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Southeast Notes: Dragic, Winslow, Thibodeau

April 19th, 2016 at 8:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Heat have a track record of luring free agents to Miami on below-market contracts, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald notes. Center Udonis Haslem offered an explanation for the trend, saying, “It’s a first-class organization, winning organization, and you see how [team president] Pat [Riley] and [owner] Micky [Arison] work together, how the players are treated, how we love being here. And [players] see other people make sacrifices and they start to wonder, ‘Why is everybody sacrificing to be there? Why is everybody sacrificing to stay there?’ When they get a chance to be a part of it, then they buy in.”

Combo guard Goran Dragic, who signed a five-year, $90MM deal this past offseason, left millions on the table from other suitors in order to remain part of the Heat’s winning culture, Jackson relays. “When the time came and we negotiated, [agent Rade Filopovich] said we can get more somewhere else,” Dragic said. “But the most important thing for me was to be in the right place to try to win a championship. I didn’t even want to question that. Because it’s a winning culture here. Everybody wants to win, at least the players that are here. You want to put yourself in a good situation that you can develop your game, that you can get better and get the highest prize. I’m happy here. I went through some struggles but I’m really happy I’m part of this team. Everything looks good now.”

Here’s more out of the Southeast Division:

  • The Hornets surprised a number of draft experts when they selected Frank Kaminsky over Justise Winslow in the first round of the 2015 NBA draft. Coach Steve Clifford indicated that it was a matter of redundancy that led Charlotte to pass on Winslow, Jackson relays in a separate piece. “[The decision] was difficult, because Justise is a good player. But so much of it is need. Justise’s position, that versatile three/four, is what we have in Michael Kidd-Gilchrist [who missed most of the season with injury]. But we were really high on Frank anyway,” Clifford said.
  • The Wizards may not be a good fit for Tom Thibodeau, since the team isn’t offering organizational control to head coaching candidates, and that’s something the former Bulls coach reportedly prefers, Ben Standig of CSN Mid-Atlantic notes. Scott Brooks is the reported front-runner for Washington’s coaching vacancy, though Thibodeau has also drawn consideration from the Wizards as well.
  • The Hawks have recalled swingman Lamar Patterson from the Austin Spurs of the NBA D-League, the team announced via press release.
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Southeast Notes: Beal, Lin, Whiteside, Patterson

April 18th, 2016 at 5:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

Bradley Beal is a virtual lock to elicit a max offer this summer, and “the consensus” is the Wizards will keep him, writes Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. Beal was somewhat vague when asked whether he plans on agreeing to an offer from the Wizards as soon as possible upon becoming a free agent in July or gauging bids from other teams, as Castillo relays. Either way, the Wizards have the right to match any offer for the soon-to-be restricted free agent. “I want to be here. I don’t know,” Beal said in response to the question. “I don’t even know what I’m getting into right now. It’s like choosing colleges again. But I’m happy where I am. Hopefully, we can agree with each other this summer and we can get it done. But if not, it’s a business at the end of the day.”

See more from the Southeast Division:

  • Jeremy Lin, who said he almost signed with the Mavericks for the $2.814MM room exception this past summer, drew an offer from the Nets for the $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level exception but turned it down, with his camp of the belief that he could get $5MM a year, league sources tell NetsDaily (Twitter link). Lin instead signed with the Hornets for the $2.139MM biannual exception amount.
  • Hassan Whiteside says he and his representatives tried several times without success to convince the Hornets to give him a tryout before he signed with the Heat last season, as Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post relays. Whiteside, who hits free agency again this summer, is from Gastonia, North Carolina, just outside of Charlotte.
  • The Hawks have assigned Lamar Patterson to the D-League affiliate of the Spurs, Atlanta announced. The D-League Spurs are set to play tonight as they resume a postseason game that had been suspended Sunday when condensation formed on the court. Atlanta’s next playoff game is Tuesday. The Hawks are without their own affiliate but have sent players, including Patterson, to the Austin Spurs on many occasions.
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2015/16 D-League Usage Report: Celtics

April 16th, 2016 at 10:15am CST by Eddie Scarito

The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow, and this season a total of 19 NBA teams have one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those NBA organizations without their own affiliates were required to assign players to D-League clubs associated with other NBA franchises. D-League teams could volunteer to take on the assigned players, and if no volunteers emerged, the players were assigned at random.

