Hoops Rumors Originals

Community Shootaround: Dave Joerger

Another head coaching job became available earlier today when the Grizzlies parted ways with Dave Joerger. “After careful consideration, I concluded that a change was needed to foster the strong culture required to achieve sustainable, long-term success for this organization, the city and our fans,” said GM Chris Wallace. “On behalf of the Grizzlies organization I would like to thank Dave for his work and time in Memphis. We wish Dave and his family all the best and success as he moves forward in his career.”

Joerger reportedly asked management for permission to interview for other vacancies with an eye on openings in Sacramento and Houston. Joerger led the Grizzlies to a 42-40 record this season with a makeshift roster that saw 28 different players suit up for them because of various injuries and trades. Without stars Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, Memphis wasn’t able to win a game in the playoffs. Management applauded his coaching ability, but they reportedly did not see eye-to-eye on personnel matters. “Being an NBA head coach is about more than just coaching a 48-minute game,Wallace said.

If you were Joerger, what coaching vacancy would you target? Would you want to coach DeMarcus Cousins in Sacramento, where just getting to the playoffs may grant you job security? Would you want the challenge of trying to bring a James Harden-led Rockets team to the finals in a Western Conference that’s so strong at the top? Maybe you prefer Indiana or New York. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. We look forward to what you have to say!

2015/16 D-League Usage Report: Rockets

The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow, and this season a total of 19 NBA teams had one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those NBA organizations without their own affiliates were required to assign players to D-League clubs associated with other NBA franchises. D-League teams could volunteer to take on the assigned players, and if no volunteers emerged, the players were assigned at random.

This significant change from the 2014/15 season came about after the Pacers purchased the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and turned them into their one-to-one partner for the 2015/16 campaign. Other NBA teams have interest in following suit in the years ahead, and the NBA’s ultimate goal for the D-League is for all 30 NBA franchises to have their own D-League squads. You can view the complete list of D-League affiliates here.

We at Hoops Rumors are recapping the D-League-related activity for the 2015/16 campaign for each team and we’ll continue with the Houston Rockets, whose D-League affiliate is the Rio Grande Valley Vipers:


The Rockets made 18 assignments for the 2015/16 season, sending four players to the D-League for a total of 89 days. Listed below are all the assignments and recalls made by Houston for the 2015/16 campaign:


Here is how the Rockets’ players performed while on assignment to the D-League this season:

  • Sam Dekker: In seven appearances, Dekker averaged 11.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 23.2 minutes. His shooting numbers were .418/.237/.667.
  • Montrezl Harrell: In 12 games, Harrell averaged 24.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 38.9 minutes. His shooting line was .533/.240/.654.
  • K.J. McDaniels: In 16 appearances, McDaniels averaged 15.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 36.1 minutes. His shooting numbers were .469/.353/.780.
  • Donatas Motiejunas: In four games, Motiejunas averaged 13.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 25 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .525/.467/.500.

Hoops Rumors Originals 5/1/16-5/7/16

Here’s a look back at the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this past week.

Offseason Outlook: New York Knicks

Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports Images

Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports Images

Hoops Rumors is looking ahead to offseason moves for all 30 teams. We’ll examine free agency, the draft, trades and other key storylines for each franchise as the summer approaches.

Coaching Search

It doesn’t appear that team president Phil Jackson is feeling any particular urgency to finalize his decision on who will lead the team next season, with a number of top candidates already landing new posts seemingly without any push from New York to schedule formal interviews. Jackson is said to favor retaining interim coach Kurt Rambis, who is intimately familiar with the triangle offense, a move that would fail to inspire much excitement given Rambis’ career coaching record of 65-164. The team is also reportedly considering former Cavaliers coach David Blatt, who met with the Knicks this week.

New York’s coaching search could become a point of contention between the front office and star forward Carmelo Anthony, who has publicly called for the team to at least listen to candidates other than Rambis. Anthony reportedly preferred Tom Thibodeau, who’s since become the coach and chief front office executive for the Timberwolves. Jackson was nonetheless disinterested in Thibodeau, and the Knicks didn’t contact him, as ESPN’s Ian Begley reported.

Carmelo Anthony’s Future

It would appear that we are entering a make-or-break offseason regarding Anthony and his future with the franchise. The small forward has thus far rebuffed any talk of him waiving his no-trade clause in order to be dealt to a contender this summer, though things could change in a hurry if the Knicks strike out in the free agent market. Anthony reportedly made it clear to the team in his exit interview that it needs to take advantage of the “window that he has” when making personnel moves this offseason.

