2015 September | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Sullinger, Sixers

September 29th, 2015 at 8:06pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Knicks president Phil Jackson‘s statement that he’d be more involved with coach Derek Fisher and the team this season could potentially send a confusing message to the locker room, Frank Isola of The New York Daily News writes. “I really don’t know what standpoint he’s coming from,” Carmelo Anthony said of Jackson’s increased role. “If I think I know Phil the way I know him, I think it’s more of being involved with coaching staff, being in with them, watching film with them, kind of opening up dialogue a little bit more, him sitting in the film room with us, after the games, going over the games, watching more tape, talking to the coaching staff.”

Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

The minimum salary deal that the Knicks signed DaJuan Summers to is non-guaranteed, Darion Atkins‘ pact includes a partial guarantee of $75K, Travis Trice‘s arrangement includes $50K in guaranteed money, and Wesley Saunders‘ deal includes a partial guarantee of $75K, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders relays (on Twitter).
Celtics big man Jared Sullinger believes that his improved conditioning will elevate his game to the next level this season, CSNNE.com relays. “A lot of shots that I’ve missed is due to conditioning. A lot of rebounds I missed is due to conditioning. The defensive plays that I’ve missed – conditioning,” said Sullinger. “Now that my conditioning is at a level where I’m comfortable at but can still improve, I think I have a chance [to be an All-Star].“
Even though Joe Johnson knew that the Nets were going to make some offseason changes, he was still caught by surprise by Deron Williams‘ buyout arrangement, Tim Bontemps of The New York Post writes. “I honestly didn’t know what was going to happen,” said Johnson. “But I didn’t see [the buyout] coming. I don’t think [being here] was that bad. It’s not that bad here. To want to get bought out … I couldn’t really put my finger around that one. But I hear that he’s happy and that’s the most important thing. He’s back home, so good for him.”
The contracts that the Nets signed Justin Harper and Chris Daniels to are both one-year, minimum salary arrangements that include no guaranteed money, Pincus tweets.
The success of Sixers big men Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel this season will depend on how effective the outside shooting of Nik Stauskas, Robert Covington and Hollis Thompson is, Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Daily News writes. “You hear me say this all the time: My offensive world, how I see it, is pace, space and pass,” coach Brett Brown said. “Post spacing really comes with shooters. Maybe the best play that Jahlil has is Covington and Stauskas. He’s got space to do stuff. We experienced it [in San Antonio] all the time. So, these shooters will most definitely complement Nerlens, and especially Jahlil.“
T.J. McConnell‘s four-year, minimum salary arrangement with the Sixers includes a partial guarantee of $100K for the 2015/16 season, Pincus tweets. The final three seasons are non-guaranteed, and the fourth year is both non-guaranteed and a team option.

Poll: 2015/16 Team Power Rankings (No. 22)

September 29th, 2015 at 7:07pm CST by Eddie Scarito

NBA training camps have officially begun, and teams are now 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 eighth worst overall record, or at No. 22 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
No. 27: Lakers
No. 26: Nets
No. 25: Timberwolves
No. 24: Trail Blazers
No. 23: Magic

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Northwest Notes: Aldridge, Faried, Durant

September 29th, 2015 at 6:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen said that the team has moved on from the loss of LaMarcus Aldridge to the Spurs this summer, and that he is excited for what the future holds for the franchise, Joe Freeman of The Oregonian relays. When asked if he felt betrayed by Aldridge, Allen said, “No. I think LaMarcus had a lot of options. We went down to Dallas, [GM] Neil [Olshey] and I pitched him and he chose to go a different direction. We made it to his last few choices and he was good enough to call me up and explain his decision and all that. It’s tough for a franchise, because we were all thinking that we had a real shot at getting him back. But in the end, he chose to go a different direction and now it’s a new day. We’ve moved on and I think you can feel the excitement and the energy in the gym now.”

