Central Notes: Robinson, LeBron, Dudley, Noah
Pacers coach Frank Vogel said at the start of training camp that Glenn Robinson III would probably spend time on assignment to the D-League this season, but his play in preseason has challenged that idea, writes Mark Montieth of Pacers.com. It’s clear the team is high on him, having been impressed with his performance during informal scrimmages before camp.
“What he showed in September is that he’s real,” coach Frank Vogel said. “He’s not a couple-years-away guy. We have guys ahead of him probably, but there were days in September when he was the best player on the court. That was very, very impressive to me. He’s got a great attitude, and he’s got all the physical tools with the speed and athleticism. He has the tools to be a steal.”
Robinson signed with Indiana this summer on a three-year, $3.241MM deal that includes a fully guaranteed salary for this season. See more from the Central Division:
- LeBron James turns 31 in December, but he’s still capable of bearing a heavy load for the Cavaliers, coach David Blatt contends, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. “I would hesitate to put Bron in the category of an advanced-age player,” Blatt said. “He’s not. He is in terms of the number of games he’s played or given the fact that he’s constantly deep into the playoffs and his greatness helps his team achieve those levels.”
- Jared Dudley complimented the Bucks owners and said that he was on board with the trade that sent him to the Wizards this summer, one that he said he and his agent had spoken about ahead of time, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel details.
- A decent chance exists that Joakim Noah will begin this season, the last one on his contract, coming off the bench, observes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Noah continues to display a team-first attitude for the Bulls, but removal from the starting lineup with free agency looming would challenge that demeanor, Johnson posits. “Coach is going to have a lot of decisions to make in terms of matchups and things like that,” Noah said recently. “Whatever Coach does, I’m cool with it.”
Northwest Notes: Presti, Malone, Gobert
Thunder GM Sam Presti is looking to a fresh start in Oklahoma City with Billy Donovan taking over the coaching reins, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. The Thunder were overwhelmed by injuries last season, particularly to star Kevin Durant, and narrowly missed the Western Conference playoffs. A revival is seen as key this year with Durant becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer. “The combination of the transition to a new coaching staff, a healthy team with the benefit of seven years of experience together that is now entering its prime years, and some additions to our roster that fit our age horizon also help fortify the existing culture,” Presti said, “and has created an organizational momentum that has everyone excited about the present but also very optimistic about the future.”
There’s more news from the Northwest Division:
- New Nuggets coach Michael Malone has brought an emphasis on defense to Denver, according to Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Darrell Arthur said that when he was traded from the Grizzlies to the Nuggets in 2013, he was surprised how rarely defense and communication were taught by former Denver coach Brian Shaw. “It’s the exact same thing, what we did in Memphis to what coach Malone is doing,” Arthur said. “This is the way I was taught to play. I’m pretty sure this is the right way to play basketball.”
- Utah’s Rudy Gobert is among the most likely candidates for Most Improved Player honors this season, writes Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders. The Jazz center finished third in voting for the award last season, but Brigham believes he can still get much better by improving his offensive game. Former Thunder guard Reggie Jackson, now with the Pistons, is also on the list, along with the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Wizards’ Bradley Beal, the Sixers’ Nerlens Noel, the Magic’s Victor Oladipo and the Raptors’ Jonas Valanciunas.
Central Notes: Bullock, Cunningham, Cavaliers
Reggie Bullock is very likely to make the Pistons‘ roster, and the team is considering picking up his option for 2016/17, reports Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. Detroit has until November 2nd to decide on the option, which is worth $2.2MM. Ellis cites an unidentified source with “firsthand knowledge” who says the move is being considered.
“If they pick this up, I know that I will be here at least still getting paid NBA money,” Bullock said. “I’m just trying to find a place, and Detroit would be the perfect place for me to be able to start my young career and actually be here and actually learn things as part of this system and organization.”
Bullock came to the Pistons in a July 9th deal with Phoenix that also brought Marcus Morris and Danny Granger. He didn’t earn much playing time in his first two NBA seasons with the Clippers and Suns, but has impressed Detroit’s coaches with a strong preseason performance. Bullock is averaging 12.3 points per game and has shot 8-of-16 from three-point range, along with providing a strong defensive presence on the wing.
There’s more this morning from the Central Division:
- Jared Cunningham is making a strong push for a Cavaliers roster spot, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. He has been Cleveland’s leading scorer during the preseason, averaging 13.6 points per game. Cunningham has bounced around the league since being drafted in the first round in 2012, spending time with the Mavericks, Hawks, Kings and Clippers. Washburn notes that the 24-year-old would give the Cavs an athletic presence in the backcourt.
