2016 October | Hoops Rumors

Celtics Notes: Hunter, Horford, Smart, Young

October 30th, 2016 at 12:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

When the Celtics waived former first-round pick R.J. Hunter on Monday, they lost their compensation for allowing Doc Rivers to join the Clippers, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. While only Josh Richardson might have been a better choice among available players at No. 28 in last year’s draft, Hunter is still part of an uneven draft record that Boston has produced with its recent wealth of picks. While the Celtics have brought in Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley and Jaylen Brown, they have misfired with Hunter, Fab Melo, and the trade for JaJuan Johnson. They are also haunted by the 2008 selection of J.R. Giddens ahead of DeAndre Jordan, Mario Chalmers and Goran Dragic.

“Right now, the hardest thing is I like R.J. and we’ve invested time in him,” said Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge. “I see Jaylen and Terry [Rozier] and Jordan Mickey and Demetrius Jackson and Abdel Nader, who had a terrific summer with us, and the two kids over in Europe that are playing fantastic right now. The draft is the draft, as we all know. You have some good selections and some that don’t fit and don’t work for you. So I’m not disappointed in that regard at all. I’m glad that we have another [Nets] pick next year and we’ll keep taking our swings and trying to find the right guys.”

There’s more today out of Boston:

ABC/ESPN analyst Mark Jackson believes the Celtics will benefit greatly from the free agent signing of Al Horford, Washburn adds in the same piece. “They did a great job of adding Horford, a big that brought to the table what they did not have — a defensive, tough, hard-nosed leader — and you can see that … already,” Jackson said.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens was happy to see Hunter find a new team so quickly, relays Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe. Hunter signed with the Bulls on Wednesday, shortly after clearing waivers. “I think he’s a really good player,” Stevens said. “His ability to shoot the ball and his ability to pass the ball are two great strengths … I don’t know how he fits from a rotation standpoint; that would be a [Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg] question. But he’s certainly a good player that can help any team.”
The Celtics are taking their time with decisions about extensions for Smart, Rozier and James Young, writes Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. The deadline is Monday to pick up the fourth-year guaranteed options for Smart and Young and the third-year option for Rozier. Bulpett believes the team is certain to pick up the $4,438,020 for Smart and the $1,988,520 for Rozier. However, the team is still examining trade options for Young, who would be owed $2,803,507 for 2017/18, and may save that decision until the last minute.

Knicks Notes: Jackson, Rose, Noah, Anthony

October 30th, 2016 at 10:46am CST by Arthur Hill

The season isn’t a week old, but Knicks president Phil Jackson already felt it was necessary to meet with players to discuss their comments to the media, writes Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. There were complaints about the offense and defense following a lopsided opening-night loss in Cleveland, but Jackson’s meeting and Saturday’s win over the Grizzlies may have quieted things down for now. New point guard Derrick Rose was advocating more pick-and-rolls over Jackson’s traditional triangle approach. Rose, as Isola points out, missed most of the preseason because of a civil trial over sexual assault allegations in Los Angeles.

There’s more this morning out of New York:

The trade for Rose and the offseason signing of Brandon Jennings has made the Knicks a far more interesting team, contends Newsday’s Neil Best. New York now has scoring threats at the point guard position that it lacked last season. “Man, I’m happy I got it out of the way,” Rose said of his first home game at Madison Square Garden. “The crowd was great, energetic, they were in it from the jump.”
Joakim Noah showed Saturday that he hasn’t lost the emotional intensity that defined his game in Chicago, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday. The Knicks’ new starting center, who joined the team on a four-year, $72MM contract this summer, pounded his chest a few times, yelled at Zach Randolph and was serenaded by the crowd in his home debut. “It’s really special to play at home, just trying to stay in the moment because it’s real easy to get caught up in everything that’s going on around you,” Noah said. “This building means so much to me. There were a couple of times, it was very emotional for me. I was very nervous. But it was the best, it was the best feeling.”
Carmelo Anthony said again Saturday that he enjoys having high-profile teammates like Rose, Noah and Kristaps Porzingis to share the scoring load, relays Ian Begley of ESPN. Anthony had 20 points against Memphis but suffered through a poor shooting night, making just 5 of 15 from the field. “You don’t see me complaining about it,” Anthony said. “You didn’t see me out there making a face. [It’s] something that I embrace. I look forward to just being out there with guys who can control the game and make plays, and when it’s my time, it’s my time.”

D-League Will Hold Draft Today

October 30th, 2016 at 9:49am CST by Arthur Hill

Anthony Brown, who was the last player cut by the Lakers on Monday, is expected to be the top pick in today’s D-League draft. The event will get under way via teleconference at 2 p.m. Eastern, with the Erie BayHawks, Orlando’s affiliate, holding the first selection.

