Northwest Notes: Blazers, Wolves, Jefferson
Is it playoffs or bust this season for the Trail Blazers? It sure sounds like it based on what General Manager Neil Olshey told Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld. “We’re looking to take a step forward, but I think probably an accelerated step forward based on some of the offseason acquisitions we were able to make,” Olshey said. “Getting a veteran center like Robin and then building up the bench has kind of accelerated our growth a little bit.” More out of the Northwest Division..
- Don’t expect the Timberwolves to pull the trigger on a trade anytime soon. Coach Rick Adelman says other teams are reluctant to make trades right now. “Everyone thinks they’re going to make the playoffs,” he said, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star-Tribune (Twitter link).
- That doesn’t mean that the T’Wolves won’t keep trying, however. Adelman also made it clear that the club is looking at out-of-house options at the small forward position, Zgoda writes. The Wolves have expressed interest in free agent Richard Hamilton, but things appear to be stagnant on that front.
- Richard Jefferson is embracing his veteran role on a young Jazz squad, writes Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. “What we’re doing is expected,” he said. “You have a young team, whose roles are expanding. When you have a veteran rearm that’s used to playing in May and June, you come in with a different mindset. You come in with: ‘Hey. Let’s get in shape. Let’s get healthy. Let’s get ready for that long haul.’ This team is more: ‘Let’s set the tone. Let’s start establishing great habits as we move into the future.'” Jefferson came to Utah this offseason as a part of the Warriors’ salary dump.
Western Notes: Leonard, Hamilton, Blazers, Favors
With Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili all carrying a lot of mileage on their legs after multiple years of long playoff runs, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has taken to resting his old stars during back-to-backs while also limiting their game-to-game regular season minutes.
After the excellent play of Kawhi Leonard in last season’s NBA Finals, it might mean an increased role for the “3 & D” wing entering his third year. The San Antonio Express-News’ Jeff MacDonald shares, in a couple different tweets, that Popovich will be increasing Leonard’s responsibility on offense. McDonald thinks his scoring should jump significantly as a result.
Here’s more from around the Western Conference tonight:
- The Timberwolves have expressed interest in unsigned free agent Richard Hamilton, but Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities tweets that there has been no further movement from GM Flip Saunders.
- As noted earlier, the Blazers‘ starting five have yet to appear on the court together this preseason due to multiple injury issues. The lack of time playing together means they haven’t gotten a chance to “gel” as a team, writes the Oregonian’s Mike Tokito.
- Grantland’s Zach Lowe spoke with Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey about the Derrick Favors extension, and mentions in a tweet that Lindsey repeatedly mentioned the Bulls as a model for the Jazz franchise.
- After the Jazz officially confirmed the four-year, $49MM+ extension this morning, everyone’s pretty happy writes the Deseret News’ Mike Sorenson.
- Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune says Favors earned his extension with his defensive prowess for the Jazz.
Northwest Links: Favors, Jazz, Blazers, Orton
Derrick Favors is relieved to have signed his four-year, $49MM+ extension with the Jazz, and he hopes someday to retire in Utah, as Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune notes (Twitter links). Retirement is a long way off for Favors, who’ll still be two weeks shy of his 27th birthday when the extension runs out in 2018. His youth is a major plus, as GM Dennis Lindsey conveyed to Falk.
“He’s still 22,” Lindsey said. “Literally, I’m scouting 22-year-olds right now in college and internationally.”
Here’s more on the Favors extension and other Northwest-related news:
- Lindsey said the Jazz’s familiarity with Favors was a factor in deciding to grant the extension, according to fellow Tribune scribe Steve Luhm, and the GM believes the big man is on par with Tyson Chandler and Joakim Noah as a defensive anchor. (All four Twitter links). “Very rarely do you get a 6’10”, 260-pound young player saying, ‘Hey, I’m a defender. I’m a rebounder. … That’s what I want,” Lindsey said. “If he can be our Bill Russell, we’d be very pleased.”
- The Blazers made a nod to tradition with their acquisition of classic center type Robin Lopez to complement LaMarcus Aldridge, but if second-year man Meyers Leonard or Thomas Robinson, another new Blazer, sees more time next to Aldridge, it will represent another step in the evolution of big men, opines Sam Tongue of Blazer’s Edge.
- Blazers coach Terry Stotts is “somewhat” concerned that all five starters have yet to appear together at the same time on the court this preseason, tweets the Oregonian’s Mike Tokito.