- Kevin Love is expected to make his preseason debut today, but that only offers a little relief for the Cavaliers‘ injury woes, writes Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal. Love will return to the court for the first time since having surgery to fix a dislocated left shoulder. Five Cleveland rotation players have undergone surgical procedures in the past 10 months.
- The Bucks are being cautious with Jabari Parker as he comes back from a torn ACL that ended his rookie season after 25 games, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. “If you were able to watch practice, I’m sure you guys would probably question why he’s not playing,” said coach Jason Kidd. “Because he’s done everything. He looks great. But again, he hasn’t been cleared by the doctors.”
Central Notes: Jennings, Monroe, Bulls, Williams
The Pistons hope to have Brandon Jennings back by Christmas, according to Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. The point guard hasn’t played since rupturing his left Achilles in January, but coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said he is “doing about everything” in practice, which includes step-back jumpers, running hard forward and backward and making moves before shooting. However, Jennings hasn’t been in a competitive situation or done any defensive drills. “They’ve given us sort of Christmastime, sort of tentative, very general, though, before or after so I think there’s a reasonable chance he could play in a game before the first of the year,” Van Gundy said.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Several former Pistons teammates who also played for Milwaukee helped convince Greg Monroe to sign with the Bucks this summer, writes Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports. Assisting Monroe in making his decision were Jennings, Caron Butler, Brandon Knight and Khris Middleton, whom Monroe had Thanksgiving dinner with last year. Middleton joked that he called or texted Monroe “every five minutes” to recruit him for Milwaukee.
- If the Bulls decide to go with a full roster of 15 players, Cristiano Felicio is a good bet to grab the final spot over Jordan Crawford, speculates K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. The Brazilian center played on Chicago’s summer league team and is in camp on a non-guaranteed contract. Johnson believes he would be good insurance with Joakim Noah and maybe Pau Gasol becoming unrestricted free agents next summer.
- The offseason addition of Mo Williams, combined with J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, gives the Cavaliers three of the toughest players in the NBA, according to Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group. “Nobody is going to punk me,” Williams said. “Nobody’s going to punk anybody who I stand with, so that’s just a motto that I have and I feel like my teammates should have that same motto.”
Northwest Notes: Stotts, Monroe, Waiters, Mitchell
The future of Terry Stotts is unresolved beyond this season, as the Trail Blazers have yet to pick up the team option on his deal for 2016/17, but Blazers players, including Damian Lillard, are fully supportive of the coach, as The Oregonian’s Jason Quick details.
“As long as I am here,” Lillard said, “I would like him to be here.”
Lillard signed a five-year extension this summer that will run through 2020/21, and the Blazers are making him the centerpiece of their retool, but time will tell if Portland retains Stotts as one of its building blocks. See more on the Blazers amid the latest from around the Northwest Division:
- Greg Monroe narrowed his choices to the Bucks and Trail Blazers before selecting Milwaukee in free agency this summer, according to Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports, who recounts Monroe’s decision making that led up to his three-year max deal with the Bucks. That means he first eliminated the Knicks and Lakers, who, as Lee notes, also met with him.
- The Thunder aren’t worried about making too many commitments to middling talents that would be tough to build around if Kevin Durant bolts next summer, and instead they’re focused on building a stable supporting cast around Durant for the long term, writes Royce Young of ESPN.com. That, plus Oklahoma City’s penchant for rewarding players who want to stick around, helps explain the team’s reported willingness to explore an extension for Dion Waiters, as Young examines.
- Sam Mitchell didn’t feel a burning desire to coach again when Flip Saunders called to offer him a job with the Timberwolves last year, Mitchell tells Sportsnet’s Michael Grange. Saunders nonetheless made a convincing case, and Mitchell joined as an assistant, which led to his promotion to interim head coach when cancer treatment forced Saunders to take a leave of absence. “He thought I did a good job in the media — I thought I did an excellent job — but he said to me ‘you’re always going to be a basketball coach,’” Mitchell said of his conversation with Saunders.
Eastern Notes: Monroe, Robinson, Harrellson
Co-owner Marc Lasry’s confident demeanor and relationship with Jason Kidd sold Greg Monroe and agent David Falk on the Bucks, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com details. Lasry had never pitched a free agent before, but he led Milwaukee’s presentation, assuring Monroe that Kidd would be the team’s coach for the long-term, which helped sway the big man after years of coaching turnover in Detroit, Windhorst writes.
“He was very down to earth, but also passionate, and he connected with Greg,” Falk said of Lasry. “We didn’t need parades or balloons; this was a business decision. Marc treated it that way. What they had already put in place was strong, and he sold that.”
