Doc Rivers Talks Durant, CP3, Griffin, Roster
Clippers president and head coach Doc Rivers made an appearance this week on Adrian Wojnarowski’s podcast at The Vertical, and Rivers made several interesting comments about his team’s offseason and its future.
Notably, Rivers indicated that the Clippers were “in the top three at the very end” in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, a statement which seems to be odds with reports that surfaced at the time. A Los Angeles Times story published two days before Durant announced his decision suggested that the Clippers had been informed they were out of the running. Based on Rivers’ comments, it’s possible the Clips found out they weren’t one of Durant’s top two choices and decided to move on and lock up other free agents rather than waiting for his final decision.
Rivers spoke more extensively about his club’s pursuit of Durant and touched on several other noteworthy topics, so let’s round up a few of the highlights, courtesy of RealGM.com:
On how the Clippers’ cap limitations affected their pursuit of Durant:
“We had to actually ask each guy to take a hit financially. We needed Kevin to take a hit this year to fit and next year we would have needed Blake [Griffin] and Chris [Paul] to take a hit financially. He didn’t have to do that if he stayed in Oklahoma. He didn’t have to do that if he went to Golden State. Plus they had room to build around that. I think at the end of the day, they looked at is as far as roster-wise, well, ‘The Clippers look great, we love who they are, but financially they are going to be so strapped, it’s going to be so hard to work, I think we’re going to go the safer place,’ and that was Golden State.”
On whether the Clippers will be able to lock up Griffin and Paul beyond 2017:
“It would be interesting if Steve Ballmer wasn’t the owner, I don’t know how confident I would be. With Steve, I’m extremely confident that we can keep both. You know, listen, winning is the key. The better we play on the floor, the better chance we have of not only keeping those guys but actually adding to our basketball team. That’s always the key factor in this. Quality of life is important, being comfortable, players getting along with the staff and each other. All that goes into it. But I think we’re in a good place there. I know both of them have said they want to play here. They want to play for us forever.”
On the Griffin trade rumors:
“It’s funny, you don’t want to go out and send out a press release every time there’s a rumor about Blake. We’re hoping Blake ends his career playing for the Clippers. Period. So when teams call, we say we have no interest.
“No team is calling right now because teams know we don’t have any interest.”
On the Clippers’ hole at small forward:
“We have a good core. The problem team-building with our core is we have three max players. I don’t think people understand that. I think since I’ve taken the job, even before then, we need a three, we need a three, we need a three. Yeah, we all know that but we also only have the minimum to try to go out and get a three. I think it’s been actually miraculous what we’ve done with just having minimum contracts.”
On the pros and cons of minimum-salary contracts:
“One thing I’ve learned with teams like ours, if you have a good team, you can convince guys to take the minimum. The problem is you’re going to keep losing guys. Every year we do it. Every single season we sign guys to the minimum and then we lose them to higher contracts. Cole Aldrich is the example from this year.”
Western Rumors: Warriors, Galloway, Harden
Changes at the center spot made to accommodate Kevin Durant‘s contract could lead the Warriors’ downfall, Jonny Auping of RealGM.com opines. The Warriors traded starter Andrew Bogut to the Mavericks and lost Festus Ezeli in free agency while signing Zaza Pachulia and retaining Anderson Varejao. Pachulia put up solid stats with the Mavs last season and is noted for his leadership, but his second-half performance was a disaster, Auping continues. He shot just 52.6% in the restricted area after the All-Star break, making him the team’s biggest offensive liability and essentially played himself out of the rotation by the postseason, Auping notes. And at this stage of his career, Varejao is arguably the worst backup center in the league, according to Auping. The offensive limitations of Pachulia and Varejao will allow opponents to double-team one of the Warriors’ stars and defensively, they offer no rim protection, Auping adds.
In other doings around the Western Conference:
- Langston Galloway isn’t sure how the Pelicans will use him in the backcourt, according to John Reid of the New Orleans Times Picayune. The former Knick, who signed a two-year, 10MM deal with New Orleans, told Reid that coach Alvin Gentry and GM Dell Demps informed him that he could play extensively at both spots. ”So far, getting a chance to meet with Alvin and Dell, we just had a chance to say it’s a great opportunity to work hard and compete at the point guard and off-guard positions,” Galloway said.
- Derrick Favors, Russell Westbrook and Paul George are some of the other players eligible to renegotiate their contracts and receive an extension, as James Harden did this month, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders writes. Any team trying to trade for Westbrook, who can hit the free agent market next July, would probably want him to sign an extension before agreeing to a deal, Pincus continues. Harden’s actual salary over the last three years of his extension won’t be determined until the 2017/18 salary cap is announced, as Pincus details while breaking down all the figures.
