Oklahoma City Thunder Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Howard, Thunder, Nuggets

March 22nd, 2015 at 2:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Rockets expect to have Dwight Howard back on the court soon, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston. Howard hopes to play on the upcoming road trip, either Monday in Indiana or Wednesday in New Orleans. Howard said, “That’s a big step” when told his status had been updated from out to doubtful for the Pacers game. (Twitter link). Howard said he hasn’t “circled a day” for his return, but told Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle, “It’s going to depend on how I feel … after the workout I just had.” (Twitter link). Coach Kevin McHale offered little indication about Howard’s return, saying, “As I said to you, I’ll talk to you about (Howard) when I see him out on the floor with us.” (Twitter link). Howard has been sidelined since January 23rd because of ongoing pain in his right knee.

There’s more from the Western Conference:

It’s time for the Thunder to shift their focus toward next season, argues Michael Lee of The Washington Post. With fears that Kevin Durant is done for the season and the reigning MVP’s free agency a little more than a year away, Lee contends Oklahoma City’s urgency has already moved to 2015/16. With Serge Ibaka‘s status also uncertain after undergoing knee surgery, Lee’s advice to the Thunder is to avoid rushing Durant back and save him for a run at the title next season.
With all the bad news surrounding the Thunder, Dion Waiters is providing some hope, writes Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. Waiters broke a long shooting slump Friday with 26 points in a win over the Hawks, giving the Thunder the boost they hoped for when they acquired him from Cleveland in a three-team deal in early January. “He’s a good player,” said coach Scott Brooks. “I told him we’re just going to have to keep working with you.”
The Nuggets are making no effort to hide their intentions to tank, charges Brian K. Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel. Far out of the Western Conference playoff race, Denver has been “resting” healthy starters, Schmitz claims, and has little interest in picking up late-season wins that might harm its draft position. The Nuggets rank eighth in Hoops Rumors’ Reverse Standings.

Southwest Notes: Rockets, Terry, Mavs

March 22nd, 2015 at 10:31am CST by ChrisCrouse

Memphis sits atop the Southwest Division with a record of 49-21. New Orleans resides in last place in the division, but sits two games back of the Thunder for the eighth seed in the Western Conference with a record of 37-32. The division could become the first since the Central Division in 2006 to have all of its teams make the playoffs.

Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

The Rockets have had their share of injuries this season, but the team views it as an opportunity to get other players valuable experience, writes Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle. “It gives the other guys more chances to play and they have to come in the game and really make impacts,” forward Josh Smith said. “It’s a chance for us to be better as a whole.”
Rockets guard Jason Terry admires the career of Steve Nash, who announced his retirement on Saturday, writes Jenny Dial Creech in a separate piece. “He brought back the point in point guard position in our era,” Terry said. “It was a time where guards were starting to become scoring guards. He was a true general on the floor. He was never selfish. He always looked to make his teammates better and he will be missed, but his mark on history will be left.”
Dallas only has $28.06MM in guaranteed salary on the books for 2015/16 season, as Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors notes in his Mavs‘ Salary Commitments piece. That figure doesn’t include player options for Raymond Felton, Al-Farouq Aminu and Monta Ellis. I’d speculate that Ellis and Aminu both turn down their options and become free agents.

Western Notes: Collison, Jones, Powell

March 21st, 2015 at 4:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The salary cap could jump from $90MM in 2016/17 to as much as $105MM the year after, league sources tell Zach Lowe of Grantland.com. With all the buzz surrounding Kevin Durant, Lowe notes that the increase could give the Thunder another chance to add talent without going into the luxury tax. Although, he adds that giving Serge Ibaka a maximum salary contract on his next deal could limit their flexibility.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

The Thunder‘s injury woes continue as coach Scott Brooks informed reporters that Nick Collison is expected to miss at least 10 days with an ankle injury, Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman relays. Collison joins Durant, Ibaka and Enes Kanter on the injured list, Mayberry notes. “One thing I do know is our guys are going to continue to fight and rally and our crowd is going to continue to support our guys because they give effort,” Brooks said. “We’ve never, ever given up and felt sorry for ourselves. Our team’s going to continue to rally around each other and help each other fight through it. We’ve had some tough moments this year. That has never stopped us from competing, never stopped us from trying to improve.”
Rockets players have missed a combined 137 games this season due to injury or illness thus far, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle notes. The latest Houston player to sustain an injury is Terrence Jones who suffered a collapsed lung during Thursday night’s contest. Jones will be out of action indefinitely as a result of his injury, Feigen relays. “Guys have to step up,” coach Kevin McHale said. “I sure wish Kostas Papanikolaou [who has been out for 13 games with a sprained ankle] was ready to play, but he’s not ready to play, either. We just have to deal with it and go.“
The Mavs have re-assigned Dwight Powell to the Texas Legends, their D-League affiliate, the team announced in a press release.

