Southwest Notes: Adams, Pachulia, D-League
Grizzlies shooting guard Jordan Adams is scheduled to undergo surgery on his right knee this Tuesday and there is currently no timetable for his return to action, the team announced. The procedure Adams will undergo is similar to the one big man Brandan Wright had back in December, and Wright was given a timetable of six to eight weeks for his recovery, Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal notes (via Twitter). The team also relayed in the press release that power forward Jarell Martin sustained a bone bruise in his left foot while on assignment to the Grizzlies’ D-League affiliate in Iowa and his condition will be re-evaluated in seven to 10 days.
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Mavericks center Zaza Pachulia is currently in his 13th season in the NBA and he appreciates all the opportunities that he has been given throughout his career, the big man told Rainer Saban of The Dallas Morning News. “I wouldn’t change anything, honestly. I would just keep everything because there is a reason why I am here at this point,” Pachulia said. “As you know, the average career for an NBA player is 4.5 years, 5 years. I doubled it so I must be doing something right — not only being out here, but I am enjoying playing basketball and I have great teammates, I am in a great organization with a great coaching staff. And we’re winning the games. I am fortunate to be in this situation. I wouldn’t change anything, obviously.“
- The Pelicans have been attempting to replicate the fast-paced offense of the Warriors but have experienced mixed results thus far, Brett Dawson of The New Orleans Advocate writes. “I think it’s been OK,” said coach Alvin Gentry, who was the lead assistant for the Warriors last year. “At the end of the day, we still want to play with more pace than we’re playing with.” The Pelicans are currently ranked 10th in the NBA in pace, averaging 98.8 possessions per 48 minutes, Dawson notes.
- The Grizzlies have recalled James Ennis and Martin from their D-League affiliate in Iowa, the team announced. Ennis is averaging 20.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 steal in 38.1 minutes per game for the Energy this season.
Western Notes: Davis, McDaniels, Lawson
Anthony Davis‘ maximum salary extension kicks in next season, and the Pelicans will have five years to show the power forward that New Orleans can be a championship contender, though the organization doesn’t feel like it is “on the clock” with its star player, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes. “If you look at a situation like that where it is five years,” coach Alvin Gentry said when asked if he feels pressure regarding Davis, “and you’ve got five years to make something happen and keep a guy here — the one thing that [GM] Dell Demps and [team executive] Mickey Loomis have done is that they’ve taken Anthony and surrounded him with really good people, really good players. There is an opportunity for us. When we get everybody healthy, we feel like we can compete with everyone. There is time to get things right.”
Though the team has downplayed the notion that Ryan Anderson will be traded prior to February’s deadline, NBA executives believe that if New Orleans is to make any personnel moves this season it will involve the power forward, Deveney relays. “He is really the only one that has value if you’re a playoff team,” one NBA executive said of Anderson. “I wouldn’t say they’re shopping him, as far as I know, but I would say they’re listening [to offers].”
Here’s the latest from out West:
- The NBA has suspended Rockets point guard Ty Lawson three games for the second of his two DUI arrests last year, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle relays. The league previously suspended Lawson for two games after he pleaded guilty to driving while impaired in Denver last January, and this latest suspension stems from a DUI arrest last June in Los Angeles.
- The Timberwolves continue to suffer from a lack of outside shooting and youthful mistakes and interim coach Sam Mitchell has until the end of the season to turn around these deficiencies if he hopes to be named head coach on a permanent basis, writes Michael Rand of The Star Tribune. Mitchell needs to prove to team management that he is indeed the person best suited to develop the franchise’s young talent, Rand adds.
- The Rockets have assigned swingman K.J. McDaniels to their D-League affiliate, Feigen notes (via Twitter). This will be McDaniels’ fourth trek to Rio Grande Valley on the season.
