And-Ones: Len, Brown, Cavs, Roberts
Suns interim head coach Earl Watson has no qualms about pairing up centers Alex Len and Tyson Chandler in the starting lineup, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Watson wants to utilize Len as the team’s primary offensive target the rest of the season and foster his development, Coro continues. “Who’s playing two 7-footers any more?” Watson explained to Coro. “We have this trend of playing small ball and we know the greatest small ball team is the Warriors. We’re not going to catch them. Let’s create a new trend. Let’s let Alex Len get experience.”
In other developments around the Western Conference:
- Swingman Jabari Brown, who played with the Lakers last season, is joining the team’s D-League D-Fenders after returning from China in recent days, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports tweets. Brown, who appeared in 19 games with the Lakers as a rookie, was the last player cut in training camp when the club decided to keep veteran Metta World Peace.
- A coaching change that’s produced only an 11-6 record so far and the inability to land Joe Johnson are among the problems that ail the Cavaliers, as TNT’s David Aldridge examines in his Morning Tip for NBA.com. Internal carping from players about their respective roles, shots and ability to mesh on the court with LeBron James has also been a factor, Aldridge hears.
- Point guard Brian Roberts, whom the Trail Blazers recently acquired from the Heat, believes he’ll land an NBA job next summer when he enters the free agent market, Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders reports. Roberts passed through the Heat organization via the Hornets after he was included in the three-team deal that sent Courtney Lee from the Grizzlies to Charlotte. “I feel like I’m a guy that whatever opportunities I get I’m going to make the most of it,” he told Brigham. “I’m reliable, and that’s what it comes down to in this league. If you can be dependable every night, you’ll have a job.”
- Pelicans power forward Ryan Anderson will be a prime target for the Mavericks in free agency, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News opines. Anderson’s ability to stretch the floor would make him a very good fit but he’ll be in heavy demand, Sefko notes.
- The Grizzlies recalled rookie power forward Jarell Martin from the Iowa Energy, the D-League club tweets. Martin, a first-round pick, averaged 18.3 points over three games in his latest assignment there. He made his fourth appearance with Memphis on Monday night.
- The Bucks recalled small forward Damien Inglis from the D-League’s Westchester Knicks, Milwaukee announced through its website. Inglis played 13 games for the Knicks’ D-League affiliate, averaging 9.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 21.4 minutes.
Southwest Notes: Howard, Thornton, Dekker
The Mavericks have no interest in signing Rockets center Dwight Howard if he opts out this summer, according to Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Sefko touched on two other free agent centers, stating that Dallas is concerned about “off-court issues” involving Miami’s Hassan Whiteside, while Atlanta’s Al Horford would be a nice fit between Dirk Nowitzki and Chandler Parsons. In a question-and-answer session, Sefko also said the Mavericks may pursue Harrison Barnes if Parsons opts out, but he believes Barnes will stay with the Warriors.
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Former Rockets guard Marcus Thornton cleared waivers this afternoon, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Houston released Thornton on Friday after he was sent to Detroit in a deal at the deadline that was later voided because of health concerns involving Donatas Motiejunas. Despite trading for Thornton, the Pistons don’t have any interest in signing him.
- The Rockets have recalled rookie combo forward Sam Dekker from their D-League affiliate, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Houston made Dekker the 18th overall pick in last summer’s draft, but he has only appeared in three games for the Rockets because of back surgery. A Wisconsin native, Dekker was called up just in time for the team’s trip to Milwaukee on Monday. “That’s just how it worked out,” he said. “… Now I get to go home, see my family. … I’m sure there will be a lot of Badger fans in Bradley Center tomorrow.”
- The versatility of Lance Stephenson, who was acquired in a draft day trade with the Clippers, has helped the Grizzlies deal with the loss of Marc Gasol, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. There were concerns that Memphis might collapse after Gasol’s broken foot, but the team was averaging 108.6 points in five games without their center before Saturday’s loss at Phoenix. “It’s a whole new identity for us with different groups, different guys,” coach Dave Joerger said. “I’m trying to play Lance at four different positions. Matt Barnes is playing two different positions, sometimes three. We can struggle defensively, but we’ll just keep working at it.”
