Southeast Notes: Pierce, Hawks, Gasol, Heat
The two best teams in the Southeast Division also occupy the top of the top three spots in the Eastern Conference standings. We’ve got news on both of them below, along with a piece on a struggling Miami club that had lost seven of its last 10 before today’s big win in L.A..
- One of the biggest benefits that Paul Pierce has provided to the Wizards since signing last summer is his strong leadership in the locker room, as team president Ernie Grunfeld tells Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. Although Pierce has played well this season, the 17-year veteran says he’s going to discuss with his family whether or not he’ll continue playing beyond 2014/15, Bulpett notes.
- Part of the reason that many notable free agents aren’t interested in joining the Hawks is the team’s history of less-than-stellar attendance, as one agent relays to Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com. “All things being equal, it’s not a place you choose to play unless there’s a good reason,” said the unnamed agent. “They just don’t rate.” Atlanta offered Pau Gasol more money than Chicago did last summer, according to Arnovitz, but the big man still opted to sign with the Bulls.
- Despite inconsistency at the point guard position this season, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel compels Heat executives not to pull the trigger on a quick fix. Taking back salary that inhibits long-term flexibility won’t stand to help the team’s ultimate goal of winning another championship, Winderman believes, even if it helps Miami win a few more games in the interim.
Eastern Notes: Wroten, Taylor, Butler
CSNPhilly.com’s John Gonzalez took an in-depth look at the potential trade value of Tony Wroten, who was rumored to be the subject of trade discussions between the Clippers and the Sixers earlier this week. A pair of league executives told Gonzalez that Wroten could possibly net GM Sam Hinkie two second-rounders, and another said that it would be difficult to get fair value for Wroten, so it would be wiser to hang on to the guard. Philadelphia currently owns a whopping 15 second round draft picks between now and 2020.
Here’s more from the East:
- The Hornets have recalled Jeffery Taylor from the Austin Spurs of the NBA D-League, the team has announced. In four games with the Spurs he averaged 11.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 26.2 minutes per contest. This was Taylor’s initial jaunt of the season to the D-League.
- Rasual Butler had the remainder of his contract guaranteed for the season when he remained on the Wizards’ roster past Wednesday’s deadline. The veteran swingman’s play has made him an integral part of Washington’s rotation, and Butler also has a fan in Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post writes. Thibodeau, who briefly coached Butler in Chicago, said of his former player, “I think it’s the perfect fit for him and he’s a great pro. He’s a guy who plays year-round and stays in great shape. And I think when you look at what John Wall does and you look at what Andre Miller does, he’s the perfect fit because he creates space and his career says how well he can shoot the three. But to be doing it at this stage of his career is a real credit to him. But we always felt strongly about his professionalism, his attitude, how much he loved he game. And the shooting part, that’s never going to go away.”
- Despite all of the Knicks‘ struggles this season, first year coach Derek Fisher‘s confidence hasn’t wavered, and he believes this turbulent campaign will help him become a better coach, Al Iannazzone of Newsday writes.
Michael’s Latest: Wright, Nelson, Green
The Wizards opened a roster spot when they waived Glen Rice Jr. this week, and the team is looking at several avenues to fill it, as J. Michael of CSNWashington.com reports. The Celtics figure prominently, as we note amid the revelations from Michael’s piece:
- Celtics president of basketball ops Danny Ainge has told Brandan Wright he’s on the block, though it’s unlikely that Wright ends up in Washington, in part because of the high demand for him, Michael writes. Michael doesn’t specify whether the Wizards are pursuing him. Wright went to Boston in the Rajon Rondo trade.
- The player most likely to end up in Washington’s open roster spot is Jameer Nelson, another one of Boston’s acquisitions in that Rondo deal, according to Michael, who says the point guard is expected to negotiate a buyout. The Wizards will be in “hot pursuit,” Michael writes. Nelson is making $2.732MM this season and has a player option worth nearly $2.855MM for next season, and he’s upset about his playing time, even though he insists that he and Celtics coach Brad Stevens are on the same page. Nelson will once more remain on the Inactive List for tonight’s game, tweets Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
- The Wizards have maintained “routine” contact with Ray Allen since first reaching out to him in July, sources tell Michael. The Wizards plan to keep chasing him until he retires or gives a definitive “no,” according to Michael. Still, the notion that Allen ends up in Washington sounds like a long shot, Michael writes.
