And-Ones: Ulis, Dawson, Lawson, Budinger
University of Kentucky coach John Calipari this week erased nearly any doubt that sophomore point guard Tyler Ulis will enter this year’s draft, telling reporters he’ll be drafted this year, as Kyle Tucker of The Courier-Journal relays. The 20-year-old, who today won the SEC Tournament MVP award, hasn’t made a formal announcement, but Chad Ford of ESPN.com lists him among those “officially” in the draft, for what it’s worth. Ford ranks Ulis as the 25th-best draft prospect this year, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress has him 37th on his top prospects list. See more from around the NBA:
- Clippers rookie Branden Dawson is in custody on $50K bail after police arrested him this morning on felony domestic violence charges, reports TMZ Sports. Dan Woike of the Orange County Register confirmed the arrest (Twitter links). The team recalled Dawson, last year’s 56th pick, from the D-League on Saturday.
- The contract Ty Lawson signed with the Pacers was a prorated minimum-salary deal that covers just the rest of this season, meaning he’s still on track to hit free agency this summer, notes Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. He’ll see $265,068 from Indiana, meaning he came out slightly ahead after giving up $225K in his buyout with the Rockets.
- Pincus also lists the Pacers with a $5MM cap hit for the waived contract of Chase Budinger, indicating that he didn’t give up any of his salary to secure his release. Previous reports referred to the parting of ways as a buyout.
Pacific Notes: Griffin, Price, Watson, Bryant
Blake Griffin‘s injured leg, not his broken right hand, is delaying his return to the court, according to Dan Woike of The Orange County Register. Earlier this month, Clippers coach Doc Rivers claimed Griffin was “really close” to playing again, but that timetable has been pushed to the end of March. Griffin hasn’t appeared in a game since partially tearing a tendon in his left quad on Christmas Day. Woike said the tendon hasn’t responded the way team officials hoped when Griffin’s workouts were amped up.
Griffin’s hand, which he fractured in a January 23rd fight with assistant equipment manager Matias Testi, has healed enough to allow him to practice, Woike notes. Once he is cleared for game action, Griffin still faces a four-game team-imposed suspension for that altercation.
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Suns point guard Ronnie Price is having one of his best NBA seasons at age 32, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Price had started 10 straight games before Brandon Knight was healthy enough to return to the starting lineup Saturday. He averaged 10.1 points and 3.4 assists with the starting unit while shooting 35% from 3-point range. After being with six teams in 11 years and a different team for each of the past five seasons, Price will be a free agent again this summer. “Ronnie is the ultimate pro,” said interim coach Earl Watson. “He’s the type of guy you always want on your team because he’s going to lift up the locker room, make guys practice and play hard and he’s a future coach. It’s great for the young guys to see a veteran with everything he’s fought in his career to continue to fight and get better late in his career.”
- Watson has made an impression on his players during his brief time as coach, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. Two Suns players told Spears the team consensus is they would like to see Watson brought back next season. He took over for Jeff Hornacek on February 1st.
- Because the Lakers dropped out of the playoff race early, Kobe Bryant has been able to relax and enjoy his final season, writes Bill Oram of The Orange County Register. “I love the process,” Bryant said. “I love figuring that stuff out. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be playing for 20 years. It’s just a different emotion where you get a chance to kind of step back and appreciate the competitors versus trying to break them down and pick them apart.”
And-Ones: Noah, Pressey, D-League
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg confirmed that Joakim Noah will not return to the court this season as he recovers from surgery that that repaired his dislocated left shoulder, Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune tweets. Noah has not played since the middle of January.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Phil Pressey will head to the Idaho Stampede of the D-League after the Suns declined to bring the point guard back after consecutive 10-day contracts, Chris Reichert of Upside Motor tweets.
- The Thunder have recalled Josh Huestis from their D-League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, according to the team’s website. Huestis averaged 12.2 points and 1.32 blocks in 19 D-League games this season.
- The Warriors have assigned Kevon Looney to their D-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, according to Golden State’s website.
- The Clippers have recalled Branden Dawson from the D-League, per a team press release. Dawson was on assignment with the Erie BayHawks.