Southwest Notes: Lee, Pachulia, Stephenson, Miller
The addition of David Lee could cut into the playing time of Mavericks center Zaza Pachulia, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Lee signed with Dallas as a free agent Monday after agreeing to a buyout with the Celtics, and he’s been productive, posting a 14-point, 14-rebound performance on Friday. Meanwhile, Pachulia’s numbers are declining. He’s shooting just 35.8% from the floor in February, while averaging 6.2 points and 9.7 rebounds. “One of the reasons we wanted to bring Lee on board was we wanted to alleviate a few of his [Pachulia’s] minutes,” said coach Rick Carlisle. “We’ll look at trying to keep everybody as fresh as possible. The thing about Zaza is he’s been a real important chemistry guy for us all year long. I think he’s ready.” Pachulia is making $5.2MM this season in the final year of his contract.
There’s more from the Western Conference:
- Although the Rockets have an open roster spot, it’s unlikely that shooting guard Kevin Martin will come to Houston, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Martin is a candidate for a buyout with the Wolves before Tuesday, but the Spurs are considered to be the front-runner to sign him. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff said the Rockets are looking at options to fill the open spot and could sign someone currently playing overseas (Twitter link).
- The Grizzlies‘ Lance Stephenson blames an inability to “fit in” for his failures with the Hornets and Clippers, writes Peter Edmiston in The Commercial Appeal. Memphis has a team option on Stephenson’s contract and can bring him back for another season at $9.405MM. “I’ve definitely got something to prove,” Stephenson said. “I just want to get back to my old self, get back to playing in a rotation and helping my teammates win. God is good, so wherever He guides me, I’m going to try my best to figure it out.”
- The expected addition of point guard Andre Miller gives the Spurs the two oldest players in the league, according to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. At 39, Miller is the oldest, 37 days older than center Tim Duncan.
Western Notes: Durant, Jenkins, D-League
If the Warriors go on to win their second consecutive NBA title this season, it may actually act as a deterrent for pending unrestricted free agent prize Kevin Durant, Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report opines. The scribe cites Durant’s disdain for playing second fiddle, which he certainly would have to do on any team Stephen Curry is a part of. The small forward is also conscious of his legacy and would possibly consider going to a ready-made championship team unseemly, Ding also opines. There’s still no guarantee that Durant will re-sign with the Thunder and he still maintains some regrets about not having a player option added on his last deal that would have afforded him a chance to hit the open market earlier in his career, Ding relays. The Warriors are reportedly well out in front as Durant’s top choice should he leave Oklahoma City this summer.
Here’s more from out West:
- John Jenkins is thrilled to have been released by the Mavericks and claimed off waivers by the Suns because it will provide him a better opportunity to show what he can do on the court, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. “I was praying and hoping that I’d get an opportunity,” Jenkins said. “I’m with a lot of young guys, which helps me a lot. I’m actually probably more experienced than some of them so that’s different for me. Just try to be a leader from that standpoint. But I definitely think I’m rejuvenated. A fresh start is always good.” The 24-year-old only appeared in 21 contests for Dallas on the season and averaged a meager 9.2 minutes per contest prior to being waived.
- The Grizzlies should strongly consider exercising their team option for 2016/17 on Lance Stephenson, whose versatility could allow him to flourish in Memphis, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal opines. Memphis gambled on the upside of Stephenson, whom the scribe notes is only 25 years old and a little more than 18 months removed from being a nightly triple-double threat while with the Pacers. Stephenson’s option for next season is worth $9.405MM.
- The Thunder have assigned Mitch McGary and Josh Huestis to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be McGary’s seventh trip to the D-League this season and Huestis’ 10th.
