Lakers Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Cousins, Sullinger, Brown, Harper

November 16th, 2015 at 5:14pm CST by Chuck Myron

The price that the Kings have asked of other teams seeking to trade for DeMarcus Cousins has dissuaded the Celtics from so much as inquiring thus far, multiple sources tell Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, who suggests that Cousins’ maturity has made the Celtics wary, given the high cost. A Western Conference GM confirmed to Bulpett that the Kings sought Julius Randle and No. 2 pick from the Lakers prior to this year’s draft, and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported at the time that Sacramento asked for Jordan Clarkson and other draft assets from the Lakers, too. The Kings also wanted to attach Carl Landry, since traded to the Sixers, to any Cousins deal, Wojnarowski wrote. See more on Boston talks — or lack thereof — amid our look at the Atlantic Division:

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said over the offseason that the team was engaged in extension talks with Jared Sullinger, later saying he would continue that discussion. Agent David Falk, speaking to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald last week, painted a different picture. “We didn’t spend one second discussing an extension for him,” Falk said. “Danny wasn’t in a position to give the max, so there was really nothing to talk about. I’ve never done a contract extension for a rookie who didn’t make the max since 1996. You have to understand I’m not a rookie in this league. The GMs all know.” Falk doesn’t necessarily see Sullinger as a max player and simply doesn’t believe in agreeing to terms for a young player before he’s had a chance to hit the market, Bulpett explains. He’s nonetheless optimistic about Sullinger’s prospects, especially given the relative dearth of quality 2016 free agents beyond the top few names.
Gregg Popovich wouldn’t want to coach this Sixers roster but says Brett Brown, his former Spurs assistant, is fully engaged, as Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News relays. Brown, in third year of a four-year contract, is, “the most positive person that I know,” Popovich said. “I honestly don’t know who else could be in Philadelphia doing what he’s doing,” Popovich added. “I couldn’t do it. I’d last a month. Two years ago, I mean. A month. Not in the third year.”
Nets preseason cut Justin Harper is joining the D-League affiliate of the Lakers, the minor league team announced. The power forward was the 32nd overall pick in 2011.

Offseason In Review: Los Angeles Lakers

November 16th, 2015 at 2:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team’s offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees and more will be covered as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.

Signings

Brandon Bass: Two years, $6.135MM. Signed via cap room. Second year is a player option.
Michael Frazier: Two years, $1.4MM. Signed via minimum salary exception. First year partially guaranteed for $50K, second year is non-guaranteed. Waived.
Jonathan Holmes: Two years, $1.4MM. Signed via minimum salary exception. First year partially guaranteed for $100K, second year is non-guaranteed. Waived.
Marcelo Huertas: One year, $525K. Signed via minimum salary exception. Non-guaranteed.
Robert Upshaw: Two years, $1.4MM. Signed via minimum salary exception. First year partially guaranteed for $35K, second year is non-guaranteed. Waived.
Lou Williams: Three years, $21MM. Signed via cap room.
Metta World Peace: One year, $1.499MM. Signed via minimum salary exception. Non-guaranteed.

Extensions

None

Trades

Acquired Roy Hibbert from the Pacers in exchange for Los Angeles’ 2019 second round pick.

Waiver Claims

None

Draft Picks

D’Angelo Russell (Round 1, 2nd overall). Signed via rookie exception to rookie scale contract.
Larry Nance Jr. (Round 1, 27th overall). Signed via rookie exception to rookie scale contract.
Anthony Brown (Round 2, 34th overall). Signed a three-year, $2.59MM deal. Third year is non-guaranteed.

Departing Players

Rookie Contract Option Decisions

Julius Randle (third year, $3,267,120) — Exercised.

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

More than half of last year’s roster is gone, so in one sense, this is a new beginning for the Lakers. Still, the purple-and-gold are stuck in the same non-contending circumstances in which they’ve found themselves since their star-studded 2012/13 underwhelmed, and whether the Lakers are any closer to escaping that realm is in the eye of the beholder. Executive VP of basketball operations Jim Buss believes the Lakers are “in dynamite position,” and though he meant it favorably with regard to the state of the franchise, some might have raised an eyebrow at his use of a term most commonly defined as an explosive.

