2017 March | Hoops Rumors

Mavs Sign Manny Harris To New 10-Day Deal

March 19th, 2017 at 10:29am CST by Austin Kent

MARCH 19: Harris’ second 10-day deal with the Mavs is now official, per a press release from the team.

MARCH 18: The Mavericks intend to bring journeyman guard Manny Harris back for a second 10-day contract, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.

The guard saw 7.0 minutes per game in three tastes of action for the playoff hopeful Mavs his first time through.

Considering that the franchise is in the thick of a playoff hunt, it’s unclear how much action the 27-year-old will see in his second deal but he saw 16 minutes in Friday night’s loss to the Sixers.

Hornets Sign Weber To Two-Year Deal

March 19th, 2017 at 10:25am CST by Austin Kent

MARCH 19, 10:25am: The deal is official, according to a tweet from the team.

MARCH 18, 1:01pm: The Hornets and Briante Weber agreed on a two-year deal, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweeted Friday. That puts the undrafted 24-year-old in position to back up Kemba Walker for the remainder of the 2016/17 campaign.

Though the exact terms of the deal haven’t been announced, even if the second year of the contract isn’t guaranteed Weber appears in line to get more than enough of an opportunity to prove his worth over course of the season’s final month.

Weber has done relatively little across stops with the Warriors and Hornets this season but has only played more than a handful of minutes twice all year. Now that the struggling Hornets have started to come to terms with the fact that their playoff hopes are fading, that could change.

Per Jerry Stephens of Fan Sided’s Swarm and Sting blog, head coach Steve Clifford is open to slotting Weber ahead of Brian Roberts and the injured Ramon Sessions on the depth chart providing a slightly larger sample size for the guard to prove that there is legitimate value behind his impressive D-League statistics.

Weber averaged 16.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game in 31 contests for the Sioux Falls Skyforce this season.

Heat Notes: Free Agents, Waiters, Wade, T. Johnson

March 19th, 2017 at 9:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The surprising Heat may be able to keep this year’s team together and still have cap room to be players on the free agent market, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. With team president Pat Riley saying at the All-Star break that he would use the rest of the season to evaluate which players will be kept, Jackson assesses the situation for several impending free agents:

James Johnson should get at least $10MM annually after his best NBA season, and possibly a contract similar to Evan Turner‘s at $70MM over four years. Johnson loves the team and the city, and the organization wants to bring him back.
Dion Waiters is also enjoying a breakthrough season and wants to sign a long-term deal with the Heat. But if Dwyane Wade stays in Chicago, there will be little competition at the shooting guard position in free agency and Waiters could get an offer of $14MM per year or more.
Wayne Ellington‘s $6.3MM deal for next season doesn’t need to be guaranteed until July 7th, the first day after the moratorium is lifted. The Heat will know where they stand with free agents before making that decision.
Willie Reed can opt out of hiss $1.5MM deal, and Miami may need to use part or all of its $4.3MM room exception to keep him.
The Heat have Bird rights on Luke Babbitt, so if he re-signs he will only count $1.47MM against the cap regardless of his salary.

If Chris Bosh is cleared off the cap as expected, Miami will have about $41MM in available space, with three small cap holds. If the Heat elect to keep Ellington and Babbitt, while using the room exception for Reed, that figure will be closer to $33MM. Jackson expects Riley to use that money to chase top-level free agents before committing to any of his current players.

There’s more today out of Miami:

The Heat aren’t sure when Waiters will return from a sprained ankle he suffered Friday, Jackson writes in a separate story. Waiters was on crutches after the game and has been ruled out for today’s contest with Portland. Coach Erik Spoelstra said it’s too early to talk about when Waiters might play again. “He’s young. He heals fast,” Spoelstra said. “He healed very fast from the last one and he rolled that one all the way over. There’s no way to really tell until we get through this process. We’ll see how he feels after this weekend.”
Wade is turning aside questions about free agency, but Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel envisions a scenario where the veteran guard could return to Miami next season. If Wade opts out of his $23.8MM deal, Miami could create additional cap room by trading Tyler Johnson, possibly to the Nets, who made the four-year, $50MM offer that the Heat elected to match.

League Unhappy With Cavaliers For Resting Stars

March 19th, 2017 at 8:54am CST by Arthur Hill

Cavaliers GM David Griffin got a call from the league office shortly after the team announced its decision to rest three stars for Saturday’s nationally televised game, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com.

LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love were all held out of the contest with the Clippers, which was shown in prime time on ABC. The Cavs made the move because they are facing a back-to-back situation with a game tonight in Los Angeles against the Lakers.

It was the second straight game that the network was missing star power, as the Warriors rested Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala last week, while the Spurs were missing Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge for medical reasons.

