Western Notes: Brooks, Love, Parsons
Scott Brooks would still be the Thunder coach if Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook had strongly objected to the decision to fire him, David Aldridge of NBA.com opines. While Durant and Westbrook were protective of Brooks, they accepted the decision by Oklahoma City’s management, Aldridge continues. The Thunder could not afford the risk of waiting to bring in a new coach after next season when Durant hits the free agent market, Aldridge concludes.
In other news around the Western Conference:
- Kevin Love‘s shoulder injury, which will keep him out of the Eastern Conference playoff semifinals, could have a major impact on his potential free agency and the Lakers’ offseason blueprint, Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report tweets. Love, who holds an approximate $16.7MM player option on his contract for next season, is at the forefront of the Lakers’ rebuilding plans, Ding adds.
- Chandler Parsons might need microfracture surgery on his right knee, which could keep him out of action at the start of next season, sources told Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. That could play a role in the Mavericks’ offseason strategy, considering they signed Parsons last summer to be their starting small forward. Parsons will make approximately $15.36MM next season and holds an option of just over $16MM on the final year of his deal in 2016/17. It’s still possible Parsons would only require arthroscopic surgery on the knee, which has a shorter recovery period, MacMahon adds.
- The Warriors added more depth to their postseason roster by recalling center Ognjen Kuzmic and forward James Michael McAdoo from their D-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, according to the team’s website. Kuzmic and McAdoo helped Santa Cruz win the D-League championship over the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, as the duo combined for 31 points and 17 rebounds in the clinching 109-96 victory on Sunday night.
Pacific Notes: Rondo, Bledsoe, Warriors
The Warriors beat the Pelicans by a score of 109-98 on Saturday to sweep their first round series. Golden State is hitting on all cylinders and I chronicled the moves that GM Bob Myers made to put a championship contender on the floor in his Executive of the Year Candidate piece.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- The Lakers might be the only team to offer Rajon Rondo a sizable contract, Tim Bontemps of the New York Post opines. Bomtemps speculates that the point guard will struggle to get a contract that exceeds $10MM to $12MM per year.
- The Suns are optimistic that Eric Bledsoe can be a cornerstone for the team, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic writes. “The exciting thing for us about Eric is he’s still just starting to scratch the surface of his potential,” GM Ryan McDonough said. “Last year [2013/14], he started for half a season and you saw glimpses of it. I think there some questions externally, certainly not from us, but could he do it as a starter, could he do it over the course of an 82-game season? I think he certainly proved he could with the numbers he averaged.” The point guard averaged 17.0 points, 6.1 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game.
- Golden State has assigned James Michael McAdoo to its D-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, according to the team’s twitter feed. This will be the forward’s fourth stint in the D-League this season.
Southwest Notes: Mavericks, Howard, Leonard
It’s possible that Raymond Felton and Richard Jefferson have played their last game with the Mavericks, according to Jenny Dial Creech of The Houston Chronicle. Both are listed as questionable for Game 4 of their series with the Rockets after leaving Game 3 early. Felton is battling a sore hamstring, and Jefferson has a calf injury. “I believe that Felton is probably going to be able to play,” coach Rick Carlisle said after today’s practice. “Jefferson is getting a lot of treatment so we will check on him tomorrow.” Felton has a player option for nearly $4MM next season, while Jefferson is on a one-year deal worth more than $1.4MM. The Rockets have a 3-0 lead in the series.
There’s more from the Southwest Division on a playoff weekend:
- After more than two months of battling knee problems, the Rockets‘ Dwight Howard looks like himself again, writes Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. Swelling in his right knee cost Howard a huge chunk of the regular season. He was able to return late in the year, but was on a strict minutes restriction. However, he has put up huge numbers in the playoffs, including a 26-rebound performance in Friday’s Game 3. “I think he’s getting comfortable with what he’s doing and playing well,” said coach Kevin McHale, “and he’s got great energy and his leg looks great, fantastic.” The Rockets are hoping to find playoff success with Howard, who has an opt-out clause after the 2015/16 season.
- The presence of Kawhi Leonard means the Spurs’ future is secure, contends Scott Cacciola of The New York Times. The 23-year-old, who was named Defensive Player of the Year this week, celebrated Friday by torching the Clippers for 32 points in Game 3 of their playoff series. Leonard can become a restricted free agent this summer, but is considered virtually certain to remain in San Antohio.
