Atlantic Notes: Ross, Nets, Turner, Sixers
2014/15 Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams departed via free agency to the Lakers this offseason, and the Raptors will look to Terrence Ross to help replace his production off the bench, writes Eric Koreen of the National Post. “The first guy that comes to mind is Terrence Ross,” Toronto coach Dwane Casey said of the swingman. “Not only just a scorer, but he’s got to come in and defend. He had an off year last year defending. He knows it. We know it.”
Casey was pleasantly surprised by how vocal a player Bismack Biyombo is on the court, Koreen adds. “I knew [he was a good communicator] just talking to the coaches from Charlotte. I knew that about him,” Casey said. “I didn’t know before they told me. I wouldn’t have guessed it. Great communicator. He’s probably going to be the captain of our defense as far as a guy who can go vertical, block shots, communicate. … Now we’ve got to get everybody else, even the guards to join in on the party, especially in transition.” Biyombo signed a two year, $6MM deal with Charlotte during the summer.
Here’s more from out of the Atlantic Division:
- Mikhail Prokhorov once again stated that he has no intention of selling controlling interest in the Nets franchise, Rod Boone of Newsday tweets. The Russian is reportedly working toward a deal that would give him 100% ownership of both the team and the Barclays Center.
- The Nets are currently under the luxury tax threshold, but Prokhorov said he would have no problem going “far above the line once again, but it would have to be for the right opportunity”, Tim Bontemps of The New York Post tweets.
- The Raptors are hoping that their offseason additions will make for a more cohesive roster and usher in a new on-court identity for the franchise, Koreen writes in a separate piece.
- Celtics swingman Evan Turner has an extremely tradeable contract, with him set to earn $3,425,510 in 2015/16, the final year of his deal, but he would prefer to remain in Boston, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com relays. “I like Boston, I like the town and the city; the restaurants are pretty good too,” Turner said. “I like Boston; I genuinely would like to stay here. I’ve been places where I hated it.” Turner didn’t specify which city’s charms it was that he didn’t appreciate, but for reference, he has previously played in Philadelphia and Indiana.
- Italian coach Andrea Mazzon is joining the Sixers‘ D-League affiliate in an unspecified, but important role, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reports.
- Sixers GM Sam Hinkie said that the team tried to make a bigger splash in free agency this summer than it did, but many of the better players didn’t change teams, Tom Moore of Calkins Media relays (Twitter links). However, the GM is happy with the organization’s progress, saying that it feels like “night and day” from when training camp began two seasons ago, Moore adds.
Raptors Pick Up Options On Caboclo, Nogueira
The Raptors have exercised their team options for 2016/17 on the rookie scale contracts of Bruno Caboclo and Lucas Nogueira, the team announced (Twitter link). That means the team locked in their salaries of $1,589,640 and $1,921,320, respectively, for that season. The moves are no surprise, since most clubs pick up rookie scale team options, even though Toronto didn’t give much playing time to either last season. Each of them saw just 23 minutes of action all year at the NBA level, with a couple of D-League assignments sprinkled in.
Neither seems poised to grab a spot in the Raptors rotation this season, but they’ll likely see much more time in the D-League, since the establishment of Raptors 905 gives Toronto a one-to-one affiliate. Nogueira, now 23 years old, was more productive in the D-League last season than Caboclo was, though the three-year age difference between the two likely played into it. The younger Caboclo was a surprise selection at No. 20 overall in the 2014 draft. Nogueira was the 16th pick in the 2013 draft, but he remained overseas for a year with Estudiantes of Spain before the Raptors acquired his rights from the Hawks in the Lou Williams trade.
Toronto’s commitments for 2016/17 rise to almost $60MM against a projected $89MM cap with today’s moves. That includes the extension that Jonas Valanciunas signed this summer, but no money for DeMar DeRozan, who has a $10.05MM player option, or Terrence Ross, who’s also extension eligible. Agent Rich Paul reportedly believes he can get the Raptors to make a max offer next summer to Toronto native Tristan Thompson, who can hit unrestricted free agency in July if he signs his qualifying offer from the Cavs this week. The Raptors would have to pass on Ross and DeRozan would have to opt in or re-sign at a discount for the team to have the flexibility for Thompson’s max starting salary of a projected $20.4MM. Preliminary indications are DeRozan will opt out, a strong bet given his level of performance and the rising salaries around the league.
