Grant Jerrett Tops Field Of D-League Draftees
The Thunder’s D-League affiliate used the No. 1 overall pick in tonight’s D-League draft on Grant Jerrett, allowing the Thunder to closely monitor a player whose NBA rights also belong to them. Oklahoma City traded for Jerrett shortly after the Blazers took him 40th overall in June’s NBA draft. A report in September indicated Jerrett had signed with the Thunder-owned Tulsa 66ers, but as I pointed out at the time, he’d have to enter the D-League draft rather than sign with Tulsa outright. The 66ers pulled off a trade yesterday to acquire the No. 1 pick in the D-League draft, positioning themselves to secure Jerrett’s D-League rights.
The Pelicans didn’t do the same with the second-rounder they picked up in the Jrue Holiday/Nerlens Noel trade. Pierre Jackson, the 42nd overall pick in the NBA draft, went fourth overall in the D-League draft to the Idaho Stampede, the affiliate of the Blazers.
The Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the one-to-one affiliate of the Rockets, took four-year NBA vet James Johnson second overall tonight, while Quincy Douby, who has three years of NBA experience, went at No. 3 to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the affiliate of the Heat. The Texas Legends, who are affiliated with the Mavs, rounded out the top five with their selection of C.J. Aiken, who was in an NBA camp with the Kings last month after leaving St. Joseph’s in the spring.
Ricky Davis was perhaps the most well-known figure selected, as the Erie BayHawks, the affiliate of the Knicks, drafted him in the sixth round, signaling that the Knicks liked what they saw when the 34-year-old worked out for them in September. Other notable picks include former Magic and Thunder swingman DeAndre Liggins, who went to the Skyforce at seventh overall. Thanasis Antetokounmpo, the brother of Bucks rookie Giannis Antetokounmpo, went at No. 9 to the Delaware 87ers. Check out the entire list of draftees right here.
Some D-League clubs were involved in draft day trades. The Santa Cruz Warriors came into the draft already stocked with Stephen Curry‘s brother Seth Curry, whose D-League rights Golden State had protected after cutting him at the end of camp. Santa Cruz swapped a second-round pick for Mychel Thompson, brother of Golden State sharpshooter Klay Thompson, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports writes, giving the Warriors’ affiliate their own version of the big club’s “Splash Brothers” duo.
Players with prior D-League experience who were cut from NBA camps can re-enter the D-League and go back to their old teams without entering the draft. That’s what James Nunnally, fresh off a camp appearance with the Suns, has decided to do, as he’ll return to the Bakersfield Jam, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com. The Suns are one of five NBA teams affiliated with the Jam, as our list of NBA/D-League affiliations shows.
Odds & Ends: Asik, Howard, Irving, Jack, Sixers
The 11 pm CT deadline for extensions and team options for players still on their rookie contracts should steal most of the headlines tonight, but let’s look at some of the other buzz from around the league:
- Rockets officials “continue to privately insist” that Omer Asik won’t be available via trade this season if he and Dwight Howard can be productive alongside one another in the Houston frontcourt, reports ESPN.com’s Marc Stein.
- Speaking of Howard, Mark Cuban says the Houston center made “a mistake in judgement” by joining the Rockets over his Mavericks, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News, who pulls several other interesting quotes from Cuban and Mavs coach Rick Carlisle about how the team is faring with their “Plan B.”
- Meanwhile, Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram tweets that Cuban believes Howard had already decided on Houston as his destination before he sat down with the Mavericks last summer.
- While the Cavaliers can’t offer star point guard Kyrie Irving an extension until next summer, the strong relationship between Irving and owner Dan Gilbert should reassure Clevelanders still sore over losing LeBron James, writes Jodie Valade of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
- Valade also writes that, while the Andrew Bynum addition received most of the headlines, it is Jarrett Jack who will have the biggest impact among the new faces in Cleveland this season.
- Sixers advanced scout and former assistant Ron Oliver won’t return for a third season with the team, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (via Twitter).
