Month: November 2024

Aaron Gordon On: Vogel, New Additions, Offseason

September 6th, 2016 at 8:10pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Aaron Gordon, who was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, is entering his third season in the league despite being just 20 years old. The forward sat down with Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders to discuss a number of topics regarding himself and the Magic. We’ve relayed a number of the highlights of the chat below, but the entire piece is certainly worth a look:

On how the league’s new emphasis on positional versatility has benefited him:

“Oh man, it’s huge. We can play small, we can play big. I can play the two, the three or the four, and it all depends on what my coach sees. He’ll say, ‘Aaron, we have an advantage at the four, go get him.’ The foundation is defense though. If you can’t guard the position, you can’t play the position. I’m able to guard all of those positions so therefore I can play them and it opens things up.”

On what new head coach Frank Vogel will expect from him:

“I think he wants me to do a whole lot of everything, from defending to distributing to scoring. We’re going to need to score the ball this year and I’m looking to take on a bigger scoring role. Defensively, I want to guard the best player on the other team every night. These are things that I want, but they are also things I want from my teammates. I want them to say, ‘No, I want to guard the best player.’ And we have those type of players. Serge Ibaka, Bismack Biyombo, Jeff Green, EP [Elfrid Payton] are guys who would love to do that. They all want that challenge and I love playing with guys like that. It’s always team-first with me and I’m going to do whatever I can to help my team win.”

On the Magic’s veteran offseason additions:

“It’s just exciting to me. I’ve always trusted [GM] Rob Hennigan and I’ve always trusted [assistant GM] Scott Perry. To me, it validates my trust in them. They made moves that other people couldn’t have made. They were confident, aggressive moves. Now, it’s on us. We’re ready to play. We have the coach, the staff, the players, the organization. We have a foundation of players who have been there and been through the losing, and now it’s time to start winning.”

On what he worked on this offseason:

“My training regimen has been absolutely hectic. I’ve being doing two-a-days and three-a-days to try to get ready for the season. I’m ready. I’ve been ready. I was ready the day that we lost to Charlotte on our last day of the season – I wanted to start another 82 games right then. I knew that it couldn’t happen, but I wanted it. Now, I’ve taken this offseason to work on my ball-handling, passing, shooting. Also, being able to shoot over defenders’ hands when they’re closing out on threes or being able to take one dribble and rise to pull up over everybody. I’ve been working on making decisions out of the pick-and-roll. I know with with Bismack Biyombo and Serge Ibaka, I’m going to have a roll guy and a pop guy. And with Vooch [Nikola Vucevic], I’ll have a little bit of both – a guy who can roll and pop. It’s going to be on me to either score off of the pick-and-roll or make the right read to get the ball to my guy in the best spot. I’m ready.”

On what he feels his ceiling as a player is:

“It’s really hard to say. It really is. I think if I continue to work diligently and I’m smart about it… One of my problems is that I work a little bit too hard and come game time, my body isn’t ready. This year, I was able to take [time] off and make sure my body was ready for 82 games. If I stay healthy… When I stay healthy and when I stay in the present, I think my potential is limitless. I basically get to decide how great I can be.”

Poll: 2008 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 18)

September 6th, 2016 at 6:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Scouting players and predicting how their skills will translate to the NBA is one of the more difficult tasks front offices have on their plates. Looking back over past drafts and how many lottery picks never evolved into stars, or even made a significant impact in the league, illustrates just how often stats, combine numbers and pure gut instinct often come up short.

Of course, we get the opportunity to critique these moves with the benefit of hindsight — a luxury that GMs don’t have on draft night. Having said that, it’s still fun to go back in time and take a theoretical look at how these drafts should have/could have gone.

We’ve been revisiting 2008 draft, which had a number of players who have gone on to post big numbers in the league. This was the year of Derrick Rose (No. 1 overall), Russell Westbrook (No. 4), Kevin Love (No. 5), Brook Lopez (No. 10) and Nicolas Batum (No. 25). Over the next few weeks, we’ll be posting a series of polls asking readers to vote on whom teams should have selected in each spot.

We’ve arrived at the No. 18 overall pick, which was held by the Wizards. In the “real world” draft, Washington selected center JaVale McGee. The big man out of the University of Nevada had a wealth of physical tools and it’s difficult to fault the organization for gambling on the seven-footer, especially in the middle of the first round. Unfortunately for the Wizards, McGee’s maturity level never fell in line with his physical tools, which ultimately led to him being traded to Denver in 2012 in exchange for Nene.

