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Atlantic Notes: Vonleh, LeVert, Tatum, Simmons

August 19th, 2018 at 9:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Badly in need of rebounding help, the Knicks may have found it at a bargain price with the signing of Noah Vonleh, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. While other parts of his game have been questioned, Vonleh is considered very good at getting boards. He collected a career best 5.8 in about 16 minutes per game with the Trail Blazers and Bulls last season.

Chicago acquired Vonleh from Portland at the trade deadline, but didn’t make him an offer in free agency. The Knicks were able to sign him to a partially guaranteed one-year deal that will pay $100K if he’s still on the roster September 25.

“Free agency was pretty tough this year,’’ Vonleh said. “I didn’t get anything. There were a lot of teams with interest. But I love the game of basketball. I’m happy to have another year in the league. I’m going to play this year out and see how things go and try to be in the league for many years to come.”

There’s more this morning from the Atlantic Division:

  • Nets forward Caris LeVert believes a relaxed practice schedule in the NBA has helped him overcome the injuries he had in college, relays Ethan Sears of The New York Post. Foot issues forced him to miss a large part of his junior and senior seasons at Michigan and caused him to slide to 20th in the 2016 draft. “I think that a lot of people are like, ‘Oh, he only — he got hurt in the college season, where they only played 40 games. How is he gonna play 82 games in the NBA season?’” LeVert said. “They don’t really look at the fact that in college, you practice way harder than in the NBA. Cause in the NBA, you can’t necessarily practice that hard, ’cause there’s a game basically every other day.”
  • After a stellar rookie season, Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has spent the summer working on his strength, tweets ESPN’s Chris Forsberg. “That’s probably been the biggest focus,” Tatum said. “I’m still young so it’s hard to really just throw on a bunch of extra pounds. But I’ve definitely gotten a lot stronger. … I just wanted to get my body right and keep getting stronger.”
  • Ben Simmons isn’t concerned about the Sixers missing out on LeBron James in free agency. Simmons talks about James’ decision to join the Lakers in a video tweeted by the Australian Daily Telegraph. “He did the right thing for him and his family,” Simmons said. “But it would’ve been great to learn from him, him being on the team and obviously competing for a championship. But we have pieces to get there.”
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Central Notes: Pacers, Oladipo, Cavaliers, Vonleh

August 18th, 2018 at 8:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pacers took the conference champion Cavaliers to seven games in their playoff series and feel good about their chances to contend in the upcoming season, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Coach Nate McMillan is especially encouraged by Indiana’s offseason moves, which included the free agent additions of Tyreke Evans, Doug McDermott and Kyle O’Quinn, along with drafting Aaron Holiday.

“We feel good about our draft picks and our free agents that we were able to pick up,” McMillan said. “We felt like we added a need to our roster. We felt like we were able to strengthen our bench. All of those were guys we felt like if we could improve that position, we wanted to. Aaron is going to be a real solid guard in this league.”

“Is it open? With LeBron [out]? Yes. We’re happy that he’s gone west,” McMillan said. “But we know that it’s still going to be a challenge and we have to make sure we work on us and not assume anything. It’s going to be a challenge for us to do the things we did last season and do it better.”

There’s more tonight from the Central Division:

  • Victor Oladipo‘s summer is a mixture of workouts and marketing opportunities, relays J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star. The league’s reigning Most Improved Player adopted a new diet and upgraded his offseason routine last year before posting the best season of his NBA career. The Pacers star is also taking advantage of his new-found fame to help build his brand. “I decided to take control on and off the court and really make decisions that are best for me instead of relying on other people,” Oladipo says. “It’s about growth, getting a little wiser, a gray hair here or there. I’m trying to grow up.”
  • The Cavaliers have 12 players on their roster with guaranteed contracts and are keeping two spots open for David Nwaba and Rodney Hood, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Cleveland was reportedly finalizing a deal with Nwaba at the start of the month, but nothing has been made official. Hood remains the top restricted free agent on the market, but has little bargaining power with so few teams having cap space remaining. Point guard Isaiah Taylor, who signed a non-guaranteed $1.5MM deal yesterday, will also compete for a roster spot, Marks adds.
  • The Cavaliers were the second choice for former Bulls forward Noah Vonleh, who signed with the Knicks this summer, a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post. The Bucks and Spurs were also in the running.
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Pacific Notes: Lakers, Giles, Ferrell, McMillan

August 18th, 2018 at 7:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

Lakers president Magic Johnson is getting rave reviews from owner Jeanie Buss on the job he has done in remaking the team, relays Dan Feldman of NBC Sports. Johnson’s standout move was luring free agent LeBron James to L.A., but he also cleared away a lot of cap space and convinced a series of veterans to accept one-year deals so the Lakers can take another big swing in free agency next summer.