Monroe, who signed with Milwaukee for three years at the max, called his meeting with the Bucks “something I will never forget.” See more from the Eastern Conference:
- Thomas Robinson said the Nets showed “heavy interest” in him before the 2012 draft, when he went fifth overall, and the longstanding connection made it an easy choice for him to sign with Brooklyn this summer, as he told Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. “I’m glad I’m here a few years down the road, after the stuff I’ve been through. I’m more mature now than I was when I probably wanted to come here,” Robinson said in part. “[I want to] take advantage of all of my opportunities. I feel like I’m right back where I was getting drafted again … now it’s just time.”
- The Wizards signed Josh Harrellson because they like his shooting and wanted someone who would help them work on their new, more perimeter-oriented offense in practice, writes Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. Harrellson’s contract is non-guaranteed and the Wizards have 15 full guarantees. He’s taking a realistic approach, treating the preseason as a showcase for the 29 other teams while hoping to make a strong impression on the Wizards for another chance in the future, as Castillo explains.
- The Sixers should let go of Furkan Aldemir, who’s ceiling is already apparent, and instead keep undrafted rookie Christian Wood for the regular season because of Wood’s superior upside, opines Tom Moore of Calkins Media. Such a move would entail a financial sacrifice, since Aldemir has a fully guaranteed salary of nearly $2.837MM while Wood is only assured of $50K, as Moore points out. Aldemir also shares agent Misko Raznatovic with Dario Saric, Moore concedes (on Twitter).
Central Notes: Jefferson, Vaughn, Pistons, Pacers
Richard Jefferson felt uncomfortable with the prospect of playing for the Mavericks once DeAndre Jordan turned his back on the team, and the veteran small forward took agent Jeff Schwartz’s advice to take a delicate approach to undoing his own verbal commitment to Dallas, as Jefferson details to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. The 35-year-old signed a guaranteed one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Cavs after asking Mark Cuban’s permission to break off their deal.
“And so, [Schwartz] was like: ‘Well, Rich, I can call, but we should probably tell the Mavs first. And let’s see. Because I don’t want to call the Cavs and all of the sudden the Cavs call the Mavs about what’s going on and it comes back on me and it looks like I’m trying to do stuff behind their back,'” Jefferson said. “And so, we talked to Mark first and I asked him for permission, and he said, ‘That’s fine.’ And then there was some interest here [in Cleveland] and it was pretty much a no brainer.”
See more from the Central Division:
- Rashad Vaughn‘s mature demeanor impressed Bucks coach Jason Kidd before Milwaukee drafted him 17th overall this June, and the rookie is making waves on the court, too, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel examines. “The Vaughn kid put on a show in the fourth quarter, as he did in Chicago the other night,” Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said after his team’s game against the Bucks Saturday. “We’re going to be dealing with him for a long time in the league. He’s got a quick release and can really, really shoot the ball.”
- Detroit has experienced a whirlwind of player movement under Van Gundy, so in spite of their apparent interest in Markieff Morris, the Pistons would be well-served to consider the benefits of roster stability over yet another change, opines Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
- The commitment to a traditional lineup that the Pacers made in the past seemed aimed at beating the Heat, but now that president of basketball operations Larry Bird has shifted the team’s roster and on-court philosophy, Paul George isn’t the only one who must fit in, argues RealGM’s Andrew Perna. Coach Frank Vogel, who’s under contract through 2016/17, must also prove he can lead a more potent attack on offense.
Larry Sanders Drawing Preliminary Interest
10:53pm: The Mavs continue to have interest in Sanders, but no talks are ongoing, and a trip Sanders took to Texas today has nothing to do with the team, Tim Cato of SB Nation’s Mavs Moneyball hears. Tim MacMahon reports much the same, tweeting that nothing’s in the works but that Dallas would pursue him if he decided to play again.
MONDAY, 2:51pm: A Western Conference team has had internal discussions about the idea of signing Larry Sanders, a source tells Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times (Twitter link). It’s unclear which team it is, or whether the former Bucks defensive stalwart even wants to play again. Sanders cast doubt on the idea last February, shortly after his buyout deal with Milwaukee. Woelfel heard a couple of months later that Sanders still had no desire to return to the game, and Sanders spoke around the start of June about his peace with life away from basketball.
Sanders, who turns 27 next month, gave up nearly half of his $44MM deal with Milwaukee when he left the NBA midway through last season. The NBA handed down two drug-related suspensions to the former 15th overall pick within the year leading up to the end of his time with the Bucks. He checked himself into a hospital where he took part in a program for anxiety, depression and mood disorders last spring. Still, Sanders hasn’t ruled out a return, and in January he denied a report from Woelfel that he was thinking about retirement.
