Western Notes: Morris, Matthews, Bonner
Markieff Morris should put aside his hurt feelings and realize that his best option is to stay in Phoenix, writes Paola Boivin of The Arizona Republic. Morris, who has been waging a verbal war with the Suns since his brother, Marcus, was traded to Detroit, tweeted Thursday that, “My future will not be in Phoenix.” Boivin says Morris’ constant complaining lowers his trade value at a time when deals are difficult anyway because most rosters are already set. She also notes that his two felony charges and a possible suspension will make teams think twice about pursuing him.
There’s more news from the Western Conference:
- Wesley Matthews is intrigued about playing in the Southwest Division, where all five teams made the playoffs this past season, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com reports. Matthews, who signed a four-year, $70MM contract with the Mavericks as an unrestricted free agent this summer, told Sneed that he prefers playing in a tough division. “You know, the West is a monster. I’m most excited about our division,” Matthews said. “I mean, this has got to be one of the most competitive and toughest divisions in all of sports. It wasn’t going to be easy regardless, and we don’t want it to be easy.” Matthews is determined to return from his torn left Achilles tendon by the start of the season, Sneed adds.
- The Spurs‘ Matt Bonner isn’t planning to retire soon, but Ian Thomsen of NBA.com writes that the 12-year veteran is thinking about life after his playing career ends. Bonner spent the offseason taking two courses in the NBPA’s career development program and is considering front-office work. But even at age 35, he expects that to be a few years away. “I’m going to play as long as I can play,” Bonner said. “With my skill set, as long as I’m healthy, I think I can keep playing. And I’m fortunate to play for an organization that values recovery and keeping guys healthy and extending careers.”
Dana Gauruder contributed to this post.
Los Angeles Rumors: Bryant, Hibbert, Young, Pierce
Kobe Bryant’s continued presence on the Lakers’ roster has kept the franchise in a holding pattern, Shaun Powell of NBA.com opines. Bryant’s $25MM contract this season hampered them from signing a top-level free agent and none of them wanted to join the Lakers anyway just to play one season with Bryant, Powell continues. Bryant, who might retire at the end of the season, could play a valuable role in the rebuilding process by mentoring his younger teammates, Powell adds.
There’s more out of Los Angeles:
- Roy Hibbert’s lack of speed could be a larger liability in the Western Conference, argues J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. The Lakers acquired Hibbert from Indiana in a July 9th deal, sending a future second-round draft pick to the Pacers in return. While Hibbert may increase the Lakers’ talent level, his plodding style of play could leave him lagging behind other teams in the conference, and Michael fears that coach Byron Scott may be stubborn enough to try to match him up with players such as the Warriors’ Draymond Green.
- Nick Young of the Lakers and Paul Pierce of the Clippers are among the players projected to decline next season by Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders. Greene expects Young’s minutes, shots and overall role to regress with the addition of Lou Williams and D’Angelo Russell as well as Bryant’s return from injury. The writer expects Pierce, who left the Wizards to sign with the Clippers as a free agent, to have his first season averaging below double figures in scoring. Also on Greene’s list are the Pistons’ Brandon Jennings, the Nets’ Joe Johnson, the Bulls’ Pau Gasol, the Hawks’ Kyle Korver, the Spurs’ Manu Ginobili, the Raptors’ Terrence Ross and the Heat’s Dwyane Wade.
Dana Gauruder contributed to this post.
Southwest Notes: Davis, Gentry, Smith, Buford
New Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry is sold on the idea of Anthony Davis as a “generational player” along the lines of the game’s true greats, as he said to Ian Thomsen of NBA.com. The Pelicans secured Davis on a max extension this summer, not long after hiring Gentry to become the big man’s first NBA coach aside from Monty Williams.
“Anthony is right in that category, and there is a lot of responsibility that comes with that,” Gentry said. “It is up to us to make him as good as he can possibly be, and not settle for him to be less than great in this area or that area. I told him that I have no doubt that he is going to be an MVP in this league. And I said to him, ‘We are going to be really, really good if you also win Defensive Player of the Year.”’
