Pacific Notes: Warriors, Durant, Kings
The Warriors don’t anticipate adding a big man via the buyout market, Anthony Slater of the Bay Area News Group passes along via Twitter. Coach Steve Kerr said he likes how the current roster is constructed and doesn’t want to end up having too many frontcourt players on the team.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Kevin Durant wants to be a GM or an owner of an NBA team once his playing career is over, Slater relays in a full-length piece. “ [I] Want to be a GM, want to own a team, hopefully own a team and run it,” Durant said. “So I look to see what rumors are getting out there, what deals are being presented to these teams. Try to figure that stuff out. It’s fun, especially for a guy who knows that part of the business.” Durant added that he regularly talks front office strategy with Kerr and Warriors GM Bob Myers.
- Garrett Temple injured his hamstring earlier in the month, but he’s progressing and he hopes to be back on the floor for the Kings in a week or two, Sean Cunningham of ABC10 tweets.
- The Kings have a history of trading away their All-Star players, Jon Schultz of the Sacramento Bee writes. The team has had six All-Stars since moving to Sacramento in 1985 and with the exception of Vlade Divac, all of the players were sent elsewhere via trade.
Kings’ Temple Out Two To Three Weeks
Kings guard Garrett Temple will miss two to three weeks with a partially torn hamstring, tweets Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com. Temple suffered the injury in Tuesday’s loss at Houston.
The 30-year-old swingman has been a reliable bench player for Sacramento for most of the season and moved into the starting lineup after Rudy Gay‘s Achilles tear last month. Temple is averaging 7.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in 49 games.
“I got a strip on James [Harden] and pushed off to go grab it and felt it right away,” Temple told Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. “I knew it wasn’t a cramp. I knew what it was right away.”
Temple has experience with hamstring tears, and says this one isn’t as severe as one he suffered a couple of seasons ago when he played for the Wizards. That kept him out of action for about a month, as he aggravated it in his first practice when trying to return.
The Kings are already shorthanded at the wing position with injuries to Gay and Omri Casspi, so until Temple recovers, they will have to rely on rookie Malachi Richardson along with Ben McLemore, who played Tuesday for the first time in six games.
“Guys are going to step up,” Temple said. “I have a lot of faith in Malachi, Ben, and when Omri gets back, we can still bounce back and hopefully I’ll be back sooner than later.”
Pacific Notes: Gay, Joerger, Griffin, Warriors
Rudy Gay will have surgery Monday to fix a torn Achilles tendon, the Kings announced on their website. The procedure will be performed at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, and Gay will be out for the remainder of the season. The injury may affect the free agent market, as Gay had planned to opt out of his $14,263,566 deal for next season.
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Garrett Temple has taken Gay’s spot in the starting lineup for now, but long-term decisions may not be made until next month, according to Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. If the Kings continue losing and slip out of the playoff race, coach Dave Joerger may elect to give more minutes to younger players. Rookie guard Malachi Richardson was used in the first half Saturday for the first time all season. “Just be a buncha different dudes running in and out of there,” Joerger said. “Trying to find something that fits as you go through it.”
- Blake Griffin plans to be ready for the Clippers game Tuesday at Philadelphia, relays Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Griffin has missed 17 games since undergoing minor knee surgery December 20th. “It’s as close as I can be, I think,” Griffin said Saturday. “It was good to get some contact in yesterday. So it’s good to get some like real work in besides just running and shooting. It’s kind of up to them.”
- Warriors coach Steve Kerr is using seven low-salaried big men in a rotation at center, writes Anthony Slater of The San Jose Mercury News. Zaza Pachulia, David West, JaVale McGee, Kevon Looney, James Michael McAdoo, Anderson Varejao and Damian Jones are all getting minutes at the position, depending on the matchup.
Kings Notes: Afflalo, Cousins, Temple
Arron Afflalo reportedly refused to enter a game between the Kings and Rockets last week, Sacramento radio personality Carmichael Dave tweeted earlier this evening. The KHTK radio host also noted that “league sources” said the 31-year-old journeyman was slow to enter the contest against the Jazz last weekend as well.
If Afflalo is in fact refusing to play, that would be one more source of drama in a Kings locker room already dealing with a recently published video of DeMarcus Cousins berating members of the media and with the charges Matt Barnes faces after an altercation at a New York night club.
Just this summer, Afflalo opted out of the final year of a deal with the Knicks in order to pursue free agency and ultimately the two-year, $25MM contract he signed with the Kings.
