2016 December | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Tucker, Lawson, D’Antoni

December 23rd, 2016 at 9:58pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Suns want to become a team with a strong defensive mentality and they feel they have their best unit with P.J. Tucker in the line-up, Doug Haller of the Arizona Republic writes.

“If you go through the NBA and you were to ask every player about P.J. Tucker, I guarantee you everyone would say he’s one of the top defenders in the league,” coach Earl Watson said. “Players have this unwritten and unspoken respect that we have for each other, and you know who can really play and who can’t. P.J.’s been magnificent for us. He plays with his heart.”

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Ty Lawson is adjusting to his role off the bench for the Kings and coach Dave Joerger believes the point guard can give the team more than a typical reserve can, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes. “Generally, backups will play 16 to 18 minutes,” Joerger said. “I think he’s way better than that … I want him to know I have the faith in him to play him longer minutes.” Lawson signed with Sacramento on a one-year deal during the offseason.
Lawson said he was “overthinking” earlier in the season, which led to him struggling, but the 29-year-old is starting to find his game again, Jones adds in the same piece. His teammates admire his aggressiveness in attacking the paint. “He’s the smallest guy on the floor with the biggest heart,” Cousins said. “To get down there and battle with the trees, he does it all.”
Mike D’Antoni speaks highly of the city of Phoenix and of his time with the Suns, as Jonathan Feigan of the Houston Chronicle relays. “Yeah, it’s special, there’s no doubt,” D’Antoni said. “It was special to live here, and the people and the fans. It was a good time.”

NBA To Offer Medical Benefits To Retired Players

December 23rd, 2016 at 8:43pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The NBA will be the first professional sports league to offer medical benefits to its retired players, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com reports. The benefits will be part of a comprehensive and enhanced retirement package for former players. Youngmisuk adds that both the owners and the NBPA were unanimous on the decision to take care of retired players.

After the passing of Darryl Dawkins and Moses Malone, commissioner Adam Silver and NBPA executive director Michele Roberts agreed that something had to be done in regards to helping retired players maintain their good health.

“[Malone’s and Dawkins’ deaths] sent shock waves through the whole basketball universe,” said Dwight Davis, the vice chairman for the National Basketball Retired Players Association. “Some of the deaths of retired players could have been avoidable because guys didn’t have insurance and weren’t doing yearly checkups.”

Davis added that the new health insurance plan will provide much needed financial relief to many retired players. “Some of my younger counterparts are guys in their 40s, some of those guys are paying $30,000 a year for health insurance for themselves and families because of preexisting injuries. The abuse our bodies take, it is hard to get affordable insurance as a retired player,” Davis continued.

Michael Jordan was a key advocate of providing benefits to retired players, as were current stars, such as Chris Paul, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.

“I’ve said it a number of times: the biggest thing is the health insurance that we got for some of our former players and stuff like that,” said Paul, who is the president of the players’ union’s executive committee. “No question. That was a huge priority. Well, I mean, it was a huge priority to keep the game going, first and foremost, for the fans. But at some point, one time or another, everybody out here is going to be a former player. You know what I mean? I think that shows how connected we are as a body of NBA players.”

The NBA and the players’ union will jointly fund a new health insurance plan, an education/career development program and the increases in pension benefits for retired players. The pensions for former players will increase by as much as $300 per month and players with at least 10 years of service will be eligible to receive health care coverage for themselves as well as their family, Youngmisuk adds. Retired players will also be eligible for tuition reimbursement and career transition programs.

“You have to look at the different decades, and you look at guys who are in their 40s, guys who have been away from the league for 10-15 years,” Davis said. “They were not making an average of $5 million a year like some of the guys now, and if you have a significant medial issue, a heart problem or organ problem, like the average American, you can become bankrupt.”

Prior to this new package, retired players received a pension from the league, but did not receive health insurance. The new CBA provides this benefit for retired players, but also includes includes other changes to the NBA landscape. Check out our CBA news archive for the latest updates on the new labor deal.

