Otherwise, it’s a non-guaranteed contract, Pincus says.
Western Notes: Bryant, Gates, Malone
With Kobe Bryant entering the final year of his current deal, the Lakers were hampered by the Mamba’s $25MM salary when trying to rebuild their roster this offseason, and as a result this season will be more of a farewell tour for the superstar than a run at a final title, Shaun Powell of NBA.com writes in his season preview of the club. Powell also notes that while Bryant has a reputation as someone willing to do anything to win a championship, if that was indeed the case he would have pushed to join a contender for what could end up being his final NBA campaign. So instead, Powell opines that Bryant is willing to win, but only on his terms.
Here’s more out of the West:
- Former Pelicans assistant coach Bryan Gates, who wasn’t retained when Monty Williams was fired, has been added to Flip Saunders‘ staff with the Timberwolves, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reports (Twitter link).
- New Nuggets coach Michael Malone acknowledged that he was consulted by the team’s front office prior to troubled point guard Ty Lawson being traded to the Rockets, Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post writes. “We’re a team. There’s no separation between church and state,” Malone said of his relationship with Denver’s front office. “We’re together, we’re one, we communicate, and I think that’s so important. But at the end of the day, Tim’s [Connelly] job as GM is to make those decisions, obviously with the blessing of [team president] Josh Kroenke. They asked my opinion, I gave it, I tell him what I feel and believe in, and then whatever decision they make I roll with it.”
- The Trail Blazers will have to take a committee approach to try and replace the rim protection that was lost when Robin Lopez departed for the Knicks in free agency this Summer, Mike Richman of The Oregonian writes.
Extension Candidate: Terrence Jones
How much will it cost to keep Terrence Jones in Houston? Probably more than the Rockets are willing to spend.
Entering his fourth season, Jones is eligible to receive a rookie scale extension through November 2nd, and Grantland’s Zach Lowe speculates that the 23-year-old Kentucky product’s asking price could be as high as $15MM annually. It’s a daunting number — even considering the expected jump in the salary cap next summer — for a player with limited NBA production.
Injuries caused Jones to miss 49 games last season. He sat out 41 with nerve damage in his left foot, then several more after suffering a partially collapsed lung in March. When he did play, he showed flashes of why that $15MM figure might be attainable, averaging 11.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game and making slightly more than 35% of his shots from 3-point range. His numbers dipped slightly in the playoffs, but Jones started 9 of 17 games and averaged 23.6 minutes of playing time for a team that reached the Western Conference Finals.
Offensively, Jones is very much a product of the system in which he plays. The Rockets believe in getting their shots near the basket and beyond the 3-point arc. Over his career, Jones takes about half of his shots from within 3 feet and connects on about 70% from that area, according to Basketball Reference. He has the size and leaping ability to become a better finisher and improve that number as he gets older. He was 13 of 37 from long distance during his abbreviated regular season in 2014/15, although that figure dipped to a dismal 3 of 19 (.158) during the playoffs.
Jones has shown potential as a rebounder, averaging close to 7.0 per game over the past two seasons while playing alongside two of the best rebounding centers in the league in Dwight Howard and Omer Asik. However, there are questions about his defense, which has been exposed in the last two postseasons, particularly by the Clippers’ Blake Griffin and former Trail Blazer LaMarcus Aldridge. ESPN’s Defensive Real Plus Minus ranked Jones 38th in the league last season among power forwards, right behind Spencer Hawes, Luis Scola and Elton Brand.
While Jones seems eventually headed toward a big payday — a 6’9″ athlete who can rebound and stretch the floor is very popular in the NBA right now — it’s not guaranteed that contract will come from Houston and it’s less certain that he’ll get it this summer. Even with a projected salary cap of $89MM for 2016/17, the Rockets aren’t likely to have much money available to dish out. If the team picks up the option on young center Clint Capela, Houston is looking at about $44.5MM in committed salary, not counting Howard, who has a player option worth $23.3MM, or Ty Lawson, whose contract includes more than $13.2MM in non-guaranteed money. In addition, Donatas Motiejunas, another young Rockets power forward with a career similar to Jones’, is also eligible for an extension this summer, as we examined earlier, giving the franchise a difficult decision at that position.
