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Trade Rumors: Butler, Rubio, Cavaliers

June 22nd, 2017 at 2:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jimmy Butler continues to be very much in demand, according to a post from Ian Begley on ESPN Now. Executives from other teams believe the Timberwolves are offering the seventh pick in tonight’s draft as part of a package to get the Bulls to re-open trade talks. Minnesota coach/executive Tom Thibodeau coached Butler in Chicago and is eager for a reunion. The Cavaliers made an unsuccessful offer for Butler, and sources relayed to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein that Butler’s preference is to stay with the Bulls. The Timberwolves are also talking to the Pacers about Paul George, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweets.

There are more trade rumors as the draft draws nearer:

  • The Wolves are once again trying to find takers for Ricky Rubio, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Earlier reports identified the Mavericks and Knicks as teams that might have interest in the sixth-year point guard, who still has two seasons and more than $29MM left on his contract.
  • The Cavaliers are in a “holding pattern” as they await progress on several proposed trades, according to Sam Amico of AmicoHoops (Twitter link). Cleveland’s problem is a shortage of tradable assets and what insiders are describing as a “flooded market” (Twitter link).
  • Cleveland is finding that no one wants to take on the hefty contracts of Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith or Tristan Thompson, Amico adds (Twitter link). Shumpert has two years left on his deal at a combined $21.3MM. Smith re-signed last summer and is owed more than $44MM over the next three seasons. Thompson has three years remaining at more than $52.4MM.
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Eastern Notes: Lopez, Thompson, LeBron, Bucks

May 30th, 2017 at 2:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets have a combined 41-123 record over the last two seasons, but Brook Lopez remains optimistic about the franchise’s direction, and doesn’t seem eager to go anywhere, despite the trade rumors that have consistently swirled around him as the club has struggled. As Randolph B. Leongson of Inquirer.net details, Lopez believes there’s “a lot of positivity” in Brooklyn as the team builds a new foundation.

“Moving forward, I’m just all-in, trying to do all I can to help my team be successful,” Lopez said. “We’ve got a great group of guys who really have that team-first attitude and we really believe that we can do something special as long as we put the effort out and we put the work in.”

Here are a few more items from around the Eastern Conference:

  • Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson is by no means a prolific scorer, but he has developed into a key rotation piece for the club due to his ability to rebounding and defensive ability, as well as his high motor. Zach Lowe of ESPN.com takes a closer look at Thompson, providing a handful of interesting tidbits on the big man’s history with the Cavs, who considered taking Jonas Valanciunas over him in 2011.
  • LeBron James will be the subject of countless Michael Jordan comparisons by the time he retires, and those comparisons may eventually extend to endeavors beyond his playing career. As Ken Berger of Bleacher Report writes, the Cavaliers star has interested in being part of an NBA team ownership group down the road. Jordan, of course, is currently the principal owner of the Hornets.
  • Hawks point guard Dennis Schroder, who played professional ball in Germany before arriving in Atlanta, believes current Brose Bamberg big man Daniel Theis is capable of making the leap to the NBA — preferably to Atlanta. Emiliano Carchia of Sportando has the details, providing an English translation of a German report.
  • Jabari Parker is eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason, but it would make sense for the Bucks to table contract talks until the summer of 2018, after the former No. 2 pick has recovered from his latest ACL injury, writes Bobby Marks of The Vertical.
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Injury Notes: Crowder, Thompson, Rose, Anderson

April 5th, 2017 at 1:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Jae Crowder‘s status for Boston’s game against Cleveland on Wednesday night isn’t yet known, but an MRI on his injured left elbow confirmed that there’s no structural damage, which is good news for the Celtics forward, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com. Crowder referred to himself as day-to-day, and there’s a chance he’ll play through the injury.

Meanwhile, on the other side of tonight’s matchup, there’s some some good news and bad news for the Cavaliers. In the positive column, Kyle Korver returned to the team’s lineup on Tuesday night after missing 11 games with a foot injury. However, another key rotation player, Tristan Thompson, left that game with what has since been diagnosed as a sprained right thumb.

Thompson has appeared in 447 consecutive games, but that streak will come to an end this week, as he has officially been ruled out for the Cavaliers’ next two games against Boston and Atlanta. The veteran big man will continue to undergo treatment and be re-evaluated, with the team presumably hoping he can return in time for the playoffs.

