D-League Notes: Lakers, Warriors, Curry
Let’s round up today’s D-League updates, including a pair of assignments and a pair of recalls out of the Pacific….
- Ryan Kelly and Elias Harris have been re-assigned to the D-League by the Lakers, according to the Los Angeles D-Fenders (Twitter link). It’s already the third assignment of the season for both players, so it looks like they’ll be shuttled back and forth throughout the year.
- The Warriors have recalled Dewayne Dedmon and Nemanja Nedovic from the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. The duo helped lead the Santa Cruz Warriors to a victory last night, combining for 54 points.
- Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group checks in on Seth Curry‘s development with the Warriors‘ D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz.
Lakers, Kobe Agree To Two-Year Extension
10:49am: Bryant’s extension will be worth $48MM over two years, according to ESPN.com’s Chris Broussard (via Twitter). Shelburne tweets that the annual salaries will be $23.5MM in 2014/15 and $25MM in ’15/16. That should still leave the Lakers with enough room for a max free agent next summer, though it’ll be a tight fit.
10:43am: According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles (via Twitter), Kobe’s new deal will make him the highest-paid player in the NBA over the next two seasons. The exact figures still aren’t known, but according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter), the extension will be worth between $40-50MM.
10:26am: The Lakers and Kobe Bryant have reached an agreement on a contract extension, the team announced today in a press release. The deal will keep Kobe off the free agent market in 2014, extending his contract by two years, according to the team.
“This is a very happy day for Lakers fans and for the Lakers organization,” said GM Mitch Kupchak in a statement. “We’ve said all along that our priority and hope was to have Kobe finish his career as a Laker, and this should ensure that that happens.”
We heard in September that Bryant and the Lakers had yet to begun discussing an extension, but those negotiations were expected to happen at some point before Kobe’s contract expired. A month ago, executive VP Jim Buss vowed that the longtime Lakers star wouldn’t get to free agency, so the team made good on that promise.
When I examined Kobe as an extension candidate earlier this month, I predicted that he’d sign a two- or three-year extension at some point after he returned from his Achilles injury. The fact that the Lakers completed the deal before he appeared in a game this season suggests that the team believes he made a full recovery.
While Kobe would be eligible for a salary worth north of $32MM in the first year of his new deal, he almost certainly agreed to a pay cut from this year’s $30MM+ salary. The two-year contract will cut into the Lakers’ projected cap space for next summer, but depending on the annual cap hit for the extension, the club should still have plenty of room to pursue free agents.
Pacific Rumors: Bledsoe, Hornacek, Warriors
The league has been full of unanticipated performances so far, but the Pacific Division standings come close to expectations. The Clippers and Warriors would be playoff teams if the season ended today, while the Suns, Lakers and Kings would miss out. Of course, Phoenix is 6-6 and just a game behind Golden State, so chaos isn’t far off. Here’s the latest:
- Suns coach Jeff Hornacek says Eric Bledsoe is “probably better than we anticipated,” and the team is surprised with Bledsoe’s ability to see the floor like a true point guard and transcend his reputation as merely a scorer, writes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee.
- Hornacek is drawing plaudits of his own from scouts and others around the league for his ability to motivate a team expected to finish near the bottom of the league, as Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe notes amid his weekly roundup.
- It didn’t take long for Andre Iguodala to fit in with the Warriors on and off the court, as David Lee tells HoopsWorld’s Jabari Davis, who looks back on the series of events that lifted the franchise from perennial lottery team to Western Conference contender.
- Jordan Hill, Wesley Johnson, Shawne Williams and Xavier Henry are all former top-20 draft picks who wound up on the scrap heap, and now they’re all making meaningful contributions to the Lakers, as Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times examines.
Odds & Ends: Gallinari, Rockets, Gortat
Significant injuries dominated Saturday’s NBA headlines, and the Nuggets got a mix of good news and bad about a key player who suffered an ACL injury last spring. Danilo Gallinari won’t be back by the end of this month, as he said he would be in September, and he remains “very far away” from returning to the Nuggets, according to Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. Gallinari nonetheless tells Dempsey that he isn’t likely to be out all season. Here’s more from around the Association:
- Continued strong play from Terrence Jones could make the Rockets feel more comfortable with targeting the best player regardless of position in an Omer Asik trade, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle observes (on Twitter).
- Marcin Gortat chats with SB Nation’s James Herbert about his adjustment to playing with the Wizards and looks back on his time with coach Stan Van Gundy, whom the center calls the “godfather” of his career. Gortat says he’d like to play for Van Gundy again.