“I have complete faith in Magic Johnson in terms of his ability to be a leader, to know how to put together a winner,” Buss said this week in an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show. “And I have patience. And I think what he’s done has exceeded my expectations, how quickly they’ve kind of turned around the roster.”

There’s more today from the Pacific Division:

  • Harry Giles still hasn’t seen any NBA action, but he has been the most intriguing Kings story of the summer, notes Noel Harris of The Sacramento Bee. The Kings were extremely cautious with Giles after making him the 20th pick in the 2017 draft, sitting him out the entire season to make sure his knees were fully recovered from a series of surgeries that date back to high school. Giles was impressive in Summer League action and was picked as the Rookie of the Year favorite by ESPN’s Kevin Pelton.
  • Yogi Ferrell may have a prominent role off the bench in the Kings‘ backcourt, writes James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area in an examination of the team’s potential guard rotation. Sacramento was able to land Farrell in free agency after he pulled out of an agreement with the Mavericks in search of more guaranteed money. Ham expects newly acquired Ben McLemore to be bought out or traded and notes that the team would like to move Iman Shumpert, but is having trouble finding a taker for his $11.4MM salary.
  • Jamelle McMillan is enjoying a homecoming after being added to the Suns‘ coaching staff, writes Cody Cunningham of NBA.com. The son of Pacers head coach Nate McMillan, Jamelle played four seasons at Arizona State before starting his coaching career. At age 29, he is one of the NBA’s youngest assistants.
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Southwest Notes: Poeltl, Okafor, Matthews, Batum

August 18th, 2018 at 6:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jakob Poeltl is hoping an offseason trade to the Spurs will give him a better shot at playing time, relays Tom Orsborne of The San Antonio Express-News. Poeltl was an overlooked part of the deal that sent Kawhi Leonard to Toronto and DeMar DeRozan to San Antonio, but the former first-round pick may find a greater opportunity to show off his skills with his new team. Poeltl describes himself as willing to do the “dirty work” and is thrilled about the opportunity with the Spurs.

“That is one of the things I am most excited about, just the fact that this program has such a big history of developing players,” Poeltl said. “Players that stay here or players that then go somewhere else and become really good players. So, I am really excited for the process. It’s going to be a lot of work, but I am looking forward to it.”

There’s more news from the Southwest Division:

  • In an Instagram post, Pelicans center Jahlil Okafor thanks Kevin Love for bringing mental health issues into the open last season. Okafor, who signed a partially guaranteed two-year deal earlier this month, displays a more toned body in the post, but states that he underwent a greater change on the inside. “I’ve learned how to identify and manage different stressors such as anxiety,” Okafor wrote. “Learning how to identify certain stressors has also allowed me to over come them. Often times because of my size and profession people may view me in a certain way, but in reality I deal with the same struggles as countless others.”
  • Trade speculation will continue to follow Mavericks guard Wesley Matthews in the upcoming season, according to a Dallas Morning News profile. At age 31 and entering the final year of his contract after opting in over the summer, Matthews could be expendable after the team assembled its backcourt of the future in the past two drafts.
  • The Rockets should consider gambling on Hornets forward Nicolas Batum, writes Rahat Huq of Forbes. Houston could use another strong wing defender after losing Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute in free agency, and Charlotte may be willing to take Ryan Anderson in return because Batum’s contract is even larger. Batum is owed more than $49.5MM over the next two seasons and has a $27.1MM player option for 2020/21.
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Heat Notes: J. Johnson, Weber, Newman, Lee

August 18th, 2018 at 5:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Despite rumors that he’s on the trade market, the Heat aren’t shopping forward James Johnson, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The team expects Johnson’s productivity to increase after offseason surgery to fix a sports hernia, which involves damage to soft tissue in the groin area. Johnson dealt with the injury through much of last season.

“It’s something that he played through last year and it affected him for sure,” said his agent, Mark Bartelstein. “They don’t come any tougher than James. His pain threshold is unlike anyone I’ve seen.”