Indeed, the Lakers’ reputation as a pre-eminent free agent destination has suffered serious damage over the past few years. The team’s presentation to LaMarcus Aldridge missed the mark, focusing far too much on business and not enough on basketball for the power forward’s liking. Their pitch to DeAndre Jordan was “somewhat underwhelming,” a source told Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Rumors consistently linked former UCLA standout Kevin Love to the Lakers, but he recommitted to the Cavs on the first day of free agency. The Lakers reportedly planned to target Goran Dragic but lost interest when they became enamored with D’Angelo Russell before the draft, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.

The addition of Russell turned out to be the most significant offseason move for the team, though early returns aren’t particularly favorable, thanks in large measure to coach Byron Scott‘s reluctance to play him during fourth quarters. Still, he’s only 19, and the Lakers clearly believe in him, taking a risk as they did to defy the conventional wisdom that center Jahlil Okafor and his polished offensive talents represented the best option outside of No. 1 pick Karl-Anthony Towns. Part of that had to do with the team’s belief that it could snag one of the top big men on the free agent market, which turned out to be misguided. Still, it became clear that the Lakers fell in love with Russell’s diverse offensive skill set. He played shooting guard at Ohio State, so it was a bit odd to see Scott use Russell’s acumen at the point as a rationale for picking him instead of Emmanuel Mudiay, who slipped to the Nuggets at No. 7. Mudiay probably has a higher ceiling, as Russell doesn’t have super athleticism, but scouts and executives had much more to go on with Russell, whose stock rose as he performed deftly for Ohio State last season.

Russell joins Julius Randle, who’s returned from a broken leg, along with an upgraded cast of veterans that had the team hoping it could focus on player development and win more games at the same time, as Medina told us in a recent edition of The Beat. The winning part hasn’t happened much yet, but Randle and Jordan Clarkson represent two of the top four Lakers in shots per game, so Scott hasn’t been afraid to go young. Naturally, Kobe Bryant leads the team in field goal attempts, but the other player in that top four, Lou Williams, joined the Lakers at the peak of his powers. Williams is coming off a Sixth Man of the Year award with the Raptors, though the team decided against offering him a chance to return as it instead decided to focus on defense. That’s an indictment of Williams, but his scoring prowess isn’t lacking, and the Lakers pounced on him for $7MM a year over the next three seasons, a bargain, especially considering the rising salary cap.

The Lakers will shell out much more than that for their lone trade acquisition. Roy Hibbert was the team’s fallback option when the marquee free agent big men went elsewhere, though GM Mitch Kupchak has expressed optimism that Hibbert will nonetheless become a core player. This is a trial season of sorts for the former All-Star whose game regressed in his last season and a half with Indiana. He’s on an expiring contract that’ll pay him nearly $15.6MM this season, though he’ll have to perform to make a case for a similar salary again next season, not to mention to keep his newfound spot as the Lakers starting center. Like Williams, he’s another player his old team seemingly didn’t want anymore. Still, the Lakers are asking him to concentrate on just one end of the floor, and if he can prove the game-changing defender he was in his heyday at Indiana, the Lakers will have Bird rights and seemingly an inside track to re-signing a key player.

The Lakers did come away with a well-regarded inside player, though Brandon Bass is apparently on the roster for his abilities as a complementary player and as a veteran mentor for Randle, whom the Lakers have chosen to start instead of Bass at power forward. Bass is also ostensibly around to aid the development of Larry Nance Jr., the power forward out of Wyoming who was the team’s other first-round pick this year. The 30-year-old Bass is making a positive contribution on the court even in limited minutes, doing the finest per-36-minute work on the glass of his career so far. He comes cheaply at a salary of just $3MM this season, but the Lakers may only benefit from him for a year, since he has a player option for next season.

No such early exit clause is a part of Nick Young‘s contract, perhaps a factor in the team’s inability to find a trade partner willing to take him in a deal the Lakers found palatable. The team reportedly abandoned its exploration of the trade market for him over the summer after coming up empty. It leaves the scorer in a reduced role with Russell and Williams in the backcourt, but he’s still a part of the rotation, and with salaries of $5-6MM a year between now and 2017/18, he doesn’t eat too much of the cap.