Rockets Notes: CBA, Harden, Capela

December 23rd, 2016 at 7:16pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The CBA will give the Rockets the ability to sign James Harden to a super-max contract extension next summer due to a provision that allow the shooting guard to sign an extension in back-to-back offseasons. Houston’s front office/ownership initially proposed the rule and then pushed for it during negotiations, a source tells Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The team obviously wants to keep Harden in town long-term with an unanimous team executive telling Feigen that if the the Rockets could, they “would give [Harden] a 100-year extension.”

Here’s more from Houston:

The Rockets informal policy is to only discuss contracts extensions with a player once the deadline to do so approaches, though Harden may be the exception to that thinking, Feigen writes in the same piece. Harden could opt to become a free agent
Harden is thrilled with Houston and the ability to sign an even longer deal with the team, as Feigen relays in the same piece. “I love being here,” Harden said. “We’re going to win a lot. I’m excited to be here. That’s one of the reasons I extended this summer. Obviously, this year’s been great. I’ve been happy, probably the happiest I’ve been since I’ve been in a Rockets uniform. Everybody else is happy.”
The Rockets are having issues rebounding without Clint Capela in the line-up, Feigen writes in a separate piece. “We miss Clint. There’s no doubt,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. In this week’s edition of Fantasy Hoops, I examined which players are poised to take on a bigger role with Capela missing time.

Players Ratify New CBA

December 23rd, 2016 at 5:45pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement is now official after the players voted to approve it, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reports (Twitter link). Earlier in the week, the NBA Owners unanimously voted to approve the agreement, which left the players’ vote as the last step needed in order to ratify the new deal.

The votes from both sides were always considered a formality since the parties agreed to the term sheet earlier in the month. The new agreement will become effective on July 1, 2017.

For details on the league’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement, including changes to rules surrounding trades, contract extensions, free agency, and more, be sure to check out our CBA news archive, where we’ve been rounding up new updates as they’re reported.

Knicks Notes: Vogel, Rose, Anthony

December 23rd, 2016 at 4:57pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Frank Vogel had interest in the Knicks‘ coaching vacancy during the offseason, though he’s happy with his current role as the coach of the Magic, John Denton of NBA.com passes along. Vogel said that it was an honor to be interviewed by the Knicks and added that Madison Square Garden has a special feel to it. “It is the mecca and the most famous arena in the world, and I take pride of being here on this stage,’’ Vogel said before Thursday game against New York

Here’s more from the Big Apple:

Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick Rose are started to mesh nicely and the Knicks appear ready to make the playoffs this season, Fred Kerber of the New York Post writes. However, the team isn’t looking that far ahead, taking it one game at a time instead. “We’re getting there. We’re getting there. We don’t know how good we can become,” Rose said. “The goal is the playoffs. Once we get in the playoffs, we’re going to be a hell of a team to go against, like you don’t know what to expect from us in the playoffs. I think we’re going to be a dangerous team in the playoffs, but the first thing is to get there.”
Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News wonders how far the Knicks‘ big three can take them. Offensively, the trio is as good as any in the Eastern Conference outside of Cleveland, but Bondy notes that it seems as if Porzingis and Anthony are taking turns scoring rather than playing in a free-flowing offense.
Anthony took the high road when responding to George Karl‘s criticism by letting his former teammates speak for him, Kerber writes in a separate piece. “It’s different when you go to bat for yourself, and it’s you against somebody else’s word,” Anthony said. “It’s a big difference when you have guys who were actually in it there and have their own experiences that can speak on it from their own standpoint.”
In his book, George Karl questioned Anthony’s leadership ability, but coach Jeff Hornacek sees no issue with the small forward, Kerber writes in the same piece. “Carmelo for us has been great. … All I can go by is what I’ve seen out of Carmelo here,” Hornacek said. “He’s been a great leader.”

Community Shootaround: Cleveland Cavaliers

December 23rd, 2016 at 3:24pm CST by Luke Adams

Several NBA teams have been hit hard by injuries or personal absences so far this season, but for the most part, teams have been plagued by short-term injuries, with players sidelined for days or weeks at a time. In Cleveland, the Cavaliers are now faced with multiple long-term absences, creating questions about whether the team needs to make a roster move or two to add depth.