Southwest Notes: Dwight, Harden, Conley, Gasol
Dwight Howard said he’s OK with his role as a secondary offensive option behind James Harden, and while Howard described his relationship with his fellow Rockets star as a work in progress, the center said he has no issues with the shooting guard, relays Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Howard made his comments before the latest rumors of discord between him and Harden surfaced.
“People will say what they want to say. There’s no need for me and him to worry about that,” Howard said. “Our job is to grow and get better as a team and get better as individuals. I think me and James had a really good talk before the [All-Star] break. We’re more on the same page than we’ve ever been. I’m always going to have his back; pretty sure he’s always going to have my back. The biggest thing, which is always true in any situation, you always have to put your ego to the side and focus on what’s best for the team. When things don’t go well, it’s easy to point to the two guys that are leaders of the team. That’s understandable. We have to take the good with the bad. We have to come together to lead this team.”
See more from the Southwest Division:
- Grizzlies executive VP of player personnel Ed Stefanski expressed confidence about the team’s ability to re-sign Mike Conley, said the team thinks Marc Gasol will have recovered from his broken foot in time for training camp and explained that the team’s belief that Courtney Lee would leave via free agency led the Grizzlies to trade him. Stefanski made his comments in an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio’s “The Starting Lineup” show (transcription in three Twitter links).
- The question of whether the Grizzlies should pick up their $9.405MM team option on Lance Stephenson for next season doesn’t have an obvious answer, since he offers promise but doesn’t have a lengthy track record suggesting he’s worth that money, as Geoff Calkins, Ronald Tillery, Chris Herrington and David Williams of The Commercial Appeal debate.
- Pelicans GM Dell Demps erred when he invested in ball-dominant guards and traditional centers instead of players equipped for the modern ball-movement game while shifting focus too far away from the draft and using the back end of the roster on journeymen instead of prospects, argues Christopher Reina of RealGM.
Western Notes: Dejean-Jones, D-League, Walton
Bryce Dejean-Jones, whom the Pelicans recently inked to a three-year pact, has been diagnosed with a fractured right wrist after having an MRI today and he will undergo surgery on Friday morning to repair the damage, the team announced. No official timetable has been announced for Dejean-Jones’ recovery, but Scott Kushner of The New Orleans Advocate relays that the guard will likely miss six to eight weeks of action as a result of the injury (Twitter link). Dejean-Jones has appeared in 14 games for the Pelicans this season and is averaging 5.6 points and 3.4 rebounds in 19.9 minutes per contest.
Here’s more from out West:
- While Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton will certainly be a hot name this offseason for any potential coaching vacancies, a number of GMs around the league have expressed trepidation at the prospect of giving Walton a head coaching position, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes. “I think Luke has a chance to be a good coach; he knows the game, but I would be worried that he’s not ready for that job yet,” a league executive told Deveney. “You’d have to worried about that. The thing is, if your owner has been hearing Warriors, Warriors, Warriors for the last two years, and he sees Luke Walton setting records, you’re probably going to hear something like, ‘Why can’t we get a coach like that?’ And so you wind up taking a chance even if he does not have the experience level you’re looking for.”
- The Grizzlies assigned power forward Jarell Martin to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Martin’s sixth trek to Iowa this season. He is averaging 13.6 points and 6.3 rebounds in 30.6 minutes over seven D-League contests.
- Power forward Duje Dukan has been assigned by the Kings to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This marks Dukan’s sixth sojourn of the season to Reno.
And-Ones: Wolves, Joe Johnson, Rockets, Mavs
The Timberwolves are at a “standstill” in talks with Grizzlies minority-share owner Steve Kaplan about a potential deal that would see Kaplan and his partners take 30% of the Minnesota franchise, Wolves owner Glen Taylor told Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. The sides can’t proceed until Kaplan sells his stake in the Grizzlies, Taylor said to Zgoda, and Memphis principal owner Robert Pera isn’t making it easy, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press (on Twitter). The deal had reportedly been on track to be complete by the end of this month, but Taylor, who remains optimistic it will ultimately get done, said it will probably take months, not weeks, Zgoda relays. That arrangement would reportedly involve Taylor eventually ceding control of the Wolves to Kaplan, but Taylor plans to remain the primary owner for another few years, Krawczynski tweets. See more from around the NBA:
- New Nets GM Sean Marks essentially confirmed the reported buyout talks with Joe Johnson today in an appearance on the “Joe & Evan” show on CBS New York radio (Twitter transcription via Devin Kharpertian of The Brooklyn Game). Marks said the team would talk to Johnson to see “what he really wants to do,” adding that he thinks the 15th-year veteran has “deserved the right” to go to a playoff team if he wants.
