2015 September | Hoops Rumors

Nets Sign Chris Daniels

September 23rd, 2015 at 10:08am CST by Chuck Myron

The Nets have signed 31-year-old center Chris Daniels, the team announced via press release. Daniels is poised to head to an NBA training camp for the second time in his seven-year NBA career, having done so with the Lakers in 2011, but he’s yet to play in an NBA regular season game. The Nets have signed contracts or verbal agreements with 20 players already, as our roster count shows, but one of them is the injured Yanick Moreira, who has yet to sign a contract, so it would appear that Daniels is replacing him.

Daniels spent this past season playing in China with the Guangdong Southern Tigers, who also featured Emmanuel Mudiay, Will Bynum, Jeff Adrien and Yi Jianlian. The 7’0″ Daniels put up 12.6 points and 7.7 rebounds in 25.6 minutes per game. He’s made multiple appearances in NBA summer league play over the years since going undrafted out of Texas A&M Corpus Christi in 2008, the last of which came with the summer Raptors in 2014.

Brooklyn figures to have an intriguing camp, with only 12 players signed to fully guaranteed contracts and five others on partially guaranteed deals. Two others, Dahntay Jones and Justin Harper, are without any guaranteed money. It’s not immediately clear if Daniels will have a guarantee on his salary.

Atlantic Notes: Nets, Zeller, McCullough, Atkins

September 23rd, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Nets GM Billy King said Tuesday that he’s comfortable with Jarrett Jack as the starting point guard, though he admitted he’s unsure if the team is better off without Deron Williams, whom the team waived in a buyout deal. Andy Vasquez of The Record has that and other details from King’s session with reporters Tuesday.

“It’s going to depend on how quickly it jells,” King said. “But I think with the core of guys, proven scorers, proven guys that can win, we have a chance to make the playoffs. And the goal for us going into this is just to try to get better.”

King also made it clear that the team won’t try to improve its record simply to try to keep from forking over draft picks that are too high, as Vasquez also notes. Brooklyn, which owes the Celtics unprotected first-round picks in 2016 and 2018, will rebuild at its own pace, King said. See more on the Nets and Celtics and other Atlantic Division news:

Tyler Zeller confirmed he and the Celtics have engaged in extension talks, as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com details, but while the center acknowledged that he’d like to reach a deal before the November 2nd deadline, he doesn’t sound like he’s especially anxious for one. “It would be nice to have an extension, just a little more security,” Zeller said. “But at the same time, you have to approach the year and you can’t be heartbroken if you don’t get it. You have to make sure you’re fully prepared. Either way, I have to do my job this year. I have one more year on my contract. So I have to go out and do as much as I can to help our team this year.” Chris Crouse of Hoops Rumors examined Zeller’s extension candidacy earlier this month.
Nets first-round pick Chris McCullough seemed to make progress over the summer toward his target of a November return for full-contact practice, but he said Tuesday that he’s “nowhere near ready,” observes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. This year’s No. 29 overall pick is unlikely to make his debut until the second half of the season, according to Bontemps. “We’ll give a timetable on exactly where we think he’ll be after [the first] preseason game,” King said. “We’ll sit down with him and his agent and everybody and really just walk through it. I have an idea in my mind of what we want to do with him, but I want to sit down with him and with his agent and explain it.”
The deal between the Knicks and Darion Atkins is partially guaranteed for $75K, a source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post. The team’s interest in the undrafted power forward from Virginia was late-developing, as the Knicks weren’t one of 16 teams to work him out prior to the draft and only turned to him when fellow undrafted rookie Maurice Ndour spurned them for the Mavs, Berman writes.

Pelicans Sign Corey Webster For Training Camp

September 23rd, 2015 at 8:03am CST by Arthur Hill

SEPTEMBER 23RD,: 8:03am: Webster has put pen to paper, as he revealed via Twitter and in an interview with stuff.co.nz. The Pelicans have yet to make a formal announcement.

SEPTEMBER 13TH, 8:59am: The Pelicans will sign New Zealand star Corey Webster for training camp, according to Marc Hinton of stuff.co.nz. Several NBA teams had expressed interest in Webster, who recently held a workout for New Orleans. He will receive a a three-year, non-guaranteed contract.

At 6’2″, Webster will be seeking a backcourt spot with the Pelicans, who have just 13 guaranteed contracts. His competition will include guards Bryce Dejean-Jones and Sean Kilpatrick, who both inked partially guaranteed deals this summer. Restricted free agent Norris Cole remains unsigned with barely two weeks remaining until training camp.

