2016 October | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Goodwin, Jones, Clippers, D’Antoni

October 26th, 2016 at 11:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Former Suns guard Archie Goodwin cleared waivers today at 5 pm Eastern time and is now officially a free agent. Phoenix released Goodwin on Monday after being unable to deal him to another team. The 22-year-old out of Kentucky spent three seasons with the Suns. He appeared in 57 games last season, averaging 8.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per night.

There’s more news out of the Pacific Division:

Derrick Jones overcame long odds to earn a spot on the Suns‘ roster, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. The 19-year-old wasn’t taken in the draft after being ruled ineligible at UNLV, then missed all of summer league with an injury. Jones signed a four-year contract that could be worth up to $3.6MM, but all he is guaranteed for now is $42.5K of his $543,471 salary. Still, he is elated about the opportunity. “When I was the last one here from training camp, I knew there was a reason I am here,” Jones said. “I feel as though I’m a NBA player. I have NBA athleticism. My game is going to come a long way. I just got to be able to knock down my jump shots consistently. That’s one thing I’m going to put in work to do.”
The Clippers understand they may be facing their final season with Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, relays Dan Woike of The Orange County Register. Both are expected to opt out next summer and become free agents. With J.J. Redick also headed toward free agency and L.A. well over the salary cap, it will create a serious financial strain to keep the current core together. “We’re not really worried about what happens after this season. We’re worried about what happens in the season,” Griffin said. “Every year, if you don’t have a sense of urgency, if it takes somebody being like ‘This could be the last year to have a sense of urgency,’ then you’re already kind of playing from behind. I don’t think it really affects us.”
New Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni thought his career might be over when he left the Lakers in 2014, writes Bill Oram of The Orange Country Register. Not only did that team underachieve, but D’Antoni spent much of the season fighting with Kobe Bryant. D’Antoni revived his career as an assistant with the Sixers last season before being hired by Houston over the summer. “It’s a privilege to be able to coach in this league,” D’Antoni said. “It’s very rare you can dictate where you want to go, and usually where you’re going they have problems or you wouldn’t be going there. You just try to find the right situation, and if it’s not the right situation, try to make it work. If it doesn’t work out, try to live to fight a battle someplace else. It was a privilege to coach the Lakers. It was a privilege to coach Kobe and those guys. I’m better for it.”

Ben Simmons Determined To Play This Season

October 26th, 2016 at 9:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Sixers rookie Ben Simmons doesn’t have a definite timetable to return to action after fracturing his right foot, but he tells ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk that he definitely plans to play this season.

There has been speculation in some areas that Simmons’ best course of action might be to sit out the rest of the season and come back fully healthy next year.

“There’s a lot of talk; somebody put that out there,” Simmons said. “But I will come back when I am ready. There is no timetable on getting healthy. I am working every day to get back. As soon as they tell me I can play, I will be out there.”

Simmons suffered the injury, a Jones fracture of the fifth metatarsal, in a practice scrimmage and underwent surgery on October 4th. He recently had his sutures removed, and the team says he is making progress with his rehabilitation. With no complications, he is expected to return in January.

The rookie out of LSU also answered charges that a 33-pound weight gain over the offseason contributed to the injury. Simmons now carries 250 pounds on his 6’10” frame.

“I came down on somebody’s foot, so it wasn’t anything weight-wise or anything to do with that,” he said. “My playing weight was fine. I know a lot of talk was about that. It happened.”

Players Catch On With D-League Franchises

October 26th, 2016 at 8:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

Several players who were recently waived out of the NBA have reached agreements with D-League teams, according to Chris Reichert of The Step Back:

Spencer Dinwiddie, released on Friday by Chicago, has signed with the Windy City Bulls (Twitter link). Chicago, which acquired Dinwiddie in a deal with the Pistons, then waived and later re-signed him, parted ways with the guard again despite being at the roster limit of 15.
Johnny O’Bryant, who was waived by the Wizards on Friday, has signed a D-League contract and will be eligible for the draft (Twitter link). The 23-year-old power forward spent the past two seasons with the Bucks.
Vince Hunter, who was waived by the Bulls and Grizzlies this month, will return to the Reno Bighorns (Twitter link). Hunter, 22, is a 6’8″ forward out of Texas-El Paso who has yet to play in the NBA.
Cliff Alexander, who was released by the Magic, has signed with the Erie BayHawks (Twitter link). The 20-year-old power forward played eight games for the Trail Blazers last season.
Chris Douglas-Roberts will return to the Texas Legends, where he finished the 2015/16 season (Twitter link). The 29-year-old swingman last played in the NBA in 2014/15, when he spent 12 games with the Clippers.
Josh Childress, who has been out of the NBA for almost three full seasons, signed with the Texas Legends (Twitter link). The 33-year-old swingman’s last NBA experience was four games with New Orleans during the 2013/14 season. He finished last season with the Legends after playing in Australia. (Update: Report denied by Childress’ agent; Reichert has removed his tweet)

Also, from the D-League Digest:

Axel Toupane, who was waived by the Nuggets, will return to Raptors 905 (Twitter link). The 6’7″ small forward played 21 games for Denver last season.
Jarell Eddie, who was released by the Wizards on Friday, will return to the Austin Spurs (Twitter link). Eddie, 24, appeared in 26 games for Washington a year ago.
J.J. O’Brien, who was cut by the Bucks, has signed with the Salt Lake City Stars (Twitter link). A 24-year-old small forward, he got into two games with the Jazz last season.
Egidijus Mockevicius, who was waived last week by Brooklyn, will play for the Long Island Nets (Twitter link). The 24-year-old Lithuanian forward has no NBA experience.
Veteran point guard Jannero Pargo has signed with Oklahoma City Blue (Twitter link). The 37-year-old last played for the Hornets in 2014/15.

R.J. Hunter Signs With Bulls

October 26th, 2016 at 7:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

7:30pm: Hunter and the Bulls have reached agreement on a one-year deal, tweets ESPN’s Jeff Goodman.

WEDNESDAY, 7:15p.m: R.J. Hunter, who was waived Monday by the Celtics, is in “serious discussions” with the Bulls, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical. A deal could be finalized by Thursday.

Chicago is the only team with a roster spot open after releasing Spencer Dinwiddie on Friday. Rookie Denzel Valentine is the backup shooting guard to Dwyane Wade right now, so the 6’5″ Hunter could find playing time with the Bulls.

Hunter was a bit of a surprise cut for the Celtics as he was thought to have a good shot at beating out James Young for the final spot on the roster. Hunter’s contract for this season is fully guaranteed, so he will still receive a $1.2MM salary from Boston. The 23-year-old appeared in 36 games for the Celtics last year and made frequent trips to the D-League.

Community Shootaround: Joel Embiid

October 26th, 2016 at 7:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

More than two years after being drafted out of Kansas, Sixers center Joel Embiid is about to make his NBA debut. The promising big man lost two seasons of his career to a balky right foot, which caused him to undergo two major surgical procedures while Philadelphia fans wondered if he was a wasted pick.

The Sixers knew Embiid had physical problems when they drafted him third overall in 2014. He sat out the final month of his lone season with the Jayhawks because of a stress fracture in his back. In a workout about a week before the draft, the Cavaliers medical staff discovered a broken navicular bone in his foot. Cleveland passed on him, taking Andrew Wiggins instead. When Milwaukee followed with Jabari Parker, former Sixers GM Sam Hinkie saw a worthwhile gamble.

“I sniffed opportunity the moment it happened,” he said at the time. “The moment it happened. The moment he got hurt, we thought we might get him and we might be just the organization with just the set of owners and we might the one to do it.”

Unfortunately for the Sixers, that broken bone never healed enough for Embiid to play. He broke it again and required a second surgery in 2015. Meanwhile, the grumbling in Philadelphia grew louder about Embiid’s commitment to the rehab process.

But the news on Embiid turned around early this year. Visits to the Aspetar medical facility in Qatar provided encouraging results in the areas of body weight, sleep, body mass assessment and healing. For the first time since he joined the Sixers, there was actual hope that he could take the court.

Fast forward to this preseason and Embiid has shown flashes of being the player that scouts saw at Kansas. He averaged just 14.7 minutes in seven preseason games, but put up 11.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and nearly a block per game. He also gained confidence while playing on his formerly injured foot. “I just got better every game [in the preseason], defensively, offensively,” he said.