Central Notes: Butler, Christmas, Dinwiddie
The Bulls have gone 10-4 since Jimmy Butler made his controversial remarks about Fred Hoiberg‘s laid-back coaching style, and the team appears to have rallied together while playing some of its best basketball of the season, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune writes. “We’re just playing good basketball,” point guard Derrick Rose said. “On the offensive side the ball is moving. It seems like we know who is getting the ball at certain times. On the defensive side, it’s all about rebounding. If we rebound it’s like a 90-some percent chance we win the game. So it’s all about just communicating when we’re out there and getting rebounds.”
Rose, who has reportedly been at odds with Butler on occasion, was asked if the swingman was the most talented teammate he’s had since arriving in the NBA, to which Rose responded, “I think so, man. Who knows how good he can become? I just love his patience right now. He’s playing with unbelievable patience. He’s not rushing anything, he knows what he’s getting whenever he’s in the pick-and-roll or whenever he’s in the isolation. He’s reading everything the right way now.”
Here’s more from out of the Central Division:
- Free agent Dionte Christmas, whom the Cavaliers waived shortly before the season started, has signed with the Greek club AEK Athens, the team announced (h/t to international journalist David Pick). The 29-year-old shooting guard averaged 6.8 points in 19.9 minutes per game over four contests in the preseason for Cleveland.
- The return of Brandon Jennings from injury has created a bit of a logjam at point guard for the Pistons, but according to coach/executive Stan Van Gundy, it’s far from the worst thing a team could be faced with, notes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. When asked if dividing minutes between Jennings and Reggie Jackson could become a problem for him, Van Gundy said, “It will become an issue I’m sure. Anytime you’re dealing with the issue of trying to get enough minutes for more good players, that’s a good issue to have.”
- The Pistons have assigned point guard Spencer Dinwiddie to their D-League affiliate, the team announced via press release. Dinwiddie has appeared in nine games for Detroit this season and is averaging 4.4 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 12.3 minutes per game.
Ryan Gomes To Play For Lakers D-League Team
THURSDAY, 11:08am: Gomes will play for the D-League affiliate of the Lakers, who’ve claimed him from the D-League player pool, Reichert reports (on Twitter).
TUESDAY, 12:59pm: Eight-year NBA veteran Ryan Gomes has signed a D-League contract, a league source tells Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor (Twitter link). The D-League waiver system will determine which NBA team’s affiliate he’ll play for. The 33-year-old combo forward made 371 starts in 487 NBA appearances after the Celtics made him the 50th overall pick in 2005, but he’s been out of the NBA since Boston released him nearly two years ago to the day.
Gomes also played for the Timberwolves, Clippers and Thunder in between his Celtics stints, the last of which covered less than a day, as he’d gone to Boston from Oklahoma City as part of the three-team Courtney Lee trade involving Memphis on January 7th, 2014. He was a surprise addition to the Thunder opening night roster that season, and his five regular season appearances that year are his only ones since 2011/12. The Clippers waived him via the amnesty clause in the summer of 2012, clearing the $4MM they owed him for 2012/13 from their cap. L.A. signed him as a free agent in 2010 following a relatively successful three-year stint in Minnesota that included a career-high 13.3 points per game in 2008/09.
The former consensus All-American at Providence appeared in two games for Laboral Kuxta Baskonia of Spain last season before leaving the team, reportedly over a lack of playing time. He had been one of several free agents among the players amnestied since the reinstitution of the amnesty provision in 2011, as I noted Monday. He’ll remain eligible to sign with any NBA team regardless of the D-League affiliate he ends up with, and with the D-League showcase running Wednesday through Sunday, he’s in line to draw the eye of plenty of NBA scouts.
Magic Work To Set Up D-League Team In Florida
THURSDAY, 8:15am: The team confirmed that it’s begun the process of setting up a local one-to-one affiliate.
“Our goal is to have our Development League team closer to home, and we are beginning our due diligence to look at options in Central and Northern Florida,” Magic CEO Alex Martins said in a press release. “Having our D-League team closer to Orlando would give us the best opportunity to continue to develop our young players, while also extending the Magic brand in our region.”
