Atlantic Notes: Bennett, Raptors, Lopez
The Raptors have interest in Anthony Bennett should he clear waivers, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities hears (Twitter link). Earlier today, it was reported that Bennett and the Wolves are making progress on a contract buyout.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The expectation is that Bennett will land with an NBA team, but Michael Grange of Rogers Sportsnet (Twitter link) believes it’s unlikely that Toronto signs him due to the team’s full front court rotation.
- Eric Koreen in a full length piece for the National Post opines that Toronto probably won’t land the power forward. Koreen believes that the Raptors could give Bennett an opportunity to earn minutes at the four and they would be smart to kick tires on the 22-year-old. However, the scribe isn’t optimistic about Toronto’s chances because he believes that Philadelphia will claim him off waivers.
- Coach Lionel Hollins has been impressed with Brook Lopez‘s attitude and effort this summer, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com relays via Twitter. Lopez re-signed with the Nets for $60MM over three years this offseason.
Pacific Notes: Babb, Crawford, Morris, Cauley-Stein
The Warriors intend to keep Chris Babb and evaluate him in training camp, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. The 6’5″ guard, who spent most of last season with the Celtics’ D-League affiliate in Maine, was acquired in the July 27th deal that sent David Lee to Boston. Babb signed a multi-year deal with the Celtics in April, and Washburn writes that the organization liked the effort he gave. Babb, who participated in the D-League All-Star Game, was recalled in April but didn’t appear in any games with the Celtics. He played 14 games with the team during the 2013/14 season, averaging 1.6 points.
There’s more news from the Pacific Division:
- The Clippers‘ best move may be to trade Jamal Crawford for a big man to back up DeAndre Jordan, writes Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders. Crawford, who will make $5.675MM this season in the final year of his contract, has been the subject of trade rumors, although coach Doc Rivers said recently that he is unlikely to be dealt. Blancarte contends that Cole Aldrich doesn’t give the Clippers enough insurance off the bench and thinks the team should combine Crawford’s contract with C.J. Wilcox‘s and pursue another frontcourt player like the Heat’s Chris Andersen or Josh McRoberts, the Blazers’ Chris Kaman, the Bulls’ Taj Gibson or the Suns‘ Markieff Morris.
- Despite repeated trade demands, Morris will likely remain in Phoenix until at least Christmas, according to Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. In his weekly mailbag column, Smith also says native Canadian Steve Nash is unlikely to ever join the Raptors organization. The columnist points out that Nash, who is rumored to be in line for a part-time player development consultant position with the Warriors, is pretty established in Southern California.
- Despite his “raw” offensive skills, Willie Cauley-Stein is rated as the Kings‘ best offseason addition by Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. In the site’s season preview for Sacramento, Pincus says the rookie center out of Kentucky can became an important part of the Kings’ lineup if he reaches his defensive potential.
Eastern Notes: Gibson, Raptors, Jackson
Bulls power forward Taj Gibson was suffering from a torn ligament in his ankle toward the end of the 2014/15 campaign, which explains his lackluster playoff showing during the postseason, Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com writes. The true extent of the damage in Gibson’s ankle was discovered when the forward went under the knife in June for routine surgery, Goodwill adds. “I didn’t know I could play with that much pain but I just tried to help my team win,” Gibson told Goodwill. “I think it was a good thing for me to do the surgery. I’ve never been hurt this much. It was good for my career and for myself.”
“We didn’t know it was a torn ligament. It was on the completely opposite side of the foot,” Gibson continued. “When he finally went in during surgery, he was astounded how I was able to still play. He said he never knew anybody who could play through so much pain. I just thought it was normal. He was surprised I was even able to run or lift off it. That’s how bad it was.”
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Reggie Jackson enters his first training camp with the Pistons feeling much more comfortable in the team’s system and more entrenched with the franchise, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes. “I feel like I’ve been here. I feel like the guys know who I am and for the most part I know them,” Jackson said. “Even though it was short, I was extremely blessed and privileged to come over here [for the remainder of the 2014/15 season]. It was a tough struggle, but I think it’s going to pay off in the end. I truly believe that. Teammates are all ready to get into camp. It feels like we know each other more than if I was traded in the summer or signed and not coming in new. We did the whole [team-bonding trip] thing in Vegas, I got there and knew everybody vs. trying to meet everybody. I could arrange dinners and didn’t have to worry about knowing a guy’s phone number, what you like, don’t like. It’s already established.”
- The Raptors have officially named Tim Lewis, Nathaniel Mitchell, and David Gale as assistant coaches for their D-League affiliate, the Raptors 905, the team announced (via Twitter).
- The deals that Sam Thompson and Jason Washburn inked with the Hornets are both non-guaranteed, minimum salary training camp contracts that cover one year, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders relays (Twitter link).
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Sixers, Nets, Celtics
The Raptors received the highest offseason grade among Atlantic Division teams from Chris Mannix of SI.com, who gave them a B+ largely for their signing of DeMarre Carroll to a four-year, $58MM deal. Carroll’s pact is one that fills a significant need for Toronto, albeit at a premium, Mannix writes. Mannix gave the Sixers the division’s lowest grade, a C-, for once more failing to make any major additions outside the draft, though Philadelphia just handed out the largest free agent deal of the Sam Hinkie era, signing Kendall Marshall for $8MM over four years. See more from the Atlantic Division:
- The non-guaranteed deal that 11-year veteran Dahntay Jones signed with the Nets last week is a one-year arrangement for the minimum salary, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). It has limited injury protection, Pincus adds, which indicates that it’s an Exhibit 9 contract.
- The Nets are paying in spades now for ill-fated spending in years past, and the cap flexibility the team is poised to have next summer is unlikely to lead to a star signing, given the unappealing supporting cast that Brooklyn could offer Kevin Durant or another top free agent, opines Shaun Powell of NBA.com. The four-year, $50MM deal that the Nets gave Thaddeus Young and the trade that sent Mason Plumlee to the Trail Blazers weren’t wise moves, Powell also argues.
- The Celtics own Brooklyn’s 2016 first-round pick without protection, so they stand to benefit from the Nets’ misfortune, but Boston’s path to a finding a star still remains unclear, as Tim Bontemps of the New York Post believes (Facebook link).
- Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe updated us on all things Celtics earlier today in our latest installment of The Beat.
Column: Are Raptors Ready For Deep Playoff Run?
Sam Amico, the founder and editor of AmicoHoops.net and a broadcast journalist for Fox Sports Ohio, will write a weekly feature for Hoops Rumors with news, rumors and insight from around the NBA. If you missed last week’s installment, click here. Here’s this week’s edition:
Last time the Raptors got out of the first round of the playoffs, Steph Curry‘s dad still played in the NBA.
In fact, Dell Curry actually played for the Raptors. That was 2001, and the last time the Raptors experienced the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Now? There is plenty of reason the Raptors can get there again.
They’ve won the Atlantic Division each of the past two seasons, finishing with records of 49-33 last season and 48-34 the year before that.
They boast a talented backcourt in Kyle Lowry and the dynamic DeMar DeRozan. They can beat you down low with more-than-capable center Jonas Valanciunas, and on the wing, with new combo forward DeMarre Carroll.
They have a coach in Dwane Casey who clearly knows his X’s and O’s and has his players’ attention. Casey’s team excelled on offense, as the Raptors averaged 108.1 points per 100 possessions during the regular season, good enough for third in the league, as NBA.com shows.
Then came the playoffs, and the Raptors were dumped in the first round, for the second straight year.
Two years ago, they owned home-court advantage and were bounced by the Nets. Last year, they owned home-court advantage against the Wizards, and things only got worse — as the Raptors were quickly swept aside.
If any team has shown that the playoffs are a different animal, it’s the Raptors. The playoffs are where defense is king, where a lack of ball movement can kill you, where weaknesses are exposed.
So far, the Raptors have come up short in too many of those areas.
Yes, they won the division — but finished 23rd in the NBA in points per 100 possessions allowed (104.8), 22nd in assists (20.7 APG) and a miserable 26th in rebounding (41.5 RPG). Those are key areas, especially come the postseason.
On the bright side, they feel like they’ve addressed many of those areas through the draft, and especially, free agency.
Getting some help
Along with Carroll, a solid all-around and athletic defender on the wing, the Raptors signed free agents Cory Joseph, Luis Scola and Bismack Biyombo. Joseph takes pride in his defense, Scola flourishes in banging near the basket and Biyombo, at the very least, can protect the basket.
None are perennial All-Stars, but that’s not necessarily what the Raptors needed. They merely required some new pieces and parts to complement the likes of Lowry, DeRozan, Valanciunas, Terrence Ross and underrated power forward Patrick Patterson.