Pacific Rumors: Kings, Vasquez, Warriors
The Suns and Kings aren’t expected to be contenders in 2013/14, but both teams got off to good starts in their home openers last night, defeating the Trail Blazers and Nuggets, respectively. Two more Pacific teams are in action tonight, as the Clippers aim to become the last team in the division to get in the win column when they host the Warriors. While we look forward to that game, let’s round up a few items out of the Pacific….
- In examining which rookie scale players will sign new contracts today, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld discusses a pair of Kings, noting that extensions remain in play for Patrick Patterson and Greivis Vasquez. According to Kyler, the “framework” of a deal for Vasquez is in place, but it’s not clear whether or not Sacramento is interested in finalizing anything today.
- The Warriors and Mark Jackson have not talked recently about an extension for the head coach, tweets Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News. Jackson is under contract through the 2014/15 season, so extension negotiations could wait until next year.
- Dwight Howard decided to sign with the Rockets this summer despite “relentless negative campaigning” from rival suitors, including the Warriors, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Wojnarowski hears from sources that Warriors advisor Jerry West was disparaging of James Harden during Golden State’s pitch to the free agent center. Asked about West’s comments on Harden, Howard laughed and replied, “Well, Jerry West said a lot of things.”
- While Kings minority owner Shaquille O’Neal boldly predicted that the team would earn a playoff spot this season, Vivek Ranadive is more focused on the long term. According to Joe Davidson of the Sacramento Bee, Ranadive doesn’t plan to judge the season on wins and losses, but rather on whether the new system shows forward progress.
Rockets Pick Up Options On Jones, Motiejunas
4:36pm: The Rockets have officially announced that the team exercised its 2014/15 options on Jones and Motiejunas, tweets Feigen.
OCTOBER 30TH, 10:54am: Houston will officially exercise its options on Jones and Motiejunas today, tweets Feigen.
OCTOBER 20TH, 10:16am: The Rockets plan to exercise their team options on the rookie scale contracts of Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Both are coming off their rookie seasons, so the deadline to officially lock in the third years of their respective deals is October 31st. Jones’ 2014/15 option is worth $1,618,680, while Motiejunas is in line for $1,483,920.
The team is hesitant to turn the power forward position over to either just yet, even though the front office is ready to commit to both through 2015, Feigen writes. Motiejunas started 14 regular season games last season and appeared in 30 others, averaging 5.7 points and 2.1 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per contest. Still, he wasn’t a factor in Houston’s playoff series against the Thunder, notching just five total minutes. Jones saw slightly more time in the playoffs, scoring eight points in 35 total minutes, but he appeared in more D-League games than he did NBA contests last year. Jones put up 19.0 PPG and 9.0 RPG in 24 games for the D-League champion Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
The options, once officially exercised, will add about $3MM to the Rockets payroll for 2014/15, which already includes more than $53.8MM in guaranteed money. Houston will likely operate as an over-the-cap team next summer, unlike this past offseason, when the team used ample cap space to sign Dwight Howard. Keep up with each team’s rookie contract option decisions between now and the end of the month with our updated tracker.
Western Links: Camby, Lakers, Suns, Jazz
Much of today’s NBA discussion has centered on the surprising opening night result at the Staples Center, where the Kobe Bryant-less Lakers upset Doc Rivers and the Clippers. When the Hoops Rumors team revealed its predictions for the season yesterday, all of us had the Clippers finishing into the top three in the West, while none of us expect the Lakers to make the playoffs.
As we look forward to whatever surprises tonight’s slate of games will bring, let’s check in on a few items out of the Western Conference….
- Although Marcus Camby was waived by the Rockets earlier this week, he hasn’t gone anywhere. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports that Camby was back at Rockets practice yesterday, taking the team up on its invitation for him to work with players as he recovers from a foot injury.
