2016 September | Hoops Rumors

Pacers Notes: George, Hairston, Turner

September 26th, 2016 at 11:15am CST by Luke Adams

Paul George officially became eligible for a new contract extension on Sunday, and as I explained last week, there are multiple pros and cons to consider as he decides whether or not to re-up with the Pacers this year. For his part though, George doesn’t seem to have those pros and cons weighing too heavily on his mind. Speaking to reporters today, George said he’s focused on the season and is “not even thinking about” his contract situation, per Nate Taylor of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter link).

Presumably, George’s agent is thinking about a little more than his client is, so it’s not out of the question that the Pacers and their All-Star forward could reach an agreement prior to the regular season. As we wait to see whether a new deal for George is in the cards, let’s round up a few more Pacers notes…

According to Pacers head coach Nate McMillan, the team is heading into camp with 19 players, and three of those players will eventually end up with the D-League’s Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Twitter link via Taylor). Barring any surprises, Julyan Stone, Nick Zeisloft, and Alex Poythress, whose deals aren’t fully guaranteed, are the best bets to end up at Fort Wayne.
Free agent swingman P.J. Hairston, who recently worked out for Brooklyn, also had a workout with the Pacers, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
Myles Turner is currently in the NBA’s concussion protocol, McMillan said today (Twitter link via Taylor). However, Turner’s regular-season availability isn’t expected to be impacted. McMillan expects the young big man to join George, Jeff Teague, Monta Ellis, and Thaddeus Young in the starting lineup to open the year (Twitter link via Taylor).

Derrick Rose Remains Under Investigation By LAPD

September 26th, 2016 at 10:23am CST by Luke Adams

While Derrick Rose‘s civil trail stemming from a sexual assault lawsuit is set to begin on October 4, the new Knicks point guard also hasn’t yet been cleared from facing criminal charges. According to a letter from the Los Angeles Police Department, published by TheWhiteBronco.com, the LAPD has an open criminal investigation into Rose, and continues to look into the complaint filed against him by his “Jane Doe” accuser.

The judge in Rose’s civil case ruled that the identity of his accuser must be revealed during the trial. Her lawyer has urged the judge to reconsider that ruling, and as Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News writes, the LAPD’s letter will be used to make that case — Detective Nadine Hernandez said in the letter that the accuser’s identity will remain confidential throughout the LAPD’s investigation.

“The ability to offer anonymity to victims of sex crimes is an invaluable investigative aid to investigators as well as a great comfort to victims of crimes of such a sensitive nature,” Hernandez wrote in the letter.

It remains to be seen how Rose’s civil trial will play out or whether the LAPD’s criminal investigation will result in any charges. Still, while Knicks president Phil Jackson recently downplayed the impact the case(s) will have on Rose and the team, the point guard will likely have to miss portions of New York’s camp and preseason due to the trial, raising questions about the lack of homework the Knicks did on the case prior to acquiring Rose in June.

Nets Sign Chase Budinger

September 26th, 2016 at 9:44am CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 26: The Nets have officially signed Budinger, the team announced today in a press release.

SEPTEMBER 21: With training camps set to begin next week, the Nets have added another veteran player to their roster, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, who reports (via Twitter) that free agent forward Chase Budinger has reached an agreement with the team. Terms of the deal aren’t yet known.

Budinger, 28, spent last season with the Pacers and the Suns, appearing in 66 total games. He played a career-low 14.1 minutes per game and saw his production decline across the board — Budinger’s 4.1 PPG, .279 3PT%, and .696 FT% were all easily the worst marks of his career.

Still, heading into last season, Budinger was a career 35.8% from three-point range, and he could still provide a little value as a shooter off the bench. It’s not clear whether he’ll receive a guaranteed contract from the Nets, but he’ll likely have the opportunity to compete for a roster spot either way.

Brooklyn already has 15 guaranteed salaries on its books, and Budinger will be the 19th player the team is bringing to camp. However, the Nets are well below the salary cap – as well as the salary floor – and a handful of those guaranteed contracts are minimum-salary deals, so if someone has to be waived to make room for Budinger, it wouldn’t have a real impact on the club’s flexibility.