- Rookie Fuquan Edwin will join the Pelicans’ summer league team, according to Enea Trapani of Sportando. Edwin has signed to play in Venezuela with Guaros de Lara. He spent this season with Sioux Falls in the D-League, averaging 13.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
2014/15 D-League Usage Report: Mavericks
The D-League’s regular season is now complete, and the three-round D-League playoffs are winding down. The relationship between the NBA and the D-League continues to grow, and 17 NBA franchises currently have one-to-one D-League affiliates amongst the 18 D-League teams. The remaining 13 NBA teams shared the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this season.
We at Hoops Rumors will be recapping each team’s use of the D-League this season, looking at assignments and recalls as well as the players signed out of the D-League. We’ll continue onward with a look back at how the Mavericks utilized the D-League during the 2014/15 campaign…
D-League Team: Texas Legends
Affiliation Type: One-to-one
D-League Team Record: 22-28
Number of NBA Players Assigned To D-League: 2
Total D-League Assignments: 17
Player Stats While On Assignment
- Ricky Ledo: 9 assignments, 26 games, 15.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 4.2 APG. .446/.288/.756.
- Dwight Powell: 8 assignments, 8 games, 28.3 PPG, 9.4 RPG, and 3.3 APG. .600/.440/.612.
D-League Signings
- None
Assignment/Recall Log
- November 20th: Assigned Ricky Ledo (Recalled November 24th)
- November 27th: Assigned Ricky Ledo (Recalled December 4th)
- December 5th: Assigned Ricky Ledo (Recalled December 6th)
- December 8th: Assigned Ricky Ledo (Recalled December 12th)
- December 18th: Assigned Ricky Ledo (Recalled December 18th)
- December 19th: Assigned Ricky Ledo (Recalled December 20th)
- December 27th: Assigned Ricky Ledo (Recalled December 28th)
- December 27th: Assigned Dwight Powell* (Recalled December 28th)
- January 3rd: Assigned Ricky Ledo (Recalled January 6th)
- January 9th: Assigned Ricky Ledo (Recalled February 2nd)
- March 7th: Assigned Dwight Powell (Recalled March 8th)
- March 11th: Assigned Dwight Powell (Recalled March 12th)
- March 12th: Assigned Dwight Powell (Recalled March 13th)
- March 14th: Assigned Dwight Powell (Recalled March 15th)
- March 21st: Assigned Dwight Powell (Recalled March 23rd)
- March 25th: Assigned Dwight Powell (Recalled March 26th)
- April 3rd: Assigned Dwight Powell (Recalled April 4th)
*Note: Powell had five previous assignments as a member of the Celtics.
2014/15 D-League Usage Report: Cavaliers
The D-League’s regular season is now complete, and the three-round D-League playoffs are winding down. The relationship between the NBA and the D-League continues to grow, and 17 NBA franchises currently have one-to-one D-League affiliates amongst the 18 D-League teams. The remaining 13 NBA teams shared the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this season.
We at Hoops Rumors will be recapping each team’s use of the D-League this season, looking at assignments and recalls as well as the players signed out of the D-League. We’ll begin with a look back at how the Cavaliers utilized the D-League during the 2014/15 campaign…
D-League Team: Canton Charge
Affiliation Type: One-to-one
D-League Team Record: 31-19
Number of NBA Players Assigned To D-League: 2
Total D-League Assignments: 14
Player Stats While On Assignment:
- Alex Kirk: 5 assignments, 41 games, 12.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.2 APG. .492/.219/.727.
- Joe Harris: 11 assignments, 11 games, 14.1 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 3.5 APG. .391/.261/.733.