- Durant’s restaurant in Oklahoma City will close and open under a new name, part of the fallout from his decision to join the Warriors, Brianna Bailey of The Oklahoman reports.
Western Notes: Oladipo, Beasley, Cuban, Parsons
Victor Oladipo had 10 days to enjoy being teammates with Kevin Durant, writes Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. That was the time between Oladipo’s arrival in Oklahoma City in a draft-night trade and Durant’s departure for Golden State as a free agent. But now that the shock of Durant’s decision is starting to wear off, Oladipo looks forward to helping the Thunder rebuild. He will team with one of the best point guards in the game in Russell Westbrook and a young roster that inclues Enes Kanter (24), Steven Adams (23), Andre Roberson (24), Cameron Payne (22) and Alex Abrines (22). “We could do something really special,” Oladipo said. “I really believe we can. I think it’s gonna be crazy to watch, crazy to be a part of. We could overwhelm guys on both ends of the floor.”
- At 27 and with a job already secured, the Rockets‘ Michael Beasley seemed out of place on a summer league roster. But Beasley played just one game before settling into the role of a mentor, and he tells Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe that he has a lot to share with younger players. Beasley was the second pick in the 2008 draft, but off-court incidents and issues with defense forced him out of the league. He signed with the Rockets late last season after playing in China. “I’ve been one to take my game seriously, but it’s just a little more special, a little more precious, just slow down and enjoy the ride this time,” Beasley said. “My first time, I was 19, 20 years old, I thought I knew everything and y’all gave me all the money in the world, so I wasn’t thinking to look at y’all [in the eye] anymore. I’m doing it the right way this time, slowing down, enjoying the process, falling in love with the process. You see young players and I try to give them a little bit of what I learned and what I’ve been through.”
- Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he and Chandler Parsons remain friends even though the free agent forward decided to sign with the Grizzlies, relays The Dallas Morning News. In an interview on 105.3-FM The Fan’s “Ben and Skin Show,” Cuban said “things other than basketball” factored into the decision. “We gave him some options and he went in a different direction,” Cuban said. “That was his choice and I respect it and again, I think he’s a great guy and I hope he has a great season other than the four games we play him.”
And-Ones: Big Men, Colangelo, Fortson
The emphasis on guard play and the 3-point shot hasn’t depressed salaries for big men, Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders notes. High-profile players like Al Horford, Hassan Whiteside and Dwight Howard were paid over $20MM annually in this year’s free agent market but less heralded centers also cashed in, Greene continues. Timofey Mozgov (Lakers) and Ian Mahinmi (Wizards) were both signed to four-year, $64MM deals, even though Mozgov had a diminished role with the Cavs last season, while the Wizards already had an established center in Marcin Gortat. Bismack Biyombo received an even bigger contract from the Magic after playing a limited role with the Raptors much of last season, while the Bucks will pay Miles Plumlee an average of $13MM annually over the next four seasons even through he’s never averaged more than 25 minutes during his career.
In news around the league:
- USA Basketball executive director Jerry Colangelo will not discourage Team USA players from speaking out on social or racial issues, The Undefeated’s Marc J. Spears reports. NBA and WNBA players have increasingly taken public stands on hot-button topics, while the league pulled the All-Star Game from Charlotte this week over a controversial North Carolina law. “No, we’re not telling them what to say,” Colangelo told Spears. “We are saying we’re supportive. We’re in fact encouraging and they have to make their own choice. We’re not telling them what to say and what not to say.”
- Courtney Fortson has signed with the Chinese team Zheijiang Guangsha, international journalist David Pick tweets. Fortson played last season with Banvit in Turkey. The point guard appeared in a combined 10 games with the Clippers and Rockets during the 2011/12 season.
- The Warriors’ new trio of Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant played two minutes together during Team USA’s exhibition win over Argentina but more often in pairs, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com writes. Team USA had a lot of success with a smaller lineup featuring Green at center and Durant at small forward, according to Windhorst. “Honestly, if you want me to be quite frank with you, I didn’t even notice me, Klay and KD were out there together,” Green told Windhorst.
Pacific Notes: Durant, Lakers, Green
Jae Crowder, who participated in the Celtics‘ pitch to Kevin Durant earlier this month, isn’t thrilled that Durant ended up choosing the Warriors over Boston, or even over Oklahoma City. As Crowder tells Tom Westerholm of MassLive.com, the Celtics were the only team to beat both the Cavaliers and Warriors on the road last season, and the team’s presentation to Durant included an explanation of its strategies in those games.