The Lakers can offset salaries they don’t want with bargain finds like Marcelo Huertas, who’s at the back end of the rotation on a deal for the rookie minimum salary. They also have Metta World Peace on a minimum-salary deal, but he hasn’t been an on-court factor and seems to chiefly be around as another mentor for Randle.

World Peace and Bryant are reminders of the Lakers’ gloried past, one that casts a broad shadow over the team’s rebuilding project. It’s one that seems likely to take time, and ultimately, the Lakers will probably have to reckon with the interpretation primary owner Jeanie Buss takes of her brother’s promise to step down if the team isn’t contending again soon. Jeanie Buss believes it’s a vow to resign if the team doesn’t reach the Western Conference Finals this season or next, though Kupchak apparently doesn’t see it that way, and Jim Buss isn’t focused primarily on making the playoffs for this season.

Kupchak sees Clarkson and Russell as the team’s backcourt of the next 10 to 12 years, and if they show signs this year that they’re capable of becoming a long-term starting guard tandem, it’ll also serve as a positive bellwether of the team’s ability to draft. The Lakers owe a top-three protected first-round pick to the Sixers this season, and they still must give a first-rounder to Orlando to pay off the ill-fated Dwight Howard trade. The draft will nonetheless be as important a tool as any for a franchise that’s clearly no longer the free agent draw it once was.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post. The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of it.

Lakers Notes: Kobe, Upshaw, Russell

November 16th, 2015 at 10:52am CST by Zachary Links

On Sunday night, Kobe Bryant played a season-high 36 minutes and helped lead the Lakers to a 97-85 win over the Pistons. However, playing those kinds of minutes at the age of 37 doesn’t come without consequence.

“I’m not looking forward to walking to the car right now,” Bryant said, as Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com writes. “Seriously.”

The sore and achy Bryant will take off Monday’s contest against the Suns but he should be ready to go against the Raptors on Friday night. Here’s more out of Los Angeles:

Phil Jackson made waves in September when he predicted that Bryant might continue playing in 2016/17, but not with the Lakers. When asked about such a possibility, the future Hall of Famer was adamant that will not be the case. “I’m a Laker for life,” Bryant said, as Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops writes. “I’m not playing anywhere else no matter what. It’s just not going to happen. I bleed purple and gold and that’s just how it’s going to be.”
Lakers D-League prospect Robert Upshaw has battled with substance abuse problems in the past, but he firmly believes that he’s now on the right path, as Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times writes. “I just surround myself with the right people,” said Upshaw of his lifestyle changes and battle to stay sober. “I’ve always been a yes-man, I still kind of am to this day, but I have people around me to help me with that. It’s tough man, I still struggle with it. I’m not perfect. My thing is, I got the help that I need and have people around me. I’m doing really well right now. I’m making all my meetings and everything. I’m just laying low and that’s pretty much what I had to do.” Upshaw was waived by the Lakers prior to opening night, but he knew that would be the case before signing on with L.A. and he’s not presently considering any overseas opportunities.
Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req’d) wonder if rookie D’Angelo Russell is the right guy for the Lakers and if this team might be holding him back.

Warriors Notes: Lacob, West, Walton

November 15th, 2015 at 3:17pm CST by Chuck Myron

This week marked the five-year anniversary of the transfer of Warriors ownership to Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, and Lacob doesn’t apologize for the bold talk that marked his tenure from the start, when the Warriors were still a losing team, as Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group relays. Thompson, in his wide-ranging interview with the co-owner, asked Lacob if he considers himself a power broker among owners in the league.

“Winning gives you respect amongst your peers,” Lacob said. “People are kind of blown away in the league by how we’ve been able to do it this fast and this well.”

See more on Lacob and his team amid news on the defending champs:

Lacob is delivering results similar to late Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss but doing so with a much different personality, observes Warriors executive board member and front office consultant Jerry West, who’s worked under them both, in a podcast with Tim Kawakami of The Bay Area News Group.
Phil Jackson first encouraged Luke Walton to explore the idea of coaching while he was still a player, and Walton’s style leans more toward the Zen Master’s than Lute Olsen’s, his college coach, writes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Still, Walton’s coaching philosophy is changing over time. “I think it’s a natural progression,” Walton said. “It’s probably been developing in me before I even realized I wanted to be a coach just from the coaches I played under. But since I’ve gotten into this coaching business, I kind have spent more thinking about it and trying to pick up as much as I can from different people.”
Monte Poole of CSNBayArea.com wonders what might have been if the Warriors had hired second-choice candidate Stan Van Gundy instead of Steve Kerr, noting that Van Gundy and Kerr both believe in having space and movement on offense and power forwards who can shoot 3-pointers.