D-League Signings
- None
Assignment/Recall Log
- November 14th: Assigned Alex Kirk (Recalled November 17th)
- November 19th: Assigned Alex Kirk (Recalled November 24th)
- November 30th: Assigned Alex Kirk (Recalled December 1st)
- December 4th: Assigned Alex Kirk (Recalled December 21st)
- January 20th: Assigned Joe Harris (Recalled January 21st)
- January 24th: Assigned Joe Harris (Recalled January 25th)
- January 27th: Assigned Joe Harris (Recalled January 28th)
- January 29th: Assigned Joe Harris (Recalled February 2nd)
- February 5th: Assigned Joe Harris (Recalled February 8th)
- February 12th: Assigned Joe Harris (Recalled February 18th)
- March 20th: Assigned Joe Harris (Recalled March 23rd)
- March 31st: Assigned Joe Harris (Recalled April 1st)
- April 3rd: Assigned Joe Harris (Recalled April 10th)
- April 13th: Assigned Joe Harris (Recalled April 15th)
- April 18th: Assigned Joe Harris (Recalled April 20th)
Southwest Notes: Rondo, Parsons, Anderson
Mavs point guard Rajon Rondo has been ruled out indefinitely due to an injured back, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. This announcement comes after Rondo only played 34 seconds in the second half of Tuesday night’s loss to the Rockets. When asked after the game if Rondo was benched due to his injury, coach Rick Carlisle said, “You can ask him that question. All I know, right now, is that we need everybody at their competitive best. This isn’t about one guy who did or didn’t play. This is about everybody pulling in the same direction for the organization,” Vernon Bryant of The Dallas Morning News relays. Rondo is set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and it’s growing increasingly doubtful that he’ll return to Dallas next season.
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- The Mavs‘ path to the second round of the playoffs has gotten even more difficult. In addition to the loss of Rondo, Chandler Parsons is out for the remainder of the playoffs with an injured knee, the team announced in a press release. Parsons is expected to explore surgical options to correct the issue, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports tweets.
- The Spurs have recalled Kyle Anderson from the Austin Spurs, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. In the 2015 D-League Playoffs, Anderson averaged 17.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals in five appearances.
- Since being acquired by the Pelicans in February, Norris Cole has become a mentor to Anthony Davis, Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com writes. The veteran point guard also has a wealth of playoff experience from his time in Miami, a valuable asset for such a young squad, Haberstroh adds. “It’s all in the preparation.” Cole said. “I try to tell the guys, it’s all in the preparation. As long as you prepare, which I believe we are, we give ourselves a good chance to win and go out there and compete and fight.”
- One Spurs official estimates that there is a 55% chance that Manu Ginobili will retire at season’s end, Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News writes. Other members of San Antonio’s front office believe that Ginobili’s future will depend on the outcome of this season’s playoffs, and that if the Spurs are ousted early the veteran guard would return for another campaign, Harvey adds.
And-Ones: Smith, Vipers, Skiles, Lottery
Josh Smith‘s father complimented the Rockets for welcoming his son, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26 (second Twitter link). “I cannot speak too much about how well this organization has accepted us as a family and him as a player,” Pete Smith said. “It’s an awesome thing. Now I know what the NBA is all about.” Houston claimed Smith on waivers in December after he was let go by the Pistons. He will become a free agent this summer.
There’s more from around the world of basketball:
- The Rockets have cut ties with D-League coach Nevada Smith of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. The Vipers are coming off a 27-23 record in Smith’s second season running the team.
- Scott Skiles has tried to campaign a little for the Magic head coaching job, but he wants a measure of personnel control, sources tell Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. He doesn’t want to replace GM Rob Hennigan, but rather seeks approval over player personnel moves, a job that currently rests with Magic CEO Alex Martins, Kyler explains. Meanwhile, Kyler figures that Michael Malone will interview for both the Magic and the Nuggets coaching jobs, but sources tell him that Malone isn’t as high on either team’s list as some other candidates are. Neither Vinny Del Negro nor Billy Donovan is expected to get serious consideration for either job, Kyler also writes.
- NBA owners refuse to address the problem of tanking, writes Bill Oram of The Orange County Register. He noted that owners passed on a chance to address the issue during a meeting in New York last week. They also nixed proposed reforms to the draft lottery process in October. He speculated that owners might be delaying action until they can study the effects of an upcoming $24 billion television deal and the escalation of the salary cap.
Eastern Notes: Cavs, Riley, Harkless
The Cavs improved their win total over last season’s by 20 games and appear to be the favorite to win the Eastern Conference. LeBron James returning to Cleveland was a huge factor in the team’s improvement, but GM David Griffin deserves credit for the moves he made during the last 14 months, as I wrote in his Executive of the Year Candidate piece.
