- Quincy Douby has signed in the D-League and will play for the Westchester Knicks, Chris Reichert of The Step Back reports (Twitter link).
Knicks president Phil Jackson took to social media in an attempt to diffuse the reaction to his controversial comments regarding LeBron James, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Jackson has taken criticism for referring to James’ entourage as a “posse,” drawing reactions not only from James, but also from Knicks star Carmelo Anthony. Jackson re-tweeted a post from team advisor, Clarence Gaines, an African-American, who was promoting the “Posse Foundation,” which was set up to help black students succeed. Jackson refused to discuss the situation with reporters on Tuesday.
There’s more today out of New York:
- Jackson’s statements were part of a continued effort to take the focus off the job he has done with the Knicks, contends Mike Vacarro of The New York Post. The writer called Jackson “petty” for focusing on James and Heat president Pat Riley in recent public comments and blasted Jackson for not talking to New York media since September 22nd.
- Joakim Noah, one of the team’s prize offseason additions, will continue to start, but may not play much during fourth quarters, Berman writes in a separate piece. The Knicks have been more successful lately with coach Jeff Hornacek’s “small-ball” lineup that has Kristaps Porzingis playing center. Hornacek said Noah, who hasn’t scored in three games and is averaging just 4.3 points per contest, needs to become more “aggressive” on offense. “We don’t mind him taking the little mid-range shot, keeping teams honest if they’re going to stay back,’’ Hornacek said. “We want him to continue rolling to the basket, get low in the dunk area if guys penetrate and a big helps, he gets the dump and can just dunk it. If he stays outside, that’s what another team wants. We want for him to be more aggressive when he does get the ball around the basket.’’
- Derrick Rose is seeking $70K in court costs related to his civil trial that concluded last month, according to ESPN. A woman’s $21.5MM suit alleging rape was rejected by a jury, and the law permits winners of civil trials to ask the court to have some of their costs covered by the losers.
Al Horford is still dealing with the lingering effects of a concussion and the big man isn’t sure when he will play again, Mike Petraglia of Green Street writes. “I’m just not where I want to be right now, but trying to work through it,” Horford said. “This is something very new to me, so it’s just trying to get used to this.” Horford added that he is eager to return to the court in order to help the Celtics win games, but doesn’t want to risk a setback. “We’re trying to be as smart as we can about this. I just want to make sure that when I’m ready to go, I’m good to go,” he said.
Here’s more injury notes from around the league:
- Jae Crowder took part in shooting drills today, something he hasn’t done since spraining his ankle earlier this month, Petraglia passes along in the same piece. Crowder will remain sidelined for the Celtics match-up with the Mavericks on Wednesday night.
- Lance Thomas has plantar fasciitis in both of his feet, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reports. “It’s been hard to move at the speed that I’m used to and the speed that my teammates are used to me moving, especially defensively,” Thomas said. The forward remains sidelined because of a bone bruise in his left ankle and it has limited his impact on court. The Knicks signed Thomas to a four-year, $27MM deal during the offseason and expected him to be a solid contributor off the bench, but the 28-year-old has only scored a total of 31 points during the eight games he has played this season.
- Bradley Beal‘s status for Wednesday’s game against the Sixers remains up in the air, but if he is able to play, he’ll be on a minute restriction the following night against the Knicks, J Michael of Comcast Sportsnet writes. Beal is dealing with a hamstring injury this year and it has caused him to miss the last two games. The shooting guard has struggled with an injuries to his leg during his four years in the league, but coach Scott Brooks said that the two injuries are “totally unrelated.”
Carmelo Anthony said he would be offended if Phil Jackson referred to his entourage as a “posse,” but added that he believes Jackson may have meant no harm by his word choice, Marc Berman of The New York Post relays.
“Do I think he meant it in any kind of way? I really don’t know. I don’t think he did.” Anthony said. “I would hope he didn’t. Sometimes Phil just says things, the first thing that comes to mind. He’s probably in his office now regretting it. When it comes to, Phil, you never know what’s going to be said.”