If New York is unable to land a star player to pair alongside Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis, who is arguably a bigger draw for potential free agents than ‘Melo nowadays, then it may be in everyone’s best interests to try and find a new team for the small forward. ‘Melo is 31 years old and has entered his decline phase, so finding a way to get him and the remaining three years and approximately $78.7MM of his contract off the books could be an attractive option for New York, especially given the projected quality of the 2017 free agent class.

Free Agent Targets

The Knicks’ biggest need is for a competent point guard who can take some pressure off Anthony and Porzingis, preferably one who can stretch the floor with his outside shooting. Jackson has minimized the importance of a traditional playmaker in the triangle offense, but with today’s guard-oriented NBA, having a solid point guard is vital to any team’s success. The top two point guards available via free agency are Rajon Rondo and Mike Conley, either of whom would be a major upgrade over the cast of characters New York has trotted out at the point the past few seasons.

Conley, 28, is the younger of the two, and he’s arguably a better option for the Knicks than Rondo is. The Knicks aren’t as high on Conley as they were during the season, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post, who noted Jackson’s lack of emphasis on the one spot and the executive’s belief in Tony Wroten, who has yet to play a minute for the Knicks since being signed. Conley is no lock to leave Memphis, but even if he does, his nagging Achilles concerns should give the team pause when thinking about handing out a max deal to the talented playmaker. Rondo would bring with him a new set of concerns, chiefly his lack of outside shooting, advancing age and reputation for being difficult to coach. If New York could swing a short-term deal with Rondo, he would be an intriguing option, though his addition would need to be supplemented with a backcourt mate who can consistently nail his outside shots.

Potential Trades

Outside of Anthony, and assuming Porzingis is untouchable (as he should be), the Knicks don’t have much in the way of tradeable assets. Jose Calderon could be a valuable bench player on a contender, but teams likely won’t be lining up to ship anything of substance to the Knicks in return for the aging guard whose production has steadily been in decline since he arrived in New York.

If the Knicks are unable to sign a point guard this summer, the team could look to acquire one, with the Hawks’ Dennis Schröder and Jeff Teague as well as the Kings’ Darren Collison being prime targets. It’s doubtful New York has enough assets to land either of Atlanta’s playmakers, but Collison is perhaps within the team’s means to obtain. The Knicks have reportedly discussed the possibility of making a play for Collison, but it is difficult to gauge what the Kings’ plan is for anyone on the roster until Sacramento names its new head coach.

Draft Outlook

The Knicks are without a pick this June, which is the final penance the franchise will need to pay from its ill-advised trade with the Raptors for Andrea Bargnani back in 2013. New York’s pick is currently projected to be No. 7 overall, though the Nuggets will swap their pick for the Knicks’ if New York’s ends up higher than Denver’s after the lottery. Toronto gets whichever pick the Nuggets don’t take. Jackson could look to buy a second-round pick, but it’s doubtful that would yield an immediate rotation piece.

Option Decisions

Much of the Knicks’ offseason cap flexibility depends on the decisions made by Arron Afflalo ($8MM) and Derrick Williams ($4,598,000), both of whom possess player options on their respective deals. If both opt out, the Knicks could ink two upper-tier free agents instead of just one. Afflalo is likely to opt out given his dissatisfaction with being relegated to a bench role and the team’s indication that he would again be a reserve if he returns next season. Williams has signaled that he would like to remain in New York, though it isn’t clear if he intends to exercise his option to do so or decline it and attempt to sign a new deal with the team.

Final Take

To say this is a pivotal offseason for the Knicks franchise is an understatement. If Jackson is unable to score big on the free agent market this summer, it could mean the end of Anthony’s tenure in New York and usher in a complete rebuild of the team. Although, that may not be the worst thing that could happen, given that the Knicks, barring some unexpected turn of events, are unlikely to become true contenders before age and wear begin to take a significant toll on Anthony’s game. Whiffing on landing a noteworthy free agent haul could also push Jackson out the door sooner than intended, though given his seemingly laissez-faire approach, that also could be a boon for the franchise in the long run.

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents (Qualifying Offers/Cap Holds)

Unrestricted Free Agents (Cap Holds)

Projected Salary Cap: $92,000,000

Footnotes: 

  • Waiving Calderon via the stretch provision, a maneuver that’s been the subject of much speculation, would reduce his salary for next season to $2,569,475.

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

Community Shootaround: Festus Ezeli

The Lakers reportedly have interest in signing Festus Ezeli, who is set to become a restricted free agent this offseason. While the big man could likely garner more playing time elsewhere, Ezeli prefers to re-sign with the Warriors, believing he’ll inherit a job in the starting lineup once Andrew Bogut‘s contract expires after next season, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Golden State has the ability to match any offer for Ezeli, though several league executives have suggested that it will take a three-year, $50MM deal for any team to secure the 26-year-old center.

