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Free Agent Stock Watch 2019: Central Division

March 16th, 2019 at 3:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Every week, Hoops Rumors takes a closer look at players who will be free agents or could become free agents next offseason. We examine if their stock is rising or falling due to performance and other factors. This week, we turn our attention to the Central Division:

Wayne Selden, Bulls, 24, SG (Down) – Signed to a two-year, $2.86MM deal in 2017
Selden was part of the Justin Holiday deal with the Grizzlies in January. He could be a restricted free agent if Chicago chooses to extend a $1.93MM qualifying offer. Selden hasn’t done anything to convince the front office to retain his rights. He had an 18-point game in a blowout loss to Detroit on Sunday but he’s mostly been a non-factor off the bench. He’s posted a minus 4.5 Box Plus/Minus Rating, according to Basketball-Reference, which runs parallel to his career rating.

David Nwaba, Cavaliers, 26, SG (Down) – Signed to a one-year, $1.5MM deal in 2018
Injuries and a lack of production have made this a ho-hum season for Nwaba, who is playing for his third team in three years. He’s had occasional outbursts, such as a 22-point outing against Brooklyn this month, but has otherwise done little to dent the stat sheet. He can be a restricted free agent if the front office extends a low-cost $1.89MM qualifying offer. The cash-strapped Cavs will probably decline that option unless they see him as a rotation piece going forward.

Jose Calderon, Pistons, 37, PG (Down) – Signed to a one-year, $2.39MM deal in 2018
Calderon has carved out a nice, long NBA career that began in the 2005/06 season with Toronto. He rejoined his former Raptors coach, Dwane Casey, in Detroit as a third-string point guard after some good moments in Cleveland last season. It hasn’t gone well. Father Time has clearly caught up to Calderon, who was exposed when primary backup Ish Smith was sidelined by a adductor injury. This is likely Calderon’s last hurrah, though he could remain in the league as a coach if he so chooses.

Thaddeus Young, Pacers, 30, PF (Up) — Signed to a four-year, $54MM deal in 2015
A steady, durable big man, Young has been a consistent contributor throughout his career. This year might be best, reinforcing his value in a walk year. His Box Plus/Minus rating on Basketball-Reference is a career-best 3.1 and coach Nate McMillan has flowed with praise over Young’s play and leadership. Young doesn’t post big numbers, but he fills the stat sheet and provides intangibles that endears him to teammates and coaches. He should receive another pricey, multiyear offer this summer.

Malcolm Brogdon, Bucks, SG (Up) – Signed to a three-year, $3.78MM deal in 2016
An unlikely Rookie of the Year recipient after getting drafted in the second round, Brogdon has taken his play up a level or two after an injury-marred sophomore campaign. Starting for the current top seed in the East, Brogdon is averaging 15.6 PPG on 50.5% overall shooting. He’s a 42.6% shooter from distance and is virtually automatic at the free throw line (92.8%). He also rebounds well for his position and facilitates the offense (3.2 APG). Brogdon will be a restricted free agent and the Bucks may have to match a big offer sheet to retain him.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Hoops Rumors Originals: 3/9/19 – 3/16/19

March 16th, 2019 at 2:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

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

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Five Key Stories: 3/9/19 – 3/16/19

March 16th, 2019 at 1:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

If you missed any of this past week’s biggest headlines from around the NBA, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Here are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days:

Jazz guard Dante Exum was diagnosed with a partially torn patellar tendon in his right knee. The oft-injured Exum had just returned from an ankle sprain and bone bruise that sidelined him for 25 games. He could miss the remainder of the season.

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle received an extension and raise prior to the season. Carlisle, who has patrolled the sidelines for Dallas since 2008, had his contract extended through the 2022/23 season.

The Lakers shut down second-year point guard Lonzo Ball. Knee and ankle ailments limited the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft to 47 games this season.

Rockets GM Daryl Morey agreed to a five-year contract extension. Morey has turned the Rockets into a championship contender since taking over his current position in 2007. He was in the final year of his deal.

