Atlantic Notes: Ross, Thomas, Lopez, Fisher
The Raptors have had talks with Terrence Ross but had made no offer as of late Sunday, Sportsnet’s Michael Grange reports. The Aaron Mintz client presents a conundrum because his skill and athleticism don’t always show up in his performance, as Grange examines.
“Consistency is the key on both ends of the floor, not just his offense but his defense,” said Raptors coach Dwane Casey. “And that’s a huge question with him.”
Ross said he likes his new role as a bench player, but despite his status as a reserve, Grange believes $10MM is not out of the question if he and the team agree to terms. As the hours dwindle in advance of tonight’s rookie scale extension deadline at 11pm Central, see more from the Atlantic Division:
- Langston Galloway is continuing to thrive for the Knicks on his partially guaranteed deal this season, and the same is true for Lance Thomas, as Marc Berman of the New York Post examines. Thomas re-signed with New York on a one-year deal of nearly $1.637MM, slightly above the minimum. It doesn’t hurt that Thomas is an ex-teammate of Kevin Durant, Berman posits.
- The roster the Nets put together for this season is thin on three-point shooting, and that allows defenses to focus on stopping Brook Lopez inside, which has forced Lopez to take far fewer shots from close to the basket than he did last season, fellow Post scribe Tim Bontemps observes. Brooklyn re-signed Lopez this summer for three years at the max.
- Knicks coach Derek Fisher is stepping out from team president Phil Jackson‘s shadow as he’s moved away from the triangle somewhat during the team’s first few games this season, notes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
And-Ones: Rockets, Knicks, Robinson
The Rockets remain skeptical that they will be able to reach agreements on signing rookie scale extensions for forwards Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports. The deadline for rookie scale extensions is Monday. It was recently reported that both players preferred to set themselves up for restricted free agency this coming summer. Both Motiejunas and Jones are considered “vitally important” to the team, according to Feigen.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Nikoloz Tskitishvili signed with Tochigi Brex in Japan, reports international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). Tskitishvili briefly attempted an NBA comeback with the Clippers this fall.
- Karl-Anthony Towns is off to a torrid start, but the rookie isn’t alone as this year’s crop of first-year players are much more talented than the groups from recent memory, Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post opines.
- Nate Robinson, who was waived by the Pelicans last week after just two games, seems to have lost a step and his days in the league might be over, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes in his Sunday column.
- It’s only a matter of time before Knicks rookie point guard Jerian Grant overtakes the starting role from Jose Calderon, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Knicks president Phil Jackson still thinks Calderon can be a force this season and chose against waiving him via the stretch provision, Berman adds.
Atlantic Rumors: Raptors, Knicks, Celtics
Greivis Vasquez said getting traded to the Bucks from the Raptors was hard for him, but he anticipated such a move after the way Toronto’s season ended, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca relays (All Twitter links). “It was going to be either me or Lou, and it was both,” Vasquez added in reference to Lou Williams‘ departure from the team.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic Division:
- The Knicks picked Jimmer Fredette in Saturday’s D-League draft mostly to bring in fans, considering Fredette is a product of Glens Falls, and not strictly as a developmental move, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports.
- David Lee and Amir Johnson seem like good fits on the Celtics because they both bring experience, success and a blue-collar brand of basketball to the team CSNNE.com’s A. Sherrod Blakely writes. The Celtics have a young team and that youth will benefit from the experienced tandem of Lee and Johnson, Blakely adds.
- Tyler Zeller is working to improve his perimeter shooting skills, Blakely writes in separate story. It was previously reported that the Celtics are interested in rookie scale extensions for Zeller only if he consents to a decidedly team-friendly deal. The extension window closes Monday.
- Italian coach Andrea Mazzon is now an assistant for the Sixers‘ D-League affiliate, the team announced. Emiliano Carchia of Sportando originally reported that Mazzon joined the affiliate in an important role.
Offseason In Review: New York Knicks
Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team’s offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees and more will be covered as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.
