Northwest Notes: Robinson, Nelson, Burks
Nate Robinson and his agent pushed for the January 13th trade that sent him from from the Nuggets to the Celtics, reports Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Dempsey noted that Robinson wanted more minutes on a different team to help him earn a contract next season. Plus, he was a scorer on a team that needed a playmaker, which is why Denver exchanged him for Jameer Nelson. Robinson was waived by the Celtics Thursday in a buyout deal and is searching for a new team.
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Nelson and the Nuggets had some mutual interest last summer, Dempsey writes in a separate story. The free agent guard briefly considered coming to Denver before signing with the Mavericks. “Obviously the Nuggets had some guards, a lot of guards here,” Nelson said. “They didn’t know how many minutes I would play. So, I just felt like Dallas was the best spot for me.”
- Jazz guard Alec Burks managed to find a bright side to his season-ending shoulder injury, reports Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. For the first time since he was a teenager, Burks’ shoulder will be 100 percent healthy when he returns to basketball next season. Utah is hoping Burks will be ready for the start of training camp in the fall. He signed a four-year $42MM extension in October, with incentives that could push the value as high as $45MM.
- The Thunder’s Kendrick Perkins and Jeremy Lamb would have been the key pieces in a trade for Brooklyn’s Brook Lopez, according to Anthony Slater of NewsOK.com. The Nets backed off from the deal, at least for now, but it’s an experience that many players will go through as the February 19th trade deadline draws closer. “They’re human beings, so it’s tough hearing your name in trade talks,” said Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant. “But we also know it’s a business. You know what you’re getting into. We got a lot of veteran guys that can help guys get through that.”
Jazz Sign Elliot Williams To Second 10-Day Deal
The Jazz have signed Elliot Williams to a second 10-day contract, the team has announced. Williams and the team agreed to his first 10-day pact on January 7th. Teams can ink players to a maximum of two 10-day deals per season before they either have to let them go or sign them for the remainder of the season.
Williams had appeared in three games for Utah during his first 10-day deal, averaging 2.7 points and 0.7 rebounds in 8.7 minutes per contest. His slash line is .375/.500/.000. Williams is a former first round draft pick of the Trail Blazers, and was selected No.22 overall back in 2010.
Prior to joining the Jazz this season, Williams had appeared in 16 contests for Santa Cruz, Golden State’s D-League affiliate. The 25-year-old had notched 21.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 7.7 APG in 37.2 minutes per game.
Northwest Notes: Lopez, Williams, Jackson
The Thunder were reportedly in the mix for Nets center Brook Lopez, both as part of a proposed three-way deal with Brooklyn and Charlotte and in two-way talks with Brooklyn. OKC star Kevin Durant doesn’t necessarily see the need to add Lopez’s offensive talents to the Thunder’s rotation, Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman reports (Twitter link). “We put up a lot of points, that’s what we do,” Durant said. “No matter where it comes from, we score a lot. Adding a good player to your team always helps, but I like what we have here. We put up points. That’s not our problem.”
Here’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Any trade for Lopez would almost certainly have to include Kendrick Perkins, a move that would weaken the team this season since he is the Thunder‘s best defender, Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman writes. Oklahoma City would benefit more from this deal next season, when all of the players would begin the campaign healthy, and the team could aim higher than just sneaking into the seventh or eighth playoff spot, like it hopes to do this year, Tramel opines.
- The Jazz are still undecided as to whether or not they will sign Elliot Williams to a second 10-day contract, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). In three appearances for Utah, Williams has averaged 2.7 points in 8.7 minutes of action per game.
- The arrival of Dion Waiters has cut into the playing time of Reggie Jackson, and it has also increased the uncertainty of his future with the Thunder, Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman writes. Durant, when asked if he felt the need to help Jackson adjust to his new role, said, “We’re all professionals here, man. We know the nature of this game. This is not day care. We’re not babying anybody here. We all know that Reggie is such a good professional he knows that. He knows how to come to work every single day. And he knows that him and Dion are going to have to play together. And Dion knows that. So we’re not spending any of our energy on that type of stuff because this is a professional game. It’s a business at that as well. So, nah, we’re not going to do that.”
