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Draft Notes: Turner, Okafor, Jones

May 6th, 2015 at 8:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

One of the issues that is holding back Texas big man Myles Turner from being a potential top five pick are concerns about his awkward running style, and the potential for injury that his unusual gait could bring. In his weekly chat, ESPN’s Chad Ford (Insider subscription required) notes that Turner has been working with a running coach and has shown remarkable improvement in this regard. The 19-year-old is the No. 10 overall prospect according to Ford, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranks him No. 11. You can view our full prospect profile for Turner here.

Here’s more notes from the upcoming draft:

Ford also hears that Jahlil Okafor, who was the No. 1 ranked prospect for much of the season before being overtaken by Karl-Anthony Towns, is falling on a number of teams’ draft boards. Okafor, who is No. 2 according to both ESPN.com and DraftExpress, could drop as far as the fifth overall pick in June, Ford opines.
The Rockets are growing increasingly enamored with Duke freshman point guard Tyus Jones, Ford also notes. Houston currently owns the 18th overall pick, while Jones is ranked as the No. 22 overall prospect by Ford, and Givony slots him at No. 19. Jones’ full prospect profile can be found here.
Ford released his latest mock draft (Insider subscription required), and he predicts the top three picks as Towns going No. 1 overall, followed by Emmanuel Mudiay and D’Angelo Russell.
Southeast Missouri State senior guard Jarekious Bradley has signed with agent Brian Bass of RBA Sports, Bass announced via Twitter. The 24-year-old is not currently projected to be taken in June’s draft.

Southwest Notes: Smith, Ginobili, Gasol

May 6th, 2015 at 2:34pm CST by Chuck Myron

Josh Smith has found contentment in Houston after enduring much criticism elsewhere, and the Rockets share that feeling of satisfaction with the partnership, as Grantland’s Jonathan Abrams examines. There’s mutual interest between Smith, who hits free agency again this summer, and GM Daryl Morey in a new deal, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported last month, and Morey made it clear to Abrams that he values the 29-year-old.

“I’m not sure what we’d do without him,” Morey added. “He’s been critical to getting us where we are right now.”

Houston will have Smith’s Non-Bird rights to give him a 20% raise on the $2.077MM salary he signed for via the Biannual Exception in December. Here’s more from around the Southwest Division:

Manu Ginobili suggested that he’s never pondered retirement quite so seriously before and said that Tim Duncan‘s decision about whether to play again next season will affect his own, as the swingman wrote for La Nacion’s Canchallena.com and as Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News translates. In any case, Ginobili, whose contract with the Spurs expires this summer, said he’ll take the rest of the month to decide whether to return.
Concerns about whether Ginobili, Duncan and Gregg Popovich would remain over the course of a three-year deal were in Pau Gasol‘s head when he decided against signing with the Spurs, as Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com writes in a lengthy piece on the Bulls, whom Gasol chose instead.
Dirk Nowitzki confirmed that there was no vote that took place when the Mavs decided to divvy up playoff shares without giving one to Rajon Rondo, as he said on KTCK-AM this week (transcription via the Dallas Morning News). “No, we actually didn’t vote. It was just the guys who were there that day got a playoff share,” Nowitzki said. “What we usually do is give a lot of weight to the guys that work for you all season long; the locker room guys, the equipment guys, the trainers, the massage guys [or] whoever you feel helped you get through the season. We usually divide it up and then give them a lot of money. I think that got blown out of proportion. It’s not like it was that much money. I don’t think Rondo would have cared either way.”

Western Notes: Pelicans, Curry, Batum

May 5th, 2015 at 10:33pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Pelicans would prefer to re-sign all of their free agents this offseason which would allow them to stay over the cap and use the full mid-level exception to sign another veteran player, Zach Lowe of Grantland.com writes. New Orleans currently has $40,582,846 in guaranteed salary and another $16,699,815 in non-guaranteed funds committed for the 2015/16 campaign. Pelicans players who will become unrestricted free agents this summer include Omer Asik, Luke Babbitt, Jimmer Fredette, and Dante Cunningham.