Here’s more from New York:
- Anthony also added that he can’t understand why LeBron James is the topic of Jackson’s conversation, as Berman passes along in the same piece. “I don’t think we play them anytime soon,” Anthony said. “It’s a whole month away. I just don’t understand Phil talking about LeBron right now. In November. I don’t understand that.”
- Jackson’s insecurities about running a franchise are prompting him to take shots at his successful counterparts, Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical argues in a video essay (Twitter link). The scribe details all of Jackson’s failed moves, including his decision to trade J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to the Cavs for practically nothing in return.
- The Knicks signed Joakim Noah to a four-year, $72MM contract during the offseason, but the team’s best lineup doesn’t included the big man, as Stefan Bondy of the Daily News details. In Monday’s win over the Mavericks, Kristaps Porzingis was moved to the center position and the team enjoyed great success, including a 30-10 run. Noah admitted that he has to find his offensive game and said he would be looking at the film to “figure it out.”
Here are Tuesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- One of the Sixers‘ two first-round picks this year – Ben Simmons – has yet to make his debut with the team due to a foot injury, and now Philadelphia’s other first-rounder is headed to the D-League. The 76ers announced today in a press release that they’ve assigned rookie Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to the Delaware 87ers.
- The Spurs assigned Dejounte Murray to the D-League today, just in time for the rookie guard to play in the Austin Spurs’ Tuesday afternoon victory over the Reno Bighorns. Murray flirted with a triple-double in the win, posting 14 points, 10 rebounds, and a team-high seven assists. He was recalled by San Antonio after the game.
- Former first-round pick Josh Huestis was assigned to the Oklahoma City Blue again today by the Thunder, the team announced in a press release. Huestis is expected to suit up for OKC’s D-League squad tonight against the Salt Lake City Stars.
- The Knicks have assigned rookie big man Marshall Plumlee to their D-League affiliate in Westchester, and he’s expected to play for the team on Wednesday night against Greensboro (Twitter link).
When we passed along some of the highlights from Phil Jackson‘s interview with ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan on Monday, we didn’t include a comment from the Knicks president on LeBron James. Jackson suggested that the reigning NBA Finals MVP “likes special treatment” and “needs things his way” when he discussed LeBron’s 2014 departure from Miami.
“There were a lot of little things that came out of that,” Jackson said. “When LeBron was playing with the Heat, they went to Cleveland, and he wanted to spend the night. They don’t do overnights. Teams just don’t. So now [head coach Erik] Spoelstra has to text [president Pat] Riley and say, ‘What do I do in this situation?’ And Pat, who has iron-fist rules, answers, ‘You are on the plane. You are with this team.’ You can’t hold up the whole team because you and your mom and your posse want to spend an extra night in Cleveland.”
As Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com tweets, James addressed those comments today, telling reporters that he “had nothing but respect” for Jackson as a coach. Asked to clarify his use of the past tense, LeBron confirmed that he no longer has that same level of respect for the Knicks president. The Cavs star also took exception with Jackson’s use of the word “posse” to describe James’ camp.
“To use that label, and if you go and read the definition of what the word ‘posse’ is, it’s not what I’ve built over my career,” James said, per Jordan Heck of The Sporting News (Twitter link). “It’s not what I stand for. It’s not what my family stands for. And I believe the only reason he used that word is because it’s young African-Americans trying to make a difference.”
Maverick Carter, one of LeBron’s business partners, also took exception to Jackson’s comments, according to McMenamin: “It’s the word ‘posse’ and the characterization I take offense to. If he would have said LeBron and his agent, LeBron and his business partners, or LeBron and his friends, that’s one thing. Yet because you’re young and black, he can use that word. We’re grown men.”
While a conflict with a rival player won’t necessarily have any short-term negative impact on Jackson and the Knicks, it’s not a great look for a team executive who will be trying to recruit players in free agency in the summer. It’s also worth noting that Knicks star Carmelo Anthony is close friends with James, and probably wouldn’t be thrilled to be caught between the two.
The concept of “dead money” on a salary cap isn’t as common in the NBA as it is in the NFL, but it essentially functions the same way in both leagues. Dead money refers to the salary remaining on a team’s cap for players that are no longer on the roster.