This significant change from the 2014/15 season came about after the Pacers purchased the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and turned them into their one-to-one partner for the 2015/16 campaign. Other NBA teams have interest in following suit in the years ahead, and the NBA’s ultimate goal for the D-League is for all 30 NBA franchises to have their own D-League squads. You can view the complete list of D-League affiliates here.

We at Hoops Rumors will be recapping the D-League-related activity for the 2015/16 campaign for each team, and we’ll continue onward with the the Boston Celtics, whose D-League affiliate is the Maine Red Claws:

The Celtics made 39 assignments for the 2015/16 campaign, sending five different players to the D-League for a total of 127 days. Listed below are all the assignments and recalls made by Boston for the 2015/16 campaign:

Here is how the Celtics’ players performed while on assignment to the D-League this season:

  • Coty Clarke: The small forward appeared in a total of 44 games for the Red Claws on the year, a number that includes his outings prior to being inked by Boston. Clarke averaged 16.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists to accompany a shooting line of .513/.406/.792.
  • R.J. Hunter: The shooting guard appeared in eight games for Maine and averaged 13.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 30.8 minutes per contest. His slash line was .359/.296/.741.
  • Jordan Mickey: The power forward made 23 appearances for the Red Claws and averaged 17.4 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.4 blocks in 33.4 minutes per contest. His shooting line was .531/.350/.745.
  • Terry Rozier: The rookie point guard appeared in 14 games for Maine and averaged 19.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 1.9 steals in 33.7 minutes per night. Rozier’s shooting line was .393/.338/.776.
  • James Young: The swingman appeared in 14 games, notching averages of 15.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 28.3 minutes per outing. His slash line was .409/.350/.814.
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Southeast Notes: Morris, Whiteside, Anderson

April 15th, 2016 at 9:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Injuries limited Alan Anderson to just 13 games for the Wizards this season, but the shooting guard, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent, wants to return to Washington next season, J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com writes. “I wasn’t able to show a lot of what I was capable of doing,” Anderson said. “I’m definitely a totally a different player than what I’ve shown. I definitely would love to be back. I expected to be back around January, then January went to February then February went to [late February], then I came back and got hurt again. I think me not playing kind of hurt us. I didn’t travel the first two months. We had no consistency. We’d beat tough teams and we’d lose to teams we should beat. We didn’t take care of home court as good as we should have. We were just like a roller coaster. In this league you can’t be that.”

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

  • Markieff Morris is thrilled to be a member of the Wizards and appreciates how the team has utilized him thus far, Ben Standing of CSN Mid-Atlantic relays. “I love my position,” Morris told Standig. “I think they’re using me to the best of my abilities. I love my position they have me in now. I get to roam the floor. I get post-ups sometimes. Play pick-and-roll with John. Play the popper when John Wall and Marcin Gortat are playing pick-and-roll. I can’t wait to get to the summer and work with these guys. I’m 100% [with the system] right now. It takes a little while, but I’ve been here for a little while now. I’m comfortable with everybody.“
  • Heat center Hassan Whiteside is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but he won’t let that overshadow his excitement at being in the playoffs, Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post relays. “I’m not gonna put a lot of pressure on myself,” Whiteside said. “When you start saying, ‘I gotta do this or that’… I’m just gonna play the way I’ve been playing and try to get every rebound and every block and play smart basketball. I’m not going to put pressure on myself.”
  • Magic GM Rob Hennigan noted that it was a priority for the team to sign players with experience in the league this offseason, a sentiment that was echoed by many on Orlando’s current roster, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel relays (Twitter links).
  • Hornets assistant Patrick Ewing‘s ability to relate to players is one of his strongest selling points in his bid to become a head coach, Adi Joseph of The Sporting News writes. “He’s been a tremendous help for me, personally,” Hornets combo forward Marvin Williams told Joseph. “Even though he played center, he knows the game, from the point guard to the center. So there’s been many, many times where he sees something out there, and he’ll pull me aside and help me out, whether it be offensively or defensively. He does that for a lot of guys on our team. He’ll be a fantastic head coach one day, no question.”
  • The Hawks have recalled swingman Lamar Patterson from the Austin Spurs of the NBA D-League, the team announced.
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And-Ones: Salary Cap, Draft, Jersey Ads

April 15th, 2016 at 4:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Croatian power forward Marko Arapovic will enter this year’s NBA draft, as he announced on Twitter, and the same is true for Slovenian shooting guard Blaz Mesicek, as his agent, Benjamin Stevic, told Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link). Both hold a degree of intrigue, with Givony having slotted the 6’6″, 18-year-old Mesicek at No. 32 in his 2017 mock draft, though he’s not in Givony’s top 100 prospects for this year. The 6’9″, 19-year-old Arapovic is 96th among this year’s prospects, as Givony ranks them, and he’s No. 100 with Chad Ford of ESPN.com. International prospects aren’t bound to NCAA rules, so they can hire agents and withdraw from the draft as late as June 13th.