Signings
- Louis Amundson: One year, $1.64MM. Signed via Non-Bird rights.
- Arron Afflalo: Two years, $16MM. Signed via cap room. Second year is a player option.
- Darion Atkins: One year, $525K. Signed via minimum salary exception. Partially guaranteed for $75K. Subsequently waived.
- Robin Lopez: Four years, $54MM. Signed via cap room.
- Wesley Saunders: One year, $525K. Signed via minimum salary exception. Partially guaranteed for $75K. Subsequently waived.
- Kevin Seraphin: One year, $2.8MM. Signed via room exception.
- Lance Thomas: One year, $1.6MM. Signed via cap room.
- Travis Trice: One year, $525K. Signed via minimum salary exception. Partially guaranteed for $50K. Subsequently waived.
- Sasha Vujacic: One year, $1.356MM. Signed via minimum salary exception.
- Derrick Williams: Two years, $8.998MM. Signed via cap room. Second year is a player option.
Extensions
- None
Trades
- Acquired the draft rights to Jerian Grant, the No. 19 overall pick in the 2015 Draft, in exchange for Tim Hardaway Jr.
- Acquired Kyle O’Quinn from the Magic via sign-and trade in exchange for cash and the option to switch second-rounders with New York in 2019. O’Quinn inked a four-year, $16MM deal that includes a player option for the final season.
- Acquired the draft rights to Guillermo Hernangomez, the No. 35 overall pick in the 2015 Draft, from the Sixers in exchange for cash and New York’s second-round picks in 2020 and 2021. Hernangomez is playing overseas.
Waiver Claims
- None
Draft Picks
- Kristaps Porzingis (Round 1, 4th overall). Signed via rookie exception to rookie scale contract.
- Jerian Grant (Round 1, 19th overall). Signed via rookie exception to rookie scale contract.
- Thanasis Antetokounmpo (2014, Round 2, 51st overall). Signed via minimum-salary exception for two years, $1.4MM. First year is partially guaranteed for $75K, second year is non-guaranteed. Subsequently waived.
Camp Invitees
Departing Players
- Quincy Acy
- Cole Aldrich
- Andrea Bargnani
- Tim Hardaway Jr.
- Shane Larkin
- Ricky Ledo
- Alexey Shved
- Jason Smith
- Travis Wear
Rookie Contract Option Decisions
- None
The Knicks entered this offseason fresh off a disastrous 2014/15 campaign that saw the team notch only 17 victories, flush with approximately $28MM in available cap space, and possessing some lofty free agency dreams of adding a star player or two. LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Monroe, Marc Gasol, DeAndre Jordan, and Goran Dragic were among those available to pair alongside returning star Carmelo Anthony. But things rarely seem to go as planned in New York, and the franchise was forced to go with Plan B, adding a collection of role players whom team president Phil Jackson hopes will mesh together and lay the groundwork for the Knicks’ return to relevance.
The organization put a different spin on missing out on some of the top names, with GM Steve Mills insisting that the team didn’t strike out in free agency but instead focused on building a solid team around Anthony. “We tried to be as clear as we could possibly be that we weren’t chasing the biggest stars,” Mills told Mitch Abramson of The New York Daily News. “That’s not how we’re trying to build this team. Obviously, when LaMarcus Aldridge says he wants to meet with you and he’s going to meet with six teams, we agree to go meet with him. DeAndre Jordan was willing to meet with us, so of course we go and meet him. And when you go in, you want guys to say yes. But our goal starting out with this was to spend our money wisely and to get guys in who we thought would bring this team along together and fill holes and as it turned out, we were better suited going with multiple guys as opposed to just going after one.”
Whether or not Mills’ statements were truly indicative of the team’s offseason strategy or merely face-saving bravado is up for debate, but he was correct in his assertion that the Knicks filled a number of holes with their additions this summer. New York is unquestionably a superior team to the one that took the court in 2013/14, but that isn’t necessarily a ringing endorsement considering the D-League-quality roster the Knicks trotted out a season ago.
