2015 September | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Mavs, Cole, Tskitishvili

September 15th, 2015 at 10:20pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The competition for who will be the starting center for the Mavericks is one of the most important preseason battles to watch, writes Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. The winner of the training camp battle may not be the player who is the most talented, according to coach Rick Carlisle, Sneed adds. “You know, ultimately, who’s better may not be the one that starts,” Carlisle has said in the past. “I mean, we’ve done things a little different way than some teams the last several years. … The thing that’s exciting is the possibility of having another roster full of capable players and guys that are good and guys that are experienced. And at this point in their careers, they’re aiming more towards winning and getting back into the conversation of getting a ring than just trying to get some stats and get their next deal.”

Dallas currently has Zaza Pachulia as the projected starter at the pivot, with JaVale McGee, Samuel Dalembert, and Salah Mejri also competing for a shot to make the team and the rotation. McGee would appear to be Pachulia’s stiffest competitor for the starting slot, though there are some concerns regarding McGee’s health.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry acknowledged that the team hopes to have restricted free agent Norris Cole back, but he referred any questions regarding the status of the contract negotiations between the player and team to GM Dell Demps, John Reid of The Times Picayune writes. ”I don’t know, I’ll leave that one to Dell to answer,” Gentry said when asked about Cole’s potential return. ”Obviously we would like to have him back on our team. He’s an important part of our team, but that’s something that will have to get answered on the [front office] side of it. But you know as a coach, I would like to have him back and I’m sure Dell wants him back also.” The Lakers also expressed interest in Cole this Summer, according to Reid.
Nikoloz Tskitishvili‘s one-year deal with the Clippers is a non-guaranteed Summer pact that includes limited injury protection, meaning it is an Exhibit 9 contract, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders relays (on Twitter).
Despite the bizarre and unnecessary trade that the team made with the Sixers, the Kings enter the 2015/16 season with a solid collection of talent, though Sacramento will likely fall just short of securing a playoff berth, Tim Bontemps of The New York Post (Facebook link) opines in his season preview for the franchise.

Poll: 2003 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 19)

September 15th, 2015 at 9:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. I’m willing to bet that every team executive has at least one pick that he would like a mulligan for. While life, and the NBA, doesn’t allow for such opportunities, we at Hoops Rumors decided it would be fun to give our readers a second take at picking players, complete with the benefit of hindsight.

We are in the process of taking you on a journey back to June of 2003, and revisiting a draft that saw the likes of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh available to potentially change the fortunes of a few struggling franchises. Wade was the first of that group to win an NBA championship, though James and Bosh would later join him in Miami and go on to win multiple titles together years later, while Melo is still seeking his first trip to the NBA Finals. Detroit, which owned the No. 2 overall pick that season, chose to go with Darko Milicic, who didn’t work out so well for the Pistons. Not all picks pan out, but that one is especially painful given the talent that the Pistons passed over to select the big man, who owns career averages of 6.0 points and 4.2 rebounds, and has been out of the NBA since making a single appearance for the Celtics back in 2012/13.

We continue our revisionist history with the Jazz, who used the No. 19 pick in 2003 to select Sasha Pavlovic. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Utah’s pick and check back Wednesday night for the results, as well as to cast your vote for who the Grizzlies will select with the No. 20 overall pick they had acquired from Boston. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the No. 19 overall pick and why you voted the way that you did.

Previous Picks

Cavaliers: LeBron James
Pistons: Dwyane Wade
Nuggets: Carmelo Anthony
Raptors: Chris Bosh
Heat: David West
Clippers: Kyle Korver
Bulls: Mo Williams
Bucks: Chris Kaman
Knicks: Boris Diaw
Wizards: Kirk Hinrich
Warriors: Jose Calderon
Thunder: Josh Howard
Celtics: Leandro Barbosa
Thunder: Kendrick Perkins
Magic: Nick Collison
Grizzlies: Zaza Pachulia
Suns: Darko Milicic
Pelicans: Steve Blake

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Atlantic Notes: Nets, Kazemi, Thomas

September 15th, 2015 at 7:40pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Nets coach Lionel Hollins dismisses the notion that his team is doomed this season after the departure of Deron Williams and with Jarrett Jack expected to be the starting point guard, Tim Bontemps of The New York Post writes. “I see it, [and] I laugh,” Hollins said. “What do they do? They go in and take each player’s [statistical] numbers, put them in a group and that puts us at the bottom of the NBA. But that’s in the past. Whatever anybody did good last year is still in the past, and whatever anybody did bad last year is still in the past. Now we’re here, and everybody has to go out and obviously you can’t have the same numbers as an individual. You hope they’d be better. But we still have our core guys. … I’m pleased and I’m excited.”