For NFL teams, taking on a certain amount of dead money is a common practice, since signing bonuses affect cap hits differently, and big-money players are more likely to be released before playing out their entire contracts. That practice is less common in the NBA.
Still, with the NBA’s salary cap on the rise, teams may be a little more willing to part ways with players on guaranteed salaries, since that increased cap gives clubs more flexibility than they used to have. Within the last month, we’ve seen players like Ronnie Price and Greivis Vasquez, who each had $4-5MM in guaranteed money left on their contracts, waived in order to clear room for newcomers.
Over the next few days, we’ll examine each of the NBA’s 30 teams, breaking them down by division, to figure out which teams are carrying the most dead money on the cap for 2016/17, and what that information might tell us about those teams. We got things underway on Friday by examining the Central division. Today, we’ll move on to the Atlantic.
Here are the 2016/17 dead money figures for the Atlantic teams:
1. Philadelphia 76ers
Total dead money: $12,098,851
Full salary cap breakdown
The Sixers’ dead money list is essentially a means to end. Veterans like Carl Landry ($6.5MM), Tibor Pleiss ($3MM), and Sasha Kaun ($1.333MM) weren’t exactly players Philadelphia went out and targeted for their on-court contributions. They were players with burdensome contracts, which the Sixers agreed to take on if they got something out of the deal — usually a second-round pick or two.
Since they’re still in rebuilding mode, the 76ers haven’t needed all their cap room to go out and sign immediate contributors, which means they can afford to use some of that room to essentially buy draft picks. In that sense, their $12MM in dead money isn’t a problem at all.
Of course, not all of the Sixers’ dead-money charges were beneficial. The club is paying Elton Brand‘s full $980K salary for this season after he decided to retire, and the $155K guarantee Brandon Paul received from Philadelphia seems unnecessary, now that he’s neither on the roster nor on the Sixers’ D-League squad.
2. Brooklyn Nets
Total dead money: $10,891,212
Full salary cap breakdown
A handful of point guards are responsible for the majority of the Nets’ dead money, with Deron Williams ($5.475MM) and Greivis Vasquez ($4.348MM) leading the way. Brooklyn is also carrying dead money for point guards Jarrett Jack ($500K) and Yogi Ferrell ($100K). In nearly all of those cases, the Nets’ desire to move on from veteran players and get younger resulted in those veterans leaving some dead money on the cap. The only exception is Ferrell, who got a partial guarantee from the club as a camp invitee, was waived, and is now back on a new contract.
Egidijus Mockevicius ($100K) and Beau Beech ($45K) also got partial guarantees as camp invitees, and Andrea Bargnani ($324K) represents another veteran player who the team is paying not to play for them. But even once you add all that dead money up, it’s not having a huge impact on the Nets’ 2016/17 cap — the team remains well below the salary floor, and could be willing to take on even more dead money by the end of the season.
3. Boston Celtics
Total dead money: $1,550,240
Full salary cap breakdown
The Celtics continue to be patient when it comes to stockpiling assets and seeking out an ideal trade partner, but that patience may have cost them a little last month. With so many candidates for the 15-man roster, Boston had to waive R.J. Hunter and eat his guaranteed salary ($1.2MM). Additionally, the C’s gave second-round pick Ben Bentil a $250K bonus in the hopes of convincing him to play for their D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws. But Bentil ultimately signed a second deal with the Pacers, giving Indiana his D-League rights.
While the Celtics’ dead money charges for Hunter and Bentil represent a couple youngsters who got away, the team’s other partial guarantees – $50K for Damion Lee and $25K apiece for Marcus Georges-Hunt and Jalen Jones – were worthwhile investments. All three camp invitees landed in Maine to start the season.
4. New York Knicks
Total dead money: $1,180,431
Full salary cap breakdown
The Knicks gave partial guarantees worth $100K apiece to Chasson Randle and J.P. Tokoto, who are now members of the D-League’s Westchester Knicks. The team’s other dead-money cap charge belongs to Lou Amundson, who got a fully guaranteed minimum salary contract from the club during the offseason. New York isn’t close to the tax line, and probably won’t get anywhere close this season, barring a major trade, so that Amundson deal won’t hurt them. Still, it was an odd decision to give a fully guaranteed salary to a borderline NBA player at a time in the offseason when most remaining free agents weren’t getting guaranteed deals.