While Ezeli remains a solid option off the bench, the 6’11” former Vanderbilt player has struggled with injuries throughout his career, only appearing in 170 regular season games since becoming the 30th overall pick in the 2012 draft. A left knee surgery helped limit him to 46 regular season appearances this year. Still, he’s impressed when he’s made it onto the court, and his performance in Tuesday’s playoff game was vital to Golden State’s win over Portland.

Ezeli’s agent, Bill Duffy, reportedly talked him out of signing what would have been a team-friendly extension with the Warriors last fall, but the center said shortly after extension discussions broke down that he wants to remain with Golden State for his entire career. Warriors assistant GM Kirk Lacob had suggested in January that the team would be willing to pay whatever is necessary to retain Ezeli. The Warriors may find it difficult to keep him, given they already have more than $73MM in guaranteed salary against a projected $92MM salary cap. The Lakers have much greater flexibility with only $23MM in guaranteed salary. Plus, they will have an opening at center with Roy Hibbert hitting free agency.

This brings me to the topic for today: How much do you think Festus Ezeli is worth for his next contract?

The center has career averages of 4.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and one block per game in 14.1 minutes per appearance. His career shooting numbers are .513/.000/.557. While those numbers aren’t earth-shattering, they represent a small sample size of what Ezeli may be capable of if given additional playing time. But is his potential worth the risk of signing him to a long-term deal for upward of $14MM-$16MM per season? That is the question that prospective suitors will need to ask themselves, and the same is true for the Warriors, who could benefit by keeping their roster as intact as possible, given the team’s success and stellar chemistry.

But what say you? Is Ezeli a starting-caliber center in your eyes? What do you believe a fair contract would look like for the big man? Take to the comments section to share your thoughts and opinions on the matter. We look forward to what you have to say.

2015/16 D-League Usage Report: Warriors

The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow, and this season a total of 19 NBA teams had one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those NBA organizations without their own affiliates were required to assign players to D-League clubs associated with other NBA franchises. D-League teams could volunteer to take on the assigned players, and if no volunteers emerged, the players were assigned at random.

This significant change from the 2014/15 season came about after the Pacers purchased the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and turned them into their one-to-one partner for the 2015/16 campaign. Other NBA teams have interest in following suit in the years ahead, and the NBA’s ultimate goal for the D-League is for all 30 NBA franchises to have their own D-League squads. You can view the complete list of D-League affiliates here.

We at Hoops Rumors are recapping the D-League-related activity from the 2015/16 campaign for each team, and we’ll continue with the Golden State Warriors, whose D-League affiliate is the Santa Cruz Warriors:


The Warriors made four assignments for the 2015/16 campaign, sending one player to the D-League for a total of 35 days. Listed below are all the assignments and recalls made by Golden State for the season:

Santa Cruz also had three players assigned to it from other NBA franchises via the flexible assignment rule:


Here is how Looney performed while on assignment to the D-League this season:

  • Kevon Looney: In 12 D-League appearances, the combo forward averaged 9.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 19.1 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .396/.310/.714.

Hoops Rumors Glossary: Biannual Exception

The most common method over-the-cap teams use to sign free agents from other teams is the mid-level exception, but it’s not the only tool those clubs have to squeeze an extra player onto the payroll. The biannual exception is a way to sign a player who commands more than the minimum salary and less than the mid-level.

As its name suggests, the biannual exception can only be used every other year. Even if a team uses only a portion of the exception, it’s off-limits the following year.

The biannual is available only to limited number of clubs, even among those that didn’t use the biannual the season before. Teams that open cap room forfeit the biannual and all but the smallest version of the mid-level. Additionally, teams lose access to the biannual exception when they go more than $4MM over the tax threshold, exceeding what’s known as the tax apron. So, only teams over the cap but under the tax apron can use the biannual exception.

If a team uses all or part of the biannual exception, it triggers a hard cap for that season. Clubs that sign a player using the biannual can later go under the cap but can’t go over the tax apron at any time during the season once the contract is signed.

The biannual exception provides for a starting salary of $2.203MM in 2016/17. That’s approximately 3% greater than the starting salary in a biannual deal in 2015/16, but with the salary cap projected to rise by more than 30%, the relative value of the biannual will be much lower. The league and the players determined the amount that the biannual exception would be worth each season when they negotiated the collective bargaining agreement in 2011, but the salary cap is tied to year-to-year fluctuations in revenue.

