Sixers Notes: Tokoto, Wroten, Okafor, Noel
The Sixers have traded their D-League rights to guard J.P. Tokoto to Oklahoma City, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. He will play for the Oklahoma City Blue in the D-League. Philadelphia waived Tokoto on Monday after he averaged 3.2 points and 10.4 minutes of playing time in five preseason games. He was the 58th pick in June’s draft and signed a one-year, non-guaranteed minimum deal with the Sixers.
There’s more news out of Philadelphia:
- Injured point guard Tony Wroten is focused on returning to the court, not a possible extension, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Sixers hope Wroten can be back in the lineup by December, but the fourth-year player tweeted “NOVEMBER” Friday night, indicating that he hopes to beat that timetable. Pompey says it appears unlikely that the Sixers will offer Wroten an extension before Monday’s deadline, which would make him a restricted free agent next summer. He would become unrestricted if the team doesn’t make a $3.2MM qualifying offer by June 30th. “I’m not really focused on that,” he said of the contract situation. “I’m focused on my rehab and helping my team get better on and off the court. That’s not even on my mind right now.”
- The addition of rookie center Jahlil Okafor has forced the Sixers to slow down their pace, writes Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The offensively gifted Okafor gives the Sixers a low-post weapon they didn’t have last season, but the team now has to wait for its big man to set up. Coach Brett Brown understands there will be an adjustment period as the team gets used to Okafor. “We’re going to experience some heartache over the next month. Everybody bunker in,” he said. “That’s a fact. We might draw one out and find a brilliant performance, but this is going to be a fist fight for a while. Let’s admit what’s going on right now.”
- With Okafor on board, Nerlens Noel has had to adjust to playing power forward, according to Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Daily News. Even though Noel’s shooting range is limited, Cooney believes the move is going well so far. “I’ve definitely improved,” Noel said. “I’ve improved from last season, and it’s all about improving and getting better and better.” The Sixers exercised their team options Friday on Noel and two other players.
Perry Jones, Jeff Ayres Signing In D-League
Free agents Perry Jones III and Jeff Ayres are signing D-League contracts and will be eligible for Saturday’s D-League draft, reports Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor (Twitter link). The D-League hasn’t made an announcement, but Reichert indicates that Jones and Ayres have already put pen to paper. Jones cleared NBA waivers after the Celtics cut him loose this weekend, while Ayres, coming off two seasons with the Spurs, was briefly on a deal this fall with Shanxi of the Chinese Basketball Association, which released him about a month ago. Jones and Ayres will still be able to sign NBA contracts should offers emerge.
Jones, 24, finds himself out of an NBA job in large measure because of a numbers crunch in Boston, where Jones had one of the 16 fully guaranteed salaries the Celtics carried into training camp, one more than the regular season roster limit. The C’s still owe him the $2.038MM that his rookie scale contract called for him to make this season. The Thunder offloaded his contract to the Celtics earlier this summer in the trade that sent the former 28th overall pick to Boston.
The 28-year-old Ayres, once known as Jeff Pendergraph, averaged fewer than 10 minutes per game for the second time in his five-year career last season. Rumors of NBA interest in the big man were scarce over the summer. The Spurs renounced their Early Bird rights to him to clear cap room for their free agent haul, according to RealGM.
Which NBA teams would be the best fits for Jones and Ayres? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Northwest Notes: Wolves, Mudiay, Stone, Jazz
Flip Saunders built this year’s Timberwolves in an unusual way, with a seasoned veteran for every position group, notes Lee Jenkins of SI.com. Big man tutor Kevin Garnett, mentor wing player Tayshaun Prince and experienced point guard Andre Miller all signed contracts during the offseason before the late Saunders had to leave the job because of his ailing health. Now, they’re serving as guides through a difficult time as the team mourns Saunders’ death. Minnesota opened the season Wednesday with a one-point win over the Lakers.
“Coach brought us all here for a reason,” coach Sam Mitchell said, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. “And he would expect nothing less than us coming out and being focused and doing the very best job.”
See more from around the Northwest Division:
- New coach Michael Malone wants to win, but he acknowledges that so much of this season for the Nuggets is about the education of No. 7 overall pick Emmanuel Mudiay, as Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post relays. “If we’re getting our butts kicked, I’m not going to just sit there and say: ‘Well, this is good for Emmanuel’s development,'” Malone said. “But, overall, I want to be able to say at the end of Year 1 that we gave Emmanuel every chance to succeed and learn going into Year 2, because that’s only going to accelerate the growth of this roster and this organization.”