That brings us to tonight’s question: What do you expect out of Embiid during his first season? The Sixers plan to be careful with him, starting him on a minutes restriction of 20 per night. Do you think he can be Rookie of the Year? Will he need time to adapt to the game after being sidelined for two seasons? Or will the worst-case scenario happen and will his right foot give out again?

Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on Embiid. We look forward to what you have to say.

Briante Weber Headed To The D-League

October 26th, 2016 at 6:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

Point guard Briante Weber, who was waived by the Heat on Saturday, will join the team’s D-League affiliate in Sioux Falls, according to D-League Digest (Twitter link).

Miami was reportedly intrigued with Weber’s performance during the preseason and believed he needed to go somewhere he could get regular playing time. The Heat gave him a $328K guarantee and were hoping to keep him close to the organization. Weber is still working his way back from a severe injury in January that saw him tear the ACL, MCL and meniscus in his right knee.

A defensive specialist, the 23-year old had 19 steals in 149 preseason minutes. However, he committed 20 turnovers and shot just 9 for 30 from the field, making 1 of 7 shots from 3-point range.

Progress Cited In Pistons’ Bid For Downtown Arena

October 26th, 2016 at 6:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pistons seem closer to a move back to downtown Detroit, according to Louis Aguilar and Rod Beard of The Detroit News. They report agreement on some “initial issues” to move the team and the NHL’s Red Wings into the new Little Caesars Arena, which is scheduled to be finished in September of next year.

The story cautions that there are still many details to work out, including revenue splits, and that no deal is in place. But it’s possible that an agreement could be announced in the next few weeks or months if negotiations continue to go well.

If the move happens, it would include a separate downtown practice facility for the team, probably on land that belongs to the Ilitch family, which owns the Red Wings. Also to be determined is whether the Pistons would move into the new arena next season or wait until 2018/19. Team owner Tom Gores plans to be in Detroit Thursday and Friday, so more talks may take place then.

Gores tried to buy the Pistons’ current home at the Palace of Auburn Hills, but a $370MM offer he made in June was turned down by Oakland County officials. There were discussions on a long-term lease, but no agreement was worked out.

The Palace has been the Pistons’ home since 1988. Prior to that, they spent a decade at the Pontiac Silverdome. Their last arenas in downtown Detroit were Cobo Hall and Olympia Stadium.

Gores admitted at the team’s media day that he has been discussing a move downtown.

“We’re always assessing it but it’s got to be good for everybody — us included — and for our fans,” he said.

Hawks Sign Dennis Schroder To Extension

October 26th, 2016 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

4:58pm: The Hawks have issued a press release officially confirming Schroder’s extension.

“I am excited to sign this long-term deal with the Hawks. Since coming from Germany as a rookie, this organization and the entire city of Atlanta has embraced me and watched me grow,” Schroder said in a statement. “I would like to thank my teammates, the coaching staff and the front office for having faith in me. I’m determined to keep improving as a player and I believe that our team has a chance to accomplish some special things together.”

4:16pm: Schroder’s new deal will include $62MM in guaranteed money over the next four years, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein (via Twitter). Based on the original report of $70MM, it appears that a portion of the total salary will either be non-guaranteed or available via incentives.

3:09pm: Dennis Schroder will be taking over as the Hawks’ full-time starting point guard this season, and the team has now ensured he’ll remain in Atlanta for several more years beyond that. According to Marc Stein and Zach Lowe of ESPN.com, Schroder and the Hawks have reached an agreement on a four-year, $70MM contract extension. Schroder confirmed the deal, tweeting out a photo that shows him signing his new pact.

Schroder has gradually taking on a larger role over the course of his three seasons with the Hawks, having seen his minutes per game increase from 13.1 in his rookie season to 20.3 in 2015/16. Last season, he established new career highs in PPG (11.0), APG (4.4), RPG (2.6), SPG (0.9), and several other categories.

During the summer, the Hawks agreed to a three-way trade that sent starting point guard Jeff Teague to the Pacers, opening the door for Schroder to take on a larger role in Atlanta. Both players had been set to enter contract years, but Schroder is younger and is still on his rookie contract, making him the more appealing option for the long term.