And Ones: Gasol, Nuggets, Drummond, Hawks

November 14th, 2015 at 10:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bulls‘ Pau Gasol could miss out on a major payday if he doesn’t opt out of his current deal next summer, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. Gasol has a player option on the final season of a three-year, $22.3MM contract that brought him to Chicago in 2014. He is owed a little less than $7.77MM for 2016/17, when increased TV revenues are expected to greatly raise the salary cap. Two unidentified executives from rival teams told Johnson that even at age 36, Gasol could land two more years of guaranteed money if he becomes an unrestricted free agent. “I’ll wait to make that decision,” Gasol said. “All I’m focused on now is trying to play the best I can so that if I do opt out and explore, I have options. If I have the best season possible and work on my body and stay healthy and help this team accomplish its goals, I’ll go from there.”

There’s more from around the world of basketball:

The league has taken steps to reduce the unique home-court advantage the Nuggets possess because of Denver’s location and altitude, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Denver is at least a two-hour flight from nearly all NBA cities, which gives the home team a decided advantage against an opponent playing back-to-back games, especially when the thin mountain air is factored in. “I didn’t like it when I had to come here,” said Michael Malone, who is in his first season as Nuggets coach. “But I love it now.” Dempsey reports that the NBA has tried to cut into that edge by making Denver the first stop for teams traveling from the east and building an off day into the schedule for teams coming from the west.
The Pistons‘ Andre Drummond tops a list of six players exceeding expectations compiled by Jonathan Concool of Basketball Insiders. Drummond was averaging 20.3 points and 20.3 rebounds per game heading into Saturday’s action. Rounding out the list are the Blazers‘ C.J. McCollum, the Pistons’ Marcus Morris, the Bucks‘ Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Magic’s Evan Fournier and the Lakers‘ Jordan Clarkson.
The Hawks will recall Edy Tavares and Lamar Patterson from the D-League Sunday, tweets Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Both are expected to be in Atlanta in time for the game with the Jazz.

Pacific Notes: Rondo, Jordan, Walton, Nance Jr.

November 14th, 2015 at 4:17pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Clippers big man DeAndre Jordan has demonstrated growth since last season, with his play on the court, as well as in his overall maturity level, Justin Verrier of ESN.com writes. “I don’t know if it’s necessarily because of what happened this offseason, but I’d say he’s been more mature, more focused. He’s been a better leader,” shooting guard J.J. Redick said. “I’d say the same about Blake Griffin, I would say the same thing about Chris. Those guys are really locked in. It goes without saying — they just want to win a championship, and we have to follow that lead.” Redick is of course referring to Jordan almost joining the Mavericks as an unrestricted free agent before suddenly reversing course and deciding to re-sign with Los Angeles via a four-year, $87.6MM pact.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Despite all the reports of turmoil in Sacramento, one bright spot for the team has been the recent play of point guard Rajon Rondo, who has impressed embattled coach George Karl with his orchestration of the Kings‘ offense, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee writes. “Rajon is very intelligent there, and I think he’s ahead of the curve,” Karl said. “I’ve been surprised by the numbers he’s putting up from the standpoint of understanding our team.”
Luke Walton has been performing admirably filling in as interim coach for the Warriors while coach Steve Kerr recovers from multiple back surgeries, guiding the team to a 10-0 start to the 2015/16 season. While Walton is anxious for Kerr to return to the team, he also adds that he would like to become a head coach on a more permanent basis down the line, Ben Golliver of SI.com relays. “I would love to at some point. It’s been a lot of fun. It’s enjoyable,” Walton responded when asked about potentially becoming a full-time head coach. “It’s something I would like to do one day with my own team. That’s nothing I’m trying to rush into. I’m just grateful for this opportunity and learning. As hectic as this has been and as crazy as this has been, obviously I can’t wait for Steve to get back. I’ll be thrilled to hand this thing over to Steve once he’s ready.”
Lakers rookie Larry Nance Jr. credits his four years as a starter for the University of Wyoming for preparing him for the rigors of the NBA, and believes his experience gives him an edge over many other first year players, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News writes. “I’m not taking anything away from the young guys to the guys that come out early. Obviously you can look around the league and you can look around our locker room,” said Nance. “But I think we’ve grown up mentally and may be a little bit more ready physically.”

