2016 March | Hoops Rumors

Heat Notes: Deng, Whiteside, Haslem

March 18th, 2016 at 3:20pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Veteran big man Udonis Haslem is averaging a career-low 7.6 minutes per contest this season and is viewed as more of a mentor than a part of the team’s regular rotation, a role he is trying to embrace, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel relays. “I’ve had so many different roles in my career,” Haslem said. “I’ve been a starter. I’ve been a sixth man. And now my role is coming to the point of where I’m more of a mentor, I’m more of a leader off the floor. But it’s still a job. It’s still something that I have to do my best at. It’s still something that I’ve got to put effort into. It’s still something that I’ve got to master. It’s still something that challenges me every game.”

“I want to be out there in the fight,” Haslem continued. “But if I’m not in the fight, then I have to do the best job that I can on the outside looking in. So that means pointing out things that I see on the floor, keeping the guys encouraged, being an extension of the coaches to some extent. And just still making sure guys do things the way that we do things. It’s a constant battle with myself because I’m such a competitor. I want to be on the floor. And it’s not like I’m old and broke down. I can still play. But I understand that there has to be room for these new guys. They have to blossom and they have to flourish and the only they’re going to do that is to get out there and play and get the experience. So, for that to happen, somebody has to step to the side.”

Here’s more regarding the Heat:

Combo forward Luol Deng, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, indicated that his priority when signing his next contract is to play for a winning organization and to not be a part of any rebuilding effort, as he told Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today on their podcast (Audio link). Deng praised the Heat organization, referring to it as “first class,” and also lauded the team’s up-tempo offense, as the duo relayed. But despite Deng’s happiness with the team as well as his move to power forward, he told the USA Today writers that he fully intends to explore his options on the open market this summer. The 30-year-old has appeared in 61 games this season and is averaging 12.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 32.1 minutes per night. Deng is earning $10,151,612 in the final season of his contract.
The Heat owe much of their second-half success to the improved play of the team’s reserves, Ethan J. Skolnick of The Miami Herald notes. Since moving center Hassan Whiteside into a reserve role, Miami has improved its bench output from last in the league with an average of 25.5 points in 17.5 minutes per game to ninth with 37.1 points in 18.8 minutes of action per contest, the scribe relays.

Southwest Notes: Howard, Allen, Matthews

March 18th, 2016 at 2:06pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Rockets center Dwight Howard isn’t concerned about the perception that he’s following in the footsteps of Shaquille O’Neal once again with his selection of Perry Rogers as his new agent, Sam Amick of USA Today writes. “[O’Neal] reached out to me [weeks ago] and felt like this could be something that could really help me in my future,” Howard said. “We talked, more so about basketball. And then we started talking about agents and all that stuff. He said, ‘Hey, I’ve got somebody who really helped change my life and really sculptured the Shaq that you see today.’ He introduced me to Perry. Perry came down to Houston. We had a really good conversation. It was a decision I made on my own. That’s why I liked it, because I decided to make it. There wasn’t anybody who was around, anybody who could say, ‘Yo, what do you think?’ I went with what I felt was right [for] me.”

As for any potential criticism he may receive regarding the agent switch, Howard told Amick, “People are always going to have something to say about anything that we do, but I did it because this guy has no other clients, so he can focus on me solely,” Howard said of Rogers. “That’s one thing that I think is very important. When you can simplify a lot of things and focus on a couple areas of your life, it just makes everything in your life easier. I just felt like it was a great situation. At the end of the day, I can decide whether I’m going to stay long-term, or whatever it may be, with him, but for right now I think this is somebody who can really help me grow on the business side and on the court.” The Rockets center is expected to turn down a player option of more than $23.282MM and test the free agent market this summer.

Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

Grizzlies swingman Tony Allen is still adjusting to being called upon as a primary option on offense after being utilized as a role player throughout his career, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal relays. “It’s definitely a new role for me,” Allen said. “I haven’t been in that mindset of trying to score. I’m normally the receiver from Mike Conley or Marc Gasol or Z-Bo [Zach Randolph]. Now, I’m just being aggressive and trying to be a playmaker. It drains you. It takes a lot of energy. But I’m just trying to adapt.“
Wesley Matthews hasn’t lived up to his status as the Mavericks‘ highest paid player this season, but the swingman isn’t shying away from his responsibility as a team leader, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes. Matthews noted that he and his teammates have been letting their frustrations on offense lessen their defensive intensity, something that needs to change if Dallas wants a shot at making the playoffs. “It’s not about X’s and O’s,” Matthews said. “It’s not about this [stats] any more. We’re a .500 team. We deserve to be a .500 team, and we’re at that crossroads — where do we want to go, what do we want to do about it. It’s heart. It’s competing. It’s ‘I don’t want to be done April [13th].’ We all got to wear it on our sleeves. It’s our pride. It’s, ‘I’m going to get this ball before you.’ And if you make this shot, it’s going to be one of the toughest shots you made all season.“