Webster, 26, attended college in the United States at the former Lambuth University in Tennessee, but has played his entire professional career overseas. He will continue to work out with the Pelicans staff until camp opens September 29th.

“I am not there yet but this is another positive step towards my dream of playing in the NBA,” Webster said. “The past week has gone well and the coaches have been impressed enough by the workouts to want me to stay for the training camp. It is again up to me now to prove my value to the organisation, to put my head down and give it my best shot at training camp. I came here this week with a three-day window to impress, this has bought me more time and a chance to take the jump into the actual NBA roster.”

Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 9/22/15

September 22nd, 2015 at 11:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Forward Harrison Barnes has reportedly turned down a four-year, $64MM contract extension proposal from the Warriors this offseason. It’s unclear just how rich a contract the 23-year-old and his new agent, Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management, are seeking, though it’s highly likely they will attempt to secure an average annual value as close to the maximum as they possibly can. The offer of $16MM per year annually had been negotiated by Barnes’ former agent, Jeff Wechsler, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. After that initial offer, Wechsler countered with a figure north of $16MM annually before he and Barnes parted ways, league sources informed Wojnarowski.

The Warriors obviously wish to retain Barnes, judging by their offer. GM Bob Myers had previously gone on record about the team’s desire to keep Barnes, as well as big man Festus Ezeli, who is also eligible to sign an extension prior to the November 2nd cutoff date. “We love them and we’re going to try to keep them as long as we can,” Myers said of Barnes and Ezeli. “Thankfully, like with Draymond Green, they would be restricted free agents [next summer]. But hopefully we can figure something out like we have with a lot of our players. They’re a key part of what we do. Without them, we don’t win a championship.”

This brings me to today’s topic: Should the Warriors ink Harrison Barnes to an extension? If so, what average salary would be commensurate with his production and potential?

Grantland’s Zach Lowe has estimated that Barnes would end up with a deal between the four years and $58MM that DeMarre Carroll secured from the Raptors this offseason and the projected $20.4MM max for players with Barnes’ level of experience. Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group has suggested salaries of $14MM-$16MM a year, while Hoops Rumors’ Chuck Myron reasoned that salaries of $16-18MM would make sense for both sides when he looked in-depth at the extension candidacy of the former seventh overall pick.

Which of these estimates do you think make the most sense for both sides? If you don’t agree with any of the above assessments, then please share the average annual value that you would be willing to fork over to Barnes. Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to what you have to say.

Southwest Notes: Cuban, Vaughn, Pelicans

September 22nd, 2015 at 10:20pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Clippers coach and executive Doc Rivers had been critical of some comments reportedly made by Mavs team owner Mark Cuban in the wake of DeAndre Jordan changing his mind about signing with Dallas in order to return to Los Angeles this offseason. In an interview on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” Cuban fired back at Rivers (h/t Dallas Morning News), saying, “First of all [Rivers] obviously didn’t actually hear or see what I said. Because I didn’t say a whole lot. I think I said — I responded to DJ’s Twitter apology, and that’s pretty much it. I haven’t said a whole lot about it at all, so I don’t know where he’s getting what he’s got. But I think the most interesting thing is, it shows you what someone will do when their entire future is vanishing in front of them. And that’s exactly what Doc did and I give him credit for it. His professional life was over if he didn’t get DJ. And so his back was against the wall and he did what he needed to do. More power to him. Sometimes the deals you don’t do are the best ones, so we’ll see. But Doc obviously hadn’t heard what I had said because I really didn’t say anything.”

Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

The Mavericks will begin training camp without three key contributors being fully cleared for basketball activities, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com relays. Swingman Wesley Matthews, small forward Chandler Parsons and center JaVale McGee are all expected to gradually work themselves back into full participation in practices as they continue to recover from major injuries, MacMahon notes.
The Spurs announced today that former Magic head coach Jacque Vaughn has been hired by the team as a pro scout. The news that San Antonio was to hire Vaughn was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
Pelicans GM Dell Demps says that the blueprint of assembling an up-tempo team with ample depth that he envisioned three years ago is finally coming to pass, writes John Reid of The Times Picayune. ”We set out a plan three years ago to be exactly where we are right now,” Demps said. ”This is a big year for us. We’re really looking for this group jelling and taking that next step. I think we have over 20 games on national television, which is a great sign that people have expectations on us. We look forward to it and embrace the opportunity. We can’t wait, we’re really excited. I think it’s really going to be exciting for the fans to watch. I think it’s going to be great for the players.”

