2016 November | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Cousins, Afflalo, Lakers, Chriss

November 28th, 2016 at 9:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kings center DeMarcus Cousins frequently talks to his former Kentucky teammates about reuniting in the NBA, tweets Ben Standig of Locked on Wizards. Speaking to reporters before tonight’s game at Washington, Cousins addressed the possibility of someday joining forces with Wizards point guard John Wall. “He wants me here,” Cousins said. “Eric [Bledsoe] wants us in Phoenix.” Cousins will be a free agent after the 2017/18 season, and although he has been the subject of trade rumors, his public stance is that he wants to remain with the Kings. Wall won’t be a free agent until 2019. “Do we ever talk about playing with one another? Is that your question? It’s come up,” said Cousins. “They’re going to all come to Sac. Come to Sac.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Arron Afflalo is willing to be flexible as Kings coach Dave Joerger searches for the best lineup, relays Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Afflalo, who signed with Sacramento in July for $25MM over two years, was used as both a starter and a reserve last week. “You can’t fault a coach for trying to win and trying to find guys that work together,” he said. “But for me personally, I take pride in being a versatile basketball player, so sometimes coaches can see the benefit of me coming off the bench, and sometimes I’m a necessary stability piece in the starting lineup. It just depends.” Joerger has used a different starting lineup in each of the team’s last five games.
Offseason additions have made the Lakers better able to handle injuries than they have been in recent years, writes Bill Oram of The Orange County Register. Veteran point guard Jose Calderon, who was picked up in a July trade with the Bulls, has stepped into the starting lineup with D’Angelo Russell sidelined, and well-traveled power forward Thomas Robinson, who signed a non-guaranteed deal in September, started a game in place of Julius Randle. That has enabled coach Luke Walton to keep his bench rotation intact.
The Suns are willing to be patient through rookie power forward Marquese Chriss‘ growing pains, including Sunday’s bench technical, according to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Chriss had one of his worst game as a pro with just two points and five fouls in 10 minutes. “Bench Ts put you on the bench in the second half,” said coach Earl Watson. “So it’s an accountable moment. But he’ll learn. He knows I love him. He’ll learn. He’ll move forward.”

Tony Wroten, Archie Goodwin Sign With D-League

November 28th, 2016 at 8:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Former NBA guards Tony Wroten and Archie Goodwin have signed D-League contracts, according to Chris Reichert of The Step Back.

Wroten, who was waived three times during the offseason, has been claimed by the Texas Legends, the Mavericks’ D-League affiliate (Twitter link). Goodwin, who has been waived by both the Suns and Pelicans in the past five weeks, is also joining the D-League (Twitter link).

Wroten, 23, spent a lot of time in the D-League during his four NBA seasons with the Grizzlies and Sixers. He played in just eight NBA games last season, all with Philadelphia, before being waived on Christmas Eve.

Wroten signed with the Knicks in March, but never played for the team. He agreed to a two-year deal with no guaranteed money, and was waived in June after New York traded for Derrick Rose. Wroten was claimed off waivers by the Grizzlies, who waived him in July, re-signed him in August, then waived him again in October.

The 25th pick in the 2012 draft, Wroten started his career in Memphis but spent just one season there before being traded to the Sixers. He is averaging 11.1 points and 3.0 assists in 145 career games.

Goodwin, the 29th pick in the 2013 draft, also made frequent trips to the D-League during his three seasons in Phoenix. A 22-year-old combo guard, Goodwin averaged 6.2 points and 1.2 assists per night in 150 games with the Suns. He signed with New Orleans on November 7th, but appeared in just three games before being released.

Commenting Policy

November 28th, 2016 at 6:48pm CST by Eddie Scarito

We strongly encourage commenting at Hoops Rumors, but we do have basic rules of civility. Comments of this nature are not allowed at Hoops Rumors:

Attacks or insults toward other commenters, the post author, journalists, teams, players, or agents.
Inappropriate language, including swearing and related censor bypass attempts, lewdness, insults, and crude terms for body parts, bodily functions, and physical acts. In essence, we don’t want any language that parents would not want their kids to see.
Juvenile comments or extensive use of text message-type spelling.
Writing comments in all or mostly caps.
Spam-type links or self-promotion.
Comments about how you’re sick of this topic or it’s not newsworthy.
Inappropriate avatars or images.
Anything else we deem bad for business.

If you see comments that fit the above criteria, please flag them and/or contact us. Bans may be handed out liberally by our moderators, without second chances. Remaining civil is not that difficult, and most commenters have no problems doing so, nor with helping rein each other in. We are grateful for long-time commenters and readers, though this policy applies equally regardless of tenure.

All comments on Hoops Rumors or the Hoops Rumors Facebook page may be repurposed as a part of the Hoops Rumors Featured Feedback series. In these instances, comments may be edited and abridged.

