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Suns Fire Jeff Hornacek

February 1st, 2016 at 8:12am CST by Chuck Myron
Tim Fuller / USA TODAY Sports Images

Tim Fuller / USA TODAY Sports Images

8:12am: The firing is official, the team announced, adding that it plans to name an interim coach by Tuesday (Twitter link).

7:46am: Phoenix will interview Gaines, Watson and Bjorkgren for the interim position, reports Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link).

7:29am: The Suns have fired coach Jeff Hornacek, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. The team has yet to publicly acknowledge the move, but GM Ryan McDonough has already let Hornacek know his fate, Wojnarowski writes. Phoenix has lost 19 of its last 21 games and 14 in a row on the road, though injuries have played a role, with the team’s top three scorers absent for Sunday’s loss at Dallas, as Wojnarowski points out. His interim replacement is expected to be either one of two Suns assistants: Corey Gaines or Earl Watson, Wojnarowski also reports.

The move is no shock, as Hornacek’s job was reportedly under immediate threat in late December, when the team instead fired assistants Mike Longabardi and Jerry Sichting and shifted fellow assistants Watson and Nate Bjorkgren to more prominent roles. The future of the 52-year-old Hornacek was up in the air even as the season began, with a contractual decision on his team option for 2016/17 looming. Little has gone right since, as the Suns have compiled a 14-35 record in spite of realistic preseason hopes that they would make the playoffs for the first time since losing the Western Conference Finals in 2010. Phoenix stands nine games out of the final postseason spot in the West.

An offseason trade demand from Markieff Morris has seemingly hung over the team all season, even though he backtracked at the start of training camp. Trade rumors continue, and it’s reportedly a matter of when, not if, the Suns will trade the power forward who elicited a two-game suspension in December after he threw a towel in Hornacek’s direction during a December game.

Hornacek’s tenure began with much promise in 2013/14, his first season as an NBA head coach, when he finished second in Coach of the Year voting and the Suns went 48-34, narrowly missing the playoffs in a brutally competitive conference. The addition of Isaiah Thomas the following offseason backfired, and the Suns regressed to a 39-43 record last season, trading Thomas and Goran Dragic at the deadline. The Suns narrowly missed out on free agent prize LaMarcus Aldridge this past summer, instead setting off a negative chain reaction when they traded Marcus Morris and upset Markieff, his twin.

The Suns were 101-112 overall under Hornacek. Neither Gaines, Watson nor Bjorkgren has held an NBA head coaching job before. Gaines, 50, played parts of five seasons in the NBA and served as head coach and general manager of the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury. He’s been with the Suns as a player development coach since 2010/11. Watson, 36, ended a 13-year playing career after the 2013/14 season, spending last season an assistant coach with the Spurs D-League affiliate before joining the Suns staff this past summer. Bjorkgren didn’t play in the NBA but has been the head coach for three different D-League teams, including the Suns affiliate. He, like Watson, became a Suns assistant just this past summer.

Is firing Hornacek the right move for the Suns, or did he deserve more of a chance? Leave a comment to tell us.

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And-Ones: Lee, Gasol, Griffin

January 31st, 2016 at 10:28pm CST by Will Joseph

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has had conversations with David Lee and his representatives regarding the power forward’s future with Boston, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com reports. Our own Chris Crouse examined Lee as a trade candidate earlier today. The Celtics are open to moving to moving Lee, who is set to be a free agent after the season. Ainge would not detail to Blakely what the conversation was about, but did compliment Lee for dealing with what many would label as a difficult situation; Lee, who has experienced plenty of success over his 10-year career, is no longer in the Celtics’ rotation.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

  • Pau Gasol‘s new agent is Steven Heumann of Creative Artists Agency, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune confirms. Gasol hired Creative Artists Agency to represent him earlier this month. The Bulls are familiar with the firm because the agency is headed by Leon Rose, who represented former coach Tom Thibodeau, Johnson adds. Gasol possesses a player option worth $7,769,520 for 2016/17 and has said that he’s leaning toward opting out of his contract this summer.
  • The NBA’s investigation of Blake Griffin‘s fight with an assistant equipment manager is still ongoing Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reports. Broussard previously reported that the investigation was complete. There is no timetable for an announcement regarding any discipline for Griffin, per Broussard.
  • Center Tyson Chandler remains committed to Phoenix despite the Suns‘ disappointing season, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News relays. The Suns signed Chandler to a four-year, $52MM deal this past summer after his productive season with the Mavs. “I’m not jumping ship,” Chandler said. “If the organization decides to move me or something like that, then clearly, that’s something that’s out of my control. But I came here for a reason. I thought it was a young, promising team and I wanted to be a part of helping turn this around and help go to the next level. And I feel like I’m capable of doing that and this organization is capable of doing it. Clearly some things have to change.”
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Western Notes: Conley, Mavs, Suns