There’s also the possibility that either Jones or Motiejunas could be traded, if not both. The Rockets were rumored to be shopping Jones and the 18th pick in this year’s draft (which became Wisconsin’s Sam Dekker) in order to create cap room to pursue Aldridge or Kevin Love. Houston, which spent the summer stocking up on young forwards, certainly isn’t acting like a team ready to make a long-term commitment to either Jones or Motiejunas. In addition to drafting the 6’7″ Dekker, who has potential as a stretch four, the Rockets used a second-round pick on 6’8″ 236-pound rebounding beast Montrezl Harrell, who projects as a power forward, and gave a three-year, $10MM deal to second-year player K.J. McDaniels. The Rockets have a long track record of maintaining cap flexibility to chase marquee free agents, and could pursue former Harden teammate Kevin Durant or another of the top 2016 free agents.
Jones, a Wasserman Media Group client, could be facing a tough choice of his own. Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders believes that a deal will be available in Houston for Jones, but only if he places long-term security ahead of gambling on his potential worth. As Kyler points out, Rockets GM Daryl Morey has a history of letting players enter restricted free agency and allowing the market to set their values. However, if Jones is willing to settle for a lesser deal, a bargain-conscious Morey might be tempted to sign him this summer. Kyler believes the odds are good that Jones will wind up as a restricted free agent, but with health concerns already cropping up at such a young age, his best option may be to take a long-term deal while he can get it.
Should the Rockets sign Jones to an extension? Share your thoughts in our comments section.
Southwest Notes: Davis, Gentry, Smith, Buford
New Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry is sold on the idea of Anthony Davis as a “generational player” along the lines of the game’s true greats, as he said to Ian Thomsen of NBA.com. The Pelicans secured Davis on a max extension this summer, not long after hiring Gentry to become the big man’s first NBA coach aside from Monty Williams.
“Anthony is right in that category, and there is a lot of responsibility that comes with that,” Gentry said. “It is up to us to make him as good as he can possibly be, and not settle for him to be less than great in this area or that area. I told him that I have no doubt that he is going to be an MVP in this league. And I said to him, ‘We are going to be really, really good if you also win Defensive Player of the Year.”’
See more on Gentry amid the latest from the Southwest Division:
- Gentry doesn’t expect to fall in lockstep with Pelicans GM Dell Demps and executive VP of basketball operations Mickey Loomis, but Demps told Thomsen that it’s clear that they have the same vision for the team. “Dell has no desire to control anyone,” Gentry said. “He wants opinions. He wants you to challenge what he is saying. He does not want to be in the situation where everything is yes, yes, yes. We’re going to disagree on a lot of things; we are going to agree on a lot of things. To me that is healthy. That is one of the reasons why teams are successful. We talked about loyalty, and I told Dell: I look at loyalty as guys expressing their opinions, and then when everything is discussed and you come to a conclusion, you walk out united. When I worked with Doug Collins, we used to have a saying: Agree, disagree, but align.”
- Former Mavericks and Rockets center Greg Smith will work out for the Guangdong Southern Tigers, a source told international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). The 24-year-old Seth Cohen client spent last season with the Mavericks and was also briefly on the Bulls roster in 2013/14 after spending parts of three seasons with the Rockets, but NBA interest has appeared slim this summer, as his rumors page shows.
- GM Daryl Morey deserves credit for his move to acquire Ty Lawson for the Rockets in a trade that didn’t cost any core pieces, but Spurs GM R.C. Buford is an overwhelming favorite for Executive of the Year honors, argues Fran Blinebury of NBA.com. The additions of LaMarcus Aldridge and David West drew headlines, and Blinebury is also a fan of what he believes is a team-friendly new deal with Danny Green.
Southwest Notes: Lawson, Williams, Pondexter
Ty Lawson says he’s ready for basketball again after a 30-day alcohol rehabilitation stint that followed two arrests in seven months and expressed excitement about joining coach Kevin McHale, James Harden, Dwight Howard and former Nuggets teammate Corey Brewer on the Rockets, as he conveyed in an interview with Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston. Lawson agreed to give up the guarantee on his 2016/17 to facilitate the trade that sent him from Denver to Houston this summer.