Here are a few more injury updates of note from around the NBA:

  • The Knicks announced today (via Twitter) that point guard Derrick Rose underwent an “uncomplicated” left knee arthroscopy to address his meniscus tear. The team expects Rose to resume basketball activities in about three to six weeks.
  • Rockets forward Ryan Anderson, who has been sidelined with a sprained ankle for nearly two weeks, may return later this week. As Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston tweets, James Harden suggested today that the club is hoping to get Anderson back on Friday.
  • Dirk Nowitzki has a chance to return to the lineup for the Mavericks on Wednesday night, per head coach Rick Carlisle. Nowitzki will be a game-time decision after having sat out the team’s last game with Achilles soreness, tweets Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com.
  • Colin Hoobler, a physical therapist in Portland, took a closer look at Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic‘s fibular fracture in an interesting piece for The Oregonian.
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Cavaliers Notes: Thompson, Sanders, J.R. Smith

March 26th, 2017 at 10:24am CST by Arthur Hill

Coach Tyronn Lue is concerned about Tristan Thompson‘s playing time, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, but the Cavaliers have few other options at center. Thompson is playing 30 minutes per night, his highest total in three years, and Lue is concerned that he might get worn down by playoff time. “We just have to try to figure out ways to get him off the floor like last night, getting his minutes down,” Lue said Saturday. “Then getting him off the floor tonight trying to do the same thing. He’s the only center we have. He has to play right now.” The Cavs thought they solved that problem when they signed Andrew Bogut last month, but a broken leg in his first game took him out of the equation.

There’s more news out of Cleveland:

  • Free agent center Larry Sanders, who was signed as a replacement for Bogut, appears far away from being ready to help, Fedor notes in the same piece. Sanders has seen most of his action in the D-League since joining the Cavs March 13th. He has played just two minutes in two games at the NBA level. “Well, we have to try to get him in some better shape. Right now his timing and shape is not good,” Lue said. “That’s why he’s been in the D-League playing and trying to get ready. The guys in the D-League say he’s been great. He’s just trying to work and trying to get to that point.”
  • Lue said J.R. Smith is going through “training camp” after missing a major part of the season with a fractured right thumb, Fedor relays in a separate piece. Smith, who has shot just 31% from the field in the 10 games since his return, was moved back into the starting lineup Wednesday. “It’s like preseason for him,” Lue said. “Just trying to get these games under his belt to get his rhythm, get his timing, get his legs defensively and lock into what we’re doing. When you miss training camp early in the season and then you get hurt early in the season it’s been tough on him. He’s got to work his way through it and I know he will.”
  • Starting Smith has weakened the team’s defense, according to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic (subscription site). When Iman Shumpert or DeAndre Liggins started, they defended opposing point guards. Since the change, that task has fallen to Kyrie Irving, and the Cavs surrendered a combined 65 points to Kemba Walker and John Wall in back-to-back games.
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Cavaliers Notes: Thompson, Love, Griffin

January 30th, 2017 at 5:31pm CST by Milo Taibi

Now in the second year of a five-year, $82MM pact, Cleveland big man Tristan Thompson balked at criticisms that he hasn’t lived up to his contract. “I earned my money,” Thompson told Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “LeBron’s not my agent. I earned my money doing what I do; you can ask anyone around the league. I opened doors for other guys. It’s a business, and you get paid what the market value is for you. I got my money and opened up doors for other guys that play hard and do the little things.”

While Thompson certainly hasn’t been a hindrance to the 32-14 Cavs, his numbers aren’t what they were in 2012 and 2013. Thompson has averaged 7.5 points with 9.7 rebounds through 46 games while shooting a career-worst 49.3% from the free-throw line. For what it’s worth, Thompson still has LeBron James‘ stamp of approval. “He’s the one rim protector that we have, and we need him to continue to do that,” James said. “You know he’s going to clean glass, but when he’s active like that — trying to get shots blocked and things of that nature, it helps us a lot.”