- Celtics forward Jeff Green is expected to turn down his $9.2MM player option for next season, according to Michael, and the Wizards would be interested in signing him if Paul Pierce also opts out, Michael adds.
- The Wizards have been keeping a close eye on D-Leaguers Khem Birch and Damion James, Michael reports. Birch declined an invitation to Wizards training camp invite to instead head to the Heat‘s camp, according to Michael, and the power forward is now with Miami’s D-League affiliate. James was with the Wizards in camp and currently plays for the affiliate of the Mavs.
Southeast Notes: Hawks, Dawkins, Rice, Silas
The Hawks are the only Eastern Conference team with fewer than 10 losses, and tonight they’ll host the Grizzlies, one of three Western Conference clubs with that distinction. Atlanta’s unexpected surge to the top of the East comes against the backdrop of the sale of the team, and with several new would-be owners surfacing, there’s yet more news on the state of the franchise amid the latest from around the Southeast Division:
- NBA spokesman Mike Bass made it clear today that the Hawks will stay put even as the club is up for sale, as Bass told Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). “The Atlanta Hawks are not moving to another market,” Bass said. A pair of investors reportedly want to buy the team and move it to Seattle.
- The Heat have expressed interest in re-signing Andre Dawkins to a 10-day contract “down the road,” agent John Spencer told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, who writes in his daily notes column. The Heat waived Dawkins on Tuesday.
- Glen Rice Jr. had trouble accepting criticism from coaches, but other Wizards players didn’t think he was a poor teammate, according to J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. Michael wrote this past weekend that Rice’s attitude was an issue that contributed to the team’s decision to cut ties.
- Wizards camp invitee Xavier Silas has signed with Greece’s Nea Kifisia, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Silas averaged 10.3 points in 19.3 minutes per game for Washington during the preseason before the team waived him prior to opening night.
Wizards Waive Glen Rice Jr.
WEDNESDAY, 3:10pm: Rice has officially been waived, the team has announced.
MONDAY, 12:27pm: The team has released Rice, according to Michael (Twitter link). There’s been no formal announcement from the Wizards, but they’re set to make one shortly, Michael adds.
SUNDAY, 11:01am: The Wizards are likely to cut second-year guard Glen Rice Jr. before Wednesday’s deadline to waive players with non-guaranteed salary, lest that salary become guaranteed for the season, reports J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. The team had been trying to find a trading partner, but a 48-hour window in which a deal might have been reached has passed, according to Michael.
Rice has been stuck in the D-League since November 20th, partly because of the play of 35-year-old veteran Rasual Butler, who was the last player to make the Wizards’ roster out of training camp. Butler will be retained by the team, Michael reports, and his minimum-salary contract, which was initially non-guaranteed, will be made fully guaranteed. Rice’s minimum-salary deal is only partially guaranteed for $400K this season.
Rice was a second round pick by the Sixers in 2013 and was shipped to Washington in a draft night trade. He appeared in just five games with the Wizards this season, averaging just 2.2 points in 8.5 minutes of play. He was named MVP of the Las Vegas Summer League in 2014 and put up huge numbers in the D-League, but inconsistent shooting at the NBA level combined with a poor attitude to doom his stay in Washington, Michael reports.
Southeast Notes: Wade, Magic, Hawks, Porter
The Heat are focused on landing a big-name free agent in 2016 when the team will have up to $50MM in cap space, but Dwyane Wade told Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald he isn’t fully on board with that strategy. “Nobody knows what’s going to happen in 2016; 2016, to me, is so far away and I hope people aren’t waiting on it thinking we’re going to land this quote, unquote Big Fish because it might not happen for you,” Wade said. “No one knows if [team president Pat] Riley is going to wait until 2016. It’s all speculation.” Wade, who will become a free agent in 2016, took an $11MM pay cut last summer to create cap room, signing a deal worth $31MM for this season and next.