Poll: 2015/16 Team Power Rankings (No. 27)

September 22nd, 2015 at 9:05pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The start of NBA training camps is less than two weeks away, and teams are in the process of finalizing their preseason rosters. Every new season brings with it the hope for each franchise that it will conclude with the hoisting of the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. But for the more jaded fans — or practical, depending on your outlook — not every team has a realistic shot at making the playoffs, much less at being the last team standing when all is said and done and the playoffs have concluded.

We at Hoops Rumors want to know what you, the reader, think about each team’s chances this coming campaign. To help facilitate that, we’ll be posting a series of polls asking you to vote on where in the standings each franchise is likely to end the season. So please cast your vote below for the franchise you expect to end the season with the fourth worst overall record, or at No. 27 overall. But don’t end your involvement with the simple click of a button. Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on why you voted the way that you did. We look forward to what you have to say.

Previous Selections:

No. 30: 76ers
No. 29: Knicks
No. 28: Nuggets

If you’re a Trade Rumors app user, click here.

Eastern Notes: LeBron, Parker, Nets

September 22nd, 2015 at 7:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

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.

Top Bloggers: Seth Rosenthal On The Knicks

September 22nd, 2015 at 5:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Anyone can have a blog about an NBA team, but some set themselves apart from the rest with the dedication and valuable insight they bring to their craft. We’ll be sharing some knowledge from these dialed-in writers on Hoops Rumors in a new feature called Top Bloggers. As with The Beat, our ongoing series of interviews with NBA beat writers, it’s part of an effort to bring Hoops Rumors readers ever closer to the pulse of the teams they follow.

Next up is Seth Rosenthal of SB Nation’s Posting & Toasting, where Seth is both the founder as well as the editor-in-chief. You can follow Seth on Twitter at @seth_rosenthal and click here to check out his stories. You can also follow Posting & Toasting at @ptknicksblog.

Hoops Rumors: Do you think that the Knicks will seriously entertain the notion of trading Carmelo Anthony? If so, what factor(s) would push the franchise in that direction? What teams do you think ‘Melo would be willing to waive his no trade clause for to allow a deal to get done?

Seth Rosenthal: I don’t think they will, but if they do, it will be because ‘Melo demanded a trade. That possibility shouldn’t even come up otherwise. It has to be his idea. Based on previous interest, I figure he’d like L.A. or Chicago.

Hoops Rumors: The specter of Isiah Thomas still looms large within the Knicks organization, and apparently will for as long as James Dolan owns the team. How real a scenario is it that Thomas would rejoin the Knicks front office? What sort of backlash would you expect from the fanbase if Thomas were indeed to make his return?

Seth Rosenthal: I don’t think Isiah will join the Knicks in any real, official capacity (“advisor” again? Maybe.), at least while Phil Jackson is president. If he did, I think that’d be the last straw for a lot of Knicks fans.

Hoops Rumors: Team president Phil Jackson didn’t land a top-tier free agent this offseason, but he did make some intriguing additions to the roster. Which free agent addition do you feel was the strongest, and why? On the flip side, which offseason addition is most likely to disappoint? Why?

Seth Rosenthal: I think Robin Lopez is going to make things easier for everyone. On offense, he’s fantastic at setting screens, making basic passes, and cleaning up around the rim — just opening space for the four other players. On defense, he holds his own and works well as part of a unit. I think he’ll fit wonderfully and earn that big contract the Knicks gave him as long as he stays healthy.

Since I think any reasonable person expects Derrick Williams to play pretty poorly, I reckon the signing most likely to disappoint is Arron Afflalo. He’s had a weirdly up-and-down career and doesn’t move like he used to, so it’s entirely possible his shot betrays him and he’s a possession-swallower on offense while offering nothing on the other end.

Hoops Rumors: The draft day trade of Tim Hardaway Jr. to Atlanta reportedly upset Carmelo Anthony, who was a fan of the young swingman. I happen to love this trade, and believe that Hardaway needed a change of scenery to continue to develop as a player. Plus, I really like the addition of Jerian Grant, who fits a clear need for the team. What are your thoughts on the trade, and do you think that Jackson gave up on Hardaway too quickly?