Here’s more out of the NBA’s Western Conference:

2014/15 NBA most valuable player Stephen Curry didn’t initially want the Warriors to draft him, and instead was hoping to go to the Knicks who were selecting one pick later than Golden State, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports writes. “The Knicks had [pick] eight and we thought in New York he’d be a great fit. We really wanted him to drop to eight,” Curry’s agent Jeff Austin said. “Once we got to seventh, we were like, ‘C’mon man, don’t pick him with [Golden State].’ At the time, the Warriors were not in our mind as a preferred destination.“
The Blazers could look to deal Nicolas Batum and his expiring contract worth $12,235,750 this offseason, Jabari Young of CSNNW.com writes. When asked about the possibility of being traded, Batum said, “If that happens, it happens. That’s the business, I understand that. I mean, I can’t control that. All I can control is what I put on the court. I know what I am going to do this summer is try to get better.” If Portland is able to unload Batum the team could target Mavs forward Al-Farouq Aminu, Young speculates. Aminu has a player option worth $1,110,602 that he intends to opt out of this summer.
Dwight Howard is happy being a member of the Rockets, but he admitted that the venom fans spewed at him as a result of his free agent decisions still weigh on him, Kristie Reiken of The Associated Press relays. “Sometimes it hurts,” Howard said. “It used to hurt a lot more as I went from this guy that everybody likes to everybody hated me because I wanted to play basketball on another team. And I’m like: ‘Hey listen it’s really not that serious. If I stopped playing today, your life is going to be the same, my life is going to be the same, it’s just I’m not going to be playing basketball. So why should it matter what I decide?’“

Western Notes: Batum, Parsons, Rockets

May 4th, 2015 at 9:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Trail Blazers could move Nicolas Batum as he enters the final year of his contract, Jabari Young of CSNNW.com speculates. Batum, who will make approximately $12.2MM next season, may be shopped since GM Neil Olshey expects to actively reshape his roster this summer, Young continues. Wrist, knee and back injuries led to a disappointing 2014/15 season for Batum, as he indicated in his exit interview, the story adds. “I didn’t play the way I used to play,” he said. “I’ve been thinking too much.” If the Blazers trade Batum, they could make a run at Mavericks forward Al-Farouq Aminu, who has declared he will opt out of the final year of his contract and seek long-term security.

In other news around the Western Conference:

Chandler Parsons will take an active role in recruiting free agents for the Mavericks this summer, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes. Parsons, who underwent knee surgery last week, feels obligated to help the team land its free-agent targets and has developed plenty of contacts and relationships around the league to make that happen, Sefko continues. Parsons is sold on the organization and has a sales pitch ready when the time comes, Sefko adds. “We have a great organization,” Parsons said to Sefko. “We have high expectations. We have the best owner in sports. We’re definitely moving in the right direction, and we have a lot of pieces that would fit well with the free agents out there right now. And we have a great coach, so I think we’re moving in the right direction. We’re a championship-caliber team.”
Clippers coach Doc Rivers believes the Rockets became a better defensive team with the additions of Josh Smith, Corey Brewer and Pablo Prigioni, according to Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle. Smith was signed by the Rockets after the Pistons released him in December during the second year of his four-year contract. Brewer was acquired from the Timberwolves in a three-team trade during the same month, while Prigioni was dealt by the Knicks in February. “They have added great personnel,” Rivers said to the media covering the Clippers-Rockets playoff series. “When you think about the guys they added, Prigioni is a tough defensive guard and Corey Brewer has been amazing for them. Josh Smith has really been big, too.”

Southwest Notes: Mavs, Rockets, Stiggers

May 4th, 2015 at 6:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks will likely have a large roster turnover this offseason, Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. Starters Tyson Chandler and Rajon Rondo and reserves Amar’e Stoudemire, Richard Jefferson, J.J. Barea, Charlie Villanueva and Greg Smith will be unrestricted free agents this summer, while Monta Ellis, Al-Farouq Aminu and Raymond Felton have player options on their contracts. President of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said head coach Rick Carlisle will have to put the pieces together in training camp, Price continues. “It puts our head coach in a difficult position, because when you’re shuffling in new pieces it’s just more challenging,” Nelson said to the team’s beat writers. “It’s not the preferred way of doing business, but in this age of free agency you have to have talent to win in this league.” Carlisle has already declared that Rondo, who had a tumultuous season with the club after being traded from the Celtics in December, will not be back. Chandler did not tip his hand concerning his future plans and that means the Mavs would likely pursue other top free agent centers on the market, including DeAndre Jordan, Marc Gasol, Robin Lopez and Omer Asik, Price asserts. LaMarcus Aldridge is another prominent free agent on the team’s radar screen, according to Price, but the team might have to convince Dirk Nowitzki to come off the bench to make that happen. Aminu, coming off strong playoff performances with Chandler Parsons injured, will opt out and seek a significant raise from the approximate $1.1MM he was due next season, Price adds.

In other news around the Southwest Division:

It’s possible that Rockets draft-and-stash prospect Sergio Llull would consent to become a backup in the NBA, but it’s not likely, as David Pick of Basketball Insiders writes in a chat with readers. GM Daryl Morey earlier this spring denied a report that the team was planning a three-year offer to Llull worth a total of $17MM or more.
Jherrod Stiggers will be among the draft prospects working out for the Rockets on Tuesday, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets. Stiggers, a junior guard from the University of Houston, averaged 14.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists in his final college season. Stiggers has a long way to go to become a serious draft candidate. He is not listed among Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider Top 100 Big Board or DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony’s Top 100 prospects.