Atlantic Notes: Walton, Durant, Okafor

March 18th, 2016 at 12:51pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Knicks interim coach Kurt Rambis offered his praise for the job Luke Walton did with the Warriors while coach Steve Kerr was away from the team recovering from back surgery, Marc Berman of The New York Post relays. Rambis noted that while Walton didn’t need to change much in order for Golden State to remain successful, the team did embrace Walton’s unselfish style of play, Berman adds. “He just continued to perpetuate what was going on,’’ Rambis said of Walton. “It’s not like he changed anything. He continued to allow the team to play the way they’re playing and [have] been successful with. It’s difficult to coach any team, even a good team. You got to keep them motivated and challenged. Every team that plays Golden State, you’re going to see their best. It’s tough as defending champions to meet that challenge night in and night out. When you think of unselfish play and teamwork, they epitomize it.”

While Rambis appears to be team president Phil Jackson‘s top choice to coach the Knicks next season, Walton is reportedly on the team’s short list of potential candidates. Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Pending unrestricted free agent Kevin Durant downplayed the warm reception he received Wednesday from Celtics fans, who were chanting for the small forward to sign with Boston this summer, Charles Curtis of USA Today relays. “I just didn’t think about it, to be honest,” Durant said. “I was more focused on the team. I was definitely looking forward to this today. So, it’s a lot that was going through my mind that was more important.” Prior to arriving in Boston, Durant noted that he enjoyed visiting the city and praised its family atmosphere.
With Jahlil Okafor‘s rookie season officially over due to injury, questions still remain as to whether or not he and Nerlens Noel can co-exist on the court. When asked to grade the duo, Sixers coach Brett Brown noted that the pairing wasn’t entirely successful, though they did show some improvement as the season wore on, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com relays. “With sometimes the excitement of [an] A, no doubt,” Brown said. “Sometimes the disappointment of [an] F. It’s not anybody’s fault. We all have talked about it and I believe everybody here understands how difficult [it is] taking two [centers] that are 20 and letting them figure out NBA transition defense and matchups and the punishments. And the plus-minus in our defense [with Okafor and Noel playing together] reflects that opinion. It was terrible. We went from terrible to poor over the course of time. We improved in that direction. At times it was good. So it was erratic.“

Spurs Lead In Flex D-League Assignments

March 18th, 2016 at 11:38am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Spurs are making the most out of a rule that allows them to work with developing prospects from other NBA franchises. The 11 NBA teams without their own D-League squads this season are permitted to assign players to D-League clubs associated with other NBA franchises, using what is known as the flexible assignment rule. D-League teams can volunteer to take on the assigned players, and if no volunteers emerge, the players are assigned at random. The Spurs have taken in more D-League assignees from other teams than any other franchise.

Teams certainly have their preferences when it comes to where they assign their players. Playing time is of course a major factor, since there is little benefit to sending a player to the D-League if he is going to ride the pine, which could be accomplished at the NBA-level. The system a D-League team runs is also a factor, which is likely a major reason why the Hawks, who run a similar system to the Spurs, have sent 13 of their 17 players assigned to the D-League to San Antonio’s affiliate. In fact, more assignments have been made to the Spurs’ D-League squad by other teams this season than by the Spurs themselves, who have totaled just 10 on the campaign thus far.

Listed below are the number of players assigned to each affiliate via the flexible assignment this season:

Austin Spurs [Spurs affiliate] — 14 assignments
Canton Charge [Cavaliers affiliate] — 8 assignments
Bakersfield Jam [Suns affiliate] — 4 assignments
Santa Cruz Warriors [Warriors affiliate] — 3 assignments
Grand Rapids Drive [Pistons affiliate] — 3 assignments
Oklahoma City Blue [Thunder affiliate] — 2 assignments
Erie BayHawks [Magic Affiliate] — 2 assignments
Westchester Knicks [Knicks affiliate] — 1 assignment
Idaho Stampede [Jazz affiliate] — 1 assignment

Celtics Sign Coty Clarke To Second 10-Day Deal

March 18th, 2016 at 9:24am CST by Dana Gauruder

FRIDAY, 9:24am: The signing is official, the team announced.

