Suns Owner Says Alvin Gentry’s Job Is Safe
Earlier today we learned that there could be a "major shakeup" on the horizon for the Suns, but it won't involve an outster of Alvin Gentry. Owner Robert Sarver told Chris Broussard of ESPN.com that he is not considering making a coaching change.
"It's still early in the season," Sarver said via phone. "We're playing worse than our talent, and a lot of that has to do with confidence. It's up to the coaches and players to start playing better and to get that swagger back and turn things around. Things can turn quickly in this league."
The Suns have now dropped seven straight games and have the second-worst record in the Western Conference at 7-15. After sending Steve Nash to the Lakers in a sign-and-trade, the Suns attempted to kick off their rebuilding effort with pickups of Goran Dragic, Michael Beasley, and Luis Scola in free agency. However, the club is still lacking firepower on offense and their push to have Beasley shoot more from the perimeter has not yielded results.
“Major Shakeup” Coming For Suns?
The Suns lost the face of their franchise this summer when they sent Steve Nash to the Lakers in a sign-and-trade deal that netted them a handful of draft picks. With Nash out of the picture, Phoenix filled out its roster with a number of new faces, including Goran Dragic, Michael Beasley, Luis Scola, and Wesley Johnson. However, according to Shaun Powell of Sports On Earth (via Twitter), with the team in a tailspan, another "major shakeup" could be on the way. A Suns source that spoke to Powell singled out Beasley as "toxic."
As I noted earlier this afternoon in examining the important in-season dates on the NBA's calendar, most players that signed new contracts this offseason become eligible to be traded as of this Saturday. That includes Beasley, who inked a three-year, $18MM pact to join the Suns. While it's not clear whether Beasley or anyone else is on the block in Phoenix, trade discussions around the league figure to pick up a little starting on Saturday.
If changes are coming in Phoenix, it sounds as if they won't affect the team's coaching staff. Owner Robert Sarver tells ESPN.com's Chris Broussard that he has confidence in Alvin Gentry and that it's too "early in the season" to make major changes to the coaching staff (Twitter links).
Pacific Notes: Gortat, Curry, Gasol, Jamison
According to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, Suns starting center Marcin Gortat might be becoming "restless" in Phoenix, noting that he has tallied a total of just 50 minutes over the last two games despite not being in foul trouble. While Robbins references a "Polish-language publication" that suggested Gortat would welcome a trade to the Celtics, Bulls, Mavericks, or even back to the Magic, he also mentions that Phoenix hasn't given the impression that they're willing to deal him at this point. With that aside, here's the rest of tonight's tidbits coming from the Pacific Division:
- Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles looks at the success and production of the Clippers' second unit, which has started to gain some popularity with the nickname "A Tribe Called Bench."
- Warriors coach Mark Jackson firmly believes that Stephen Curry is an All-Star based on his performance after 20 games this season. It's hard to disagree, as the 24-year-old Davidson product is averaging 19.7 PPG, 6.5 APG, 1.7 SPG, and nearly 4 RPG for the fifth-seeded team in the Western Conference. Jeff Zillgit of USA Today also mentions that Curry has been worry-free about the ankle problems that had sidelined him for all but 16 games last year.
- Mike D'Antoni hints that Pau Gasol could play on Tuesday if his pain has lessened enough (Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer tweets).
- Compared to his experiences in Cleveland and Washington, 15-year-veteran Antawn Jamison isn't rattled by the Lakers' slow start. As of late, he has been one of the team's most consistent performers, hitting double figure scoring in six of the last eight games: "I'm comfortable, not thinking at all, having fun, competing and doing the things I normally do. So it's a lot easier. I was getting frustrated, but now I'm just out there playing" (Schmitt Boyer reports).
- Mike Monroe of Spurs Nation revisits the 1996 trade that sent then Charlotte-draft pick Kobe Bryant to the Lakers in exchange for Vlade Divac.
- In addition to the Rockets and Nuggets, the Lakers cracked HoopsWorld's list of most surprising teams this season from the Western Conference.
Western Rumors: Dwight, Fisher, Mavs, Marshall
It was a whirlwind first month of the season for the Lakers, but nothing has changed Dwight Howard's affection for L.A., tweets Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. "From 1 to 10, I'd give it a good 12," Howard said. "I love it. It's been a lot of fun. Just everything here." Still, unless Howard signs an extension during the season, which is unlikely, the big man's answer about whether he likes his surroundings only really matters next summer, when he's due to hit free agency. While await that, here's more news out of the Western Conference.
