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Atlantic Notes: Wroten, Durant, Porzingis, Ferry

January 26th, 2016 at 12:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

Tony Wroten would apparently like to sign with the Knicks, as evidenced by a pair of tweets he issued Monday night from his verified Twitter account. He said he hopes his chances of signing with the team are high, that he’d love to join Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis, and that he’s dreamed of playing in Madison Square Garden. That seemingly counters a report that he was unlikely to end up with the Knicks and was looking for a team that would give him a better chance to stick around, but while the Knicks apparently have some interest, they’re reportedly concerned about his gambling style of defense. See more on the Knicks and other Atlantic Division news:

  • Count soon-to-be free agent Kevin Durant among the early fans of Porzingis, as Durant said to reporters Monday that he texted Knicks coach and former teammate Derek Fisher during the draft to tell him that he liked the pick, notes Royce Young of ESPN.com. Porzingis has since won plaudits from across the league. “He can shoot, he can make the right plays, he can defend, he’s a 7-footer that can shoot all the way out to the 3-point line,” Durant said. “That’s rare. And block shots — that’s like a unicorn in this league.”
  • Nets GM Billy King is indeed stumping behind the scenes in the organization for Danny Ferry, his college teammate at Duke, to become the team’s next GM, according to Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com. The team is reportedly consulting King about his successor, but Mazzeo opines that Ferry, shrouded in controversy after the racially charged remarks he read from a scouting report in 2014, would be the wrong choice.
  • The Raptors have recalled Bruno Caboclo, Lucas Nogueira and Norman Powell from the D-League, the team announced (Twitter link). The team sent the trio to its Mississauga-based affiliate Friday.
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Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Durant, Sixers

January 24th, 2016 at 6:36pm CST by Will Joseph

Celtics combo guard Avery Bradley, who changed agents last week from Mitchell Butler of the Rival Sports Group to Rob Pelinka of Landmark Sports, is unhappy with his contract, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. Bradley isn’t scheduled to hit free agency again until 2018 after signing a four-year, $32MM deal with Boston in the summer of 2014. Bradley’s feeling stem from after seeing players such as Khris Middleton, Gordon Hayward and Tristan Thompson land lucrative deals, Washburn writes.

Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

  • In what has become the norm whenever soon-to-be free agent Kevin Durant makes a trip to New York, the superstar was asked by the media what his thoughts are on playing in the Big Apple. “It’s always fun, the mecca of basketball,” Durant said, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post (All Twitter links). “To play here in front of these fans here who enjoy the game of basketball … it’s amazing. You can tell. When you walk into an arena, being at Barclays Center and being at Madison Square Garden, it’s just that pure basketball feel that you get when you walk in those arenas, so it’s just a joy.”
  • Jerry Colangelo, the Sixers‘ chairman of basketball operations, has a track record in transforming franchises and dealing in crisis management yet also knows it doesn’t make much sense to make radical moves before young core pieces of the team are given the chance to develop, Mike Sielski of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Still, that doesn’t mean Colangelo won’t make those kind of deals, either, Sielski notes. “As I look at the Philadelphia situation, it certainly is an opportunity for me to take what I could bring to the table in terms of my experiences, my work record, my strengths, and any weaknesses, too, and try to make a contribution to helping the franchise go the other way,” Colangelo said. “I’m an eternal optimist. I really am. When people have said to me over the years, ‘You can’t do that,’ my response is, ‘I think I can. I think I will. And I believe I’ll show you how.’ “
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Eastern Notes: Knicks, Cavs, Jackson

January 24th, 2016 at 11:48am CST by ChrisCrouse

Lou Amundson wasn’t surprised when he heard the news of Cleveland’s firing of coach David Blatt, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. “It’s hard for a rookie coach to come in and be in a situation like that where one guy [LeBron James] is such a big influence on a whole organization,’’ said Amundson, who was with the Cavs last season before being traded to the Knicks. “It didn’t feel like it should feel. A team with championship aspirations, that’s not how it was supposed to feel. Teams go through ups and downs, but I just think the atmosphere and energy wasn’t there. It wasn’t a healthy atmosphere.”