THURSDAY, 5:40pm: The Celtics will sign Coty Clarke to a second 10-day contract, a source told Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).

Clarke, a 6’7” combo forward out of Arkansas, has played just three minutes in two games with the Celtics thus far and also had a stint with the team’s D-League affiliate in Maine during that span. Clarke was the team’s choice to fill the roster opening when it reached a buyout agreement with David Lee. Lee signed with the Mavericks after clearing waivers.

He has spent most of the season with the Red Claws, appearing in 40 games and averaging 16.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 25.9 minutes.

“Our front office has been thrilled about him and thrilled about his play in Maine the whole year,” Coach Brad Stevens recently told the Celtics media. “We obviously have a familiarity with him from being here in the fall and so we thought it was a great opportunity to bring a guy on board while we have some practice time to really get a chance to evaluate him within our system, with our team, as the season has progressed.”

This season has represented a return stateside for the former University of Arkansas player who spent last season with Hapoel Kazrin in Israel after going undrafted in 2014. He gives the team additional depth at the forward spot with Jae Crowder expected to sit out at least two more weeks with an ankle injury.

Pistons Sign Lorenzo Brown To 10-Day Deal

March 18th, 2016 at 9:20am CST by Eddie Scarito

FRIDAY, 9:20am: The signing is official, the team announced via press release.

THURSDAY, 11:06am: The Pistons intend to ink Lorenzo Brown to a 10-day contract, Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports reports (Twitter link). Detroit has an available roster slot so no additional move would be required to bring Brown into the fold.

Brown rejoined the Pistons’ D-League affiliate after his second 10-day contract with the Suns expired and Phoenix elected not to sign him for the remainder of the season. In 25 appearances for the Drive this season Brown is averaging 18.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists in 33.3 minutes per contest. His shooting line in the D-League is .503/.352/.860.

The point guard didn’t see much burn for the Suns during his time with the team, appearing in eight games and notching 2.9 points, 0.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 7.6 minutes of action per night. His slash line for Phoenix was .320/.125/.750.

2015/16 Salary Cap Update: Timberwolves

March 18th, 2016 at 8:55am CST by Eddie Scarito

The NBA’s salary cap for 2015/16 is set at $70MM, which is good for an 11% increase from last season, and the luxury tax line is fixed at $84.74MM. With the February 18th cutoff date for trades and the de facto deadline of March 1st for buyouts now past, we at Hoops Rumors are in the process of updating the salary cap commitments for each NBA franchise for the 2015/16 campaign. Here’s the cap breakdown for the Minnesota Timberwolves, whose regular season roster can be viewed here:

2015/16 Salary Cap= $70,000,000
2015/16 Luxury Tax Line= $84,740,000
Fully Guaranteed Salary Commitments= $70,969,334*
Remaining Cap Room= -$969,334
Amount Below Luxury Tax Line= $13,770,666

*Note: This amount includes the $3,650,000 owed to Anthony Bennett, who agreed to a buyout with the team, as well as the $6,732,250 due Kevin Martin, who was waived via the stretch provision. Also included in this amount is the $690,943 owed to Andre Miller and the $75,000 paid to Lorenzo Brown, both of whom were waived by the team.

Cap Exceptions Available:

Mid-Level Exception= $961,835
Bi-Annual Exception= $1,358,894
Trade Exception= $5,000,000 (Chase Budinger. Expires July 12th, 2016)

Cash Available to Send Out In Trades= $3,400,000

Cash Available to Receive Via Trade= $3,400,000

Note: Despite the trade deadline having passed, the NBA season technically doesn’t end until June 30th. Teams are able to again make trades upon the completion of the regular season or when/if they are eliminated from the playoffs, whichever comes later. So these cash limits still apply.

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 3/17/16

March 17th, 2016 at 11:20pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The NBA regular season has approximately four weeks to go and two teams have created separation from the pack in the Eastern Conference.

The Cavs and Raptors are virtual locks to nab the top two seeds in the East, with the only question being whether Toronto can catch Cleveland and steal away the No. 1 seed. The Raptors are two games back in the loss column.

The real intrigue surrounds which teams will nail down the bottom playoff seeds in the conference. Entering Thursday’s action, the Pistons and Bulls were tied for the seventh and eighth spots but the suddenly revived Wizards are just one and a half games back.

