Western Notes: Allen, Grizzlies, McDaniels, Shaw
The Mavericks, who currently hold the sixth seed in a tight Western Conference, must improve their level of play and toughness in order to make the playoffs, opines Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. After losing two straight, the Mavericks will face the Pelicans on Monday in a game Sefko called “urgent,” given the level of competition the Mavericks play against afterward. The Mavericks play winning teams in 10 of their next 12 games.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- Ray Allen will not be joining the Grizzlies, according to Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal (via Twitter). Late last month, Tillery reported that Memphis was still maintaining interest in the veteran guard. Of course, at this stage, it’s not clear if Allen will sign with anyone at all. If he does come back, he apparently won’t be suiting up for the Cavs, either.
- K.J. McDaniels bet on himself last summer by turning down a four-year contract from Sixers GM Sam Hinkie and instead signing for a single season, as Michael Kaskey-Blomain of Philly.com writes. Over the first portion of the season in Philly, the Clemson product was getting tons of playing time and exposure. Now with the Rockets, he’s not seeing nearly as much playing time and isn’t getting a chance to really showcase himself.
- It sounds like the Nuggets players are still restless under head coach Brian Shaw. In the fourth-quarter late into Denver’s 104-82 loss to the Jazz, the team broke a huddle with the phrase, “1-2-3…six weeks!,” according to Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Of course, there are roughly six weeks to go in the regular season.
Will Joseph contributed to this post.
Southwest Notes: Morey, Stoudemire, Spurs
Rockets GM Daryl Morey would like to see some changes to the NBA’s trade rules, reports Dan Feldman of Pro Basketball Talk. Morey said teams should be able to link options with incentives and have traded picks adjusted based on the performance of the players who were received in return. “I think that could allow teams to not ever have fear,” Morey said. “Like if that Harden trade had, oh, if he becomes an All-Star, you have to send yet another future first-round pick. Or if he fails, we get back a pick. I think that would grease a lot of deals.”
There’s more news from the Southwest Division:
- Amar’e Stoudemire said he has no regrets about how things worked out in New York, writes Tim Bontemps of The New York Post. Stoudemire joined the Mavericks last month after agreeing to a buyout with the Knicks. He had been expected to become the cornerstone of the New York franchise when he signed a five-year, $100MM contract nearly five years ago. “I can’t control how my body reacts to certain things,” he said, referring to recurring knee problems. “But, other than that, I have no regrets.”
- Coach Gregg Popovich didn’t sound impressed after the Spurs won the top award at this year’s Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, according to Jeff McDonald of The Express-News. San Antonio was recognized as “Analytics Organization of the Year” at the annual gathering at MIT in Boston. Informed of the news before Saturday’s game in Phoenix, Popovich responded, “I had no idea there was such a conference or such an award.”
- “March Madness” isn’t just for the collegians, writes Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune, who says the Pelicans are heading into a crucial stretch for their postseason hopes. Still, coach Monty Williams doesn’t want scoreboard watching to dominate the locker room. “It’s not that I don’t recognize the big picture, I just don’t talk about it a lot,” Williams said. “… I think it allows us to focus on what’s important right now and I think everything else will take care of itself.”
Southwest Notes: Green, Rondo, Brewer
Memphis is leading the Southwest Division with a record of 41-16 and Jeff Green‘s seamless transition to the team has helped the Grizzlies remain in good position to make a run at an NBA title, writes Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders. “I don’t have to adapt,” said Green. “They just want me to go out there and be myself. Be aggressive, because if I’m aggressive that’s going to take a lot of pressure off of other guys, so we’re out there sharing the ball, just playing team basketball.” The Grizzlies are 15-5 since acquiring Green from the Celtics.
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Coach Rick Carlisle has clashed with new addition Rajon Rondo, but his experience coaching Jason Kidd should help steer the relationship in the right direction, opines Fran Blinebury of NBA.com. Blinebury suggests that relationship is repairable and notes that Kidd had virtually the same issue with Carlisle that Rondo is having over ceding the play calling duties to the coach. Two seasons later after their power struggle, Carlisle and Kidd had established a level of trust and the franchise won its first NBA championship.