Southwest Notes: Spurs, Rockets, Barea

May 3rd, 2015 at 11:55am CST by Arthur Hill

After Saturday’s Game 7 loss to the Clippers, thoughts quickly turned to the Spurs‘ future, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Specifically, the questions were about Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, and whether this was the final game of their long NBA careers. Duncan dismissed questions on the topic, saying, “I’m not making any statements.” Ginobili was a little more open. “I don’t want to make a decision after being a disappointment in a game like this,” he said. “So I’ll have a lot of time. I will sit with my family and try to evaluate what happened during the season, how I feel and if I am ready to go at it again. I guess the Spurs are going to have to make a decision, too, and see what they want to do.”

Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

GM R.C. Buford said the Spurs will give Duncan, Ginobili and coach Gregg Popovich plenty of time to ponder their future, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. “We’re not going to rush them,” he said. “They’ll have time to talk amongst themselves, and we’ll have time to listen to what they’re saying and act accordingly.” Along with Duncan and Ginobili, San Antonio has seven other players who will become free agents in July. That list includes starters Kawhi Leonard, who will be restricted, and Danny Green, who is unrestricted.
Two huge moves in December turned the Rockets into a team that could win in the playoffs, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Within seven days, the team reached a deal with the Wolves for Corey Brewer and signed Josh Smith after he was waived by the Pistons. They improved the team’s bench, tightened its defense and brought a veteran presence to Houston for the postseason. “If we don’t have Brew and Josh come to our team, we’re not here right now, doing this,” coach Kevin McHale said. “Those two guys have been fantastic for us.” Smith will be a free agent this summer; Brewer has a player option worth $4.9MM.
Free agent J.J. Barea hopes his future is with the Mavericks, writes Tim Cato of mavsmoneyball.com. “It feels like home for me here in Dallas,” Barea said, “so hopefully I can come back and finish my career here for the next couple years.”

Southwest Notes: Spurs, Mavericks, Rockets

May 2nd, 2015 at 10:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich gave an early indication that he will return next season, along with free agents Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Responding to a question shortly after San Antonio’s Game 7 loss to the Clippers Saturday night, Popovich said, “We’ll probably come back. The paycheck’s pretty good.” Duncan refused to answer two questions about returning, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Ginobili was also vague about retiring, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. “I don’t know, it could happen,” he said. “But I’m not going to make that decision now.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Rajon Rondo still has all-star talent, but he was a terrible fit in the Mavericks‘ system, argues Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. In his post-season report card, the columnist gives Rondo an F for his time in Dallas, but says finding a point guard to replace him won’t be easy. Sefko also expects Charlie Villanueva to get a much bigger contract next season and said the team needs to spend to keep Tyson Chandler.
The “Grandpas” have become key playoff contributors for the Rockets, writes Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. That’s James Harden‘s nickname for point guards Jason Terry and Pablo Prigioni, both 37, who have seen increased playing time since a wrist injury to starter Patrick Beverley. Terry came to Houston in September in a little-noticed trade with Sacramento. Prigioni was acquired in a deadline deal with the Knicks. “They’ve done a great job seriously of doing everything right, defensive schemes, knocking down shots, being vocal leaders, going out there and being ready every single night and it’s carried us every single night,” Harden said. Terry will be a free agent in July; Prigioni is scheduled to make $1.7MM next season, but only $440K of that is guaranteed.
The Pelicans should try to re-sign Omer Asik, but at a price far less than the $14.8MM he earned this season, contends John Reid of The Times-Picayune. If they can’t agree to terms with the free agent center, Reid recommends pursuing Blazers’ free agent Robin Lopez, who made nearly $6.125MM this season. Reid also advises trying to reach a new deal with backup center Alexis Ajinca.

2014/15 D-League Usage Report: Rockets

April 30th, 2015 at 9:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The relationship between the NBA and the D-League continues to grow, and 17 NBA franchises currently have one-to-one D-League affiliates amongst the 18 D-League teams. The remaining 13 NBA teams shared the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this season. We at Hoops Rumors will be recapping each team’s use of the D-League this season, looking at assignments and recalls as well as the players signed out of the D-League. We’ll continue onward with a look back at how the Rockets utilized the D-League during the 2014/15 campaign…

D-League Team: Rio Grande Valley Vipers

Affiliation Type: One-to-one

D-League Team Record: 27-23

Number of NBA Players Assigned To D-League: 3

Total D-League Assignments: 11

Player Stats While On Assignment

Clint Capela: 5 assignments, 38 games, 16.1 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 3.0 BPG. .600/.000/.596.
Nick Johnson: 5 assignments, 20 games, 18.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 5.1 APG. .428/.283/.789.
Isaiah Canaan: 1 assignment, 4 games, 21.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 8.5 APG. .368/.349/.633.