Jazz Sign Elijah Millsap To Second 10-Day Deal
The Jazz have signed Elijah Millsap to a second 10-day contract, the team announced. The first one expired Wednesday night. Utah will have to make a decision about whether to keep the 27-year-old for the rest of the season or let him go once his newest deal expires, since NBA teams can only ink any one player to two 10-day deals per season. Still, it would be quite a surprise if the Jazz don’t keep him for the balance of 2014/15, as Jody Genessy of the Deseret News believes (Twitter link).
The Daniel Hazan client saw plenty of action during his first 10 days with Utah, averaging 5.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in 24.0 minutes per game across five contests. He’d been playing with the D-League affiliate of the Suns prior to joining the Jazz, and he was with the Bucks during the preseason. The younger brother of former Jazz forward Paul Millsap spoke with Zach Links of Hoops Rumors in September as he embarked on his quest to make an NBA roster.
The signing brings Utah’s roster back to 15 players. Fellow Jazz 10-day signee Elliot Williams is under his contract until the end of Friday.
And-Ones: Draft, Martin, Jazz, Nets, Europe
Jahlil Okafor‘s Duke team is faltering, but the center’s grip on the top spot in the 2015 draft isn’t any looser, as he tops the latest Big Board from Chris Mannix of SI.com and the updated top 100 prospect list from Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. Ohio State combo guard D’Angelo Russell is up to No. 4 on Givony’s list, while Mannix has him at No. 8, still a leap from his No. 11 position in Mannix’s last rankings. Russell’s also in the top 10 in the latest Hoops Rumors Draft Prospect Power Rankings. Here’s more from around the NBA:
- Kenyon Martin went unsigned this season before he joined the Bucks on a 10-day contract last week, but he admits that his recovery from ankle surgery wouldn’t have allowed him to be ready for training camp this past fall, Newsday’s Al Iannazzone tweets.
- Jazz draft-and-stash prospect Ante Tomic still has aspirations of making the NBA, as he tells David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter links). FC Barcelona Regal, his Spanish team, holds a team option for next season and “anything is possible,” Tomic said. The 27-year-old center was the 44th overall pick in the 2008 draft.
- Possible bidders for the Nets include former Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, investor David Bonderman and hedge fund manager David Einhorn, as Josh Kosman and Tim Bontemps of the New York Post hear, though it’s unclear if any of them are indeed poised to bid. Entertainment mogul David Geffen has been interested in the team in the past, an insider told Robert Windrem of Nets Daily.
- Commissioner Adam Silver envisions four teams in Europe some day, but he admits the league has a long way to go to get there, notes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News, who adds that the NBA seems to keep pushing the idea farther into the future.
- Magic coach Jacque Vaughn‘s job security appears to be in doubt, but Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel believes GM Rob Hennigan should be feeling the heat, too.
- Quincy Miller, whom the Clippers nearly signed a 10-day contract, Spurs camp cut JaMychal Green and one-year NBA veteran Seth Curry are among the potential NBA signees to watch at the D-League showcase, which begins today. Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports look at those three and others who’ll be angling for NBA jobs.
Northwest Notes: Waiters, Nurkic, Millsap
New addition Dion Waiters will be the NBA’s latest reclamation project, writes Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. The Thunder believe Waiters can help them overcome their early season deficit because his mentality is aligned with the team’s. “I’m excited about bringing Dion aboard,” teammate Kevin Durant said. “A guy that has a lot of toughness. Being from the East Coast, I know a lot about Philadelphia, South Philly, where he comes from. Those guys are tough and they play with an edge. And that’s what we need here.” Oklahoma City is 1-1 since Waiters joined the team and he is shooting 34.8% from the field in his first two games.
