Atlantic Notes: Knicks, KP, Smart, Lowry, McDaniels
The Knicks and Carmelo Anthony have officially separated and the organization is moving on from their once perennial All-Star. Now is the time for the Knicks to move on from Anthony through the way the team plays the game, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes.
Head coach Jeff Hornacek now has a retooled roster and the freedom to coach the team his way. Former team president Phil Jackson harped on the triangle offense, which affected Hornacek’s own coaching style and forced the team to run a scheme many players later admitted was uncomfortable. Thus far in training camp, Hornacek said the team is focused on playing at a quicker pace.
“We want to move the ball,’’ Hornacek said. “We’ve had plays out there that I wish I could bottle up and have these guys do it every time. We’ve had some fantastic, six, seven extra passes and a guy nails the shot. We’ll continue to harp on that. We’ll continue to encourage the guys every time that happens, make or miss, and that’s that contagious thing.”
Hornacek also said the Knicks will rely on improved defense even if the team did not necessarily acquire any defensive upgrades. While Anthony was on the roster, he was criticized for holding the ball too long and playing spotty defense. While removing the 10-time all-star will not fix the Knicks, it gives the team a chance find a game plan that works.
Read up on additional news around the Atlantic Division:
- Knicks GM Scott Perry said to MSG’s Alan Hahn (via ESPN’s Ian Begley) that does not want to put too much pressure on Kristaps Porzingis as the Latvian big man settles in as the team’s franchise player. “I never want to put that much pressure on one individual,” Perry said. “He knows that he needs every one of his teammates to help this team be successful.”
- Celtics‘ guard Marcus Smart is aware of the massive deals players around the NBA are signing but he is focused on the season and not free agency. “It’s huge; it’s crazy,” Smart said to NBC Sports Boston’s A. Sherrod Blakely. “Those guys definitely deserve it. But like I said, that’s not my focus. I can’t control what those guys are getting. I can only control what I can control.”
- After signing a massive three-year deal worth up to $100MM to remain in Toronto, Kyle Lowry said to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star his new deal will not kill his desire to be great.
- K.J. McDaniels has been productive for every team he has played for, and this season he wants to put it all together with the Raptors, Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype writes.
- While Furkan Korkmaz is likely a year away from having a major NBA impact, David Murphy of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes that the rookie has impressed Sixers officials in training camp.
Raptors Ready To Rely On Poeltl, Siakam
- While Raptors head coach Dwane Casey would ideally love to have eight or 10 “seasoned veterans” in his rotation, the club will be relying on youngsters like Jakob Poeltl and Pascal Siakam to play major roles this season, and they feel like they’re ready, writes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star.
Bobby Webster Discusses Offseason
- There’s a coordinated song and dance that goes in to pulling off the perfect free agent signing. New Raptors general manager Bobby Webster spoke with Eric Koreen of The Athletic about how the club’s decision to trade DeMarre Carroll and Cory Joseph impacted their signing of C.J. Miles.
2017 Offseason In Review: Toronto Raptors
Hoops Rumors is breaking down the 2017 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, revisiting the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll evaluate each team’s moves from the last several months and look ahead to what the 2017/18 season holds for all 30 franchises. Today, we’re focusing on the Toronto Raptors.
Signings:
- Kyle Lowry: Three years, $93MM. Includes unlikely incentives.
- Serge Ibaka: Three years, $65MM.
- C.J. Miles: Three years, $25MM. Third-year player option.
- Lorenzo Brown: Two-way contract. One year, $50K guaranteed.
- Malcolm Miller: Two-way contract. One year, $50K guaranteed.
Camp invitees:
- Alfonzo McKinnie: Two years, minimum salary. $100K guarantee.
- K.J. McDaniels: One year, minimum salary. $100K guarantee.
- Kennedy Meeks: One year, minimum salary. Summer contract.
- Kyle Wiltjer: One year, minimum salary. Summer contract.
- Andy Rautins: One year, minimum salary. Exact terms not yet known.
Trades:
- Acquired Magic’s 2018 second-round pick from the Magic in exchange for the right to hire Jeff Weltman.
- Acquired Justin Hamilton from the Nets in exchange for DeMarre Carroll, the Raptors’ 2018 first-round pick (top-14 protected), and a 2018 second-round pick (less favorable of Lakers and Magic picks).
- Acquired the draft rights to Emir Preldzic from the Pacers in exchange for Cory Joseph.