Pacific Notes: Murphy, Russell, Livingston

November 12th, 2015 at 8:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Warriors announced today that Chris Murphy has been named team president of the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s D-League affiliate. “We’re extremely pleased to have Chris in position to lead our business efforts with the Santa Cruz Warriors,” said Golden State team president Rick Welts. “He’s done a terrific job of enhancing our ticket sales initiatives with the Warriors in recent years and he’s ready for a bigger challenge and an opportunity to expand his role within our organization. We truly view our Santa Cruz partnership as the perfect training ground for not only our players and coaches, but for front office personnel such as Chris. This is a great example of that synergy within the organization and a move that will benefit both the Warriors and Chris as we move forward.”

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Despite receiving criticism for not playing rookie point guard D’Angelo Russell, Lakers coach Byron Scott says that he won’t rush the young playmaker’s development along, writes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. “I’m not just going to put him out there to put him out there. If I do that and he’s not prepared and he’s not learning, then I’m preparing him to fail,” Scott said. “And I’m not going to do that. I think this kid is too valuable to us. His learning process is getting better and better. Our coaches are spending more time with him. So I’m pretty confident that he’ll be better in a week or so, that he’ll understand exactly what we need from him on a night to night basis.“
Warriors guard Shaun Livingston credits the late Flip Saunders for reviving his career back in 2010 when both were with the Wizards, Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group writes. “After playing the season with him, I just felt like I understood the NBA game, and that was the first time I really understood it,” Livingston said of Saunders. “I always had a high IQ, but just as far as time and score and just as a pro, he was a guard’s coach. He gave me the opportunity to implant me back into the NBA. Just to be somewhat relevant again…he gave me an opportunity. He blessed me an opportunity and allowed me to a chance to make the most of it.”
Xavier Henry, who suffered a season-ending Achilles tear while with the Lakers last season, said he was glad to join the Warriors‘ D-League team as an affiliate player this season because of the reputation of the team’s training staff, who are lauded for their ability to rehab players from serious injuries, Adam Johnson of D-League Digest relays. Henry also told Johnson that the current timetable for his return to action is anywhere from one to two months. “I can’t really tell you exactly, could be better in three weeks, it could be better in two and a half months, but the things that I’ve done already that I have in place I feel like all I need is more strength, more structure,” Henry said. “And from then on as long as everything’s great, strength and your form’s good then it’s all about repetition, repetition, repetition before you can really do it full speed, every day on the court.”

Western Notes: Dragic, Rondo, Suns, Fredette

November 12th, 2015 at 2:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Goran Dragic remarked around the time of his trade to Miami that he saw the Lakers as a “perfect fit,” but while the Lakers were initially likely to pursue him in free agency, they abandoned the idea when they became enamored with D’Angelo Russell and were optimistic about signing a big man, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Dragic, despite his comment about the Lakers, seemed likely to re-sign with Miami in the months prior to his free agency, and he re-upped with the Heat in July. See more from around the Western Conference:

An executive who spoke with Chris Mannix of SI.com raised a hypothetical scenario in which the Timberwolves trade Ricky Rubio in the offseason and sign Rajon Rondo, who’s on a one-year contract with the Kings. Kevin Garnett has a strong relationship with Rondo, his former Celtics teammate, and Garnett has a ton of pull with Minnesota, Mannix points out.
Trade acquisition Jon Leuer was supposed to be behind offseason signee Mirza Teletovic on the Suns depth chart, but instead Leuer is averaging more than twice as many minutes thanks in part to his strong shooting so far, observes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic in a piece that examines the Phoenix bench. Leuer and Teletovic are both poised to hit free agency next summer.
Jimmer Fredette‘s non-guaranteed deal with the Pelicans is for one year at the prorated minimum salary, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reveals (Twitter link).

