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Community Shootaround: Nik Stauskas’ Future

September 30th, 2016 at 11:28am CST by Luke Adams

In July 2015, the Sixers acquired Nik Stauskas in a trade with the Kings, just a year after Sacramento had used the 8th overall pick in the 2014 draft to land the Michigan standout. It looked like an ideal fit for Stauskas, who would get to play more minutes in Philadelphia, but wouldn’t necessarily be under any more pressure, since the Sixers weren’t viewed as a playoff contender.

For the season, Stauskas appeared in 73 games for the 76ers, starting 35 of them. He did indeed play more minutes (24.8 per game), and his other averages increased along with his playing time. However, his 8.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, and 1.9 APG marks weren’t all that impressive, and he continued to struggle with his shot, making 38.5% of his attempts from the floor, including just 32.6% from three-point range.

Heading into his third NBA season, Stauskas knows he has to take a big step forward. While he’s not likely to lose his roster spot prior to the regular season, there’s no guarantee that the Sixers will exercise his $3.81MM option for 2017/18 within the next month, so it could become a contract year for the Canadian guard.

“Coming into my third year now, I can’t really make excuses anymore, like I’m young and trying to figure things out,” Stauskas said this week, per John Smallwood of The Philadelphia Daily News. “It’s time for me to make the improvements that I’ve been trying to make over the last two years. It’s time to show that.

“I think there were times last year when I showed glimpses where I was getting to the basket well, shooting well and finishing,” Stauskas added. “But I think I let my confidence waver throughout the year. I think I am mentally stronger. I know I belong now. My first two years, there were so many times when I wondered if I belonged. I’d get to be wondering if I really belonged here. Is this where I’m meant to be? This is the first time in my NBA career where I’ve said I know I belong here. I know I can compete at this level.”

Head coach Brett Brown stressed that the team believes Stauskas still has “great potential,” and the Sixers’ backcourt isn’t nearly as crowded as its frontcourt, meaning the 22-year-old (23 next Friday) should have the opportunity to claim a significant role if he plays well. But if he struggles out of the gate, it’s not clear how much patience the Sixers will have.

What do you think? Is Stauskas poised for a breakout year, or is the former top-10 pick unlikely to be a part of the Sixers’ long-term plans? Take to the comments section below to share your opinions. We look forward to hearing your thoughts.

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Blazers Notes: Small Forwards, Harkless, Napier

September 30th, 2016 at 10:01am CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers committed a ton of money to free agent contracts and extensions this summer, and will have one of the NBA’s highest payrolls in 2016/17. However, owner Paul Allen suggested earlier this week that he believes in the team’s current group of players and had no problem handing out those contracts. Still, Allen didn’t sound overly eager to become a taxpaying team this season, and Portland is currently right on that threshold, so it will be interesting to see if the team makes a conscious effort to slip below the tax line with its roster moves.

Here’s more on the Blazers:

  • Blazers head coach Terry Stotts is keeping an “open mind” about the team’s small forward spot, writes Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. Evan Turner, Maurice Harkless, and Allen Crabbe – each of whom signed lucrative long-term contracts this offseason – will all be in the mix for minutes at the position, and any one of the three could be the starter. “We’re all just pieces to the puzzle,” Harkless said. “It’s up to him to put it together.”
  • Speaking of Harkless, the 23-year-old said Thursday after practice that he never seriously considered playing anywhere besides Portland when he became a restricted free agent in July, calling the Blazers a “very well-run organization.” “I wasn’t really paying mind to any other team,” Harkless said, per Cody Sharrett of Blazers.com. “I wanted to be here, and I think I made that clear. [The team] knew that. We knew that. This is where I wanted to be, and I’m happy.”
  • The Blazers have been impressed so far by Shabazz Napier, writes Mike Richman of The Oregonian. Napier, who was acquired by Portland in a summer trade, knows he won’t have a major role with the team, but he’s looking forward to making the most of any opportunities he gets. “My résumé in this league is not good at all,” Napier said. “So I can’t worry (like), ‘There’s minutes up in the air so I gotta do this or I gotta do that.’ I just gotta play my game.”
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Contract Details: Brand, Rockets, Thunder, Pacers