Draft picks:
- 1-23: OG Anunoby — Signed to rookie contract.
Departing players:
- DeMarre Carroll
- Cory Joseph
- Patrick Patterson
- P.J. Tucker
Other offseason news:
- Promoted Bobby Webster to general manager after GM Jeff Weltman left to become Magic’s president of basketball operations.
- Tendered qualifying offer to Nando De Colo to retain RFA rights.
Salary cap situation:
- Operating over the cap and slightly under the tax. Hard capped. Carrying approximately $117MM in guaranteed salary. Full bi-annual exception ($3.29MM) still available.
Check out the Toronto Raptors’ full roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com.
Story of the summer:
The Raptors faced an existential fork in the road this summer and made the decision to keep their core in place. By re-signing Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka, the club doubled down on a formula that has delivered mixed results, depending on whom you ask.
Put simply, the Medium Three of DeMar DeRozan, Lowry, and Ibaka may not be enough to legitimately contend with the Cavaliers or Celtics, but it’s reasonably safe to say it’s enough to clinch home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs in the watered-down Eastern Conference.
To afford Lowry and Ibaka, owed $28.7MM and $20.1MM this season, Toronto needed to drastically limit future financial flexibility and also forego some of its peripheral core, including several prominent rotation pieces.
The jury is out on whether or not the Raps’ decision to stick with their stars as opposed to explore a more intensive overhaul was a smart one, but that’s a question for basketball philosophers.
Will the moves bring the franchise the success that it pines for? And what constitutes success for a fringe contender in the Super-Team Era anyway?
Miles, Powell To Vie For Starting Spot
C.J. Miles and Norman Powell enter the Raptors’ training camp as the primary contenders for the starting small forward spot, coach Dwane Casey told Doug Smith of the Toronto Star and other media members. The winner in the competition will join guards Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, power forward Serge Ibaka and center Jonas Valanciunas in the starting five. Miles, the former Pacers swingman, was signed by Toronto as a free agent in July. “It could be either one,” Casey said. “Delon Wright may see some minutes at the three because he’s a versatile young man. Bruno (Caboclo) gives you a standstill shooter.” The spot opened up when DeMarre Carroll was dealt to the Nets in July.
Raptors Sign Andy Rautins
SEPTEMBER 25: The Raptors have officially signed Rautins to complete their roster for training camp, the club confirmed today in a press release.
SEPTEMBER 22: The Raptors will fill the final spot on their roster with former Syracuse sharpshooter Andy Rautins, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that Rautins has agreed to a camp deal with Toronto. Wojnarowski notes that Rautins’ shooting made an impression on the Raptors in workouts.
Rautins, the 38th overall pick in the 2010 draft, only appeared in five NBA games with the Knicks, and hasn’t played in a regular season contest since the 2010/11 season. Since then, the 6’4″ shooting guard has played for a handful of teams overseas, in addition to spending time in the G League.
Most recently, Rautins has spent the last two seasons in Turkey playing for Gaziantep. In 2016/17, he appeared in 30 Turkish League games for the team, averaging 11.9 PPG and 4.7 APG to go along with a .391 3PT%.
While Rautins won’t enter training camp as a favorite to earn a regular season roster spot with the Raptors, the team is only carrying 13 guaranteed salaries, leaving up to two slots available on the roster. K.J. McDaniels, Kyle Wiltjer, Alfonzo McKinnie, and Kennedy Meeks also figure to be in the running for those spots.
It’s also worth noting that Rautins is the son of Leo Rautins, who has been covering the Raptors as a broadcaster since the team’s inception.
Pelicans Re-Sign Dante Cunningham
SEPTEMBER 25: The Pelicans have officially re-signed Cunningham, the team announced today in a press release.
SEPTEMBER 19: Free agent forward Dante Cunningham has made a decision on where he’ll play in 2017/18, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical, who reports that Cunningham has agreed to re-sign with the Pelicans.
According to Charania, Cunningham will get a one-year, $2.3MM deal from New Orleans. The minimum salary for a player with Cunningham’s NBA experience is $2,106,470, so if his salary exceeds that, the Pelicans would have to use a different exception — they also wouldn’t get any help from the NBA to cover the full amount, like they would for a one-year, minimum salary deal.