2015/16 Salary Cap Update: Los Angeles Clippers
The NBA’s salary cap for 2015/16 is set at $70MM, which is good for an 11% increase from last season, and the luxury tax line is fixed at $84.74MM. With the February 18th cutoff date for trades and the de facto deadline of March 1st for buyouts now past, we at Hoops Rumors are in the process of updating the salary cap commitments for each NBA franchise for the 2015/16 campaign. Here’s the cap breakdown for the Los Angeles Clippers, whose regular season roster can be viewed here:
- 2015/16 Salary Cap= $70,000,000
- 2015/16 Luxury Tax Line= $84,740,000
- Fully Guaranteed Salary Commitments= $96,128,930*
- Remaining Cap Room= –$26,128,930
- Amount Above Luxury Tax Line= $11,388,930
*Note: This amount includes the $650,000 owed to Carlos Delfino, the $510,922 owed to Jordan Farmar, and the $252,042 owed to Miroslav Raduljica, all of whom were waived via the stretch provision.
**Note: Luc Mbah a Moute‘s actual salary is $1,270,964 and Pablo Prigioni‘s is $981,348.
Cap Exceptions Available:
- None
Cash Available to Send Out In Trades= $2,943,079
Cash Available to Receive Via Trade= $3,400,000
Note: Despite the trade deadline having passed, the NBA season technically doesn’t end until June 30th. Teams are able to again make trades upon the completion of the regular season or when/if they are eliminated from the playoffs, whichever comes later. So these cash limits still apply.
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Knicks Notes: Anthony, Williams, Fisher
Carmelo Anthony would reportedly give strong consideration to approving a trade to the Clippers if he decides to waive his no trade clause, and Marc Berman of the New York Post makes the case for the Clips as Melo’s top choice outside the Knicks. Still, ‘Melo says he’s laughing off such talk, Berman notes.
“My name is always associated with L.A., whether it was earlier with the Lakers, now it’s the Clippers,’’ Anthony said. “I try not to pay attention to that. I laugh it off. People always try to make scenarios and situations. But nothing’s happened.’’
He’s not the only Knick associated with L.A., as we examine amid the latest on the blue-and-orange:
- Derrick Williams says the Lakers showed heavy interest in him this past summer when he instead signed with the Knicks, the combo forward told Berman for a separate piece. The Southern California native is anxious to return home for games at the Lakers and Clippers this weekend, but he called New York “home away from home,” as Berman relays, adding that the Knicks are hoping he opts in to his $4.598MM salary for next season. “I felt like I picked the right spot where I wanted to be — that was New York to play with Carmelo, I knew they had a great pick in [Kristaps Porzingis], all the pieces we have here,” Williams said. “We haven’t played well the last month, but I don’t think it sums up our whole season.’’
- Derek Fisher‘s essay addressing his preseason encounter with Matt Barnes left many questions unanswered, opines Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (All six Twitter links right here). The ex-Knicks coach comes off poorly as he blames the media and not Barnes for the story’s continued presence, Isola opines, wondering why the coach didn’t explain why he was away from the team when the incident took place. Fisher nonetheless deserves praise for his work with Porzingis, Isola believes.
- Anthony isn’t alone in a desire to cash in, but his quest for lucrative paydays over the years helps explain why he’s on a losing team, contends Shaun Powell of NBA.com.
And-Ones: Ajinca, Dawson, Lawson
Pelicans center Alexis Ajinca, who is dealing with a fractured sternum he suffered on March 2nd, hopes to return to action this season, but he is still experiencing significant discomfort, Jim Eichenhofer of NBA.com writes. “It’s still painful,” Ajinca said. “I’m still trying to catch my breath sometimes. But it’s getting better. I started shooting. I’m hoping to come back soon, but I’m still dealing with the pain, so we’ll see how far I have till I come back.”
Ajinca wants to help out his injury-depleted team by returning to the court, but he also needs to weigh his desire to play versus long-term health concerns, Eichenhofer relays. “I’m trying to come back, because sitting on the side is not really my thing. I don’t like doing that,” Ajinca said. “I’m trying to come back before the end of the season. But on the other hand, I’m also trying to be healthy and not jeopardizing my health if I’m coming back too early. I hope I can come back soon and have a pad on [the injury to protect it]. Hopefully it won’t be too painful if I get hit again.” The big man is in the first year of the four-year, $20.2MM deal he inked last July.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Clippers rookie Branden Dawson has spent the bulk of his rookie season in the D-League, only making three NBA appearances on the campaign, but the small forward believes this will help his development in the long run, Rowan Kavner of NBA.com writes. “Just a better opportunity and just playing more,” Dawson said about his D-League time. “The first time I went down, when I went to Bakersfield, it was different. I didn’t know what to expect going down for the first time. Now, I’m a lot more confident and I’m playing more. The main thing is to get better. The reason why guys go down is to get better. The first two times, I learned a lot from the coaches I played with, the different programs. The main thing is to just come down and get better.”