As people along the East Coast shovel their sidewalks and dig out their cars as a result of the snow from Blizzard Jonas, stay warm and check out some notes from the Eastern Conference:

  • Derek Fisher isn’t surprised that his former teammate, Tyronn Lue, was promoted to head coach, Berman adds in the same piece. “I think relationships are his strong point,” Fisher said. “He communicates well and is clear and articulates what he wants and expects. I think he’ll do a good job. I’m very happy for him, even though it’s an unfortunate situation for coach Blatt.’’
  • The record-setting five year, $60MM deal that the Knicks handed team president Phil Jackson is paying dividends, Berman argues in a separate piece. Berman cites the team’s drafting of Kristaps Porzingis and the rookie’s ability to mesh with star Carmelo Anthony in Jackson’s infamous triangle offense as reason for optimism.
  • Back in July, Jackson was adamant that new addition Robin Lopez would be a better fit for the Knicks than Greg Monroe, and the prediction is turning out to be correct, Berman contends in that same piece. Monroe chose to sign with the Bucks last summer rather than signing with New York.
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Clippers Rumors: Ayres, Smith, Aldrich, Prigioni

January 23rd, 2016 at 7:35pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jeff Ayres‘ trip back to the NBA took him to China and then Idaho in the D-League before he signed a 10-day deal with the Clippers, writes Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. After being let go by the Spurs in the offseason, the center/forward signed with a Chinese team, but said it “ended up not working out.” He was taken with the first overall pick in the D-League draft and became a star with the Idaho Stampede, averaging 16.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. “It’s not what people think, that everybody here isn’t very good,” Ayres said. “A lot of D-League guys are very good. D-League is full of talent. Everything you hear as a rookie in the NBA about, ‘You were the man when you were in college but not no more here.’ It’s the same thing here.”

There’s more Clippers new from Los Angeles:

  • Ayres is ready to accept whatever role the team has for him, tweets Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times. Ayres said his agent woke him up with the news of the signing (Twitter link). “I was halfway asleep,” Ayres said. “It was awesome. It was great news to wake up to.”
  • Coach Doc Rivers had nothing bad to say about Josh Smith, who was dealt to the Rockets Friday after a frustrating half-season with the Clippers, writes Rowan Kavner of NBA.com. Rivers said that after Blake Griffin‘s injury, the Clippers started winning when they made Cole Aldrich and Pablo Prigioni regular members of the bench rotation. That left little playing time for Smith, who has struggled to get minutes since mid-December. “He was very good, a good teammate and all that, but it just didn’t work,” Rivers said of Smith. “So we wanted to go in another direction.”
  • Several former Knicks have helped make the Clippers contenders in the West, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. Aldrich, Prigioni and Jamal Crawford have all become important parts of L.A.’s rotation after spending time in New York, and former Knicks coach Mike Woodson serves as an assistant to Rivers.
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Eastern Notes: Afflalo, Mirotic, Jennings

January 23rd, 2016 at 11:36am CST by Eddie Scarito

Knicks shooting guard Arron Afflalo is fine with playing second fiddle to small forward Carmelo Anthony in New York, but he’s ready to answer the call as the team’s go-to player if needed, Mike Coppinger of USA Today writes. “[Anthony] is one of the best scorers of all time, so I don’t mind being second fiddle to that,” said Afflalo. “But, for example, if he ever was to get hurt, or if he’s out of the game for any reason, I don’t have any issues with stepping into that role.”

Most NBA players begin to decline when they reach the age of 30, but Afflalo, who turned 30 in October, believes he can buck that trend, Coppinger relays. “I think I’m only going to get better as I get older because of my style of play,” Afflalo said. “I like to play a more post game, spot-up 3s, coming off screens. These are things that as long as you’re in good condition – I’m not really relying on heavy speed or heavy athleticism – I’m more relying on my footwork and skill and my body. So I feel as I get older with more experience, I’m just going to get better with age.”