- Even though the Sixers will probably head into next summer armed with a pair of lottery picks and plenty of cap space, fans shouldn’t expect a contending team, according to Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times, who warns that the rebuild will likely take longer than one year.
- Ray Allen criticized David West for prioritizing money over title contention when West spurned the Celtics to sign with the Pacers in 2011. Still, the power forward believed then that the Pacers had the greater long-term championship hopes, as West tells Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Lakers Notes: Nash, Kelly, Harris, Young
As we heard yesterday, Steve Nash denied having considered the possibility of retirement, telling reporters that he still has “18 months” of basketball left, referring to the last two years on his contract. Nash also told Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles that he’s “inching forward” in his physical therapy and rehab, and Mike D’Antoni suggests that the veteran point guard could return to practice during the first week of December. Here’s more on the 39-year-old and his Lakers teammates:
- Nash recognizes that speculation about his retirement is inevitable at this point of his career, as he tells McMenamin: “I’m 40 in a couple of months. I think people look at the success I’ve had in my career and they wonder if I still have the motivation just to get on the court. But I do. The perspective is that I’ve only got a short window of basketball left in my life. I want to try to get in as much hoops as I can before it’s time to do something else.”
- The Lakers have assigned Ryan Kelly and Elias Harris to their D-League affiliate, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv notes via Twitter. The team had just recalled the rookies on Thursday after initially sending them down last week. Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times expects the Lakers will bring them back to the big club in advance of Sunday’s game.
- The Lakers signed Nick Young this summer to a minimum-salary contract, and he’s proved a bargain so far, having entered Friday with the fourth-highest scoring average among reserves this season, as McMenamin examines.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Eastern Notes: Garnett, LeBron, Cavs
Prior to last night’s 111-81 loss to the T’Wolves, Nets forward Kevin Garnett told reporters that he’s not ready to discuss his future beyond this season. “I focus on what’s happening [now],” Garnett said after the Nets’ shootaround. “There is a lot of emotions that come with this building. … But, obviously, different time, different personnel, different times.” Last night, coach Jason Kidd said he wouldn’t be surprised if it was KG’s last time on the hardwood in Minnesota. Here’s more out of the East..
- The other potential summer suitors for Heat star LeBron James aren’t looking so hot right now, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. The Cavs have been atrocious to start the year and things aren’t much better with the Knicks, who are perpetually linked to James despite not having the cap flexibility necessary. The Lakers should have the cash needed to make a run at LeBron and the other top free agents in the class, but things are pretty dysfunctional in L.A. as well.
- Nate Duncan of HoopsWorld isn’t sure what to make of the Cavs‘ situation. Nearly everyone on the Cleveland roster has disappointed offensively, including banged-up offseason-acquisition Andrew Bynum and first overall pick Anthony Bennett.
- Pacers center Roy Hibbert is confident that Jeff Green can be the Celtics‘ go-to guy, despite his inconsistencies, writes Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe. Hibbert added that with Danny Ainge at the helm, the C’s are sure to put quality talent around Green in the years to come.
- in today’s mailbag, Winderman writes that the Heat are working on grooming Quincy Douby, currently with the Sioux Falls SkyForce, strengthening his point guard skills. The Rutgers product is known for his tremendous range and scoring ability, but has never been much of a passer.
Odds & Ends: Cunningham, Odom, Fisher
No one expected either the Suns or the Sixers to have half a dozen wins less than a month into the season, but both teams captured their sixth victories tonight. Stories about tanking have been few in the wake of their success, but there’s plenty other news to pass along:
- The Spurs and Lakers inquired with the Timberwolves about Dante Cunningham in the offseason, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities, who figures those teams will be after him again when he hits free agency next summer (Twitter link).
- Neither the Clippers nor Lamar Odom are rushing toward a deal, and after a few weeks both sides will probably have a better idea of whether he’ll join the team, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- Derek Fisher re-signed with the Thunder for just the minimum salary, but he’s played an outsized role for the team so far, as The Oklahoman’s Darnell Mayberry examines.
- Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com looks ahead to next summer for Jimmy Butler, who’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension. Sam speculates that the Bulls will offer Butler a deal for about $8MM a year, and the scribe registers a few more guesses about what other top wing players approaching free agency will see on their next contracts.
- The Mavericks made lots of changes to their roster in the offseason, and several newcomers are playing key roles in the team’s fast start. One of them is Jose Calderon, who discusses the smooth transition with HoopsWorld’s Alex Kennedy.