“We played him clips from both games and told him basically the scouting report of how we guarded Steph (Curry) and Klay (Thompson) — our entire game plan, basically,” Crowder said. “That’s what made me mad. We (expletive) told him everything we do to beat these guys, and we beat them, and he went and joined them. I mean, that’s part of the process, but I did not think he would go to those two teams.
“I felt like afterward, I was talking to Isaiah (Thomas), like maybe after you sit back, you shouldn’t have told him everything, but who the (expletive) thought he was going to Golden State, realistically?” Crowder continued. “It was like a slap in the face for us, basically.”
Here’s more on Durant, along with a couple more Pacific Division notes:
- The Lakers have an “unnamed trade target” in mind, but the team would be willing to use its cap room to accommodate another Jose Calderon-esque salary dump, writes Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Taking Calderon off the Bulls’ hands landed Los Angeles a pair of future draft picks.
- Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com examines how Durant is adjusting to his new role as a villain, while Michael Lee of The Vertical explains why the newest Warriors star isn’t worried about his legacy.
- Draymond Green‘s attorney, James Heos, tells Christopher Haxel of The Lansing State Journal that his client’s court case could be resolved at any time. However, if a trial is set, Heos will ask that it happen after the Olympics and before the NBA regular season begins. The Warriors forward faces a misdemeanor charge of assault and battery stemming from a July 10 incident in East Lansing.
Pacific Notes: Durant, Garnett, Williams
Kevin Durant didn’t consider signing with the Lakers because the timing wasn’t right, Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com passes along (Twitter links). “Nothing against the Lakers, but I already had my eyes set on who I wanted to talk to,” Durant said. “I really respect their team, but I just thought they were a couple years away from where I wanted to be.”
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- The Suns have hired Marlon Garnett as an assistant coach/ player development coordinator, reports Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Garnett previously worked for the Spurs as a video coordinator.
- Alan Williams‘ Summer League performance could guarantee him a roster spot on the Suns, Matt Petersen of NBA.com speculates. The big man earned first team honors out in Vegas, pulling down 11.2 rebounds per game.
- Patrick McCaw proved that he deserves to make the Warriors‘ roster with his play out in Summer League, Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders argues. The No. 38 overall pick accumulated 15.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game out in Vegas.
Pacific Notes: Durant, Bass, Jenkins, Patterson
Kevin Durant hasn’t promised Warriors officials that he will remain with the team beyond next season, Golden State president Rick Welts said in an interview on CBS Sports Radio’s Tiki and Tierney. Durant, who signed a one-year contract with a player option, will be free to test the market again next summer. “I think the hope and expectation is there’s a business reason for doing that more than there is a basketball reason for doing that,” Welts said of Durant, who will be eligible for a higher percentage of the salary cap next summer as a 10-year veteran. “We’ve got to be a place that is as good as he thought it was when he selected the Warriors over the other options that he had. I think we’re going through a really interesting time in our league. We’re all trying to figure out what the new world is going to look like.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Representatives for Brandon Bass contacted the Celtics before he reached an agreement with the Clippers, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Bass spent four seasons in Boston before signing with the Lakers last summer.
- The Suns‘ John Jenkins hopes he improved his chances to stay in the NBA by extending the guarantee date on his contract until October, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Jenkins, who was claimed off waivers from the Mavericks in February, is owed $1.05MM in 2016-17 and $1.18MM in 2017-18, but both years are non-guaranteed. “I’m good here,” Jenkins said. “I love the vision. I love the direction. When I heard [the extension] may happen, I wanted it to happen. My agent loved the idea.”
- Lamar Patterson is hoping for a better opportunity at playing time with the Kings than he had with the Hawks, according to Dan Lovi of NBA.com. Sacramento claimed Patterson off waivers Friday, inheriting his $874,636 salary for next season. The 6’5″ shooting guard appeared in just 35 games for Atlanta during his rookie season and spent much of the year in the D-League. “When one door closes another one opens and it’s just a process you got to go through,” said Patterson. “I’m going to enjoy it, I’m going to work my butt off.”
Heat’s Riley: ‘Great Regret’ Over Losing Wade
During a news conference today in Miami, Heat president Pat Riley expressed his sorrow over losing free agent Dwyane Wade to the Bulls and said he should have done more to prevent it. “I have great regret I didn’t put myself in the middle of it,” Riley said in a quote relayed by Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel (Twitter link).
Wade officially signed with Chicago on Friday after reportedly being unhappy with the offers he was getting out of Miami. Riley says he wishes he had taken a more active role in the negotiations, adding that he should have “gotten in a canoe and paddled to The Mediterranean” if it meant keeping Wade, tweets Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post.
