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Atlantic Notes: Turner, Crowder, Kilpatrick, Casey

March 21st, 2016 at 7:49pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics‘ Evan Turner is finally getting past the burden of being the second player taken in the 2010 draft, and it’s showing in his performance, writes Jessica Camerato of CSN Philly. The sixth-year swingman, who is rumored to be an offseason target for the Knicks, has become a valuable contributor in Boston, averaging 10 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 70 games this season. Turner never became the star the Sixers hoped he would be when they selected him, and he seemed out of place during a brief stay in Indiana in 2014. However, Turner has put together two solid seasons with the Celtics and seems well-positioned headed into free agency. “I just feel like the freedom to come in and play in a system that doesn’t demand and expect, ‘Hey, you’re the second player chosen.’ He took some hits in that early path,” said Sixers coach Brett Brown. “I see, like in a lot of young guys, they find their stride at a little bit later date. I’m proud of him.”

There’s more news out of Boston and the rest of the division:

  • Celtics coach Brad Stevens says Jae Crowder should be back on the court in about two weeks, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE. Crowder suffered a high ankle sprain in a March 11th game, and a report last week said he could be sidelined through the first round of the playoffs. But Stevens is more optimistic today, saying Crowder is making progress.
  • Sean Kilpatrick‘s  6’4″ size cast him as a tweener and helped him slip through the cracks up until recently, but his scoring versatility makes him a promising addition for the Nets, NetsDaily concludes in a video analysis. Kilpatrick signed a multiyear deal with Brooklyn this weekend following a pair of 10-day contracts.
  • Coach Dwane Casey’s tough-minded approach has helped the Raptors become a serious challenger for the Eastern Conference title, according to Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders. Entering tonight, Toronto was 48-21, just a game behind the Cavaliers for the No. 1 seed. It was widely expected that Masai Ujiri would make a coaching change when he took over as GM in 2013, but he stuck with Casey and later retained free agent point guard Kyle Lowry and the pair have become the emotional leaders of the franchise.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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2016 NBA Draft Early Entrants List

March 21st, 2016 at 6:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

The college season ends two weeks from tonight, leaving the top American early-entry candidates for the NBA draft to face decisions about whether to turn pro. This year, that choice will be significantly easier, or at least more well-informed, because of NCAA rules changes that allow underclassmen to once more “test the waters.”

Players can declare for the draft until April 24th and withdraw any time until May 25th while maintaining their NCAA eligibility, as long as they don’t hire agents. Thus, the prospects can take part in the NBA draft combine from May 11th-15th, if invited, and they can work out for individual teams starting in late April. The NCAA withdrawal date came prior to the combine and workouts in the past few years, so when underclassmen entered the draft, it almost always meant they were there to stay and wouldn’t return to college ball. That’s different this year, when several are expected to gauge their stock as they go through the combine and workout experience and head back to college unless the feedback they get is particularly favorable.

So, the group of eligible draftees figures to change significantly between now and the end of May. It’ll undergo another set of adjustments on June 13th, the final day for international prospects and other non-NCAA players to withdraw. That’s 10 days before the June 23rd draft.

In the meantime, we’ll use this post to keep track of reports on prospects and their decisions. We’ll archive them all in a running list here, which will be accessible anytime under “Hoops Rumors Features” on the right sidebar.

The players below are in alphabetical order. Click on each name for a report about his decision to enter the draft. For an idea of how they stack up against one another, check out the lists of the top prospects on DraftExpress and ESPN.com. If you have any corrections or omissions, please contact us.

Underclassmen

International
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Central Notes: Meeks, Antetokounmpo, Plumlee

March 21st, 2016 at 5:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

Jodie Meeks probably won’t return to the court before the end of the season, Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy acknowledged today, according to Aaron McMann of MLive. Meeks hasn’t played since October, and though it appeared recently that he would make his debut, a shoulder injury he suffered in practice last week has made that possibility remote, as McMann details. Meeks had come almost all the way back after suffering a broken foot in the team’s second game of the season. The Pistons activated him for games on March 12th and 14th, though he didn’t see any action in those contests, McMann points out. Van Gundy didn’t have plans to use Meeks in the rotation anyway, so his continued absence shouldn’t be a killer for Detroit, which is just percentage points behind Chicago for the last playoff spot. See more from the Central Division:

  • The development of a midrange game and a corner 3-point shot is what stands between Giannis Antetokounmpo and an All-Star selection, GM John Hammond contends to Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops.net. Hammond also told Varlas he sees the former 15th overall pick as a forward, not point guard, the position the team has him playing extensively down the stretch. Antetokounmpo becomes eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer.
  • Bucks coach Jason Kidd was reluctant to go with John Henson and Miles Plumlee on the floor together much of the season, but as the season winds down and the coach has become open to experiments, he’s liked what he’s seen with both Henson and Plumlee in the game, observes Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Plumlee, the subject of trade rumors last month, is set for restricted free agency this summer, while Henson is poised to start drawing from the four-year extension he signed in the fall.
  • Soon-to-be free agent Solomon Hill distinguished himself as one of Indiana’s best defenders battling Paul George in practice this season, and that’s led Pacers coach Frank Vogel to give Hill a place in the rotation, as Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star details. The Pacers declined their rookie scale team option on him for next season, so they can’t re-sign him to a contract that would pay him more for 2016/17 than $2,306,019, the value of the option.
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Western Notes: Bogut, Duncan, Green, Burks

March 21st, 2016 at 4:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors and Andrew Bogut have a lot of money riding on whether the center earns a spot on the All-Defensive team, according to Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. Bogut’s contract states that he must play at least 65 games and become a member of either the first or second All-Defensive team to collect a $1.8MM bonus. If he earns the bonus, Golden State would be on the hook for nearly $4MM in additional tax penalties, bringing the team’s total tax bill to an estimated $18.8MM. Bogut’s cap hit for next season would fall from $12.6MM to $11MM if he doesn’t get the bonus, giving the Warriors an extra $1.6MM to spend over the summer. Bogut needs to play in five more games to satisfy that part of the bonus requirement. Golden State tweeted that he will miss tonight’s contest with a left foot issue, but coach Steve Kerr said Bogut underwent an MRI and isn’t expected to be out long, tweets Ethan Strauss of ESPN.com.

There’s more news from the Western Conference:

  • At least two other Western teams are also waiting to see if players collect significant bonuses, Marks writes in the same piece. Tim Duncan is due to get an additional $750K once the Spurs reach 62 wins, which will raise his salary for this season to $6MM and push San Antonio’s tax bill from about $3.8MM to $4.9MM. The Clippers can save $1.1MM in luxury taxes relating to a Jeff Green bonus if they fail to reach 56 wins. He will receive $450K if L.A. gets to that victory total.
  • The Jazz are debating whether to let Alec Burks return to action before the end of the season, writes Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. Burks has been out since breaking his left fibula in December. He has been traveling and working out with the team, but it’s not clear if he’ll be ready before the season is over. “We don’t want to box him in or box ourselves in as far as what makes sense [for Burks’ return],” said coach Quin Snyder. “There’s so many other variables that could be included in that, but it’s certainly possible [he won’t return]. Hopefully, he could be back soon.”
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Knicks Eyeing Evan Turner?

March 21st, 2016 at 3:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Knicks team president Phil Jackson is a “big fan” of Evan Turner, as Chris Mannix of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports hears. Mannix, speaking in an appearance on Comcast Sportsnet Northeast (video link), said he expects the Knicks to pursue the swingman in free agency this summer and pointed to the relationship that Turner’s agent, David Falk, has with Jackson dating to Falk’s days as Michael Jordan’s representative. Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge and coach Brad Stevens earlier this month expressed their fondness for Turner, who’s indicated that his preference would be to stay in Boston.

The Nets were also reportedly fond of Turner, though that news came before the team removed Billy King from the GM job. Turner has started fewer games this season than in any since he became the No. 2 overall pick in 2010 and is shooting a career-worst 18.3% from 3-point range, but he’s carved out a niche as a sixth man in Boston and averages 27.4 minutes per contest. His 6’7″ size makes him an intriguing candidate for the Knicks, since Jackson has traditionally favored taller guards for his triangle offense. The Zen Master said around the time New York hired him that smaller guards were more useful now than in the past, however.