January 31st, 2016 at 8:14pm CST by Will Joseph

Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace gave a strong indication that Memphis intends to re-sign Mike Conley this summer when the point guard becomes a free agent, Matt Moore of CBSSports.com reports. Conley will be eligible for a projected maximum starting salary of $24.9MM for 2016/17. The Grizzlies are also not interested in trading Conley prior to the deadline, according to Moore. This jibes with earlier reports that stated the top priority in free agency this summer for Memphis is re-signing Conley, who has already said how much he would like to remain with the Grizzlies.

“If you look back at the five years since the tide has turned for this franchise, we have re-signed every core player for the Memphis Grizzlies,” Wallace told Moore.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

  • Mavs owner Mark Cuban said “nothing is really tempting” as the trade deadline nears, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com tweets. Cuban added that he likes how the Mavs are currently constructed. Dallas is 27-22.
  • The Suns project to have a crowded backcourt next season when Eric Bledsoe returns, so Eric Saar of Basketball Insiders suggests Phoenix could make a trade to make room for Devin Booker, who has shown an ability to make plays consistently and run the offense.
  • The Lakers have recalled Tarik Black from the D-League, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News (on Twitter).
  • The Clippers have recalled Branden Dawson from the D-League, the team announced, as Dan Woike of the Orange County Register relays (via Twitter).
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Pacific Notes: Morris, Stephenson, Randle

January 31st, 2016 at 10:31am CST by ChrisCrouse

Golden State sits atop the Pacific Division with a record of 43-4, which is tied for the best 47 game start in NBA history. The Warriors beat the lowly Sixers in dramatic fashion on Saturday night by a score of 108-105 on a last second buzzer-beater by Harrison Barnes, who will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season. The team will take on the Knicks at Madison Square Garden tonight, and as the Warriors await their next opponent, let’s take a look at some notes from their foes in the Pacific Division:

  • Markieff Morris views this year’s Suns differently than the 2012/13 team that lost 57 games, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. “Three years ago, when we were losing, we still were having fun,” Morris said. “It was just put together the wrong way. Now, it’s more like a rebuilding type of thing. We’re playing a bunch of young guys. It’s hard because it’s something different every game. Back then, we had a bunch of talented guys but some guys didn’t fit in. It’s a tough situation.” Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors examined Morris as a trade candidate earlier this month.
  • The Clippers may opt to give offseason addition Lance Stephenson a bigger role with Blake Griffin sidelined, Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times writes. “I still say he’s going to help us,” coach Doc Rivers said of Stephenson, who was the subject of trade chatter earlier this season. “But I just like his spirit. He’s ready every night, he wants to play. He’s been a great team guy.” The 25-year-old had an impressive game against the Lakers on Friday night, accumulating 16 points and five rebounds while shooting 6 for 7 from the field.
  • Julius Randle is showing signs of improvement and Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders believes he is one of the most promising young power forwards in the NBA. Randle is pulling down 9.7 rebounds per game, which is good for 12th most in the league this season.
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Pacific Notes: Griffin, Morris, Weems

January 30th, 2016 at 1:05pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Thanks to the rash of backcourt injuries that have plagued the Suns this season, Sonny Weems is finally getting his opportunity to play, and the shooting guard hopes to demonstrate how valuable he can be to the team, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. “I think I can do a lot more,” Weems said. “I think I’m a more complete player than most think I am. It’s still a long season. I still have got time to show the complete game that I have.”

Weems noted that he still tries to speak regularly with his former CSKA Moscow coach, Ettore Messina, who is an assistant with the Spurs, but he runs into trouble doing so, Coro adds. “I’m stuck here for the next two years and he’s there so we can’t talk about anything,” said Weems, whose deal includes a team option for next season. The guard did note that he appreciates the opportunity Phoenix has given him but he wants a more substantial role, Coro relays. “I actually like Phoenix,” Weems said. “You really can’t complain when you see the sun shine every day and it’s 70 degrees. I really like it. As far as playing time, I wish I had more playing time. Of course, every NBA player wishes he could play a lot more. I understand the business. I’m just waiting my turn. When it comes, I’m going to be ready. I love Phoenix.”

