Northwest Notes: Sefolosha, Thunder, Jazz
Here’s tonight’s look at the Northwest Division as the Blazers, Thunder, and Jazz look for Monday night victories..
- There’s no guarantee that Thabo Sefolosha will return to the Thunder next season, writes Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. Oklahoma City has never allowed a player like Sefolosha, a five-year fixture in the rotation, to get to free agency, but the defensively-minded guard could be the first. The threat of the luxury tax looms large over OKC and they have a more pressing deal to try to get done with Reggie Jackson, a rising star who is eligible for an extension on July 1. Sefolosha has previously stated his desire to remain with the Thunder.
- How good is Jabari Parker? One NBA assistant coach says the Duke star would be the best player on the Jazz today, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. While many have said that Kansas’ Andrew Wiggins is the undisputed top talent in the draft for months now, it appears that the tides have shifted in the last month or so with many execs saying that Parker or Julius Randle could be the first man off the board in June.
- Thunder guard Derek Fisher says that he’ll leave nothing on the hardwood this season as it will definitely be his last, writes RealGM’s Shams Charania. “It’s my last season, so I don’t have to worry about pacing myself for next season per say,” Fisher said. “I’m trying to make sure that I’m ready every night for whatever the team needs me to do…it’s just about being a leader by example and continuing to show our guys that you help your team win by doing whatever it takes – not just things that show up on the stat sheet.”
Northwest Notes: Garrett, Durant, Wiggins
After recapping the Wolves offseason earlier today, let’s take a look at some links out of the Northwest Division..
- New Jazz guard Diante Garrett made one heck of a first impression in his debut on Wednesday night, writes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. The 25-year-old D-League call-up helped lead Utah to a 111-105 over New Orleans on Saturday night.
- Count Thunder star Kevin Durant among those who are impressed with the top talent in the 2014 draft. Durant called Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins the “1A” and “1B” players in the class, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. KD says that Parker is the “real deal” and sees Wiggins as a future All-Star and Hall of Famer.
- While promoting his new book, Jazz legend John Stockton was asked by reporters if he has any plans of returning the organization. “I wouldn’t rule anything out but I’m enjoying what I’m doing,” said the point guard, according to Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune (on Twitter).
Western Notes: Budinger, Blair, Lakers, Liggins, Eliyahu
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports got T’Wolves fans excited today when he passed along news that Chase Budinger will return to Minnesota and has been cleared to resume basketball activity. However, the T’Wolves seem to be saying (via Twitter) that he may not start practicing right away. Here’s this afternoon’s look at the Western Conference..
- Offseason acquisition DeJuan Blair could earn a regular the Mavericks‘ rotation, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. When Brandan Wright returns from his right shoulder injury, Dallas will be saddled with a wonderful problem: two talented big men off of the bench who are hungry for playing time.
- Ten games is enough to start evaluating the Lakers, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The Kobe Bryant-less Lakers are 4-6, though offseason pickup Wesley Johnson has been among the team’s bright spots.
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside wonders if DeAndre Liggins will be a candidate for D-League MVP this season. Schlosser believes that the former Thunder guard could rise up as this season’s Andrew Goudelock.
- Israeli guard Lior Eliyahu, whose NBA draft rights are owned by the T’Wolves, has signed a three-year deal with Hapoel Jerusalem, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. It’s not clear if the deal includes an NBA out-clause. Minnesota acquired Eliyahu’s draft rights in the 2012 Chase Budinger trade with Houston. To keep track of everyone’s whereabouts from around the world, check out the Hoops Rumors International Tracker.
Amico On Turner, Young, Granger, Cousins
Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio has his weekly column posted; let’s dive in and take a look at the highlights..
- If the Sixers start to slide and they turn their focus to the offseason, they could find a trade partner in the Mavericks. The two sides have yet to talk, but sources around the league wonder if Dallas might be interested in landing Evan Turner in an effort to make a playoff run and appease star Dirk Nowitzki. Turner wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg and a package of Shawn Marion and a draft pick would probably get the job done for the former No. 2 overall pick.
- If the Sixers part with Turner, word around the league is that the Thunder and T-Wolves will also be among the teams with interest.
- Sixers small forward Thaddeus Young is also off to a hot start and is likely to draw interest around the trade deadline or sooner. Young may be a little tougher to move than Turner at $8.6MM this year and $9.1MM next with a player option for $9.7MM in 2015), however.
- With the Pacers off to a 7-0 start, league execs wonder what Danny Granger‘s role might be when he comes back from injury. With his expiring contract and recent injury history, it seems as if the Pacers would be receptive to moving him. If they do dangle Granger, they’ll probably seek out some backcourt help, specifically someone adept at handling the basketball.