The Mavericks and Clippers, as well as the Cavs, reportedly had at least cautious interest in Sanders toward the end of last season. The Mavs have a need for a clear-cut starter at center, though they have 15 fully guaranteed salaries plus a $500K partial guarantee out to JaVale McGee. The Clippers have only 14 fully guaranteed pacts. The Cavs have 13 full guarantees, not counting the still-unsigned Tristan Thompson, though they’re an Eastern Conference team, of course. It’s a stretch to suggest that any of those three still have interest, given the length of time it’s been since they were linked to Sanders.
Milwaukee might have a rooting interest in Sanders’ future, since teams are generally entitled to set off a portion of any money they owe to ex-players who clear waivers if those players sign new deals elsewhere. However, teams often waive set-off rights in buyout deals, as Larry Coon notes in his Salary Cap FAQ.
Do you think Sanders will play in the NBA this season? Leave a comment to let us know.
Cavs Lead With 16 Free Agent Signings
The Cavaliers have drawn plenty of attention the past few months for a free agent they haven’t signed, but even though Tristan Thompson lingers in free agency, Cleveland has taken care of more free agent business than any other team in the league during the 2015 offseason. They signed 16 free agents, three more than the Spurs, the team that recorded the next most free agent signings. The Cavs just made their latest signing this weekend, replacing Michael Dunigan with Dionte Christmas on the camp roster.
It might be easy to presume a direct correlation between free agent activity and success, given the teams at the very top and bottom of the list below. The Cavs and Spurs are strong bets to win their respective conferences this season, while the Jazz, Timberwolves and Sixers are nowhere near the title picture. The presence of the Warriors and Thunder on the bottom half of the list and the Kings and Nets close to the top debunk that theory, however. It has more to do with the fact that the Cavs had only four players signed for 2015/16 when they ended last season, while the Jazz had 13. Cleveland simply had more jobs to hand out.
Still, other factors are at play, since free agent signings don’t encompass draft picks, draft-and-stash signings, trades or waiver claims. The Trail Blazers made significant changes to their roster, but they did much of their work via trade instead of free agency. The Rockets had 10 players under contract on July 1st, but they still wound up making 11 free agent signings.
Here’s a look at the number of free agent signings for each team. Click the team’s name to see the names of each of their signees via our 2015 Free Agent Tracker.
- Cavaliers, 16
- Mavericks, 13
- Spurs, 13
- Kings, 12
- Knicks, 12
- Nets, 12
- Pelicans, 12
- Rockets, 11
- Clippers, 10
- Grizzlies, 10
- Suns, 10
- Heat, 9
- Pacers, 9
- Raptors, 9
- Bulls, 8
- Hawks, 8
- Magic, 8
- Wizards, 8
- Bucks, 7
- Celtics, 7
- Hornets, 7
- Lakers, 7
- Nuggets, 7
- Warriors, 7
- Pistons, 6
- Thunder, 6
- Trail Blazers, 6
- 76ers, 5
- Timberwolves, 5
- Jazz, 4
Central Notes: Monroe, Cavs, Pistons
Jared Cunningham, who is one of six camp invites fighting for a spot on the Cavs‘ 15-man regular season roster, is separating himself from the pack, head coach David Blatt said, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. Cunningham is averaging 20.5 points per game through Cleveland’s first two preseason games.
Including Tristan Thompson, who remains unsigned, the Cavs have one open roster spot, but Blatt hinted that two spots might be available, Haynes adds. While it is still early, Cunningham seems to have the advantage over the competition, according to Haynes.
Here’s more from around the Central Division:
- There’s a strong chance Richard Jefferson will be a solid backup to LeBron James and play well enough to keep the superstar fresh for the playoffs, Haynes writes in a separate story. Jefferson signed with the Cavs on a one-year deal.
- Greg Monroe, who signed a three-year, $50MM contract with the Bucks during the summer after playing last season in Detroit for a qualifying-offer salary, is quickly making strides toward fitting in on the court with his new teammates, Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel details. Monroe is fond of how the Bucks share the ball and said he is trying to get into position to get some early post-ups and kick out the ball to his teammates, according to Gardner. “I think I fit in with the guys,” Monroe said. “I know I made the right decision. I’m not questioning that. Now is just time to get better with the team so we can do something together.”
- It will be pivotal to the success of the Pistons if Ersan Ilyasova can rebound consistently, especially with Monroe’s departure, Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press writes.