This policy is always available at the bottom of the site, and will be re-posted monthly.

Categories:
Hoops Rumors Originals

Eastern Notes: Jackson, Ainge, Henson

November 28th, 2016 at 5:10pm CST by Eddie Scarito

According to sources around the NBA, Celtics executive Danny Ainge is still looking to make a major trade to improve the team’s roster, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald relays. Ainge understands that more talent needs to be acquired in order for Boston to become a contender, and with the early chatter calling the 2017 NBA draft one of the deepest and most talent-laden in many years, it will only serve to increase the value of the Nets’ first-rounder, which the Celtics have the right to swap for their own pick next June, Bulpett adds.

Boston’s roster doesn’t blend well, which is a by-product of drafting for talent rather than need, the scribe adds. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich faced a similar situation in 2011, which led to the team dealing George Hill in exchange for the rights to Kawhi Leonard, Bulpett notes. “We’d be exaggerating if we said we knew what he [Leonard] was going to be,” said Popovich. “Kind of like Manu Ginobili. We didn’t know Manu was going to be Manu or Tony Parker, Tony. It just worked out for us. But we needed size when we made that trade, because it didn’t make sense to have Tony, George Hill and Manu Ginobili out there. It’s just too small. So we were looking for size. George Hill was one of my favorite players all-time. We’re still involved together in some charity stuff, off-court activities, so it was real difficult. But Kawhi had such size, and we thought he had the foot speed to move from an inside player to the 3 position, so we decided to roll the bones.”

Here’s more from the East:

Pistons guard Reggie Jackson, who hasn’t played since receiving plasma injection therapy to treat tendinitis on his left knee October 10th, has been cleared to participate in full contact drills and practices, Rod Beard of The Detroit News relays. Jackson’s exact return date is still undecided, Beard adds. “I’ve seen him for a couple weeks; he looks fine playing,” coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said regarding the player. “Obviously, stamina is going to be an issue; I don’t think he can play 33 minutes a game right now. Whenever they tell me he’s ready to go and he tells me he’s ready to go in his mind, then he’ll go.”
Bucks big man John Henson recently regained his spot in the team’s starting lineup, but the player noted that coach Jason Kidd‘s decision to have him come off the bench didn’t affect his attitude, John Raoux of The Associated Press writes. “It’s a long season with too many opportunities to get stressed about it,” Henson said. “[Kidd] said all the roles are open and you’ve got to be ready for whatever comes at you. Hopefully, I can keep this going.”
The Heat are still struggling to recover from the loss of Dwyane Wade via free agency this past summer and are likely headed to the 2017 Draft lottery as a result, Marc D’Amico of NBA.com writes.

Community Shootaround: Most Disappointing Teams

November 28th, 2016 at 3:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Each of the NBA’s 30 teams entered the 2016/17 season with at least a slightly different set of expectations, and in some cases the year-long goals for teams were massively different. For instance, if the Warriors had posted a .500 record for the first month of the NBA season, it would be viewed as a disaster. For the Lakers, a .500 mark through the first 18 games has been a pleasant surprise. So in any discussion about the NBA’s most disappointing teams so far, it’s worth considering that club’s preseason expectations.

In a piece for USA Today Sports, AJ Neuharth-Keusch identifies the five teams he thinks have been the NBA’s most disappointing clubs so far, starting with the Celtics. At 9-7, Boston is currently a top-six team in the East, and is only one game behind the No. 2 seed in the East. On the surface, that doesn’t look like a disappointing start, but the C’s had high expectations for this season, and have dropped some winnable games in the early going. For Boston, a 9-7 record, including a 4-3 mark at home, qualifies as disappointing.

The Trail Blazers, Pacers, Wizards, and Mavericks round out Neuharth-Keusch’s list, with Dallas earning the No. 1 spot. The Mavs entered the season with playoff aspirations and currently hold a league-worst 3-13 record, so that position is well-earned. The Wizards are also in the lottery despite expecting to be a postseason team, while the Blazers and Pacers are hovering around .500 rather than vying four a top-four seed.

In addition to those five teams, several other clubs have had underwhelming starts. The Pistons, Magic, and Heat are all bottom-six teams in the East, while the Timberwolves are off to a 5-11 start. Even the Knicks, who have clawed their way back to .500, have gotten off to an up-and-down start, with offseason signee Joakim Noah not meshing with the roster as well as they’d hoped.

What do you think? Which team has been the NBA’s most disappointing club so far? Which of these teams off to slow starts do you expect to turn things around, and which ones will underachieve all season long? Jump into the comments section below to share your thoughts!