Griffin said an NBA representative called him “seven minutes after it was announced” to express displeasure with the decision (Twitter link).

The game turned into a rout early as Los Angeles pulled away for a 108-78 victory on a night where ABC was competing with the NCAA Tournament for the attention of basketball fans. The network’s broadcasting crew ripped the Cavaliers throughout, with Mark Jackson calling the mismatch “an absolute joke” and Jeff Van Gundy labeling it “a prosecutable offense.”

Shelburne passed along Griffin’s explanation in a series of tweets:

“The decision made itself. Kyrie left the last game with a knee injury so we weren’t going to have him play both games of a [back-to-back].” (Twitter link).
“Kevin Love is rehabbing from knee surgery so he’s not going to play both ends of a back to back.” (Twitter link).
“[Kyle] Korver is legitimately injured so u pick the game ur going to be the most competitive in and that’s the one Bron needs to play in” (Twitter link).
“I can’t make [Bron] drag himself through this tonight by himself and then have everybody else play tomorrow and still not win.” (Twitter link).

Griffin added that he sympathizes with the league, but injuries dictated the Cavaliers’ actions (Twitter link). When asked about the $24B in television rights being paid by ABC, ESPN and TNT, he responded, “Yeah, and they’re paying me to win a championship.” (Twitter link).

Southeast Notes: Meeks, Vogel, Calderon, Weber

March 18th, 2017 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Magic guard Jodie Meeks is ready to return after being sidelined since January 18th with a dislocated right thumb, Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated posts on ESPN Now. Meeks has received medical clearance and should be available for Monday’s contest with the Sixers. Injuries have limited Meeks to 24 games this season, after he played just three in Detroit a year ago. A part-time starter, Meeks is averaging 8.9 points per night and shooting better than 40% from 3-point range. He is headed toward free agency this summer.

There’s more tonight from the Southeast Division:

Frank Vogel has overseen a disappointing season in his first year as Magic coach, but he is winning over his players with the way he handles adversity, writes John Denton of NBA.com. “He still fights for us and that makes me want to fight for him,’’ said Aaron Gordon. “I’ve got total respect for Frank because even after a tough loss like that one [against Golden State on Thursday], he can still smile and we can have a conversation. That’s big. As good a coach as he is, he’s an even better person.’’
Jose Calderon has made an immediate impact since joining the Hawks, according to KL Chouinard of NBA.com. The veteran point guard has provided scoring, playmaking and leadership as Atlanta won three of its first four games after claiming him off waivers. “Sometimes when you get to this time of the season, the problem is that you don’t have the practice time,” Calderon said. “So it’s kind of like my practice being out there [in games]. It’s a little bit more difficult because you don’t want to make mistakes. You’re still learning what your teammates are used to doing.”
The “Havoc” system that Briante Weber learned at Virginia Commonwealth helped him land an extended contract with the Hornets, relays David Scott of The Charlotte Observer. Weber agreed to a two-year deal after nearly two full seasons of D-League play and 10-day contracts. He has developed a reputation as a defensive specialist who brings a lot of energy to the game. “I’m using my calling card, what got me here,” Weber said. “My defensive abilities, my tenacity. I want those things to help me stay in this league for a long time. They’re what helped me get this shot.”

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 3/18/17

March 18th, 2017 at 10:45pm CST by Austin Kent

Here are the D-League transactions for Saturday:

10:45pm:

The Knicks have assigned forward Maurice Ndour to their Westchester affiliate, the team tweeted.
The Grizzlies have recalled center Deyonta Davis from Iowa, the team announced in an email.

2:17pm:

The Raptors have assigned forward Bruno Caboclo and center Pascal Siakam to their D-League affiliate, the team’s media department reports on Twitter. Caboclo has seen limited action in just seven games with Toronto this season while Siakam has averaged 4.2 points and 3.3 rebounds in 52 contests at the big league level.
The Thunder have assigned forward Josh Huestis to their D-League affiliate, the team announced in a press release. Huestis has played 27 games with the OKC Blue already this season.
The Cavaliers recalled rookie guard Kay Felder from their D-League affiliate, the team reports on its official site. Felder has played 37 games with the franchise already this season.

Community Shootaround: James, Wade, Paul, Anthony

March 18th, 2017 at 9:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

When LeBron James speculated last season about one day joining forces with Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony, it seemed like just a fantasy. But recent events have created uncertain futures for three of the NBA’s four most famous friends.

Wade will miss the rest of the regular season after suffering a sprain and fracture in his right elbow on Wednesday. He left open a chance that he might return for the playoffs, but Chicago has fallen to 32-37 and two games out of the eighth spot in the East. Wade has a $23.8MM player option for next season, which might be tough to top on the open market, but if Wade opts out he may have already played his final game with the Bulls.