- A number of teams had interest in point guard Ty Lawson after he reached a buyout agreement with the Rockets, including the Bucks and the Jazz, Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports tweets. Lawson subsequently signed with the Pacers because he wanted to catch on with a new team quickly and he believed Indiana was a perfect fit for his skills, Agness adds.
- Shelvin Mack has impressed the Jazz with his solid play since arriving in a trade deadline deal from Atlanta, and he’s provided the stability the team sought after losing starter Dante Exum for the year with a torn ACL in his left knee, Jody Genessy of The Deseret News writes. “I think he’s making a good transition,” coach Quin Snyder said. “A lot of that is a compliment to Bud [Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer] and his staff and their team … and to him, of course.”
Mavs Notes: Jordan, Lee, Pachulia, Parsons
DeAndre Jordan initially committed to Dallas in part because he sought a larger offensive role, and while he’s averaging as many field goal attempts this season as he did last year, Mavs coach Rick Carlisle believes the Clippers are getting him more involved than in years past, notes Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times. Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers agrees.
“He does have a pretty big offensive role and people don’t get that per se,” Rivers said. “I think everything in this day and time is the exact number of points, that’s all people look at instead of who creates offense.”
For what it’s worth, Jordan is averaging 12.4 points per game, a career high and nearly a point better than last season. He padded that average Monday, deepening the Mavs’ wounds, as we detail:
- The Mavs have failed to deliver more than a mediocre cast around Dirk Nowitzki the past four years, and the Clippers, with erstwhile Mavs targets Jordan and Chris Paul, showcase the Mavs’ free agent failures, opines Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Jordan’s 23 points and 20 rebounds in L.A.’s win Monday at Dallas served as a painful reminder for Chandler Parsons, as MacMahon chronicles (ESPN Now link). “It’s frustrating,” Parsons said. “I still think he would have been much better here, but he’s having a good year and he’s on a very good team that’s going to make a run, so you can’t blame him for that. He didn’t do anything illegal, and he’s playing well.”
- David Lee has made a strong impression so far in his stint with the Mavericks, but Carlisle is committed to keeping Zaza Pachulia as his starter at center, observes Reece Waddell of the Dallas Morning News. Pachulia, whom the Mavs acquired as a fallback option after Jordan flip–flopped, is headed to free agency this coming summer, while Lee has a non-guaranteed salary for next season worth $2,502,805, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.
- Parsons is the best player on the Mavs right now as he heads toward free agency, contends Michael Pina of RealGM, who speculates on potential fits for the 27-year-old who looms as an intriguing plan B for teams that fall short in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes.
And-Ones: Anthony, Marks, Lucas, Tavares
Five years later, no clear-cut winner exists in the blockbuster trade that sent Carmelo Anthony from the Nuggets to the Knicks, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. The teams have combined to win just one playoff series since the 12-player deal, Bondy notes, when New York defeated the Celtics in 2013. The Knicks got the superstar they wanted, but Denver wound up with two young but frequently injured players in Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler. The Sixers benefited, as the Knicks’ first-rounder was sent to Denver, which later traded it to the Magic, which dealt it to Philadelphia, which ended up with the rights to Dario Saric.
There’s more from around the basketball world:
- Sean Marks, whom the Nets hired as GM last month, said he has tried to learn something important during every stop in his NBA career, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. As a player, Marks spent two seasons under current Heat president Pat Riley from 2001 to 2003. “The vision of it’s not about me,” Marks said. “Pat Riley’s, ‘The disease of me,’ I’ve obviously taken that from him.”
- John Lucas III, who played briefly with the Pistons last season, has been waived by the Pacers affiliate in the D-League, tweets Chris Reichert of Upside and Motor. The move took place because he has plans to sign with an overseas team, Reichert hears.
- The Hawks sent center Edy Tavares to the Austin Spurs in the D-League, the team announced today. Tavares has appeared in 12 games with Austin this season, but also two with Canton and two with Bakersfield because the Hawks don’t have a direct affiliate. He is averaging 9.6 points and 9.1 rebounds in D-League play.