Here’s more from around the league:

  • The latest official projection for next year’s salary cap is $92MM, according to a memo the NBA sent to executives around the league, notes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter link). That’s an increase on the $90MM projection reported in February, though many had already estimated the cap would wind up in the $92MM to $95MM range.
  • Owners sense the league is prosperous and the collective bargaining agreement is working, commissioner Adam Silver said today about this week’s board of governors meetings, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com relays (Twitter link). Silver remains optimistic about avoiding a work stoppage next year as negotiations with the players union progress toward a new labor deal, tweets Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post.
  • The addition of jersey ads, which the board of governors have formally approved for the start of the 2017/18 season, are liable to raise the salary cap $2MM to $3MM annually based on projections circulating around the league, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Silver estimates the ads will generate $100MM in annual revenue, according to Darren Rovell of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
  • French power forward/center Mathias Lessort intends to enter the 2016 NBA draft, YouFirstBasket.com announced (via Twitter). The 20-year-old is a long shot to be selected, not appearing among the top 100 players on either Ford’s or Givony’s rankings.
  • Vanderbilt junior center Damian Jones intends to enter the draft and will sign with Austin Brown of CAA, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com relays (Twitter links). Jones is ranked as the No. 21 overall prospect by Givony and comes in at No. 43 according to Ford. Jones has long planned to go into the draft this year, having said as much in October.
  • Former Pelicans big man Jarnell Stokes was named the MVP of the NBA D-League, the Sioux Falls Skyforce announced. In 28 D-League appearances, Stokes averaged 20.6 points and 9.3 rebounds in 30.7 minutes per contest.
  • Wichita State senior shooting guard Ron Baker has signed with agent Aaron Mintz of CAA, Goodman tweets. The 23-year-old is the No. 98 overall prospect in this year’s draft according to Givony.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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Pacific Notes: Scott, Russell, Karl, Clippers

April 15th, 2016 at 1:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Lakers coach Byron Scott struck a defiant tone in his end-of-season interview with the media today, lashing out at his critics, defending his approach with the team’s young players and saying that he “absolutely” believes he’ll be back to coach the team next season, even though he conceded GM Mitch Kupchak hasn’t given him any assurances. Skepticism has surrounded his long-term job security much of the season, but reports in recent days indicate Scott has a strong chance to stick around. Primary owner Jeanie Buss is making the case for Scott behind the scenes, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com heard. Scott said he thinks the team’s young players responded well to his communication style, which was often blunt and drew the ire of fans and the media. “To be honest with you, I‘m much smarter than all of them when it comes to basketball,” Scott said of his detractors. Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com, Bill Oram of the Orange County Register and Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News relayed Scott’s remarks (All four Twitter links).

See more from the Pacific Division:

  • The controversy surrounding D’Angelo Russell and Nick Young hurt the Lakers, Scott said, citing the trust issues it created, and while he said the two players have to work it out among themselves, he also expressed belief that the passage of time will help smooth out the situation, as Medina and Los Angeles Times scribe Eric Pincus relay (Twitter links). Still, Scott is high on Russell, Pincus tweets. “We love that kid,” Scott said.
  • George Karl, whom the Kings fired Thursday, has already been in contact with UNLV about its coaching job, and mutual interest exists between Karl and the school, which initiated the dialogue Thursday night, reports Dan Wolken of USA Today. The UNLV job is once more open after Chris Beard left Friday for Texas Tech less than two weeks after taking the Vegas job, Wolken notes.
  • The Clippers are exploring the idea of starting a D-League affiliate in Bakersfield, California, for next season, sources tell Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor. A void exists in Bakersfield, as the Suns this week announced they bought out the local owners of the D-League Bakersfield Jam and are moving their affiliate to Arizona, but the Bakersfield owners, Stan Ellis and David Higdon, are reportedly eager to partner with another NBA team. D-League president Malcolm Turner said the league would help them in that pursuit, Reichert notes. The Clippers are one of eight NBA teams remaining without a D-League affiliate. Startup costs would run an estimated $7MM, according to Reichert.
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Central Notes: Van Gundy, Rose, Bucks Arena