- Former Thunder center Daniel Orton played more than twice as many games with Oklahoma City’s D-League affiliate as he did with the big club last season, but OKC’s decision to waive him last week may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. The 23-year-old signed with the Sixers three days ago, and he has a chance to crack the rotation, writes Michael Kaskey-Blomain of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Spencer Lund contributed to this post.
Western Notes: Wolves, Bogut, Blazers, D12
Let’s round up a few Friday items out of the Western Conference….
- The Timberwolves have internally discussed the possibility of signing Hedo Turkoglu if he’s waived or bought out by the Magic, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (via Twitter). However, Wolfson adds that it sounds more like due diligence than anything serious.
- Andrew Bogut exited the Warriors‘ game today in China early with back spasms, but head coach Mark Jackson said he’s not concerned, and that Bogut wanted to check back in (Twitter link via LetsGoWarriors.com). While it doesn’t sound like an issue that should significantly impact extension negotiations between the two sides, it may give the team some pause.
- After shoring up their bench this offseason, this incarnation of the Trail Blazers is “officially on the clock,” writes Kevin Arnovitz in an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com. As GM Neil Olshey acknowledges, whether or not the Blazers have a successful season will dictate whether the club stays its current course or aggressively attempts to retool the roster.
- Dwight Howard spoke to Sam Amick of USA Today at length about his decision to sign with the Rockets this summer, and a Dark Knight Rises scene that inspired him.
Odds & Ends: Kidd, Bynum, Bennett
For some, it may be difficult to fathom that 12 years have already gone by since Jason Kidd landed with the Nets through an offseason trade with the Suns, and that tonight, the franchise is honoring him by retiring his No. 5 uniform (video link via USA Today) in the rafters. Once he arrived in New Jersey in 2001, Kidd appeared more than ready for the revitalization process and leadership role on a team that had missed the playoffs in six of the last seven seasons prior to his arrival:
“(He) told the players, ‘I don’t care what went on here before. We will make the playoffs,'” recalled Rod Thorn, the team president who had made the trade. “Guys were looking at Jason like, ‘What the heck are you talking about?” (ESPN New York’s Ian O’Connor).
The team would go on to win 52 games that season en route to two straight Finals appearances and six consecutive playoff berths. Though Kidd would ultimately fall short of leading the Nets to an NBA title as a player, he now takes on the opportunity of coaching a team with championship aspirations. How far he’ll lead Brooklyn this year remains to be seen, but it’s clear that Kidd could be in the midst of his most special chapter with the Nets’ franchise. Here are some of tonight’s miscellaneous news and notes:
- Newsday’s Roderick Boone found that Heat superstar LeBron James wouldn’t comment on whether or not the Nets could contend for a title along with the Heat. Dwyane Wade, on the other hand, had this to say: “(Brooklyn) they did what they said they were going to do. They want to compete for a championship” (Twitter links).
- Jason Lloyd of Ohio.com reports that Cavaliers center Andrew Bynum is now near his usual playing weight of 285 lbs and is inching closer to a return to the court.
- Earlier tonight, Cavs coach Mike Brown revealed that first overall pick Anthony Bennett has been dealing with asthma and sleep apnea (ESPN via the Associated Press). Though Brown says that the breathing issues are noticeable, it doesn’t appear that it’ll affect the way he tries to use Bennett in his rotation this season: “It’s been tiring to watch him because every time I watch him he’s (gasping)…It makes me tired, so I try not to look at him. I tell him, `If you need a sub, just tell me. Otherwise I’m not going to look at you.”
- Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum calls Joel Freeland his “training camp MVP,” while head coach Terry Stotts admits that the 6’11 center has had a good training camp thus far. Joe Freeman of the Oregonian writes that Freeman’s quiet transition into a Nick Collison-type of player could produce an opportunity to find a spot in Stotts’ rotation.
- Nuggets coach Brian Shaw likes what he sees in Wilson Chandler, and team GM Tim Connelly was quick to name him as the most likely to have a breakout year: “He got here about two months ago. He’s in great shape. He’s got the right mindset. Playing for a guy like coach Shaw could really allow him to take that next step” (Aaron J. Lopez of Nuggets.com).
Western Rumors: Ibaka, Blazers, Kings,
The Thunder surprised many when they traded star sixth man James Harden to the Rockets right before the 2012/13 season start. Serge Ibaka was awarded a 4-year, $48MM contract earlier in the summer of 2012 and tells Jeff Caplan at the NBA’s Hang Time Blog that he’s worked on his ball handling and offensive game this season.
After Russell Westbrook went down with a torn meniscus against the Rockets in last year’s opening round of the Western Conference playoffs, the Thunder struggled without their playmaking point guard. Kevin Durant had to carry a heavier offensive burden, and Ibaka’s play suffered without Westbrook to alleviate defensive pressure.
