Lakers Notes: Williams, Brown, Bryant
While the Lakers experienced some growing pains with their rookies early on, notably with D’Angelo Russell, 10-year veteran Lou Williams has also had issues adjusting with his new team, but coach Byron Scott still has faith in the point guard, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes. Williams signed a three-year, $21MM deal with the Lakers in the summer after he scored 15.5 points per game on 40.5% shooting last season in Toronto, where he won the Sixth Man of the Year award. Despite Williams’ shooting production being down, Scott has elected to use Williams in the fourth quarter of games instead of Russell, Medina adds.
“I don’t worry about Lou that much,” Scott said. “He’s one of those guys that knows how to create opportunities for himself. When he’s not shooting well, he can still get up numbers for us.”
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- The Lakers recalled rookie swingman Anthony Brown from the D-League, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders relays on Twitter. The Lakers’ D-League affiliate acknowledged the move (Twitter link).
- Brown may soon be assigned to the D-League again because Scott wants Brown to work on his ball-handling and develop more experience for the next two months, Medina, in a separate piece, relays. There is a decent chance Brown can make the Lakers’ lineup before that time period, Medina adds, but that would likely depend on the play of Metta World Peace, who has surprised with his conditioning.
- Kobe Bryant expressed little concern over his season-high 37 minutes played Friday night, Bill Oram of the Orange County Register details. With hints toward retirement at the end of this season, Bryant has averaged 31.1 minutes per game heading into action Sunday, as Oram points out. “My workload has been really light,” Bryant said.
Mavericks Rumors: Cuban, Ex-Jazz, Iguodala
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban expects the soaring salary cap to bring significant changes to the league next season, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. In a wide-ranging interview, Cuban touched on the planning implications that come with an increased cap. “It’s going to change a lot,” Cuban said. “More from a strategy perspective, it makes the value of draft choices go through the roof because they’re pegged at a certain price. Minimum contracts will go through the roof. Anybody that signs for the mid-level, the value goes through the roof.” He added that it will be more difficult for teams to assemble multiple stars when they’re each making more than $30MM per season.
Cuban also addressed this week’s firing of Rockets coach Kevin McHale, who guided the team to the Western Conference Finals last season, but stumbled to a 4-7 start. “So I’ve said it before, the hardest thing for an NBA owner to do is hire a coach,” Cuban said. “The easiest thing to do is fire a coach. The reason it’s hard to hire a coach, coaches are great at date-face, they know exactly what your weaknesses are and they know exactly how to sell to those weaknesses, so it’s really difficult to pick it right and it’s 90% luck.”
There’s more news out of Dallas:
- After adding Deron Williams, Wesley Matthews and Jeremy Evans over the summer, the Mavericks are taking on the look of the old Jazz teams, writes Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. Devin Harris is the fourth former Utah player on the roster, which Evans said helped to ease the transition when he signed with Dallas. “We always have something we can talk about — when we were in Utah, the times that we were together, the teammates there and what happened that year,” Evans said. “We know those guys and have fun here.”
- Cuban insists the team was “20 minutes away” from acquiring Andre Iguodala from the Sixers in 2012, tweets Dwain Price of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Instead, Philadelphia traded Iguodala to the Nuggets.
- The Mavericks have recalled Justin Anderson and Salah Mejri from the D-League, the team announced today. Anderson, a 6’6″ guard, is averaging 3.2 points and 1.3 rebounds in 10 games with Dallas, while Mejri, a 7’2″ center, hasn’t scored and has five rebounds in four games.
Atlantic Notes: Nets-Celtics Deal, Bradley, Caboclo
The future looks vastly different for the Nets and Celtics two years after the eight-player deal that brought Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to Brooklyn, according to Chris Forsberg and Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com. The key to the trade for Boston was a parcel of draft picks that included the Nets’ unprotected first-rounders in 2014, 2016 and 2018, along with the option to swap first-round picks in 2017. As a result, the 7-5 Celtics are looking at a draft bonanza over the next three seasons, while the 2-11 Nets must focus on free agency to have any shot at rebuilding. Mazzeo notes that Brooklyn GM Billy King is in the final year of his contract, and Nets fans are worried that if he stays with the team next summer, he will spend a possible $40MM in cap space on lesser free agents if he doesn’t land Kevin Durant or Mike Conley. Forsberg speculates that Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge may be willing to trade the Nets’ 2016 pick to acquire an impact player for this season.