A biannual contract can be for either one or two seasons, with a raise of 4.5% for the second season. Thus, a player who signs in the 2016/17 season can receive a contract worth a total of up to $4,505,135 via the exception. Teams also have the option of splitting the biannual among multiple players, though that happens much less frequently than it does with the mid-level exception, since a split biannual deal wouldn’t entail much more than the minimum salary. The biannual exception starts to prorate on January 10th, decreasing in value by 1/170th each day until the end of the regular season.

Only two teams used the biannual exception in the 2015/16 season, thanks in large measure to the legion of clubs that dipped below the cap. The Hornets signed Jeremy Lin to a two-year deal for the full value of the biannual, with a player option on year two. The Wizards gave their full biannual to Gary Neal, though he signed only a one-year deal. The results couldn’t have been more different, with Lin flourishing as a sixth man while Neal endured injuries, ultimately hitting waivers in March. Lin seems like a cinch to opt out, given the way he upped his market value, and Neal is already off the Wizards roster, but neither team will have access to the biannual this summer.

It’s unlikely that many teams will use the biannual in 2016/17, since so many are once more poised to go under the cap and thus forfeit access to the exception. Still, it could prove a valuable tool for the handful of teams that will be capped out as they seek someone who can do for them what Lin did for the Hornets.

Earlier versions of this post appeared in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

Note: This is a Hoops Rumors Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to trades, free agency, or other aspects of the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ and the Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Indiana Pacers

Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird already decided to change coaches, and he has the flexibility necessary to make further significant alterations to his team. The Pacers can open roughly $30MM in room against a projected $92MM cap, close to enough for even the highest band of maximum salaries. Indiana has never been a destination spot for elite free agents, but the Pacers nonetheless have the ability to spread their wealth on players who can adopt Bird’s preferred up-tempo offense. Perhaps the only impingement will be the team’s sharp restriction on the offer it can make to Solomon Hill thanks to the decision to decline his option this past fall. See how Indiana’s cap situation looks for 2016/17 as Hoops Rumors continues its offseason salary cap digest series.

Guaranteed salary

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents

  • None

Unrestricted Free Agents (Cap Holds)

Other Cap Holds

  • No. 20 pick ($1,301,900)

Projected Salary Cap: $92,000,000

Footnotes: 

  1. The Pacers can’t re-sign Hill to a contract with a starting salary worth more than the amount listed here because they declined their team option on his rookie scale contract.

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

Offseason Outlook: Los Angeles Clippers

Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA TODAY Sports Images

Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA TODAY Sports Images

Hoops Rumors is looking ahead to offseason moves for all 30 teams. We’ll examine free agency, the draft, trades and other key storylines for each franchise as the summer approaches.

Keeping the stars around

Coach/executive Doc Rivers made it clear after the Clippers’ first-round playoff ouster that he isn’t inclined to trade any of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan, in spite of remarks he made before the season indicating that he would considering doing so if the team came up short in the playoffs again this year. Injuries had much to do with the latest postseason disappointment for the Clippers, who played without Paul and Griffin for the final two games of their series against the Blazers. It was Griffin’s left quadriceps that ultimately ended his season, but it was the right hand he broke when he punched assistant equipment manager Mathias Testi that brought trade rumors to the forefront. Nearly every team reportedly inquired to see if the Clippers would trade the former No. 1 pick, but Rivers wouldn’t budge, tabling the decision until after the season, and now it appears he’s chosen to ride it out with him. So, Rivers must shift his focus toward finding a way to keep Griffin and Paul in the summer of 2017, when they can both opt out.

Free agency ahead for supporting cast

Paul, Griffin, Jordan and J.J. Redick are the only members of the Clippers rotation who aren’t on expiring contracts, don’t have player options for this summer and aren’t pondering retirement. Paul Pierce, who turns 39 in October, is 50-50 on whether to play another season, and while Rivers feels he has one more season left in him, Pierce seemed to be running on fumes this year. Jeff Green can play the same positions, but he’ll be a free agent in July, and his market value is difficult to peg. The 26.3 minutes per game he saw for the Clippers after they traded for him at the deadline would have matched a career low if extrapolated over a full season.

Jamal Crawford saw an uptick in minutes, and while his production was off, he won his third career Sixth Man of the Year award after restoring Rivers’ faith in him. Crawford wished he was a free agent last year amid trade rumors, and while he said after the season he’d like to be back with the Clippers, it remains to be seen if he’s truly comfortable in L.A. Austin Rivers calls Crawford his favorite teammate, but regardless of whether Crawford stays or goes, the presence of Doc Rivers is probably enough to keep his son in a Clippers uniform, even if he opts out, as his father expects him to do. Doc Rivers also thinks Wesley Johnson and Cole Aldrich will opt out, and while Rivers indicated he’d like to re-sign all the team’s soon-to-be free agents, a group that includes surprise starter Luc Mbah a Moute, it’s reasonable to suspect the Clippers rotation will look different next year, given the volume of players hitting the open market.