Either way, Cunningham is set to return to the franchise with which he spent the last three seasons. In 2016/17, the 30-year-old forward averaged 6.6 PPG and 4.2 RPG in a rotation role for New Orleans, and also added a reliable three-point shot to his arsenal — Cunningham’s 1.1 3PG and .392 3PT% were both career highs by a wide margin.
While it looked initially like Cunningham’s improved outside shot might make him a more coveted target on the free agent market, he didn’t draw as much interest as expected. A handful of teams – including the Timberwolves, Bucks, and Raptors, per Charania – were said to be in the running for him, but his new 2017/18 salary will be worth less than the $3.1MM player option he turned down in June.
Still, the Pelicans are likely happy to get Cunningham back at a reduced rate, particularly with Solomon Hill expected to miss a significant portion of the 2017/18 season with a torn hamstring. While New Orleans has an All-NBA caliber duo up front in Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins, the club doesn’t have a ton of depth at forward and could use more shooting help. Cunningham’s ability to play at both forward spots and his improved three-point shot should be valuable.
Once they finalize their reported agreements with Cunningham and Martell Webster, the Pelicans will have 19 players under contract. Cunningham’s deal would represent the club’s 14th fully guaranteed salary.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Fultz, Caboclo, Hornacek, Ntilikina
Joel Embiid gave the Sixers a glimpse of the impact he could have on the court last season, averaging 20.2 PPG and 7.8 RPG. However, injuries once again limited Embiid as he appeared in just 31 games due to a torn meniscus in his left knee. During a media lunch. Sixers general manager Bryan Colangelo and coach Brett Brown discussed their oft-injured forward and gave contradicting statements, Mike Sielski of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes.
Brown said that Embiid has yet to play in a five-on-five scenario but also added the team will “soon” know if and when he will do so. Then, Brown and Colangelo refused to give a clearer update on Embiid’s future in terms of his involvement — or lack thereof — in training camp or the preseason. Then, Colangelo provided a statement that contradicted itself within seconds.
“It’s not about being ready for the first practice or the first game,” Colangelo said. “And he will be out there on the first practice and the first game. The question is how much, how little, if at all.”
Embiid is not the only injured Sixer as last year’s first overall pick, Ben Simmons, is also looking to return to full health.
Below you can read more news from the Atlantic Division:
- 2017 first overall pick Markelle Fultz will start his NBA career with head-to-head matchups against John Wall and Kyrie Irving. As he acclimates to the NBA, Sixers coach Brown said he will stress defense on the young guard, David Murphy of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes.
- Bruno Caboclo has intrigued management with his size and shooting but questions about his mental maturity remain, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun writes in his last Wozbag.
- Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek noted that the team’s current roster will not utilize the triangle offense that former team president Phil Jackson mandated, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News writes.
- Knicks general manager Scott Perry expects first-round pick Frank Ntilikina to be part of a “healthy competition” for starting point guard, Bondy writes in a separate story.
Four Players Vie For Final Two Roster Spots
The Raptors have four players on non-guaranteed deals effectively auditioning for the final two guaranteed slots on their roster, Josh Lewenberg of TSN writes. Given the number of veterans the team lost over the offseason, the individuals who end up in the 14th and 15th spots on the squad could actually see meaningful minutes in 2017/18.
Among those battling for one of the final openings on the lone Canadian team’s roster is Canadian national team forward Kyle Wiltjer. Wiltjer didn’t make much of an impact on the playoff-bound Rockets last season but serves as a potent deep ball threat, not unlike outgoing Raptors forward Patrick Patterson.
Wiltjer will face stiff competition making the Raptors, especially from the versatile K.J. McDaniels who failed to stick with the Nets last season but has otherwise shown promise as an incredibly versatile, Swiss army knife of a forward.
Also vying for the final two spots will be Kennedy Meeks and Alfonzo McKinnie, the latter of whom Lewenberg mentions along with McDaniels to be the ones to watch as training camp begins and the Raptors inch closer to finalizing their roster.
- The Nets had a leadership void and offseason addition DeMarre Carroll swooped in to fill it. Brian Lewis of the New York Post how the exiled Raptors forward has thrived with his new organization.
What A Norman Powell Extension Might Look Like
- While he may well end up playing through the final year of his rookie contract and hitting restricted free agency next summer, Raptors guard Norman Powell is also eligible to sign a contract extension before the start of the regular season. Blake Murphy of The Athletic writes that such a deal could look similar to that which Josh Richardson recently signed with the Heat.