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers notes that power forward Blake Griffin, who is expected to miss up to two months after breaking his right hand in an altercation with the team’s equipment manager, is genuinely remorseful for the incident, Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com relays. “He feels awful about it, and he’s let everyone know that,” Rivers said. “That’s all you can do. You have to forgive people at some point. I believe that. We built Richard Nixon a library. I mean, my goodness. You forgive people. You really do. You kind of move on, and you build it back.” Rivers also noted that the franchise will defer to the league in regard to any discipline meted out, Arnovitz adds. “Both parties will get together,” Rivers said. “Usually the league leads on that stuff.“
  • It’s still a matter of when, not if, the Suns will trade Markieff Morris, executives from around the league tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com, but Phoenix is holding tight in search of better offers with his market value trending relatively low, according to Stein.
  • The Clippers sent $456,921 to the Rockets as part of the Josh Smith trade, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders notes (on Twitter).

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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Dead Money: Pacific Division

January 30th, 2016 at 11:48am CST by Eddie Scarito

Not every dollar of each team’s payroll shows up on the court, as franchises often dish out funds to players who are no longer on their rosters. Players with guaranteed money who are waived, either through a standard waiver release, use of the stretch provision, or when a buyout arrangement is reached, still count against a team’s cap figure for the duration of their contracts, or the amount of time specified by the collective bargaining agreement for when a player’s salary is stretched.

There are even situations that arise, like the one with JaVale McGee and the Sixers, where these players are actually the highest-paid on the team. McGee is set to collect $12MM from Philly, and he won’t score one point or collect one rebound for the franchise this season. The next highest-paid athlete for the Sixers is Gerald Wallace, who was also waived, and he is scheduled to earn $10,105,855 for the 2015/16 campaign. In fact, the total payroll for the Sixers’ entire active roster this season is $32,203,553, which is merely $3,709,857 more than the amount being paid to players no longer on the team!

Listed below are the names and cap hits associated with players who are no longer on the rosters of teams in the Pacific Division:

Golden State Warriors

  • None

Los Angeles Clippers

Total= $1,412,964

Los Angeles Lakers

Total= $620,035

Phoenix Suns

Total= $1,379,261

Sacramento Kings

Total= $937,630

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

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Suns Sign Jordan McRae To 10-Day Pact

January 29th, 2016 at 12:54pm CST by Eddie Scarito

FRIDAY, 12:54pm: The signing is official, the team announced. Phoenix plays five games, against the Knicks, Mavs, Raptors, Rockets and Jazz, in the next 10 days.

WEDNESDAY, 9:20pm: The Suns intend to sign free agent shooting guard Jordan McRae to a 10-day contract, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reports (via Twitter). The Suns currently possess 15 players on their roster but Lorenzo Brown‘s second 10-day deal is set to expire on tonight, thus clearing a spot for McRae. Teams can only ink players to a maximum of two 10-day deals per campaign and Phoenix would have had to ink Brown for the remainder of the season if it wished to retain him.

McRae was the 58th overall pick out of Tennessee back in 2014, though the Spurs promptly traded his rights to the Sixers. The now 24-year-old played for Philadelphia’s D-League affiliate late last season after spending the first part of 2014/15 playing overseas in Australia. In September, he signed the required tender of a one-year, non-guaranteed, minimum-salary deal that Philadelphia had to offer to retain his draft rights.

The Sixers waived him during the preseason this year after he averaged 7.1 points over seven appearances. In 28 games for the Sixers D-League affiliate in Delaware this season, McRae has averaged 23.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists. His shooting line is .452/.310/.798.

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Pacific Notes: Myers, McDonough, Goodwin

January 28th, 2016 at 11:02am CST by Chuck Myron

Reigning Executive of the Year Bob Myers and Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob are persistent talent-seekers, but Myers acknowledges the value of standing pat sometimes, as the team has benefited from having done this past offseason, observes Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group. The continuity is a part of the relaxed culture of togetherness that coach Steve Kerr is building, as Kawakami examines.

“You have to kind of take your ego out of it sometimes and just say, ‘Look, leave it alone. Don’t screw it up,’ “ Myers said.

