Clippers Rumors: Rivers, Hawes, Farmar
Austin Rivers is justifying the faith his father showed in bringing him to the Clippers, writes Robert Morales of the Long Beach Press-Telegram. It was dismissed as nepotism in many circles when coach Doc Rivers pushed for a three-way trade in January to acquire his son. But Austin Rivers has delivered three exceptional playoff games, including a 25-point performance in Friday night’s win over the Rockets. In the deal, the Celtics received Shavlik Randolph from Phoenix and Chris Douglas-Roberts and a second-round pick in 2017 from Los Angeles. The Suns picked up Reggie Bullock from the Clippers.
Here’s more from Los Angeles on a playoff Sunday:
- Doc RIvers has taught Austin about the fickle nature of fans, according to Sam Amick of USA Today. That helped him to understand how they could chant his name Friday night, even though they doubted him when he came to Los Angeles. “Is [former Oklahoma City coach] Scott Brooks really a bad coach,” Rivers asked. “Did [former Golden State coach] Mark Jackson really do that bad of a job? That’s just the ugly part of sports. When you do well, they love you. And when you don’t, they cut you off.” L.A. fans may have the chance to continue their relationship with Austin Rivers, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
- Two significant offseason additions are having no playoff impact for the team, notes Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. Spencer Hawes, who was given a four-year, $22.6MM free agent contract last summer, has been benched. The Clippers’ other free agent signing, Jordan Farmar, is no longer with the team after receiving a two-year deal worth $4.2MM. He received a buyout in January and is now playing in Turkey.
Draft History: Neil Olshey
The 2015 NBA draft is less than two months away, and for teams that aren’t still participating in the NBA playoffs, the focus is on using that event to build toward a better future. The exact draft order won’t be known until the May 19th lottery, when the simple bounce of a ping-pong ball can alter the fate of a franchise. Of course, having one of the top selections in any draft doesn’t guarantee that a team will snag a future All-Star. Team executives and scouts still have the difficult task of making the correct call with their picks.
With this in mind we at Hoops Rumors will be taking a look back at the draft history of the primary basketball executive for each NBA team. Their names, reputations, and possibly employment will be on the line as a result of the decisions to come on June 25th, and we’ll be examining what they’ve done in previous years in charge of a club’s front office. Note that many of them have played other sorts of roles within a team’s executive structure, but this won’t take that into account. We’ll continue onward with a look back at the calls made by former Clippers GM and current Trail Blazers President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey…
Clippers (March 2010-June 2012)
2010 Draft
- No. 8 Overall — Al-Farouq Aminu: 377 games, 6.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.1 APG. .437/.286/.726.
- No. 54 Overall — Willie Warren: 19 games, 1.9 PPG, 0.6 RPG, 1.4 APG. .371/.333/.750.
Notable players passed over: Gordon Hayward (No. 9), Eric Bledsoe (No. 18), Hassan Whiteside (No. 33), and Lance Stephenson (No. 40).
2011 Draft
- No first-rounder. Pick (No.1 overall) owned by Cavs as result of Baron Davis/Mo Williams trade.
- No. 37 Overall — Trey Thompkins: 24 games, 2.4 PPG, 0.4 RPG, 1.0 APG. .393/.308/.714.
- No. 47 Overall — Travis Leslie: 10 games, 1.4 PPG, 0.9 RPG, 0.5 APG. .357/.000/.444.
Notable players passed over/available at original draft slot: Kyrie Irving (No. 1), Klay Thompson (No. 11), Kawhi Leonard (No. 15), Tobias Harris (No. 19), Kenneth Faried (No. 22), Nikola Mirotic (No. 23), Reggie Jackson (No. 24), Jimmy Butler (No. 30), Chandler Parsons (No. 38), and Isaiah Thomas (No. 60).
Trail Blazers (June 2012-Present)
2012 Draft
- No. 6 Overall — Damian Lillard: 246 games, 20.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 6.1 APG. .429/.368/.861.
- No. 11 Overall — Meyers Leonard: 164 games, 4.9 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 0.5 APG. .517/.400/.831.
- No. 40 Overall — Will Barton: 172 games, 5.0 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 1.0 APG. .407/.230/.785.
Notable players passed over: Andre Drummond (No. 9), Draymond Green (No. 35), and Khris Middleton (No. 39).
Note: Selected Tyshawn Taylor with the No. 41 overall pick, who was later dealt to the Nets for cash.