- Thunder camp cut Julyan Stone has signed with Gaziantep of Turkey, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia).
- The Jazz named Linda Luchetti the team’s vice president of basketball operations this week, a position that will have her reporting directly to GM Dennis Lindsey, the team announced. The move makes her one of the most highly ranking female basketball executives in the league, though her responsibilities will be focused on the business side of the team, according to The Associated Press.
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.
Northwest Notes: Saunders, Waiters, Gobert, Atkins
Flip Saunders was in a coma for nearly six weeks before his death at age 60, writes Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune. He had one more treatment left for Hodgkin’s lymphoma when he came down with pneumonia, went into the hospital, and failed to recover, sources told Hartman. Saunders was optimistic in the months leading up to his death, about his own prognosis — saying that he thought he’d return to the team shortly after the New Year — and about the Timberwolves, as Hartman details. The coach/executive predicted a title for the team within three years, though close friends speculated that by that time, he hoped that he could turn over head coaching duties to son Ryan, a Wolves assistant coach, according to Hartman. Saunders was by far the winningest coach in Timberwolves history, going 427-392 over his two tenures in the job, and was the only coach ever to take the team to the playoffs, the Star Tribune’s Jerry Zgoda writes in an obituary. As the NBA mourns, see more from the Northwest Division:
- The issue of whether or not the Thunder sign Dion Waiters to an extension could signal whether the team is committed to significant spending for years to come or if the Thunder’s recent high payrolls represent a temporary strategy, writes Keith P. Smith of RealGM. Oklahoma City is reportedly actively exploring an extension for the former No. 4 overall pick in advance of the November 2nd deadline.
- Rudy Gobert credits the arrival of Jazz coach Quin Snyder last season with a renewed focus on defense and increased cohesion, as Gobert, optimistic about the season ahead, details to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders.
- The deal that point guard Eric Atkins signed Sunday with the Jazz is non-guaranteed and for one year at the minimum salary, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reveals (Twitter link).
Thunder Waive Cobbins, Farrakhan
The Thunder have waived power forward Michael Cobbins and combo guard Mustapha Farrakhan, the team announced via a press release. Both players were signed to non-guaranteed pacts, so OKC won’t be on the hook for any funds as a result of these moves. The team’s roster count is now at 15 players, which is the regular season maximum.
Cobbins, 23, went undrafted out of Oklahoma State this year after appearing in 105 career collegiate contests and averaging 5.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 25.4 minutes per game. A two-time member of the Big 12 All-Defensive Team, Cobbins ranked second in the conference in blocks per game (1.83) during his senior season.
Farrakhan, 26, spent the 2011/12 and 2012/13 campaigns in the NBA D-League, averaging 8.0 points, 1.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 18.3 minutes in 70 games split between four teams. The University of Virginia product spent the 2013/14 season overseas with Melbourne United in Australia, notching averages of 10.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 20.8 minutes per contest.
Thunder Exercise Options On Three Players
The Thunder have exercised the fourth-year options on center Steven Adams and shooting guard Andre Roberson in addition to their third-year option on forward/center Mitch McGary, the team announced via press release. All three options are for the 2016/17 season, with Adams set to earn $3,140,517, Roberson scheduled to make $2,183,072, and McGary under contract for $1,526,040.
In two seasons with the Thunder, Adams, 22, has appeared in 151 games, including 87 starts, and has averaged 5.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 19.7 minutes per game to accompany a slash line of .531/.000/.534.
Roberson, 23, has seen action in 107 games in his NBA career, including 81 starts, while notching averages of 2.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.7 steals in 15.7 minutes per game. With Roberson in the starting lineup, the Thunder has gone 53-28 during the past two seasons.
McGary, 23, was the No. 21 overall pick back in the 2014 NBA draft, and he made just 32 appearances for OKC during his rookie campaign, logging 6.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks in 15.2 minutes of action per contest. His shooting numbers were .553/.000/.625.
Thunder Ink Cobbins, Farrakhan
The Thunder have agreed to deals with power forward Michael Cobbins and combo guard Mustapha Farrakhan, the team announced via a press release. The length and details of the pacts were not announced, but they are both most likely minimum salary arrangements that include little or no guaranteed money, though that is merely my speculation. Both players were likely added with designs on sending them to the team’s D-League affiliate. These additions will increase OKC’s roster count to 17 players, two over the regular season maximum.
Cobbins, 23, went undrafted out of Oklahoma State this year after appearing in 105 career collegiate contests and averaging 5.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 25.4 minutes per game. A two-time member of the Big 12 All-Defensive Team, Cobbins ranked second in the conference in blocks per game (1.83) during his senior season.