Cast your vote for who the Wizards select and check back on Wednesday to see the results, as well as to vote on whom the Cavaliers should have taken with the No. 19 pick. Also, don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the pick and why you voted the way that you did. If we fail to list a player who you think should be selected, feel free to post that in the comments section and we’ll be certain to tally those votes as well.

Bulls — Russell Westbrook [Actual Pick — Derrick Rose]
Heat — Kevin Love [Actual Pick — Michael Beasley]
Wolves — Derrick Rose [Actual Pick — O.J. Mayo]
Sonics/Thunder — DeAndre Jordan [Actual Pick — Russell Westbrook]
Grizzlies — Brook Lopez [Actual Pick — Kevin Love]
Knicks — Serge Ibaka [Actual Pick — Danilo Gallinari]
Clippers — Nicolas Batum [Actual Pick — Eric Gordon]
Bucks — Goran Dragic [Actual Pick — Joe Alexander]
Bobcats/Hornets — Danilo Gallinari [Actual Pick — D.J. Augustin]
Nets — Ryan Anderson [Actual Pick — Brook Lopez]
Blazers (from Pacers) — Eric Gordon [Actual Pick — Jerryd Bayless]
Kings — George Hill [Actual Pick — Jason Thompson]
Pacers (from Blazers) — Robin Lopez [Actual Pick — Brandon Rush]
Warriors — Courtney Lee [Actual Pick — Anthony Randolph]
Suns — Roy Hibbert [Actual Pick — Robin Lopez]
Sixers— Nikola Pekovic [Actual Pick — Marreese Speights]
Raptors — O.J. Mayo [Actual Pick — Roy Hibbert]
Wizards — ?? [Actual Pick — JaVale McGee]

If you’re a Trade Rumors app user, click here to vote.

Quincy Acy On: Mavs, Free Agency

September 6th, 2016 at 5:10pm CST by Eddie Scarito

It may have taken Quincy Acy a few weeks into this year’s free agent signing period to find a new home, but he is thrilled that he ended up with the Mavs, the forward told Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. Acy, who was born in Tyler, Texas, told the scribe that he landed in the perfect situation in Dallas after inking a two-year deal.

“It’s a dream come true,” Acy said. “It’s definitely a blessing, but it’s still kind of surreal. You know, my family, they’re all kind of more excited than I am right now, but it’s a dream come true. My agents did most of the talking with the front office, but we were just kind of playing the waiting game. We were seeing what teams and what the rosters were playing out to be, and seeing how it would fit with different teams. And it just kind of opened up. As soon as the opportunity came, we just kind of took it. And I couldn’t ask for a better situation.”

The forward is slated to come off the bench for the Mavs and he acknowledged that the best way for him to earn minutes and the trust of the coaching staff is by providing a high-energy spark every night, Sneed notes. The 25-year-old has never played in a postseason game during his career and told Sneed that he is ready to do whatever is required to rectify that void this season in Dallas.

“I mean, I’ve been a fan of Dallas my entire life, so it’s not normal that you see a young roster. But I’m glad to be a part of it,” Acy said. “We’re kind of turning over a new leaf, I guess, and I’ve kind of got a good relationship with a lot of the young guys. We’ve all been up here early, and it’s been good. It’s been worth it, and I’m happy and ready to get going. I mean, I’m just going to play my heart out every night, especially now that I’m playing for my city. You know, it’s bigger for me, and I’m going to go out and represent to the fullest. I’m going to go out every night and defend, throw bows, or dive on the floor. Whatever I’ve got to do to help us win, I’m gonna do.”

Acy averaged 5.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in 14.8 minutes per game in 2015/16, his second tenure with the Kings, who also had him for most of the 2013/14 season. The Kings moved him in and out of the starting lineup this past season, but he still wound up making 29 starts, his most ever. He spent a year with the Knicks in between his stints with Sacramento, and Acy put up the best numbers of his career in 2014/15 with New York, averaging 5.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 18.9 minutes.

Cavaliers, Markel Brown Agree To Deal

September 6th, 2016 at 3:40pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent guard Markel Brown has reached an agreement on a deal with the Cavaliers, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter). The newest Cav will have an opportunity to compete for a regular-season roster spot in Cleveland.