Johnson posted a 10.9/4.8/3.9 line last season while providing the defense and versatility that he’s known for. He still has two seasons and about $30MM left on his contract, along with a $16MM player option for 20/21.

There’s more news from Miami to pass along, all courtesy of Jackson:

  • The Heat know what they’re getting from Briante Weber, who reached a partially guaranteed agreement with the team earlier this week. He got into one game for Miami in 2015/16, but has played extensively for the organization’s G League affiliate in Sioux Falls. Weber is an excellent defender who struggles with his outside shot and has been prone to turnovers. He had brief stays with the Rockets and Grizzlies last season and has played for five NBA teams in his three-year career.
  • The Heat look for elite athletes when evaluating prospects, which is why they were drawn to former Parade All-Americans Malik Newman and Marcus Lee. Neither player was drafted, but both have raw ability that could help them succeed at the NBA level. Depending on whether Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem decide to return, Newman, Lee and Weber could all be competing for one roster opening.
  • Dion Waiters continues to work out at the Heat’s facility as part of his comeback from ankle surgery that he underwent in January. Waiters was limited to 30 games last year and has only played 76 in two seasons since coming to Miami. He has two more years and $24.75MM left on his current deal.
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Community Shootaround: Portland’s Backcourt

August 18th, 2018 at 3:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Trail Blazers were one of the league’s biggest surprises last season. No one thought they’d finish with the third-best record in the loaded Western Conference but there they were, piling up 49 victories and trailing only the Rockets and Warriors.

They also had a surprising postseason for a much different reason. They were swept by Anthony Davis and the Pelicans, creating some soul-searching for the front office.

GM Neil Olshey ultimately decided to keep his core group together, rather than break up his undersized backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. Offensively, they can match up with any pair of guards in the league. They combined to average 48.3 PPG and 10.0 APG last season. Defensively, it’s an entirely different story. Basketball Reference’s Defensive Box Plus/Minus ranks both as below-average defenders.

Both players are signed through the next three seasons at substantial figures. Lillard is due nearly $100MM for the remainder of his deal; McCollum has approximately $82.5MM coming to him.

Even so, Lillard is an All-Star talent and McCollum is a prolific scorer. Both would have value on the open market.

Olshey made a long-term commitment to center Jusuf Nurkic in restricted free agency, giving the big man three guaranteed years. The Blazers’ forward group doesn’t quicken the pulse. They’re looking at a rotation of Evan Turner, Maurice Harkless, Al-Farouq Aminu and Caleb Swanigan.

Dealing one of their guards for a top-flight forward would theoretically make the team more balanced. Certainly, in the star-laden West, it would seem that Portland would be hard-pressed to finish third again with the same group and could even struggle to make the postseason.

That leads us to our question of the day: Should the Blazers hold onto their prolific backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum or deal one of them for frontcourt help?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to what you have to say.

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Hoops Rumors Originals: 8/12/18 – 8/18/18

August 18th, 2018 at 3:10pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Every week, the writing team here at Hoops Rumors creates original content to complement our news feed. Here are our segments and features from the past seven days:

  • In two Community Shootaround posts this week, we asked:
    • What would be the best fits for the top unsigned free agents?
    • Will the Knicks surpass their Las Vegas odds of 29.5 wins this season under new coach David Fizdale?
  • In four Polls this week, we asked for your opinion on these topics:
    • Which team will win the Central Division?
    • Which team will win the Northwest Division?
    • How will the Atlantic Division standings shake out?
    • Which prediction by an ESPN panel of landing spots for next summer’s top free agents will most likely come true?
  • We examined the remaining offseason questions for each team in the Southeast, Central and Atlantic divisions.
  • We listed the longest-tenured player on each team.
  • We took a closer look at which teams will likely exceed the luxury tax threshold.
  • Luke Adams broke down the status of each 2019 first-round pick.
  • Luke Adams listed the players who can’t be traded until December 15 and the ones who are ineligible to be traded until January 15.
  • We provided a list of links displaying how teams acquired players this offseason.
  • We noted all the waiver claims made this summer.
  • Luke Adams listed the draft-and-stash signings this offseason.
  • In his latest Weekly Mailbag, Arthur Hill offered his insights on how the Pistons will fare during the first season under new coach Dwane Casey.
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Five Key Stories: 8/12/18 – 8/18/18

August 18th, 2018 at 1:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

If you missed any of this week’s biggest stories, don’t worry because we’ve got it covered with our Week in Review. Listed below are some the more noteworthy news items from the last seven days.