The team was aware prior to cutting ties with Williams that there would be a potential backlash, Bontemps notes. “We did what we set out to do, and that was to try to get some younger players, change our team a little bit, try to get some athleticism,” Hollins continued. “I thought [GM] Billy [King] did a great job. Now it’s up to us to try to work with and develop these individuals.”

Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

The Sixers have offered Arsalan Kazemi the required one-year tender that will allow the franchise to retain his draft rights, according to Kazemi’s Instagram account (hat tip to Orazio Cauchi of Sportando). Kazemi, 24, was the No. 54 overall selection in the 2013 NBA Draft.
Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas‘ two primary goals for the 2015/16 campaign are for the team to make the playoffs and for him to earn an All-Star nod, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes. “First off, team goals, we just want to build from what we did last year,” said Thomas. “We made the playoffs, but we definitely weren’t satisfied. We think we have a better team than we had last year and we have a full season together — it’s only going to make us better. My goal for the team is to make the playoffs and just build from there.” As for his personal goals, Thomas added, “When you achieve your team goals, then your individual success comes. But I definitely feel like I can be an All-Star. I’m not just saying that. I honestly feel that way. With hard work and dedication and just taking my craft serious. And, with the opportunity given with the Boston Celtics, I feel like I can reach that goal.“

And-Ones: Hornets, D-League, Aldridge

September 15th, 2015 at 5:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Hornets currently have a roster count of 18 players, a number that isn’t likely to increase, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer relays in a series of tweets. Coach Steve Clifford believes that adding more players would have a negative impact on the practice reps that the rotation players receive, notes Bonnell, with Clifford saying, “Last year I did a poor job of getting our team ready for the season. We were [initially] bad on offense and bad on defense.”

Bonnell also thinks the team has created some healthy competition for playing time, especially at power forward and backup shooting guard, and he believes that this year’s training camp will be a more competitive one overall than last year’s, especially among the 14 players possessing fully guaranteed pacts. Bonnell also praises the addition of Jason Washburn, noting that the team has no true backup for starting center Al Jefferson, and the Charlotte Observer scribe also likes Aaron Harrison‘s chances to make the regular season roster. Harrison’s two-year deal is only partially guaranteed.

Here’s more from around the league…

The D-League is undergoing changes, and what happens in the NBA’s minor league can have significant consequences, as Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders points out amid his look at the best players ever to have emerged from the D-League. Danny Green, who re-signed with the Spurs for $40MM over four years this summer, is No. 1 on Brigham’s list.
With the 2015 NBA Draft in the rearview, Jonathan Wasserman of BleacherReport took a look ahead at a number of questions relating to 2016’s draft. The talking points touched upon by Wasserman included who the likely No. 1 overall pick will be, with the scribe predicting it will come down to LSU’s Ben Simmons or Kentucky’s Skal Labissiere. Wasserman also runs down a number of prospects who could be selected in the lottery, including Jaylen Brown (California), Jamal Murray (Kentucky), and Brandon Ingram (Duke).
Though there will be a mutual period of adjustment, LaMarcus Aldridge will fit in just fine with the Spurs this season, writes Zach Lowe of Grantland.com. “LaMarcus will be different,” said GM R.C. Buford. “And we’ll be different than we were before LaMarcus. We have to figure out how LaMarcus will play within our group, and produce at levels that he’s capable of — and that are important to him, and to our success.” Lowe’s piece also includes a detailed look at how Aldridge can thrive within San Antonio’s system that is well worth a look.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Players With Partial Guarantees

September 15th, 2015 at 3:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

Unlike years past, no one in the NBA is carrying a truly sizable partial guarantee into the season. Full guarantees for some were long ago clinched, as was the case for Jamal Crawford, whose $1.5MM partial guarantee became a $5.675MM full guarantee when he remained under contract through June 30th. Others are simply unable to command much guaranteed money, as more than two dozen players have partial guarantees of less than $100K.

Contracts like the one Amir Johnson had with the Raptors last season simply don’t exist this year. Johnson’s deal called for a partial guarantee of $5MM on his $7MM right up until the leaguewide guarantee date in January. Of course, he stuck for the entire season and earned his full salary, but teams and agents are becoming more savvy about inserting early guarantee dates that spur action during the summer, when most player movement takes place and both the team and the player have better opportunity to search for alternatives. Johnson’s latest deal, which he signed in July with the Celtics, is a prime example. His $12MM salary for 2016/17 is non-guaranteed until the end of next July 3rd, when it would become fully guaranteed, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.

Guarantee dates often apply to partially guaranteed salary, too. Today is the day that Langston Galloway locks in $440K of his minimum salary if he avoids hitting waivers. He already triggered a partial guarantee of $220K when he remained with the Knicks through July 1st, under terms that Pincus first reported.