Here’s a look at the rest of the Northwest Division:
- One of the beneficiaries of the Timofey Mozgov trade will be the new starting center for the Nuggets, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Jusuf Nurkic‘s teammates are optimistic that the rookie can thrive in his new role. “He’s going to have to learn,” said guard Arron Afflalo. “It’s tough getting thrown in there under these circumstances. Sometimes when you become a starter in the NBA, it’s kind of earned over time or there’s a transition period within a summer or something. But to have a trade go down and suddenly you’re starting, it may be a lot for him, but he’s a maturing kid at this moment. He’s got a lot of tools and hopefully he takes advantage of this opportunity.”
- Elijah Millsap, the newest member of the Jazz, is making a name for himself in Utah, writes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. The younger brother of veteran Paul Millsap has played 71 minutes in three games and has shot the ball well from behind the arc since arriving in Utah on a 10-day contract. With his impressive play, another deal from the Jazz could be on the horizon for the 27-year-old rookie, but that is simply my speculation.
- The Wolves are struggling this season and mental errors plague the young team, writes Andy Greder of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Minnesota has lost 15 games in a row and currently resides in second place of our reverse standings with a record of 5-31.
- LaMarcus Aldridge needs to be mentioned more often when discussing the best big men in the league, opines Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Turner argues that other players such as Blake Griffin, Anthony Davis and Kevin Love get unfairly mentioned ahead of Aldridge when the discussion of the best power forward in the league comes up. Griffin has never advanced farther in the playoffs than Aldridge has, while Davis and Love have yet to make the postseason. The Blazers currently sit atop the Northwest Division with a record of 29-8.
Western Notes: Brooks, Clippers, Waiters
Though he’s unlikely to be fired mid-season, Thunder coach Scott Brooks‘ job is definitely on the line this year, Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman writes. Tramel cites the Thunder’s disappointing record, and how the team has regressed even after getting Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook back from injuries, as major reasons why Brooks’ days in OKC could be numbered.
Here’s the latest out of the Western Conference:
- Toure’ Murry, who was waived by the Jazz earlier this month, was acquired by the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA D-League, the team announced. Rio Grande Valley is the D-League affiliate of the Rockets.
- The Warriors were one of the Wolves‘ most aggressive suitors for Kevin Love prior to him being dealt to Cleveland, but Love still isn’t sure how close he was to heading to Oakland, Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle writes. “I know that they were a team that was in talks,” Love said. “But that’s really as far as it got.” Love definitely appreciates just how talented a squad Golden State has, Simmons adds. “They’re a great team,” Love said. “They’re a fun team to watch. They get up and down the floor. They shoot the three ball really well. They have a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things.”
- Dion Waiters said that he learned that he had been traded to the Thunder after the starting lineup had been announced and the Cavs’ game against the Sixers was just about to begin, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports notes (Twitter link). Waiters still wanted to play in the game, but wasn’t permitted to for obvious reasons, Spears adds.
- In light of president of basketball operations Neil Olshey‘s brand new contract extension, Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders looks at the success that Olshey has had during his tenure with the Blazers.
- The Clippers sent $300K to the Sixers as part of the Jared Cunningham deal, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link).
- Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger isn’t happy that trade talks have leaked to the media, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal tweets. “It’s a major distraction,” Joerger said. “Things like that should be kept behind closed doors. It ticks me off.“
And-Ones: Cooley, Ford, Upshaw
ESPN.com draft guru Chad Ford (Insider subscription required) opines that two tiers of talent appear to be forming in the lottery portion of the upcoming NBA draft. The upper tier includes Jahlil Okafor, Emmanuel Mudiay, Karl-Anthony Towns and Kristaps Porzingis, all of whom are currently projected as top five selections, Ford notes. The second tier consists of Kevon Looney, Justise Winslow, Willie Cauley-Stein, Myles Turner, Kelly Oubre, Mario Hezonja, Stanley Johnson and D’Angelo Russell, and they will make up the likely No. 5 to No. 12 overall selections, Ford adds.
Here’s more from around the league and the college ranks:
- Ford has also released his most recent “Big Board,” which has Oubre cracking the top 10, and has Jerian Grant of Notre Dame making a big leap from No. 27 to No. 19.
- A league source told Gino Pilato of D-League Digest (Twiitter link) that there is a lot of NBA interest in Jack Cooley, and there is a strong possibility that he could be inked to a 10-day contract shortly. Cooley currently plays for the Idaho Stampede, the Jazz‘s D-League affiliate.