And-Ones: Durant, Green, Aldridge

November 12th, 2015 at 8:45am CST by Chuck Myron

Sean Deveney of The Sporting News mentions the Lakers, Bulls and Knicks as major-market suitors for Kevin Durant, and the Warriors as a team that could catch his eye, but people around the league have long felt as though Durant will either sign with the Thunder or the Wizards, Deveney writes. It’s a sentiment one Eastern Conference GM who spoke with Deveney confirms. Still, Washington doesn’t plan an extravagant pitch, a source tells Deveney, in keeping with the former MVP’s low-key personality. That said, neither the Warriors nor the Heat should be ruled out as potential Durant destinations, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. See more from around the NBA:

Gerald Green punched a man who was trying to restrain him from going from the lobby of his condo building to his unit, according to a police report that Manny Navarro and Charles Rabin of the Miami Herald obtained. The man, who elected not to press charges, was attempting to keep Green in the lobby so that he would be there when rescue officials arrived, the report states, according to Navarro and Rabin. Green had earlier approached the front desk of the lobby with bloody hands and asked for a call to paramedics, then proceeded to the valet area in front of the building and collapsed, the report continues, as Navarro and Rabin detail. Green, who was handcuffed but not arrested, was hospitalized and later released and is serving a two-game suspension from the Heat. Team president Pat Riley said the team still believes it can count on Green, who issued an apology as part of a team statement, Navarro and Rabin add.
The Mavericks weren’t the favorites for LaMarcus Aldridge, but they still had a chance to sign him when they abandoned their pursuit to instead nail down the more certain acquisition of Wesley Matthews, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports details in an inside look at Aldridge’s free agency. Aldridge liked Kobe Bryant‘s basketball chat but little else about the Lakers presentation, while Aldridge was reluctant to share the marquee with James Harden despite an intriguing Rockets pitch and found Raptors GM Masai Ujiri appealing but not convincing enough to sway him to Toronto, according to Wojnarowski.
The Spurs wooed Aldridge with a casual, face-to-face approach from Gregg Popovich and other San Antonio principals, Wojnarowski explains in the same piece. Popovich’s decision to fly in for a second visit, prompted by Aldridge’s second Lakers meeting, helped sealed the deal for the Spurs, thanks in part to a last-minute appeal from Riley that the Heat president intended to use to sell Aldridge on a secondary role in Miami, Wojnarowski writes. Instead, Aldridge took Riley’s message to heart as he embraced the idea of sacrificing some of his impressive offensive numbers in San Antonio’s egalitarian offense, as the Yahoo scribe details.

Western Notes: Russell, Aldridge, Capela

November 11th, 2015 at 9:40pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Rookie D’Angelo Russell is obviously in the Lakers‘ long-term plans, but that doesn’t mean he is ready to take on a huge role just yet, Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com writes.

“I’m not just going to put him out there to put him out there,” Coach Byron Scott said. “If I do that and he’s not prepared and he’s not learning, then I’m preparing him to fail. And I’m not going to do that. I think this kid is too valuable to us.”

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

LaMarcus Aldridge isn’t going to get caught up in his decision to leave Portland when the Blazers host the Spurs tonight, Jason Quick of CSNNW passes along via Twitter. “I’m not going to get into all of that. What is done is done. I feel like both sides kind of have what they want. Now, I’m here,” Aldridge said.
Clint Capela is proving he belongs in the NBA and Rockets GM Daryl Morey has high expectations for the big man, as he tells Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. “Sky’s the limit for him.” Morey said. “To do what he’s doing at 22 is amazing in the NBA against the talent in the league and to come from playing mostly in the D-League last season, to start a few games for us, and in games that we’ve won, is huge. His ability to protect the rim, run the floor, rebound — we really feel like he’s got a chance to be a high-level player.”
Capela has seen some added playing time this season with Dwight Howard not playing in both games of back-to-backs and there is no urgency to change the game plan, Morey tells Watkins in the same piece. “It’s going to come down to the doctor’s advice,” Morey said. “He has not played back-to-back and he’s played at an extremely high level. So I think the doctors are looking at that and feeling like that’s the smartest course at this point. If he gets to no symptoms whatsoever and playing at a high level, I think they might mix him in at some point. For now and the foreseeable future, I think they want him to sit out back-to-backs.” Howard can hit free agency this summer if he elects to turn down his player option, which is worth slightly more than $23.28MM.

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