Brown, 24, has spent the last two seasons in Brooklyn, averaging 5.3 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 1.2 APG in his 109 total contests with the club. He played sparingly during the 2015/16 season until after Lionel Hollins was dismissed as the Nets’ head coach, and saw his minutes – and his production – increase down the stretch. In his final 30 games of the season, Brown averaged 9.4 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, and shot .438/.358/.758, a significant improvement on his career marks.

Despite his solid performance in the spring, Brown ultimately wasn’t in the Nets’ plans. After initially tendering him a qualifying offer, making him a restricted free agent, Brooklyn rescinded that QO near the end of the July moratorium.

For a player looking to earn a spot on a 15-man roster, Cleveland isn’t a bad landing spot — the team only has 12 fully guaranteed contracts on its books. J.R. Smith appears likely to join that mix at some point, but that still leaves two openings. DeAndre Liggins, Jordan McRae, and Cory Jefferson are among the other camp invitees who will look to stick with the Cavaliers through training camp and into the regular season.

The Cavs have used nearly their entire room exception to sign Richard Jefferson and Kay Felder, and are well over the cap, so Brown will get a minimum-salary contract, likely with a partial guarantee. It figures to be either a one- or two-year deal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Heat Notes: Bosh, D-League, Winslow, Weber

September 6th, 2016 at 2:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Discussions between the Heat and Chris Bosh remain focused on the team’s comfort level with the All-Star big man taking new blood thinners, says Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. According to Jackson, those thinners would be out of Bosh’s system within eight hours or so, and the Heat are exploring ways for him to play while taking that type of medication. Jackson recently reported that Bosh’s camp was frustrated with the way the Heat had handled the situation. However, the club is trying to work on a solution, which has led to some optimism on both sides, according to Jackson.

Here’s more on Bosh and the Heat:

Former Florida Panthers player Tomas Fleischmann, who deals with blood clot issues frequently, has spoken to Bosh over the phone, according to Harvey Fialkov of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter links). Fialkov notes that Bosh “picked Fleischmann’s brain” on how he might be able to stay on the court while managing those health issues, with the NHL veteran advising the NBA veteran to continue his career.
Within his previously-linked piece, Jackson writes that it’s tough to imagine Rodney McGruder, Stefan Jankovic, or Okaro White making Miami’s regular-season roster unless the team trades or waives veterans. However, the Heat would like to stash all three players in the D-League.
Jackson’s piece also features rave reviews on Justise Winslow‘s development, with one Heat staffer asserting that we’ll “see a major difference” with Winslow’s jump shot in 2016/17. The 20-year-old has been working with a shooting specialist this summer.
In a pair of mailbags, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel discusses Bosh’s situation, the potential Heat starter at shooting guard, and Briante Weber‘s roster spot — or possible lack thereof.

Poll: Ty Lawson’s NBA Future

September 6th, 2016 at 1:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Although Ty Lawson never earned an All-Star nod during his six years in Denver, he was playing at an All-Star level during his final couple seasons with the Nuggets. In 2013/14, the former first-round pick averaged a career-high 17.6 PPG to go along with 8.8 APG and 1.6 SPG. A year later, he increased his APG to 9.6 while chipping in 15.2 PPG and 1.2 SPG.

However, Lawson’s playing career was derailed by a series of off-court incidents, including multiple DUI arrests and a stint in an alcohol treatment facility. The Nuggets sent him to the Rockets, who eventually waived him. Lawson joined the Pacers for the end of the 2015/16 season and for the playoffs, but he looked like a shell of his former shelf in Houston and Indiana, setting new career lows in categories like PPG, FG%, 3PT%, FT%, and several others.

In 2016/17, Lawson will get a fresh start in Sacramento, having signed a one-year, non-guaranteed deal with the Kings. As Oliver Maroney of Basketball Insiders writes, many people close to Lawson believe he can bounce back and show that he’s capable of being a starting NBA point guard once again, while others around the league believe this might be his last shot to stick on an NBA roster.

The Kings lost starting point guard Rajon Rondo in free agency, and Darren Collison will almost certainly face a suspension from the league after agreeing to a plea deal in a domestic violence case. Sacramento has a couple other candidates for that point guard spot on its roster – including free agent signee Garrett Temple – but the door is open for Lawson to potentially earn the starting job to begin the regular season.