Other goings-on in the ‘Land…

  • Kevin Love was removed from the second half of Cleveland’s 107-91 win over OKC on Sunday, and did not make the trip for tonight’s match-up with Dallas. Love, who suffered lower-back spasms in a 12-minute outing, will remain in Cleveland to undergo an MRI. “It’s nothing to play with,” James told Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “It’s a terrible feeling when your back is hurt. It just limits you more than anything. I know it’s very frustrating for him because he puts in a lot of work. He’s in the weight room all the time, and he’s doing his thing to keep his body in shape, then this is happening to him, so it’s very frustrating.”
  • Cleveland will use their “next man up” mentality without Love against the Mavericks tonight. “Guys have got to step up. This has been our mantra since we first all came together, ‘The Next Man Up,'” Thompson told Matthew Florjancic of WKYC. “We hope Kevin gets well, takes care of his body because we’re going to need him for the long haul. Whatever he has to do to get to 100 percent, that’s the most important thing because we need Kev for the long haul. Everyone wants to push it through, but if you’re hurt or you’re not well, get right because we’re going to need the big fella.”  With Love sidelined, Channing Frye appears to be the most logical candidate to receive a bump in court time.
  • The Cavaliers were among the teams featured in Bobby Marks’ NBA trade guide on The Vertical. To their detriment, Cleveland has only $750K to offer in a trade, and just one second-round pick over the next four years. GM David Griffin has displayed an aggressive nature on the trade market, Marks notes, having completed three January trades since joining the team in 2014. Marks predicts Cleveland will swoop in to sign veterans bought out after the trade deadline.
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Central Notes: Marjanovic, Ellenson, Thompson

November 12th, 2016 at 10:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Boban Marjanovic didn’t play at all in his return to San Antonio Friday, which has been a familiar story in his time with the Pistons, writes Rod Beard of The Detroit News. The 7’3″ Serbian came to Detroit this summer when the Spurs elected not to match a three-year, $21MM offer sheet. He has gotten off the bench in just four of the team’s first nine games and is averaging 4.5 minutes in those. Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said the team wants to see Marjanovic become more aggressive offensively. “In the preseason, he fit well. He’s a very good offensive player and highly skilled,” Van Gundy said. “He’s unselfish, almost to a fault. There’s times he could use his size and be dominant down there offensively, but he really likes to pass the ball — which promotes good team play — but at the same time, we want him to use his offensive skills.”

There’s more tonight from the Central Division:

  • Van Gundy is closely monitoring the progress of rookies Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinije, who were sent to the D-League during the Pistons’ western road trip, Beard notes in the same story. The organization wanted them both to get expanded playing time, at least 30 minutes per night, during their time in Grand Rapids. Ellenson was told to focus on his defensive development. “He knows [defense] is his ticket to getting on the floor [with the Pistons],” Van Gundy said. “He’s very confident, as we are, in his offensive skills.”
  • Tyronn Lue‘s lineup juggling is resulting in fewer fourth quarter minutes for Tristan Thompson, writes Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal. Lue still recognizes Thompson’s value as a defender, but he wants to have more shooting on the floor at the end of games, so Kevin Love has been playing center alongside Channing Frye.
  • The Pacers’ 4-6 start may be a result of all the roster changers over the offseason, according to Jordan J. Wilson of The Indianapolis Star. Indiana traded for two new starters in Jeff Teague and Thaddeus Young and added Al Jefferson, Aaron Brooks and Kevin Seraphin as free agents. The team also hired a new coach in Nate McMillan. “We’re trying to figure out how to play with one another,” Paul George said. “We’ve got guys who don’t want to step on guys’ toes. It might call for that at this point. We need guys to step up and be confident.”
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Cavs Notes: James, Point Guards, Thompson

October 7th, 2016 at 7:50pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Dwyane Wade doesn’t believe it’s possible for LeBron James to surpass Michael Jordan’s legacy, Nick Friedell of ESPN.com passes along. “The only thing you can do is tie it,” Wade said. “You can’t go past it. How can you? That’s as great as it gets, man. The only thing you can do, like I said, is be A-1, A-B. There’s no way higher.” Wade added that he and James have never discussed the legacy comparison.

Here’s more from Cleveland:

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Central Notes: Jackson, Thompson, George

November 28th, 2015 at 1:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson‘s departure from Oklahoma City last season wasn’t a clean break-up, and his former teammates Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were candid in expressing their displeasure with Jackson taking his desire to depart the Thunder public, Royce Young of ESPN.com recounts. After Friday night’s victory over Detroit, Durant made some interesting comments regarding Jackson’s standing on the Pistons, Young notes. When asked about the job the Thunder did guarding center Andre Drummond, Durant said, “Steven Adams did a great job on their best player, and Andre Roberson did a great job on their second-best player in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Russ did his job.”