2013 Draft
- No. 10 Overall — C.J. McCollum: 100 games, 6.3 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 0.9 APG. .429/.388/.692.
- No. 39 Overall — Jeff Withey: 95 games, 3.0 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 0.7 BPG. .523/.000/.699.
- No. 45 Overall — Marko Todorovic: No NBA regular season appearances.
Notable players passed over: Michael Carter-Williams (No. 11), Giannis Antetokounmpo (No. 15), and Rudy Gobert (No. 27).
2014 Draft
- First round pick (No. 24) owned by Hornets and traded to Heat.
- Second-rounder (No. 56) owned by Nuggets and dealt to Magic.
Notable players available at draft slot: Shabazz Napier (No. 24), K.J. McDaniels (No. 32), and Jordan Clarkson (No. 46).
Pacific Notes: Clarkson, Green, McNeal, Paul
The Lakers should forget about free agent Rajon Rondo and stick with Jordan Clarkson as their point guard, contends Howard Ruben of Bleacher Report. The rookie out of Missouri showed poise from the time he took over the position, Ruben writes, making Rondo unnecessary. Clarkson is a much more affordable alternative, with a non-guaranteed salary of $845K for next season. Ruben also notes that Los Angeles has a shot to draft D’Angelo Russell or Emmanuel Mudiay, either of whom could be a long-term answer at point guard.
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Whether they’re able to keep him this summer or not, the Warriors understand the value of Draymond Green, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Green has been a force for Golden State both offensively and defensively this season, as he showed by frustrating the Pelicans’ Anthony Davis in a first-round sweep. “He does everything; he’s a jack of all trades,” coach Steve Kerr said of Green. “On top of that, he’s one of our leaders and the guy who talks the most trash to the other team, to the refs, to his teammates, to me. He’s kind of our life line.” Green is almost certain to command a max deal this summer, but he can cement that by continuing to shine in the playoffs.
- Jerel McNeal hopes to continue his NBA career after earning a late-season spot on the Suns‘ roster, writes Matt Petersen of NBA.com. After an outstanding season with Bakersfield in the D-League, Phoenix signed McNeal to a 10-day contract April 1st, then rewarded him with a two-year deal April 11th, although no money is guaranteed beyond this season. “I’ll probably end up doing Summer League with Phoenix and just use that as another opportunity to show what I can do and go do what the coaching staff asks,” McNeal said. “I’ll do whatever I need to do to stick around.”
- Chris Paul gave the Clippers the kind of moment they were hoping for when they traded for him in 2011, according to Ben Golliver of SI.com. Playing with an injured hamstring, Paul scored with 1 second left to defeat the Spurs in Game 7 of their playoff series. It was a breakthrough moment for Paul, who has often been the target of criticism for his playoff performances. The hamstring problem may force Paul to miss Monday’s opener of the Rockets series, reports Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
2014/15 D-League Usage Report: Clippers
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 Clippers utilized the D-League during the 2014/15 campaign…
D-League Team: Fort Wayne Mad Ants
Affiliation Type: Shared
D-League Team Record: 28-22
Number of NBA Players Assigned To D-League: 1
Total D-League Assignments: 1
Player Stats While On Assignment
- C.J. Wilcox: 1 assignment, 5 games, 13.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.6 APG. .531/.450/.556.
D-League Signings
- Dahntay Jones (Fort Wayne Mad Ants – shared affiliate): Inked 1st 10-day contract on January 14th; signed 2nd 10-day pact on January 24th; signed for remainder of season on February 3rd.
- Jordan Hamilton (Reno Bighorns – Kings affiliate): Signed 1st 10-day deal on February 24th; inked 2nd 10-day pact on March 6th; signed multiyear deal on March 20th.
Assignment/Recall Log
- January 6th: Assigned C.J. Wilcox (Recalled January 21st)
DeAndre Jordan Extremely Interested In Mavs
1:27pm: The Mavs indeed intend to pursue Jordan, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Still, there seems a better chance the Clippers will retain Jordan than the Blazers will keep fellow Mavs target LaMarcus Aldridge, given the numerous signals of late indicating that Aldridge is eyeing an exit from Portland, Stein writes.
WEDNESDAY, 9:09am: Jordan has expressed via back channels that he’ll be “extremely interested” in joining the Mavs this summer, multiple sources tell MacMahon, who writes in a full piece.