The Cavs started the season essentially short one roster spot, since retired – and injured – guard Mo Williams was taking up one of those 15 openings. The team has been unable to negotiate a buyout agreement with Williams, and has kept him on the roster in the hopes of either recouping some of his salary or including him in a trade to balance contracts.

While Cleveland could easily get by with 14 healthy players, the team has lost a couple more recently, with Chris Andersen suffering a torn ACL that will sideline him for the rest of the season, and J.R. Smith undergoing thumb surgery that will keep him out of action for about three months.

The Cavaliers don’t currently qualify for a disabled player exception or hardship exception, and if they want to add a player to their roster, they’ll have to trade or waive someone. Andersen and Williams are obviously the two most likely candidates to be cut, but Cleveland will be reluctant to simply waive any guaranteed contracts. The team is already well into luxury tax territory, with a projected tax bill exceeding $30MM. Adding more team salary to the books, either via free agency or trade, will cause that tax bill to continue to grow.

The Cavs have a handful of trade exceptions at their disposal, including one worth more than $9.6MM, but the team doesn’t have a ton of trade assets available. Iman Shumpert is perhaps the most logical trade chip on the team’s roster, but his value isn’t believed to be overly high. And the best draft pick Cleveland could offer is its 2020 first-rounder. Even if the Cavs could find a trade partner that just wants to dump salary, such a deal would come at a high tax cost for Cleveland.

There’s no pressure on the Cavs to make a move immediately. GM David Griffin has said he’ll take his time to assess and adjust the roster as needed. Still, the Cavs’ roster depth is looking increasingly vulnerable, and it may mean leaning more heavily on LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love than the club wants to. So far, LeBron is averaging 37.1 minutes per game, his highest mark since he rejoined the franchise in 2014.

What do you think? Do the Cavaliers need to make a move to bolster their roster and improve their depth? Or can they afford to be patient and wait for better opportunities to materialize later in the season? If the Cavs do make a move, what sort of player should they target? Jump into the comments section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

Celtics Notes: G. Green, Noel, A. Johnson

December 23rd, 2016 at 2:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Gerald Green, who signed a one-year contract with the Celtics this offseason, has battled nagging injuries and has fallen out of the rotation in Boston less than two months into the season, as Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald details. Although Green refuses to “second-guess” head coach Brad Stevens, he admits he’s not used to sitting so frequently.

“It’s hard to get in a rhythm when you don’t even know when you’re getting to play,” Green said. “And then it’s kind of tough to get in a rhythm when you do play, you’re only playing, you know, you can count your minutes on one hand. So it’s tough. I’m not really used to it, but it’s something I’ve got to go through right now.”

While Green waits for his shot to contribute, let’s round up a few more notes out of Boston…

In an appearance on CSNNE, veteran reporter Jackie MacMullen says that if the Celtics want to trade for Sixers center Nerlens Noel, they wouldn’t have much trouble doing so, but suggests that it still makes sense for the team to wait and see if any better opportunities materialize by the deadline.
If the Celtics were given the opportunity to pry DeMarcus Cousins away from the Kings, there would be plenty of risk to consider, but it’s intriguing to imagine what he could do in Stevens’ system, says ESPN’s Chris Forsberg during an appearance of his own on CSNNE.
As much as they’d like to bolster their roster, the Celtics don’t appear to be in any rush to move Amir Johnson to make that happen, according to a CSNNE.com report. Johnson, who has been something of an underappreciated contributor for the C’s, is in a contract year and will hit unrestricted free agency in 2017.

Goran Dragic Open To Being Traded?

December 23rd, 2016 at 1:58pm CST by ChrisCrouse

DECEMBER 23, 1:58pm: Asked about the report that he’s open to being moved, Dragic told reporters that it didn’t come from him, and that it’s not true (video link).

DECEMBER 22, 4:00pm: Rival teams have called the Heat about Goran Dragic‘s availability and found that Miami is open to dealing the point guard, sources tell Chris Mannix of The Vertical. Mannix adds that Dragic is also open to being moved. Minnesota is a team to keep an eye on regarding a potential Dragic trade, Zach Lowe of ESPN.com speculates in his latest podcast.