- Among other NBA news in his Weekend Dime, Marc Stein of ESPN.com passes along that Derek Fisher will be making a prorated minimum salary with the Mavericks.
- The Mavs have serious rebounding problems, and the team's release of Troy Murphy in favor of Fisher this week doesn't help matters, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
- Suns GM Lance Blanks insists the team's assignment of Kendall Marshall to the D-League this week is not an indictment of the rookie point guard, notes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. "There’s nothing negative about developing and having a team that supports you," Blanks said. "It’s been really cool to watch his maturation from college to summer league to the pros. We’re just as excited as the day we drafted him."
- Gordon Hayward recently lost his starting job, and the timing is poor, since he'll be up for an extension to his rookie-scale contract with the Jazz this summer. Still, he's not making any fuss about his new role, as Susan Bible of HoopsWorld documents.
- The Thunder gave Scott Brooks a four-year extension this summer, but Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM.com wonders if he's the right coach for the team, taking him to task in particular for his over-reliance on amnesty candidate Kendrick Perkins.
Offseason In Review: Phoenix Suns
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
- Goran Dragic: Four years, $30MM. Signed via cap room. Fourth year is player option.
- Michael Beasley: Three years, $18MM. Signed via cap room. Third year is non-guaranteed.
- Shannon Brown: Two years, $7MM. Signed via cap room. Second year is partially guaranteed.
- P.J. Tucker: Two years, $1.65MM. Signed via cap room. First year is partially guaranteed. Second year is non-guaranteed.
- Jermaine O'Neal: One year, $1.35MM. Signed via cap room.
- Luke Zeller: Two years, $1.26MM. Signed via cap room. First year is partially guaranteed. Second year is non-guaranteed.
- Diante Garrett: One year, $474K. Signed via cap room. Non-guaranteed.
Trades and Claims
- Acquired 2013 and 2015 first-round picks and 2013 and 2014 second-round picks from the Lakers in exchange for Steve Nash. Nash was signed-and-traded.
- Acquired Wesley Johnson and a 2013 first-round pick from the Timberwolves, along with Brad Miller and Jerome Dyson from the Hornets, in exchange for Robin Lopez (sent to Hornets), Hakim Warrick (sent to Hornets), cash (sent to Hornets), and a 2014 second-round pick (sent to Timberwolves). Lopez was signed-and-traded.
- Claimed Luis Scola off amnesty waivers from the Rockets. Bid $13.53MM over three years.
Draft Picks
- Kendall Marshall (Round 1, 13th overall). Signed via rookie exception.
Camp Invitees
Departing Players
- Josh Childress (amnestied)
- Grant Hill
- Robin Lopez
- Steve Nash
- Ronnie Price
- Michael Redd
- Hakim Warrick
Rookie Contract Option Decisions
- Wesley Johnson, $5.42MM: Declined
- Markieff Morris, $2.09MM: Exercised
For some teams, clearing cap space means creating the opportunity to make a run at the offseason's prized free agents. When the Heat, Knicks, and a handful of other teams cleared their books in anticipation of the 2010 offseason, the goal was to land members of one of the most impressive free agent classes of all-time. When the Mavs elected not to re-sign Tyson Chandler in December 2011, it gave them to chance to pursue Deron Williams in free agency in the summer of 2012.
Not all teams are lucky enough to be destinations that those top free agents would consider, however. Heading into this summer, the Suns were poised to clear a huge chunk of cap space, but the club was never seriously in the running for Williams, the top unrestricted player on the market. Phoenix used its cap space to make a play for Eric Gordon, but the club could only watch as the Hornets matched the Suns' offer sheet and brought Gordon back to New Orleans.
Cap space doesn't always have to be used to lure top free agents though. The Suns did use that room to bring in a few outside FAs this offseason, including Goran Dragic, who will give the team a younger, cheaper alternative to Steve Nash, and may end up being the more productive player of the two over the course of their new contracts. But the Suns also took advantage of their cap space to great effect with a couple of the summer's other major moves.
When players are released via the amnesty clause, only clubs under the cap are eligible to bid on them. Often, those amnesty victims aren't worth pursuing — no teams were lining up to participate in the amnesty auction for Josh Childress, for instance. But occasionally an amnestied player will simply be the victim of a cap reshuffle, as Luis Scola was in Houston. Arguably the best player to be amnestied this offseason or last, Scola was snapped up by the Suns for only about $4.5MM annually over the next three years, a terrific price for a productive frontcourt piece.