TUESDAY, 11:50pm: Soon-to-be free agent DeAndre Jordan has made it known that he has interest in signing with the Mavs this summer, reports Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter link). Jordan has spoken of his affection for Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers, but even as he gave thanks for Rivers and his teammates in an interview with Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today in March, the Relativity Sports client indicated that the Clippers aren’t necessarily the front-runners for him.
Jordan has said he’s seeking a long-term commitment rather than a one-year deal that would allow him to hit free agency again next year and take advantage of the projected surge in the salary cap. The Clips will be able to offer a five-year contract with 7.5% raises instead of the four-year deal with 4.5% raises that every other team, including the Mavs, will be limited to. Still, the Clippers already have Chris Paul and Blake Griffin on maximum-salary deals, and another one for Jordan would pile yet more on top of a soaring payroll. The Clippers already have about $58MM committed against a projected $67.1MM cap for next season, and that doesn’t include most of Jamal Crawford‘s and Matt Barnes‘ partially guaranteed salaries. Still, the Clippers have Jordan’s Bird rights and thus can exceed the cap to re-sign him, and owner Steve Ballmer has no shortage of wealth to lay out if he so chooses.
The Mavs only have about $28MM on the books for next season, not counting close to $14MM in player options for Monta Ellis, Raymond Felton and Al-Farouq Aminu. Even if all three opt in, which seems unlikely, the Mavs would probably still have the cap flexibility needed to give Jordan a max deal with a starting salary that will likely fall in the neighborhood of $19MM. Much of that flexibility comes as Rajon Rondo and Tyson Chandler head into free agency. Coach Rick Carlisle let it slip that he can’t envision Rondo back with the team, and while Dallas owner Mark Cuban has affection for Chandler, the Mavs probably wouldn’t hesitate to replace him with Jordan, a younger, more athletic version of the defensive-minded Chandler.
Jordan finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting this month, and he led the league in rebounding for a second straight season with 15.0 per game. The 26-year-old, who turns 27 in July, also topped the NBA in field goal percentage for the third year in a row as he seldom dared to stray outside his severely limited offensive range. In spite of that shortcoming, most acute at the free-throw line where he shot an atrocious 39.7% this year, he scored a career-high 11.5 points per game this season, though some of that is surely tied to the extra free throws he gets when teams intentionally foul him to send him to the line.
In any case, the Houston native is eighth in the latest Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings. Will Joseph of Hoops Rumors examined Jordan’s free agent stock last month.
And-Ones: Tomic, Huertas, Free Agents
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.
Pacific Notes: Clippers, Lakers, Lee
If the Clippers fail to advance in the playoffs, the team’s lack of depth will be the culprit, Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles opines. Markazi blames president of basketball operations Doc Rivers for signing Spencer Hawes with the full mid-level exception. Markazi believes signing Paul Pierce to give the team more depth on the wing would have been a better use of the franchise’s resources.
There’s more from the Pacific Division on a playoff Sunday:
- Rivers said he used the Spurs as his model when he came to the Clippers, Markazi writes in a separate story. He said he has tried to build a relationship with GM Dave Wohl similar to the one between San Antonio head coach and president of basketball operations Gregg Popovich and GM R.C. Buford. “Clearly you would love to build what they have,” Rivers said. “It means that you’re going to do it for a time. We have a long way to go, but that would be nice.”
- The presence of Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson on the roster shouldn’t preclude the Lakers from selecting a point guard or power forward in this year’s draft, opines Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required). Ford recalls the Blazers passing on the chance to take Chris Paul and Deron Williams because the team thought it had a long-term piece in Sebastian Telfair. Ford believes the Lakers’ best option is to take the top player available rather than drafting for need, due to the lack of talent on the roster.
- The Warriors are hoping David Lee will be ready for the second round of the playoffs, writes Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group. Lee, who missed the entire first-round series against the Pelicans with a strained back, knows the Warriors will need all the front-line help they can get if they’re matched up with the rugged Grizzlies. “It’s a team that plays big and that we’re going to need every big on the roster ready to go, myself included,” he said.
Arthur Hill contributed to this post.
Pacific Notes: Knight, Blue, Hudson
The Suns could face a situation with Brandon Knight that is similar to the one the team endured with Eric Bledsoe last summer in regards to re-signing the player, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes. The Suns and Bledsoe remained at an impasse for the bulk of last summer while the two sides haggled over the amount of the contract, and Bledsoe didn’t put pen to paper on his deal until the end of September. When Knight was in discussions with the Bucks regarding an extension last offseason, the player was requesting a deal in the range of $12MM per season, while Milwaukee held fast at $9MM per year, Deveney notes.