- The Lakers‘ Plan B this offseason after they missed out on Dwight Howard was dicey, but it looked awfully good on opening night, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- Paul Coro’s latest column for the Arizona Republic focuses on Channing Frye‘s comeback, the rise of offseason acquisition Miles Plumlee, and the team’s plans for newest Sun Emeka Okafor.
- Timberwolves camp invitee Lorenzo Brown requested and received a trade from the D-League’s Iowa Energy, who sent him to the Springfield Armor, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Minnesota will no longer hold any form of rights, D-League or otherwise, on the 2013 second-rounder.
- Brad Rock of The Deseret News examines Tyrone Corbin‘s job security and argues the Jazz must make the playoffs this season to be considered a success. If that’s the benchmark the team uses, Corbin might not be around much longer.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Southwest Rumors: Young, Pelicans, Belinelli
The Southwest Division could be the NBA’s toughest this year, with five teams that have legitimate playoff hopes. The two Southwest clubs that played for the conference title last year, the Spurs and Grizzlies, meet for a rematch on Wednesday in the first of a season of key clashes. Here’s more from the Southwest:
- B.J. Young drew interest from the Sixers and Lakers before deciding to join the Rockets for camp, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com. He was the first player the Rockets cut from their training camp roster, hitting waivers nearly a month ago, but he’ll sign a deal with Houston’s D-League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Charania adds. Since he’s apparently signing directly with the Vipers instead of entering the D-League draft, that means the Rockets made him one of the three camp cuts whose D-League rights they can protect.
- Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday are the major new arrivals for the Pelicans this year, and both shared insight on how the team’s new-look backcourt is coming together. Evans also spoke to HoopsWorld’s Alex Kennedy about his experience as a free agent, comparing it to college recruiting, while Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune points out that Holiday is the fourth starting point guard for the team in as many years.
- Ken Rodriguez of Spurs.com examines the connection between a pair of San Antonio’s offseason signees. Marco Belinelli refers to Manu Ginobili as his “idol,” and it’s worth noting that Belinelli agreed to join the Spurs this summer shortly after the team reached a new deal with Ginobili.
Rockets Release Marcus Camby
MONDAY, 12:09pm: The Rockets have released Camby, the team formally announced today in a press release.
SUNDAY, 11:56am: The Rockets will release Marcus Camby on Monday, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. A torn plantar fascia tissue in his left foot has kept him out of action in the preseason, and he tells Mark Berman on Fox 26 Houston that he’s decided to have surgery next week to correct the problem (Twitter link). Feigen adds that the Rockets could look to re-sign him later this season once he’s healthy (Twitter link). The 39-year-old may also transition into coaching or player development with the team, as Kevin McHale would welcome him in any role, Feigen notes (on Twitter).
The move will help the Rockets pare their 17-man roster down to the 15-player regular season limit. Camby’s fully guaranteed salary will remain on the team’s books this season regardless of whether he signs another deal, providing no other team claims him off waivers. Camby will make the veteran’s minimum for players with 10 or more years of experience, which is close to $1.4MM, though Houston is only stuck with $884,293, the equivalent of the two-year veteran’s minimum. The league will pay Camby the rest, since he’s on a one-year deal.
The Rockets have 12 fully guaranteed deals aside from Camby’s, plus partially guaranteed contracts for Ronnie Brewer and Reggie Williams and fully non-guaranteed pacts for Patrick Beverley and Greg Smith. Beverley and Smith are key pieces for the team, so the Rockets figure to owe money to at least one more player who won’t be on the team’s opening-night roster. Aaron Brooks and undrafted rookie Robert Covington are guaranteed only the minimum salary this season, just like Camby, so perhaps they’re candidates to be waived, though that’s just my speculation.
Rockets Waive Reggie Williams
12:08pm: The Rockets have officially waived Williams, the team announced in a press release.
11:51am: With today’s roster deadline looming, the Rockets will release Reggie Williams, according to RealGM.com. Williams, who appeared to be the odd man out after not playing in the team’s final preseason tune-up, thanked Houston for the opportunity earlier today (via Twitter).