Another benefit of having cap space is the ability to take other teams' unwanted contracts and receiving a little something for your troubles. In the Suns' case, that meant facilitating a three-way deal that involved acquiring Wesley Johnson from the Timberwolves. With Minnesota looking to make room for Andrei Kirilenko and the rest of the team's offseason additions, Johnson's $4.29MM salary was an albatross the T-Wolves needed to move. In return for helping out, the Suns landed the Wolves' 2013 first-round pick.
Minnesota's first-rounder is top-13 protected for the next two seasons and top-12 protected for the following two years, so it's unlikely to turn into a lottery pick, but considering the relatively small price the Suns paid to acquire it, it's a worthwhile asset. Throw in the future picks, including two first-rounders, that the Lakers sent over in the Nash sign-and-trade, and the Suns ultimately landed four picks (three first-rounders) in exchange for absorbing a little salary and giving up players they weren't re-signing anyway.
Having said that, I didn't like all the ways the Suns used their cap room this summer. The three-year deal handed out to Michael Beasley was a little eyebrow-raising, even if the third season isn't guaranteed. Still, in Beasley and Johnson, the Suns added a pair of players who were former top-five picks. With elite free agents unlikely to come to Phoenix, the team resorted to acquiring players who were viewed as elite talents in the past. If guys like Beasley and Johnson can recapture some of the promise that made them top picks, they'll be strong investments — if not, at least the cost to take a look at them wasn't exorbitant.
This Suns squad doesn't look like a playoff contender in the Western Conference, but that doesn't come as a huge surprise. Even with Nash still on the roster, the team fell short of the postseason a year ago, and with their franchise player gone, the Suns are entering a retooling period, if not a total rebuild. While I didn't love all their free agent signings, the team traded for a number of future draft picks, locked up a valuable asset in Scola at a bargain price, and retained enough cap space going forward that additional moves are still possible.
Suns Assign Kendall Marshall To D-League
THURSDAY, 12:32pm: The Suns made Marshall's assignment official today, as Stefan Swiat of Suns.com writes.
“Right now Kendall is our third point guard on the depth chart," Suns GM Lance Blanks said. "We made the judgment that it'd be better to get Kendall some live game repetitions and game-time experience in case coach [Alvin] Gentry wants to play him."
WEDNESDAY, 10:29pm: The Suns will send rookie point guard Kendall Marshall to their D-League affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. The 13th overall pick in this year's draft had seen limited playing time behind Goran Dragic and Sebastian Telfair, and the Suns want to get him some time on the court, Coro says.
Marshall's demotion, however temporary, represents the wide chasm between his sitution and the one enjoyed by Damian Lillard, the other point guard taken in the lottery, who's drawing Rookie of the Year consideration with the Blazers. Portland chose Lillard with the sixth overall pick.
Marshall's assignment is the first for the Suns this year, who didn't send anyone down last season. New D-League rules this year allow teams to assign and recall a player as many times as they want, while the previous limit on demotions per season for a single player was three. To keep tabs on all the movement between NBA teams and their affiliate this year, bookmark our list, which we'll be updating throughout the season.
Mike D’Antoni Regrets Leaving Suns For Knicks
Five games into his stint as Lakers head coach, Mike D'Antoni is still adjusting to his new club, but seems happy to be coaching in Los Angeles. However, he does have at least one regret when it comes to his career decisions, as he tells Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The former Suns coach believes he made a mistake leaving Phoenix to become the Knicks head coach.
"I shouldn't have gone to New York," D'Antoni said. "I should have stuck in there and battled. You don't get to coach somebody like [Steve Nash] too many times. It's pretty sacred and you need to take care of it. I didn't."
According to Shelburne, although D'Antoni's departure is generally characterized as a mutual parting, it was the head coach who initiated the move. Under D'Antoni, the Suns posted four straight seasons of 54 wins or more, making the Western Conference Finals but never getting over the hump. D'Antoni points to those postseason defeats as part of the reason he felt compelled to head to New York in the summer of 2008.
"I think we got frustrated and I got frustrated. That's why I left," D'Antoni said. "We were there, it seemed like we deserved it, and then it seemed like something happened all the time. Maybe we weren't good enough either. We have to understand that…. I probably irrationally made a decision right when the season was over. You should take a month to figure it out. I shouldn't have left. That was my fault."