- Rondo isn’t a good fit for the Mavs and there is a chance he doesn’t remain in Dallas long-term, opines Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News. Cowlishaw names Brandon Knight and Goran Dragic as potential offseason targets if Rondo does indeed leave town. The Mavs have approximately $44.26MM in salary commitments for the 2015/16 season. That figure includes player options for Monta Ellis, Raymond Felton and Al-Farouq Aminu. I would speculate that Ellis declines his $8.72MM option in search of a more lucrative offer. Dallas may have to worry about a new contract for Ellis, as well as a contract for soon to be free agent Tyson Chandler. Knight and Dragic will both likely require near maximum salary contracts and if the team wants to retain the majority of its nucleus, the pair of point guards may be out of Dallas’ price range.
- Houston’s bench has become a strength for the team, opines Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle. Corey Brewer, who was acquired in a December trade with the Wolves, is enjoying his role. “For me it is all about winning,” Brewer said. “I love coming off the bench. I love having fun. I love giving starters a boost, love giving them that energy. That’s what it’s all about.” The Rockets have made quite a few changes to their roster since last season’s loss to the Blazers in the first round of the playoffs. In my latest poll, readers of Hoops Rumors were split on whether the changes will allow the team to advance further in the playoffs this year.
Western Notes: Rondo, Lakers, Harden
Rick Carlisle and Rajon Rondo have begun to take steps to repair their relationship, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. The Mavs coach and veteran point guard held a lengthy meeting to iron out their differences, most of which involved play-calling responsibilities, Sefko continues. Rondo, an unrestricted free agent following the season, was benched after a heated exchange with Carlisle in Tuesday’s win over Toronto and was suspended for Wednesday’s loss to Atlanta. Even if their relationship improves, Rondo’s stay with the Mavs is extremely unlikely to extend past this season, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com opines.
In other news around the Western Conference:
- Kobe Bryant, in a one-on-one interview with Sam Amick of USA Today, said that superstar players are unwilling to leave millions of dollars on the table to sign with the Lakers. Bryant added that it was unrealistic to believe All-Stars like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony would sign with the Lakers last summer at less than the maximum salary at this stage of their careers and the franchise would run into the same problem with other free agents in the future, Amick notes.
- The Rockets have become over-reliant on James Harden because of their failure to acquire a top-notch point guard, Fran Blinebury of NBA.com contends. Harden might wear down by the postseason and the Rockets could have eased the burden on him by acquiring a player like ex-Rocket Goran Dragic before the trade deadline, Blinebury adds.
- Kevin Garnett could remain with the Timberwolves organization as a team executive even if he does not become part owner of the franchise after his playing career is over, according to Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Garnett was traded by the Nets to his original team last week and though Garnett has not made any commitment beyond this season, Garnett says in the story that he plans on being there beyond the next year or two.
Southwest Notes: Rondo, Stoudemire, Smith
The tension between Rajon Rondo and Mavs coach Rick Carlisle that bubbled to the surface with a profanity-laced shouting match and Rondo’s subsequent benching during Tuesday’s game predates that confrontation, team sources tell Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. The soon-to-be free agent and the coach have been at loggerheads over play-calling for a while, MacMahon hears, but owner Mark Cuban doesn’t seem worried, the ESPNDallas.com scribe notes. It’s far from the first time Rondo has clashed with a coach, as Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com points out (on Twitter). While we wait to see if his latest confrontation has any implication on this summer’s free agent market, there’s more on the Mavs amid the latest from the Southwest Division:
- Mavs athletic trainer Casey Smith’s strong reputation was one of the keys to Amar’e Stoudemire‘s decision to sign with Dallas, as MacMahon writes in a separate piece examining the team’s success with players on minimum-salary contracts. Cuban cites the club’s medical staff along with its style of play and its success in the win-loss column for the team’s ability to attract veterans at a discount. “You start looking at the roster and what they’ve accumulated,” Richard Jefferson said. “I’m in year 14 [of my career] now. I want to win. If that means I have to take less money for a year or two to help a team win, then so be it.”