- One league exec told Amico, “If the Kings aren’t any good, mark my words: They’ll trade (DeMarcus) Cousins.” Cousins is still on his rookie contract this year, but has a max extension kicking in next season, which will make it trickier to trade him due to CBA rules, albeit not impossible.
Northwest Rumors: Martin, Thunder, Lopez
The Northwest Division is home to the NBA’s only winless team, the 0-7 Jazz, along with a struggling 1-4 Nuggets outfit. Still, the Thunder are one of a pair of teams in the league with just a single loss, and the Trail Blazers and Timberwolves are off to 4-2 starts. Here’s news on the three Northwest clubs who’ve impressed so far:
- The Wolves made Kevin Martin a much better financial offer than the Thunder did this summer, but that’s not the only benefit of his decision to sign with Minnesota, writes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. The Wolves are giving Martin a chance to start and play more than just a complementary role on a team with other marquee players.
- Martin’s departure seemed to leave the Thunder‘s bench in disrepair, but Steven Adams and Jeremy Lamb, fruits of the James Harden deal, have combined with Derek Fisher to outperform three of the team’s starters, notes Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman.
- LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard tell Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com they feel more freedom to play aggressively on defense now that offseason trade acquisition Robin Lopez is protecting the rim for the Trail Blazers.
- Lior Eliyahu is nearing a three-year deal with Hapoel Jerusalem in Israel, according to Roey Gladstone of Israeli Channel 5 TV (Twitter link; hat tip to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). The Wolves own the 28-year-old’s NBA rights, but it’s unclear if Eliyahu’s deal would allow him to leave for the NBA before the three years are up.
Odds & Ends: Aldridge, Blazers, Redick, Henry
LaMarcus Aldridge hasn’t told coach Terry Stotts that he wants to remain in Portland long-term, but he hasn’t said he wants to get out, either, so the coach tells Jim Rome of CBS Sports Radio that he isn’t worried about a player he believes is content playing for the Blazers. Ben Golliver of Blazer’s Edge has a transcript of those comments, as well as the coach’s remarks on the contributions of new acquisition Robin Lopez toward what Stotts perceives as a changed culture on the team. Here’s more on other new additions around the Association:
- Doc Rivers arrived in L.A. this summer with J.J. Redick atop his list of targets within the Clippers‘ price range, and he convinced Redick over dinner to come to the team, finally landing the player he’d sought multiple times while with the Celtics. Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com has the details.
- Xavier Henry didn’t perform nearly as well in New Orleans as he is with the Lakers, and while Pelicans coach Monty Williams takes responsibility for his role in that, Henry doesn’t blame him, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
- Lester Hudson is headed to play in China for the third straight season, inking a deal with Xinjiang, agent Brad Ames tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Hudson’s first trip East in 2011/12 resulted in late-season NBA stints with the Cavs and Grizzlies.
- The Thunder have lost plenty with the departures of James Harden and Kevin Martin the past two offseasons, but Jeff Caplan of NBA.com thinks this could be the most complete Oklahoma City team yet, thanks to the team’s youthful bench.
- Steven Adams, a member of that Thunder bench, has seen more minutes than starter Kendrick Perkins this year, but Caplan passes along Perkins’ praise for the rookie, and coach Scott Brooks isn’t concerned that Perkins will pout, The Oklahoman’s Darnell Mayberry notes.
Odds & Ends: Bledsoe, Stephenson, Korver
Eric Bledsoe has kicked off his inaugural campaign as a full-time starter in Phoenix with a bang, averaging 21.0 PPG, 7.2 APG, 5.0 RPG, 1.8 SPG in 33.8 MPG, and helping the Suns to a 3-2 record after five games. The 4th year veteran is set to become a restricted free agent next summer after failing to land an extension last week, and while some may be worried that this potentially means a short tenure for Bledsoe in Phoenix, GM Ryan McDonough was openly optimistic about being able to re-sign him (Adam Green of Arizona Sports, hat tip to Burns and Gambo of Arizona Sports 620):
“I feel very confident that he’s going to be a Sun long-term…We negotiated with Eric and his agents. I think the contract situation was handled very professionally on both ends…We can match any offer to Eric next summer…Another advantage would be we have an extra year to play with. Other teams who are making Eric an offer can offer him four years, we can offer him up to five if we chose to do so…So there’s some inherent advantages that I just mentioned, also we can give higher percentage increases than another team could give Eric in a contract.”
Here are some more miscellaneous news and notes to pass along tonight:
- Looking into Lance Stephenson‘s comments that he thinks the Pacers would “do anything” to keep him in Indiana for the long term, Candace Buckner of IndyStar.com (along with USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt) explores how the 23-year-old shooting guard could be positioning himself for a five-year max deal next summer. While I’m not too sure about labeling Stephenson as a max-level player at this point, if he can maintain his current averages of 16.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 4.6 APG, and 47% shooting from the field, he should draw some very lucrative offers next July.
- Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post notes how the Nuggets’ plans to recruit Kyle Korver this past summer led to nothing more than brief contact because of the massive turnover that had been going on within the front office and coaching staff. Korver would eventually re-sign with the Hawks.
- The Thunder have hired former Raptors vice president and assistant GM Maurizio Gherardini in a senior adviser/international affairs position, according to Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK.
Knicks Rumors: Barron, Woodson, Collins
It’s been an eventful day for Knicks content so far at Hoops Rumors. In addition to discussing the club in a pair of notes posts, I also explored possible solutions for the team’s depleted frontcourt. News of Tyson Chandler‘s injury has plenty more updates coming out of New York, so let’s round up the latest:
- The last update we heard on Earl Barron had him signing with a Chinese team in September, but Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York indicates that the big man has returned stateside and would be “excited” about any interest from the Knicks (Twitter links). New York’s coaching staff reportedly wanted the front office to sign Barron before he landed in China.
- In a long piece on the Knicks, Grantland’s Zach Lowe suggests that teams with expendable bigs will be making “predatory calls” to GM Steve Mills today. Lowe lists Jason Maxiell (Magic), Ekpe Udoh (Bucks), Kevin Seraphin (Wizards), Kendrick Perkins (Thunder), and Kris Humphries (Celtics) among his possible trade candidates, but notes that any deal would be difficult.
- Mike Woodson isn’t constantly looking over his shoulder or worrying about his job security, despite the team’s sluggish start, as he told ESPN Radio today (link via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN New York).
- Harvey Araton of the New York Times suggests Jason Collins would be a good free agent fit for the Knicks, which is something I proposed earlier today.
Odds & Ends: Ewing, Oriakhi, Jackson
The divergent paths the Nets and Pacers took to upgrade their teams this summer underscores how the current collective bargaining agreement allows deep-pocketed owners to further their advantage, opines Mark Deeks of ShamSports in a piece for HoopsWorld. Indiana steadfastly refuses to pay the luxury tax, while Brooklyn is set to pay about $80MM in penalties on its $100MM+ payroll this season. Still, the Pacers are the NBA’s lone unbeaten team and my pick to win the championship. Here’s more from a nine-game NBA evening:
- There were 13 coaching vacancies this past offseason, and Patrick Ewing didn’t receive an interview for any of them, notes Fred Kerber of the New York Post, who catches up with the Bobcats assistant pining for a chance to lead a team.
- Alex Oriakhi, whom the Suns drafted 57th overall this summer, is leaving the French team Limoges, but he wants to continue to play somewhere in Europe, according to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia.
- This year is crucial for Reggie Jackson, as he’ll have a chance to prove his worth as a sixth man. The Thunder believe he can lead their second unit, but they must find out for sure before he becomes extension-eligible in the summer, as The Oklahoman’s Anthony Slater examines.
- Larry Sanders is averaging just 17.3 minutes per game after signing a four-year, $44MM extension with the Bucks this offseason, but he simply hasn’t earned any more playing time with his performance so far, the Journal Sentinel’s Michael Hunt argues.
Western Notes: Suns, Aldridge, Thunder, Kings
No team except perhaps the Sixers was viewed as more likely to tank the 2013/14 season than the Suns, who shipped out Luis Scola over the summer and traded Marcin Gortat just days before the regular season began. But team president Lon Babby takes issue with the idea that Phoenix is intentionally trying to lose games, as he tells Sean Deveney of the Sporting News.
“There is a key difference between acknowledging that you’re rebuilding, which we are, and some notion that you’re not trying to succeed,” Babby said. “Anybody in this business, because you’re competitive, and you have a competitive nature, it is not going to do anything but give your heart and soul to try to win every night.”
It may be an question of semantics, but Babby’s comments, along with the strong starts to the season for the Sixers and Suns, are a reminder that while a front office may put a team in position to lose games, the players on the court are certainly trying to win.
Here’s more from around the West:
- Rival team executives will continue to monitor LaMarcus Aldridge‘s situation in Portland, but the Blazers forward tells Sam Amick of USA Today that he has no desire to be moved. Asked about his current attitude, Aldridge replied: “It’s not ‘If there’s a better deal, then get me out of [Portland] or take that.’ It’s ‘We’re here. Let’s win, and let’s try to have the best season that we can.'” Amick adds that there’s a league-wide belief that GM Neil Olshey wouldn’t even consider an offer for Aldridge unless it included at least an All-Star player, among other things.
- Responding to comments made by ESPN’s Bill Simmons, Oklahoman contributor Jon Hamm rebuts the idea that the Thunder need to become a taxpaying team to win the title.
- On the heels of a 19-point outing from Ben McLemore, Kings coach Michael Malone tells Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee that the rookie guard is “a big part of our future.”