What do you expect from Lawson in Sacramento this season, and in general going forward? Will he bounce back from an awful year and recapture the form that made him a standout player in Denver? Is last year’s production the new normal for Lawson? Does he have a decent NBA future ahead of him, or was 2015/16 the beginning of the end? Weigh in below with your vote and your comments!

Trade Rumors App users, click here to vote.

Kings Sign Isaiah Cousins

September 6th, 2016 at 12:32pm CST by Luke Adams

One of the final few unsigned picks from the 2016 draft has a new contract in place, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter). Charania reports that the Kings have signed 59th overall selection Isaiah Cousins to a partially guaranteed, one-year contract.

Cousins (no relation to DeMarcus) is a 6’6″ shooting guard out of Oklahoma who became the second-last player selected in this year’s draft. In his final year with the Sooners, Cousins averaged 12.6 PPG, 4.5 APG, 4.5 RPG, and 1.4 SPG in 37 contests. The senior also shot 41.1% on three-point attempts and made nearly two of them per game — his shooting percentage was better on three-pointers than on two-pointers for a second consecutive season.

With 14 guaranteed contracts on their books already, the Kings may not have room on their regular-season roster for Cousins. Unless the team waives another player, the 22-year-old rookie would have to beat out both Ty Lawson and Lamar Patterson – along with any other camp invitees – to grab a spot on the 15-man roster.

If Sacramento ultimately cuts Cousins before the regular season begins, the team would retain its D-League rights to him, and could assign him to the Reno Bighorns. However, if another NBA club wanted to sign Cousins to its 15-man roster, the Kings wouldn’t be able to stop that from happening.

With Cousins locked up, there are only two 2016 draftees – Daniel Hamilton of the Thunder and Tyrone Wallace of the Jazz – whose outlooks for 2016/17 remain uncertain. For a team to retain its NBA rights to a second-round pick, it must tender a one-year, minimum-salary contract offer by September 6, so it’s possible Hamilton and Wallace will have their situations resolved soon as well.

While Cousins’ contract will likely be a minimum-salary pact, the Kings still have their $2.898MM room exception available, so they could have offered more than the minimum.

NBA Teams In Or Near Tax Territory For 2016/17

September 6th, 2016 at 11:17am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA salary cap’s enormous, unprecedented jump from $70MM in 2015/16 to $94.143MM in 2016/17 has received a ton of attention this summer, as free agents signed massive contracts that reflected the league’s new financial reality. In addition to allowing teams extra flexibility to sign and acquire players, that cap jump also significantly increased the luxury tax threshold for NBA franchises.

A year ago, clubs exceeding $84.74MM in total team salary were subject to tax penalties, but this year, that threshold has increased by nearly $30MM, to $113.287MM. The result? It has become a little more difficult for teams to spend so much that they surpass that threshold and get into tax territory. Still, a few clubs have managed to do it so far, and several others are getting close.

Those teams over or near the luxury tax line will surely keep a careful eye on their spending going forward, since tax penalties under the league’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement can be severe, particularly for repeat offenders. Our glossary entry on the subject features details on the specifics.

Here’s the full breakdown on teams over the tax threshold, or close to it:

Teams currently in the tax:

Cleveland Cavaliers

Total team salary: $116,494,181
Total guaranteed salary: $114,628,849
There are avenues for the Cavaliers to get out of tax territory if they really want to, but the team doesn’t yet have a full roster and still expects to re-sign J.R. Smith, so odds are Cleveland’s tax bills will only get larger as the club’s payroll gets even higher.

Los Angeles Clippers

Total team salary: $114,740,032
Total guaranteed salary: $114,740,032
The Clippers have a full 15-man roster, so they shouldn’t have to add much more salary before the season — perhaps just modest partial guarantees for a few camp invitees. Assuming they stay within $2MM or so of the tax line, it will be interesting to see how the Clips approach the 2017 trade deadline. A cost-cutting deal or two could could the club out of the tax, but if L.A. is competing for a top spot in the West, it may be necessary to add a little salary to acquire another impact player.