Nets Sign Jorge Gutierrez To Camp Deal

September 26th, 2016 at 9:43am CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 26: The Nets have formally announced their roster for training camp, which includes Gutierrez, making his deal official.

SEPTEMBER 21: The Nets have filled out their offseason roster by agreeing to bring Jorge Gutierrez in on a training camp deal, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter). Gutierrez will become the 20th man on Brooklyn’s camp roster, with the team having reached an agreement with 19th man Chase Budinger earlier this afternoon.

An undrafted point guard out of the University of California, Gutierrez has appeared in 47 total NBA games since 2014, debuting for the Nets and also spending time with the Bucks and Hornets. For his career, he has averaged 2.9 PPG, 1.5 APG, and 1.1 RPG, while shooting 50.0% from the field.

Gutierrez has spent more time over the past several seasons in the D-League, playing 122 contests for the Canton Charge. With 15 players on guaranteed salaries for the Nets, plus Budinger, Beau Beech, Yogi Ferrell, and Egidijus Mockevicius also in the mix, it will be an uphill battle for Gutierrez to earn a spot on the team’s regular-season roster, so another stint in the D-League may be on the horizon for him.

Gutierrez was one of a handful of players who participated in an informal workout on Tuesday for the Nets. Veteran free agents Kendall Marshall and P.J. Hairston were also spotted at the team’s facility.

Spurs Sign Nicolas Laprovittola

September 26th, 2016 at 9:40am CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 26: The Spurs’ signing of Laprovittola is now official, according to the team (via Twitter).

SEPTEMBER 3: Laprovittola’s deal is a non-guaranteed, one-year minimum salary arrangement, international journalist David Pick tweets.

SEPTEMBER 2: The Spurs have a deal in place with Laprovittola and will give him a shot to snag their 15th and final regular season roster spot, Stein tweets.

AUGUST 26: The Spurs already have two Argentinian players on their roster, in Manu Ginobili and Patricio Garino, and they’re working to add a third. According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, San Antonio is making an effort to sign veteran guard Nicolas Laprovittola. Orazio Cauchi of Sportando suggests that the two sides already have a deal in place.

The Spurs have a long list of unsigned draft picks that they’ve stashed overseas over the years, but Laprovittola’s name isn’t on that list, since he went undrafted when he was eligible in 2012. The 26-year-old has played for a handful of international teams since 2007, spending time in Argentina, Brazil, and Lithuania before joining his current club, Spain’s Estudiantes.

Last season, Laprovittola averaged 10.3 PPG and a team-high 3.8 APG for Lietuvos Rytas in Lithuania, posting an impressive .492/.444/.912 shooting line. He was also a member of the Argentinian national team in Rio this month, averaging 8.2 PPG, 2.7 APG, and 2.2 RPG in the Olympic tournament.

Having already been active in free agency this summer, the Spurs used up all their cap space and their room exception, so the team would only be able to sign Laprovittola to a minimum-salary deal. Assuming the two sides make it official, I’d expect a two-year, minimum-salary pact with a partial guarantee in year one, which would give the Argentinian guard a chance to compete for a roster spot.

Spurs Sign Joel Anthony

September 26th, 2016 at 9:38am CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 26: The Spurs have officially announced their roster for training camp (via Twitter) and Anthony’s name is on it, meaning the two sides formally finalized a deal.

SEPTEMBER 19: Veteran center Joel Anthony is set to join the Spurs, with the two sides working on finalizing a training camp deal, reports Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News. According to Young, the contract is expected to be non-guaranteed.

Anthony, 34, spent the last two seasons in Detroit, playing sparingly for the Pistons. In 2015/16, he averaged a career-low 5.1 minutes per game in 19 regular-season contests. The Spurs likely won’t be expecting much production from Anthony if he earns a spot on the team’s 15-man roster, but he’d provide some additional veteran depth to the club.

