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Spurs Release Nate Renfro, Aric Holman

October 4th, 2021 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

The Spurs waived a pair of recent roster additions over the weekend, cutting guard Nate Renfro and big man Aric Holman, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.

Neither move comes as a surprise. San Antonio signed both players to non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contracts with an eye toward having them eventually join the Austin Spurs in the G League. The Exhibit 10 deals will ensure that both players receive bonuses worth up to $50K if they spend at least 60 days with Austin.

Renfro, who went undrafted in 2019 out of San Francisco, spent the 2019/20 season recovering from a torn ACL, then played for the Austin Spurs – San Antonio’s G League affiliate – during the 2021 NBAGL bubble season.

Holman, who also went undrafted in 2019, played for the Texas Legends as a rookie and for Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany during his second professional season. The former Mississippi State standout suited up for Boston during the 2021 Las Vegas Summer League.

Following their cuts, the Spurs have 18 players under contract, including 17 on guaranteed standard contracts. They’ll have to trade or waive at least two of those players before the start of the regular season, and may continue shuffling players through their last two roster spots for G League purposes.

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Western Notes: Jazz, Payton II, Prince, Forrest

October 3rd, 2021 at 8:58pm CST by JD Shaw

Some newcomers on the Jazz made a strong impression during the team’s open practice on Saturday, as relayed by NBA.com. Utah welcomed thousands of fans to partake in a Q&A with head coach Quin Snyder and watch the final part of a team scrimmage via Zoom.

Players such as Hassan Whiteside, Eric Paschall and Jared Butler all played well. Whiteside joined the Jazz on a one-year, minimum deal this summer after spending last season with the Kings. He made the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team in 2016 and led the league in rebounding in 2017.

“His half roll, his short roll, obviously his floater,” Jazz star Donovan Mitchell said of Whiteside, specifically noting his game on the offensive end as well. “He’s done it against us, he’s done it for his whole career, I think that’s one thing that he brings.”

There’s more out of the Western Conference:

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Eastern Notes: Watanabe, Boucher, Bassey, Cavaliers, Simmons

October 3rd, 2021 at 7:45pm CST by JD Shaw

The Raptors are expecting more out of 26-year-old forward Yuta Watanabe this fall, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes. Watanabe recently competed in the Olympics with Japan, learning to become more aggressive on the offensive end during his time in Tokyo.

“With the international team, I had to be that aggressive every time I touched the ball … so that was a lot different,” he explained. “I understand that my role is not going to be like that with the Raptors, but still … I need to be more aggressive because it makes it a lot easier for my teammates to score. Or I can draw attention, I can pass the ball and they can make shots.

“So definitely, I need to be more aggressive to help my teammates and help my team.”

Watanabe saw his two-way contract converted into a standard deal last April. He’ll be competing for a roster spot during Toronto’s preseason with Freddie Gillespie, Sam Dekker and others this month.

There’s more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:

  • Speaking of the Raptors, big man Chris Boucher recently sustained a dislocated finger, the team announced. Boucher will miss the club’s first preseason game against the Sixers on Monday. He’s coming off the best season of his four-year career, averaging 13.6 points and 6.7 rebounds in 24.2 minutes per contest.
  • Sixers rookie Charles Bassey won’t travel with the team for its game against Toronto, Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Bassey signed a contract last week with the organization but still needs to finalize his work visa, Mizell notes.
  • The Cavaliers will be interested in acquiring disgruntled Sixers star Ben Simmons for as long as he’s available, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com tweets. Cleveland could theoretically offload one of Collin Sexton or Darius Garland in any deal, combining that player with Kevin Love‘s contract to match salaries. The club could also try to entice a third team to join any proposal.
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Central Notes: Windler, Cunningham, Lecque, Bucks, Dosunmu

October 3rd, 2021 at 6:44pm CST by JD Shaw

Cavaliers forward Dylan Windler is eager to prove himself this season after dealing with multiple injuries to start his career, Kelsey Russo of The Athletic writes.

Windler, 25, was drafted by the team No. 26 overall in 2019. He’s appeared in just 31 games since then, all coming during the 2020/21 season. The Belmont product averaged 5.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 16.5 minutes per game in those contests.

“My knee is feeling the best it’s felt since I’ve been here, so that’s huge for me,” Windler said. “That was half the battle for me last year, fighting through that. It led to more problems, not only physically but mentally.