See more on Gentry amid the latest from the Southwest Division:
- Gentry doesn’t expect to fall in lockstep with Pelicans GM Dell Demps and executive VP of basketball operations Mickey Loomis, but Demps told Thomsen that it’s clear that they have the same vision for the team. “Dell has no desire to control anyone,” Gentry said. “He wants opinions. He wants you to challenge what he is saying. He does not want to be in the situation where everything is yes, yes, yes. We’re going to disagree on a lot of things; we are going to agree on a lot of things. To me that is healthy. That is one of the reasons why teams are successful. We talked about loyalty, and I told Dell: I look at loyalty as guys expressing their opinions, and then when everything is discussed and you come to a conclusion, you walk out united. When I worked with Doug Collins, we used to have a saying: Agree, disagree, but align.”
- Former Mavericks and Rockets center Greg Smith will work out for the Guangdong Southern Tigers, a source told international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). The 24-year-old Seth Cohen client spent last season with the Mavericks and was also briefly on the Bulls roster in 2013/14 after spending parts of three seasons with the Rockets, but NBA interest has appeared slim this summer, as his rumors page shows.
- GM Daryl Morey deserves credit for his move to acquire Ty Lawson for the Rockets in a trade that didn’t cost any core pieces, but Spurs GM R.C. Buford is an overwhelming favorite for Executive of the Year honors, argues Fran Blinebury of NBA.com. The additions of LaMarcus Aldridge and David West drew headlines, and Blinebury is also a fan of what he believes is a team-friendly new deal with Danny Green.
Southwest Notes: Holiday, Aldridge, McGee
Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday has made sufficient progress in his recovery from the surgical procedure he underwent in May that the team expects him to be cleared to participate in basketball related activities when training camp begins, John Reid of The Times Picayune writes. ”What I think we’re trying to do is not push him anywhere,” coach Alvin Gentry said. ”We’re going to monitor obviously his practices. I doubt there will be a situation where we’ll let him go two-a-days. It’s just doesn’t make sense right now.” Holiday has missed a combined 90 games over the past two campaigns because of recurring problems with his right leg. The NBA had ordered the Sixers to pay $3MM to the Pelicans last season for not fully disclosing the extent of Holiday’s injury prior to shipping him to New Orleans.
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Rick Barnes, who coached LaMarcus Aldridge at the University of Texas, doesn’t think that his former player will have any difficulty adapting his game to the Spurs‘ system, Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News relays. “What he wants is to win an NBA championship,” Barnes said. “He’ll do whatever he feels he has to do to make that happen.” Aldridge had expressed some level of concern to San Antonio assistant Ime Udoka about him being more of a scorer than the Spurs typically feature during the team’s recruitment of him, McDonald adds. “He’s a tremendous teammate. He’s a team player,” Barnes continued. “He knows he’s a franchise-type guy, but he also has to have people around him. Credit to him for wanting to be part of something special.”
- Mavs big man JaVale McGee believes that his athleticism will set him apart from the other centers on Dallas’ roster, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com writes. “Well, I definitely feel like we’re different players, the centers that we have, so it’s definitely going to be good competition,” McGee said. “But that’s what basketball is for, competition, so it’s definitely going to make us all better. It’s definitely a positive thing, being a leaper as I am and a shot blocker and a dunker, so that’s definitely what teams need. I’m just somebody who keeps it simple, who dunks the ball, blocks shots and is just a presence in the paint. … [coach Rick Carlisle] just wants me to keep it simple, and just play as hard as I can and be a presence in the paint.”
Jeff Ayres To Play In China
Unrestricted free agent Jeff Ayres has agreed to a deal with an unnamed Chinese team, international journalist David Pick reports (on Twitter). The pact will pay the power forward approximately $1MM for the upcoming season, Pick adds.
The 28-year-old appeared in 51 contests for the Spurs during the 2014/15 campaign, averaging 2.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in 7.5 minutes per game. Ayres’ career numbers through five NBA seasons are 3.0 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 0.4 APG to accompany a slash line of .554/.500/.766.
Ayres will still have the opportunity to play in the NBA in 2015/16, provided there is any interest in his services, as the Chinese Basketball Association’s season concludes in late February, with the playoffs generally running through March. The forward would be free to sign with any NBA club once his team’s season concluded, or upon its elimination from the playoffs.