Two of the eight locations the Magic are considering, Fort Myers and Estero, are in southwest Florida and closer to Miami than Orlando.
WEDNESDAY, 2:15pm: The Magic have begun work to have a D-League affiliate in Florida starting with the 2017/18 season, reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. The Erie BayHawks, based in Erie, Pennsylvania, became the Magic’s one-to-one affiliate last season, but the contract for the partnership between the two clubs is up after next season, Robbins points out. The Magic don’t own the BayHawks outright and instead have a “hybrid” partnership in which they run the basketball operations and Pennsylvania-based management is in charge of the business side. It’s not entirely clear whether the Magic would seek to move the BayHawks south or opt against renewing the contract and instead start a new D-League team of their own.
Magic GM Rob Hennigan has made it a goal to have a one-to-one affiliate in Florida since he joined the team in 2012, Robbins tweets. Partnering with the BayHawks represented a step toward that, as the Magic shared the Fort Wayne Mad Ants with five other NBA teams the season before they hooked up with Erie. Still, having an affiliate about 1,000 miles away isn’t ideal, particularly since other NBA teams, like the Thunder and Lakers, have D-League affiliates that play in the same city as they do. Orlando has only used its affiliate twice this season, sending Devyn Marble on a pair of assignments.
The Magic have sent requests for proposals to officials from eight Florida cities, including two locations in Orlando, a Magic spokesperson told Robbins. No D-League team currently plays in the southeastern United States, but the Hornets will place their affiliate in Greensboro, North Carolina, next season, and the Hawks are reportedly investigating the possibility of having a one-to-one affiliate in the future. The Heat have a one-to-one D-League partner, but it’s the Sioux Falls Skyforce, who play in South Dakota.
And-Ones: Simmons, Bickerstaff, D-League
LSU combo forward Ben Simmons is getting lots of attention as the No. 1 prospect for the 2016 draft, but it’s much too early to declare him a lock for the top pick, as Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress said to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports on “The Vertical” podcast (audio link at one-hour, one-minute mark). Duke small forward Brandon Ingram, No. 2 in Givony’s rankings, has fans in high places. “I think Ingram is absolutely still in the mix,” Givony said. “I know a lot of teams that have a real split in their front office right now. Some of them, you love the productivity of Simmons, he’s a safe pick, he’s an easy guy, you know he’s going to be a very, very good NBA player, while some of them say, ‘Hey, I love the upside of Brandon Ingram.’ Who knows what this kid can become three to four years from now? Is he going to be a Giannis Antetokounmpo, or someone like that, who just continually improves physically and skillwise and just becomes this devastating, 6’10” small forward who can score from all over the floor?”
Here’s more from around the league:
- The players on the Rockets enjoy watching interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff grow into his new role with the team, Jenny Dial Creech of The Houston Chronicle notes. “He is growing and learning … it’s like any rookie,” small forward Trevor Ariza said. “They have to take their bumps and bruises. You learn from them. He has done a great job learning – he is here all the time. He has improved game by game and day by day.” Ariza also noted that he appreciates Bickerstaff’s level of communication with the team, Creech adds. “He asks for everyone’s input on how we feel, what’s working, what we see and he puts his own twist on it to make us better,” Ariza said.
- If the NBA D-League is to continue to grow without diluting the available talent pool significantly, the league’s players may need to unionize in order to make salaries more competitive with overseas clubs, Adam Johnson of D-League Digest posits. D-League players don’t fall under the jurisdiction of the NBPA and player contracts are signed directly with the D-League while teams dictate which salary tier players are allotted, Johnson notes. While the pay in the D-League may not be significant, the showcase it provides for prospective NBA suitors is still a major benefit for players, the D-League Digest scribe adds. “Everyone wants to point to the salaries as being an issue, and while it is a valid criticism you can’t put a price on the level of exposure the league provides,” an NBA scout told Johnson.
- For the latest on the business relationship between LeBron James and Browns quaterback Johnny Manziel, check out our sister site, Pro Football Rumors (@pfrumors on Twitter).