D-League Signings

None

Assignment/Recall Log

November 10th: Assigned Clint Capela (Recalled December 2nd)
November 18th: Assigned Nick Johnson (Recalled November 24th)
December 16th: Assigned Clint Capela (Recalled December 25th)
December 27th: Assigned Clint Capela (Recalled January 25th)
January 3rd: Assigned Nick Johnson (Recalled February 1st)
January 11th: Assigned Isaiah Canaan (Recalled January 26th)
January 29th: Assigned Clint Capela (Recalled February 9th)
February 4th: Assigned Nick Johnson (Recalled February 9th)
February 19th: Assigned Nick Johnson (Recalled February 23rd)
February 19th: Assigned Clint Capela (Recalled March 27th)
March 6th: Assigned Nick Johnson (Recalled March 8th)

Atlantic Notes: Turner, Prigioni, Draft

April 30th, 2015 at 5:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Evan Turner said this year, his first with the Celtics on a two-year deal, has been his most satisfying in the NBA so far, as he tells Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald, and he’s sold on Boston as an attractive place for free agents to go. “Regardless, Boston is always a destination team,” Turner said. “Somebody will always come, whether we make the playoffs or not. It’s the energy and emotion. I’ve talked to some friends who have come here and played: They see that the crowd is crazy, the fan base is crazy, even when we weren’t in the playoff race at the time. People still show up. It’s about basketball, not other gimmicks. There’s certain organizations. The people who work here are classy people. The city is like that. There aren’t many people walking around parading other sports teams. It’s all Boston, compared to some of the places I’ve played in. It’s been fun.”

Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Pablo Prigioni admitted that he had requested that the Knicks trade him prior to February’s deadline, and he is grateful to have ended up in Houston, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. “When I saw how things were going, it was so clear they were looking more to next season, the summer,’’ Prigioni said. “I felt myself at 38, I have no future on the team. I talked to Derek [Fisher] and told him my desire to send me somewhere so I can enjoy probably my last year in the league. At the deadline it was good for me and the team because they’re looking for young guys to build for the next five years.’’
The veteran point guard indicated that he may play professionally for one more season, though it would most likely be in Europe if he does, Berman notes. Prigioni also said that he wants to try his hand at coaching once his playing career ends, the Post scribe adds.
According to ESPN’s Chad Ford (hat tip to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com), if the Knicks end up with the No. 1 overall pick this June, the franchise would use it to select Karl-Anthony Towns. Following Towns, New York’s top five ranked players in descending order are Jahlil Okafor, Emmanuel Mudiay, D’Angelo Russell, and Justise Winslow, Ford notes.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

And-Ones: Tomic, Huertas, Free Agents

April 28th, 2015 at 10:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Jazz draft-and-stash prospect Ante Tomic is set to sign a three-year extension with FC Barcelona, and will not be making the jump to the NBA next season, Jose Ignacio Huguet of Mundo Deportivo.com reports (translation by Jody Genessy of The Deseret News via Twitter). It was Tomic’s wife who vetoed the move to the NBA, tweets David Pick of Eurobasket.com, though the idea of being stuck behind Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors on Utah’s depth chart could have played a part as well, Genessy adds (Twitter link). Tomic had previously suggested that this offseason was likely going to be his last opportunity to enter the NBA.

Here’s more from around the league and abroad:

Brazilian point guard Marcelo Huertas, also known as Marcelinho Huertas, is planning a move to the NBA next season, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. The 31-year-old is expected to be aggressively pursued as a backup guard this offseason, Wojnarowski notes. In 29 games for FC Barcelona this past season, the 6’3″ Huertas averaged 7.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in 21.7 minutes per contest. “This is the right time,” Huertas told Wojnarowski. “[Rockets guard] Pablo Prigioni is the guy most likely to get compared to me, because our career trajectory had been similar in Europe. And like him, I can run a team without worrying about scoring.”
According to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com, five free agents whose playoff performance helped improve their stock are Khris Middleton (Bucks), Tristan Thompson (Cavs), Jae Crowder (Celtics), Josh Smith (Rockets), and Austin Rivers (Clippers).
On the flip side, Blakely lists Patrick Beverley (Rockets), Brandon Bass (Celtics), Lou Williams (Raptors), Omer Asik (Pelicans), and Rajon Rondo (Mavs) as players whose stock has taken a hit since the postseason began.