Paul is considered a sure thing to exercise his early termination option and forego a $24,268,960 salary for next season. At age 31, Paul will be seeking one last long-term contract to carry him through the end of his NBA career. Whether that deal comes from the Clippers could depend on L.A.’s playoff success. With Paul, Blake Griffin and J.J. Redick all headed to free agency, owner Steve Ballmer will have to decide if huge luxury tax payments are justified to keep the team together. Currently tied for fifth in the West, L.A. is likely to enter the postseason without home-court advantage.

The playoffs aren’t a concern in New York, where Anthony is toiling for the 12th best team in the East. He has been in a long-running feud with team president Phil Jackson and was the subject of trade rumors involving the Clippers, Cavaliers and Celtics prior to the deadline. Anthony is signed through next season, then has an early termination option for 2018/19. There’s a growing feeling that he might be willing to waive his no-trade clause this summer to join a contender and get away from Jackson.

That brings us to today’s question: Where do you think Wade, Paul and Anthony will be playing next season, and will they someday team up with LeBron before they all leave the NBA? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below. We look forward to what you have to say.

Steve Kerr Offers Health Update On Kevin Durant

March 18th, 2017 at 8:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Durant is making progress in his effort to return from a knee injury, tweets Chris Haynes of ESPN.com.

Speaking to reporters before tonight’s game, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Durant has progressed from shooting in a wheelchair to standstill shooting and is now able to handle jump shots.

Durant was diagnosed with a Grade 2 MCL sprain and a tibial bone bruise after injuring his left knee in a February 28th game. He was first diagnosed with a hyperextended knee before an MRI showed the real extent of the damage. Doctors said they planned to re-evaluate him after four weeks, which would be 10 days from now.

Golden State has gone 4-4 without Durant and leads San Antonio by just a game and a half coming into tonight’s action.

Clippers, Heat Interested In Carlos Boozer

March 18th, 2017 at 7:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Veteran forward Carlos Boozer has piqued the interest of some NBA teams by leading his Chinese club to within a game of the league finals, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

A source with connections to basketball in China tells Stein that the Clippers and Heat are among the teams closely following Boozer’s exploits with the Guangdong Southern Tigers. Both teams have fully stocked rosters and would have to waive someone to make room for Boozer. The Heat have an obvious candidate as they are expected to seek a medical retirement for Chris Bosh at some point.

The 34-year-old Boozer last played in the NBA during the 2014/15 season, when he appeared in 71 games with the Lakers. He also spent time with the Cavaliers, Jazz and Bulls during a 13-year career.

Boozer would be eligible for the playoffs because he hasn’t been on another NBA roster this season. However, Guangdong’s success may work against him if the Chinese postseason lasts too long. Boozer must return to the United States and be signed by April 12th, the last day of the regular season, to participate in the playoffs.

Could Doc Rivers Be Headed To Orlando?

March 18th, 2017 at 6:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

6:03pm: Rivers is trying to quell rumors that he might go to Orlando, tweets Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Speaking with reporters before tonight’s game, Rivers insisted that he has “no future” with the Magic.

5:15pm: League insiders are discussing the possibility that Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers could take a similar role in Orlando, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

The theory, according to Stein, starts with the likelihood that Rob Hennigan will be fired as Magic GM at the end of the season. Add in the upcoming free agency for Clippers stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin and there’s a possibility that changes are coming in L.A.

Stein hints that the Clippers could be broken up if they fail to reach the conference finals, something the team hasn’t done in the six years Paul and Griffin have been together. If those changes include a coaching move, then Rivers, whose contract as coach and president of basketball operations runs through 2018/19, would become available for Orlando.

If that scenario happens, it would mark a homecoming for Rivers, who started his coaching career with the Magic in 1999.

It’s not clear if Orlando is ready to dismiss current coach Frank Vogel, who was given a four-year contract last summer. Stein says Hennigan’s trade of Serge Ibaka to Toronto last month was an admission that the roster was overstocked with big men, and it appeared to absolve Vogel of blame for a disappointing season.

If Vogel remains, the Magic will consider former Orlando player Pat Garrity to replace Hennigan. Garrity currently serves as associate GM with the Pistons.

Another possibility for the Clippers, Stein notes, is to request that Rivers give up his front office duties and concentrate on coaching. If that happens, the team may reach out to Bob Whitsitt, a former executive with the SuperSonics and Trail Blazers who has close ties to Clippers owner Steve Ballmer.

Stein also says to watch for the possible departure of L.A. shooting guard J.J. Redick in free agency this summer. Redick complained publicly about the organization this week and may become too expensive for the Clippers to re-sign.

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