Reaction To Latest On Durant

March 20th, 2015 at 9:47pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Kevin Durant hasn’t officially been ruled out for the season, but GM Sam Presti doesn’t sound optimistic about the forward’s injury. Despite the down season, Amin Elhassan of ESPN.com believes the Thunder shouldn’t panic and make rash decisions this offseason. The team still has the talent to contend and unless Durant himself declares he is leaving, the franchise shouldn’t think about trading its superstar.

Here’s more reaction to Durant’s latest news:

The Thunder have had major injuries in each of the last three years and Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report believes the window for Oklahoma City to win a championship is closing. Ding compares this team to another small market team, the 2004 Wolves. That team was built around Kevin Garnett, Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell and considered a contender to win it all. Cassell injured his hip and Minnesota lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Lakers. The Wolves never even made the playoffs since and a few years later, they traded their star forward to the Celtics. While it’s unlikely the Thunder trade Durant, he becomes an unrestricted free agent after the 2015/16 season.
The burden of taking over a heralded franchise in a monster market such as New York or Los Angeles is something that may be attractive to Kevin Durant, opines Ding in the same piece. Ding cites Durant’s history in making documentaries as reason why the forward wouldn’t mind the spotlight.
Preparing for the future without Durant is something the Thunder might have to start thinking about, opines Zach Lowe of Grantland.com. By being extra cautious with Durant’s injury, the Thunder likely lost their last chance to chase a ring before the forward becomes the most talked-about pending free agent since LeBron James. A championship with Oklahoma City would go a long way in keeping the reigning MVP in town, but the buzz surrounding Durant will do nothing but add pressure to the team during the 2015/16 season.

Latest On Kevin Durant

March 20th, 2015 at 11:56am CST by Chuck Myron

Thunder GM Sam Presti wouldn’t declare Kevin Durant out for the season and the playoffs, but he said in a press conference today that’s essentially “the direction we’re headed right now,” according to Royce Young of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The reigning MVP won’t be back unless the soreness in his foot abates, Presti added, as Michael Lee of The Washington Post tweets. Presti said that Durant, who had been ramping up for a return that was expected within the next week, has been removed from basketball activity, and the GM doesn’t sound optimistic about a return this season, observes Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman (Twitter link).

The high-scoring forward hasn’t played since February 19th after undergoing a second procedure that was designed to alleviate the lingering pain in the Jones fracture that he suffered in his right foot before the season. Various ailments have limited Durant to just 27 games so far in 2014/15.

The Thunder are also without Serge Ibaka for as many as six weeks, with the playoffs set to begin in a little more than four weeks. They’re just a game up on New Orleans and two and a half up on Phoenix for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, and they have little recourse for upgrading their roster to help them salvage a postseason berth, as I examined. Oklahoma City has 15 players on contracts that run through at least the end of the season, and the team is already a taxpayer, making it difficult for the Thunder to waive a contract to sign someone else.

Durant is in the next to last season of his contract, which puts pressure on the Thunder to maximize their championship window. The team already has more than $78MM in commitments for next season, which doesn’t include a new contract for soon-to-be restricted free agent Enes Kanter.

Northwest Notes: Wolves, Durant, Jazz

March 19th, 2015 at 8:46pm CST by ChrisCrouse

President of basketball operations Flip Saunders says signing Sean Kilpatrick came down to proximity, according to Alan Horton, who is the play-by-play announcer for the Wolves (Twitter link). Minnesota played the Knicks tonight and Kilpatrick was playing for the Delaware 87ers, the D-League affiliate of the Sixers. After a three hour car ride to New York, the Cincinnati product was in uniform for the Wolves. Minnesota had only eight healthy players active, the league minimum, in the game tonight.