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Sixers Notes: Brand, Wood, Smith
Elton Brand had mentally committed to retiring this summer, but the opportunity to make a positive impact on the Sixers’ young roster intrigued him, leading to his return to the NBA, Brian Seltzer of NBA.com writes. “It’s surreal,” Brand said about being back in the league. “A lot of fun. Came in, not too many expectations on the court. I did OK. I feel good about that.” Speaking about his potential retirement, Brand told Seltzer, “This chapter was done. I had made peace with it. I was honored and very thankful for the opportunity to be an NBA basketball player, especially for so long to have that longevity. So now, being out here again, I’ll make the best of it. I’m shooting corner three’s, I’m handling the ball, I’m doing everything. This is unexpected, so I’m thankful for the opportunity.”
“His mind is A-plus, and his purpose and our collective understanding of why he’s here is A-plus,” said Brown, who is thrilled to have Brand on the roster, Seltzer adds. “He understands where he can have the most value. And it’s pretty cool to have somebody like that around, with that resume, and that clear understanding of how he can help us and me the most. I just feel like when he speaks, I can tell already, he’s calculated on when he’s going to talk, and he knows that silence isn’t a bad thing. I’m sure he’s going to choose his place accordingly, and purposefully. But it is very cool for me to know his history, and to have him back in the program.”
Here’s more from out of Philadelphia:
- The Sixers’ lack of quality point guards has hampered the offensive development of a number of the team’s younger players, something coach Brett Brown hopes the addition of Ish Smith can alleviate, writes Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Daily News. “I think everybody benefits from good, stable point guard play,” Brown said. ”Because what happens is it’s such a pick-and-roll league that you can find perimeter people out of that through a point guard. It’s such a pace system that we run that you can find runners, shooters like that. I think that you can hit rollers, because of that. The point guard just connects the dots all over the place. All over the place and there’s probably no team that would resonate that opinion more than we do with what we’ve all been through.”
- Power forward Christian Wood has joined the Delaware 87ers, the Sixers’ D-League affiliate, after clearing waivers today, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor relays (via Twitter). The Sixers released Wood earlier this week to make room on the roster to ink Elton Brand.
And-Ones: D-League Showcase, Cavs, Terry
Former Nuggets point guard Erick Green heads the list of free agents at the D-League Showcase event that begins on Wednesday, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports opines. Shooting guard Elliot Williams, who was with the Pelicans, Hornets and Jazz last season, is second on Spears’ list, followed by point guard Lorenzo Brown, shooting guard Orlando Johnson and power forward Perry Jones. Brown saw action for the Timberwolves last season, Johnson played for the Pacers and Kings from 2012 to 2014 and Jones appeared in 43 games with the Thunder last season. Players at the Showcase are angling for opportunities to sign 10-day contracts.
In news around the NBA:
- The Cavaliers are leaning toward retaining combo guard Jared Cunningham, a source informed Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. Unless Cleveland waives Cunningham by the close of business Thursday, his $981,348 salary for the remainder of the season is guaranteed. It’s a bigger money commitment than that, since his salary would cost the Cavs approximately $3.8MM in luxury tax if no other changes are made to the roster. Cunningham will accompany the Cavs on their upcoming road trip, McMenamin continues, and is viewed by them as a young, versatile bench player who has endeared himself to his teammates. Joe Harris‘ potentially season-ending injury will not influence Cleveland’s decision, McMenamin adds.
- Jason Terry could be closing out more games for the Rockets, considering the way interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff gushed about him to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Terry, who has shared the point guard spot with Ty Lawson and Patrick Beverley, made a key basket and assist that lifted Houston to a two-point win over the Jazz on Monday. “Jet is clutch,” Bickerstaff said. “He’s been that way since I can remember, since he was in college at Arizona. In the big moments, when a big shot is needed, Jet makes those plays.”
- The Thunder assigned small forward Josh Huestis to their D-League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, according to the team’s website. Huestis has already appeared in 10 games for the Blue.