September 30th, 2016 at 8:48am CST by Luke Adams

With training camps underway, teams have now officially finalized the contract agreements with various camp invitees that had been reported over the past several weeks, meaning we have plenty of contract details to round up. As usual, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders has been busy reporting those details, updating his salary pages for teams around the NBA.

Because we have so many updates to pass along from Pincus, we’ll divide them up by players who received some guaranteed money from their teams, and those who didn’t. All of the links below point to the Basketball Insiders team salary pages, so be sure to click through for additional information.

Here are the latest salary updates from across the league, via Pincus:

Players receiving guaranteed money:

These players aren’t necessarily assured of regular-season roster spots. In fact, many of them likely received guarantees as an incentive to accept a D-League assignment. Still, for some players, larger guarantees should increase their odds of making 15-man rosters.

  • Thomas Walkup (Bulls): One year, minimum salary. $69.5K guaranteed.
  • Keith Benson (Heat): Two years, minimum salary. $75K guaranteed.
  • Henry Sims (Jazz): One year, minimum salary. $75K guaranteed.
  • Alex Poythress (Pacers): One year, minimum salary. $35,381 guaranteed.
  • Kevin Seraphin (Pacers): Two years, $3.681MM. First year ($1.8MM) guaranteed.
  • Julyan Stone (Pacers): One year, minimum salary. $50K guaranteed.
  • Gary Payton II (Rockets): Two years, minimum salary. First year ($543,471) guaranteed.
  • Isaiah Taylor (Rockets): Two years, minimum salary. $50K guaranteed.
  • Kyle Wiltjer (Rockets): Two years, minimum salary. $275K guaranteed.
  • Cat Barber (Sixers): One year, minimum salary. $50K guaranteed.
  • Elton Brand (Sixers): One year, minimum salary. $1MM guaranteed.
  • Derrick Jones (Suns): Three years, minimum salary. $42.5K guaranteed.
  • Alex Caruso (Thunder): One year, minimum salary. $50K guaranteed.
  • Kaleb Tarczewski (Thunder): One year, minimum salary. $75K guaranteed.
  • Chris Wright (Thunder): One year, minimum salary. $100K guaranteed.

Players receiving no guaranteed money:

The following players all signed one-year, minimum salary contracts with no guaranteed money. Many of these deals are “summer contracts,” which won’t count against a team’s cap unless the player earns a spot on the 15-man roster.

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Central Notes: Middleton, Mirotic, Dunleavy, Pacers

September 29th, 2016 at 9:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bucks‘ Khris Middleton had successful surgery Wednesday on his ruptured left hamstring, the team announced on its website. Middleton is expected to be out of action for six months following the procedure, which was performed at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. The fifth-year swingman, who signed a five-year, $70MM deal last summer, had his best season in 2015/16, averaging a career-high 18.2 points, 4.2 assists and 1.7 steals in 79 games.

There’s more tonight from the Central Division:

  • Nikola Mirotic seems to have the edge over Taj Gibson to be the Bulls‘ starting power forward, writes Mark Schanowski of CSNChicago. With the rest of the starting lineup seemingly set, power forward is Chicago’s most interesting position battle of the preseason. Schanowski believes Mirotic’s ability to stretch the floor in an otherwise shaky shooting lineup gives him the edge. Bobby Portis may be squeezed out of minutes unless he can earn time as a backup center.
  • After being traded from the Bulls to the Cavaliers over the summer, Mike Dunleavy says his new Cleveland teammates have a work ethic far beyond what he saw in Chicago, relays Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Dunleavy admired the humility the Cavs showed despite their success of the past two seasons and noted that the stars are willing to put in extra practice time. “I’ve been on a lot of teams where guys come and go, show up five minutes before practice and leave right after,” he said. “We have our best players here an hour and a half early and stay an hour and a half late. Quite honestly, that’s kind of new to me.”
  • New Pacers coach Nate McMillan‘s nine-man rotation is virtually set, which leaves a lot of young players battling for very few minutes, according to Mark Montieth of NBA.com. Jeff Teague, Monta Ellis, Paul George, Thaddeus Young and Myles Turner will start, with Aaron Brooks, Rodney Stuckey, C.J. Miles and Al Jefferson as regular members of the rotation off the bench. McMillan said he will use 10 players per game if someone else shows they deserve to play, which may give hope to Glenn Robinson III, Joseph Young, Georges Niang, Kevin Seraphin, Lavoy Allen, Rakeem Christmas and Jeremy Evans.
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Training Camp Depth Charts

September 29th, 2016 at 8:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

There has been a flurry of activity in recent weeks, as teams finalized their rosters heading into training camp. With so much happening around the league, it can be difficult to keep track of where everybody landed.

No worries, we’ve made it simple to find out all that information. Jason Martinez of RosterResource.com constantly updates all the player movement, so that you know who’s on the roster of your favorite team — along with the rest of the teams in the league. You can find the latest training camp depth charts by clicking here.

You can also go to RosterResource.com to find out what every player’s salary is for the upcoming season and how he was acquired by his current team, as well as plenty of draft-related information.

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Spurs Notes: Ginobili, Aldridge, Williams, Parker

September 29th, 2016 at 7:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

Veteran guard Manu Ginobili continues to enjoy basketball too much to think about retirement, writes Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News. The 39-year-old decided in mid-July to play another season, accepting a one-year, $14MM contract from the Spurs. He remained productive last season, averaging 9.6 points, 3.1 assists and 2.5 rebounds in 58 games, then followed that up by representing Argentina in the Olympics. Ginobili says he doesn’t have a timetable for retirement, and he wasn’t influenced by Tim Duncan‘s decision to step away from the game. “Those type of decisions that define your future …  and family and all of that usually doesn’t depend on what Tim does,” said Ginobili. “I just felt like I still wanted to do it. That I can help the team. That I enjoy it. That I’m healthy. That was the main key.”

There’s more from the Spurs’ camp:

  • LaMarcus Aldridge is enjoying his reunion with new Spurs executive Monty Williams, relays Nick Moyle of The San Antonio Express-News. Williams, who joined the organization over the summer as vice president of basketball operations, was an assistant coach with the Trail Blazers when Aldridge broke into the league in 2006. They were together until Williams left to become head coach of the Pelicans in 2010. “It’s been fun,” Aldridge said. “I think he said the other day he hadn’t seen me in so many years that he didn’t realize I was bigger and play so much different. Playing him what, three times a year, that was different. But it’s kind of fun having him back around.”
  • Aldridge plans to shoot 3-pointers more frequently this season, according to Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. It was a weapon he used a lot in Portland, but nearly abandoned last year. Aldridge shot 16 3-pointers during the season and missed all of them. “Pop, after last season, told me to get back with it, so I’ll start taking that shot more this year,” Aldridge said.
  • Tony Parker‘s role continues to evolve away from scoring and more toward game management, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. The 34-year-old averaged just 11.9 points per game last season, the lowest since he was a rookie, and his scoring has dropped each of the past three years. Parker explains that he’s just doing what coach Gregg Popovich is asking of him. “It’s not going to be Tony scoring 20, 25 points every game,” Parker said. “It’s not that way anymore. I have to do it in a different way.”
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Sixers Notes: Rodriguez, Stauskas, Bayless, Simmons

September 29th, 2016 at 6:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

Sixers coach Brett Brown is enjoying the luxury of having veteran leaders in camp this season, writes Brian Seltzer of NBA.com. The Philadelphia front office has been criticized in past years for not putting experienced players on the roster to guide the team’s young talent. Over the summer, the Sixers added free agents Jerryd Bayless, Gerald Henderson and Sergio Rodriguez and re-signed Elton Brand. Brown seemed particularly impressed with Rodriguez, who has 10 years of professional experience between the NBA and Spain, along with two Olympic appearances. “He just has a real gift for understanding especially offensive tempo,” Brown said. “I think he’s got a bounce to his game and a pace to his game that he will be absorbed in how I want to play.”