Allen said he enjoys the process of developing younger players, which makes the team’s current transitional period easier on him, Freeman adds. “It’s always a transition. I’m always trying to figure out how many times we’ve done a rebuild here. I think three. But you guys will probably correct me on that, I’m sure. I probably, more than a lot of owners, enjoy seeing young players develop. Always have. Always will. And that’s also been a hallmark of other teams like the Seahawks that I’ve been involved with. So seeing young players develop and I think if you watch some of the players that Neil has brought in here, we’ve been very lucky to be able to bring those in and be able to pivot from being a playoff team to being a team that’s going through a transition to hopefully being back in the playoffs before too long. So we’ll see.”

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

The deals that Talib Zanna, Dez Wells, and Julyan Stone signed with the Thunder are all one-year, minimum salary arrangements that include no guaranteed salary, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
Omari Johnson‘s pact with the Blazers is a one year deal for the league minimum and includes no guaranteed salary, Pincus relays (via Twitter).
Difficulties between Kenneth Faried and former coach Brian Shaw negatively impacted the forward’s performance for the Nuggets last season, Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post writes. “If you don’t have a coach that believes in you, then what’s the point of going out there and playing?” Faried said. “If your coach doesn’t have faith in you and puts you out in the fire against all these great players, you’re going to get torched.“
Kevin Durant is a fan of new Thunder coach Billy Donovan, Anthony Slater of the Oklahoman tweets. Of Donovan, Durant said, “Great basketball mind, but more importantly, a better person. We’ve hit it off.” With Durant eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, any added incentive for him to remain in Oklahoma City is certainly a boon for the franchise.
After a breakout season in 2014/15 for the Jazz, Gordon Hayward needs to become a better closer at the end of games in order to take his next step forward as a star player, Aaron Falk, Tony Jones and Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune write.

Southwest Notes: Williams, Parsons, McGee, Butler

September 29th, 2015 at 3:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

Deron Williams admits he bought into the idea of himself as a reduced player the past few seasons with the Nets, but both he and Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle are optimistic about what the 31-year-old point guard can do in Dallas, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com details.

“I want to prove myself wrong,” Williams said Monday. “I started to doubt myself in the past. Mentally, it took a toll on me. I just got to get out of that rut that I was in the last couple years mentally, and I look forward to this situation. I think I’m past that. This fresh start has definitely helped that a lot. I’m looking forward to this year. It’s a better situation.”

The Mavs invested a two-year, $11MM deal in the hopes that Williams can indeed perform better. See more on the Mavs and their Southwest Division rivals:

Chandler Parsons spoke about his close relationship with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban in an interview with GQ’s Alex Wong that further addressed the Mavs’ failed effort to recruit DeAndre Jordan this summer. “He didn’t do anything illegal. I’m not mad at him,” Parsons said of Jordan. “At the end of the day, he’s a grown man and he’s entitled to do whatever he wants,” Parsons says. “He’s one of the best young centers in the NBA, and I wanted to play with him. He could have made us great. But he screwed us over.”
JaVale McGee is unlikely to be healthy enough to play at the start of the regular season, MacMahon tweets. McGee, who continues to recover from a recurring stress fracture in his left tibia, has a partially guaranteed contract, and his continued place on the Mavs roster depends on how other players perform in camp, MacMahon says. McGee’s partial guarantee of $250K jumps to $500K if he remains under contract through the end of business today.
Rasual Butler‘s deal with the Spurs is non-guaranteed for the minimum salary and only covers this season, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
Jeff Adrien‘s one-year, minimum salary contract with the Pelicans is non-guaranteed, reports Pincus also reports (Twitter link). The team’s non-guaranteed pact with Corey Webster is for two years, not three, as initially reported, Pincus reveals.

Iman Shumpert To Miss Three Months With Injury

September 29th, 2015 at 2:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:59pm: The Cavs don’t have immediate plans to address the injury with a roster move, Griffin said, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com, but he didn’t rule out doing so at some point.