- Josh Smith considered joining the Clippers before signing with the Rockets, as he told reporters today, including Dan Woike of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). The Clippers reportedly reached out to Smith’s representatives shortly after his release from the Pistons in December. He’ll be a free agent again in the summer.
- Former Mavs and Pelicans point guard Gal Mekel wishes he’d entered the D-League when he was searching for an NBA deal after the Pelicans let him go earlier this season, tweets David Pick of Eurobasket.com. Mekel wound up signing this week with Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod.
And-Ones: Embiid, Johnson, Spurs, Thomas
The Sixers were willing to trade rookie center Joel Embiid for a high draft pick, according to Mark Heisler of Forbes.com. Philadelphia drafted Embiid third overall last June, but he had offseason surgery to repair a broken bone in his right foot and has yet to take the court for the Sixers. Philadelphia was unable to work out a deal for Embiid, but did send reigning Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams to the Bucks in a three-team deal that brought back the Lakers‘ top-five protected first round pick for this year.
There’s more news from around the league:
- The Rockets announced that they have recalled Nick Johnson from the D-League, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (via Twitter). Johnson’s assignment was his fourth trip down this season, as our assignments/recalls log shows. The 22-year-old guard has seen time in 18 games for the Rockets this season, averaging 3.1 PPG and 1.3 RPG in 10.3 minutes per contest.
- Some people, like Charles Barkley, aren’t so wild about analytics. However, Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express News writes that the Spurs are undeniable proof that analytics can help to build a tremendous roster.
- New Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas did his best to squash rumors that he was unhappy with his role while with the Suns, Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe tweets. “The guy that complained, you seen it in the media. I didn’t say anything,” Thomas said.
Arthur Hill contributed to this post.
Northwest Notes: Garnett, Mitchell, Claver, Kanter
The Rockets’ Jason Terry believes Kevin Garnett will make an immediate impact with the Wolves, reports Jenny Dial Creech of The Houston Chronicle. Garnett, a star with Minnesota for more than a decade, was reacquired Thursday in a trade deadline deal. He may not see much playing time, but he is expected to have a strong influence over the Wolves’ young players. “He will infuse discipline right away,” said Terry, who teamed with Garnett with both the Celtics and Nets. “Guys will come in and they are going to be expected to be professional at all times and I think learning from KG the last two seasons in Brooklyn and in Boston, I learned how to be a better leader myself, even in my 16th year in the league.”
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Some expect that Timberwolves assistant coach Sam Mitchell will succeed Flip Saunders as Minnesota’s head coach, according to Sam Smith of Bulls.com. Mitchell reportedly interviewed for the head job last summer.
- After a week that saw him get both traded and waived, Victor Claver got some advice from a former teammate on the Spanish national team, the Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol, writes Jabari Young of CSNNW.com. Claver was part of a five-player deal on Thursday that sent him from the Blazers to the Nuggets, but on Sunday he was waived by Denver. “He needed a change from [Portland]” Gasol said. “I don’t think he expected to get waived from Denver, but that’s part of the game.” Gasol’s advice was to stay aggressive and look for an opening where he can fit in. One possibility for Claver is a return to the Euroleague, where he played before coming to Portland.
- Enes Kanter gives the Thunder the inside scoring presence they’ve needed for years, writes Dave Leonardis of Bleacher Report. Kanter came to Oklahoma City from the Jazz in a three-team deal just before last Thursday’s deadline. Kanter was inserted into the starting lineup and delivered two straight double-doubles in wins over the Hornets and Nuggets.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Aldridge’s Latest: Thunder, Lopez, Jackson
The Thunder aren’t making moves simply out of fear that Kevin Durant will jump ship in 2016 and Russell Westbrook will follow suit the next year, a league source tells TNT’s David Aldridge for his Morning Tip column on NBA.com. Still, it’s been an active season for GM Sam Presti, who went over the tax line to acquire Dion Waiters and stayed above it after Thursday’s swap that sent out Reggie Jackson and brought in Enes Kanter. Aldridge has much more in his column, and we’ll hit the highlights, many of which are Thunder-related:
- The Thunder let the Nets know they wouldn’t do the proposed Jackson/Brook Lopez trade just 15 minutes before the deadline, Aldridge reports. The Nets likely would have dealt Jarrett Jack to the Wizards if they’d done that deal, Aldridge adds.