While the Rockets have yet to officially announce the release of Williams or Marcus Camby, finalizing those cuts will reduce the club’s roster to 15 players, making it regular-season-ready. Houston will have to eat a little money in the process, since Williams’ minimum salary deal was 50% guaranteed, while Camby’s minimum salary pact was fully guaranteed.
By waiving Williams and Camby, Houston ensures that non-guaranteed players Patrick Beverley and Greg Smith have spots on the roster. Ronnie Brewer, who has a partial guarantee, also seems to have earned as spot, along with undrafted rookie Robert Covington.
Williams, who played for the Bobcats in 2012/13, will become a free agent later this week, assuming he clears waivers. At that point, the 27-year-old’s career .371 3PT% could interest some teams in need of outside shooting.
Latest On Marcus Camby
Agent Rick Kaplan insists client Marcus Camby will return to play this season after undergoing surgery to repair torn plantar fascia tissue in his left foot, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The Rockets are set to waive the 39-year-old on Monday, and the surgery he’ll have next week will keep him out for two or three months, Kaplan tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
“Without a doubt, Marcus plans to rehab next few months and come back and play this season for the Rockets or somebody,” Kaplan said to Feigen.
Camby himself suggested to Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston that he would resurface as a player once he’s healthy (Twitter link). The big man would prioritize inking with another championship contender if he doesn’t re-sign with Houston, as Kaplan indicated to Bleacher Report’s Jared Zwerling (on Twitter). Camby said to Berman that he plans on sticking with the Rockets organization as he heals (Twitter link), and earlier it seemed as though he might join the team in a coaching or player development role. Camby indeed wants to coach once he retires, but he intends to continue his playing career for a couple more years, Zwerling tweets.
Poll: Will Royce White Return To The NBA?
Perhaps the most high-profile roster cut this week was the Sixers’ decision to let go of Royce White, the 16th pick from the 2012 draft. White’s psychological disorders have been well-documented since his time playing college ball at Iowa State, where he excelled as a versatile 6’8″ force. There were doubts about his mental health leading up to the draft, but his abilities on the basketball court made him a top-five talent, as far as Rockets GM Daryl Morey was concerned. Morey, who had three first-round picks last year, figured he would use one on the high-risk, high-reward White.
Alas, Morey’s gamble went bust. White and the Rockets engaged in a back-and-forth all season long about language that White wanted to have inserted into his contract to provide for his mental health. The Rockets countered that the league’s collective bargaining agreement wouldn’t allow them to put special provisions in his standard rookie-scale deal, and White went the entire regular season without appearing in an NBA game, only hitting the court during preseason and for 16 games with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s D-League affiliate.
Morey decided to write off his loss halfway through the two-year guaranteed portion of White’s contract, trading him to the Sixers for Philadelphia’s 2014 second-round pick. Morey sweetened the deal for his former assistant, newly minted Sixers GM Sam Hinkie, adding the rights to Turkish prospect Furkan Aldemir and, as we learned yesterday, enough cash to cover White’s 2013/14 salary.
White’s brief tenure in Philadelphia was a quiet one. He made few headlines, and the story that he didn’t accompany the team for its exhibition games in Europe was somewhat overblown, since the Sixers left other players on their roster home, too. White appeared in five preseason games this month and even started one, averaging 5.0 points and 4.4 rebounds in 18.1 minutes per contest. He seemed mentally and physically prepared to play.
Still, Hinkie and the Sixers decided that it wasn’t worth keeping White around, even though they have a roster that’s roundly expected to finish with the league’s worst record this season. That leaves more questions than answers surrounding the future of a player whom Morey, and likely other league executives, considered better than most lottery picks based on talent alone less than a year and a half ago.
White’s future might not include the NBA. He’s never played in a regular season game, so, officially, he has yet to make his debut. Let us know whether you think he ever will, and leave a comment to explain your thinking.