Anthony figures to occupy one of the two current openings on the Spurs’ 20-man offseason roster. San Antonio has 14 players on fully guaranteed salaries for the 2016/17 season, with Ryan Richards, Bryn Forbes, Patricio Garino, and Ryan Arcidiacono also in the mix on non-guaranteed or partially-guaranteed deals.

If Anthony makes the Spurs’ opening-night roster, he’d be behind LaMarcus Aldridge, Pau Gasol, David Lee, and Dewayne Dedmon in the club’s frontcourt rotation.

Pat Riley: Chris Bosh’s Career With Heat Likely Over

September 26th, 2016 at 9:11am CST by Luke Adams

Although Chris Bosh pledged this weekend to continue working toward a comeback after his latest health setback, it doesn’t appear as though he’ll return to the Heat. Team president Pat Riley said today that the Heat are no longer anticipating Bosh to get back on the court for the franchise, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.

“I think Chris is still open-minded. But we are not working toward his return,” Riley said. “We feel that, based on the last exam, that his Heat career is probably over.”

Asked whether or not he feels that Bosh’s NBA career is also over, Riley suggested “that’s up to him,” according to Winderman. The veteran big man has had to deal with blood-clotting issues and failed a recent physical with the Heat, whose doctors weren’t comfortable clearing him to play.

Riley and Bosh’s camp have disagreed on how much support the team has provided the 11-time All-Star as he has dealt with his health issues. While Riley says the Heat have worked hard to help Bosh get back on the court, Bosh’s camp says he received little help from the team, and had to find his own doctor to get a program that would allow him to play, per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter links). Riley and Bosh reportedly haven’t spoken in months — Riley said today that he has reached out to Bosh, but didn’t receive a reply, tweets Ethan J. Skolnick of The Miami Herald.

“His health, playing and economics — it’s been health, health, health,” Riley said today. “Whatever the cap ramifications are, they are there, but we never ever thought about that. … Contrary to how this thing has been perpetuated in the media, we have worked very, very hard with Chris. We headed down the road very excited to a point where we thought it would work. And then the physical couldn’t clear him to the next step.”

The Heat would have multiple options to increase their cap flexibility if Bosh is unable to return to the court this year. Miami could apply for a disabled player exception worth about $5.6MM that would allow the team to sign or trade a player for no more than that amount. Alternately, as of February 9, the club could potentially remove Bosh’s remaining cap hits from its books if a doctor jointly approved by the NBA and the NBPA rules him medically unable to return.

Paul Pierce Will Retire After 2016/17 Season

September 26th, 2016 at 8:10am CST by Luke Adams

Paul Pierce will return to the Clippers for the 2016/17 season, but he’ll call it a career at season’s end, he announced today in a story for The Players’ Tribune. “This is it, my final season,” Pierce writes at the start his piece. “It’s time to move on from the game of basketball.”

“Just like any difficult decision, I think you’ve got to be at peace with yourself,” Pierce writes. “I’m at peace with retiring, but I’ve got one more ride left. One more season. One more opportunity. With the Clippers, in the city where I grew up, I feel like I have that opportunity on a great team. We’re hungry. We want to win a championship.”

Pierce, who turns 39 next month, entered the NBA back in 1998 as the 10th overall pick. After spending 15 seasons in Boston, which included a championship and 10 All-Star appearances, Pierce has bounced around between a few teams in recent years, playing for the Nets, Wizards, and Clippers. For his career, he has averaged an even 20.0 PPG to go along with 5.7 RPG, 3.6 APG, and 1.3 SPG in 1,318 regular-season contests. He has also appeared in 163 postseason contests, averaging 19.4 PPG in those games.

There had been some uncertainty this summer as to whether Pierce would even return for the 2016/17 campaign. The decision was described as a 50-50 one earlier in the offseason, though multiple reports in recent months indicated that the veteran forward was leaning toward playing. Pierce’s deal with the Clippers calls for a guaranteed salary worth $3,527,920 this season. He’s also under contract for the 2017/18 league year, but his salary is only partially guaranteed for about $1.1MM.