- The relationship between James Harden and soon-to-be free agent Dwight Howard is nuanced, but the idea of tension between the Rockets stars is overblown, as Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com examines.
- The Mavericks didn’t really receive trade offers of picks likely to fall in the middle of the first-round for Dwight Powell and Justin Anderson, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter link). That conflicts with an earlier report.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 2/24/16
The Grizzlies’ season was dealt a crushing blow with the news that Marc Gasol would miss the rest of the campaign after undergoing surgery to repair his broken right foot this past Saturday. In addition to potentially derailing any realistic notion the team had about competing for an NBA title in 2015/16, the injury to Gasol could also spell the end of point guard Mike Conley‘s tenure in Memphis.
Conley is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and any potential long term impact to Gasol’s health and productivity could nudge the point guard toward another franchise come July. While the Grizzlies remain publicly optimistic that Gasol will make a full recovery and be ready for the start of the 2016/17 season, a physical therapist who is well-versed in the recovery process the big man will undergo told Peter Edmiston of The Commercial Appeal that there is less than a 10% chance that the Spaniard will return to his pre-injury form. Only time will tell if Gasol will be the player we are used to seeing when he makes his way back, but this offseason will likely be Conley’s last chance at a significant long-term payday. He may decide that risking his last remaining peak seasons on the durability of Gasol’s right foot isn’t the smart play and bolt for what he perceives to be greener pastures.
That brings me to the question/topic for today: What impact, if any, will Marc Gasol’s injury have on Mike Conley’s upcoming free agency?
Take to the comments section to share your thoughts, predictions and potential doomsday scenarios for what Gasol’s injury potentially does to the Grizzlies’ chances of retaining Conley. We look forward to what you have to say.
Financial Impact Of Deadline, Buyouts: Southwest
The effects of the trade deadline are still being felt around the NBA as teams work buyout deals, negotiate with new free agents and fill open roster spots. Hoops Rumors will be taking a team-by-team look at the financial ramifications not just of the deadline itself but of the post-deadline moves. We’ll start this series of posts today with the Southwest Division:
Grizzlies
- Memphis gave up Courtney Lee, Jeff Green and $542,714 cash in two separate trades to bring back Lance Stephenson, P.J. Hairston, Chris Andersen and five future draft picks. None of the players they relinquished nor any they acquired have guaranteed salary for next season, so the deals don’t affect the ledger for 2016/17 at all, beyond the opportunity to pick up a $9.405MM team option on Stephenson. The net effect on this season’s payroll was the addition of a miniscule $76,440, which still leaves the Grizzlies about $2MM shy of the tax line, enough breathing room to make minimum-salary signings if they want. Memphis also gained a $450K trade exception from the difference between Green’s $9.45MM salary and Stephenson’s $9MM pay. The cash they sent to the Hornets in the Lee trade compromises their flexibility to a slight degree come draft time, when many teams swap cash for second-rounders. They’ll have $2,857,286 instead of $3.4MM to send out in those sorts of trades, though the picks they acquired last week give the team plenty of draft assets.