“I’m in a clear headspace right now. Had the best training camp I’ve had by far, so I’m ready to prove myself all over again and help this team win a lot of games.”

Here are some other notes from the Central Division:

  • The Pistons are being patient with rookie Cade Cunningham‘s development, Rod Beard of The Detroit News writes. Detroit drafted Cunningham No. 1 overall this summer, cementing the 20-year-old as its franchise cornerstone going forward.
  • The Bucks recently brought in Jalen Lecque as part of a free-agent group workout, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Lecque has only appeared in nine NBA games since going undrafted in 2019. He appeared in 14 contests with the Pacers’ G League affiliate last season, averaging 14.3 points per game on 39% shooting. Milwaukee currently has 20 players under contract, the most it’s allowed to have at once.
  • Bulls rookie Ayo Dosunmu has received praise during training camp for his strong play, Sam Smith of NBA.com writes. Chicago selected him with the No. 38 pick in this year’s draft. “The scrimmages and practices have been great,” Dosunmu said as part of a larger quote. “I come out here each and every day and compete to make our team better. They’ve been using me as a point guard on the second unit and a combo guard on the second unit, someone who will go out there and make guys better, use my playmaking skills and also being tenacious on defense. Running the floor, playing the right way, trying just to carve a role out on the team.”
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Southeast Notes: Strus, Vincent, Wizards, Suggs, Yurtseven

October 3rd, 2021 at 5:30pm CST by JD Shaw

Heat third-year players Max Strus and Gabe Vincent believe they’re ready to contribute to the team’s title chase this season, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes.

Strus and Vincent were on two-way contracts with the club last season, seeing sparse time off the bench. Miami decided to reward their hard work by signing them to standard deals this summer. Both have impressed during the first week of training camp.

“I’ve been working out with them all summer,” Heat star Bam Adebayo said of Strus and Vincent. “Just seeing the way they’ve grown. Vincent is becoming a better point guard. Putting dudes in the right spots, he’s getting to his spot and doing everything in between.

“Then Max is just shooting the piss out of the ball. That’s why we brought him here. He’s one of those sneaky athletic guys and he can defend. They’ve both just advanced their games to a whole other level than where it was last year.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division tonight:

  • The Wizards used a players-only speech and meeting to improve their chemistry in training camp, Chase Hughes examines for NBC Sports Washington. The speech was led by star guard Bradley Beal, who averaged a career-high 31.3 points per game last season, while the meeting was called by Montrezl Harrell. “(Beal) was talking about just being that one unit, doing everything together,” guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said. “Even today, we had a players-only meeting and that’s what we talked about; holding each other accountable and being there for each other.”
  • Magic rookie Jalen Suggs is excited for his first preseason action, Chris Hays of The Orlando Sentinel writes. Orlando opens its preseason against Boston on Monday, giving Suggs the chance to play on an NBA court for the first time. “Super-excited to be starting up my rookie year,” he said. “It’s something you dream of, so this is another one of those first-time moments that you got to look forward to and you just got to take in. It only happen one time, the first time, and I’m excited, ready to get out there and ready to get up and down with the guys and be in front of a crowd.”
  • In his latest “Ask Ira” mailbag for the Sun Sentinel, Ira Winderman explores whether the preseason is a chance for Omer Yurtseven to show that he can replicate the success he saw in Summer League. Yurtseven recently spoke to Hoops Rumors about his new contract, offseason and more, giving a detailed look at his situation as he gears up his first NBA season.
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Knicks Notes: Selden, Fournier, 3-Point Shooting, Rookie Guards

October 3rd, 2021 at 4:14pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

In addressing the news that point guard Luca Vildoza has been waived by the Knicks, head coach Tom Thibodeau revealed that he has liked what he’s seen of shooting guard Wayne Selden during the team’s training camp, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.

With Vildoza gone, Selden is the only player on a standard non-guaranteed contract on the Knicks’ roster, outside of the team’s Exhibit 10 camp invitees. New York has 14 players signed to guaranteed deals and one player inked to a two-way contract. The 6’5″ journeyman shooting guard out of Kansas, 26, has suited up for the Pelicans, Bulls and Grizzlies since going undrafted in 2016.