Riley said he had been trying to get “another guy” to pair with Wade since LeBron James returned to Cleveland in 2014 (Twitter link). He added that he hadn’t spoken to Wade since his decision, but has been putting together a long e-mail for him (Twitter link).
Wade, a 12-time All-Star, had been with the Heat since they drafted him in 2003. He is the franchise’s leader in career points, assists and several other categories.
“It’s not going to be the same without [Wade] but we will forge ahead,” Riley said. “Dwyane is unique. There will always be a key under the mat [for Dwyane], I just hope it doesn’t get too rusty. We will miss him.” (Twitter links).
Riley touched on several other topics during the news conference:
- Any decision on Chris Bosh’s future is “on hold” until August or September, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Bosh, who didn’t play after blood clots were discovered in his left calf during the All-Star break, would like to return next season, but the Heat aren’t sure if it’s medically feasible. Riley said the team is considering a restricted travel schedule or limited workload to help Bosh get back on the court (Twitter link). “I know Chris wants to play, and we would be open to that,” Riley said “But this is still fluid. There’s not an answer.” (Twitter link).
- Riley believes Justise Winslow is ready to be Miami’s starting small forward after a promising rookie season. “Are we ready for Justise Winslow to start at the 3,” Riley asked. “I am.” (Twitter link). The Heat lost last year’s starter when Luol Deng signed with the Lakers.
- The Heat offered a more balanced contract to Tyler Johnson than the deal he signed with the Nets, but Johnson insisted on taking the offer sheet from Brooklyn (Twitter link). That contract, which the Heat matched on Sunday, pays Johnson $5.628MM in the first year and $5,881,260 in the second, followed by $18,858,765 in season three and $19,631,975 in season four.
- Kevin Durant, who chose Miami as one of the five teams he met with in free agency, told Riley that he wants to win right away and viewed the Heat as being in a rebuilding phase (Twitter link). “I’ll never not take an offer from a free agent who calls and says we’d like to talk to you,” Riley said. “We had to do it, it didn’t slow us down.” (Twitter links).
- Riley is working toward a contract extension with head coach Erik Spoelstra and his staff (Twitter link).
- The Heat don’t plan to use their $2.9MM room exception this offseason. (Twitter link).
Cavaliers Notes: Smith, McRae, Felder, Liggins
GM David Griffin isn’t concerned about the possibility of losing J.R. Smith, writes Sam Amico of Amicohoops. There reportedly has been little interest outside of Cleveland in the 30-year-old free agent shooting guard, who started 77 games during the regular season and was an important contributor to the Cavaliers’ championship run. “These things sometimes take time,” Griffin said. “When the time is right, something will get done. I’m very confident about that.” The team has remained in contact with with Smith, tweets Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com, who adds that Smith’s situation is not related to LeBron James‘ contract talks. Haynes says James is “no rush” to wrap up his new deal.
Western Notes: Crawford, Ellis, Durant
Jamal Crawford wanted to remain with the Clippers all along, saying Los Angeles feels like home to him, Rowan Kavner of NBA.com relays. “I’ve said it the whole time, I wanted to come back here,” Crawford said. “My wife, we’ve been together 10 years now, but we’ve been in one place the longest here, so this is where she kind of knows from a team aspect. This is kind of like our home as well.” Crawford also noted that the unity throughout the team separated the Clippers from other places in the NBA – from the front office down to the locker room, which is another reason he re-signed with the club, Kavner relays. “That’s kind of unusual in this business,” Crawford said. “I’m not saying everything’s perfect or we don’t have our ups and downs or see things from different points of view; but overall, it’s a family.”
Here’s more from out West:
- The Suns are closing in on hiring Ty Ellis as the head coach of their D-League affiliate, the Northern Arizona Suns, Marc Stein of ESPN.com relays (on Twitter). Ellis spent the 2015/16 campaign as an assistant on Phoenix’s D-League squad in Bakersfield.
- Nuggets assistant coach Ed Pinckney is no longer with the team, having resigned from his post, and Wes Unseld has been promoted to lead assistant, Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post relays (on Twitter). A team source disputes that Pinckney resigned, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv tweets, but that source did confirm that Pinckney was no longer with Denver.
- Small forward Kevin Durant signed with the Warriors this offseason to compete for an NBA title, but he’ll likely see his off the court earnings increase as a result of the move, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes. “It’s a huge move for Kevin,” said Eric Schiffer, CEO of Patriarch Organization and the chairman of ReputationManagementConsultants.com. “It’s going to be amazing for him from a financial standpoint. I think he is going to give LeBron James a run for his money there once he gets into the Bay Area. It gives him an almost unfair advantage in terms of marketing. It gives advertisers and brands who want to align with greatness further reason to invest. It’s going to be an economic earthquake. He can really change things there.”