The Thunder will need Ibaka to inherit a more substantial offensive workload to begin this season with Westbrook expected to miss the first couple of months recovering from a second surgery to fix issues stemming from the original surgery on his meniscus.
Here are some notes from around the Western Conference tonight:
- With Westbrook out, there are concerns about how much Durant will have to do for the Thunder to survive Westbrook’s absence in the first part of the season. Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman tweets that head coach Scott Brooks says KD will play between 38-40 minutes this season.
- Mayberry adds, via Twitter, that no player within the last 9 seasons has gone on to win a title after logging more than 3000 minutes in the regular season, but Brooks doesn’t place much stock in that info.
- Dee Bost, Richard Howell and E.J. Singler are likely headed to the Blazers’ D-League affiliate after camp, according to Gino Pilato of D-League Digest. That’s no surprise, since they’re the only three players on Portland’s roster without fully guaranteed deals.
- New Kings coach Michael Malone says rookies Ben McLemore and Ray McCallum are making the most of their minutes during the preseason (Twitter).
- Malone also said, via the Kings‘ official Twitter account, that playing defense as a cohesive 5-man group is the key for this year’s Kings team to be successful.
- The Clippers Blake Griffin will play tonight against the Jazz after suffering a bruised knee in practice on Tuesday, reports ESPN LA. MRI results showed no structural damage and Griffin returned to practice on Friday.
Western Notes: Ridnour, Blazers, Jazz, Mavs
HoopsWorld’s Jabari Davis looks at how five of the most compelling additions to Western Conference teams are already influencing their new franchises just a couple weeks into the preseason. One of them is Eric Bledsoe, who faces extra pressure with a Halloween deadline to work out an extension with the Suns. Phoenix’s front office already has plenty on its hands, needing to get rid of at least one fully guaranteed contract within the next two weeks. Point guard Ish Smith leads a tight race among voters in our poll on which of the 16 Suns with guaranteed deals is most likely to be waived. Here’s more news related to Western Conference teams:
- Luke Ridnour is with the Bucks this season, a fact his former coach with the Wolves regrets, notes Charles F. Garnder of the Journal Sentinel. “We didn’t really want to get rid of Luke,” Rick Adelman said. “We had to make some moves, and he was the one that everybody wanted, and I know why.”
- New Blazers point guards Mo Williams and Earl Watson both spent last season with the Jazz, but neither begrudges the team’s decision not to sign any of its free agents and instead focus on its youth, observes Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune.
- Brandan Wright‘s shoulder injury creates opportunities for others on the Mavericks, including Fab Melo and Renaldo Balkman, who are on non-guaranteed deals, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News examines.
Traded 2014 First Round Picks To Watch
As we saw in 2011 when the draft pick acquired from the Clippers by the Cavaliers ended up landing first overall, trading unprotected first-round picks is a risky proposition for NBA teams. That would explain why, heading into the 2013/14 season, only three ’14 first-round picks have been traded without protection, all by veteran teams expected to have strong years.
The Knicks’ first-round pick will be sent to the Nuggets, as part of New York’s debt from the Carmelo Anthony blockbuster. However, if the Knicks’ pick is less favorable than Denver’s own pick, the Nuggets will pass it along to Orlando, as part of last summer’s four-team Dwight Howard trade. Otherwise, the Magic will receive Denver’s pick.
The Warriors’ first-round pick will head to Utah, one of several picks Golden State sent to the Jazz in the cap-clearing summer deal that saw Andre Iguodala land with the Warriors.
The other unprotected first-rounder will come from the Nets, who agreed to send their pick to Boston in this offseason’s acquisition of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. As part of 2012’s Joe Johnson swap though, the Hawks have the opportunity to swap their own first-round pick with the Nets’ pick, leaving the Celtics with the lesser pick of the two. So if the Nets disappoint this season, it will be the Hawks, rather than the C’s, who benefit most.
Nine other teams have agreed to give up their respective 2014 first-round picks in certain scenarios, but given the protection on these picks, only a handful will actually change hands next summer. We’ll be keeping an eye on the standings all season to monitor whether or not these traded picks will fall under protection, but here’s an early look at the situations to watch this season:
Team: Charlotte Bobcats
Will be sent to: Chicago Bulls
Protection: 1-10
Forecast: Despite the addition of Al Jefferson, the Bobcats still likely project as a lottery team, meaning this pick has a good chance to stay put. That could be good news for the Bulls, since we continue to inch closer to 2016, when this pick will become unprotected.