- Former Pistons assistant GM George David was hired as director of basketball operations for Wasserman Media Group, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reports (Twitter link).
- One college player starting to catch the eye of NBA scouts is Washington’s Robert Upshaw, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes. “I would agree that he was a sleeper to start this season, maybe,” one league scout told Deveney. “He is not a sleeper anymore.” The 7’0″ center is averaging 11.1 points and 7.8 rebounds so far this season, and he is drawing interest as a potential first-rounder, Deveney notes.
- The Warriors have assigned Ognjen Kuzmic to their D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz, the team announced in a press release. This will be Kuzmic’s fourth trek of the season to the D-League.
Lakers, Jazz Interested In Mindaugas Kuzminskas
Multiple NBA teams, including the Lakers and the Jazz, have expressed interest in Lithuanian small forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas, David Pick of Basketball Insiders reports. Kuzminskas, 25, wasn’t selected in the 2011 NBA draft, but has caught the attention of NBA scouts this season with his play for Unicaja Malaga of the Spanish League, Pick notes. The 6’9″ swingman is set to become a restricted free agent next summer, but according to Kuzminskas’ agent, Tadas Bulotas, the Spanish club may decide against re-signing the player, Pick adds.
“Kuzminskas has been very productive this season and there is NBA interest for sure. Teams have spoken with Malaga, but nothing is imminent at the moment,” Bulotas told Pick. “Kuzminskas could leave Malaga, but there is a heavy NBA buyout and [an] even higher Euroleague buyout. If Malaga [does] well in the ACB and the Euroleague, it might be worth it for the club to lower the buyout and sell Mindaugas. Otherwise, Kuzminskas could leave after next season [2015/16] for free.”
The Lithuanian is open to testing the NBA waters in this year’s Summer League showcase in Las Vegas, Pick notes. Bulotas confirmed this, saying: “We’re thinking about sending him, the Summer League came up in discussions.” Kuzminskas, who also spoke to Pick, said, “I’d like to get a chance to move to the NBA. I feel like I matched up against Team USA pretty well. USA have a lot of talent and great players, but they’re humans, not robots. I’m not thinking too much about the NBA because I have a contract with Malaga for next season. I’m trying to help the team win in the Euroleague Top 16, and to be consistent and improve in order to think about what is next.”
Kuzminskas is currently averaging 10.2 points and 3.9 rebounds in 21.6 minutes per game in the Euroleague, and 9.6 PPG and 4.1 RPG per contest while shooting over 38% from beyond the arc in Spanish League competition.
Jazz Sign Elliot Williams To 10-Day Contract
WEDNESDAY, 11:29am: The deal is official, the team announced.
TUESDAY, 11:51am: The Jazz are expected to sign Elliot Williams to a 10-day contract soon, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The 25-year-old combo guard is in Salt Lake City to take a physical, Spears adds. The Jazz have 15 players, including Elijah Millsap, who signed a 10-day deal Monday, so the team would need to make a corresponding move if it wants to bring Williams aboard before Millsap’s 10 days are up.
Williams, the 22nd overall pick in 2010, would help shore up a Utah backcourt that’s suffering from the absences of Alec Burks, who’s done for the year, and Patrick Christopher and Rodney Hood, who are out indefinitely. The Sixers let go of Williams just before opening night, but a few days later he became the No. 2 overall pick in the D-League draft. The 25-year-old Thad Foucher client has justified that selection, running up 21.3 points, 7.7 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 37.2 minutes per game for the affiliate of the Warriors in 16 appearances this season.
Christopher and Joe Ingles are the only members of the Jazz on non-guaranteed contracts, and Wednesday is the last day the team can waive them without guaranteeing their salaries for the season. The Jazz have planned to clear multiple roster spots, as Jody Genessy of the Deseret News hears (Twitter links). Utah can let go of Millsap anytime, though the team is responsible for a full 10 days’ worth of salary to him regardless of when the Jazz would cut ties.