New York’s offseason rebuild began with the NBA draft, where the team held a top-five pick for the first time since 1986, and Jackson used the No. 4 overall pick to nab Latvian big man Kristaps Porzingis. The wisdom or folly of selecting Porzingis will take some time to assess, as the player is most certainly a project who will require a few seasons to develop. The early signs have been positive, and Porzingis has shown flashes of talent that portend good things to come for the player and his new team.
But the addition of Porzingis may have had an unintended downside for the franchise, possibly shutting the door on any chance that the Knicks had to land Aldridge via free agency. New York had reportedly informed Aldridge that due to the presence of Porzingis, it wanted him to play center full-time, an idea that nixed the scheduled meeting between New York and the marquee free agent. “If they’re going to tell me that I have to play center and I don’t want to play center, then of course it’s mutual after that. But before that I was excited to meet with them. I was interested,” Aldridge said in regard to the canceled powwow. “But they wanted to have their draft pick play and I get it.”
The Knicks also made a significant trade on the day of the draft, flipping Tim Hardaway Jr., whose game had regressed during his sophomore campaign, to the Hawks for No. 19 overall pick Jerian Grant, who fills a major need for New York in the backcourt. Anthony was reportedly upset at the loss of Hardaway, one of the team’s few offensive threats, but it was a solid trade for New York, and I expect ‘Melo to sing the rookie’s praises by the end of the 2015/16 season. New York’s other draft day addition, Guillermo Hernangomez, expressed his desire to continue playing for Real Madrid of Spain for many years before considering a move to the NBA, so he’s not likely to help the franchise anytime soon.
It’s doubtful that the Knicks were ever a realistic option for many of this summer’s free agents, though the team was linked to many of the biggest available names in the weeks leading up to July’s signing period. The one miss that stung the most for the team and its fans was Monroe passing on the glitz and glamour of playing in New York City to instead join the Bucks in Milwaukee, especially after Monroe’s agent, David Falk, had indicated strongly back in April that the Knicks would be one of the big man’s top choices.
Jackson moved on from Monroe and instead added veteran center Robin Lopez, whose rebounding, toughness and defense are all traits that last year’s Knicks squad lacked, especially in the pivot. Lopez can no doubt help the Knicks, though he’s definitely not the marquee name the franchise had designs on landing when the offseason commenced. Lopez’s deal is a fair one for both sides, with a $13.5MM average annual salary certainly being in line with Lopez’s production. Plus, this contract will likely look better once next offseason’s deals are signed, since the cap is expected to increase significantly as a result of the league’s new TV deal kicking in. The only major concern is Lopez’s injury history, with the big man averaging 66 games per season over his NBA career, including just 59 appearances in 2014/15.
New York made four other significant additions over the offseason, signing shooting guard Arron Afflalo, combo forward Derrick Williams, center Kevin Seraphin, and executing a sign-and-trade with Orlando for power forward Kyle O’Quinn. Of the three, O’Quinn has the highest upside, with his energy and hustle certainly making him an intriguing prospect, though his minutes will be limited thanks to the Knicks’ current frontcourt logjam. Inking Williams was the riskiest move of the offseason for Jackson, with the player struggling mightily since entering the league as the No. 2 overall pick in 2011. While nearly $4.5MM per season isn’t an exorbitant amount in today’s NBA, the team may need every bit of cap space next summer when it hopes to be in contention for the likes of Kevin Durant and Mike Conley. Williams also doesn’t appear to be a great fit for the triangle offense, and he’s never quite carved out a defined position for himself in the league, a factor that presents its own set of problems for coach Derek Fisher‘s rotation plans.