Which of Caboclo and Nogueira do you believe has the greatest chance to make an impact in the NBA? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Atlantic Notes: Lee, Anthony, Nets
The Celtics want David Lee to be an impact player after he accepted a reduced role with the Warriors last season during their championship run, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com reports. Lee, who was acquired from the Warriors during the summer, averaged 18.2 points and 9.3 rebounds per game just two seasons ago, Forsberg points out. “I was very honest with the media last year. If I wasn’t frustrated there was probably something wrong with me,” Lee said during the team’s media day on Monday. “I got injured to start the season; it wasn’t like I lost my job. I got injured and the team went, I think, 19-2 to start the year and, if you’re a rookie head coach and your team is 19-2, I think the last thing you want to do is disrupt the starting lineup.” Boston is also looking for Lee to be a leader, Forsberg adds.
In other news around the Atlantic Division:
- Carmelo Anthony is convinced that Knicks president Phil Jackson still has faith in him as his franchise player, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reports. Anthony doesn’t believe his window for a championship is closing or that his career is in decline because of knee issues, Bondy adds. “Even though you guys might not write about it, I think Phil still believes in me,” Anthony said during the team’s media day. “And that goes without even being said because I’m still here. For him to start this process with me, being the centerpiece of this, I respect that and I don’t want to let him down because I know that him putting me at the centerpiece of this is very big.”
- Nets rookie power forward Chris McCullough will return to the court sometime in January, coach Lionel Hollins told Tim Bontemps of the New York Post (Twitter link) and the assembled media in Brooklyn. McCullough, who suffered a torn right ACL in January playing for Syracuse University, is playing it safe with his rehab and does not know of any timetable, Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com adds in a tweet.
- Anthony Bennett expected most of the summer that the Timberwolves would work a buyout deal with him and that he would join the Raptors, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets, adding that Bennett is looking forward to the fresh start. Raptors GM Masai Ujiri couldn’t pass up on the opportunity, according to Eric Koreen of the National Post (Twitter link).“For us to get a Canadian 22-year-old power forward that is athletic and can play at the minimum? We’ll take it,” Masai told Koreen.
Pistons Sign Jordan Bachynski For Camp
SEPTEMBER 28TH, 11:24pm: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.
SEPTEMBER 25TH, 5:56pm: The signing has indeed taken place, according to the RealGM transactions log, though the team has yet to make an announcement.
SEPTEMBER 16TH, 12:14pm: The Pistons and former Arizona State big man Jordan Bachynski have agreed to a non-guaranteed deal, a source tells Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). It’ll be the first official NBA contract for the 7’2″ Bachynski, who was with the Raptors and Magic for summer league this year. He’s the 20th Piston with either a signed contract or a verbal agreement to join the team, meaning the Pistons are at the preseason roster limit.
Bachynski, now 26, averaged 11.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and an impressive 4.0 blocks in 30.9 minutes per game as a senior for the Sun Devils in 2013/14. He played four games with Turkey’s Ekishehir Basket early last season before surfacing stateside with the D-League affiliate of the Knicks. The Westchester Knicks gave him limited burn, as he notched 6.6 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 2.2 BPG in 19.0 MPG. He managed even less playing him in summer league, averaging 4.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG and 1.4 BPG in just 10.0 MPG across eight appearances.
Detroit was one of several NBA teams to work him out prior to the 2014 draft, though he went unselected. Bachynski’s odds of sticking with the Pistons for opening night don’t look strong, since the Pistons have 17 fully guaranteed contracts, more than any other team in the league, as I examined last month. The team also has Adonis Thomas, who has a $60K partial guarantee, and Eric Griffin on a non-guaranteed deal, as our roster count shows.
Do you think Bachynski deserves a spot on an NBA regular season roster? Leave a comment to tell us.
Raptors Sign Anthony Bennett
MONDAY, 8:16am: The signing is official, the team announced (Twitter link).
SUNDAY, 1:03pm: Bennett has taken a physical and put pen to paper with the Raptors, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. Toronto has yet to make an official announcement.