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- President of Basketball Operations Pat Riley may have taken a jab at LeBron James during the Heat’s season ending press conference today, Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald writes. “No more smiling faces with hidden agendas, so we’ll be going in clean,” Riley said in response to a question about the draft. When ask to clarify if that comment was about James, he said, “that could be anyone across the board. I’ve already got about half a dozen emails from people I don’t even know recommending [a player], and somewhere in that email or text is always a smiley.”
- Maurice Harkless regressed during his third season in the league and Ken Hornack of Fox Sports Florida believes he is unlikely to remain in Orlando long-term. The forward is eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason.
- The Cavs have recalled Joe Harris from their D-League affiliate, the Canton Charge, according to the team’s website. To date, the guard has played in 48 games for Cleveland this season while seeing only 9.1 minutes per game.
And-Ones: Wolves, Knicks, Draft
If the Wolves win the lottery and land the top pick in the NBA draft, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor are the only players whom the team should seriously consider using the selection on, opines Joel Brigham in a collaborative piece for Basketball Insiders. Point guard may be a position of need, considering Ricky Rubio‘s history of injuries, but the team has already indicated it will take a best-player-available approach when using its selection rather than drafting for need.
“I think when you’re a lottery-type team, you have to take the best player available,” President of Basketball Operations Flip Saunders said. “If you’re there, you probably got there because you lost, and you’re probably still a little ways away. There’s not probably one player, really, that you think, wherever you’re at, ‘Hey, if I take that position, he can help me.’ The better chance you have of improving the team is to take whoever the best player you evaluate is there.”
Minnesota finished the season with a record of 16-66, which gives the team the best chance at winning the lottery and a 46.5% chance at landing one of the top two picks, as our 2015 Lottery Odds page indicates.
Here’s more from around the league:
- If the Knicks win the lottery, Towns should be the selection, Tommy Beer opines in the same piece for Basketball Insiders. Beer believes Towns could be the defensive anchor that New York hasn’t had since it traded Tyson Chandler to the Mavs. The Kentucky product averaged 2.3 blocks while playing only 21 minutes per game during his lone college season.
- The Warriors have recalled Ognjen Kuzmic from their D-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, according to a team press release. To date this season, the center has appeared in 16 games for Golden State, averaging 1.3 points and 1.1 rebounds in 4.5 minutes per game.
- The Magic showed flashes of potential, but ultimately they turned in another sub-par season. Center Nikola Vucevic believes it’s time the team takes the next step, Denton writes in a seperate piece. “Now, we’ve got to accept the fact that we’ve got to change this and turn this thing around. Rebuilding was fine for two or even three years, but we’ve got to find a way to turn it around because [youth] is not an excuse anymore,” said Vucevic, who led the Magic in points and rebounds this season. “So we’ve got to find a way to turn this thing around quickly.’’
And-Ones: Cauley-Stein, Parsons, Knicks
Mavs forward Chandler Parsons understands the criticism levied against him regarding his production not being worthy of his $14.7MM salary this season, Ben Golliver of SI.com writes. “The whole expectations of being a max player and taking that next step, it’s tough to manage at first,” Parsons said. “A lot of people look at me like I’m a different player. I’m the same player. I’ve gotten better. My numbers are down a little bit but at the same time I continue to get better. I’m on a different team. We’re very explosive offensively, we have more of a balanced attack, and I’m playing five minutes less than I did in Houston. I’m a basketball player and I impact the game in many different ways. My job is to be a good teammate, work extremely hard and do whatever it takes to win games.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- Rich Kleiman of Roc Nation Sports and Leon Rose of the Creative Artists Agency will team up to represent Willie Cauley-Stein, as Liz Mullen of the SportsBusiness Journal reports in a subscription-only piece. The center from the University of Kentucky is the No. 6 prospect in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings and No. 7 with Chad Ford of ESPN.com.
- Nuggets GM Tim Connelly indicated that there are no players on Denver’s roster who are untouchable in terms of trades, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post tweets.
- The Knicks are expected to have a busy offseason, and team president Phil Jackson will need to make decisions regarding a large number of players on his current roster. Marc Berman of The New York Post breaks down the team’s roster, and who the franchise should retain for the 2015/16 campaign. Players whom the Post scribe believes the team should bring back include Louis Amundson, Lance Thomas, and Cleanthony Early, while the team should part ways with Cole Aldrich and Travis Wear.
- The Cavaliers have assigned Joe Harris to the Canton Charge, their D-League affiliate, the team announced.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.