LeBron James: I “Had” Respect For Phil Jackson
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.
NBA 2016/17 Dead Money: Atlantic Division
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.
Bondy: Five Issues Knicks Must Address To Improve
- 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.
Phil Jackson Talks Triangle, Rose, Noah, Opt-Out
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.”
Rose Shows Signs Of Frustration
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.”
Anthony To Stay Quiet Around Tony Brothers
Lucas Nogueira may be able to fill the Raptors‘ hole at backup center left by the departure of Bismack Biyombo, writes Michael Grange of Rogers Sportsnet. Nogueira’s latest impressive performance came Saturday night with six points, 10 rebounds, five blocks and three steals in a win over the Knicks. The 7-footer is now averaging 8.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in four games. Nogueira says Biyombo appointed him as his successor when he signed with the Magic over the offseason. “During the summer [Biz] told me, ‘Lucas, your time to shine, go get it.’ I know Biz since I’m 15, playing in Spain against each other,” Nogueira said. “So we have a mutual respect for each other. It’s special, when he’s gone, he told me, ‘It’s your time, go get it.’ And I took it serious.”
- The Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony plans to diffuse the situation with referee Tony Brothers by staying quiet around him, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. After Anthony was tossed from Friday’s game, Anthony’s wife suggested on social media that Brothers has a vendetta against him. “It ain’t personal with me, on my end,” Anthony said. “I don’t have anything to say to him. He refs. I’ll play. I’ll keep my mouth shut next time.”
Offense Unpopular, Effort On Defense Still A Problem
- The Knicks need Carmelo Anthony to become a better and smarter leader, argues Marc Berman of The New York Post. Anthony is under fire for getting tossed from Friday’s game in the second quarter for arguing a foul call. He left the locker room without talking to reporters, but his wife tweeted that referee Tony Brothers has carried on a running dispute with Anthony. Berman says the Knicks, who are off to a 3-5 start despite adding Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah this summer, need Anthony to lead by example.
- Although coach Jeff Hornacek said it’s too early to panic, the Knicks‘ early problems on offense and defense may last all season, writes Newsday’s Al Iannazzone. The triangle offense remains unpopular with the players, and the lack of effort on defense has continued even though Kurt Rambis was appointed as defensive coordinator earlier this week. “We’re starting off in a hole every game,” Noah said. “We got to get better. We got to get better defensively. We got to get better executing, and stop pressing.”
- Sean Kilpatrick, who is having a breakout season with the Nets, is thankful to late Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders for giving him his first NBA opportunity, relays Jerry Zgoda of the Star-Tribune. Minnesota was short on healthy players in 2014 and turned to Kilpatrick because he was the best D-League player who could get to Madison Square Garden in time for a game with the Knicks. Kilpatrick lasted just four games with the Wolves, but took advantage of his chance with Brooklyn last season. He impressed the team on two 10-day contracts and was signed for the rest of the year. “He’s grinded through some tough times to get where he is,” said Nets coach Kenny Atkinson. “He keeps blossoming. We’re giving him a lot of responsibility, and he has answered the bell. We’re thrilled with what he’s giving us so far.”
Hernangomez Gets Thrust Into Rotation
- Knicks rookie Willy Hernangomez has been inserted into the rotation but his first outing in that role was a mixed bag, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Hernangomez grabbed 12 rebounds in 23 minutes against the Celtics on Friday but also made five turnovers and blew a couple of layups. The 6’10” Hernangomez has displaced Kyle O’Quinn, who only played three garbage-time minutes. Hernangomez was signed to a partially-guaranteed four-year, $5.9MM contract in July.
Hornacek: Rambis' New Role Was My Idea, Not Jackson's
- Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek says that the decision to install Kurt Rambis as a defensive assistant was his own, and didn’t come from team president Phil Jackson. Marc Berman of The New York Post has the details, along with the quotes from Hornacek.
Brandon Jennings: Don't Lend A Helping Hand
- Brandon Jennings doesn’t want his Knicks teammates helping opponents get up if they fall on the court, Ian Begley of ESPN.com writes. Jennings wants his teammates to take a tougher approach, Begley adds. “I wouldn’t want another opponent to help me up,” he told Begley and other writers. “That’s just showing too much respect. In between the lines, you don’t have a New York jersey on, then you don’t mean nothing to me.”
- The Celtics, who have been playing without top free agent acquistion Al Horford for the last four games, could make a lineup change, Mike Pedraglia of Greenstreet.weei.com relays. Horford isn’t expected to return for the team’s game against the Knicks Friday. Coach Brad Stevens said could break up the current lineup of Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Jaylen Brown, Amir Johnson and Tyler Zeller. “We’ll give thought to lineup change,” Stevens told reporters. “We’ll make the right thing for our team. But the bottom line is the guys that are playing are going to play because of our numbers in some part.”