“I think we look at this as a very similar situation to what we went through in the playoffs last year: Next man up,” Griffin said. “We have a roster we feel is deep enough to withstand one injury like this, and so we’re going to give people a chance to kind of absorb it from within, but obviously we’ve been paying attention to a lot of opportunities that we may be able to [use] to improve the group. We’ll just play it by ear.”

11:32am: Iman Shumpert will miss the next 12-14 weeks because of a wrist injury, the team announced. The swingman, who re-signed with the Cavaliers for four years and $40MM this summer, recently suffered a ruptured extensor carpi ulnaris sheath in his right wrist, according to the team. Shumpert hit his wrist on the rim during a workout last week but continued to play through it, GM David Griffin said today, according to Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter link). The injury is poised to force Shumpert out for training camp and the first two months of the regular season.

Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, Timofey Mozgov and Anderson Varejao are all coming off surgery, and while all were reportedly to be ready for camp, Griffin said Monday the team will take it slow with Irving and Love and wouldn’t lay out a timetable for their return to game action, notes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. If they return to playing by the start of the regular season, it would combine with the late summer signing of J.R. Smith to soften the blow of the Shumpert injury.

Cleveland would need to have at least four players who are expected to be out for an extended length of time to qualify for a hardship provision, which would allow for a 16th regular season roster spot. The team can’t apply for a disabled player exception, which would give the team cap flexibility to acquire a player, unless Shumpert is deemed likely to miss the season. Since neither scenario is in play, the Cavs will have to replace Shumpert using existing means. They can’t sign any free agent for more than the minimum salary, but they have a $10,522,500 trade exception. The team would probably use that exception only if necessary, preferring to save it for next offseason, as Haynes explained to Hoops Rumors in a recent installment of The Beat.

Shumpert took over for Smith in the starting lineup during the postseason, so Smith figures to flip back into the role of starter at the wing in Shumpert’s absence. Backup point guards Mo Williams and Matthew Dellavedova can slide over to shooting guard, while Richard Jefferson and James Jones are available at small forward. The injury may well force 30-year-old LeBron James to play more minutes than would be ideal at the start of the season. In any case, the depth is a product of the team’s offseason player personnel work, as Williams, Dellavedova, Jefferson, Jones and James all signed contracts with the team this summer, just like Shumpert and Smith.

Do you think the Cavs should use their trade exception to deal for someone to replace Shumpert, or ride it out until he gets back? Comment to tell us.

Raptors Pick Up Options On Caboclo, Nogueira

September 29th, 2015 at 2:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Raptors have exercised their team options for 2016/17 on the rookie scale contracts of Bruno Caboclo and Lucas Nogueira, the team announced (Twitter link). That means the team locked in their salaries of $1,589,640 and $1,921,320, respectively, for that season. The moves are no surprise, since most clubs pick up rookie scale team options, even though Toronto didn’t give much playing time to either last season. Each of them saw just 23 minutes of action all year at the NBA level, with a couple of D-League assignments sprinkled in.

Neither seems poised to grab a spot in the Raptors rotation this season, but they’ll likely see much more time in the D-League, since the establishment of Raptors 905 gives Toronto a one-to-one affiliate. Nogueira, now 23 years old, was more productive in the D-League last season than Caboclo was, though the three-year age difference between the two likely played into it. The younger Caboclo was a surprise selection at No. 20 overall in the 2014 draft. Nogueira was the 16th pick in the 2013 draft, but he remained overseas for a year with Estudiantes of Spain before the Raptors acquired his rights from the Hawks in the Lou Williams trade.