Team: Dallas Mavericks
Will be sent to: Oklahoma City Thunder
Protection: 1-20
Forecast: Mark Cuban and the Mavs are optimistic about the new-look roster, but I’m skeptical that Dallas is a top-ten team. This pick will probably stay with Dallas.
Team: Detroit Pistons
Will be sent to: Charlotte Bobcats
Protection: 1-8
Forecast: If the Pistons were to finish as a bottom-eight team, I expect there’d be some jobs opening up in Detroit in 2014, given the expectations for the club. I have the Pistons penciled in as a low playoff seed in the East, so this pick should be ticketed for Charlotte.
Team: Indiana Pacers
Will be sent to: Phoenix Suns
Protection: 1-14
Forecast: While the Heat may be the No. 1 seed in the East again, the Pacers shouldn’t be too far behind them. As such, this pick will likely land in the mid-20s and be shipped to Phoenix.
Team: Minnesota Timberwolves
Will be sent to: Phoenix Suns
Protection: 1-13
Forecast: If the T-Wolves can avoid the injury problems that plagued them last season, they should be a playoff contender. The West will be competitive though, so there are no guarantees either way on this one.
Team: New Orleans Pelicans
Will be sent to: Philadelphia 76ers
Protection: 1-5
Forecast: I’m not bullish on the Pelicans’ postseason chances for 2013/14, but the offseason upgrades, along with continued development from Anthony Davis, should ensure that New Orleans isn’t a bottom-five team. The result could be a pair of lottery picks for the Sixers.
Team: Philadelphia 76ers
Will be sent to: Miami Heat
Protection: 1-14
Forecast: Speaking of those Sixers, it would be truly be a shocker if their own first-rounder changed hands next summer. Many pundits don’t expect the Sixers to win 20 games, let alone earn a playoff spot.
Team: Portland Trail Blazers
Will be sent to: Charlotte Bobcats
Protection: 1-12
Forecast: Like the Wolves, the Blazers expect to be in contention for the postseason, but again, it won’t be easy in the West. This is another pick I could see going either way.
Team: Sacramento Kings
Will be sent to: Cleveland Cavaliers
Protection: 1-12
Forecast: The Kings are entering the season with playoff aspirations as well, but their odds are significantly lower, in my view, than the Wolves’ or Blazers’. I expect we’ll see Sacramento keep this pick.
RealGM.com was used in the creation of this post.
Northwest Notes: Gobert, Jazz, Blazers, Lopez
Lester Hudson was the last man to enter Jazz training camp, but it sounds like he’s got a pretty solid chance of sticking with the team. Utah would like a third point guard to help shore up their depth chart and right now it appears to be a two-horse race between Hudson and fellow one-guard Scott Machado. Here’s more out of the Northwest Division..
- Rookie Rudy Gobert is impressing coaches in practice and he could be a contributor for them sooner rather than later, writes Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune. “It depends on where his development is,” coach Tyrone Corbin said. “If he can help us in games, we’ll have him in games.”If he continues to grow like he has this first week, man, he’s been pretty good. Now we’ve got to get him against other competition — in game situations — and see how it transfers.” When Utah tabbed Gobert with the 27th pick, they viewed him as a long-term project, but he could be ready to make a difference this season.
- If the Blazers can get some tough play out of offseason acquisition Robin Lopez and others, they’ll have a chance at making the playoffs in the ultra-competitive Western Conference, writes Sam Amico of FOXSports.com. Earlier today, Amico reported that Portland will consider Daniel Gibson after losing C.J. McCollum to injury.
- Jazz rookie Trey Burke is looking to be a vocal leader for the team this year, writes Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune.
Daniel Gibson On Blazers’ Radar?
The Trail Blazers suffered a significant blow over the weekend, when word broke that C.J. McCollum required foot surgery that could keep him out of action for the next two months. It’s not clear yet whether Portland will pursue another guard to fill in while McCollum recovers, but Daniel Gibson will be a player the team considers if an addition is necessary, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (via Twitter).
As our list of roster counts shows, the Blazers already have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, plus two more players reportedly on partially guaranteed deals. As such, it’d be a little surprising if the team continued to commit money to new guys, since it would mean releasing at least one player with a guaranteed deal. As I noted last month, Will Barton may represent the most likely candidate to be waived, if the team does need a roster spot.
The Blazers are the second Northwest team that has been linked to Gibson by Amico within the last few days. The FOX Sports scribe wrote on Friday that the former Cavalier was on Denver’s radar as well.
Gibson, 27, had a down year in 2012/13 in Cleveland, setting career-lows in FG% (.340), 3PT% (.344), and PER (7.7), among other categories.