Schroder will earn a modest $2,708,582 salary in 2016/17, but rather than being eligible for restricted free agency next summer, he’ll now move on to his second contract, with his extension going into effect in July 2017. Assuming there are no options on the deal, it will keep the 23-year-old under team control through the 2020/21 season.

We’ll have to wait for the exact terms and details on Schroder’s new deal to properly evaluate it, but it looks awfully similar to the ones signed by a pair of free agent wings this summer — Evan Turner inked a four-year, $70MM contract with the Trail Blazers, while Schroder’s teammate Kent Bazemore got a four-year, $70MM deal from the Hawks, as our free agent tracker shows.

Although there’s some uncertainty about how the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement will look next summer if and when the league and the NBPA reach a new agreement, that hasn’t stopped extension-eligible players from signing new deals early — Schroder becomes the third player eligible for a rookie-scale extension to agree to terms with his team so far this offseason, just five days before the October 31 deadline. Previously, C.J. McCollum signed a four-year, $106MM+ extension with the Blazers, and Giannis Antetokounmpo agreed to a four-year, $100MM deal with the Bucks.

Earlier today, Schroder headlined our list of five rookie-scale extension candidates to watch before Monday’s deadline, so we’ll see if others on that list – such as Rudy Gobert, Steven Adams, and Gorgui Dieng – can reach agreements with their respective clubs as well.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rockets, Knicks, Nets Had Interest In Austin Rivers

October 26th, 2016 at 4:48pm CST by Luke Adams

The three-year free agent contract agreed upon by the Clippers and Austin Rivers this July looked like one of the least surprising moves of the summer, as Rivers opted to continue playing for his father, Doc Rivers, in Los Angeles. As Dan Woike of The Orange County Register details, however, Rivers drew interest from several teams, including the Rockets, Knicks, and Nets, and the 24-year-old suggests he was offered more money by at least one other suitor.

“I took less to come back here,” Rivers said of the Clippers. “I’m not taking this for granted. I was on a team where it was very bad. There are only four or five teams in the league with a realistic chance to win this year, and I think we’re one of them. I’m not taking this for granted. I know if I go somewhere else, I might not ever be on a team like this again. A lot of people go their whole career and never play on a team like this.”

After averaging a career-high 8.9 PPG in 67 regular-season games with the Clippers last season, Rivers increased his value further in the playoffs, assuming a greater role after Chris Paul went down with a hand injury. In L.A.’s last game of the season, as the team attempted to stave off elimination, Rivers put up 21 points and eight assists.

Rivers’ new deal with the Clippers is worth nearly $34.5MM over three years, so it’s unlikely that the Duke alum took a significant hometown discount. But he may have passed up the opportunity for more minutes and a bigger role with another team, as his head coach points out.

“He could’ve had that opportunity,” Doc Rivers said of his son. “For him to come back, it shows that winning is far more important and he enjoys the group.”

Ultimately, the Rockets and Knicks addressed their shooting guard needs in free agency by signing Eric Gordon and Courtney Lee, respectively. The Nets added Jeremy Lin, and signed Tyler Johnson and Allen Crabbe to offer sheets, which were matched.

Lakers Exercise Options For Russell, Randle, Nance

October 26th, 2016 at 2:45pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers are the latest team to exercise 2017/18 options for players on rookie scale contracts, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders, who tweets that D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, and Larry Nance Jr. have had their options picked up by Los Angeles. The Lakers have formally confirmed the moves in a press release.

By exercising the three options, the Lakers will guarantee Russell a $5.562MM salary in 2017/18, with Randle set to earn $4.149MM, and Nance to get $1.26MM. It’s a fourth-year option for Randle, who will subsequently be on track to reach restricted free agency in 2018. Russell and Nance, on the other hand, are one season behind Randle, so they had their third-year options picked up today.

Russell and Randle each averaged 28.2 minutes per game for the 2015/16 Lakers, and are poised to assume even larger roles for this year’s club. Russell was the second overall pick in the 2015 draft, while Randle was selected seventh overall in 2014, and both players are viewed as core pieces for this young L.A. team, along with 2016 No. 2 overall pick Brandon Ingram. Expectations aren’t quite so high for Nance, but the Wyoming product did have a solid rookie season, averaging 5.5 PPG and 5.0 RPG.

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