“I’m about winning,” Lawson said to Berman. “I love being on a winning team. At every level I’ve played at, high school, middle school, college I won championships. This is a chance to play for one of those and get an NBA ring. I’m ready for it.”
See more from the Southwest Division:
- Deron Williams is excited to play with Dirk Nowitzki and former Jazz teammate Wesley Matthews and for the chance at a new beginning with the Mavericks, as he tells Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. “You know, there’s definitely a stability about this organization that’s definitely intriguing,” Williams said. You know, they have guys that have been here forever, so it’s just about plugging in the new pieces — myself included — and just trying to get to work. But, you know, I’m just excited about this opportunity, and I’m ready to get the season going.”
- It’s unclear if Quincy Pondexter will be healthy in time for the start of Pelicans training camp, writes John Reid of The Times Picayune, though while Pondexter admitted on SiriusXM NBA Radio that rehab from left knee surgery in May has been slow-going, he’s hopeful that he won’t miss much time, if any, Reid notes (audio link). Pondexter is due a guaranteed salary of more than $3.382MM this season, but the team added depth at small forward this summer with the free agent signing of Alonzo Gee.
- Kawhi Leonard, fresh off his new deal with the Spurs, said he’ll try to win an MVP award, as David Zink of The Press-Enterprise wrote last month, but going for that honor would require significant change to his game and upset the offensive balance with which he and the Spurs have found so much success, argues Ian Levy of The Sporting News.
Clippers Sign Chuck Hayes To One-Year Deal
7:37pm: The signing is official, according to the team’s website.
5:00pm: The deal is not fully guaranteed, reports Dan Woike of the Orange County Register (on Twitter).
4:39pm: The Clippers and Chuck Hayes have reached agreement on a one-year deal, a source told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Hayes was set to sign with the Rockets, but that deal fell apart last week. It’ll have to be for the minimum salary, since that’s all the Clippers can give. The deal between Houston and Hayes was reportedly for the minimum with a partial guarantee, though the level of the guarantee on the latest deal for the Calvin Andrews client is unclear. Andrews has nonetheless confirmed the existence of the Clippers deal to Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston (Twitter link).
Several teams had expressed interest in Hayes for coaching or front office jobs, but still only 32, he was focused on continuing his career as a player, as Andrews said last week. Hayes has a chance to keep playing with the Clippers after putting up career lows across the board, including in minutes per game, with the Raptors this past season. Still, at only 6’6″, the undersized center has performed well on the boards during his 10-year career, pulling down 8.1 rebounds in 28.1 minutes per game for the Rockets in 2010/11.
The deal with Hayes would appear to complicate the team’s reported talks with Glen Davis and Ryan Hollins, and perhaps its apparent interest in Chris Singleton, too. The Clippers have been carrying 14 fully guaranteed contracts, as our roster count shows, so that leaves room for only one more player on the regular season roster.
Whom should the Clippers carry as their 15th man? Hayes, Davis, Hollins, Singleton or somebody else? Leave a comment to chime in.
Pacific Notes: Morris, Rondo, Russell, Davis
Markieff Morris was notably absent as Suns players began gathering for voluntary workouts this week, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Morris, unhappy since his twin brother Marcus was traded to the Pistons July 9th, isn’t expected to attend the sessions. Markieff Morris was irate about the deal and asked the Suns to trade him as well, but Coro notes that it would be nearly impossible for Phoenix to get equal value at this point and the team has no one on the roster to fill his role. The twins are angry because they contend they gave the Suns a break on the extensions they signed last year in hopes of remaining together.
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- The Kings‘ Rajon Rondo tops Yahoo Sports’ Ben Rohrbach’s list of players facing make-or-break seasons in 2015/16. Rondo, who signed a one-year, $9.5MM deal with Sacramento last month, is trying to rebuild his reputation after being shut down early during the playoffs by the Mavericks. Ty Lawson, who was traded to the Rockets July 20th, is second on Rohrbach’s list, followed by Miami’s Hassan Whiteside, Boston’s Jared Sullinger and Oklahoma City’s Dion Waiters.