Here’s the latest from the Central Division:

  • Bulls combo forward Nikola Mirotic is struggling with his confidence this season after losing his spot as a starter, but he understands he needs to keep working to regain his form, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune writes. “I’m struggling a little bit now and not shooting well,” Mirotic said. “I’m not feeling the same confidence I was before. The only way to get it back is to work hard and stay positive. I need to forget what happened yesterday. I’m not scoring easy baskets. I’m not running like before. I’m not making those open 3s. I’m not doing things in the low post. But if I can do it last year in March, I can do it this year, too. I think it will come soon.“
  • Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy is pleased with Brandon Jennings‘ performance leading the team’s second unit, but he doesn’t think the point guard will be back to full speed until training camp next season, MLive’s David Mayo notes. “For the most part, our team has played well with him on the court, I think because of the way he pushes the ball, and moves the ball, and everything else,” Van Gundy said. “Not only are you coming back off injury, but you miss 30-plus games, and you missed all of the summer. It just takes time to get back into it.“
  • The Celtics have assigned James Young to their D-League affiliate in Maine, the team announced.
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Dead Money: Atlantic Division

January 22nd, 2016 at 9:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Not every dollar of each team’s payroll shows up on the court, as franchises often dish out funds to players who are no longer on their rosters. Players with guaranteed money who are waived, either through a standard waiver release, use of the stretch provision, or when a buyout arrangement is reached, still count against a team’s cap figure for the duration of their contracts, or the amount of time specified by the collective bargaining agreement for when a player’s salary is stretched.

There are even situations that arise, like the one with JaVale McGee and the Sixers, where these players are actually the highest-paid on the team. McGee is set to collect $12MM from Philly, and he won’t score one point or collect one rebound for the franchise this season. The next highest-paid athlete for the Sixers is Gerald Wallace, who was also waived, and he is scheduled to earn $10,105,855 for the 2015/16 campaign. In fact, the total payroll for the Sixers’ entire active roster this season is $32,203,553, which is merely $3,709,857 more than the amount being paid to players no longer on the team!

Listed below are the names and cap hits associated with players who are no longer on the rosters of teams in the Atlantic Division:

Boston Celtics

Total= $3,819,456

Brooklyn Nets

Total= $5,627,366

New York Knicks

Total= $275,000

Philadelphia 76ers

Total= $28,493,696

Toronto Raptors

Total= $150,000

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

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Atlantic Notes: Anthony, Larkin, Lowry

January 22nd, 2016 at 4:11pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Knicks coach Derek Fisher envisions Carmelo Anthony evolving into more of a facilitator from the forward spot in the team’s offense, Al Iannazzone of Newsday writes. “I think there’s some more playmaking opportunities that will continue to be a part of his maturation in how we play,” Fisher said. “I think there will be times when we can put the ball in his hands more and allow his size and his ability to create shots for other people to be more of a feature. And that’s a part of our offense that we really want to get to. We’re looking forward to being able to play Carmelo at the top of the floor at times. I think he can average a pretty high number of assists because of how aggressive teams are defending him.’’

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

  • The friendship that has developed between Raptors backcourt mates Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan has helped both the players and the team be successful, Jessica Patton of The Toronto Sun writes. “I think when they first got here, I think they looked at each other like ‘OK’, ” coach Dwane Casey said. “But then as things went on and as the games went on and winning went on, they saw that they could co-exist together. I think the trust has been built, the friendship built, and they [have] a good thing going.”
  • Nets point guard Shane Larkin is still trying to prove that he belongs in the league amid the team’s difficult season, notes Andy Vasquez of NorthJersey.com. “I haven’t established myself as a proven backup — whatever you want to say,” Larkin said. “And that’s what I’m trying to do. So every single night I go out there, I have that kind of mentality. And even though lately I’ve been struggling, I’ve just got to stay confident, keep playing and get back to what I was doing.”
  • If the Sixers return to prominence in the coming seasons the credit is likely to go to new team executive Jerry Colangelo and not to GM Sam Hinkie, despite the GM having laid much of the foundation, Derek Bodner of Philadelphia magazine opines in his mailbag. While Hinkie’s plan certainly has its flaws, the GM should share in the credit for any inroads the team makes, Bodner adds.
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Pau Gasol Hires Creative Artists Agency

January 21st, 2016 at 10:54pm CST by Chuck Myron

Pau Gasol has signed the Creative Artists Agency to represent him, the agency announced via Twitter. The news confirms that the likely soon-to-be free agent has left the Wasserman Media Group and agent Jason Ranne. Gasol and brother Marc Gasol had been looking for new representation following the departure of former Wasserman super agent Arn Tellem. Each of the Gasols was conducting his own search, so they weren’t necessarily a package deal, according to USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt, who reported that the pair were in the market for agents. It’s unclear whom Marc will choose.