Kendall Marshall, Jordan Adams Claimed By D-League Teams

November 28th, 2016 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of former first-round picks have entered the NBA D-League player pool and have been claimed, according to a pair of reports from D-League Digest (Twitter links). Sources tell D-League Digest that the Reno Bighorns have claimed point guard Kendall Marshall, while the Oklahoma City Blue have claimed shooting guard Jordan Adams.

Marshall, who turned 25 this summer, has played for the Suns, Lakers, Bucks, and Sixers since entering the NBA as a lottery pick in 2012. He was sent from Philadelphia to Utah in an offseason trade, and was promptly cut by the Jazz in August before his salary for 2016/17 became guaranteed. Marshall, who has averaged 5.0 PPG and 4.9 APG in 160 career NBA contests, has been a free agent since then, and it appears he has decided to play in the D-League while he continues to seek another NBA opportunity.

Marshall will be joining the Kings’ D-League affiliate in Reno, which is somewhat interesting. There’s no indication that Sacramento’s NBA club has any interest in signing Marshall, but the Kings aren’t particularly stacked at point guard, with Darren Collison and Ty Lawson in the final year of their respective contracts. If Marshall plays well for the Bighorns, perhaps Sacramento will want to take a flier on him.

As for Adams, he was one of several Grizzlies players waived as the team reduced its roster to 15 players at the end of the preseason. The UCLA product was the 22nd overall pick in 2014 and is still just 22 years old, but he has been plagued by injuries since entering the NBA, appearing in just 32 total games for Memphis, so the team was willing to cut its losses and eat his guaranteed salary. Adams, who is still earning $1.221MM from the Grizzlies this season, is set to join the Thunder’s D-League affiliate.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Nets, Jerebko, Sixers

November 28th, 2016 at 1:04pm CST by Luke Adams

After Kevin Durant left Oklahoma City for Golden State in July, speculation about Russell Westbrook‘s future with the Thunder began to run rampant. However, Westbrook shut down that talk just a few weeks later by agreeing to a new contract that extended his contract with OKC, locking him up through at least the 2017/18 season. The Knicks were among the teams that would have targeted Westbrook in free agency in 2017 if he hadn’t signed that extension, and Carmelo Anthony was among those surprised by the new deal, as Marc Berman of The New York Post outlines.

“Yeah, to be honest with you, that soon [I was surprised],” Anthony said. “But that’s Russ. Russ don’t give a damn about nothing. It’s all about what he want to do, when he want to do it, how he want to do it. I think he wanted to show he was loyal to OKC. … He wanted to be the leader of that team, regardless of if KD came back or not. He wanted that moment. You could just tell that his vibe was different, his energy was different. You could tell when people want those moments.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Although the Nets‘ D-League affiliate is still in its first year, the franchise has a leg up on many teams around the NBA, since the Brooklyn Nets and Long Island Nets share a venue. Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily explains how it has been a “blessing in disguise” so far for the Nets that their Long Island D-League arena won’t be ready until the 2017/18 season.
Jonas Jerebko has played a major role in the Celtics‘ improved play as of late, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Jerebko, who had his $5MM salary for 2016/17 guaranteed by the team during the summer, is on track to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
As the Sixers‘ young players continue to grow and develop, there are valuable lessons to be learned by observing the star players whose teams are beating them, says Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Daily News. After falling to Dwyane Wade‘s Bulls and LeBron James‘ Cavaliers this weekend, head coach Brett Brown praised those stars’ ability to take their games to another level in key moments. “You have to learn how to play 48 minutes,” Brown said. “That’s the lesson for our guys.”

Mavs Notes: Acy, Nowitzki, Rondo, Carlisle

November 28th, 2016 at 11:52am CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, we passed along comments from Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who said on Sunday night that his team doesn’t have any interest in tanking this season, despite a league-worst 3-13 record so far. Cuban’s thoughts on tanking, the 2017 draft, and not wanting his team to grow accustomed to losing created the most interesting Mavs-related headline of the day, but there are plenty of other notes out of Dallas to round up. Let’s check them out…

The D-League’s Los Angeles D-Fenders have claimed Quincy Acy off waivers, but will trade him to the Texas Legends in a deal that involves a 2017 first-round pick, reports Chris Reichert of The Step Back (via Twitter). Acy was waived by the Mavs earlier this month, and is now on track to join Dallas’ D-League affiliate, once the claim and trade are made official.
Dirk Nowitzki returned to action last week, but his Achilles issues are expected to linger into December and won’t go away overnight, as Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes. Nowitzki sat out Sunday’s game against the Pelicans, and will likely continue to sit out the occasional game going forward to avoid any setbacks, per head coach Rick Carlisle.
Although his time in Dallas didn’t work out like he hoped it would, Bulls point guard Rajon Rondo praised Carlisle, telling K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune that he has “a lot of respect” for his former head coach. “Just because things don’t go well doesn’t mean you hate a person or that the media perception is right,” Rondo said. “Rick and I had a good relationship in the beginning. We tried to work it out. I worked with him every day on my shot. We watched film together. Not every marriage works. It was a learning process.”