Detroit has lost three of its last four but plays its next eight games at home. The Bulls, who have gone 3-7 over their last 10 games to put their playoff lives in jeopardy, have two fewer home games remaining than the Pistons. However, they do have top scorer Jimmy Butler back in the lineup after he missed 15 of 17 games with a knee injury.

The Wizards have just six home games remaining but have seemingly regained their stride, knocking off the Pistons and Bulls in blowout victories this week.

The sixth-place Pacers have built a four-game cushion on the Wizards, but they cannot feel totally comfortable with their position.

This leads us to our question of the day: Among the Pacers, Bulls, Pistons and Wizards, which Eastern Conference team currently fighting for a playoff berth will fail to reach the postseason?

Please take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the subject. We look forward to what you have to say.

And-Ones: Faried, Okafor, Crawford, D-League

March 17th, 2016 at 10:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Nuggets power forward Kenneth Faried can expect a light workload for the rest of the season, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Faried was held out of tonight’s game with the Hawks because of soreness in his back, and coach Mike Malone suggested that he might face some more DNPs. “Sometimes I feel that I may have to protect him from himself,” Malone said. “I think he wants to be out there, but, you know what? We have 14 games to go, we know what Kenneth is about, we know the high level he’s capable of playing at.” Malone said one benefit of Faried’s absence will be more playing time to evaluate big men Joffrey Lauvergne, Jusuf Nurkic and Nikola Jokic. Faried has three years and more than $38.764MM left on the extension he signed in 2014.

There’s more news tonight from the basketball world:

The delay in Jahlil Okafor‘s knee surgery is no cause for concern, Sixers coach Brett Brown tells Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Okafor is waiting to undergo arthroscopic surgery to fix a torn meniscus in his right knee. The operation was originally scheduled for Wednesday, and then today, but it hasn’t been performed yet. “There’s no sort of conspiracy theories going on,” Brown said. “It’s more just trying to get a collaborative effort. It happened with Joel [Embiid] and, I think, with Nerlens [Noel].”
The effort to get an NBA team back in Seattle received support from Clippers shooting guard Jamal Crawford, who wrote a piece promoting the idea for Sports Illustrated’s The Cauldron.
The Thunder recalled forward Mitch McGary from their Oklahoma City Blue affiliate in the D-League, the organization announced via press release. McGary is averaging 15.1 points and 9.2 rebounds in 21 games with the OKC Blue.
The Spurs assigned forward Jonathon Simmons to their D-League team in Austin. This is his second D-League trip of the season. Simmons has appeared in 48 games with San Antonio, averaging 5.6 points and 1.7 rebounds per night.

New York Notes: Anthony, Porzingis, McCullough

March 17th, 2016 at 10:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

As the Knicks slide further out of the playoff race, speculation is growing that Carmelo Anthony may start looking elsewhere, writes Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Anthony met recently with team president Phil Jackson to discuss where the franchise is headed. The 31-year-old combo forward declined to offer many details of the get-together, but with the 28-41 Knicks about to miss the postseason for the third straight year, it’s clear that Anthony wants to see major changes this summer. “It’s in their court. The ball is in their court,” Anthony said of New York’s front office. “They have an opportunity, we have an opportunity to do something this offseason. We gotta do something. It’s there.” Begley says many in the organization are concerned that Anthony will consider waiving his no-trade clause if the team fails to make a splash in free agency.

There’s more tonight out of New York:

Kristaps Porzingis needs to overcome the “rookie wall” and finish the season strong to boost the Knicks‘ case in free agency, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Berman believes New York’s pitch to free agents is going to focus on the chance to play with Anthony and the 7’3″ Porzingis, who was an early-season front-runner for Rookie of the Year. However, the Latvian big man has regressed noticeably as the season has worn on. He posted 18 double-doubles before Kurt Rambis replaced Derek Fisher as head coach in February, but he hasn’t had any since. “I don’t want to finish the season with regret and then have five months of offseason work,” Porzingis said. “I want to give my all. When the offseason starts, I’ll put in more work and prepare myself for next season.’’
The Nets have only seen brief flashes of Chris McCullough‘s talent because of a minutes restriction, but so far they’re encouraged, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The Syracuse freshman was considered a possible lottery pick last year before tearing his right ACL. The Nets scooped him up at No. 29, knowing he would need to time to heal. “In the short amount of time he’s been playing, I think he’s had more success on the defensive end of the floor,” said interim Nets coach Tony Brown. “And offensively it’s just time. He needs to get experience.’’
Nets assistant coach Joe Wolf is “keenly interested” in becoming the head coach at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, tweets Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times.

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