It’s unclear if Jackson is enough of a fan to see Turner as a starting-caliber player. Plenty of talk in recent days has surrounded the idea of Rajon Rondo signing with New York. Rondo, the NBA’s leading per-game assist-maker, would probably be a higher priority for the team, though Jackson has spoken about a desire to sign multiple players of consequence this summer. The team’s flexibility to do so likely hinges on what Arron Afflalo and Derrick Williams decide to do with their respective player options, which total $12.598MM. The Knicks otherwise have about $55MM in guaranteed salary against a salary cap projected to come in between $90MM and $95MM. Turner is making almost $3.425MM this season, the last in a two-year deal he signed in 2014 after a poor finish to the 2013/14 season with the Pacers, so he seems destined to earn much more in what Mannix expects will be a robust market for him this summer.

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Makai Mason To Enter Draft

March 21st, 2016 at 2:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Yale sophomore point guard Makai Mason will declare for this year’s NBA draft, reports Forbes contributor Darren Heitner (Twitter link). Mason’s father confirmed the news to Pete Thamel of SI Now (Twitter link). The 6’1″ sparkplug averaged 16.0 points per game this season, but he’s a long shot NBA prospect. It seems likely that he’s simply taking advantage of new rules that allow him to work out for NBA teams and later withdraw from the draft while retaining his college eligibility. He’s the 152nd-best prospect in the listings that Chad Ford of ESPN.com compiles, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress has him outside his rankings.

Mason burst onto the national scene with a 31-point game Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Baylor, leading Yale to the upset. He didn’t fare nearly as well in Saturday’s second-round game against Duke, going 2 for 12 from the floor for eight points to go along with seven assists and four turnovers as the Bulldogs season came to an end.

Questions about his size and his ability to defend will no doubt hamper whatever pro prospects he has, though entering the draft, a move that will allow him to work out in formal sessions against draft entrants with a better shot to hear their names called in June, gives him a chance to see just how large the gap is between his game and the NBA level. Chris Dudley, who played parts of 16 NBA seasons between 1987 and 2003, was the last player from Yale to appear in the NBA.

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Anthony Davis Out 4-5 Months, Will Miss Olympics

March 21st, 2016 at 1:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

Pelicans star Anthony Davis expects to be out of action four to five months, tweets Scott Kushner of The New Orleans Advocate. Davis’ recovery time will prevent him from being part of Team USA in the Summer Olympics (Twitter link).

In a press conference this afternoon, Davis said he has been dealing with a torn labrum in his left shoulder since his rookie year, and the knee injury he suffered Friday night convinced him to shut down this season and get the shoulder taken care of. He said the shoulder pain would come and go, being intense on some days, but not hurting every day. Davis didn’t disclose specifics of the knee injury, saying he will find out more when he meets with the doctor who will perform the surgery. He added that there’s a greater emphasis on getting the knee surgically repaired, rather than the shoulder. He said the knee was giving him problems even before the collision Friday.

Davis’ contract includes a bonus for making the All-NBA first, second or third team. However, he said it would have been selfish to keep playing just to pursue that.

The surgery timetable should have Davis fully healthy in time for the Pelicans’ training camp, but he regrets not being able to take part in the Olympics. “I loved playing for Team USA,” Davis said. “It was one of the toughest decisions.”

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Grizzlies Sign Jordan Farmar To 10-Day Deal

March 21st, 2016 at 12:42pm CST by ChrisCrouse

MONDAY, 12:42pm: The 10-day signing is official, the team announced.

SUNDAY, 12:02pm: The Grizzlies will sign Jordan Farmar, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal reports (Twitter link). No contract details have been provided yet, but it will likely be a 10-day deal, as Tillery reported earlier this week.

The Grizzlies currently have 17 players on their roster. The league granted them three additional roster spots via the hardship provision, so they ostensibly have an opening after not bringing back Briante Weber at the conclusion of his 10-day deal Friday night. The 10-day pacts for Ray McCallum and Alex Stepheson will expire Monday. McCallum and Stepheson are on their first 10-day deals, respectively, so the team has the option of bringing one or both of them back on a second 10-day contract or exploring other possibilities with the two roster spots.

Memphis currently has seven players who are dealing with some sort of ailment. Farmar will be the 26th player who will play for the team this season. He last played in the NBA during the 2014/15 season, when he was a backup to Chris Paul on the Clippers. He had expressed a willingness to join an NBA team via a 10-day contract earlier this year.