- The Wolves renounced their rights to former second-round picks Tanguy Ngombo and Loukas Mavrokefalidis, notes Mark Deeks of ShamSports (Twitter links).
Cuban: Rockets Inquired About Dirk Nowitzki
Mavs owner Mark Cuban told reporters today that Rockets GM Daryl Morey sent him a text message this summer after Houston signed Dwight Howard asking whether the Mavs would be willing to give up Dirk Nowitzki in a trade, tweets Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Cuban said the conversation went no further and that the Rockets never made an official offer. The owner saw the move mostly as a taunting gesture, since the Mavs had been one of the teams in the running to sign Howard, and “just something rivals do,” as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News details.
“Now, I’ve brought it on the record just to have some fun with it now that we’ve played them twice we can help them sell tickets next time. I think they need help. Just to build the rivalry up,” Cuban said.
Cuban also brought up an inquiry the Lakers had made in the past about Nowitzki, adding that no formal offer was extended in that case, either. The owner says he’s never entertained any thoughts about trading the perennial All-Star. Even if he did, Nowitzki could block any trade, since he’s one of four NBA players with a no-trade clause negotiated into his deal.
The 35-year-old Nowitzki is in the final year of his contract, from which he’ll earn $22.7MM this season, but he appears unlikely to sign with another team, even if Dallas asks him to take a pay cut. Cuban has expressed confidence that the ninth overall pick from 1998 can continue playing for years to come.
Odds & Ends: Nash, Bennett, Cavs, Pacers
A report earlier this week suggested that Steve Nash might be considering retirement after being diagnosed with nerve root irritation. However, Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni quickly refuted the notion that Nash was debating ending his career, and the point guard himself echoed that stance today. Asked if he had thought about retiring, Nash replied, “No, not at all,” according to Bill Oram of the O.C. Register (Twitter link). The 39-year-old’s plans don’t seem to have changed since two weeks ago, when he announced his intentions to play out his current contract.
Here’s more from around the NBA:
- Despite Anthony Bennett‘s poor start, the Cavaliers have ruled out the possibility of assigning him to the D-League’s Canton Charge, a source tells Bob Finnan of the News-Herald. According to Finnan, the Cavs feel like the first overall pick is best served practicing and playing against NBA talent.
- Tom Ziller of SBNation.com explores the Cavaliers‘ disappointing first month, wondering if GM Chris Grant could be on the hot seat.
- Phil Richards of the Indianapolis Star takes an extended look at how Larry Bird has built the Pacers into a title contender.
- With the Nets set to play in Minnesota tonight, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune observes that Andrei Kirilenko‘s decision to turn down his $10MM player option has greatly benefited the Timberwolves.
- The last time he was playing on an expiring contract, Spencer Hawes believes he psyched himself out by consciously trying to improve his stock for free agency. As he tells Lang Greene of HoopsWorld, Hawes isn’t thinking about his expiring deal as much this time around, opting to focus only on what he can control as he approaches free agency.
D-League Notes: Kelly, Harris, Heat, Expansion
The D-League’s regular season is underway, and the D-League website features a list of young prospects to follow during the 2013/14 season. Some of the young players on the list currently have their rights held by NBA squads, but many are training camp invitees that didn’t make an opening night roster. There’s no telling when the next Jeremy Lin might unexpectedly emerge so it’s definitely worth monitoring the young talent found in the NBA’s official minor league organization.
Here’s some D-League news and notes from Thursday night:
- Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com tweets that the Lakers have recalled Ryan Kelly and Elias Harris from their D-League affiliate, the D-Fenders. Neither have seen much NBA action yet this year, and Eric Pincus of the LA Times tweets that their recall is probably just a formality.
- Ira Winderman points out (via Twitter) that the D-League affiliate for the Heat is sporting a particularly impressive roster. Although the Heat do not own their rights, it’s worth noting that Miami’s developmental squad houses three former NBA players: Bill Walker, DeAndre Liggins, and Quincy Douby.
- Dan Reed, president of the D-League, envisions his circuit expanding into a 30 team organization where each NBA club has it’s own minor league affiliate. Jeff Zillgitt of USA TODAY Sports sat down with Reed, who appears confident that his vision will one day become a reality: “If you had asked me this three or four years ago, I would have said it will be a very long time horizon. If you ask me now, that time frame has shortened substantially.” Reed has been the president of the D-League since 2007.
- To keep up with all the D-League assignments and recalls throughout the year, be sure to check out Hoops Rumors 2013/14 D-League Assignments page.