- The concern that Arron Afflalo would turn down his player option and hit the open market dissuaded the Thunder from trading for him, as Aldridge explains.
- The Rockets preferred Goran Dragic to Jackson and the Celtics weren’t willing to trade young players for the then-Thunder guard, Aldridge writes.
- The Thunder didn’t have plans to re-sign Kendrick Perkins in the summer even before they traded him at the deadline, according to Aldridge.
Will The Rockets Win A Playoff Series?
The Rockets have been one of the most active teams at the trade deadline, making at least one deal in 10 out of the last 11 years, including the last eight deadlines. This season, Houston made a pair of moves that brought athletic swingman K.J. McDaniels from the Sixers in exchange for Isaiah Canaan and a second round pick as well as Pablo Prigioni from the Knicks in exchange for Alexey Shved and two second round picks.
The Rockets look much different than the team that lost to the Blazers in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs a year ago. The team had an active offseason, in which it lost Chandler Parsons to free agency and traded away point guard Jeremy Lin and center Omer Asik. The franchise’s major offseason acquisition was forward Trevor Ariza, who has been a starter for the team from day one. During this season, in addition to the moves at the deadline, Houston signed Josh Smith after he was waived by Detroit in late December. And while all these transactions were happening, James Harden elevated his game and put himself into discussion for the NBA’s MVP award.
The Rockets have a record of 37-18, which puts the team in third place in the conference, despite missing Dwight Howard for 21 games due to a knee injury. The team will need its defensive enforcer to be able to stay on the court if it intends to contend for a championship. Houston has not won a playoff series under coach Kevin McHale and has only won one series in the last 17 seasons.
The franchise has improved overall and if the team remains healthy, it appears to have a chance to make a deep postseason run. However, Houston’s competition in the Western Conference has also improved. Only one game separates the Rockets from the Mavericks, who currently reside in sixth place in the conference, so gaining home court advantage in the first round is far from a certainty.
After a busy year of transactions, will the Rockets advance to at least the second round of the playoffs?
Will The Rockets Win A Playoff Series?
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Yes 50% (465)
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No 50% (456)
Total votes: 921
Eastern Notes: Canaan, Sixers, Wizards, Sanders
It didn’t take Sixers coach Brett Brown long to name his new starting point guard, according to Mark Macyk of The Inquirer. Isaiah Canaan, who came from Houston to Philadelphia along with a second-round draft pick on Thursday in exchange for K.J. McDaniels, has been chosen to replace the traded Michael Carter-Williams. “I’m excited to coach him,” Brown said of Canaan. “I think that there’s a youthful spirit and a competitiveness, along with what he’s really known for, which is his shot.”
There’s much more from the Eastern Conference:
- The parting of Carter-Williams and the Sixers was best for both parties, writes Keith Pompey of The Inquirer. Pompey charges that Carter-Williams is a poor shooter, often holds the ball too long, commits too many turnovers and is injury prone. He also cited two public disagreements with the coaching staff during lopsided Sixers’ losses.
- The Wizards followed Friday’s embarrassing loss to the Cavaliers with a “spirited” film session on Saturday, reports J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. The team discussed defensive breakdowns, post-game squabbles and the generally awful effort that led to a 38-point loss on national television. “When you got good guys like we got on the team, guys speak up and let guys know what need to be done,” said newly acquired guard Ramon Sessions. “As a pro you don’t look at that and take that in the wrong way. You take that in a way to make the team better. We’re going to be fine.”
- Larry Sanders gave up a lot of money Saturday in accepting a buyout from the Bucks, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. Amick wrote that Sanders received about $15.2MM of the $38MM left on his contract, in addition to what he already earned this season.
- Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith tells Marc Berman of The New York Post that he “wasn’t the right fit” for the Knicks‘ triangle offense. Smith and Iman Shumpert were traded from New York to Cleveland on January 5th. “It was tough from a mental standpoint,” Smith said. “You start second-guessing yourself and your talent to a certain point. So many guys thrived in that triangle, and you want to put yourself in that class. Not living up to it is kind of disappointing.’’