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Knicks Rumors: Rondo, Karl, Anthony, Galloway

March 21st, 2016 at 12:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

Free-agent-to-be Rajon Rondo said he wants his next team to be the “last stop” in his NBA career, relays Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The Knicks are hoping they might be the destination for the Sacramento point guard, who leads the league in assists with 11.8 per game. New York will have at least $18MM in cap space to use this summer.

Lewis notes that Knicks GM Steve Mills spent 30 minutes talking with Rondo’s agent, Bill Duffy, last week in California. Carmelo Anthony has openly pushed for Rondo to join the team, and interim coach Kurt Rambis has expressed confidence that the 30-year-old can adapt to the triangle offense. After the Kings defeated the Knicks Sunday, Rondo brushed aside concerns that he might not be comfortable in the triangle. “I’m not against anything,” he said. “I’m pretty smart. I can figure out anything I need to figure out.’’

There’s more out of New York today:

  • Anthony, who has been the focus of rumors saying he might ask to be traded this summer, received support from Kings coach George Karl, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com. “I’ve seen a winning ‘Melo over the last two years,” Karl said. “I’ve seen him sacrifice his game to try to figure out the team.” Anthony didn’t play Sunday because of a migraine and wasn’t available to speak with reporters, but he has repeatedly voiced his frustrations over the Knicks’ collapse during the second half of the season, which will leave the team out of the playoffs for the third straight year. “He doesn’t want the season to be over April [13th],” Karl said. “I think Melo’s had a Hall of Fame career, and I just know right now, just kind of looking at his body language, he wants to win.”
  • With restricted free agency looming, Langston Galloway has picked an unfortunate time to fall into a shooting slump, writes Ryan Lazo of The New York Post. Galloway’s 3-point marksmanship was an important weapon for the Knicks during the first part of the season, but teams have begun challenging his shots and daring him to drive. As a result, he’s shooting just 31% from the field in March. His two-year contract expires this summer, and the Knicks have to decide whether he can be a long-term effective scorer. “[Staying in New York] would mean a lot,” Galloway said. “I think they are going to show interest after the season, and I’m hoping I get to stay here.”
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Southwest Notes: Davis, Gee, Weber, Matthews

March 21st, 2016 at 11:32am CST by Arthur Hill

The season-ending injuries that limited Anthony Davis to just 61 games this year could cost the Pelicans‘ star a lot of money, according to Micah Adams and Michael Schwartz of ESPN.com. When Davis agreed to his five-year extension last summer worth an estimated $145MM, he became subject to the “Rose Rule.” That allows players with six years’ experience or fewer, who are normally eligible for a maximum salary worth 25% of the cap, to earn as much as players with seven to nine years’ experience, who can receive up to 30% of the cap. But to reach that standard, they have to either be named league MVP, be voted as an All-Star starter twice or be elected twice to the All-NBA first, second or third team before the best extension kicks in. Davis has virtually no chance of being MVP this season and he didn’t start in the All-Star game, but he does have a shot at making one of the all-league teams. If Davis fails to meet the criteria, his total deal will fall to an estimated $121MM.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

  • Pelicans teammates are impressed that Davis battled through the pain of the torn labrum in his left shoulder for so long before the combination of it and a knee injury shut down his season, writes John Reid of The New Orleans Times-Picayune. ”He was still banging and defending with an injured shoulder,” said Alonzo Gee. ”It says a lot about him.”
  • To make room for Jordan Farmar, who is expected to sign a 10-day contract, the Grizzlies parted ways with point guard Briante Weber, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Memphis created a roster opening by not re-signing Weber when his 10-day contract expired Friday. Winderman notes that Weber will be eligible for the postseason if another team picks him up.
  • Portland coach Terry Stotts wasn’t surprised that former Blazer Wesley Matthews was ready for opening night after suffering an Achilles rupture last spring, writes Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. The shooting guard, who signed with the Mavericks over the summer, returned from the injury months sooner that most players do. “Because of that injury, it’s a surprise,” Stotts said. “Because it’s Wes, no. He said that he was going to be back for the opening game and he was. In my time with Wes, there’s one thing I learned: Not to count him out.”
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