There’s more training camp news from the Sixers:

  • Entering his second season in Philadelphia, Nik Stauskas finally feels comfortable in the NBA, relays Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. After being picked eighth overall by the Kings in 2014, Stauskas has produced two lackluster seasons, but he sounds ready for a turnaround this year. “I have a confidence that I know I belong here now,” he said. “The first two years, there’s so many times that I’m trying to fit in. I go to bed at night and I wonder, do I really belong here? Like, is this where I was meant to be? I think this is the first time in my NBA career where I said I know I belong here.”
  • Bayless was on the Bucks team that was a surprise playoff participant two years ago and he sees similarities with the current Sixers squad, Pompey writes in a separate piece. “That’s not a promise or anything,” Bayless added. “But at the same time, if we follow the path, and we play defense on a nightly basis, you never know what can happen. We just want to continue to get better.”
  • Brown is working on combinations in camp involving rookies Ben Simmons and Dario Saric and he plans to use them together during the season, Pompey notes in another story. “I think the pluses are you have 6-10 do-alls that really can jump into a very versatile defensive world with perhaps a lot of switching,” Brown said. “I think they are elite defensive rebounders that can rebound, lead a break, and take off.”
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Wizards Notes: Beal, Wall, Burke, Satoransky

September 29th, 2016 at 5:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal will have to go through the NBA’s concussion protocol after taking an elbow to the head Wednesday, according to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. Beal was held out of action today and won’t be cleared to play until he goes through the “return-to-participation protocol.” Coach Scott Brooks called the injury a mild concussion that happened when Ian Mahinmi accidentally hit Beal in the head. Still, it’s the second concussion in eight months for Beal and one more injury concern for a player the Wizards signed to a five-year, $128MM maximum contract over the summer. Beal has missed 25% of his games during his first four years in the NBA and was placed on a minutes restriction last season after doctors discovered  “the beginnings of a stress reaction” in his lower right fibula.

There’s more from the Wizards’ camp:

  • Still recovering from offseason surgery on both knees, point guard John Wall is hoping more backcourt depth will lighten his workload, Buckner writes in a separate story. Washington swung a deal with Utah this summer for Trey Burke, who entered camp as Wall’s likely backup. Wall hopes his addition will mean more rest during a long season. “A lot of times in the past I was playing  40, 42 minutes and the whole second half … wearing my body down,” Wall said. “With a better second unit that we’ll probably have, we’re a more complete team, I probably won’t have to be out there as much. I think that will help with how I take care of my body and how we play as a team.”
  • Wall confirmed that he is ahead of his rehab schedule as he tries to be ready for the October 27th season opener, relays J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic. Wall has been participating in about 70% of practices, but has been sitting out five-on-five drills. “I’m leaving it all up to the doctors and the trainers,” Wall said. “As long as I can get through this week, and get through the more practices we have and through the preseason, we’ll have to sit back and wait and see. Hopefully I will be [ready for the opener]. That’s my ultimate goal, but I’m not trying to rush it.”
  • Tomas Satoransky has been the surprise of camp so far, Michael writes in a separate piece. The 6’7″ Czech rookie guard agreed to join the Wizards over the summer on a three-year, $9MM deal and has impressed teammates with his vertical leap and knowledge of the game. “I’d seen a couple highlights of him playing,” said Otto Porter, “but actually getting out here playing with him to actually be on his team? One time I was cutting through, he hit me on the back of the shoulder [with the ball]. I wasn’t looking for it. I was like, ‘OK, this kid knows how to play.’”
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Pistons Notes: Gbinije, Caldwell-Pope, Smith