Brown, a 24-year-old forward, was taken in the second round of the 2015 NBA draft by the Lakers and played in 29 games during his rookie season. He was in the starting lineup 11 times and averaged 4.0 points and 2.4 rebounds per night. L.A. parted ways with Brown despite a guaranteed salary of $874,636.

Big men will be a draft priority in a guard-heavy league, writes Adam Johnson of D-League Digest, but the Santa Cruz Warriors may be tempted to use the second pick to bring back a former Warrior, 6’4″ shooting guard Travis Leslie. Johnson also projects center/power forward Will Davis of UC Irvine, center/power forward Chris Horton of Austin Peay and 7-foot center Jaleel Roberts of UNC Asheville to be taken early.

The draft has been reduced from eight rounds to six this year, and the number of eligible players has dropped from 290 to 182. Three expansion teams, the Long Island Nets, Greensboro Swarm and Windy City Bulls, will be joining the draft.

In his mock draft, Johnson lists Brown, Horton, Leslie, Davis and Roberts as the top five picks, followed by 6’7″ forward Shonn Miller of Connecticut, 6’7″ forward Jarelle Reischel of Eastern Kentucky, 6’9″ forward Markus Kennedy of Southern Methodist, 6’4″ guard Keith Hornsby of LSU and 6’3″ guard DaVonte Lacy of Washington State.

Hornets Exercise Option On Frank Kaminsky

October 30th, 2016 at 8:46am CST by Arthur Hill

The Hornets have exercised their third-year option on Frank Kaminsky, tweets Adi Joseph of The Sporting News. After Saturday’s game, Charlotte GM Rich Cho delivered the news to Kaminsky in the locker room in the form of a letter.

A 23-year-old center out of Wisconsin, Kaminsky appeared in 81 games for the Hornets during his rookie season. He averaged 7.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per night and shot 34% from 3-point range.

Kaminsky, who is making $2.73MM this season, will see his salary increased to $2,847,600 for 2017/18. The Hornets have now taken care of all their rookie-scale option decisions for this season.

And-Ones: Prigioni, Teague, Evans, Hummel

October 29th, 2016 at 10:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

Pablo Prigioni, who was waived by Houston on Monday, is drawing interest from a team in Spain, according to Orazio Cauchi of Sportando. The 39-year-old point guard has an offer from Barcelona that he is reportedly considering. Prigioni played for the Knicks, Clippers and Rockets in four NBA seasons.

There’s more NBA-related news tonight:

Former NBA guard Marquis Teague has been released by his Israeli team, tweets international basketball writer David Pick. The younger brother of Pacers guard Jeff Teague, Marquis Teague played 88 games for the Bulls and Nets but has been out of the league for the past two seasons.
Ex-NBA players Jeremy Evans and Robbie Hummel have signed with Khimki Moscow, Pick reports (Twitter link). Evans, who was waived by the Pacers last week, had a guaranteed $1,227,286 contract. Hummel had a $150K guarantee from the Nuggets, who released him last week.
Three recently waived players were part of a D-League trade today, reports Chris Reichert of The Step Back (Twitter link). The Northern Arizona Suns dealt Xavier Munford, Cory Jefferson and Alec Brown to the Greensboro Swarm in exchange for three draft picks. Munford, a 24-year-old shooting guard, was released by the Clippers, Jefferson was cut by the Cavaliers and Brown was waived by the Suns.

Pacific Notes: Price, Warren, Speights, Lakers

October 29th, 2016 at 9:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns have offered veteran guard Ronnie Price an assistant coaching position, tweets Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman. Price was waived Monday by the Thunder even though he had a fully guaranteed two-year, $5MM contract. The 33-year-old played 62 games for Phoenix last season, starting 18 times. Suns coach Earl Watson confirmed the offer, but said Price isn’t ready to end his playing career.

There’s more news from the Pacific Division:

After two injury-filled half seasons, Suns small forward T.J. Warren is off to a strong start to 2016/17, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Warren scored 30 points Friday night in an overtime loss to the Thunder, going 8 for 8 on a variety of mid-range shots. “He gets buckets; ‘Tony Buckets’ is his name,” said teammate Eric Bledsoe. “He played not only great offense, but great defense too. He carried us.” The Suns exercised their 2017/18 option on Warren on Monday.
The Clippers are counting on big man Marreese Speights to boost their bench scoring and maybe even change the balance of power in the West, relays Dan Woike of The Orange County Register. The former Warrior signed a two-year, minimum-salary deal with L.A. over the summer. “(He’s) just another scorer,” said coach/executive Doc Rivers. “I don’t think anyone has a guy like that on their bench, for that matter. Golden State had one last year, and now he’s on our team. But there’s not a lot of fives that can do what Mo does as far as offensively shoot the three. There are some, but Mo also has a post game as well.” Speights has a player option on the second year of his new deal, so he could be in line for a raise if he has a productive season.
The Lakers hope to be more appealing to free agents by the time California natives Russell Westbrook and Paul George become available in two years, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Over the summer, L.A. was turned down for meetings by Kevin Durant, Mike Conley and Hassan Whiteside.