- The Clippers have assigned guard C.J. Wilcox to the Cavs affiliate in the D-League. The Clippers also don’t have a direct affiliate, so Wilcox has played for Canton and Bakersfield in two prior D-League stints this season. His D-League averages are 17.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 15 games.
L.A. Rumors: Jordan, Mbah a Moute, Durant
After being the focus of the biggest free agent controversy in years, DeAndre Jordan tells Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe that he’s happy with how it turned out. Jordan initially committed to the Mavericks before changing his mind a few days later and signing a four-year deal to stay with the Clippers. The eighth-year center hasn’t gotten everything he asked for in free agency, but he’s content to be with a contender and in familiar territory. Jordan had hoped for a larger role in the offense and wanted a coach who would call more plays for him. But his offensive numbers are fairly similar to last season’s at 12.3 points and 6.5 shots per game.
“There is still more things that I want to do to better my game,” Jordan said. “But on certain teams, everybody has a role to help that team be successful. I know what mine is with this team. … I found my niche, I found something that I’m good at and want to be great at. But I don’t want to be labeled as [just a shot blocker and defender], I want to continue to get better all around. But for this team to be great, that’s what I’ve got to be.”
There’s more basketball news out of L.A.:
- Several changes, including the addition of Luc Mbah a Moute, have helped the Clippers build a defense that ranks among the league’s best, according to Rowan Kavner of NBA.com. Mbah a Moute, who signed with L.A. in September, has sparked a remarkable turnaround after a slow start in November and December. The Clippers surrendered 97.2 points per 100 possessions in their last 15 games, the best performance in the NBA over that stretch.
- Clippers coach Doc Rivers seems unlikely to pursue anyone on the buyout market, according to Dan Woike of The Orange County Register. “Overall, guys getting bought out aren’t guys that necessarily are going to change the destiny of your franchise,” Rivers said.
- Despite being among a handful of teams that can afford two maximum-salaried free agents, the Lakers are a long shot to land Kevin Durant, writes Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Three straight losing seasons have taken some glamour away from the franchise, and Pincus said leaving a contender in Oklahoma City to play with L.A.’s young core would represent a gamble for Durant. Although, if the Lakers do get Durant, they may trade some of the youngsters to build a veteran team around him.
Western Notes: Griffin, D-League, Conley
The Clippers are awaiting the return of Blake Griffin and point guard Chris Paul asserts the team can’t contend for a title without the high-flying power forward, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com relays. Griffin, who will have a four-game suspension to serve once he returns from his broken hand, hasn’t played since December 25th. “I don’t care if he gets back the day before the playoffs.” Paul said regarding Griffin. “We’re playing for a championship and there’s no championship without Blake Griffin. There’s not one.” When coach/executive Doc Rivers was asked how long it would take to Griffin to ready himself for the postseason, Rivers told Howard-Cooper, “We don’t know. As soon as he’s ready, we’re going to go from there. But do we need him? We’d be crazy to say, ‘No, no,’ you know what I mean? It’s ‘Yeah, yeah.’ We’re just going to take it day by day.”
Here’s the latest from out West:
- Injuries have hit the Grizzlies hard this season, but point guard Mike Conley insists that it’s part of the game and the team can’t use its missing personnel as a crutch, Peter Edmiston of The Commercial Appeal writes. “It can get frustrating at some times, but you can’t let it bother you in these situations, because these are the cards we’ve been dealt,” Conley told reporters. “We didn’t count on Marc Gasol getting hurt, we didn’t count on Brandan Wright getting hurt, these things happen and new guys come in, trades happen, we’re here with the guys we have and we have to make the best of the situation.“
- Conley, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, understands patience will be required as new players are worked into roles in the rotation, Edmiston relays in the same piece. “It takes time for guys like Lance Stephenson, Birdman [Chris Andersen] and P.J. Hairston to understand that. I’m telling them after almost every play that we’re basically in that flex stuff — just set a screen, pin down, it’s gonna be in that situation, but it’s easy to forget when you’re going full speed, so it’s tough on them to grasp that in only a week’s time.“
- The Thunder assigned Josh Huestis and Mitch McGary to their D-League affiliate Friday, the team announced via press release. Huestis has appeared in 16 games for the Blue this season, notching 11.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.19 blocks in 32.7 minutes per game, while McGary has made 17 D-League appearances and is averaging 14.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 25.1 minutes per night.