Isaiah Thomas dropped out of the Nuggets’ rotation. The former MVP candidate suffered another setback when coach Michael Malone informed the point guard his minutes would be greatly reduced. Thomas will return to the free agent market this summer.

Here are 10 more headlines from the last week:

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Brandon Ingram Undergoes Surgery On Right Arm

March 16th, 2019 at 1:24pm CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 16, 1:24pm: Ingram underwent thoracic outlet decompression surgery on his right arm Saturday, the team’s PR department tweets. He is expected to make a full recovery prior to the start of next season.

MARCH 9, 12:40pm: Health problems continue to plague the Lakers, who announced today in a press release that further testing on Brandon Ingram‘s sore right shoulder “revealed a Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) in his arm.” Ingram is expected to miss the rest of the 2018/19 season, according to the club.

Ingram, 21, had been enjoying the best stretch of his 2018/19 season prior to missing the last two games with a sore shoulder. Since returning from an ankle injury in late December, Ingram had averaged 20.2 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 3.5 APG on .510/.333/.697 shooting in 32 games, helping to re-establish his place among the league’s most promising young prospects.

Ingram’s health issue is the latest in a string of them for the Lakers’ young core. Lonzo Ball has been sidelined since January 19 with an ankle injury and there’s no guarantee he’ll return this season. Meanwhile, Kyle Kuzma is currently on the shelf with a minor ankle sprain of his own.

The trio of youngsters could have been in line for significant roles down the stretch, with the Lakers waving the white flag on the playoff chase and dialing back LeBron James‘ playing time. However, Kuzma might be the only one of the three who is actually able to get back on the court before season’s end.

While it may be tempting to say that the Lakers are being overly cautious with minor injuries to help improve their draft position down the stretch, Ingram’s new diagnosis is more serious than just a “sore shoulder.” The Mayo Clinic describes DVT as occurring “when a blood clot (thrombus) forms in one or more of the deep veins in your body.”

Recurring issues with blood clots have forced NBA players like Chris Bosh and Mirza Teletovic into early retirement in recent years, so the hope is that this is just a one-time problem for Ingram.

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Andrew Bogut Set To Make Season Debut Next Week

March 16th, 2019 at 11:55am CST by marksuleymanov

Andrew Bogut‘s visa issues have been rectified and the Australian big man is expected to travel to Oakland on Saturday, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters, including Mark Medina of The Mercury News (Twitter link). However, Bogut will not play in any of Golden State’s upcoming road games against the Thunder, Spurs and Timberwolves.

“I didn’t think it made sense for him to fly across the country after flying across the world so he will probably just meet us in the Bay [Area] when we get back, more than likely,” Kerr said.

If Bogut skips the road trip, his first game with the Warriors will likely be this coming Thursday against the Pacers at Oracle Arena. He will have 12 games to get comfortable in the Warriors’ rotation as the team prepares for the playoffs.

Bogut, 34, spent four seasons with the Warriors from 2012-14. He has not appeared in the NBA since he suited up with the Lakers for 23 games last season. This season, Bogut played with Australia’s Sydney Kings. Bogut’s arrangement calls for the center to return to Australia after his quick NBA stint.

“To come back to the NBA, for me, was basically Golden State or nothing,” Bogut said of his return. “But the fact it was Golden State — it was the kind of opportunity that I would be kicking myself if I didn’t take.”

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Atlantic Notes: Gasol, Brown, Knox, Fizdale

March 16th, 2019 at 11:15am CST by marksuleymanov

The Raptors‘ big deadline acquisition was veteran Marc Gasol, bolstering Toronto’s frontcourt entering the final stretch of the regular season. Thus far, Gasol has seen nearly equal time as a starter (six games) and as a reserve (seven games).

In those 13 games, Gasol has averaged 9.4 PPG and 6.2 RPG for the Raptors, well below his career rates. After spending his first 10-and-a-half seasons in Memphis, the big man is still getting used to his new team and teammates, as Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca writes.

“It’s an adjustment. I think it’s an adjustment for me, an adjustment for my teammates, for the coaches,” Gasol said. “You know, you play a certain way and it’s hard to change certain things on the fly. But you can’t try to force the issue. You have to organically improve and I’m here to work and do my best with a very positive mindset every day. It’s about what’s best for the team and how we can take another step at both ends of the floor.”