Two seasons ago, the Heat acquired Dragic believing that he was the missing piece needed in order to compete with the Cavs for the Eastern Conference crown. Since then, the team lost Chris Bosh because of his health issues and it lost Dwyane Wade to the Bulls in free agency, which left Dragic to lead a roster of young, unproven players. Mannix argues that if the Heat are going to rebuild around their young core, the team would be better off trading the point guard.

Earlier in the week, Pat Riley said that any rebuild would happen quickly. “We’ve [rebuilt] twice, first with the addition of Shaq back in 2005, then again in 2008,” Riley said. “And we’re in it again. In this league, you need flexibility. And we have that, so we’re able to make a move quickly. We’ve rebuilt before and we’re going to do it again quickly.”

The Heat, owning a record of 9-20, are in the midst of a disappointing campaign, though Dragic has been a bright spot for them. He’s averaging 19.1 points and 6.7 assists per game while shooting 41.6% from behind the arc. He owns a player efficiency rating of 18.2, which is well above the league average of 15.0.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 12/23/16

December 23rd, 2016 at 1:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Friday’s D-League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:

1:05pm:

The Suns have sent forward Derrick Jones to the D-League, the team announced today (via Twitter). It will be the third assignment of the season for Jones, who will get a chance to play in the D-League’s lone Christmas Day game on Sunday, assuming he isn’t back with Phoenix by then.
The Knicks have assigned Ron Baker, Maurice Ndour, and Marshall Plumlee to the NBADL, according to the team (Twitter link). They’ll play for the Westchester Knicks tonight, in their game against the Raptors 905.

10:34am:

After recording 16 points and 10 assists for the Raptors 905 on Thursday, Fred VanVleet has been recalled to the NBA, according to the Raptors (Twitter link). Bruno Caboclo, who was assigned to the D-League on Thursday along with VanVleet, remains with Toronto’s affiliate for now.
The Celtics have assigned rookie guard Demetrius Jackson to the D-League, the team announced today (via Twitter). The Maine Red Claws, Boston’s NBADL affiliate, is in action tonight against Grand Rapids, so Jackson figures to suit up for that game.
Following a quick stint with the Salt Lake City Stars, Hawks rookie DeAndre’ Bembry has been recalled to Atlanta, according to a press release issued by the team. Bembry struggled in his latest D-League game, scoring just seven points on 2-of-8 shooting for the Stars in Thursday night’s loss.
While Bembry was ineffective on Thursday night, his Salt Lake City teammate Joel Bolomboy had another big game, putting up 23 points and 23 rebounds. The Jazz announced today in a press release that they’ve recalled Bolomboy from their D-League affiliate.

Central Notes: Bynum, Pistons, Henson, Cavs

December 23rd, 2016 at 12:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran guard Will Bynum recently signed a contract with the D-League, and now he has a new NBADL team. According to Chris Reichert of The Step Back (via Twitter), the Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s D-League affiliate, acquired Bynum off waivers.

Bynum, who will turn 34 in May, spent last season in China, and was waived by the Hawks prior to the start of the 2016/17 campaign, so he hasn’t appeared in a regular season NBA game since April 2015. The fact that the Bulls’ D-League affiliate picked him up also doesn’t necessarily mean that Chicago’s NBA club will have interest in adding the veteran point guard this season. Still, it’s worth keeping an eye on Bynum, who could be a candidate for a call-up by an NBA team in 2017 if he plays well in the D-League.

Here’s more from around the Central:

Although Pistons head coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy believes his team should be better than it is, he doesn’t think that making a trade is the way to fix things, tweets Rod Beard of The Detroit News.
The Pistons‘ slide has coincided with Reggie Jackson‘s return from an early-season injury, so Brett Koremenos of RealGM.com takes a deep dive to try to determine how Jackson’s presence may be contributing to the club taking a step back.
The Bucks have a crowded frontcourt, with Greg Monroe, Miles Plumlee, and John Henson all making big bucks to play no more than about 20 MPG apiece this season. However, as Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times details, it’s Henson who has emerged as the starting center, a decision that is paying off in Milwaukee.
Within his latest mailbag, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com discusses the timing of Mo Williams‘ retirement decision and addresses whether or not Tyson Chandler might be a trade target for the Cavaliers — Vardon is skeptical.

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