- The addition of D’Angelo Russell has Lakers‘ part-owner Jim Buss excited about the upcoming season, according to Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times. The Lakers took a risk by drafting Russell second overall, ahead of Duke’s Jahlil Okafor, and Buss said the front office had about 30 meetings before making its final decision. “It was a long, long process that we decided to go with Russell,” Buss said. “He’s just very impressive. We saw an upside of being a potential superstar in the league.”
- Free agent Glen Davis, who has spent the last season and a half with the Clippers, has to convince a team that he can still be an effective scorer, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Nearing age 30, Davis has evolved into an energy player in recent years, averaging just 4.0 points per game last season, down from a career-high 15.1 in 2012/13. Washburn also notes that the Clippers are being selective in possible deals involving Jamal Crawford. They are willing to part with the 35-year-old, but only for the “right return.”
Southwest Notes: Howard, McCallum, Lucas
After being the most coveted free agent on the market in 2013, the Rockets‘ Dwight Howard is generating little buzz with his potential 2016 free agency, writes Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel. Howard signed a four-year deal with Houston worth more than $87MM, but has a player option for 2016-17. With the salary cap expected to soar next summer, he will likely test the market once again. Schmitz argues that the lack of excitement about Howard’s availability signals either that he’s a lock to stay in Houston or that other franchises don’t want to make a large investment in a soon-to-be 30-year-old center with a history of back and knee problems. The columnist speculates that Houston would prefer that Howard sign a short-term contract, but probably will have to give him a long-term deal in excess of $100MM to keep him on the roster.
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Ray McCallum could be an important addition for the Spurs if Tony Parker has another injury-plagued season, writes Buck Harvey of The San Antonio Express-News. San Antonio acquired McCallum in a July 9th trade, sending a 2016 second-round pick to Sacramento in return. Harvey notes that the Spurs don’t believe McCallum is as good a defender as Cory Joseph, the man he replaced, but they think he can effectively run the team if anything happens to Parker.
- Kalin Lucas, who made a brief appearance with the Grizzlies last season, will spend another season with Kolejliler Ankara of the Turkish Basketball League, according to Enea Trapani of Sportando. Lucas played in just one game with Memphis before being waived November 20th.
- Despite starting all six games in summer league, the Mavericks‘ Justin Anderson has a long way to go to earn playing time in Dallas, writes Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. The first-round pick out of Virginia says the summer experience was beneficial, but he understands the learning curve ahead. “They know exactly what I’m capable of, and I want to be really good at things I’m already pretty good at,” Anderson said. “So, I just want to take that next step, being good defensively on the ball and off the ball, rotating and then being able to operate out of those corners, because that’s where I think our front office and coaching staff think I can be effective.”
And-Ones: Cherry, Jones, O’Quinn, Hibbert
Will Cherry is expected to sign with Germany Alba Berlin, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports tweets. An official for the club told international journalist David Pick, who first reported the team’s interest, that the signing will indeed take place (Twitter links). Cherry played in Lithuania last season after being waived by the Cavs. The point guard saw action in eight games with Cleveland early last season and averaged 1.9 points, 1.0 assists and 0.8 steals in 8.6 minutes per game.
Here are some notes from around the league:
- A. Sherrod Blakely of CSSNE.com names Rockets forward Terrence Jones as a “glue guy” to watch this season. Jones is eligible for a rookie scale extension and will make slightly under $2.5MM in the last season of his current deal.
- Blakely also names Kyle O’Quinn as a player to watch this season. The Knicks acquired O’Quinn via sign-and-trade with the Magic. The 25-year-old’s contract is worth $16MM over four years.
- Fran Blinebury of NBA.com examines possible nominees for the 2015/16 Comeback Player of the Year Award. Some notable players on the list are Kevin Durant, Paul George, Kobe Bryant and Chris Bosh. Blinebury also includes Roy Hibbert and Lance Stephenson as candidates to improve upon their 2014/15 performances. Both players changed area codes this offseason. Hibbert was sent to the Lakers in exchange for a second round pick. Stephenson was traded to the Clippers in exchange for Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes.