Western Notes: Burke, Smith, Pelicans
Trey Burke has embraced his new role of coming off of the bench for the Jazz, and the change has benefited both the player and the team, Chad Mobley of NBA.com writes. “There’s this fixation with the bench and starting and to me what Trey has embraced is not so much the bench. I don’t want him to embrace the bench, I don’t want him to embrace starting, I want him to do what’s best for our team,” coach Quin Snyder said. “He’s embraced becoming a better player. I don’t want it to be about the bench for him. If he starts again I want him to keep getting better.”
Here’s more from the West:
- The Benson family’s legal squabble over the control of the Pelicans and Saints threatens to ruin the clan’s sports legacy in New Orleans, Margaret Cronin Fisk and Laurel Brubaker Calkins of Bloomberg News write.
- Josh Smith is a big fan of playing for the Rockets, and he views his time in Houston this season as a chance to revitalize his career, Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston tweets. “It [Houston] does have a home feel. I can’t stop smiling because I’m in such a good position with a great opportunity in front of me,” Smith told Berman.
- Rookie Andrew Wiggins is the Wolves‘ lone ray of hope for a better future, and he is providing Minnesota with an acceptable return for dealing away Kevin Love to the Cavs, Pat Borzi of USA Today writes.
- Suns center Alex Len is essentially a rookie after missing most of the 2013/14 campaign due to an injury, and the big man is starting to feel the effects of logging heavy minutes, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. “There is going to be some adjustment for him for playing these big minutes,” coach Jeff Hornacek said. “Eighty-two games is a lot of games. You’re traveling and doing all this and you kind of get worn down. You have to get used to playing like that.“
Draft Rumors: Okafor, Wolves, Knicks, Sixers
Every team with which Chad Ford of ESPN.com has spoken has Jahlil Okafor atop its draft board, as Ford writes in an Insider-only piece, and that includes the Timberwolves, who have the pole position for the No. 1 overall pick, as our Reverse Standings show. That’s even despite the presence of Gorgui Dieng, whom Ford says the team is high on, and Nikola Pekovic, who’s making about $12MM each season through 2017/18. The ESPN.com draft guru runs down how Okafor would fit with each of the teams in line for a lottery pick, and he tosses in some noteworthy rumors as he does so. We’ll hit the highlights here:
- The Knicks like Emmanuel Mudiay, Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell in addition to Okafor, Ford writes, adding that the Jazz are Russell fans, too.
- Philadelphia would draft Okafor in spite of the presence of Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid, Ford hears. The Sixers aren’t sold that either Noel or Embiid will become an elite player, Ford also hears, as he writes in his chat with readers.
- Mudiay is No. 2 behind Okafor as far as the Lakers are concerned, but it’s not close, as Ford says he’s been told.
- The Magic won’t hesitate to draft Okafor and believe he has the superstar potential that their other players don’t, Ford hears.
- Al Horford would “love to move to power forward,” Ford writes, suggesting that the Hawks, who have the rights to take Brooklyn’s pick, would grab Okafor if given the chance.
- Ford speculates that the Pistons are the team in line for a lottery pick that’s least likely to draft Okafor, believing he’d be a poor fit alongside Andre Drummond.
Western Notes: Warriors, Matthews, Mavs
With Rajon Rondo out indefinitely after suffering two facial fractures, the Mavs are in need of some depth, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes. Dallas may look to add a player on a 10-day contract while it waits for Jermaine O’Neal to decide when and where he resumes his NBA career, Sefko reports. Owner Mark Cuban said that Dallas will be looking at players returning from China as well as those waived by NBA teams, in order to fill its final roster spot, Sefko adds.
Here’s more from out west:
- Soon-to-be free agent Wesley Matthews wants to remain with the Trail Blazers, as he tells Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders, and the shooting guard makes it clear the team’s success on the court is a factor.
- The Warriors have led the NBA in defensive rating from the opening day of the season, and the team’s dominance on defense can be traced back to two personnel moves that the franchise has made, Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN.com writes. The ESPN scribe points to Golden State’s deal with the Bucks that sent Monta Ellis to Milwaukee and netted the team Andrew Bogut, and the sign-and-trade deal for Andre Iguodala, as major reasons for Golden State’s defensive prowess this season.
- Rival executives have said that the Nuggets would love to add a star player between now and the trade deadline, but if the team is unable to accomplish that goal, it will seek to trade away some of its veteran players for first round draft picks, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders writes.
- Rudy Gobert has emerged as a defensive force for the Jazz this season, and Wesley Share of RealGM.com profiles the big man’s growth into an impact player.
- Quincy Miller, who is on his second 10-day contract of the season with the Kings, has never been short on talent, but poor timing has slowed his career up to this point, Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders writes. Discussing why the Nuggets chose to waive him earlier this season, Miller said, “I think they really wanted a veteran in Alonzo Gee and a defensive player. I don’t think I was the defensive player that they wanted, and I was everything they already had in Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari – a shooter/finisher. They wanted to go in a different direction, which is fine, but I just wish it would’ve been different timing.”
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Hornets Cut Jannero Pargo, Sign Elliot Williams
WEDNESDAY, 10:32am: The moves are official, the team announced.
TUESDAY, 5:37pm: The Hornets intend to waive Jannero Pargo in order for them them to ink Elliot Williams to a 10-day contract, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Charlotte currently has the league maximum of 15 players on its roster, which is why the team would need to release Pargo prior to inking Williams.
Williams, 25, has been playing for the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s D-League affiliate. In 19 D-League appearances this season, Williams has averaged 20.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 7.6 assists in 36.3 minutes per contest. He was briefly a member of the Jazz this season, having signed a pair of 10-day contracts with Utah in early January. In five NBA appearances this season, Williams has logged 3.6 points in 8.4 minutes per contest.
Charlotte will be on the hook for the remainder of Pargo’s 2014/15 salary of $915,243 if it releases him. Pargo has missed time this season due to an ailing back, and he has been limited to just nine appearances for the Hornets, averaging 4.6 points in 8.1 minutes per night. The 35-year-old’s career numbers over 10 seasons in the NBA are 6.4 PPG, 1.4 RPG, and 2.0 APG. His career slash line is .391/.356/.864.
Western Notes: Grizzlies, Nuggets, Smith, Cooley
Sunday’s signing of JaMychal Green to a 10-day contract shows the Grizzlies aren’t afraid to gamble on inexpensive talent, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal reports in a subscription-only article. “You’re basically playing the odds that you find one that hits,” Memphis GM Chris Wallace said. “If none of them hits, it’s not skin off your back. It’s a free shot.” The 24-year-old Green hit the open market after the Spurs declined to sign him to a second 10-day contract last week. He received interest from the Knicks, Bulls, Bucks and Blazers before signing with Memphis. The Grizzlies cleared a roster spot when they decided not to offer Tyrus Thomas a second 10-day contract. Thomas will join the Grizzlies’ D-League affiliate in Iowa, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. (Twitter link).
There’s much more from the Western Conference:
- The Nuggets are showing fortitude by trying to make a deal for Nets center Brook Lopez, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. While there are roadblocks to getting a deal done, Dempsey feels that it’ll come down to how motivated the Nuggets are to acquire Lopez and not how desperate the Nets are to unload him.
- “Fed up” is how Ty Lawson described Nuggets coach Brian Shaw after Saturday’s 18-point loss to the Hornets, according to Nick Groke of The Denver Post. Groke believes Shaw’s job may be in jeopardy after a bad week that included a 69-point performance in Thursday’s loss to the Grizzlies. “You can tell his spirit is getting lower and lower,” Lawson said of his coach. “Just game in and game out, I guess we’re not executing the way we want to or according to the game plan.”
- Josh Smith admits he was shocked when the Pistons waived him in December, but he’s already grown comfortable with the Rockets and is high on the idea of re-signing with Houston this summer, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports details.
- Former Jazz camp invitee Jack Cooley is again drawing NBA interest, a source tells Gino Pilato of D-League Digest (Twitter link). The 23-year-old center, who was with the Jazz this past fall, pulled down 19 points in a recent game for Utah’s D-League affiliate, Pilato notes. It’s unclear if the Jazz are among those thinking of him for a spot on their NBA roster.
Chuck Myron and Zach Links contributed to this post.
Jazz Sign Chris Johnson To 10-Day Contract
WEDNESDAY, 11:17am: The deal is official, the team announced.
TUESDAY, 2:04pm: The Jazz are setting up a 10-day contract for swingman Chris Johnson, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The former member of the Grizzlies, Celtics and Sixers is not to be confused with the three-year NBA veteran center by the same name who recently signed to play in Turkey. The Chris Johnson who’s apparently headed to Utah would fill the roster spot vacated when the team’s second 10-day deal with Elliot Williams expired Monday night, so there won’t be a need for a corresponding move. Utah isn’t planning another deal for Williams, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported late Monday (on Twitter).
Johnson has been playing with the D-League affiliate of the Rockets since December, not long after the Sixers waived him the previous month. He spent the preseason with the Celtics, who released him before opening night, but Philly claimed him off waivers and kept him for a little more than two weeks. The 24-year-old averaged 20.8 minutes per game during his brief time in Philly, so it was surprising to see the Sixers let him go. He put up 6.3 points per game in 19.7 MPG across a career-high 40 appearances for Boston last season.
The Jazz are in need of help on the wing, with Alec Burks expected to miss the rest of the season and Rodney Hood out until at least the All-Star break. Rookie Joe Ingles, who’s on a minimum-salary deal, has started the past 12 games.
Jazz Sign Elijah Millsap To Three-Year Deal
SUNDAY: The Jazz have officially signed Millsap, the team announced.
SATURDAY: The Jazz and Elijah Millsap have agreed to a three-year deal, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (on Twitter). While Charania doesn’t disclose financial details, he does add that the final two years of the deal are team options, although that might simply mean they’re non-guaranteed. Utah has about $4.8MM in cap space.
Millsap’s second 10-day contract with the Jazz was set to expire at day’s end tomorrow, and in order for Utah to keep the Hazan Sports Management client around, they needed to come to terms on a deal that covered at least the rest of this season since teams can only hand out two 10-day pacts per player each season. Clearly, Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey was impressed with Millsap’s performance this year, so much so that he’s extended him a multi-year offer.
Utah’s roster will stand at the league-maximum 15 players once Millsap signs his contract, but Elliot Williams is with the club on a 10-day contract set to expire January 27th. Millsap, the younger brother of Paul Millsap, spoke with Hoops Rumors’ Zach Links prior to the start of the 2014/15 season. The 27-year-old swingman went undrafted out of the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2010 and has spent the last four seasons prior to 2014/15 in the D-League.
Knicks Shop Prigioni, Clippers, Pistons Interested
SUNDAY, 12:35pm: The Pistons are among the teams to show exploratory interest in Prigioni, in wake of losing Brandon Jennings to injury, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
THURSDAY, 8:53am: The Clippers have held an interest in Prigioni, a source tells Zagoria, adding that the Clips don’t have the second-round pick New York is looking for. The earliest second-round pick that the Clippers can guarantee New York is for 2019. The point guard has drawn interest from three or four European clubs, agent Claudio Villanueva told Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype, though Villanueva cautioned that he and his client haven’t pursued those possibilities and that they’re not worried about his situation in New York.
WEDNESDAY, 1:17pm: The Knicks would like to trade Pablo Prigioni in exchange for a second-round pick, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link). The 37-year-old point guard doesn’t have much of a role at present, having fallen out of the team’s rotation the past three games, and he’s not a part of the club’s future, either, according to Zagoria. He’s making nearly $1.663MM this season, but his salary of almost $1.735MM for next season is only partially guaranteed for $290K.
New York reportedly considered attaching Prigioni to a deal that would unload Wayne Ellington this past summer. Knicks officials were apparently nonetheless fond of Prigioni, though it seems they continued to mull trading him even after they were able to keep him when they shipped Elliington to the Kings. The Knicks opened the season with playoff aspirations, but their need for an aging backup isn’t great with the team at 6-36. New York is reportedly shopping starter Jose Calderon, but Shane Larkin has moved ahead of Prigioni on the Knicks depth chart.
It appeared this past summer that the Jazz were in the mix for Prigioni as the Knicks and Kings looked for a third team to facilitate the Ellington trade. It’s unclear whether Utah still has any interest, even in the wake of Tuesday’s announcement that shooting guard Rodney Hood will be out until at least the All-Star break. Prigioni had been seeing fairly consistent minutes before his recent downturn in playing time, and he’s averaged 4.8 points, a career high, in 19.1 minutes per game this season.
Raptors, Bulls, Jazz, Pistons Eye D.J. Kennedy
The Raptors, Bulls, Jazz and Pistons have reached out to one-time Cavs swingman D.J. Kennedy, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. The 25-year-old is under contract with Germany’s Riesen Ludwigsburg for the rest of the season, according to Charania, so it appears that he’s off-limits until the summer.
Kennedy has played well across eight games in Germany, averaging 21.1 points and 6.5 rebounds in 35.3 minutes per contest. He put up similar numbers earlier this season with Russia’s Krasny Oktyabr, and he split last season in France and Israel, with less impressive production, after the Mavs had him in training camp. The former St. John’s mainstay was in camp with the Grizzlies the previous fall, not long after his two-game stint with the Cavs in the 2011/12 season.
It’s not uncommon for reports of interest to emerge about prospects playing in Europe months before they’re eligible to be signed, though it’s not necessarily a signal that teams are planning lucrative offers. It’d be surprising if Kennedy ends up with more than the minimum salary from an NBA team for next season, though there’s plenty of time for him to continue to boost his stock.
Western Notes: Thomas, Spurs, Hood
The Suns‘ three point guard system was one of the factors that led Isaiah Thomas to agree to a sign-and-trade deal this past summer, the guard said during an interview with Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (hat tip to Matt Petersen of NBA.com). “That’s what I signed here for, was to play with those other two guards and to cause havoc on both ends of the floor playing with Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe,” Thomas said. “Everybody’s getting a consistent rotation. Guys know when they’re really going to come in and play, and who they’re going to play with. I think everybody’s just getting comfortable with everybody.”
Here’s more from the West:
- The Spurs are finding their quest to repeat as NBA champions a rather difficult road to travel, Michael Lee of The Washington Post writes. Because of injuries and the age of his roster, coach Gregg Popovich has already had to use 23 starting lineups through 42 games so far this season, which is tied with Knicks for the most in the NBA, Lee notes. “You just deal with whatever you have and move on,” Popovich said. “I don’t think there are too many coaches who aren’t concerned about something.”
- Rajon Rondo‘s true value to the Mavericks isn’t necessarily reflected in his stat line, but rather in his excellent play during clutch situations, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes. “He’s a big-time player, and big-time players make big plays down the stretch,” Dallas big man Tyson Chandler said. “He’s not going to always put up the huge numbers that are going to wow you, but he’s one of those guys that you want with you in the trenches when you know the game is on the line. He’s just going to do something – something – to make an impact on the game.”
- Jazz rookie Rodney Hood, who injured his left foot during Sunday’s contest against the Spurs, will be out of action through the All-Star break, at which point his status will be reevaluated, the team has announced. The 22-year-old has appeared in 24 games for Utah this season, averaging 5.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 18.3 minutes per contest.