Free agent targets

The Clippers will probably be one of the few teams around the league this summer that’ll be unable to open cap space, so they’ll rely on the $5.628MM mid-level and $2.203MM biannual exceptions to sign outside free agents. That will make for slim pickings, with such exceptions becoming progressively less valuable to free agents as the cap surges. So, the Clippers will likely seek players for specific roles, with small forward and a backup big man the most likely needs. Dewayne Dedmon, Jared Dudley, Maurice Harkless, J.J. Hickson, Jordan Hill, Solomon Hill, Joe Johnson, David Lee, Jon Leuer, Nene, Tayshaun Prince, Robert Sacre, Luis Scola, Jason Smith, Marreese Speights, Amar’e Stoudemire, Mirza Teletovic, Lance Thomas and Anderson Varejao are candidates to fall within the Clippers’ price range.

Potential trades

Rivers is reportedly determined to try to convince Kevin Durant to put on a Clippers uniform, a move that would require the team to trade one of Paul, Griffin or Jordan, but short of that long-shot scenario, Rivers’ commitment to his three stars makes it unlikely the team pulls off a significant trade. Redick and Pierce are the only other Clippers with guaranteed salaries of $2MM or more for next season, so the team lacks trade fodder.

Draft outlook

  • First-round pick: 25th
  • Second-round pick: 33rd

If the Clippers do make a trade, it’ll probably involve one or both of their picks. Rivers said it’s foolish to expect the team to come away with a player at No. 25 who could drastically upgrade the team next season, as Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times notes. Given the ability of Griffin and Paul to hit free agency in 2017, it’s reasonable to suspect the team might want to trade its tightly bunched selections for a veteran who could pay immediate dividends for a critical season ahead. Barring that, the Clippers seem likely to go with either NBA-ready seniors or draft-and-stash candidates who could prove steals far down the road but would stay off the team’s books in the near term.

Other decisions

Age seemed to finally catch up to Pablo Prigioni, who was the NBA’s oldest-ever rookie when he was 35. He turns 39 this month and is coming off his worst NBA season thus far, so it’s tough to see the Clippers re-signing him. Fellow soon-to-be free agent Jeff Ayres was an insurance policy who saw only two minutes of action in the playoffs even amid all the injuries, so he’s probably a goner, too. Branden Dawson played 29 games in the D-League and just six at the NBA level this season, and while the Clippers can’t afford to ignore player development, he’s no sure bet to stick on his non-guaranteed contract.

Final take

Rivers initially cast this past season as a make-or-break year for the team’s core, but he didn’t expect that the breaks would happen to his players’ bodies. The Clippers seem content to take a mulligan for 2015/16 and make only cursory changes for the season ahead, when it looks like this group will truly get its final chance to make it past the second round.

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents

  • None

Unrestricted Free Agents (Cap Holds)

Other Cap Holds

Projected Salary Cap: $92,000,000

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

Community Shootaround: Ryan Anderson

The NBA is about to enter its most exciting and unpredictable offseason in recent memory thanks to the projected jump in the salary cap to upward of $92MM. There will likely be more than a few deals inked this summer that will have folks around league scratching their heads. One player who is reportedly in line for such a pact is the Pelicans’ Ryan Anderson, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent.

Anderson is reportedly considering a change of scenery this summer when he hits the open market. Teams expressing interest in Anderson leading up to the February trade deadline included the Wizards, Pistons, Cavaliers, Clippers, Kings and Suns. It’s unclear just how many of those teams will pursue Anderson this summer, with Washington acquiring Markieff Morris, Detroit landing Tobias Harris, Channing Frye ending up in Cleveland and Jeff Green now a member of the Clippers as a result of various deadline trades.

The stretch four is expected to attract a salary starting of $16MM-$18MM when he hits the market this summer, which is quite a princely sum for a player with a career 13.1 points per game scoring average who isn’t a strong defender or rebounder. But with the league placing a premium on bigs who can stretch the floor on offense, Anderson is certainly hitting free agency at the right time.

That brings me to the topic for today: What is the maximum annual salary that Ryan Anderson is worth on his next contract?

Take to the comments section to share your thoughts and opinions on the subject, as well as to chime in on where you think Anderson will be playing next season. We look forward to what you have to say.