Southwest Notes: Lawson, Williams, Pondexter
Ty Lawson says he’s ready for basketball again after a 30-day alcohol rehabilitation stint that followed two arrests in seven months and expressed excitement about joining coach Kevin McHale, James Harden, Dwight Howard and former Nuggets teammate Corey Brewer on the Rockets, as he conveyed in an interview with Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston. Lawson agreed to give up the guarantee on his 2016/17 to facilitate the trade that sent him from Denver to Houston this summer.
“I’m about winning,” Lawson said to Berman. “I love being on a winning team. At every level I’ve played at, high school, middle school, college I won championships. This is a chance to play for one of those and get an NBA ring. I’m ready for it.”
See more from the Southwest Division:
- Deron Williams is excited to play with Dirk Nowitzki and former Jazz teammate Wesley Matthews and for the chance at a new beginning with the Mavericks, as he tells Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. “You know, there’s definitely a stability about this organization that’s definitely intriguing,” Williams said. You know, they have guys that have been here forever, so it’s just about plugging in the new pieces — myself included — and just trying to get to work. But, you know, I’m just excited about this opportunity, and I’m ready to get the season going.”
- It’s unclear if Quincy Pondexter will be healthy in time for the start of Pelicans training camp, writes John Reid of The Times Picayune, though while Pondexter admitted on SiriusXM NBA Radio that rehab from left knee surgery in May has been slow-going, he’s hopeful that he won’t miss much time, if any, Reid notes (audio link). Pondexter is due a guaranteed salary of more than $3.382MM this season, but the team added depth at small forward this summer with the free agent signing of Alonzo Gee.
- Kawhi Leonard, fresh off his new deal with the Spurs, said he’ll try to win an MVP award, as David Zink of The Press-Enterprise wrote last month, but going for that honor would require significant change to his game and upset the offensive balance with which he and the Spurs have found so much success, argues Ian Levy of The Sporting News.
Southwest Notes: Howard, McCallum, Lucas
After being the most coveted free agent on the market in 2013, the Rockets‘ Dwight Howard is generating little buzz with his potential 2016 free agency, writes Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel. Howard signed a four-year deal with Houston worth more than $87MM, but has a player option for 2016-17. With the salary cap expected to soar next summer, he will likely test the market once again. Schmitz argues that the lack of excitement about Howard’s availability signals either that he’s a lock to stay in Houston or that other franchises don’t want to make a large investment in a soon-to-be 30-year-old center with a history of back and knee problems. The columnist speculates that Houston would prefer that Howard sign a short-term contract, but probably will have to give him a long-term deal in excess of $100MM to keep him on the roster.
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Ray McCallum could be an important addition for the Spurs if Tony Parker has another injury-plagued season, writes Buck Harvey of The San Antonio Express-News. San Antonio acquired McCallum in a July 9th trade, sending a 2016 second-round pick to Sacramento in return. Harvey notes that the Spurs don’t believe McCallum is as good a defender as Cory Joseph, the man he replaced, but they think he can effectively run the team if anything happens to Parker.
- Kalin Lucas, who made a brief appearance with the Grizzlies last season, will spend another season with Kolejliler Ankara of the Turkish Basketball League, according to Enea Trapani of Sportando. Lucas played in just one game with Memphis before being waived November 20th.
- Despite starting all six games in summer league, the Mavericks‘ Justin Anderson has a long way to go to earn playing time in Dallas, writes Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. The first-round pick out of Virginia says the summer experience was beneficial, but he understands the learning curve ahead. “They know exactly what I’m capable of, and I want to be really good at things I’m already pretty good at,” Anderson said. “So, I just want to take that next step, being good defensively on the ball and off the ball, rotating and then being able to operate out of those corners, because that’s where I think our front office and coaching staff think I can be effective.”
Carlos Boozer Unlikely To Sign Before Season Starts
Carlos Boozer is likely to remain unsigned for the rest of the offseason and instead seek a deal with a playoff contender after the season starts, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Thus, it appears as though the 13-year veteran simply isn’t seeing an offer that he likes for now, though it casts doubt on the idea that he would bite on apparent interest from the Chinese league, an option that had reportedly intrigued him earlier this month.