The Knicks were undergoing something of a rebuild when they hired D'Antoni, working to clear cap space in advance of the summer of 2010, when LeBron James and other marquee free agents would hit the open market. With the roster constantly in flux, D'Antoni tells Shelburne that he never got comfortable in New York, and that things were "better the other way [in Phoenix]."
After posting a 253-136 record in nearly five seasons in Phoenix, D'Antoni's record with the Knicks was an underwhelming 121-167. So far in Los Angeles, D'Antoni is 2-3, though I'd expect that mark to get above .500 soon and remain there.
Sefko On Mavs, Jefferson, Beaubois, Finley, Mayo
Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News frequently dips into his mailbag to answer reader questions, and today's responses are especially full of relevant info. He looks ahead to trades and free agent signings the Mavs could pursue over the next 12 months, and sizes up the return on some of the moves the team made this past summer. We'll round up the highlights here:
- It's "very likely" the Mavs will be involved in a swap before the trade deadline, but nothing will go down before December 15th, when free agents who signed this summer become eligible to be traded. Whatever happens, it's unlikely to be a "monster deal," according to Sefko, who mentions Rodrigue Beaubois as a likely trade candidate.
- Sefko thinks the Mavs have interest in upcoming free agent Al Jefferson, despite his high price tag, believing he'd be a much more appealing target for the team than Josh Smith.
- Sefko doesn't believe owner Mark Cuban was sincere when he said he wants to keep all of the team's new additions, and thinks the future of the team's coterie of guys on one-year contracts is up in the air.
- Michael Finley had been working in the Mavs front office before his latest comeback attempt, but Sefko doesn't see a place for him on the playing roster.
- O.J. Mayo's move from the Grizzlies to the Mavs has worked out well for both teams so far, Sefko observes.
- It's unclear whether the Suns want to put Marcin Gortat on the market, but if they do, Sefko believes it would take a package of Mayo, Jae Crowder, and draft picks for the Mavs to land him.
Kyler On Gasol, Rockets, Celtics, Knicks, Gortat
In his latest piece for HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler addresses the Pau Gasol trade rumors that have been floating around recently, and touches on a couple other topics around the league. Let's dive in and round up the highlights….
- From a financial standpoint, the Lakers would love to move Gasol's contract for younger players and smaller deals, says Kyler. However, having explored his market value for the last couple years, the Lakers realize there's not an obvious fit out there. The Lakers aren't actively looking to move Pau — they just need him to play better.
- Although the Rockets have had interest in Gasol in the past, that depended in part on the players they felt they could add around the Spaniard. With those players no longer available, Houston's interest in Gasol has lessened.
- The Celtics have also had previous interest in Gasol, but aren't currently motivated to pursue him, according to Kyler.
- Lakers and Knicks sources both tell Kyler that a Gasol/Amare Stoudemire swap is highly unlikely.
- Following up on news that Marcin Gortat turned down an extension offer from the Suns, Kyler says that sources close to the Suns big man jokingly asked this summer: "If Brook Lopez is worth $62MM, what’s Gortat worth?"
- Despite some indications that Gortat has been frustrated in Phoenix this season, the Suns are far more inclined to try to make him happy and keep him long-term than to trade him.
Marcin Gortat Turned Down Extension Offer
Marcin Gortat is already under contract with the Suns through 2014, but it sounds as if he had the opportunity to extend his stay in Phoenix even longer. Gortat told Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic that he turned down a multiyear contract extension offer from the Suns prior to the season.
"We just said we’re going to wait," Gortat said. "I want to finish this contract, and we’ll see where I go from there. It didn’t even bother me or change anything in my attitude or performance. The thing I’m concentrating is coming back to dominating the game and getting back to being a defensive spark."
While Gortat still has an additional year on his contract after this season, he's eligible for an extension because he signed a five-year deal more than three years ago. Still, because extensions for veteran players are limited to four total years, Gortat could only add two new years to his existing contract. Those two years could also only include 7.5% raises on next year's $7.73MM salary. As such, the Polish big man wouldn't be able to sign for more than about $17.2MM over two new years.
That's not an insignificant amount, but Gortat would be in for a much larger payday if he continues to produce anything close to what he did last season (15.4 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 21.2 PER). Assuming he doesn't sign an extension this season or next, the Suns center will be 30 years old when he hits unrestricted free agency in July 2014.