4:29pm: Barring a snag, Toronto is expected to sign him to a one-year deal, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
FRIDAYm 4:05pm: The Raptors will sign Anthony Bennett, reports Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The former No. 1 overall pick just cleared waivers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The Blazers, Sixers, Cavaliers and Jazz, the four teams with the flexibility to claim Bennett off waivers, all passed on doing so, though only Portland and Philadelphia reportedly joined Toronto with interest in the combo forward. Minnesota is on the hook for $3.65MM to Bennett this season via the terms of his buyout deal with the team, and the Raptors will pay him the minimum salary of $947,276, since that’s all they can give outside free agents after using up their cap space and other exceptions.
Bennett’s deal represents a homecoming for the Toronto native, though the Blazers had appeared to have the edge. Portland assistant coaches Jay Triano and David Vanterpool double as coaches for the Canadian national team, and Bennett looked strong playing for that squad this summer. Bennett put up 15.6 points in about 26 minutes per contest in the Pan-American Games, though his numbers went down to 7.6 PPG in nearly 17 MPG during the FIBA Americas Championship.
Toronto has been carrying 14 fully guaranteed contracts plus four partially guaranteed deals, as our roster count shows. The level of guarantee on Bennett’s pact isn’t immediately clear, though his addition would seemingly make it that much more difficult for Michale Kyser, Ronald Roberts Jr., Shannon Scott and Axel Toupane, the quartet with partially guaranteed deals, to stick for opening night.
The Raptors are seemingly poised to start DeMarre Carroll as a small-ball power forward, with Patrick Patterson and Luis Scola behind him. James Johnson, another combo forward, also figures to pose a challenge to Bennett as he seeks playing time.
Do you think the Raptors are the right team for Bennett? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Sixers, Blazers, Raptors Eye Anthony Bennett
3:49pm: The Cavaliers, Blazers, and Jazz will also pass on claiming Bennett, Wojnarowski relays (Twitter link).
FRIDAY, 3:40pm: The Sixers don’t intend on making a waiver claim on Bennett, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports tweets.
2:31pm: A “growing suspicion” around the league is that Bennett will end up with the Blazers, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (All Twitter links). Portland would like to sign him in free agency instead of claiming him off waivers, though given their deficit beneath the $63MM salary floor, absorbing Bennett’s full salary wouldn’t necessarily cost the Blazers extra money, Stein points out. A waiver claim would surely be Minnesota’s preference, too, since the team would be off the hook for any money to Bennett in that situation.
11:58am: The Sixers, just like the Blazers, plan to carefully study the possibility of claiming Bennett, Wojnarowski reports in a new full piece. Bennett’s camp would prefer that he hit free agency so that he can choose his next team, Wojnarowski adds.
TUESDAY, 11:21am: The Trail Blazers are expected to pursue No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett once he hits waivers following his Timberwolves buyout deal, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Bennett and the Wolves have agreed to the buyout, and the team will release him soon, Charania reported minutes ago. Portland has enough cap room to claim Bennett off waivers, but it’s not immediately clear if the Blazers plan to do so or prefer to chase him in free agency. The Sixers also have the cap room necessary to claim him, and the Cavaliers have a trade exception large enough to snag him off waivers, too, though it’s not clear if either of those teams have any such inclination. The Jazz can clear the requisite cap space if they cut some non-guaranteed money, but they are unlikely to have interest, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported Monday.
Portland employs Canadian national team head coach Jay Triano as an assistant coach, as Charania alluded to and as former Nets executive Bobby Marks points out (Twitter link). The Raptors also have interest, as Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities has heard, though Toronto could only end up with him if he hits free agency first, and the Raptors would be limited to paying him the minimum salary, since they used up their cap space and spent their room exception on Bismack Biyombo.
The Blazers have only 13 fully guaranteed contracts, plus four more without full guarantees, as our roster count shows. They have a league-low of nearly $48MM in guaranteed money, so they would have no trouble fitting Bennett on the roster. The trick would be in finding playing time for him at power forward, where Portland has Meyers Leonard and Noah Vonleh, whose presence Jabari Young of Comcast SportsNet Northwest cited to Hoops Rumors when he suggested reasons why the team hasn’t signed Tristan Thompson to an offer sheet. The addition of Bennett, if it takes place, would ostensibly extinguish any hint that Portland would circle back to Thompson before the start of the season, though that’s just my speculation.