There’s more out of the City That Never Sleeps:

  • New Knicks shooting guard Evan Fournier applauded Thibodeau and the team’s mix of veterans and young players, per Zach Braziller of the New York Post. “A coach that’s about working, a coach that’s very intense, that tells you things how they are, keeps it real, and just wants to get better,” Fournier said. “I think he’s very good at making sure you understand what he wants from you. It’s very clear. There’s no gray area and there’s no place for misinterpretation. As a player, especially a new guy, it’s easy because you know what to do.” Fournier likened his experiences thus far with the Knicks to his rookie season – when he played for the 57-win 2012/13 Nuggets under George Karl – and praised Thibodeau’s attentiveness and intensity. Fournier was added to the Knicks on a four-year, $78MM sign-and-trade deal with the Celtics.
  • Though the Knicks had a fairly high conversion rate of their three-pointers last year, they took among the fewest long-range shots in the league (30.0). Zach Braziller of the New York Post says New York is hoping to boost its output without losing much accuracy. “We want the right 3s,” Thibodeau said. “Like I don’t want to take random ones where we don’t have floor balance and we can’t get back. So to get the defense to collapse, to attack it before it’s set where we have a numerical advantage, but to take the right ones. So try to get away from the long two.” Earlier in the week, reserve guard Derrick Rose suggested that the Knicks could up their numbers to attempting to shoot between 37 and 40 three-pointers a night, which Thibodeau appeared to support.
  • With defensive-oriented guards Frank Ntilikina, Elfrid Payton and Reggie Bullock now elsewhere, rookie Knicks point guard Miles McBride is hoping to step in as a stopper for New York, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. Rookie shooting guard Quentin Grimes, the No. 25 pick this year out of Houston, also appears to have potential at the defensive end. McBride was the No. 36 selection out of West Virginia. “I love how they compete,” Thibodeau raved. Their toughness, their competitiveness, their basketball IQ. They’re sponges, they’re in here all the time, they’re picking up things. Our veterans have done a great job with them. We’ll find out, but I’m confident when they do get their opportunity they will play well.”
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Andrew Wiggins Now Vaccinated, Will Be Available For Home Games

October 3rd, 2021 at 2:11pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Warriors starting small forward Andrew Wiggins appeared deeply resistant toward being vaccinated against the novel coronavirus COVID-19 as recently as last week, but he has now received the vaccine, according to his head coach Steve Kerr, reports Kendra Andrews of NBC Sports Bay Area.

Due to strict ordinances pertaining to large indoor events in the city of San Francisco (every attendee over the age of 12 needs to be vaccinated against the coronavirus), it had appeared that the vaccine-resistant, maximum-salaried swingman was in danger of missing all 41 of Golden State’s home games for the 2021/22 season.

Wiggins will now be available to play every home game this season, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle adds (Twitter link) that Wiggins will be able to join his Golden State teammates as early as Monday, in the team’s first preseason game against the Trail Blazers.

The NBA had previously announced it would not compensate unvaccinated players for games missed in markets with indoor vaccination requirements. How much of Wiggins’s $31.6MM salary for this season would be docked per game was unclear.

“He just told me today that he was fine with us acknowledging it and that will be the end of it,” Kerr said of Wiggins’s decision, per Nick Friedell of ESPN (Twitter link). “I’m not going to answer any questions beyond that.”

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Southwest Notes: Spurs Roster, Pelicans, Sengun, Porter

October 3rd, 2021 at 1:51pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Though the 2021/22 Spurs roster may confuse some outsiders, head coach Gregg Popovich indicates that the team was constructed with plenty of intentionality, Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express News writes. Finger notes that the club’s front office appears to be open-minded about the potential of the team this season.

“This was purposeful, what you are seeing,” Popovich said. “It was put together with a lot of foresight and a lot of discussion.”

Finger notes that the keys to the franchise have now been handed to intriguing young players like Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Lonnie Walker, Keldon Johnson, and rookie lottery selection Joshua Primo.