“The guys we added are system-type guys,” Casey said in an extensive Q&A with John Schuhmann of NBA.com. “Lou [Williams, who signed with the Lakers] is one of the top iso players in the league. I wouldn’t be very smart if I didn’t utilize that, and we did. We got criticized for it and sometimes that style of play doesn’t translate in the playoffs.
“But I think you got to have a balance, because some systems get bogged down in the playoffs also. That’s what we’re shooting for this year, to get a balance between having a guy that can break down a defense and get his own shot, as well as ball movement and body movement, which is what all coaches are striving for.”
Rookies Delon Wright and Norman Powell will also add depth to the backcourt, and based on their stellar play in summer league, may be more ready to contribute than perhaps even the Raptors expected.
So can this be the year? Can the Raptors finally get out of the first round? And if so, can they go beyond that?
Casey seems to think so.
“We’re still growing,” he told Schuhmann. “But I thought what we went through last year, even though it was painful, was what we needed. It was a dose of reality for us as a staff, for our players, and for everybody involved.”
If that dose of reality and the recent playoff lessons are implemented and carried out on the court, the Raptors may just have enough to be more than a strong team in the regular season — and shed that bit of trivia related to the father of last season’s league MVP.
The Raptors have the players. They have the coach. Now all they have to do is put it all together when it means the most.
Three 2016 Max Offers Await Tristan Thompson?
Agent Rich Paul has heard from three teams that are willing to offer a maximum-salary contract to Tristan Thompson next summer if he hits unrestricted free agency, sources tell Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops (Twitter link). Paul reportedly believes he can get a max deal from the Raptors for Thompson, a Toronto native, but it’s unclear if they are one of the three. The Trail Blazers and Sixers are the only teams capable of coming close to what the Cavs have offered this year, so Cleveland would appear to be largely in control of Thompson’s fate for the coming season. However, Paul has said that Thompson, who’s lingered in restricted free agency since July 1st, wouldn’t re-sign with the Cavs next summer if he were to sign his one-year qualifying offer of nearly $6.778MM, which is on the table from the Cavs until the end of this month.
The Cavs and Thompson’s camp have had little communication, if any, of late amid a separation of some $14MM in their respective proposals, as Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer told us last week. Thompson is looking for a five-year max deal, which would be worth $94,343,129, and the Cavs have offered $80MM over five years.
The value of Thompson’s qualifying offer is nearly $10MM less than what he would make on the starting salary of a max deal, but the power forward could nonetheless benefit financially from taking the qualifying offer if max offers from other teams are indeed waiting for him next year. Max salaries go up in accordance with the salary cap, and with the cap set to spike for 2016/17, next summer’s projected maximum for a player with Thompson’s experience is $20.4MM. With 4.5% raises over a four-year contract, the best terms he could get if he doesn’t re-sign with Cleveland, a max deal with a new team next summer would be worth a total of $87.108MM, based on that $20.4MM starting salary projection. Combined with the qualifying offer, Thompson would make almost as much going that route as he would signing a five-year max with Cleveland this year.
Of course, much can change between now and next July, and teams currently willing to pay the max have the right to change their minds based on Thompson’s performance this season as well as their own financial circumstances. Interest at the level of salaries exceeding $20MM seem tenuous at best for a player who came off the bench for most of this past season and scored only 8.5 points per game, despite his pedigree as the No. 4 overall pick in 2011. The Cavs have Kevin Love and Timofey Mozgov at the inside positions, so Thompson would seemingly be in line for a return to the bench after he started in place of an injured Love during the postseason.
Do you think teams will be willing to offer Tristan Thompson the max next summer? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
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.
Atlantic Notes: Valanciunas, Celtics, Knicks
The Raptors feel confident that center Jonas Valanciunas, who signed a four-year, $64MM extension with the team this offseason, will continue to develop and that he will justify the long-term commitment from the franchise, Holly MacKenzie of NBA.com writes. “JV is 23 years old,” Toronto GM Masai Ujiri said. “The contract gives him some security and lets him now concentrate on playing basketball and winning. It’s big for us, but we feel he made progress. He’s a great kid. Loves the city, loves the fans, loves everything about Toronto and that’s what we want to embrace here. He showed us a lot on the basketball court and we think he’ll get better.”
Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Celtics coach Brad Stevens believes that the team’s roster continuity from the 2014/15 campaign will lead to improvement this coming season, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com relays. “[Continuity] should be a benefit. Again, I think my phrase will be, ‘Time will tell,’” said Stevens. “I mean, we’ll see. I think my curiosity lies in how we go to work, how we come together, how much we’re willing to sacrifice for one another and see how this thing plays itself out. But I think you’d rather have guys for a longer period than not and that continuity is a good thing. We have basically nine guys back from our roster that played quite a bit. That’s a good thing, too.“
- The Knicks are still in a state of flux because they still lack a second star player, even a borderline one, to team up with Carmelo Anthony, Shaun Powell of NBA.com writes in his preview of the team. Powell does praise team president Phil Jackson for not overspending on second-tier free agents this Summer after New York’s top targets signed elsewhere.
- In his look ahead at the Celtics‘ 2015/16 season, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com opines that Marcus Smart, Isaiah Thomas, and Jonas Jerebko are all poised to have breakout seasons for the team.
Landry Fields Out Five Months With Hip Injury
12:oopm: Wojnarowski’s full story says Landry “will miss five months of the season.” That would suggest that he’ll be out longer than simply five months from now. If the timetable is five months from the start of the regular season, he’d be on track to return in late March.
11:45am: Landry Fields will miss five months after having labrum surgery on his hip, a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). It’s unclear which hip is the trouble spot. The injury might explain why the swingman has remained in free agency seemingly with few nibbles from NBA teams. The Knicks, who were the original team for the 27-year-old out of Stanford, reportedly reached out to him on the first day of free agency, but rumors about him have since been lacking.
Fields is coming off a season of career lows with the Raptors, with whom he never carved out the consistent sort of role he enjoyed in New York, where he was a starter for all but five games during his two seasons there. The former 39th overall pick signed with Toronto in 2012 on a three-year, $18.75MM offer sheet that the Knicks declined to match. The Raptors renounced their rights to Fields in July, so they couldn’t re-sign him for more than the minimum if they want him back.
A five-month timetable would have the Chris Emens client on track to return in February, shortly before the All-Star break and the trade deadline. Teams often shy away from making free agent additions as those events draw near, but the market grows fertile again toward the end of February once the deadline, set for February 18th this year, has passed.
Do you think Fields will find an NBA deal this season once he’s healthy? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Latest On Tristan Thompson
Restricted free agent Tristan Thompson, who has reportedly rejected a five-year, $80MM contract offer from the Cavaliers, will not put pen to paper on a new pact unless it is a maximum salary deal, Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report (video link) relays (hat tip to Dan Feldman of ProBasketballTalk). Thompson’s agent, Rich Paul, has already made it clear to the Cavs’ front office that his client is prepared to sign his one-year qualifying offer worth $6,777,589 if a deal can’t be worked out between the two sides, Bucher notes.
By signing the qualifying offer, Thompson would set himself up to become an unrestricted free agent next Summer, just in time for the salary cap to increase significantly. One reason that Thompson would be willing to roll the dice and play out the 2015/16 campaign without the comfort and security of a long-term pact is that Paul believes he can wrangle a max deal out of the Raptors next offseason, Bucher adds. Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops had previously broached the possibility of Thompson, a Canadian native, joining the Raptors in 2016/17. One Eastern Conference GM had told Scotto that he thought Thompson would end up in Toronto this summer. Thompson is friends with Raptors signee Cory Joseph, who’s also from Toronto.
Raptors GM Masai Ujiri has stated that he considers it a priority to add Canadian born players to the team, which makes Thompson a natural target for the franchise. “We are studying it. I even considered last year hiring somebody to concentrate just on Canadian players and I think I’m going to go through with it because the growth of the game here is so big,” Ujiri said. “It’s the fit. We can maybe take our time and study it a little bit so it is the right fit and not do it just to do it. It’s going to come, there is no doubt in my mind. It’s an obligation that I think we have to fulfil. We are a Canadian team and I think to have Canadian players, I think will be phenomenal.”
Cleveland is in a difficult position regarding its negotiations with the forward, since LeBron James, also a client of Paul’s, has publicly stated that he wants Thompson to remain with the Cavs, and James is able to opt out of his contract next Summer. Thompson and the Cavs were reportedly close to an agreement on the first day of free agency, but talks stalled when Thompson reportedly asked for $85MM over five years, after it was reported that Draymond Green received that much from Golden State. Green’s actual deal was for $82MM, contrary to those initial leaked figures.
Thompson had also turned down a four-year, $52MM extension offer this past fall, betting on the odds that he could do better this summer, despite the Cavs adding Kevin Love to the roster prior to the start of the 2014/15 season. The Cavs do hold Thompson’s Bird rights, meaning that they could outbid other teams for the 24-year-old’s services next offseason.