There’s more news from the Atlantic Division:
- Brooklyn coach Lionel Hollins told Brian Robb of CBSBoston.com that he doesn’t dwell on the traded picks and believes the Nets can be successful without them. “I think more importantly it’s what we do daily, the foundation that we lay,” Hollins said. “There’s always second-round picks that are bought. There’s always second-round picks that are traded.”
- Four productive games off the bench have the Celtics thinking about keeping Avery Bradley in that role, Forsberg writes in a separate story. Bradley has been a starter in Boston for the past three seasons, but switched to a reserve role earlier this month while returning from a calf injury. “I’m not thinking,” Bradley said about the difference in coming off the bench. “Even if I did happen to go back to the starting lineup or whatever, I just need to continue to just play hard. That’s the most important thing for all of us. I feel like the best way to play basketball is without thinking. That’s when we are all at our best.”
- Bruno Caboclo, whom Toronto took with the 20th pick in the 2014 NBA draft, is considered a franchise player for the Raptors‘ new D-League squad, according to Michael Grange of SportsNet. The 20-year-old Brazilian appeared in just eight games for Toronto last season but is getting attention with his play for Raptors 905.
And-Ones: Towns, Magic, Raptors
Karl-Anthony Towns has been able to contribute right away for the Wolves and he credits his experience playing for Kentucky for his ability to succeed, Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders writes.
“It feels like I already played a full professional season having been at the University of Kentucky,” Towns told Brigham. “Put that with the amount of away games we had there and we were also never home, so I transitioned well into the NBA with the travel and everything. It just has come easier for me than for a lot of people.”
New additions Andre Miller and Tayshaun Prince as well as Kevin Garnett, who came back to Minnesota via trade at last season’s deadline, have also helped Towns avoid a learning curve.
“When you talk about a mentor like KG, for me, [he] just teaches me a lot of the knowledge that he possesses,” Towns said. “That’s a lot more valuable than any of the shots that I might shoot in the gym. His experience, his talent, his ability to do things that so many people in this game have never figured out how to do, having him here to teach me those things is a blessing.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- The Magic are unlikely to seek out trades or make major changes this year, as they will use this season to figure out which players are long-term pieces, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders writes. Kyler examines the roster and believes the team is still one major piece away from becoming a real contender.
- Jonas Valanciunas will forgo surgery on his left hand and will instead opt for rehab, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reports. The center fractured his hand during Friday’s win over the Lakers and he will miss an extended period of time, though no timeline for his return has been given.
- The Raptors have recalled Lucas Nogueira from the Raptors 905, the team’s D-League affiliate, according to a team press release. The center played four games during his assignment, averaging 9.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game.
Central Notes: Noah, Varejao, D-League
Joakim Noah, who will be a free agent after the season, is struggling to find his rhythm and the center believes it’s because of a lack of scoring chances, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com writes.
“I just got to be more aggressive. I got to be more aggressive offensively and look for my opportunities. Right now, I’m just not really sure where I can get them, but when they come I have to be ready and I have to be ready to score,” Noah said.
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- Anderson Varejao hasn’t received the playing time that he is accustomed to seeing and the big man admits that it’s not an ideal situation, Chris Fedor of the Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. “It’s tough. It’s not easy,” Varejao said. “You never know how much you can do in practice because you never know if you’re going to play or not, but the main thing is stay ready.”
- The Cavs have recalled Joe Harris from the Canton Charge, the team’s D-League affiliate, according to a team press release. Harris averaged 26.0 points and 9.0 rebounds during two games for the Charge.
- The Bulls have sent Cameron Bairstow to the D-League and the Bucks will do the same with Damien Inglis, according to Adam Johnson of D-League Digest (Twitter link). Neither franchise has its own D-League affiliate and the affiliates to which they’ve been assigned have yet to be announced.