Farrakhan, 26, spent the 2011/12 and 2012/13 campaigns in the NBA D-League, averaging 8.0 points, 1.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 18.3 minutes in 70 games split between four teams. The University of Virginia product spent the 2013/14 season overseas with Melbourne United in Australia, notching averages of 10.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 20.8 minutes per contest.
Thunder Waive Qualls, Zanna, Stone, Wells
The Thunder have officially waived Michael Qualls, Talib Zanna, Julyan Stone, and Dez Wells, the team announced in a press release. All four players were in camp on non-guaranteed deals, so Oklahoma City won’t be responsible for any salary as a result of these moves. The team’s roster count now sits at 15 players, all of whom possess fully guaranteed pacts, which is the regular season maximum.
Qualls was considered a second round hopeful before tearing his ACL in the weeks leading up to the draft. Prior to his injury, Qualls, a shooting guard, was listed as the 40th best prospect in the draft by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and the 48th best one by Chad Ford of ESPN.com. He was inked with the intent for him spend the season with Oklahoma City’s D-League affiliate while he recovers from his injury.
Stone, 26, saw his last NBA action during the 2013/14 campaign when he appeared in 21 contests for the Raptors and averaged 0.9 points in 5.7 minutes per game. His NBA career also includes parts of two seasons with the Nuggets. Stone’s career NBA numbers overall are 1.3 PPG, 1.0 RPG, and 1.1 APG to go along with a slash line of .440/.211/.722. The 6’6″ guard spent the 2014/15 season playing for Umana Reyer Venezia of Italy.
Zanna, 25, split summer league between the Thunder and Cavs, putting up 6.0 points and an efficient 4.7 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game. Indeed, at 6’9″, he showed a touch on the boards in the D-League this past year, pulling down 11.0 RPG to go with 13.3 PPG in 27.7 MPG. It’s a skill he didn’t show as much of in college, where he topped out at 8.6 RPG in 30.3 MPG as a senior.
The Wizards were one of six teams to extend training camp invitations to Wells before he signed with the Thunder. He reportedly turned down Washington’s offer because the Wizards already possessed 15 players on guaranteed pacts and he wanted better odds at landing a regular season roster spot, but the Thunder already had their 15 full guarantees in place when Wells agreed to join them. In 28 appearances during his senior season with the Terrapins, Wells averaged 15.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists to go along with a slash line of .464/.510/.806.
Northwest Notes: Jokic, Kanter, Exum
Rookie center Nikola Jokic is arguably the biggest surprise of the Nuggets‘ preseason, and the young big man will be called upon early in the season to produce with projected starter Jusuf Nurkic out until November, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. “Nikola Jokic, he’s a young kid and I’m not saying he’s ready, but he does things every practice that make you say ‘Wow, this kid has a chance to be a [heck of a] player,’” coach Michael Malone said. “For him to be that young and that skilled is really exciting to see. The fact that he’s gotten so much better even from summer league.“
Here’s what else is happening in the Northwest:
- Thunder forward Steve Novak downplayed teammate Enes Kanter‘s feud with the Jazz organization, and suggested that the situation between the two sides was blown out of proportion last season, writes Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. “I’m not really sure what went on there, but Enes is a great guy and Utah is a great organization,” Novak said. “I was here [Utah] with Enes. There was never any big incidents. I think it became a little bit bigger than it was. And I know Enes played to it and got a little bit of what he deserved.” Novak, when asked if he thought Kanter would do things differently with the benefit of hindsight, Novak responded, “I doubt it. He had to get something out and he got it out. He felt good about it. And then he probably felt bad about it and now it’s over with…Enes is very happy and Utah is doing great, so it’s over.”
- Jazz point guard Dante Exum credits a month of grueling prehab work in Utah for helping prepare him for his ACL surgery, and he’s making excellent progress in his recovery as a result, Jody Genessy of The Deseret News writes. “The prehab — as much as I hated it, it was really good for me,” Exum told Genessy. “I saw the results coming out of the surgery. I was still able to lift my leg up on its own. The strength was still there as much as I’d lost. That was the biggest thing. It’s helped me to be able to walk sooner, get off the crutches and out of the brace, just because of that.”
- Damian Lillard is excited about being paired alongside Maurice Harkless, and he believes the two of them give the Blazers a formidable backcourt, Mike Richman of The Oregonian relays. Portland acquired Harkless from the Magic this summer in exchange for a protected 2020 second round pick.