September 29th, 2016 at 4:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

To help ease Michael Gbinije‘s transition to the NBA, the Pistons won’t be playing him at point guard during camp, according to Keith Langlois of NBA.com. The 49th overall pick out of Syracuse, Gbinije brings great versatility to Detroit, both on offense and defense. Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said the decision to use Gbinije solely as as a swingman in the early going was made after summer league. That’s why the Pistons signed Ray McCallum to compete with Lorenzo Brown for the No. 3 point guard slot. Gbinije, who may get to hone his point guard skills with the Pistons’ D-League affiliate in Grand Rapids, said he accepts the decision. “I can just focus on one position at a time,” Gbinije said. “I’m sure the more comfortable I get, I might experience other positions. But right now, it’s good that I’m just limited.”

There’s more news from the Pistons’ training camp:

  • Kentavious Caldwell-Pope doesn’t mind waiting until next summer for a new contract if that becomes necessary, writes Aaron McMann of MLive. The fourth-year shooting guard is eligible for a rookie extension through October 31st, and his agent, Rich Paul, is now negotiating with the team after a quiet summer. No word has leaked about how close they may be to an agreement. If they can’t reach a deal before the deadline, Caldwell-Pope will enter next summer as a restricted free agent. “That’s all on the organization here, if they would like to keep me or let me go into free agency,” he said. “Right now, my focus is on the season. I can’t worry too much about that.”
  • The decision on Caldwell-Pope is the most important one the franchise will face in the immediate future, contends David Mayo of MLive. Mayo estimates the Pistons could probably re-sign Caldwell-Pope to a contract starting at $15MM-$16MM annually if they hammer out an extension before the deadline. But if he has another good season, that price might be closer to $20MM in free agency.
  • Ish Smith was the first free agent the Pistons targeted over the summer, according to Rod Beard of The Detroit News. At 28, Smith is one of the oldest players on the roster and is expected to provide steady veteran leadership as the backup point guard. “It’s so much better than I thought,” Smith said of the situation in Detroit. “When I was in Philly, we played them four times and you see [the chemistry] from the outside looking in. When you get here and see the hard work everybody puts in and the dedication to win.”
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Cavaliers, Clippers Interested In Garnett As Coach

September 29th, 2016 at 3:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

A week after announcing his retirement, Kevin Garnett already has a job offer, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue confirmed today that he has asked Garnett to be part of his coaching staff in Cleveland. “I talked to him about it,” Lue said after practice. “I know his wife is pushing for it a lot. Brandi is pushing for it, trying to get him to come and coach. He says he’s not ready yet. He goes back — ‘I might do it’ — but he’s back and forth. We’ll see. But I’d definitely make a spot for him if he wanted to come back and coach.”

Lue, who called Garnett one of his best friends, was an assistant in Boston when Garnett played there. The Cavaliers coach said he wanted to see Garnett play another season in Minnesota, but would like to team up with him now that the retirement decision has been made.

Cleveland’s coaching staff is already filled, with Larry Drew being promoted to associate head coach this week and Jim Boylan, Mike Longabardi, James Posey and Damon Jones re-signing as assistants. Any coaching job Garnett might take would have to be in an unofficial capacity.

And the Cavaliers may not be his only choice, as the Clippers tweeted a photo this afternoon of Garnett joining them for practice. L.A. coach Doc Rivers, who also has close ties with Garnett from their days with the Celtics, said he would have been glad to have Garnett as a player this season and may be interested in adding him in a coaching capacity. “I’m going to offer him something,” Rivers said. “I don’t want to say too much right now. I just know he’d be a great asset to any team.” 

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