While the three-time All-Star figures out his role, the Raptors are focused on the postseason, clinching a spot in the Eastern Conference last week. Heading into that stretch, Gasol’s experience will be a factor but he does not want the attention to be solely on him.

“I don’t want to make a big deal out of it,” Gasol said. “Whatever role you’re given, it’s about having a good mindset. It’s not so much about starting — it’s about finishing games. It’s about the team playing well, and contributing to that. I know now that I’m going to have to start for the next few games, probably. And that contributes to a routine and a habit and a little bit of consistency. That helps you get that out of your mind. But I definitely don’t want to make a big deal out of it.”

Check out more Atlantic Division notes below:

  • Jaylen Brown has embraced his role off the bench to the Celtics‘ benefit despite being a starter and the team’s second-leading scorer a season ago, A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston writes. “He’s done a good job of embracing that,” Boston head coach Brad Stevens said. “He’s done a good job of not letting that affect his aggressiveness or his game.”
  • It has been an up and down season for Knicks rookie Kevin Knox who had been in a slump since December. Knox is appreciative of the rebuilding Knicks’ patience with his development but head coach David Fizdale has a strategy to help him improve, Marc Berman of New York Post writes.“His strength is going to be a big, big thing, fine-tuning his shooting, solidifying his post game,” Fizdale said. “Obviously, defensively I’m going to be all over him about taking another step forward, about being a playmaker, a shotblocker, a guy who can take a challenge one on one and really slide his feet against the best attackers.”
  • Speaking of Fizdale, earlier we relayed the head coach’s confidence in the Knicks doing well with free agents this summer.
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David Fizdale Confident Knicks Can Do Well In Free Agency

March 16th, 2019 at 9:17am CST by marksuleymanov

During a rare, wide-ranging interview earlier this week, Knicks owner James Dolan voiced confidence that the team would enjoy a successful summer in recruiting top tier free agents.

“Yes, I do think that. I think we offer a pretty good situation for [to acquire free agents],” he said on The Michael Kay Show. “One is a lot of them love New York, a bunch of them live in New York in the offseason. They know the team, they know [head coach David Fizdale] really well, they know [president Steve Mills] and [GM Scott Perry]. Players want to go to a winner and they want to get paid. We’re definitely going to pay them. We think with them combined and the kids we’ve got today, we can build a winning team.”

Thus far, the rebuilding Knicks sit in the NBA’s cellar, owning a league-worst record of 13-56. However, the organization has pointed toward its young assets, such as Kevin Knox, Dennis Smith Jr. and Mitchell Robinson — in addition to the city of New York — as enticing reasons for free agents to consider the team as a destination.

Fizdale echoed Dolan’s comments, citing player development and chatter around the league.

“Well, the beauty of it, the thing that I always — as much as I love you guys — I try to have my baseline on people that are having to make decisions around the league when they look at our team,” Fizdale said, per Steve Popper of Newsday. “All of the feedback that we’ve gotten is young kids have gotten better, our guys compete their butts off. We set ourselves up big-time for a great future and that’s what I’m listening to when I talk to my friends around the league and the feedback that I’m getting.”

The Knicks are expected to be serious players for Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and others. It’s still far from a certainty that New York will sign any of those impending free agents and Fizdale said he remains focused on finishing the season strong.

“Well, since we’ve been here, I’m hoping that’s the case, that the relationships and what we’re building here will attract people,” Fizdale said. “But right now I’m so far away from that, guys, I’m like in a darkroom right now with these guys. I’ve got a lot of things I’m trying to clean up and teach these young guys. Free agency for me is like millions of miles away.”

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Southwest Notes: Brunson, Vucevic, Pelicans, Holiday

March 15th, 2019 at 9:48pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jalen Brunson‘s play in recent weeks has made the Mavericks look even wiser for dealing second-year guard Dennis Smith Jr. as part of the Kristaps Porzingis blockbuster, according to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News.