Toronto’s commitments for 2016/17 rise to almost $60MM against a projected $89MM cap with today’s moves. That includes the extension that Jonas Valanciunas signed this summer, but no money for DeMar DeRozan, who has a $10.05MM player option, or Terrence Ross, who’s also extension eligible. Agent Rich Paul reportedly believes he can get the Raptors to make a max offer next summer to Toronto native Tristan Thompson, who can hit unrestricted free agency in July if he signs his qualifying offer from the Cavs this week. The Raptors would have to pass on Ross and DeRozan would have to opt in or re-sign at a discount for the team to have the flexibility for Thompson’s max starting salary of a projected $20.4MM. Preliminary indications are DeRozan will opt out, a strong bet given his level of performance and the rising salaries around the league.

Which of Caboclo and Nogueira do you believe has the greatest chance to make an impact in the NBA? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Lakers Notes: Bryant, World Peace, Young

September 29th, 2015 at 1:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

Phil Jackson raised the specter of Kobe Bryant playing for a team other than the Lakers in comments the Zen Master made last week, but Bryant made it clear Monday he has no intention to do that, telling Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports, “Dude, I bleed purple-and-gold.”

“A lot of players want to go to different teams or contend to win championships,” Bryant said. “I’m a Laker, man. I’m a Laker for better or worse.”

Bryant shed no more light on the matter of whether he’d play at all beyond this season, the last on his contract with the Lakers. While we wait to find out if this is the end for the 36-year-old star or if he’ll re-sign this summer, see more from Lakerland:

Metta World Peace regrets returning to play 12 days after surgery on a torn meniscus in his left knee during the spring of 2013, his last as a Laker, saying that it affected his ability to perform for the Knicks the next season, as he tells Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. The 35-year-old who’s returned to the Lakers on a non-guaranteed deal feels as though he’s since recovered and is ready to embrace a mentorship role, even if he can’t quite duplicate the soft touch that Derek Fisher used in juxtaposition to Bryant’s caustic personality, as he explained to Medina.
Nick Young endured trade rumors early in the offseason, and the return of Bryant plus the free agent signing of Lou Williams figures to cut into his time. Still, after trade talk died off and GM Mitch Kupchak met with him to explain the Williams signing, Young arrived at camp Monday with an upbeat attitude, saying Williams “will make things better,” observes Janis Carr of the Orange County Register.
The Lakers hired Hall-of-Famer James Worthy to work with the team’s coaching staff, the team announced, without specifying a former title for the “Showtime” era great.

Northwest Notes: Kanter, Arthur, Miller, Pekovic

September 29th, 2015 at 12:50pm CST by Chuck Myron

Enes Kanter hoped to stay with the Thunder even as he signed an max offer sheet with the Trail Blazers this summer, creating a tense three days before the Thunder matched, notes Erik Horne of The Oklahoman.

“The three days was definitely tough, because I really wanted to be here,” Kanter said. “That three days was really tough, really difficult. I never experienced anything like that before. In the end, it worked out. [I’m] really happy to be here. It’s really nice [to have] your team’s trust in you. It means a lot.”

See more from the Northwest Division:

Darrell Arthur nearly left for the Clippers this summer before ultimately deciding to re-sign with the Nuggets, observes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post (Twitter links). “I was pretty close. It was a tough decision to make,” Arthur said. “But with this [Nuggets] team I felt that I could possibly make a difference in trying to help this team make it to the playoffs.” The money couldn’t have hurt, either, as Arthur received a two-year deal worth almost $5.755MM from Denver, about $3.08MM more than the two-year minimum salary offer that the Clippers were limited to.
Andre Miller visited the Bulls in free agency before signing with the Timberwolves this summer, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (on Twitter).
Nikola Pekovic said he’ll miss roughly the first month of the season, but the Timberwolves expect Ricky Rubio will be healthy enough to play on opening night, even though he’s not quite 100% yet, observes Marcus R. Fuller of the Pioneer Press.
Timberwolves GM Milt Newton expressed a desire to use the D-League more often this season, pointing to No. 24 pick Tyus Jones, but the GM said he’d want the point guard to go to a D-League team that would give him some playing time, as Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune relays (on Twitter). The Timberwolves, who don’t have a D-League affiliate and would have to send Jones on assignment with another team’s D-League club, haven’t made progress toward their own D-League partner, Zgoda notes.
Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey expressed optimism about his point guards on Monday, jibing with earlier reports that the team is content for now even without the injured Dante Exum, but he wouldn’t rule out spending to acquire another point guard if the performance at that position is lacking, notes Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter links).