Seth Rosenthal: Yes, that’s a fantastic trade. Grant may or may not be an NBA player, but dealing one of the least efficient rotation players in the league — a guy whose production degraded with each opportunity — for a first-round pick of any kind is a coup. Maybe Hardaway just wasn’t happy or comfortable, but I had no faith in his ability to improve in New York.

Hoops Rumors: The Knicks had a top-five pick for the first time since 1986, when the team drafted Kenny Walker. The selection of Kristaps Porzingis at No. 4 overall this year was widely debated, mainly because of the time it will likely take for him to develop. What are your thoughts on the pick, and what kind of production do you expect from the young Latvian this season?

Seth Rosenthal: Kristaps wouldn’t have been my pick, but the fact that the Knicks took what some perceived to be a gamble and didn’t just invest their pick in the oldest, most established, “readiest” prospect tells me there will actually be some balance to their team-building approach. It was a good sign that Phil Jackson isn’t focusing exclusively on wins during Carmelo Anthony’s contract — he appears to be weighing short-term and long-term equally so there can be a team around ‘Melo *and* a team once he leaves someday.

As for Kristaps himself, I’ve been really pleasantly surprised by the little I’ve seen of him. He moved so well in Summer League and particularly impressed with his defensive timing and footwork. I don’t think he’s going to be a consistently positive player in his rookie year, but I believe he’s ready for minutes, and I think there’s some chance he becomes a star. Definitely seems like he has the temperament to become one — it’ll just be a product of how seriously he and the Knicks take his development.

Hoops Rumors: And finally … it’s time to get your 2015/16 season prediction for the Knicks. What do you think the team’s overall record will be, and if you think the playoffs are in the cards, what seed will they earn?

Seth Rosenthal: I see them at somewhere between liiiiike 33 and 38 wins? And I figure they’ll be on the edge of the playoff race, maybe just narrowly missing it in the 9th or 10th seed. Which is fine.

Knicks Sign DaJuan Summers

September 22nd, 2015 at 4:32pm CST by Zachary Links

TUESDAY, 4:32pm: The signing official, the Knicks have announced.

MONDAY, 9:44am: The Knicks have agreed to sign DaJuan Summers, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Summers’ agent, Brian Elfus of Impact, has confirmed the deal.

Summers, 27, last appeared in the NBA in 2012/13 when he saw a handful of minutes across two games for the Clippers. Prior to that, Summers spent two seasons with the Pistons and also had a stint with New Orleans in 2011/12. For his NBA career, Summers has averaged 3.3 PPG and 1.0 RPG in 9.9 minutes per game.

While he has yet to make a real impact at the NBA level, Summers played well in 29 games for the D-League’s Maine Red Claws in 2012/13, averaging 18.0 PPG and 7.6 RPG in 33.1 minutes per contest. He has also performed well overseas with stints in Italy, Ukraine, and Spain. Summers auditioned for the rival Nets back in June, but it turns out that he’ll be signing with New York City’s other club.

Knicks Sign Travis Trice For Camp

September 22nd, 2015 at 4:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

SEPTEMBER 22ND, 4:30pm: The signing is official, the team has announced.

SEPTEMBER 10TH, 12:12pm: The Knicks have agreed to sign undrafted Michigan State point guard Travis Trice to a one-year, partially guaranteed contract, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Trice was with the Heat during summer league, but he’ll be with New York this fall, joining four others who have partially guaranteed deals with the Knicks, plus 13 players with full guarantees, as our Knicks roster page shows.

Trice was a largely unheralded draft prospect, falling outside of ESPN’s rankings, but he showed a knack for outside shooting with the Spartans, nailing 39.5% of his three-point attempts in his four years of college ball. The 6’0″ 22-year-old brought that stroke with him to the summer league, canning five of 14 total attempts. This past season was his only year as a full-time starter at Michigan State, and he averaged 15.3 points, 5.1 assists and 1.8 turnovers in 33.6 minutes per game. However, his 36.9% three-point shooting was the worst mark of his college career.

The Knicks will probably keep Langston Galloway on his partially guaranteed contract, and Thanasis Antetokounmpo, in whom New York invested the 51st overall pick in 2014, would appear to have the inside track on the 15th regular season roster spot despite his lack of a full guarantee. So, Trice faces long odds to stick around for opening night. The Knicks can claim the D-League rights to as many as four of the players they cut at the end of the preseason, so Trice appears to have a better shot of remaining with the organization that way.

Do you think Trice is capable of making a regular season contribution for an NBA team? Leave a comment to let us know.

Month: November 2024