5. Toronto Raptors
Total dead money: $206,500
Full salary cap breakdown
With no veteran cuts taking up room on their cap, the Raptors’ $206.5K in dead-money charges belong to four of the club’s camp invitees: Brady Heslip ($56.6K), Yanick Moreira ($50K), E.J. Singler ($50K), and Jarrod Uthoff ($50K). Toronto was ultimately able to add all four players to Raptors 905, the club’s D-League affiliate, so those modest cap hits paid off.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.
- The Knicks are “a wreck until they prove otherwise,” according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News, who identifies the five most important issues the team must address in order to improve. Among the Knicks’ problems, in Bondy’s view? Joakim Noah hasn’t been protecting the rim effectively, and Derrick Rose has been too tentative.
- Earlier today, we passed along a few interesting comments from Knicks president Phil Jackson.
A report last week suggested that Knicks president Phil Jackson was unhappy with his team’s offense, having felt that the club should be using triangle sets more often. At the time that story surfaced, the Knicks’ defense was also a mess, prompting the team to assign Kurt Rambis exclusively to that side of the ball in an attempt to clean things up. Reports later in the week indicated that Rambis’ new assignment came from head coach Jeff Hornacek, but Jackson still seems a little more hands-on than most team presidents around the NBA.
In an interview with ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan, Jackson addressed his reported displeasure with the club’s offensive sets, along with several other topics. The entire discussion is worth checking out, but here are a few highlights from the Knicks president:
On whether he’s frustrated with the lack of triangle sets in the Knicks’ offense:
“No. But when they run it, I want them to run it the right way. If you are going to do it, use your skills and run it the right way. I’m not frustrated at all. Derrick Rose missed three weeks of training camp (because of a civil trial). It’s totally understandable where we are as a ball club. We have guards that do a lot of stuff off the dribble. I want them to understand they can do things off the pass. It has to be a combination.”
On the decision to trade for Rose in the summer:
“Mike Conley was the best choice as a free agent, but he’s making $30MM a year. That’s almost insane. We saw that was going to happen. We had the opportunity to play with Derrick and see if he does have enough left in the tank — he’s 27 years old — before we have to get into that (free) agent market again. It gave us an opportunity to build a team around him, Carmelo [Anthony] and Kris[taps Porzingis].
“And, having experiences with Joakim [Noah] over the years, not only as a player with talent, but a guy who showed up at my door in Montana, he knows Derrick and he knows how to play with him. It gives us an advantage. Both are coming back into playing form.”
On whether he’ll exercise the opt-out clause in his contract after this season:
“I have not entertained that. I’m looking for this Knicks team to get back into a situation where they are competitive. Do I have to win a championship before I feel I’ve done the job I’ve been asked to do, which is to bring this group back to that competitive level? No, I don’t. We’re starting to make progress. I like a lot of the things we are doing here. But we’ve got more to do.
“The real issue with the opt out was simply my rationale regarding the (potential) lockout. If it was going to happen in December and everybody chose to walk away, there was no way I was going to sit in New York for three, four months when I didn’t have a job, because (the players) aren’t even allowed to show up to work.”
On the possibility of returning to the Lakers:
“They’re moving forward in the right direction. Luke [Walton] has them engaged, Brian [Shaw] is an associate head coach; they have a core group of guys that will get it done. It was never important to me to go back and be a part of that. Especially not now. I have this job, this commitment.”
There are indications that Knicks point guard Derrick Rose is getting frustrated with his new team, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Rose, who was acquired from the Bulls in an offseason trade, had promised to wait 20 games to judge the team, but a 3-6 record and a dreadful defense are testing his patience. “Losing hurts, period,” Rose said. “I’ve never been a loser in my life. We got to figure ways out, we’re getting closer. We’re getting a lot closer, but the effort we have, we got to have that effort throughout the entire game.”