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

Kevin Durant had a setback at practice today and isn’t playing in Friday’s game against the Hawks, according to Royce Young of the TrueHoop Network. “Just he experienced some soreness,” coach Scott Brooks said. “I think when you go through rehab, we all know through the rehab process you’re going to have some peaks and valleys, and you just have to adjust accordingly. That’s why he was off today, and he’s definitely not playing tomorrow. That’s all part of the process with his rehab.” Durant has missed 17 of the last 23 games, including 13 straight, because of a foot injury.
The Jazz have one of the youngest rosters in the league and Ben Detrick of Grantland.com chronicles how the franchise turned itself into a team with one of the brightest futures in the Western Conference. Detrick points out that Utah’s success lately is partially a result of trading away Enes Kanter. The move cleared up a jumbled frontcourt situation and gave Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors ample playing time. Of the power forwards in the league, only Blake Griffin and Anthony Davis have a higher PER than Favors’ 22.4 rating this season.
The Jazz have recalled Grant Jerrett from their D-League affiliate, the Idaho Stampede, according to the team’s website. The Arizona product appeared in four games for the Stampede, averaging 12.8 points and 1.5 blocks per game.

Serge Ibaka Out Up To Six Weeks

March 17th, 2015 at 3:26pm CST by Chuck Myron

Serge Ibaka is out for approximately four to six weeks after undergoing surgery to address soreness in his right knee today, the Thunder announced via press release. The news is troublesome for Oklahoma City, which holds just a half-game lead on the Pelicans for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with four weeks and one day to go until the end of the regular season. The team is already missing Kevin Durant, who hasn’t played since February 19th after injuring his right foot. Durant is expected back soon, but another significant injury adds to a season of ill health for the Thunder that threatens to keep them from the playoffs.

Oklahoma City has 15 players signed through at least the end of the season, as our roster counts show, and it’s too late for the team to apply for a disabled player exception. The Thunder don’t have enough missing players to apply for a hardship exception that would give them a 16th roster spot, either, so their avenues for injury relief are limited. The team used hardship to sign Ish Smith as a 16th man earlier this season, but that was a temporary measure, and two more players would have to turn up with long-term injuries to put the team back in line for that provision.

It’s conceivable that Ibaka’s expected absence would encourage the Pelicans to make a move to try to pass the Thunder. New Orleans has one of the league’s most flexible rosters, with 14 players and only 13 of them signed through the season, and the Pelicans have a sliver of their mid-level exception to dangle on one of the more sought-after free agents if they choose. The Suns loom two and a half games back of Oklahoma City, and Phoenix has more than $3MM in cap room along with only 14 players signed through the end of the season. The Thunder have portions of their mid-level and biannual exceptions remaining, but they’d have to waive a player and risk eating his salary to sign anyone else, and they’re already a taxpaying team.

Eastern Notes: Irving, Heat, Scott, Perkins

March 16th, 2015 at 4:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

Reports last season that made claims of a rift between Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters and alleged that Irving wanted to leave the Cavaliers put a strain on the point guard, as he tells Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. Irving silenced much of the chatter when he agreed to a five-year extension with Cleveland on the first day he could this past July.

“It really got to me,” Irving said of the rumors. “I’m not a big Twitter person and I don’t tweet a lot of my emotions, but last year I was clarifying because there were so many sources. I’m dealing with people coming at my character. Saying I’m detrimental to my teammates and I’m like, ‘Man, that’s not even close to who I am at all.’ It started to get to me because once people start to question the things that you’re doing, and you know you’re not doing them, then it starts to get to you.”

There’s more on the Cavs amid the latest from around the Eastern Conference:

Dwyane Wade believes Goran Dragic is a fit for the Heat, but even if he re-signs and Chris Bosh and Josh McRoberts return healthy for next season, Wade thinks the team would still need to add more to return to contention, as he told Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post.
Mike Scott is expected to miss four to six weeks with his broken left big toe, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The Hawks signed Austin Daye on Saturday to a 10-day contract to help offset the loss. The regular season ends four weeks from this coming Wednesday.
Kendrick Perkins is enthusiastic about the way he’s fit in with the Cavs and the warm reception his new teammates have given him, as he tells Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter links). Perkins, who nonetheless added that he misses his former Thunder teammates, will once more hit free agency in the summer.
Public funding for pro sports facilities is coming under fire from President Obama, who’s proposed eliminating the ability for states and cities to use bonds that are exempt from federal taxes to raise money for construction, reports Elaine S. Povich of Stateline (USA Today link). It’s unclear whether that would affect the Bucks‘ plan, which is based on a “jock tax” that draws from players.