Boozer, who turns 34 in November, made $16.8MM combined last season from the Bulls, who waived him via the amnesty clause in July 2014, and the Lakers, who submitted a partial claim of $3.251MM to snag him off waivers. He’d be hard-pressed to make even the amount of that amnesty claim on an NBA contract this season, simply because most teams have no more than the $2.814MM room exception to spend. The Mavericks, one of the latest three NBA teams reported to have interest in him, have only the room exception to use, while the Knicks, another of those interested parties, are limited to the minimum. The Rockets have more than $2.274MM left of their mid-level exception, but using it would impose a hard cap on them, and they still have yet to sign No. 32 overall pick Montrezl Harrell. The Spurs, Raptors, Pelicans, Nuggets, Nets, Lakers and Heat were reportedly interested in the Rob Pelinka client earlier this summer, but none of them have the capacity to give him as much as the Lakers paid for him last year. The Lakers renounced their Bird rights to him last month.
The two-time All-Star put up 16.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in 2012/13, but his numbers have declined in each of the two seasons since, and his 6.8 boards and 23.8 minutes per contest last season were career lows. Former Nets executive Bobby Marks wouldn’t be surprised if Boozer waited until Christmas to sign (Twitter link). I’d speculate that a decent chance exists that he stays on the market even longer. Ray Allen and Jermaine O’Neal, two other aging former All-Stars, chose to carry on as free agents into the season last year but never wound up signing.
What do you think Boozer will end up doing? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Southwest Notes: Aldridge, Matthews, Williams
A dozen players have struck free agent deals with the Spurs over the past two months, as our Free Agent Tracker shows, and they’re apparently in the market for more. Still, stability remains the hallmark of the San Antonio franchise, as Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan, who’s been with the Spurs longer than any other NBA player has been with his team, remain on board. See more from San Antonio amid the latest from around the Southwest Division:
- The Spurs convinced LaMarcus Aldridge to sign, but, as Aldridge’s recent comments suggest, they may still need to sell him on the team’s egalitarian philosophy as it applies to individual stats, writes Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News. Aldridge told USA Today’s Sam Amick that he pointed to his scoring average when he expressed concern about joining the San Antonio to Spurs assistant Ime Udoka, who prevailed upon him to choose San Antonio anyway.
- The Pelicans brought back largely the same cast that made an 11-win improvement from 2013/14 to 2014/15, but they still have depth issues, and a ceiling still appears to exist for their core despite the strides New Orleans made this past season, opines Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders.
- The five offseason additions most likely to have a negative impact, wear out their welcomes or otherwise disappoint all joined Western Conference teams this summer, according to ESPN’s Summer Forecast panel, and two of them are Mavericks. Wesley Matthews, who signed a four-year max deal, and Deron Williams, who inked a two-year, $11MM contract after his buyout with the Nets, are Nos. 3 and 4, respectively, on the ESPN list.
Spurs To Work Out Rafael Hettsheimeir
The Spurs will work out center Rafael Hettsheimeir, as João Paulo Benini writes for Papo Com O Papa in Hettsheimer’s native Brazil and as international journalist David Pick confirms through the agent for the 29-year-old (Twitter link). San Antonio has been eyeing the big man for a while, as they were reportedly among the NBA teams interested in him back in 2012. The Spurs were impressed with Hettsheimeir’s performance in this summer’s Pan American Games, in which he helped the Brazilian team win the Gold medal with 10.2 points and 2.6 rebounds in nearly 18 minutes per game, Pick adds.
The 6’10” Hettsheimeir spent this past season with Bauru in the Brazilian NBB league, but he played before that in the more heavily scouted Spanish ACB league. He put up 5.5 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 13.4 MPG for Unicaja Malaga in 2013/14, and he spent the 2012/13 season in a similarly limited role with Real Madrid. He saw much more playing time with CAI Zaragoza of Spain in 2011/12, posting 13.3 PPG and 6.4 RPG in 30.1 MPG.
That season for Zaragoza seemed to put him on the NBA map, as the Cavs, Mavs, Rockets and Hawks reportedly joined the Spurs as interested parties. Hettsheimeir went undrafted in 2008, so no NBA team holds his rights. The Spurs have only 13 fully guaranteed salaries, so room on the regular season roster is ostensibly available. Even if Hettsheimeir ends up signing with the Spurs, he’d still play for Bauru in the club’s preseason exhibitions against the Knicks and Wizards in October, according to Benini.