A high second-round pick, the rookie guard out of Villanova has averaged 15.8 PPG and 4.3 APG over the past 10 games for the Mavericks. Brunson, who has become a starter since the trade, signed a partially-guaranteed four-year, $6.1MM contract last summer.

“He does everything right,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said of Brunson. “He works at his craft and pays attention to detail. … This guy was the 33rd pick in the draft. Pretty good.”

We have more from the Southwest Division:

  • Signing Magic free agent center Nikola Vucevic would make the Mavericks an offensive powerhouse but also create defensive concerns, Townsend opines.  Dallas will have ample cap room to pursue free agents this summer and have been linked to Vucevic. “Vucevic would be a great fit in terms of being able to space the floor offensively and when you’re talking about potentially (Kristaps) Porzingis out there at the same time and Luka (Doncic), you’re talking about potentially an offensive team that’s unstoppable or about as close as you can get,” Townsend said in a podcast. “And Vucevic can score with his back to the basket he’s really rounded into an all-around player this year. Is he going to protect the rim for them? No, he’s not.”
  • Making the right lottery pick, determining the business and basketball impact of an Anthony Davis trade, figuring out whether to retain or trade Jrue Holiday and deciding whether to retool or rebuild are the biggest challenges for the Pelicans front office this summer, ESPN’s Bobby Marks writes. Marks takes a long look at all of these issues as part of a series that breaks down every team’s offseason moves.
  • The Pelicans might eventually shut down Holiday and E’Twaun Moore for the rest of the season, Will Guillory of The Athletic tweets. Holiday is nursing an abdominal injury and Moore is dealing with a quad issue. Coach Alvin Gentry told Guillory the team would be  “overly cautious” during their recovery.
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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/15/19

March 15th, 2019 at 7:14pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Here are Friday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA G League:

  • The Spurs recalled rookie forward Chimezie Metu from the Austin Spurs, according to a team press release. In 23 games with Austin, Metu has averaged 14.1 PPG, 7.5 RPG and 1.5 BPG in 27.7 MPG. The second-round pick out of USC has played 28 games with San Antonio.
  • The Suns recalled rookie guard Elie Okobo from the Northern Arizona Suns, according to a team press release. Okobo is averaging 18.1 PPG, 7.4 APG and 4.7 RPG in nine G League appearances. Okobo is averaging 5.5 PPG and 2.5 APG in 17.8 MPG in 44 games with the Suns.
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Community Shootaround: Dolan And Free Agency

March 15th, 2019 at 6:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The dream scenario this offseason for most Knicks fans goes something like this: They win the draft lottery and land the best prospect in years, Duke wunderkind Zion Williamson. Then top free agents Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving decide to join forces in the media capital of the world, giving the Knicks a powerhouse trio and turning them into instant championship contenders.

As those fans know all too well, it’s dangerous to think that way. Their hopes have been consistently dashed over the past two decades, due to poor management decisions and wayward ownership.

The current front office has managed to do some positive things. The Knicks have shed a lot of bad contracts in recent years to the point where they have less than $22MM in guaranteed salary commitments next season. Whether they did the right thing by trading away injured young star Kristaps Porzingis remains to be seen, but there’s an undeniable problem for the franchise: the reputation of owner James Dolan.

Dolan is on the short list of most unpopular owners in professional sports and he recently made headlines for banning a fan who urged him within earshot to sell the team. Paranoia has filled the air around Madison Square Garden under Dolan’s stewardship, poisoning the franchise’s relationship with media, fans and former players.

Porzingis’ unhappiness stemmed in large part from his skepticism that the franchise could ever thrive again under Dolan. As Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today points out, Dolan fails to comprehend that the ultimate owners of a sports franchise are the team’s fans.

All that being said, there’s still a lure about playing in New York City. Coach David Fizdale has done his best to change the culture around the team and develop young players. And if the Knicks win the lottery, Williamson will create an added allure to the franchise.

That leads us to our question of the day: Will distaste for owner James Dolan prevent the Knicks from landing any top-level free agents this summer? Or will they go to New York regardless of how they feel about Dolan?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input

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