The Rockets officially signed Carmelo Anthony to a one-year contract. Anthony had already verbally agreed to chase a ring with Houston once he cleared waivers. He will now team up with the All-Star backcourt of James Harden and Chris Paul, giving the Rockets more star power as they try once again to knock the Warriors from their perch.

Stephen Curry declared he wants to be a Warrior for life. Golden State didn’t have any concerns about losing its two-time MVP in the near future. Curry has four years remaining on the five-year, $201MM contract that he signed last summer. But if all goes well, Curry will join the likes of Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan, stars who played for only one franchise.

The Nets guaranteed Spencer Dinwiddie‘s contract for next season. Brooklyn didn’t have to give Dinwiddie a guarantee until January 10. With Dinwiddie making just $1.656MM, it was a no-brainer for the Nets to guarantee that money to a player who  averaged 12.6 PPG and 6.6 APG in 28.8 MPG last season.

Shabazz Muhammad agreed to re-sign with the Bucks. Muhammad, who joined Milwaukee last season after getting bought out by the Timberwolves, will have to fight for a roster spot after only being offered a training-camp deal.

Dwyane Wade revealed he would either re-sign with the Heat or retire. Wade reportedly had a lucrative offer to play in China but he’s not interested in continuing his career overseas. He’ll either rejoin Miami’s crowded backcourt or hang up his shoes and await his Hall of Fame induction.

Here are 10 more notable NBA headlines from the last week:

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Gregg Popovich Comments On Passing Of Bob Bass

August 18th, 2018 at 11:55am CST by marksuleymanov

Former Spurs general manager Bob Bass passed away from a series of strokes on Friday night, per the San Antonio-Express News. He was 89 years old.

Bass enjoyed a decorated coaching and front office career in basketball, most prominently spending 20 years with the Spurs. In that time, San Antonio made the postseason 17 times and advanced to the conference finals on three occasions.

“Over the course of four decades, Bob Bass had a huge impact in both the ABA and NBA,” Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said in a statement. “BB was a true pioneer in the world of professional basketball. His knowledge, passion and dedication to the game were inspiring. We send our condolences to the entire Bass family.”

Bass’ coaching career included stints at the ABA and on the collegiate level for Texas Tech.

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Atlantic Notes: Dinwiddie, Hardaway, Noah, Raptors

August 18th, 2018 at 11:16am CST by marksuleymanov

The Nets guaranteed Spencer Dinwiddie‘s contract for the 2018/19 season earlier this week as the guard looks to build off a career season in 2017/18. Dinwiddie recently returned to Brooklyn after spending the summer in California and China and he’s ready to get started, Tom Dowd of NBA.com writes.

“Scoring efficiency is the main area of improvement,” Dinwiddie said. “Overall development. I’m 25 years old, still got a lot of juice in the tank. I want to continue to push the limits of who I can be as a player and see how far we as a group, a collective, can take this thing. A lot of that comes from every individual being one percent better. Trying to do a lot of that.”

 In 80 games last season, Dinwiddie enjoyed his best year to date, averaging 12.6 PPG and 6.6 APG for Brooklyn. Entering this season, with the roster shaken up and without Jeremy Lin, Dinwiddie figures to have a shot to retain his spot. As Dinwiddie and his teammates prepare for the preseason, he acknowledged that workouts have ramped up.
“It’s all ramping up and we’re getting to a place where the season is coming up,” Dinwiddie said. “It’s about to be around the corner. We’re putting in some of those final touches, some of that final preparation to get ready.”
Check out more Atlantic Division notes:
  • After the Knicks parted ways with Jeff Hornacek, guard Tim Hardaway Jr. was unsure of the front office’s thought process. With David Fizdale on board, Hardaway loves what the new coach brings to the team, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. “He’s respected around the league,’’ Hardaway said. “He does bring that type of vibe and character around the team that makes you want to go out there and compete each and every day for him. That’s what we love about him.”
  • A lot has been made of Joakim Noah and his role — or lack thereof — on this upcoming year’s Knicks team. While his contract is an albatross, utilizing the stretch provision is one way New York can rid itself of the injured center. Danny Leroux of The Athletic (subscription required) explains why the Knicks should hold onto Noah for now.
  • The Raptors announced the coaching staff for their G League affiliate, Raptors 905.
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