Northwest Notes: Hunt, Neal, Gasol, Tomic

March 16th, 2015 at 10:48am CST by Chuck Myron

The Trail Blazers have never won a Northwest Division title, but they’re seemingly destined to do so this year, since they’re up nine games in the loss column on the Thunder with less than a month to go in the regular season. The last time Portland won a division title, in 1999, the team was in the Pacific Division. Here’s the latest on the teams looking up at the Blazers in the standings:

Nuggets players, and Kenneth Faried in particular, are ecstatic about interim coach Melvin Hunt and would unanimously vote to remove the interim tag from his title, observes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. However, owner Stan Kroenke is still dissatisfied with a team far from playoff contention, Dempsey also notes.
Timberwolves guard Gary Neal doesn’t regret chasing the money and leaving the Spurs to sign a two-year, $6.5MM deal in 2013 in part because he saw DeJuan Blair go from a starter to signing a minimum-salary contract in short order, as Neal tells Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Neal will be a free agent again at season’s end.
Kevin Durant has posited that Oklahoma City’s lack of “orchestras and plays” dissuaded Pau Gasol from signing with the Thunder this past summer, but Gasol said this weekend that such cultural attractions weren’t a factor, according to The Oklahoman’s Darnell Mayberry. The Bulls big man instead said it was a matter of on-court fit that led him to choose Chicago, as Mayberry relays.
Jazz draft-and-stash prospect Ante Tomic believes the offseason ahead is his last legitimate opportunity to join the NBA, and while he acknowledged that he’s in talks about a new deal with his Spanish team, he won’t rule out a jump to Utah. The 7’2″ center made his remarks to Jesús Pérez Ramos of Mundo Deportivo (translation via HoopsHype). FC Barcelona has a team option on the 28-year-old for next season, but the Jazz are reportedly willing to pay to buy Tomic out of his contract.

Northwest Notes: Durant, Kanter, Gasol

March 15th, 2015 at 11:12am CST by ChrisCrouse

Kevin Durant has returned to practice for the first time since his latest surgery, Anthony Slater of the Oklahoman reports. “ [Durant] Went through some of the practice today,” coach Scott Brooks said. “Did some 3-on-3.” Oklahoma City is 18-20 on the season without Durant in the lineup. Russell Westbrook has played in 22 of those games and the team has gone during 12-10 during those contests.

Here’s more from the Northwest Division

Since his arrival in Oklahoma City, Enes Kanter is playing more minutes at the center position and the big man is happy with his role, Slater notes in the same piece. “Only thing I want to do is give confidence to my teammates,” Kanter said. “Every time down the court I want them to take those shots. I want the point guards, the forwards to feel free to take those shots and know that the big is down there trying to get that rebound.” Kanter is averaging 4.4 offensive rebounds per game since becoming a member of the Thunder.
The Thunder made a hard push to sign Pau Gasol last offseason. Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and Scott Brooks all met with Gasol in Los Angeles in an attempt to recruit him to Oklahoma City, but, as the big man tells Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman, he’s happy with the decision he made. “At some point I had to make a decision on where I thought I would fit better as a basketball player,” Gasol said. “And I think so far it’s been proven that I made a pretty good choice.” The 34-year-old ended up signing a contract with the Bulls that will pay him roughly $22MM over three years.
Justin Hamilton has fit in well since arriving in Minnesota, writes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. “He knows how to play,” President of Basketball Operations and coach Flip Saunders said. “Sometimes you need to put some guys in there who won’t screw it up for somebody else. Sometimes you just need a guy you can put in there. He’s a 7-foot Robbie Hummel. He’s going to go in there, know every coverage and what he needs to do. If he gets beat, it won’t be because he made a mental mistake.” The Wolves claimed Hamilton after the Pelicans waived him earlier this month.