Northwest Notes: Kaman, Martin, Thunder
Trail Blazers reserve center Chris Kaman believes it’s a “high possibility” he will be moved before the trade deadline, he revealed to Jason Quick of CSNNW.com. Kaman told Quick that as part of the Blazers’ decision to pick up his $5MM option over the summer, president of basketball operations Neil Olshey made it clear he would be traded if the right deal came along. Kaman has only played in four games.
In other developments around the Northwest Division:
- Kevin Martin could be rejoining the rotation soon and center Nikola Pekovic could return to action on Wednesday, Timberwolves coach Sam Mitchell told Kent Youngblood of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Martin has not played the past seven games, in part because he has a wrist injury but mainly because the club wanted to audition Zach LaVine at shooting guard. But Mitchell told Youngblood that he may play more of his veterans in upcoming games. Pekovic is looking to make his season debut after undergoing Achilles surgery in April and is “50-50” to play on Wednesday, Mitchell said.
- Rookie point guard Emmanuel Mudiay will come off the bench in the short term when he returns to action, Nuggets coach Michael Malone told Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. Mudiay, who has missed the last 11 games with a right ankle injury, could be back in action on Wednesday but will be under a minutes restriction, Dempsey adds. “Right now, my gut feeling is to work him in, bring him in off the bench, let him get his feel back after missing as many games as he has,” Malone said. “That will also allow him to play against more second-line guys, get a little more comfortable, get his confidence back — not that he’s lost confidence. But just to feel good out there. Then, if he’s able to take his starting job back, then we’ll put him back in the lineup.”
- The Thunder allowed the $915,243 trade exception they acquired in last year’s three-team trade with the Knicks and Cavaliers to expire today, the one-year anniversary of the deal. The exception was a vestige of the team’s minimum-salary contract with Lance Thomas, who went to New York in the swap.
Heat Notes: Dragic, Wade, Winslow
The Suns are “always changing something,” unlike the Heat and Spurs, who show more loyalty, Goran Dragic contends in an interview with Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports. The point guard cautioned that he’s grateful to the Suns and has no regrets about his time with them, but he recounted his frustration with the team’s decision to sign Isaiah Thomas instead of a big man in the summer of 2014, as Lee details. The Suns are reeling now, losers of nine straight, and the chance to play for a consistent winner is what Dragic has wanted. “That’s why I didn’t hesitate to sign [with the Heat] in free agency, because they are always on top,” Dragic said to Lee. “They are always looking at that big picture to win a championship. I still remember that year with the Suns, when we made the [conference finals in 2010]. That was one of the best moments in my career and I want to feel that again, to be in the playoffs and to be a contender.”
See more amid the latest from Miami:
- Dwyane Wade likes to win, too, but he’s grateful in some regard for last season’s rare playoff miss for the Heat, notes Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post. “Nothing went right for us last year, but everything happened for a reason and it was much-needed rest for this team,” Wade said. “I ain’t gonna lie to you, I was happy. Once we weren’t good enough and we knew we weren’t winning the championship, I didn’t really care about making it to the first round just to say we made it to the first round. I enjoyed knowing I was going to have a long summer to focus on my body. It was good for us.”
- Rookie small forward Justise Winslow earned the respect of Pacers forward Paul George on Monday, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel reports. Indiana’s star player scored 32 points against the Heat but took 29 shots to reach that point total. Winslow limited him to one shot in overtime as the Heat pulled out the victory. “He’s got a lot to learn, but he’s a good, solid defender,” George said during his postgame interview. “He’s got great feet. He’s real aggressive. That’s what you want out of your young defenders.”
- Shooting guard Josh Richardson was assigned on Monday to the team’s D-League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, and will play in that league’s Showcase event which begins on Wednesday, Michael A. Scotto of the Associated Press tweets. Power forward Jarnell Stokes was also sent to the D-League, according to the team’s website, which confirmed the Richardson assignment.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.