Toronto doesn’t have a clear-cut starter at power forward, seemingly Bennett’s best position, since the Raptors appear poised to take a small-ball approach with free agent signee DeMarre Carroll at the four, where the alternative would be starting Patrick Patterson. Still, the presence of Luis Scola and James Johnson would complicate Bennett’s chances at minutes.
The Sixers already have signed contracts or verbal deals with 20 players for camp, so they’d have to get out of one of them to add Bennett. Only 13 Sixers have fully guaranteed pacts, including Nerlens Noel, who was the front-runner to become the No. 1 pick in 2013 before an injury cleared the way for Bennett. Noel is the presumptive starter at the power forward position, though the rotation at the four is settled beyond him.
What do you think would be the best landing spot for Bennett? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Atlantic Notes: Bennett, Sixers, Celtics
Despite his Canadian roots, it would be a bad move for both parties if the Raptors were to sign forward Anthony Bennett, provided that he clears waivers, Doug Smith of The Toronto Star opines. The young forward, who reached a buyout agreement with Minnesota this week, would not be a great fit with a Toronto squad that is expected to contend in the East, and would not have time to be patient with his development, Smith notes. As for the Raptors, Smith adds that Bennett would not be an upgrade over the team’s current rotation players, which would relegate Bennett to the bench and potentially make him a distraction.
Raptors GM Masai Ujiri has indicated in the past that the team views it as a priority to add Canadian-born players to its roster, which is a major reason why the Raptors are expected to be in the mix to sign Tristan Thompson next summer if he were to hit free agency, and the franchise is being mentioned as a potential landing spot for Bennett.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Sixers coach Brett Brown indicated that point guards Tony Wroten and Kendall Marshall will not be ready for the start of training camp, and that there is no exact timetable for their return to full basketball activities, Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Daily News tweets. With its top two projected point guards on the shelf for the time being, Philly will enter the preseason with Isaiah Canaan, Pierre Jackson, Scottie Wilbekin, and T.J. McConnell competing at the one spot.
- Philly experienced quite a roster turnover throughout the course of the 2014/15 campaign, but Brown says this season will be different, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays (via Twitter). “You are going to see more of our own,” said the Sixers coach. “You are going to see less turnover of our roster.”
- The Celtics, despite not making a major offseason acquisition, are still expected to be an improved squad this coming season, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe writes. But one issue the coaching staff will have to navigate is what the team’s most effective rotation will be, Himmelsbach notes. “I think that’s going to be a challenge for our coaching staff,” Celtics executive Danny Ainge said. “You’ll probably see a lot of different combinations through training camp scrimmages and in exhibition games and see who plays best together. It’s not always the best players, but the players that play the best together. We have a lot of different options, especially in the frontcourt. I’m anxious to see how that all plays out.”
- Himmelsbach recently participated in our interview series, “The Beat.” You can read his thoughts on a number of topics relating to the Celtics here.
Dwight Buycks To Play In China
SEPTEMBER 23RD, 1:29pm: Buycks has signed with Fujian, Pick hears (Twitter link). That team featured Al Harrington, John Lucas III and DJ White last season.
SEPTEMBER 7TH, 9:59am: Former Raptors and Lakers point guard Dwight Buycks has turned down multiple non-guaranteed offers from NBA teams to agree to play in China instead, a source tells international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). The Lakers apparently had interest in re-signing him earlier this summer, as Pick reported in June. It’s unclear which Chinese team Buycks will be joining, nor is it known how much he’ll make.
Buycks was a late addition to the Lakers this past season, signing a 10-day contract in early April. He saw a decent chunk of playing time for the injury-hit purple-and-gold and averaged 8.7 points, 2.3 assists and 2.0 turnovers in 20.5 minutes per game across six appearances, but the broken hand he suffered on the final night of his 10-day deal scuttled the team’s plan to sign him for at least the rest of the season. The 26-year-old managed only 0.5 PPG in 10.5 MPG for the Lakers summer league squad in July.