April 13th, 2016 at 9:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Pistons owner Tom Gores credits the decision to unify the position of coach and chief basketball executive and the subsequent hiring of Stan Van Gundy to fill that post as the primary reason the team was able to advance to the playoffs this season, Keith Langlois of NBA.com relays. “I think throughout the league are disconnects between the floor and the front office, but not everybody can do what Stan can do,” Gores said. “Coach and then think big picture, high level and what’s good for the franchise long term. I thought that was a way to accelerate our progress and I had seen enough in terms of how that can be disconnected. Hopefully, it has, and we’re in the playoffs now.”

The owner also indicated that the team’s plan all along was to set itself up for sustained success, Langlois adds. “When we talked the first time, we said we wanted to win but never sacrifice the future and we didn’t know how that was going to play out,” Gores said. “Stan deserves a lot of credit. He came in, really quickly changed the culture. We worked together setting up the organization. When I met with Stan those couple years ago, what he had to say really impressed me. But more importantly now, he just delivers. He’s hard working, dedicated and I think he’s a great role model for our players in terms of preparation.”

The team’s success under Van Gundy has caught the eye of Wolves owner Glen Taylor, who’s reportedly thinking about mimicking that unified coach/executive structure. Here’s more from the Central Division:

  • Bulls point guard Derrick Rose admits that the orbital fracture he suffered during the preseason affected his entire 2015/16 campaign, writes K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. “It set me back,” Rose said. “But everything happens for a reason. … I can’t look back on it and say, ‘All right, it stopped me from doing this and doing that.’ It made my bank shot better. That’s one of the positives I got out of it. And it gave me time to really look at the game.” Rose doesn’t place all the blame for his troubles on the eye injury, noting he usually is a slow starter, Johnson notes. “It would’ve been a process anyway,” Rose said. “Usually after I come back from working out during the summer, it takes me a couple games anyway because I don’t play pickup. Working out all the time is good, but you need bodies out there to get used to [opponents] being around.“
  • The Bucks have reached a 30-year lease agreement with the Wisconsin Center District, the agency that will own the basketball team’s future arena, Tom Daykin of The Journal Sentinel relays. The new facility is set to open in time for the start of the 2018/19 season.
  • The Cavaliers have recalled shooting guard Jordan McRae and center Sasha Kaun from their D-League affiliate in Canton, the team announced.
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2015/16 D-League Usage Report: Hawks

April 12th, 2016 at 9:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow and this season a total of 19 NBA teams have one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those NBA organizations without their own affiliates were required to assign players to D-League teams associated with other NBA franchises. D-League teams could volunteer to take on the assigned players, and if no volunteers emerged, the players were assigned at random.

This significant change from the 2014/15 season came about after the Pacers purchased the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and turned them into their one-to-one partner for the 2015/16 campaign. Other NBA teams have interest in following suit in the years ahead, and the NBA’s ultimate goal for the D-League is for all 30 NBA franchises to have their own D-League squads. You can view the complete list of D-League affiliates here.

We at Hoops Rumors will be recapping the D-League-related activity for the 2015/16 campaign for each team and we’ll begin with the the Atlanta Hawks, one of the 11 NBA franchises without their own D-League affiliate:

The Hawks made 18 assignments for the 2015/16 campaign, sending three different players to the D-League for a total of 122 days (and counting). Atlanta sent the majority of their assignees (14 out of the 18) to the Spurs’ affiliate in Austin, which is only logical given the similarities between the two teams’ systems. The Hawks also made three assignments to the Canton Charge, who are the Cavaliers’ affiliate, and one to the Bakersfield Jam, who are affiliated with the Suns.