Knight only made 11 appearances for the Suns after being acquired at the trade deadline from Milwaukee thanks to a foot injury he suffered. The guard is set to become a restricted free agent this summer, provided Phoenix tenders him a qualifying offer of $4,790,680. If the two sides are unable to reach an agreement on a new deal this summer, Knight could simply ink the qualifying offer and play out the 2015/16 season. He would then hit free agency in the summer of 2016 when the salary cap is expected to increase significantly, Deveney adds.
Here’s more out of the Pacific Division:
- Lester Hudson‘s $1,015,421 salary for 2015/16 with the Clippers is non-guaranteed, but if the guard is still on the roster on July 15th his salary becomes fully guaranteed, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders relays (Twitter link).
- The Lakers paid Vander Blue a total of $14,408 for the three days he spent with the team after being inked to a pact that covered the remainder of the 2014/15 campaign, Pincus tweets. Blue can become a restricted free agent this summer if Los Angeles tenders him a qualifying offer worth $1,147,276.
- Jerel McNeal‘s minimum salary arrangement with the Suns for 2015/16 will become fully guaranteed if he is still on Phoenix’s roster past July 21st, Pincus adds (Twitter link).
Pacific Notes: Cousins, Johnson, Green
DeAndre Jordan changed the first game of the Spurs series in a positive way for the Clippers, as Dan Woike of the Orange County Register chronicles, and his continued presence will be key in Game 2. Of course, whether Jordan is a presence for the Clips beyond this season isn’t known, since he’ll be a free agent, but it’d be tough for L.A. to let him go, since the team already has some $58MM on the books for next season and is without much cap flexibility to replace him. Here’s more from around the Pacific Division:
- Vivek Ranadive foresees an active offseason for the Kings but can’t envision a DeMarcus Cousins trade, and the Kings owner seemed annoyed Monday that Cousins’ name has been in trade rumors of late, as Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee relays (Twitter links). “I don’t know why that stuff is out there,” Ranadive said.
- Wesley Johnson suggests the constantly changing roles throughout his NBA career have led to his inconsistency, while coach Byron Scott believes part of the problem is “between the ears,” observes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. In any case, the Lakers are on the fence about re-signing Johnson, who’s started 121 games for them the last two seasons, even though he’d like to come back, as Medina details.
- Draymond Green is proving his value once more for the Warriors in their first-round series against the Pelicans, as SB Nation’s Tom Ziller examines. The Warriors have indicated they plan to match any offer for the soon-to-be restricted free agent.
Western Notes: Clippers, Williams, Thunder
Whether the Clippers win or lose their first-round series against the Spurs, don’t expect major changes this summer, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. He notes that the team’s stars, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, both have trade kickers in their contracts that would impede any deal. Paul is signed for two more seasons at $44MM total, with a player option for a third. The trade kicker would inflate his salary by 10%. Griffin is under contract for two more years totaling nearly $40MM, also with an option for a third. He has a 15% trade kicker. Deveney says the team has little choice about keeping free agent center DeAndre Jordan, which could involve a five-year commitment topping $100MM, even though the Clippers would be over the luxury tax for the third straight year and would incur a repeater tax if they paid the tax again the next year.
There’s more from the Western Conference:
- Pelicans coach Monty Williams said he was joking with comments about the noise at Oracle Arena, according to Tom Haberstroh of ESPN. In a press conference before tonight’s playoff game, Williams downplayed comments he made earlier in the day that he wasn’t sure the arena’s decibel level was “legal.” Because Williams is a member of the NBA’s competition committee, his statement could be construed as more than just an idle threat. “It was more of a compliment more than anything,” Williams explained. The NFL’s Atlanta Falcons were punished in February for using artificial noise in their stadium.
- The Thunder’s trade for Enes Kanter solved one problem but created another, writes Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman. Oklahoma City finally got the post-up scoring threat it needed, but weakened its defense in the process. Kanter came to OKC from the Jazz in a three-team deal at the deadline. Tramel estimates that, even with Kanter’s defensive shortcomings, it will cost the Thunder $12MM to $15MM a year to keep him when he becomes a restricted free agent this summer.