Atlantic Notes: Valanciunas, McConnell, Porzingis
Undrafted rookie point guard T.J. McConnell has been one of the early season’s pleasant surprises for the Sixers, something that even McConnell didn’t anticipate, Andy Jasner of NBA.com writes. “Did I expect to play this much so early in the season?,” McConnell asked. “I would have to say, ‘no.’ Like I’ve said, weird things have gone on. My number has been called and I’m going in to compete and fight for minutes. It’s every day that you have to compete and play hard and learn. To keep this dream going, it’s keeping that work ethic going and continuing to play well. I just want to take advantage of this amazing opportunity.”
McConnell is a realist and understands that his future with the team is unclear once Kendall Marshall and Tony Wroten return to action, Jasner adds. “I hope so,” McConnell responded when asked if he had a future in Philly. “I’ve already had such a great experience here. The coaches and my teammates are amazing to be around every day. My teammates are always encouraging me and the coaches are teaching all the time. I’m here to learn and get better. I don’t ever want to look down the road. Sure, I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t think about it. But my job is to stay in the moment and improve as much as possible.”
Here’s more from out of the Atlantic Division:
- Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas fractured the fourth metacarpal in his non-shooting hand on Friday night, and will be evaluated to determine just how long he’ll be out of action, the team announced via a press release (h/t to ESPN.com). Valanciunas broke a similar bone in his right hand during his 2012/13 rookie season and missed 18 games as a result.
- Kristaps Porzingis has taken New York by storm, as well as surprised many around the league with his solid start, but the Knicks rookie isn’t shocked that he has been able to contribute immediately, Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post writes. “Everybody [was] saying project, few years,” Porzingis said. “I will get better in a few years, but I knew I’d be able to play right now.”
- The Celtics have recalled Terry Rozier and James Young from the Maine Red Claws, their D-League affiliate, the team announced.
Erick Green Joins Kings D-League Team
Former Nuggets point guard Erick Green has signed with the NBA D-League and has been claimed via the league’s waiver process by the Reno Bighorns, the Kings’ D-League affiliate, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor reports (Twitter link). Green will still be free to sign with any interested NBA team if offered a deal.
Green was cut loose by Denver earlier this month in order to clear a roster slot so that the team could re-sign Kostas Papanikolaou, whose services were sorely needed after injuries had sidelined Wilson Chandler, Jusuf Nurkic, Joffrey Lauvergne and Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets were high on Green’s potential, with GM Tim Connelly saying of the point guard, “He lives in the gym, everyone in this building has a positive impression of Erick, not just him as a player but him as a person. He’s a fantastic person, and he’s going to be back in the NBA, ASAP. He’s a guy we’ll keep close tabs on. You never close the door, especially for a guy who has done as much as Erick and worked as hard as he has.”
The 24-year-old was the No. 46 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. He has appeared in a total of 46 contests over two seasons with Denver, averaging 3.2 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists. Green’s career NBA slash line is .374/.292/.833.
Western Notes: Rondo, D-League, Bledsoe
The one-year, $9.5MM deal that the Kings inked Rajon Rondo to this past offseason looks like a bargain based on the point guard’s early season play, James Ham of CSNBayArea.com writes. Rondo gives much of the credit for his hot start to embattled coach George Karl, Ham notes. “Coach, it has to do with coach, it has to do with team, it has to do with freedom,” Rondo said. “They all play a role. I worked my butt off this summer and I’m continuing to get better.” Despite leading the NBA in triple-doubles, Rondo believes he can get better , the CSN scribe relays. “Now, I still have room to improve,” Rondo said. “I want to improve my shooting, my free-throw shooting, keeping my turnovers down. I still have a lot of room to grow. Like I said, it starts with your coach. If your coach doesn’t believe in you, then as you see, it can happen to anybody.”
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- The Mavericks assigned swingman Justin Anderson and center Salah Mejri to the Texas Legends, their D-League affiliate, the team announced via a press release. These are the first D-League assignments of the season for Dallas.
- The Suns‘ backcourt tandem of Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight is beginning to show promise, with Bledsoe playing some of the best basketball of his career, something the front office credits to his offseason work ethic, writes Dan Bickley of The Arizona Republic. “None of us were happy with the way last season ended, losing 10 of 11 games,” GM Ryan McDonough said. “But Eric was in the gym five days a week, showing up at eight in the morning during the dog days of summer. He told us, ‘Just let me know what you need me to work on.’ It’s something Eric really took seriously.”