Last April, ESPN reported that a desire to be a starter was a motivating factor in Afflalo’s then-pending decision. This month, however, Afflalo has seen his play time drop precipitously and has been in and out of the starting lineup since late November. In five December games, the shooting guard has failed to clear more than 16 minutes and his production has dropped dramatically.
Worth noting, as trade speculation begins to swirl around the league and particularly with the Kings, is that the veteran’s contract is worth $12.5 annually but remains only partially guaranteed for $1.5MM in the second year.
That’s not all coming out of Sacramento…
- Kings head coach Dave Joerger has called the aforementioned video published by the Sacramento Bee late last week “ridiculous” and went on to defend his franchise star. In the short clip, Cousins is seen involved in several hostile incidents with various members of the media. This isn’t the first time Joerger has been unhappy with the newspaper’s coverage, writes the Sacramento Bee’s own Jason Jones.
- The Kings found a gem in free agent acquisition Garrett Temple, Jones writes in a separate article. The utility veteran, signed for three years and $24MM, has stepped up as a multipurpose perimeter threat averaging 10.4 points per game in December.
- For all the latest Kings-related headlines, be sure to check out our Sacramento team page.
Pacific Notes: Lakers, Temple, Warriors, Suns
Jordan Clarkson nearly didn’t became a Laker on draft night in 2014, according to Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report, who writes that the team had a “real, down-to-the-wire temptation” to select former Louisville guard Russ Smith with the second-round pick that was ultimately used on Clarkson. Lakers layer personnel director Ryan West and Jesse Buss were high on Clarkson, which helped to tip the scales, per Ding.
The tidbit on Clarkson and Smith is part of a larger piece examining how the Lakers acquired their current core players. As Ding observes, for several years, the Lakers were focused on building their roster by carrying roster-filling players to maximize cap room, then pursuing top free agents. However, the club has moved away from that approach over the last couple years, focusing instead on accumulating young talent.
Here’s more from around the Pacific division:
- Garrett Temple, one of a few veteran free agents who signed with the Kings this summer, has impressed the team on and off the court, as Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee details. “There’s nothing negative I could ever say about him,” DeMarcus Cousins said of his new teammate. “He’s a guy I love to talk to. He sits next to me in the locker room. He’s a positive guy at all times. Got to love guys like that.”
- Golden State is now among the top five teams in the NBA in blocked shots per game, and concerns about the Warriors‘ rim protection appear to have quieted down over the course of their eight-game winning streak, writes Anthony Slater of The Bay Area News Group.
- The Suns have one of the NBA’s youngest starting lineups, which Devin Booker views as a positive sign for the future, according to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. “Everybody is getting experience,” Booker said. “Everybody is getting a chance to play, so it should be good for us.”
- Earlier today, we passed along comments from Clippers stars Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, who said the duo’s relationship is “better now than ever.” Read the full story here.
Pacific Notes: Collison, Temple, Clippers
After pleading guilty to one count of misdemeanor domestic battery, Darren Collison was suspended eight games by the NBA, a penalty that will cost him nearly $400K in salary. However, as Kings general manager Vlade Divac tells Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee, the discipline from the league for Collison could have been harsher.
“These are serious matters,” said the Kings GM. “It goes against all the values our organization wants to represent. But I think it’s fair. The (Placer County District Attorney’s Office) did their investigation and made their decision, and the league did their own investigation as well. And the fact Darren cooperated right from the start, I believe, really helped him.”
Here’s more from around the Pacific division, including a note on one of the players who could see increased minutes during Collison’s absence:
- Although he stands 6’6″, Garrett Temple has always made an effort to be a versatile player, which has meant spending some time at the point guard position. As Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee writes, Temple could be an important piece for the Kings, as a veteran who can play alongside another point guard or run the point himself when necessary.
- Confirming a July report, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, said that his team is exploring the possibility of moving to a new arena once their lease with the Staples Center expires, tweets Dan Woike of The Orange County Register. Ballmer has no intention of ever taking the franchise out of Los Angeles, but has interest in moving to a building that wouldn’t be shared with the Lakers.
- Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and J.J. Redick will all be eligible for free agency in 2017, which raises questions about what sort of season the Clippers need to have in order to ensure all three players want to re-sign with the club next summer, writes Dan Feldman of Pro Basketball Talk.