A $440K guarantee is relatively paltry in the world of NBA salaries, but it would mean Galloway would have the fifth-largest partial guarantee in the league. He’d join two Spurs, including Matt Bonner, who tops the list with half of his $1,499,187 minimum salary guaranteed. The partial guarantee on the contract he signed this summer is larger than the full salary for many on this list simply because he falls into the largest minimum salary bracket as a veteran of 11 seasons. Check out the full list of partial guarantees below:

Partial guarantees, ranked from most to least lucrative

Matt Bonner, Spurs — $749,594
Toney Douglas, Pacers — $600K
Jimmer Fredette, Spurs — $507,711
Mike Muscala, Hawks — $473,638
Langston Galloway, Knicks — $440K (assuming he remains under contract through today)
Cameron Bairstow, Bulls — $425K
Tyler Johnson, Heat — $422,530
JaVale McGee, Mavericks — $250K
Markel Brown, Nets — $200K
Eric Moreland, Kings — $200K
Scottie Wilbekin, Sixers — $200K
Jeff Withey, Jazz — $200K
Melvin Ejim, Magic — $150K
JaMychal Green, Grizzlies — $150K
Cliff Alexander, Trail Blazers — $100K
Erick Green, Nuggets — $100K
Jonathan Holmes, Lakers — $100K
Ricky Ledo, Knicks — $100K
James McAdoo, Warriors — $100K
Elliot Williams, Hornets — $80K
Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Knicks — $75K
Ryan Boatright, Nets — $75K
Lorenzo Brown, Timberwolves — $75K
Treveon Graham, Jazz — $75K
J.J. O’Brien, Jazz — $75K
Lamar Patterson, Hawks — $75K
Terran Petteway, Hawks — $75K
Ronald Roberts Jr., Raptors — $75K
Adonis Thomas, Pistons — $60K
Brandon Ashley, Mavericks — $50K
Bryce Dejean-Jones, Pelicans — $50K
Michael Frazier, Lakers — $50K
Quincy Miller, Nets — $50K
Donald Sloan, Nets — $50K
Jamil Wilson, Mavericks — $50K
Christian Wood, Sixers — $50K
Vince Hunter, Kings — $35K
Robert Upshaw, Lakers — $35K
Michale Kyser, Raptors — $25K
Malcolm Miller, Celtics — $25K
Darius Morris, Nets — $25K
Levi Randolph, Celtics — $25K
Shannon Scott, Raptors — already $25K
Axel Toupane, Raptors — already $25K
Corey Walden, Celtics — already $25K
Jarrid Famous, Mavericks — $10K

The Basketball Insiders Salary Pages were used in the creation of this post.

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Hoops Rumors Originals

Wizards, Josh Harrellson Agree To Camp Deal

September 15th, 2015 at 2:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Wizards and Josh Harrellson have reached agreement on a non-guaranteed deal, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The three-year veteran spent last season playing overseas after the Pistons waived him in July 2014. He’ll have a tough time sticking with Washington past the preseason, since the Wizards already have 15 players on fully guaranteed contracts, which puts them at the regular season roster limit.

A debilitating back injury in early 2014 threatened his career, but Harrellson returned to action eight months after surgery and split last season between China and Puerto Rico. The big man who earned the nickname Jorts for his fashion sense at the University of Kentucky played summer league ball with the Suns this July, averaging 8.4 points and 5.1 rebounds in 17.2 minutes per game across seven appearances.

The efficient rebounding nonetheless failed to elicit much chatter about interest from NBA teams, though he told Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press at summer league that, “My main goal is to get a contract out of this. Even if it’s a partial [guarantee], just something.” He’ll instead settle for a non-guaranteed arrangement.

Harrellson is poised to compete with fellow NBA veterans Ish Smith and Toure’ Murry in Wizards camp. The Wizards are also reportedly set to sign undrafted center Jaleel Roberts from UNC-Asheville, though a more recent report casts Roberts merely as a “possibility” for Washington.

Do you think Harrellson belongs in the NBA, whether it’s with the Wizards or another team? Leave a comment to tell us.

Western Notes: Jazz, Nash, Mavs, Crabbe

September 15th, 2015 at 1:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Jazz are content to play through the preseason, at least, with the point guards they have now, rather than trading for a Dante Exum replacement, reports Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune. Utah won’t turn down an overwhelming offer, but the team isn’t pushing for a deal as Exum recovers from surgery two weeks ago on the torn ACL in his left knee, as Jones details. The team was reportedly interested in dealing for Garrett Temple and pursued Jason Terry before he re-signed with the Rockets, but Jones and Tribune colleague Aaron Falk wrote shortly after Exum’s injury last month that the Jazz would probably replace him in-house with Trey Burke, Raul Neto and Bryce Cotton. See more from the Western Conference here:

Steve Nash is finalizing a deal with the Warriors to become a part-time player development consultant for the team, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The two-time MVP, now 41 years old, announced his retirement this spring. Warriors coach Steve Kerr was Suns GM during Nash’s time in Phoenix.
Point guard isn’t an issue for the Mavericks, who again feature four players at that position, as Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com notes. The team replaced Rajon Rondo with Deron Williams, re-signed J.J. Barea and, though the Mavs reportedly planned to shop Raymond Felton, he remains in Dallas.
Allen Crabbe‘s 35.3% three-point shooting last season was respectable but far from elite, and this year is the last on his contract, so the former 31st overall pick spent much of the summer working on his shot with Blazers assistant coach Nate Tibbetts, as Joe Freeman of The Oregonian details. Portland kept Crabbe past the point this summer when his minimum salary for the season ahead became guaranteed.

Central Notes: Thompson, Hammond, Tellem

September 15th, 2015 at 12:14pm CST by Chuck Myron

Tristan Thompson and fellow Rich Paul client Norris Cole probably need to sign their qualifying offers to hit unrestricted free agency next summer if each is to truly get the most out of his earning potential, opines Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Kyler sees signed qualifying offers as the most likely outcome for both. Still, the Basketball Insiders scribe doesn’t think that necessarily means they won’t end up re-signing with their respective teams in 2016, even though Paul has said that Thompson wouldn’t re-sign with the Cavs next year if he took his qualifying offer this year. See more news on Cleveland and the rest of the Central Division here:

Bucks GM John Hammond deserves to stick around after positioning the team for a continued climb up the Eastern Conference standings, so Monday’s extension was the right move for Milwaukee, argues Sekou Smith of NBA.com. Hammond, who’s been in his job since April 2008, is No. 9 on the list of the longest-tenured primary basketball executives that I compiled earlier today.
Keith Langlois of Pistons.com details the agenda for Arn Tellem, who joined the Pistons organization as vice chairman of Palace Sports and Entertainment this summer. Tellem is close with GM Jeff Bower, but the former super-agent’s new job will chiefly involve community outreach.
Cavs draft-and-stash prospect Edin Bavcic has signed with Sopron of Hungary, agent Dragan Jankovski of the BeoBasket agency revealed on Twitter (hat tip to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). A 2006 draftee, he seems unlikely to ever play in the NBA, though Cleveland did sign 2008 draftee Sasha Kaun to his first NBA contract just last week.

Hornets Sign Jason Washburn

September 15th, 2015 at 10:36am CST by Eddie Scarito

SEPTEMBER 15TH, 10:36am: The deal is official, the Hornets announced via press release. Charlotte also sent along a copy of its training camp roster, a move teams usually make when they’re done with additions for the preseason. The Hornets are carrying 18 players, two shy of the preseason limit.

AUGUST 20TH, 4:00pm: The Hornets are set to sign unrestricted free agent center Jason Washburn, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reports (Twitter link). The length and terms of the deal are unknown, but it is most likely a training camp deal for the minimum salary, though that is merely my speculation.

Washburn, 25, went undrafted out of Utah back in 2013. His career numbers in four seasons for the Utes were 8.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks to go along with a shooting line of .565/.444/.792. He spent last season overseas playing for Brussels, where he averaged 8.9 PPG and 3.9 RPG in 27 appearances. Washburn played in two contests for the Jazz in this year’s Las Vegas Summer League.

The Hornets do find themselves a bit thin at the pivot, with just Spencer Hawes, Cody Zeller and Frank Kaminsky on board as backups to starter Al Jefferson, though Kaminsky and Hawes are better suited to be utilized as stretch-four’s than true centers. But even so, Washburn would have to be considered a long shot to make Charlotte’s’ opening night roster, with the team already having a roster count of 17 players, not including Washburn, 14 of whom possess fully guaranteed pacts.

Hornets Sign Sam Thompson

September 15th, 2015 at 10:35am CST by Eddie Scarito

SEPTEMBER 15TH, 10:35am: The signing is official, the Hornets announced via press release. Charlotte also sent along a copy of its training camp roster, a move teams usually make when they’re done with additions for the preseason. The Hornets are carrying 18 players, two shy of the preseason limit.

AUGUST 15TH, 5:04pm: The Hornets intend to sign undrafted free agent forward Sam Thompson, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). The terms of the deal are not yet known, but Kennedy refers to the pact as a training camp deal, which is almost assuredly a minimum salary arrangement, though that is merely my speculation.

The 22-year-old former Buckeye appeared in 35 games for Ohio State last season, notching averages of 10.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists to go along with a shooting line of .466/.262/.688. His career marks through four NCAA seasons are 6.9 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 1.1 APG.

The addition of Thompson would give Charlotte a roster count of 17 players, including 14 fully guaranteed contracts, making it a long shot for the forward to make the opening night roster.

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