- Bledsoe’s maturation as a player has silenced a number of his critics, and McDonough believes the young point guard’s struggles of a season ago were directly related to the unsettled roster and personnel changes, Bickley notes in the same piece. “It’s important to remember last year was his first full season as a starter,” McDonough said. “I think he was just trying to figure it out. There was also a lot of turmoil with our team internally. Some players didn’t accept their roles as well as they should’ve and were shipped out at the trade deadline. So we put a lot on Eric’s shoulders. And I thought he handled it well. Eric kept his mouth shut and played hard, giving great effort defensively.“
Eastern Notes: Harris, Stoudemire, Dudley
Despite beginning their inaugural campaign winless, the Raptors‘ D-League affiliate isn’t going to judge its success based on winning percentage, but rather by how well it develops the franchise’s young talent like Bruno Caboclo and Lucas Nogueira, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca writes. “It’s hard because so much in professional basketball is gauged on wins and losses, and it’s just not that way here,” said Raptors 905 coach Jesse Mermuys. “That’s not the goal and so really if we start getting guys called up, then we’re having success. And if we start losing players to other teams and for some reason Lucas and Bruno are able to enter a [NBA] game this season for whatever reason and perform at a decent level, then it’s a success. We’re just going to really focus on the players, put the players’ development in the forefront. That’s a hard thing for a coach to do but I’m fully aware of it. I’m committed to it.”
Here’s more from the East:
- The Cavaliers have assigned shooting guard Joe Harris to the Canton Charge, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be the second jaunt of the season to Canton for Harris.
- Heat power forward Amar’e Stoudemire has only made two appearances this season and says that keeping himself prepared for this type of role is the most difficult thing that he has had to do in his career, Ethan J. Skolnick of The Miami Herald tweets. The veteran big man inked a one-year, $1.5MM deal with Miami this past summer.
- Jared Dudley is finally healthy and he is beginning to make an impact on the court for the Wizards, but despite the swingman being primarily known as a scorer, he’s finding other ways to contribute to the team, J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com notes. “It’s not so much scoring,” coach Randy Wittman said of Dudley. “Spacing, smart, ball movement, being in the right spot, fighting his tail off at the defensive end. I like those things that he’s done the last couple of games.“
Atlantic Notes: Durant, Okafor, D-League
Knicks coach Derek Fisher has strong ties to Kevin Durant from their time as teammates with the Thunder. Fisher said that he regrets not doing more to help OKC win a title while he was there, and he called Durant “one of the greats,” Marc Berman of The New York Post relays. “We didn’t win a championship,’’ Fisher said regarding playing with Durant. “That was definitely why I was there. We didn’t get that done. Obviously, he’s a great player. I was fortunate to play with a lot of great ones over the course of my career. He’s definitely one of the greats.’’ Not wanting to risk a tampering charge regarding the future unrestricted free agent, Fisher wisely avoided going into detail on what makes Durant great, Berman adds. “This is a new position for me,’’ Fisher continued. “I’ll stay away from celebrating guys I used to play with that are pending free agents. Keep it at that.’’
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Sixers coach Brett Brown is considering shifting rookie Jahlil Okafor to power forward and moving Nerlens Noel to center, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays (Twitter link). One of the primary concerns regarding Philly stockpiling big men via the draft is how well they would mesh alongside one another, and it will be interesting to see if this move helps or hurts the development of Okafor, a natural center, in the long run.
- Establishing their new D-League affiliate wasn’t an easy task, notes Raptors GM Masai Ujiri, but the franchise felt it was an important step if it wanted to properly develop its younger players, writes Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun. D-League president Malcolm Turner agreed the process was difficult, but worth it for both the Raptors and the league, Wolstat adds. “Yeah, certainly there’s some back of house, logistics, in terms of crossing the border and other arrangements we needed to make,” Turner said. “We’re growing as a property, it really wasn’t a question of if, but when. The popularity of the sport in this market, in this country, the success of Canadian players throughout the game and frankly, others who are connected to the game, coaches and otherwise, is well-documented.”