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

  • With the first week of Pelicans training camp in the books, Christian Clark, Scott Kushner and Rod Walker of NOLA.com  assess the latest news out of New Orleans. The team discussed the unified front presented by injured Pelicans All-Star forward Zion Williamson and head of basketball operations David Griffin, the apparent increased strength of 2020 All-Star forward Brandon Ingram, new head coach Willie Green, and more.
  • The rebuilding Rockets appear ready to use the 2021/22 season to develop their youth. Rookie forward Alperen Sengun, the No. 16 pick in this year’s draft, is already leaving his mark with the club, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “He showed he can play in the high post and make plays for other guys, no look passes, all kinds of stuff, which is really good,” head coach Stephen Silas noted after an early practice. “Then, when he catches it in the paint, he has pivots and fakes, and all that. He’s going to be exciting for people to see.” 
  • Talented swingman Kevin Porter Jr. is ready to grow with the Rockets, his second NBA team so far, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “I want to be able to do everything great,” Porter said. During his first season in Houston, Porter averaged 16.6 PPG, 6.3 APG, 3.8 RPG and 0.7 SPG across 26 games.
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Nuggets Notes: Gordon, Rivers, Malone, Three-Point Shooting

October 3rd, 2021 at 11:57am CST by Arthur Hill

Aaron Gordon was thrilled to get an opportunity to make it past the first round of the playoffs after being traded to the Nuggets last season, but he was disappointed in how he performed in the postseason, writes Mike Singer of The Denver Post. His role on the team changed after the injury to Jamal Murray and he wasn’t as productive as he had hoped to be, particularly in the second-round sweep by the Suns.

“I felt disgusting coming out of those playoffs,” said Gordon, who used the experience as motivation to prepare for the new season. “I felt like my touch was gone, I felt like I wasn’t playing to the capability that I know that I can. It was ugly, especially that Phoenix game. And then I was just worn down.”

Part of the problem was a lingering hamstring injury that Gordon suffered after the NBA’s restart in 2020. He was also dealing with a sore ankle that left him feeling less than 100% all season.

“Last offseason, I had popped my hamstring in the bubble, so I couldn’t do anything over the summer,” he said. “I could barely run, I could barely walk. I couldn’t do anything. My mind was out of it, especially coming out of that bubble. Quick turnaround (to the new season). My fire, my passion, my drive just wasn’t there. I’m so (freaking) excited that Denver brought me in and has embraced me because it’s given me new life. It’s really lit my fire being around all these dudes that can play so well, and love the game, and love to win, like true competitors.”

There’s more from Denver:

  • In a podcast with Singer, Austin Rivers discusses the unexpected instability of his NBA career and the shock of being out of the league when he was traded and waived last March. He signed with the Nuggets in April and got a new contract during the summer, but he’s approaching the new season like he needs to prove he belongs. “I’m not any more comfortable now than I was a year ago,” Rivers said. “I’m still treating this like this is my last shot.”
  • Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic is away from the team for the birth of a child and won’t play in Monday’s preseason opener. But the contest is still important to coach Michael Malone, who tells Eric Spyropoulos of NBA.com, “Preseason games are never about wins and losses, but every time we go on that floor, it’s an opportunity for us to establish our identity.”
  • Malone is hoping to expand the use of the three-point shot this season, and that was part of the focus of Saturday’s practice, Spyropoulos adds. The Nuggets were a top 10 team in three-point percentage last season at 37.7%. “We got a lot of threes up, but it’s about making sure we’re generating the right threes off of ball movement and off of the ball touching the paint,” Malone said.
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Knicks Waive Luca Vildoza

October 3rd, 2021 at 10:56am CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks have placed Luca Vildoza on waivers, the team announced (via Twitter).

New York signed the Argentinian guard to a four-year deal in May, but there was no guaranteed money and he never played for the team. Vildoza’s contract for the upcoming season would have been guaranteed for $3.32MM if he was still on the roster at 11:59pm on October 21, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.

Vildoza reported to camp with “complicated ankle issues” and hasn’t been able to practice, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post (Twitter link). He had a sprained ankle, along with fluid in the back of his foot that was discovered after Summer League (Twitter link).

“Availability is a big part of it and we just feel like the guys who are here, they are the guys fighting it out for that last spot,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “But he’s a good player, and we wish him well.” (Twitter link from Fred Katz of The Athletic)

Vildoza, 26, played for Argentina in the Olympics before joining the Knicks in Las Vegas. He made brief appearances in two Summer League games, but averaged just 6.4 minutes and didn’t score any points. In addition to his injury issues, Vildoza’s future in New York appeared uncertain after the team added point guards Miles McBride and Rokas Jokubaitis in the draft.

The move leaves the Knicks with 19 players on their training camp roster, 14 of whom have guaranteed contracts. The team also has a two-way slot open, and Thibodeau has indicated that final decisions won’t be made until after the preseason.

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