His lack of summer league success was surprising, given his track record in that venue. Buycks averaged 19.7 PPG in 29.9 MPG for the summer Raptors in July 2014, a year after Toronto had signed him to a deal that gave him a guaranteed salary for his rookie season. However, he saw action in only 14 games for the Raptors in that 2013/14 season, and the team waived him last July in spite of his strong summer performance.
The Chris Patrick client is no stranger to turning down NBA offers to go overseas. He reportedly did so last summer to sign with Valencia of Spain, though he and the club parted ways early last season as NBA teams showed renewed interest. Buycks also saw action with China’s Tianjin Steel and the Thunder’s D-League affiliate.
Do you think Buycks belongs in the NBA? Leave a comment to share your opinion.
Eastern Notes: LeBron, Parker, Nets
Despite Tristan Thompson sharing the same agent as LeBron James, James hasn’t tried to use his leverage with the Cavaliers organization to push the team into upping their offer to the restricted free agent, Joe Vardon of The Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. A source close to James, who can opt out of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent next summer, says that Thompson’s contract impasse is a “non-discussion right now” for LeBron as it relates to his own future in Cleveland, Vardon notes. A source within the Cavs organization also indicated to Vardon that the team isn’t concerned about James leaving if Thompson is not re-signed to a long-term deal, saying, “LeBron’s goals don’t change relative to Tristan Thompson or anyone. [Our primary goal is to] Be as good as we can be for as long as we can be.”
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Jabari Parker, who is recovering from a torn ACL, is expected to participate when the Bucks begin training camp, though the team hasn’t said how much the second-year forward will be allowed to do, Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays in a series of tweets. Coach Jason Kidd is pleased with Parker’s progress, Gardner adds, with Kidd saying, “He looks extremely good. His body has changed and his spirits are extremely high right now, being on the court.” The team will certainly be cautious with Parker, Gardner also notes, with GM John Hammond saying, “He’s making progress. Wherever he’s at, if we think he [Parker] can play 30 minutes, we’ll probably have him play 15.“
- The Nets are hoping that their team chemistry will be better this season after the departure of point guard Deron Williams, Tim Bontemps of The New York Post writes. When asked what he liked about what he has seen from the team over the summer, GM Billy King told Bontemps and other reporters, “I like the guys’ attitudes towards each other. I think they have a genuine liking and care for each other. If you’re willing to do that, then you’re willing to sacrifice on both ends of the floor for each other.“
- The Raptors are still a work in progress, and despite the offseason additions of DeMarre Carroll and Cory Joseph, the team doesn’t appear to be a serious threat to unseat the Heat and the Bulls atop the Eastern Conference just yet, the crew at Basketball Insiders opine in their season preview of the team.
Nando De Colo To Consider NBA Return
TUESDAY, 8:07am: De Colo tempered the idea of an NBA comeback, saying during an appearance on France’s beIN Sports that while the NBA is in the back of his mind, he won’t return to the league simply for the sake of returning (video link; translation via HoopsHype). The 28-year-old made it clear that he would want to have a role on NBA team and not just a spot on an NBA roster if he were to come back.
MONDAY, 8:55am: Guard Nando De Colo, currently with Russia’s CSKA Moscow, is pondering an NBA return once his contract expires after the season, as Mark Woods of ESPN.com writes. “I will see what happens,” De Colo said after guiding France to a Eurobasket bronze medal on Sunday with an 81-68 victory over Serbia.
De Colo, a 2009 second-round pick of the Spurs, finally signed with San Antonio on a two-year deal in 2012. At the trade deadline in 2013/14, the Spurs shipped him to the Raptors in exchange for Austin Daye. The guard played limited minutes for Toronto as a backup wing and after the season he was given a qualifying offer of roughly $1.8MM. Seeking more playing time and presumably more money, De Colo instead signed on with CSKA Moscow.
Before De Colo agreed to go to Russia in 2014, there was mutual interest in a reunion between De Colo and the Raptors and there were other NBA clubs with interest, according to international journalist David Pick. This past June, the Raptors once again gave De Colo a qualifying offer of ~$1.8MM even though he was committed to playing overseas.
In his two NBA seasons with the Spurs and Raptors, De Colo averaged 3.8 PPG, 1.8 RPG, and 1.7 APG in 11.9 minutes per contest. In 60 total games for CSKA this year, De Colo has put up 14.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 3.2 APG in 23.8 minutes per game.