Jackson, who was booed mightily by the Oklahoma City crowd, responded by saying, “I love to be hated. It’s flattering, the greatest honor of them all. It’s love and spite all at the same time. They wouldn’t boo me if I didn’t do anything and build some memories here,” the ESPN scribe relays.

Here’s more from out of the Central Division:

  • Cavs big man Tristan Thompson, a native Canadian, was rumored to be a target of the Raptors if he was unable to agree to a long-term deal with Cleveland over the summer, but the power forward says that he didn’t consider the possibility of joining Toronto during his contract impasse, Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal writes. “I never thought about it,” Thompson said. “My whole thing was to focus on getting better and whenever my situation was handled, my business was handled, that’s when I was going to get back on the court. Whenever it was, so be it. I’m glad it’s here in Cleveland.” Lloyd also noted that Thompson doesn’t appear to be overly motivated to play for a Canadian-based team, with Thompson adding, “As a kid I always watched the Raptors growing up and was a fan of the Raptors. When we were in the playoffs our first couple years I definitely cheered them on … But I’m a Cleveland guy and that’s where my heart’s at.”
  • Derrick Rose, who knows a thing or two about recovering from a serious injury, is amazed at Pacers swingman Paul George‘s return to an All-Star level this season, Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com writes. “It’s been great,” Rose said of watching George. “If anything, it gives kids, it gives people that are going through the same situation hope because who would have known that he would have come back this way? Seems like he’s a better player. He’s understanding the game a little bit more, he’s putting the team on his back in situations where he doesn’t let them go and be down big, so he’s taking the right shots. I think it’s helping him grow as a basketball player.“
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Central Notes: Drummond, Thompson, Monroe

November 20th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Andre Drummond‘s game has taken another leap this season, and while the challenge for him is to become more consistent, the soon-to-be restricted free agent is impressing many, including Pistons owner Tom Gores, as Rod Beard of the Detroit News examines.

“He’s developing incredibly and I’m not surprised. We knew it from the first time he got on the floor,” Gores said. “He worked so hard this summer to develop some other skills and right now it’s showing on the floor and his character is reflecting on the team. You can talk about it, but then you have to do it. Andre’s doing it and he’s also developing great chemistry among all the players. You can say it or you can do it.”

Gores already referred to Drummond as a “max player” this spring, and with the Pistons and Drummond working in concert when they tabled extension discussions with the idea of allowing the team more cap flexibility in the summer, it doesn’t appear as though the big man’s free agency will carry much suspense. See more from the Central:

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Central Notes: Parker, Thompson, Jones

November 2nd, 2015 at 4:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

Jabari Parker will return Wednesday for his first game since he tore his left ACL in December, as Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported (Twitter links), and as the Bucks confirm. It appeared the team was concerned he’d have to remain out until late this month, but he’s instead a go this week for Milwaukee, which has started the season a disappointing 0-3. Tyler Ennis will also make his season debut for the Bucks in that game after dealing with a shoulder injury. See more from the Central Division:

  • Tristan Thompson hinted to TNT’s David Aldridge that he was on board with sitting out all of this season if it was necessary for him to get a fair deal, as Aldridge writes within his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. The power forward finally re-signed with the Cavs on a five-year, $82MM deal late last month after lengthy negotiations. “I didn’t worry about it,” Thompson said. “Obviously I love playing the game of basketball. That’s what God blessed me to do. At the same time, playing in the NBA, it’s a business side to it. At the end of the day, myself, Rich [Paul], Mark [Termini], we handled it the way we felt best. We weren’t worried. If the deal gets done, it gets done. If not, so be it, sit out the whole season [and] work on my game, and just get better. It was no wondering if it would get done, or nervousness. If I had it to do over again, I’d do it the same way — no regrets.”
  • The Cavs have named former player and Termini client Damon Jones an assistant coach for their D-League team, notes Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor (Twitter link). Cleveland originally planned to have Jones, who served last year as a shooting consultant for both the Cavs and their D-League team, move into that full-time D-League role for last season, but he wasn’t interested, according to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (on Twitter).
  • The Pacers have assigned Rakeem Christmas and Shayne Whittington to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star first reported the moves would take place (Twitter link). They’re the first players any NBA team has assigned to the D-League this season, and the first that Indiana has ever assigned to its new one-to-one D-League affiliate.
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