NBA December Dates To Watch

November 28th, 2016 at 10:26am CST by Luke Adams

Near the start of the 2016/17 campaign, we looked ahead and highlighted several dates and deadlines to watch on the NBA calendar throughout the rest of the season. While that list covered the general highlights, it’s worth taking a closer look, with December around the corner, at some of those key dates to keep an eye out for over the next month. Let’s dive in…

Players becoming trade-eligible:

While many NBA players can be traded now, a huge chunk can’t be dealt until December 15, which is the default date for offseason signees to become trade-eligible. Our list of players who become eligible to be moved on December 15 features well over 100 names, so clubs eager to make a move could engage in more serious trade talks around mid-December.

Of course, for players who signed contracts later in the offseason or who meet certain specific criteria, there are other dates to watch. Thomas Robinson of the Lakers becomes trade-eligible on December 21; Bobby Brown (Rockets), Kyle Wiltjer (Rockets), and Metta World Peace (Lakers) become eligible to be moved on December 23; and Nicolas Laprovittola (Spurs) can be dealt as of December 26.

Waiver order changes:

Waiver claims are pretty rare in the NBA, since teams must have cap room to claim anyone making more than the minimum salary. Still, it’s worth noting that on December 1, the waiver order changes, with the league using this year’s reverse standings instead of last year’s. Assuming the standings don’t change between now and Thursday, that means it would be the Mavericks, Sixers, and Nets at the top of the waiver order, rather than the Sixers, Lakers, and Nets.

Salary guarantee dates:

Most non-guaranteed salaries won’t become guaranteed until January, but there are a few specific dates to watch in December. JaVale McGee (Warriors) and Rodney McGruder (Heat) will get significant chunks of their 2016/17 salaries guaranteed if they remain under contract through December 1, while Dorian Finney-Smith (Mavericks) will get a bump to his partial guarantee on December 5. You can check out the full details right here.

Christmas Day lineup:

After the NFL gets Thanksgiving to itself in November, the NBA gets its showcase on Christmas Day, December 25. The highlight of this year’s schedule will be a rematch of last year’s Finals, as the Warriors play the Cavaliers in Cleveland. However, there’s something to like in each of the other four matchups as well.

The new-look Knicks host Al Horford and the Celtics; Dwyane Wade‘s Bulls are in San Antonio to face the Spurs; Russell Westbrook and the Thunder are at home against Karl-Anthony Towns and the young Timberwolves; and the surging Clippers face the surprising Lakers in a battle of Los Angeles teams.

Categories:
Hoops Rumors Originals

Mark Cuban: Mavs Not Interested In Tanking

November 28th, 2016 at 8:53am CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks are off to a slow start this season, with a league-worst 3-13 record so far, as our 2016/17 Reverse Standings show. However, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said on Sunday night that his club has no interest in engaging in an all-out tank this season, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com details.

“Haters gonna hate. We think that you always compete,” Cuban said. “If you’re competing when the league is better, like it is this year, if you don’t do well, you’ll be in a position to get a good pick. Which, remember, even if you have the worst record in the NBA, there’s a 75% chance you’re not going to get the top pick.”

Despite the Mavs’ struggles in the first month of the 2016/17 campaign, Cuban wouldn’t necessarily acknowledge that it’s a rebuilding season in Dallas. He’s also averse to building the roster or having Rick Carlisle coach in a way that would encourage any sort of losing culture, per MacMahon.

“There are so many teams that became four years away from four years away because guys just learned how to lose,” Cuban said. “They stopped caring about any individual game and just got used to it, and you don’t want guys developing those bad habits. We have so many young guys on this team, we want the games to mean something. Not to be, ‘OK, who are we going to pull in the fourth quarter so we can lose this game?’ That’s not how teams develop good habits.”

While Cuban doesn’t view 2016/17 as a “race-to-the-bottom year,” he did acknowledge that he won’t rule out making trades with the future in mind prior to February’s deadline. He also pointed out that the Mavs could end up with a top pick even if they play hard and try to win. The franchise has been hit hard by injuries in the early going, with Dirk Nowitzki, J.J. Barea, Deron Williams, and Devin Harris among the players who have missed significant time.

Still, in Cuban’s view, there aren’t any “Shaqs or LeBrons or Tim Duncans” in the 2017 draft class, and even if there were a player of that caliber out there, finishing with the NBA’s worst record doesn’t guarantee anything.

“The team that has the worst record has a 75% chance that they won’t get the No. 1 pick. That’s not good odds,” Cuban said. “You’ll get a top-three pick … but there’s no good reason to tank unless you think that there’s three difference-makers. Not just All-Stars, but difference-makers.”

Month: November 2024