Pacific Notes: Collison, Gay, Watson, Lacob
Kings coach Dave Joerger said the uncertainty surrounding point guard Darren Collison isn’t affecting the team yet, but he hopes for a ruling from the league soon, relays Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Collison is likely to be suspended after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of domestic battery involving his wife. He was sentenced to three years of probation and 20 days in jail, which can be served through alternative sentencing. “If it lingers on two more, three more weeks, it’ll have an effect,” Joerger said. “But for now, it’s so much basic stuff anyways, foundation stuff, it’s general.” The Kings recently signed Ty Lawson as insurance in case Collison receives a long suspension.
There’s more news from the Pacific Division:
- If the Kings trade Rudy Gay, there are limited options on the roster to take his place as the starting small forward, writes James Ham of CSNBayArea. Trade rumors are swirling around Gay again after he announced last week that he plans to opt out of his contract next summer. Ham believes Gay will be dealt before February’s trade deadline, and the Kings aren’t guaranteed to get a small forward in return. If that happens, Omri Casspi, Matt Barnes and Garrett Temple are most likely to take his place.
- The Suns‘ Earl Watson is emphasizing defense and communication in his first training camp as a head coach, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Watson took over the team in the middle of last season and quickly won the loyalty of players, who petitioned GM Ryan McDonough to keep him in the position. “He doesn’t hold nothing back,” said Eric Bledsoe. “If you’re messing up, he’s going to let you have it. That’s what you want out of a coach – to get on you. You gain so much respect by doing that. His enthusiasm, excitement and everything about him is bringing the team together.”
- Kent Lacob is the new GM of the Warriors‘ D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz, the team announced in a press release. He joined the organization last year as Golden State’s coordinator of basketball operations.
Kings Notes: Temple, Cousins, Rookies
The Kings are expecting Garrett Temple to be a major contributor this season, which is something the shooting guard is excited to embrace, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders writes. “[The Kings] were adamant that they envision me being an integral part of the team and that was obviously great to hear, especially with my background. Being valued as a guy who can produce and will be relied on every night is something that I’ve been waiting for a long time,” Temple tells Kennedy. “Coach [Dave] Joerger believes in my abilities and that I can produce, so I’ll be on the court a good amount this year.”
Here’s more from Sacramento:
- DeMarcus Cousins remains critical of the Kings‘ draft this year, as Sean Cunningham of Sacramento’s ABC10 tweets. “I can’t control [who the team drafted]. I control what I can control. I don’t really understand it, but I do my job,” the big man said.
- Cousins didn’t not attempt to influence the Kings‘ decision making this offseason, including whether or not they should bring back Rajon Rondo, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee tweets. “I do my job and I let them do theirs,” he said.
- Cousins has been working with Malachi Richardson out in Vegas and he’s very high on the No. 22 overall pick, Cunningham passes along (Twitter link).
- Cousins is impressed with how Skal Labissiere played during Summer League and he loves the addition of Matt Barnes, as Cunningham passes along via Twitter. The Kings brought Barnes in on a two year, $12MM deal.
Wizards Acquire Trey Burke
JULY 7TH: The trade is now official, the Jazz announced.
JULY 3RD: The Jazz are close to completing a trade that will send point guard Trey Burke to the Wizards, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Utah will reportedly receive a second-round pick in return (Twitter link). The pick is for 2021, tweets TNT’s David Aldridge.
Burke has been on the trading block since the Jazz made a deal to acquire George Hill from the Pacers. Burke has spent his entire three-year career with Utah after being acquired from the Timberwolves in a 2013 draft-day deal. He averaged 10.6 points and 2.3 rebounds per game this season in a reserve role, but there were rumblings that Jazz management had soured on Burke after he failed to win the starting job when Dante Exum was lost for the season with an injury.
Burke’s acquisition may mean the Wizards are not planning to re-sign point guards Ramon Sessions and Garrett Temple. Both are 30-year-old free agents.
Kings To Sign Garrett Temple
The Kings and shooting guard Garrett Temple have agreed on a three-year deal, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports. Sam Amick of USA Today Sports tweets that the deal is worth $24MM in total. The third year is a player option, Amick adds.
It became clear after the Wizards acquired Trey Burke that Washington had no plans to re-sign Temple, who is 30. Temple, however, did provide the Wizards with solid production. He averaged a career best 7.3 points per game in a career-high 43 starts. The move could end up being a shrewd one for the Kings. Temple is a solid reserve player with versatility, as James Ham of CSNBayArea.com tweets.
Temple earned the veteran minimum for the last two seasons. He is now obviously cashing in big, comparatively speaking. The Celtics, Nuggets, Kings, Pelicans and Hawks all reached out to Temple, according to J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com.