Community Shootaround: Warriors Defense

October 29th, 2016 at 8:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

Golden State ranked fifth in the NBA in defensive rating last season, allowing an average of 104.32 points per 100 possessions. A year earlier, the Warriors led the league at 101.86.

They started this season by allowing 129 points to the Spurs.

The Warriors’ signing of Kevin Durant was the dominant story of the offseason, but the team had to make a few sacrifices to fit him under the salary cap. Center Andrew Bogut, a defensive and rebounding force, was traded to the Mavericks. Golden State didn’t re-sign forward Harrison Barnes, who also ended up in Dallas. Reserve shot blocker Festus Ezeli signed with the Trail Blazers.

Golden State has assembled an offense that might rank with the best in league history, but the sacrifices on defense are worrisome. Zaza Pachulia was brought in as the new starting center, but there isn’t a clear rim protector anywhere in the rotation.

That brings us to tonight’s question: Have the Warriors regressed enough on defense to cost them a shot at another NBA championship, or even a third straight Western Conference title? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the topic. We look forward to what you have to say.

Atlantic Notes: Okafor, Embiid, Lopez, Lin

October 29th, 2016 at 7:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

Minutes restrictions have made it difficult for the Sixers to get Jahlil Okafor and Joel Embiid on the court at the same time, but Okafor tells Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly that he sees a bright future for the pairing. The two young centers teamed up for the first time in today’s games with the Hawks, but only for about two minutes in the second quarter. “I think once we figure it out, we can really dominate together,” Okafor said. There have been rumors for months that the Sixers are interested in making a trade to clear up their logjam in the middle with Okafor, Embiid and Nerlens Noel.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

It’s only the third game of the season, but the Nets are already giving center Brook Lopez a day off, notes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Brooklyn, in the middle of a stretch of four games in six nights, plans to be careful about Lopez’s minutes all season. The ninth-year center, who has been through three foot surgeries, compares it to being on a pitch count. “What we’re trying to do with Brook is take the long-term approach, just build him up as the season goes on and increase his minutes. We have a plan in place,’’ said new Nets coach Kenny Atkinson. “It’s learning the system, it’s looking at a long-term approach to how we’re going to build him up in terms of minutes as the season goes on. He’s got some miles on him.”
Atkinson is ready for a new chapter with Jeremy Lin after contributing heavily to “Linsanity” in New York, writes Howard Beck of Bleacher Report. Atkinson was an assistant with the Knicks at the time and did a lot of individual work with Lin. “He knows I came here to take on this challenge with him,” Lin said. “And deep down inside, I know that when he got this job, the first thing he wanted to do was come and get me. We’re in this together. And we’re deeply embedded in this challenge.”
New Raptors GM Jeff Weltman doesn’t mind working in anonymity, relays Steve Simmons of The Toronto Sun. Team president Masai Ujiri gets credit for building last year’s Eastern Conference finalist, but Weltman, who was promoted to his new position last month, is happy to be part of the team. “It’s easier [to be unknown],” said Weltman. “I truly think the only way we’re going to win is if we don’t have egos. That’s Masai’s belief also. It’s what we try and instill in all our players. … I was brought up to believe that and Masai’s known that for a long time. There’s no one here trying to pat themselves on the back or get noticed. We just want to win. All the rewards will come from that.”

Mason Plumlee Extension With Blazers Unlikely

October 29th, 2016 at 6:48pm CST by Arthur Hill

The odds are against center Mason Plumlee reaching a rookie scale extension agreement with the Trail Blazers before Monday’s deadline, tweets Jason Quick of CSNNW. If no deal is reached, Plumlee will become a restricted free agent next summer, which Quick says wouldn’t be a surprise.

Plumlee is beginning his second year with Portland and his fourth in the NBA. He is making $2,328,530 this season.

Plumlee started all 82 games for the Blazers in 2015/16 after coming to the team in a deal with the Nets. He averaged 9.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists in a little more than 25 minutes per game.

Thunder Exercise Options On Huestis, Payne

October 29th, 2016 at 5:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Thunder have exercised their third-year options on Josh Huestis and Cameron Payne, according to RealGM.

Huestis, a 6’7″ power forward, was the 29th pick in the 2014 draft. He spent almost the entire past two seasons in the D-League, appearing in just five games for the Thunder, averaging 2.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 11.0 minutes per night.

Oklahoma City drafted Payne with the 14th pick in 2015. The 6’3″ point guard played in 57 games for OKC during his rookie season, averaging 5.0 points and 1.9 rebounds in 12.2 minutes of action.

Huestis will make $1,242,840 in 2017/18, and Payne’s salary will be $2,203,440. They were the Thunder’s final two rookie scale option decisions for this season.

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