There’s other news from the Southeast Division:
- The Magic can solve a lot of their problems by making Nikola Vucevic the focus of their offense, opines Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Schmitz offers several suggestions for the struggling franchise, but the main one involves getting more shots for Vucevic, who agreed to a four-year, $53MM extension with the team last October.
- Former Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer has used San Antonio’s blueprint to build a winner with the Hawks, observes Jim Cavan of Bleacher Report. Cavan notes that Budenholzer has brought unselfishness and efficiency to a franchise long known for its isolation philosophy. He also credits the front office for getting the right players into the right roles. “I think that we have a system established here and we have a group of guys that understand the concept of teamwork and doing things as a team,” Al Horford said. “When you have a group of guys like that, it makes everything easier.”
- After two games out of the rotation, Wizards forward Otto Porter returned to his regular role in Saturday’s loss to the Spurs, reports Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. Porter briefly lost time to Martell Webster, who returned to action recently after missing the season’s first 30 games rehabbing from back surgery. “I think Martell had a couple opportunities and he didn’t do well,” said John Wall, “and Otto came in and stayed ready. You never know what night your name is going to be called and I think with this team our guys are ready.” Porter is still on his rookie contract and is under the Wizards’ control through 2016/17.
Southeast Notes: Durant, Marble, Wizards
There has been much speculation already about Kevin Durant returning home to play for the Wizards when he becomes a free agent in 2016. Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson, who is also a native of the Washington, D.C. area, said he spoke with Durant recently about the possibility of the Slim Reaper eventually donning a Wizards uniform, Ben Standig of CSNWashington.com reports. “I’ve talked to him about it, but I probably can’t tell you what he said,” Lawson said. “We talked about it. Everybody going home and playing for their respective cities. It would be cool, especially playing with the people you grew up with. I grew up with KD. It would be fun to play with them on one team.”
Here’s more out of the Southeast Division:
- Lawson can also become a free agent in 2016, but the Wizards appear to be set at the point for years to come with John Wall, Standig notes. As for his own thoughts on returning home to play, Lawson said, “Now, playing away, it’s cool. I haven’t really thought about coming home to play. Think about it more during free agency, but I haven’t really thought about it. But being away, makes you want to come back even more sometimes.“
- Devyn Marble said that he approached his recent D-League assignment with the Erie BayHawks as an opportunity to regain his timing and confidence, John Denton of NBA.com writes. Marble ultimately thinks that the two-game stint will better prepare him to get back into the Magic‘s rotation this season, Denton adds. “It felt good and I had a lot of fun. I was able to play a lot of minutes and get some time that I hadn’t been getting,’’ said Marble. “I always look at everything as an opportunity and look at the positives. So I didn’t have a bad attitude at all while I was there. I wanted the opportunity to play and to work on my game and I was able to do that.’’
- The Heat organization’s ability to develop young big men and turn them into useful rotation pieces has dried up in recent years, but Hassan Whiteside‘s progress this season offers some hope for the future, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes. “I’m very pleased and encouraged by how much he has grown in the last five weeks since he’s been with us,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It has been a specific, detailed plan. He’s embraced the work.”
And-Ones: Clippers, Smith, Blair
TNT’s David Aldridge had relayed on Monday that the Clippers‘ players weren’t getting along with each other, but Spencer Hawes disagrees with that report, Rowan Kavner of NBA.com writes. “Any team over the course of any season, there’s going to be stuff like that,” Hawes said. “But as far as I’m concerned, this team, off the court, on the court, gets along with each other as well as any that I’ve been a part of. I think there’s a lot of competitive guys, a lot of guys that just want to win. Sometimes you see that side of it, but you don’t see the everyday of how we get along with one another.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- The Rockets‘ newest addition, Josh Smith, is ecstatic to get the opportunity to play for coach Kevin McHale, Jenny Dial Creech of The Houston Chronicle writes. “Being able to play for a guy who is a Hall of Fame player, who was a dominant player at his position is great,” Smith said. “I love being able to get bits and pieces off of him. Always great for an NBA player’s game.”