Thunder Sign Michael Qualls

September 29th, 2015 at 11:12am CST by Zachary Links

SEPTEMBER 29TH, 11:12am: The deal is finally official, the team announced via press release. The idea is for him to spend the season with Oklahoma City’s D-League affiliate while he recovers from the ACL injury, tweets Royce Young of ESPN.com. That would indicate that the Thunder will cut him at the end of camp and retain his D-League rights, as they’re allowed to do with as many as four players they waive. Qualls will join 18 others on the camp roster, 15 of whom have fully guaranteed contracts.

JUNE 30TH, 11:52pm: The Thunder have reached agreement on a one-year deal with former Arkansas Razorbacks star Michael Qualls, according to a source who spoke with Shams Charania of RealGM (on Twitter). Qualls has suffered tears in both of his knees but OKC has been monitoring his progress through rehab. Apparently, the Thunder are comfortable with what they’ve seen.

Qualls was considered a second round hopeful before tearing his ACL in the weeks leading up to the draft. He is not expected to be ready in time for summer league or training camp, according to The Shreveport Times. Prior to his injury, Qualls, a shooting guard, was listed as the 40th best prospect in the draft by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and the 48th best one by Chad Ford of ESPN.com.

John Henson Says He’s Near Extension With Bucks

September 29th, 2015 at 10:24am CST by Chuck Myron

John Henson is nearing an extension with the Bucks, as he told Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times on Monday. The sides have reportedly been in talks since July, and the team’s free agent signing of Greg Monroe, an interior player like Henson, hasn’t dissuaded the former 14th overall pick from wanting a future in Milwaukee, as Woelfel details.

“We’re close,’’ Henson said to Woelfel about the extension talks. “We’re just trying to work out some details. It’s a process; we’ll see what happens. But I definitely want to be here for a long time.’’

The sides appeared to be making progress toward a deal over the summer. They have until November 2nd to sign an extension, two days later than normal because the usual October 31st deadline falls on a Saturday. Henson would be set for restricted free agency next summer if they don’t strike an extension this fall, though the Jim Tanner client isn’t at all anxious to leave Milwaukee, according to Woelfel.

The legitimate possibility existed for Henson to become the team’s starting center if Monroe had not signed, Woelfel writes, though the team had its eyes on other marquee centers, too, as they reportedly planned to pursue Brook Lopez and Tyson Chandler. Henson has started only 43 of his 200 career games and recorded only 11 starts last season, mostly playing behind Larry Sanders and, later, Zaza Pachulia. The 24-year-old Henson averaged just 18.3 minutes per game, but, as Woelfel points out, he looked strong in the playoffs, averaging 8.8 points and 8.0 rebounds in 25.5 minutes per contest.

GM John Hammond has identified Henson as a member of the team’s core, along with Monroe, Michael Carter-Williams, Khris Middleton, Jabari Parker, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Grantland’s Zach Lowe has speculated that Henson would end up with eight-figure salaries on his next deal, and with the salary cap escalating and the Warriors thinking about an extension for backup center Festus Ezeli, Henson appears to be in a strong market position. I examined the situation in depth last month.

The Bucks have only about $36MM on the books for 2016/17, though that figure doesn’t count nearly $13.3MM in rookie scale team options that Milwaukee is likely to exercise. That would still leave a wealth of room under the projected $89MM cap for next season. Miles Plumlee is also eligible for a rookie scale extension this fall, but no indication has surfaced that the Bucks are considering one for him.

What would a fair extension for both the Bucks and Henson look like? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

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