Portland Trail Blazers

Total team salary: $114,678,517
Total guaranteed salary: $112,354,979
No team has more money committed to its 2017/18 cap than Portland, which is on the hook for nearly $124MM in guaranteed money already. Since there’s a good chance the Trail Blazers will be over the tax threshold next year, the team may want to avoid that fate this year. The Blazers’ close proximity to the tax might be good news for someone like Tim Quarterman, who already has a partial guarantee on his contract and would be owed a very small rookie salary if he makes the team. Other back-of-the-roster players like Luis Montero and Grant Jerrett would have slightly larger cap hits and aren’t currently owed any guaranteed money, so those factors may improve Quarterman’s odds of earning Portland’s final roster spot.
Note: The Blazers would sneak below the tax line by cutting Jerrett and Quarterman, or Jerrett and Montero. The team would remain in the tax if Montero and Quarterman are cut.

Teams currently near the tax line:

Memphis Grizzlies

Total team salary: $112,909,960
Total guaranteed salary: $107,062,933

Dallas Mavericks

Total team salary: $111,447,750
Total guaranteed salary: $109,563,866

Detroit Pistons

Total team salary: $108,850,684
Total guaranteed salary: $106,854,557

San Antonio Spurs

Total team salary: $108,677,758
Total guaranteed salary: $107,347,345

Toronto Raptors

Total team salary: $108,151,883
Total guaranteed salary: $106,077,999

For most of the teams in this group, there will be little chance of sneaking into tax territory with in-season free agent signings, so they should be safe unless they take on salary in a trade. However, clubs the Grizzlies and Mavericks – who are inching closer to that tax line – will have to be careful about in-season signings. If those franchises have to waive multiple players on guaranteed salaries due to injuries and then sign replacements for those players, their team salaries could start to approach the tax threshold.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.

Pau Gasol Says He Turned Down Spurs In 2014

September 6th, 2016 at 10:03am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran big man Pau Gasol is one of the newest members of the Spurs, and it sounds as if the union between the two sides was a long time coming. Speaking recently at an event in Madrid, Gasol admitted that he turned down an offer from San Antonio in the summer of 2014, opting to sign a two-year contract with the Bulls instead.

“Two years ago I declined the option of going to the Spurs,” Gasol said, according to a Eurohoops translation of a Marca.com report. “Now it was the right time to go to San Antonio. … [Gregg] Popovich has told me that I will contribute a lot, and along with LaMarcus Aldridge, without Tim Duncan any more, I will be one of the leaders of the team in the front line.”

While Gasol viewed Chicago’s offer as the best deal for him at the time, and played well during his time with the Bulls, the team didn’t enjoy the sort of success he anticipated, missing the postseason this past year for the first time since the 2007/08 season. This time around in free agency, he made the Spurs a priority, reaching a deal with the team during the July moratorium.

With Gasol under contract in the NBA for at least two more years, the odds of him heading back overseas to finish his playing career in Spain are becoming more remote. Although the possibility of a return has long been the subject of much speculation in his home country, the 36-year-old essentially dismissed it, per Eurohoops. “It’s a nice idea, but becoming less and less possible,” Gasol said.

Vince Carter Still Hopes To Play Two More Years

September 6th, 2016 at 8:53am CST by Luke Adams

Vince Carter is currently under contract with the Grizzlies, and while his salary is only partially guaranteed for now, he’s expected to stick with the team and continue his career as he enters his 19th NBA season. Speaking to ESPN at the Alcorn State/Bethune Cookman game in Daytona Beach this weekend, Carter said his “love for the game” is what keeps him going at age 39, adding that he hopes to put off retirement for at least a couple more years.

“I just love to play,” Carter said. “It’s not out of me yet. When I don’t want to play and don’t want to put the work in, that’s when I’ll step away from the game, but right now I still love it. … [Year] 19 is definitely going down and I’m shooting for 20. We’ll go from there after that.”

The fifth overall pick way back in 1998, Carter has seen his production dip significantly during his last couple years with the Grizzlies. After never averaging less than 10.1 PPG in his first 16 seasons, he has scored just 6.2 PPG in 126 regular-season contests in Memphis. However, he’s also only playing 16.6 minutes per game (a career low), and he has still been somewhat effective in that part-time role.

Only $2MM of Carter’s $4.264MM salary for 2016/17 is currently guaranteed, but if the Grizzlies wanted to move on from him, they likely would have done so by now. New coach David Fizdale recently admitted that he didn’t want to take on a rebuilding project when he accepted a head coaching job, so he’ll likely value Carter’s experience and veteran leadership this year.

Carter’s contract will expire in 2017, so if he wants to play for a 20th season – as he stated earlier this summer as well – he’ll have to sign a new deal next year.