- DeJuan Blair expected to see more playing time than the 4.6 minutes per game that he is currently receiving from the Wizards when he agreed to a sign-and-trade deal this summer, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post writes. “I don’t know what’s going on,” Blair said. “I don’t know. I just show up and wait for my name to be called.” Wizards coach Randy Wittman said that Blair is handling the situation as well as can be expected, Castillo notes. “He just needs to keep doing what he’s doing,” Wittman said. “He’s doing a good job. Stays ready. Practices hard. Understands, I think, the situation. That’s what you have to do. That’s what any player that doesn’t play — the opportunity’s going to come. It’s going to happen. We all know that. We’ve seen it throughout and when that opportunity comes be ready.”
- Carmelo Anthony said that he still remains in contact with former Knicks coach Mike Woodson, Al Iannazzone of Newsday writes. “It was a tough season [2013/14], it was a tough situation to be in at that point in time,” Anthony said. “I know how much work he put in as a coach and with all the guys with the team. I know how much he meant to a lot of guys on the team, especially me. So to see him go out the way he went out, for me as a person it was sad to see that.”
Southeast Notes: Wizards, Napier, D-League
One major factor contributing to the Wizards‘ success this season is their excellent team chemistry, Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle writes. Trevor Ariza was one of the team’s veteran leaders last season, but when he signed a free agent deal with the Rockets this past summer Washington acted quickly to replace that void by signing Paul Pierce, Creech notes. “You always have a contingency plan for that and that’s what we did,” coach Randy Wittman said. “Nothing ever really surprises you anymore in this league. It was a situation where we would have loved to have Trevor stay. We wanted to make sure we didn’t lose anything in that area with a guy like Trevor. We are trying to move on. We have Paul who has come in here and really moved into that spot.”
Here’s more out of the Southeast Division:
- The Hawks have assigned John Jenkins to the Idaho Stampede, the team announced in a press release. Jenkins is headed to Idaho as part of the flexible assignment rule since Atlanta is without a one-to-one partnership with a D-League team. In one previous stint in the D-League Jenkins appeared in five games, averaging 19.4 points and 3.8 rebounds in 23.8 minutes.
- Adreian Payne has been assigned to the Austin Spurs, the Hawks have announced. This will be Payne’s fourth trek to the D-League this season, and in 11 games Payne has logged 13.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 28.4 minutes per contest.
- The Heat have assigned Shabazz Napier to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. Napier has appeared in 25 games with the Heat this season, averaging 5.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 21.0 minutes while shooting 42.5 percent from the field. This will be Napier’s second sojourn of the season to the D-League.
Southeast Notes: Bazemore, Wizards, Hairston
The Hawks and Wizards are making it tough on more ballyhooed Eastern Conference teams like the Cavs and Bulls to play catch-up. Both Atlanta and Washington have won eight of their last 10 and are within two games of the Raptors for the top spot in the conference. Here’s the latest from around the Southeast:
- Kent Bazemore praised the job embattled GM Danny Ferry did constructing the team, as the Hawks shooting guard tells Raul Barrigon of HoopsHype. Ferry remains on indefinite leave of absence after making racially charged remarks this summer. “We don’t really know what was going on there,” Bazemore said. “He’s still watching over us from a distance. He still gets the bulk of the credit for turning around the Hawks organization. We kind of miss him. Coach [Mike] Budenholzer has done a great job filling in, and also [Hawks CEO] Mr. Steve Koonin. The sun is shining bright even on rainy days in the Hawks organization.”
- Trevor Ariza spurned the Wizards‘ efforts to re-sign him this past summer, but thanks to the addition of Paul Pierce, the surprising play of camp invitee Rasual Butler and improvement from Otto Porter, the Wizards need not have worried, writes Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post.
- P.J. Hairston‘s play in the D-League last season gives him an edge that other rookies lack, Hornets coach Steve Clifford said, as Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes amid a look at the team’s decision to send Noah Vonleh, this year’s No. 9 overall pick, on D-League assignment. Hairston, the No. 26 pick, spent much of last season in the D-League after the University of North Carolina cut him loose.
- The Hawks have recalled Mike Muscala from the D-League, the team announced. The big man posted 15 points and seven rebounds Sunday while on his one-day sojourn to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, which was his third D-League assignment of the season.