Afflalo certainly fills a need for the Knicks, who will count on him to help take some of the scoring burden off Anthony. How he’ll mesh with Anthony and the rest of the roster still remains to be seen, with the 30-year-old having been severely limited in training camp and the preseason thanks to a hamstring injury. He has yet to make it onto the court in the regular season. Afflalo can opt out of his deal after this season, and I’ll go on record and say that the franchise should hope that he does so. As a one-season stopgap, I like adding a healthy Afflalo to the mix, especially given the Knicks’ other remaining free agent options. While Afflalo has been a solid, if unspectacular, performer for the bulk of his career, he’s on the wrong side of 30, and he’s not a building block the franchise can count on to help lure big name free agents.
One of the Knicks’ major missteps this summer was failing to upgrade their point guard position, with holdover Jose Calderon well into his decline. Thus far, it hasn’t appeared like he’ll be able to guard any of the league’s top playmakers. New York was reportedly trying to find a taker for the veteran this offseason as the team attempted to free up cap space, but with Calderon still possessing one more year on his deal beyond this one, and scheduled to earn approximately $7.7MM in 2016/17, it was no surprise the Knicks couldn’t find a taker. I wouldn’t be surprised if the two sides agreed to a buyout at some point this season, though that may be just wishful thinking on my part.
New York desperately needs this summer’s signings to pan out so that the franchise can demonstrate some forward progress. This isn’t just so Jackson can be validated as an NBA executive, or Fisher as an NBA-caliber head coach. It’s also vital for the way pending free agents around the league perceive the team. If the Knicks hope to land the top names, not just next summer, but over the next few seasons, the team will need to prove to players that inking a deal to play in Madison Square Garden isn’t going to be a dead-end career move. Until then, it looks like Plan B is the best the fanbase can look forward to.
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Atlantic Notes: Prokhorov, Sixers, Friisdahl
Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov is close to acquiring majority control of the Nassau Coliseum, sources have informed Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The plan is for Brooklyn’s future D-League team to eventually be situated at the refurbished arena, Mazzeo notes. The Nets hope their future D-League team begins play in time for the 2016/17 campaign, but for now they are one of the 11 NBA teams without an affiliate to call their own this season.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- It’s difficult to know for sure, given GM Sam Hinkie‘s unpredictability, but the pairing of No. 3 overall pick Jahlil Okafor with Nerlens Noel appears to give the Sixers a glimpse at what their team will look like in the future, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
- Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, the Raptors‘ parent company, went in a different direction with their hire of Michael Friisdahl as the new president and CEO, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca writes. “Quite frankly they [MLSE] looked at it in totality and said what we need is an overall executive to lead the whole organization,” said Friisdahl. “And then we’re going to rely on the very strong leadership in each of the sports organizations and have them focus on that. You will not see me heavily involved in any kind of sports decisions, which is fairly obvious from my background.”
- Knicks coach Derek Fisher, speaking about the draft day trade of Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Hawks in return for the draft rights to Jerian Grant, said that Grant has more skills as a guard than Hardaway, which is why the deal was made, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv tweets.
- Point guard Scottie Wilbekin, who was waived by the Sixers on Monday, has signed a two-year, $780K deal with the Turkish club Darussafaka, international journalist David Pick reports (Twitter links). The contract does include an NBA out clause, Pick adds.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Atlantic Notes: Williams, Crowder, McConnell
Knicks 2014 second-rounder Thanasis Antetokounmpo is signing with the Westchester Knicks, New York’s D-League affiliate, for the 2015/16 season, the player’s agent, Nick Lotsos, tweets. This comes as a minor surprise since Antetokounmpo’s camp had previously said that the swingman would not play another season in the D-League. The 23-year-old had reportedly been in contact with European and NBA teams in an effort to strike a deal, but apparently no concrete offer materialized. The Knicks waived Antetokounmpo along with four others last week.
Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Derrick Williams‘ play is beginning to justify Knicks president Phil Jackson‘s decision to sign him to a two-year, $8.8MM deal this past offseason, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. “I don’t know what he hasn’t done [in the past], but I think he’s just playing the game, trusting his instincts, even though he’s still learning a lot of new things on how to play,’’ coach Derek Fisher said. “I don’t think he’s overthinking. He’s making plays in front of him, shooting the ball well. It’s early. He had a really good preseason and was really good [Wednesday night]. He’ll have ups and downs, and it’s how he responds when the shots aren’t going in like they were.’’
- Sixers coach Brett Brown is a big fan of point guard T.J. McConnell, and compares him to a former player who Brown coached on the Australian national basketball team in the 2012 London Olympics, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes.”He reminds me of Matthew Dellavedova a lot, who I had a lot to do with,” Brown said. “Somebody says, ‘He can’t shoot. No way can he make it.’ “
- Jae Crowder was concerned after arriving in Boston last season as part of the Rajon Rondo deal that the Celtics would be trying to tank, a worry that was quickly dispelled by the team’s coaching staff and front office, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com relays. “I don’t like losing, man,” said Crowder. “I play this game to win. I never in my life played to lose. I don’t know what that feels like. I don’t play like that. I play to win. I felt like that the locker room here was kind of sulking right when I got here. It was sad to be in a professional locker room like that. I didn’t like it. I just wanted to come in each and every day and put my work in and hopefully make guys feed off my energy and take it from there. When you want to win, man, when you’re in a winning organization, you take pride in it. And when you lose, you let everybody know you lost. You’re not walking around happy.“
Eastern Notes: Monroe, Mahinmi, Spoelstra
Despite meeting with the Knicks first during the free agent signing period this offseason, Greg Monroe dispelled the notion that New York was ever the frontrunner for his services, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News writes. “That was just the way it was scheduled,” Monroe said. “There was nothing extra. I wasn’t the only player teams were meeting with and that’s just how it fell in place.” David Falk, Monroe’s agent, regarding why his client chose the Bucks over the Knicks, told Bondy, “It wasn’t about presentation or marketing, It was about what Milwaukee already brought to the table.”
“The interest was definitely there [with the Knicks],” Monroe told the Daily News scribe. “I took an interest in everybody that was willing to meet with me. I don’t like to take anybody’s time for granted. I definitely didn’t take their time for granted. I made a decision based on the things that I was looking for and I wanted. At this point, I’d rather not [talk about it]. It doesn’t matter anymore. Any questions anybody has, I could honestly not care less. I’m happy with where I’m at. I definitely feel like I made the right decision.”
Here’s more from out of the Eastern Conference:
- Ian Mahinmi, entering the final season of his contract and with the Pacers starting center job now his, worked tirelessly over the summer on his offensive game, particularly his shooting touch, as Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star examines.
- Celtics coach Brad Stevens has been the exception to the rule for college coaches coming to the NBA, as most of them have struggled, so Billy Donovan of the Thunder and Fred Hoiberg of the Bulls face a challenge to defy history, as Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune examines.
- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is the second longest tenured coach in the NBA behind Gregg Popovich, yet he enters this season needing to prove himself all over again now that the team has overhauled its roster and is in need of a new identity, Ethan J. Skolnick of The Miami Herald writes.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Atlantic Notes: Jackson, Joseph, Nets
Talk about a scenario in which Knicks team president Phil Jackson would return to work for the Lakers and fiancee Jeanie Buss has resurfaced in NBA circles over recent weeks, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Jackson can reportedly opt out of his five-year deal with the Knicks after this season, Isola notes. Speculation emerged earlier this year that Jackson won’t finish out his contract, though he said in June that he wanted to stay around long enough to help the Knicks turn around their fortunes. While we wait to see what the Zen Master does, see more from around the Atlantic Division:
- Raptors offseason signee Cory Joseph is planning to play a role for Toronto that’s similar in some ways to the one his former Spurs teammate Manu Ginobili has long embodied for San Antonio, as Sportsnet’s Donnovan Bennett details. “There was no big exchange when that first and second group switched off the court because of him,” Joseph said of Ginobili. “That’s what I want to do here. I want to bring energy with that second unit and uplift because that’s what we are going to need. Manu brought energy, but also a sense of calmness to the second group and managed time and score.”