Mavericks
- The Mavs didn’t make a trade, but they dabbled in the buyout market, signing David Lee the day after he came off waivers from the Celtics. Dallas reportedly used the prorated room exception on Lee, so assuming he gets the full amount left on the exception, Lee is making $2,085,671. The exception, originally worth $2.814MM, prorates by 1/170th each day starting January 10th. Dallas waived John Jenkins to make room for Lee on the roster, but the Suns claimed him and his guaranteed minimum salary of $981,349 off waivers. Jenkins has non-guaranteed salaries on his contract for next season and 2017/18, so even if Jenkins had cleared waivers, it wouldn’t have affected the Mavs’ long-term accounting. Instead, they merely hike this season’s payroll by the amount of Lee’s salary, minus Jenkins’ $981,349 pay, but since they were only at about $72MM anyway, well shy of the $84.74MM tax threshold, the team is in no financial danger.
Pelicans
- New Orleans essentially converted a trade exception into cash that they used to fund a partial guarantee for next season in their new contract with Bryce Dejean-Jones. As Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders pointed out, the Pelicans used the $947,276 trade exception they created when they traded Ish Smith to the Sixers in December to accommodate Jarnell Stokes, whom the Heat dealt Thursday to New Orleans. The Pelicans also received $721,300 cash from Miami in the Stokes trade, Pincus notes, and the only asset New Orleans relinquished was a top-55 protected second-round pick that will likely never change hands, making it the virtual equivalent of a phony asset. New Orleans waived Stokes shortly after the trade to reopen the roster spot that Dejean-Jones had been in while he was on his pair of 10-day contracts. Dejean-Jones apparently had talks with at least five other NBA teams before the Pelicans lured him back with the partial guarantee he was reportedly seeking. It’s unclear just how much that guarantee is worth, but it goes on next season’s ledger, while Jones’ salary for the rest of this season and Stokes’ full-season pay of $845,059 is on the cap for New Orleans this year, even though the Pelicans will actually pay only a prorated percentage of what Stokes is making. The Pelicans are still about $4MM shy of the tax line, which leaves plenty of room.
Rockets
- The Rockets would have escaped the luxury tax, added about $3.2MM of room beneath their hard cap and created a pair of trade exceptions if their three-team trade with the Pistons and Grizzlies had gone through. The voiding of the deal leaves Houston with none of that. The team’s net cost of the trade falling through is about $8MM in payroll and projected tax obligations combined.
Spurs
- San Antonio stood pat, not surprising given their record, which is now 47-9.
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Southwest Notes: Dwight, Stephenson, Lee
Many executives believe Dwight Howard‘s slumping productivity and recent history of injuries will keep him from receiving the max in free agency this summer, but the Rockets still see him as preferable to Al Horford or Ryan Anderson, according to USA Today’s Sam Amick. Howard’s agent Dan Fegan sent word to the Bucks, Hornets and Hawks, among others, that Howard isn’t anxious to take any discounts this summer, and he didn’t indicate a willingness to opt in and push back his free agency until 2017, Amick notes, which reportedly turned off the Bucks, at least, if not other suitors. Adding to the confusion before the deadline was that Howard was giving serious thought to changing agents, Amick writes. The USA Today scribe indicates that Howard’s uncertainty regarding Fegan is in the past, though that’s not entirely clear. See more from the Southwest Division:
- The Grizzlies didn’t specifically target Lance Stephenson, Chris Andersen and P.J. Hairston, whom they garnered via trade before the deadline, and instead took them in merely because their contracts were a fit for the sort of draft asset collection the deals afforded Memphis, writes Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal. The protected 2019 first-rounder the Grizzlies received in the Stephenson trade is more likely than not to end up in another trade at some point, Herrington opines.
- There’s talk that the Grizzlies will pick up Stephenson’s $9.405MM team option for next season, according to Herrington (Twitter links), but it’s unclear if that talk is coming from the team, and the Commercial Appeal scribe dismisses it as “irrational exuberance.”
- David Lee said the Mavericks have told him rebounding will be his primary task, notes Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com (on Twitter). Conversely, the cohesiveness of the Mavs helped sell the new signee on Dallas, as Sneed also notes (Twitter link). “You can see the chemistry from playing against [the Mavericks], and that’s something I want to be a part of,” Lee said.