Golden State nonetheless continues to look around for potential ways to tweak the roster, perhaps with another shooter for the bench, though it’s only logical for the team to do so, Kawakami adds. See more from the Pacific Division:

  • The Suns would like to make at least one trade before the deadline and perhaps more, GM Ryan McDonough said Wednesday in his weekly appearance on the “Burns and Gambo” show on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM radio, as Adam Green of ArizonaSports.com transcribes. “So yeah, I think we’ll be active,” McDonough also said. “We’re not going to act like everything’s OK or like we don’t need to do anything to reposition our team going forward. But will we do a deal or how many deals will we do, I couldn’t tell you at this point.”
  • Injuries to Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight and Ronnie Price have prompted the Suns to turn to Archie Goodwin at the point, and Goodwin is embracing the role, believing that the chance to handle the ball is a better fit for his game, as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic details. Goodwin becomes eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer.
  • Kobe Bryant took a swipe at former Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni in giving praise to Pau Gasol this week, as Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com relays. Gasol has said he’s “very likely” to turn down his player option and become a free agent this summer. “I think the city of L.A. didn’t really appreciate what [Gasol] did and what we had, and so as a consequence, everybody kind of fell in line with the Mike D’Antoni rhetoric of small ball and all this other [expletive],” Bryant said. “For a guy that has two championships to be treated that way, you don’t do that, man.”
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Central Notes: Drummond, Blatt, Longabardi

January 28th, 2016 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Andre Drummond‘s free-throw shooting leaves much to be desired, but he’s working on it with Pistons shooting coach Dave Hopla, and the deficiency is not nearly glaring enough to dissuade the team from giving him a maximum-salary contract in the summer, MLive’s David Mayo contends. Besides, failing to max him out would break the trust between team and player forged when they let the extension deadline pass in the fall for the benefit of cap flexibility in the offseason ahead, and the consequences of such a betrayal would be profound, Mayo argues. See more from the Central Division:

  • The lack of pace with which the Cavs played under former coach David Blatt was a source of conflict between him and the front office, as even though Blatt was aware the team played better when it ran, he was unable to quicken the attack, according to Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Still, members of the Cavs have told Pluto that the team could take a step back before it improves while adjusting to the new speed under Tyronn Lue.
  • The Cavs formally hired Mike Longabardi as an assistant coach before Wednesday’s game, the team announced. Longabardi was one of two assistants the Suns fired a month ago. Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com first reported that Longabardi would be joining the Cleveland staff as a defensive specialist.
  • Mike Dunleavy will play rehab games on D-League assignment before making his return to the Bulls from back surgery, his father, Mike Dunleavy Sr., said Wednesday on SiriusXM NBA Radio, as host Justin Termine tweets.
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Western Notes: Griffin, Mitchell, Suns

January 27th, 2016 at 6:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Nearly half of the Timberwolves roster has expressed concern regarding the performance of interim coach Sam Mitchell, Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press relays. The players’ concerns stem from issues with Mitchell’s outdated offensive system, his tendency to platoon his rotations and a lack of personal accountability for the team’s struggles, Krawczynski notes. Point guard Zach LaVine answered tersely when asked if Mitchell’s tough love approach was making him a better player, the AP scribe adds. “It’s not fun. Sometimes unfair,” LaVine said. “But he’s the coach, I’m the player and sometimes that’s what you have to deal with. You can’t really do anything about it but play good on the court.”

Team owner Glen Taylor doesn’t appear overly concerned that some members of his roster may be frustrated with the coach, Krawczynski notes. “I talk to the players. I talk to the coaches,” Taylor said. “I’m glad that they’re frustrated. I’m sure they’re trying very hard in practice to improve their skills. I know they want to win. I’m confident that it’s just going to be some game that we win against somebody that probably has a better team than us and it just kind of gets us going.”

Here’s what else is happening out West:

  • The NBA’s punishment for Blake Griffin, who was involved in a fight with Clippers equipment manager Mathias Testi, may not be known for some time, Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times writes. The Times scribe cites the duration it has recently taken the league to mete out discipline to Grizzlies small forward Matt Barnes and former Hornets small forward Jeff Taylor as examples of the NBA’s propensity to take its time. Griffin’s injury status will also complicate matters, as any potential suspension he would face would not begin until he was medically cleared to play, notes Bresnahan. The power forward is expected to miss approximately four to six weeks after undergoing surgery this week to repair a fracture in his right hand.
  • With backcourt mates Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight out due to injury, the Suns are now looking to go big with their lineups, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. “The court looks smaller,” coach Jeff Hornacek said. “Length makes a difference in this league when you have a bunch of it.”
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