With Pierce returning to the mix for the upcoming season, the Clippers have 15 players on guaranteed contracts on their cap, meaning it will be an uphill battle for camp invitees like Dorell Wright and Xavier Munford to earn a spot on the team’s regular-season roster.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Western Notes: Payne, Suns, Barnes, Wolves Coaches

September 25th, 2016 at 9:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Second-year Thunder guard Cameron Payne has shown encouraging signs in his recovery from the Jones fracture surgery he had in July, writes Erik Horne of The Oklahoman. Payne has gone through full contact during Oklahoma City’s first two days of practice and is expected to participate in a scrimmage on Tuesday. Coach Billy Donovan said Payne has been working to recapture his timing, but the medical staff hasn’t recommended any limitations on his playing time. “He probably feels like the more he can play, the more comfortable he’ll get back into a routine,” Donovan said. “He’s obviously been in practice. He’s been active. Cam’s got a really, really instinctive game. He’s got a good feel for the game. I think getting his timing back playing, because he hasn’t done a lot of 5-on-5 will take him a little bit of time. But he looks good; he’s moving well.”

There’s more news from the Western Conference:

The four players the Suns added to their training camp roster today will probably end up in the D-League, according to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Phoenix reached agreements with undrafted rookies Gracin Bakumanya, Shaquille Harrison and Derrick Jones, along with returning D-League player Derek Cooke. Teams can assign up to four waived players to the D-League as long as they aren’t claimed by other organizations.
As he gets ready for his first training camp with the Kings, one of Matt Barnes‘ objectives will be to improve team chemistry, relays Andy Furillo of The Sacramento Bee. The 36-year-old Barnes agreed to a two-year, $12MM contract this summer to come to Sacramento. He joins an organization that was beset by internal problems last season, especially between star big man DeMarcus Cousins and former coach George Karl. “I’ve never been a star player, so to speak,” Barnes said, “but I’ve been one of the leaders, one of the voices of reason, and I have, I think, an uncanny ability to be able to get through to everybody, and not so much by talking. I lead by example, so that when I do talk, people listen, and I’m respected.”
The Timberwolves finalized their coaching staff today, the team announced on its website. Minnesota named Andy Greer and Rick Brunson as assistant coaches, Peter Patton as shooting coach and Daisuke Yoshimoto as special assistant to the president of basketball operations. In addition, Vince Legarza was promoted to player development coach.

Nikola Pekovic Won’t Play For Wolves This Season

September 25th, 2016 at 9:29pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 25th: Pekovic is out for the season, the Timberwolves confirmed today (Twitter link). The official statement adds, “A determination about future seasons will be made at a later date.” Minnesota cannot apply for a Disabled Player Exception because it is under the salary cap, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.

SEPTEMBER 23rd: Appearing on WCCO Radio this afternoon, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor indicated that Nikola Pekovic won’t play for the team this year, and may be bought out (Twitter link). The veteran center continues to battle ankle and Achilles issues, and wasn’t expected to be cleared to participate in training camp.

Pekovic, 30, had a couple very productive seasons for the Timberwolves in 2012/13 and 2013/14, averaging 16.9 PPG and 8.7 RPG in 116 games during that stretch. However, he has long been plagued by injuries, having never appeared in more than 65 games in a season. Last year, Pekovic played just 12 times before being shut down.

The Wolves are on the hook for $12.1MM this season for Pekovic, and $11.6MM in 2017/18. If Pekovic is ruled medically ineligible to play by a doctor jointly approved by the NBA and NBPA, the team could get salary cap relief for his contract as of January 31. Based on Taylor’s comments though, a buyout is also a possibility. Buying out Pekovic wouldn’t create as much cap flexibility for Minnesota, but it would free up a roster spot sooner, and the team would be able to stretch out his 2017/18 cap hit, limiting the impact.

With buyouts apparently possible for both Pekovic and Kevin Garnett, the Wolves could create two openings on their projected 15-man roster. That would be a silver lining for players on non-guaranteed deals hoping to crack the regular-season squad, including Rasual Butler, John Lucas III, and Toure’ Murry.

Month: October 2024