- Nets GM Billy King didn’t factor Andrea Bargnani‘s long history of injuries into his decision about whom to keep for the opening night roster, observes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post (Twitter links). Bargnani is healthy for now, as is shooting guard Markel Brown, so King didn’t feel the need to keep power forward Justin Harper and swingman Dahntay Jones, whom the Nets waived, as Bontemps explains.
- Fellow Nets power forward Willie Reed‘s partial guarantee of $500K increased to a fully guaranteed $947,276 when he stuck on the Nets roster for opening night, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders notes (Twitter link) and as our leaguewide schedule of salary guarantee dates shows. Reed is about two weeks into a six-to-eight-week timetable for recovery from thumb surgery.
Central Notes: Lopez, Pistons, Bulls, Petteway
Bucks coach Jason Kidd confirmed reports that the team had interest in Robin Lopez and Brook Lopez in free agency this summer, notes Marc Berman of the New York Post. Neither ended up in Milwaukee, with Robin going to the Knicks and Brook re-signing with the Nets, though the Bucks did well enough, landing Greg Monroe.
“We liked both of those guys,’’ Kidd said. “They both do something and they’re very productive. I think both teams got maybe the guy they wanted. Looking at the Lopezes, I’ve coached one of them and recruited another. They’ve always played the game the right way. The Knicks ended up with [Robin] Lopez, which is a good pickup for them.”
See more from the Central Division:
- The Pistons have no shortage of players with contractual motivation to prove their worth this season, making “the disease of more” and the potential for selfishness a concern in Detroit, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press details.
- Other Eastern Conference teams improved their rosters in the offseason, but short of adding Bobby Portis and Cristiano Felicio, the Bulls stood pat, making it fair to wonder about Chicago’s apparent determination that the most pressing need for change was at head coach, opines David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune.
- The contract that Terran Petteway was briefly on with the Pacers was non-guaranteed for the minimum salary and covered one season, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Indiana absorbed a small cap hit for signing him after Saturday’s deadline to remove non-guaranteed salary without it counting against the cap. The Pacers inked Petteway on Sunday and waived him on Monday to secure his D-League rights.
Atlantic Notes: Nets, Wilbekin, Stackhouse
Count GM Billy King among those curious to see how the retooled Nets roster will fare this season, writes Andy Vasquez of NorthJersey.com. “We know we’re not a finished product at this point, and the goal is to get better,” King said. “We’ve revamped, got some youth, and now I want to see how we play, see how some of the pieces we acquired fit, how they go. We’ve got some young guys and it’s going to take time. They have to play and they’re going to make mistakes and we’ve got to live with them because the only way we’re going to get better is applying it on the court. We have the ability to get better as a team because we do have some inexperience with some guys. But we need our main guys, our veteran guys to carry us, to do their part to allow the young guys to sort of blend in and help.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Point guard Scottie Wilbekin, who was waived by the Sixers on Monday, has lucrative overseas offers lined up, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays.
- Despite being a rookie assistant coach this season, Jerry Stackhouse is fitting in well with the Raptors and notes that he doesn’t feel like a newcomer to the coaching ranks, writes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. “Man, it’s nothing new to me,” Stackhouse told Lewenberg. “I’ve been coaching for the last 10 years and I don’t feel any different. It’s just about trying to get guys better, better prepared for what they’re going to see during game action. The best way to do that is to build more repetition, more repetition. And that’s the key, being creative to come up with ideas everyday so things don’t get stagnant and guys [don’t] get bored.“
- Coby Karl and Derrick Alston were officially hired by the Knicks‘ D-League affiliate in Westchester as assistant coaches, the team announced.
- You can view the opening night regular season rosters for the Celtics, Nets, Knicks, Sixers, and Raptors by clicking on the link beneath each team name.