Listed below are all the assignments and recalls made by the Hawks for the 2015/16 campaign:

Here is how the Hawks’ players performed while on assignment to the D-League this season:

  • Tim Hardaway Jr. — In five combined appearances, the shooting guard averaged 18.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 26.9 minutes per contest. His shooting line on the season is .413/.324/.882.
  • Lamar Patterson — In 19 combined appearances, Patterson notched averages of 12.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 26.9 minutes per night. The swingman’s slash line is .432/.257/.783.
  • Edy Tavares — In 29 combined appearances, the center averaged 9.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 3.3 blocks in 21.6 minutes per outing. His slash line is .652/.000/.707.
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Suns Notes: Majerle, D-League, Goodwin

April 12th, 2016 at 2:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Dan Majerle said the Suns haven’t contacted him about their head coaching job, in spite of a report indicating that he’s among those the team is considering, according to Richard Obert of the Arizona Republic. Majerle, who coaches upstart Grand Canyon University, added that the Sixers haven’t spoken with him either, short-circuiting any speculation connecting him to Jerry and Bryan Colangelo, Sixers executives with whom he’s close, Obert writes. Majerle’s remarks came before he attended Monday’s Suns game to hand out an award for the organization (Twitter link).

While we wait to hear whether the Suns will ultimately reach out to their former player and assistant coach, see more from Phoenix:

  • The Suns bought out the local ownership of the Bakersfield Jam, their D-League affiliate, and are moving the team to Prescott Valley, Arizona, for next season, the D-League and the Suns announced. The D-League club will henceforth be known as the Northern Arizona Suns. An option in Phoenix’s operating agreement with Bakersfield ownership allowed the NBA team to make the purchase, and Phoenix team president Jason Rowley said the organization considered moving the affiliate to locations around Phoenix and Tucson before settling on Prescott Valley, as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic details. It’s unclear how much money changed hands in the deal, but Adam Johnson of D-League Digest hears the former Bakersfield owners will seek to partner with another NBA team looking for an affiliate (Twitter link).
  • Archie Goodwin has seen more minutes and an increased role in the offense the past two games for the Suns, and he’s hopeful that it’s a harbinger of what’s to come, as Coro details in a separate piece. Goodwin, the 29th pick in 2013, is eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer heading into the final year on his contract, but he’s made just 15 career NBA starts. “I’ve always been confident in knowing that I work hard to where I can be a starter in this league,” Goodwin said. “I just have to remain patient, work hard and it’s going to happen for me eventually. Hopefully, it’s here. I just hope that the opportunity that I use won’t be wasted and I can go and continue to prove myself.”
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And-Ones: Colangelo, Luwawu, Motiejunas

April 11th, 2016 at 10:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA placed restrictions on Jerry Colangelo after the Sixers hired him as chairman of basketball operations in December, sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Rival executives were concerned about Colangelo’s access to star players as USA Basketball’s managing director, fearing he would have an advantage in courting top free agents, Wojnarowski continues. The limitations include Colangelo’s ability to communicate directly with players outside of USA Basketball activities, as well as his impact on the final voting process for national team and Olympic rosters, league sources indicated to Wojnarowski. The limitations will remain in place even though he relinquished his title as the Sixers’ chairman of basketball operations after his son Bryan was hired as president of basketball operations. Jerry Colangelo will now serve as a special adviser to the team’s ownership group, Wojnarowski notes.

In other developments around the league:

  • Timothe Luwawu, a lottery-level prospect from France, has no intention of withdrawing from the draft in the wake of agent Misko Raznatovic’s announcement earlier today that he’s entered, tweets international journalist David Pick. “I’m ready,” Luwawu told Pick. “I’m going to the NBA.” The swingman is the No. 12 prospect in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com lists him 19th.
  • Marquette freshman power forward Henry Ellenson has signed with agent Joe Branch of Roc Nation, Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops tweets. Ellenson, who declared for the draft earlier this month, is the No. 6 prospect on Ford’s Big Board, while Givony ranks him at No. 9.
  • Donatas Motiejunas started Sunday’s game for the Rockets, his 20th of the season and 82nd since the start of 2014/15, enough to trigger the NBA’s starter criteria, as we explained Friday. That means the Rockets will have to make a qualifying offer worth $4,433,683 instead of just $3,278,998 by June 30th to retain the right to match competing bids for the power forward, who’s headed into free agency.
  • Bob Donewald, Jr. will not return next season as the head coach of the Grizzlies’ D-League affiliate, the Iowa Energy, the team announced on its website. Donewald compiled a 52-48 record with the Energy, including a 26-24 record this season.
  • The Cavaliers recalled center Sasha Kaun and shooting guard Jordan McRae from their D-League affiliate, the Canton Charge, according to the team’s website. They had been assigned to the Charge earlier in the day. The pair will be reassigned to the Charge on Tuesday, Josh Weir of The Repository tweets.
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