The months ahead will be key for Pau, who turns 36 in July. He told Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago last month that he’s “very likely” to turn down his player option for next season, which is no surprise, since it’s worth only about $7.7MM. The Bulls big man remains nearly as productive as ever, and hitting free agency this summer will give him the chance to command major money, with the salary cap rising to a projected $89MM and relatively few impact players in the 2016 free agent class. He just narrowly missed a starting nod in this year’s All-Star Game, falling just 360 votes shy of the third and final frontcourt spot.

Chicago also gauged trade interest in Gasol at one point recently, according to Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher, though that was before Joakim Noah suffered a shoulder injury last week that’s knocked him out for four to six months. Agents don’t have quite as much influence on trades as they do on free agency, but they still have the power to steer their clients to favored destinations, especially when they’re on expiring contracts, as Gasol essentially is.

The Creative Artists Agency boasts a deep stable of clients, from established stars Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade to rookies Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell, the top two picks in the 2015 draft. CAA’s Leon Rose jointly represents Kevin Durant along with Roc Nation Sports. It’s not immediately clear which CAA representative will be the primary agent for Gasol. In any case, it’s ostensibly another tie between Gasol and the Knicks, where former Lakers coach Phil Jackson is team president, though New York’s once-cozy relationship with the agency hasn’t appeared quite as strong since Jackson took over.

Gasol has become the latest notable former Wasserman client to leave the agency, which has lost LaMarcus Aldridge, Jabari Parker, Danilo Gallinari and Joe Johnson, among others, since Tellem walked away to take a job in the Pistons organization.

Where do you think Gasol will play next season? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

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Atlantic Notes: Wroten, 2016 Draft, Johnson

January 21st, 2016 at 5:34pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Knicks don’t want to sign a player to a 10-day deal who won’t crack their rotation, which explains why the team hasn’t added Tony Wroten or Jimmer Fredette despite possessing an open roster spot, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. New York thinks it would be wasteful to do so, according to Berman, and the franchise won’t be pressed into making a move unless a rotation player goes down with an injury. The Knicks are also considering using a 10-day pact on a young player who would play primarily in the D-League in order to learn the triangle offense, the New York Post scribe adds. Berman notes that New York has expressed some level of interest in Wroten but is concerned about his tendency to gamble on defense.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Celtics power forward Amir Johnson, who departed the Raptors as a free agent this past offseason, is missed by his former teammates and Toronto’s fans because of his tireless work ethic, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca writes. “I think fans appreciate hard work,” said Patrick Patterson, who spent a season and a half with Johnson with the Raptors. “They appreciate guys who lay it out every single night, who play with their heart and soul. Like I said, he was battling through injuries and he wasn’t sitting out. He wasn’t in the locker room not participating. He was out there every single night playing those games no matter how he felt, no matter how badly his body needed rest, he was out there every night with his heart and soul.“
  • The Nets have hired well-known shooting coach David Nurse to work with their players, NetsDaily relays. Brooklyn is shooting 44.6% from the field and hitting just 31.8% of their 3-pointers on the season.
  • The Celtics own Brooklyn’s 2016 first round pick. which is likely to land in the top five, and the crew over at CSNNE.com looked at six potential draft targets for Boston. Besides the projected No. 1 overall pick, Ben Simmons of LSU, Boston is also likely to strongly consider Jaylen Brown (California), Buddy Hield (Oklahoma), Kris Dunn (Providence), Dragan Bender (Croatia) and Brandan Ingram (Duke).
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Atlantic Notes: Lopez, DeRozan, Nets

January 20th, 2016 at 6:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

DeMar DeRozan missed 22 games last season for the Raptors with a groin injury and the shooting guard used the scare it gave him to motivate himself to return to form in 2015/16, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca writes. “I don’t talk about it too much,” DeRozan said of the time he missed in 2014/15. “But mentally that injury was tough on me. It took a lot out of me just to accept that I was hurt and I was going to be away from the game that long.”

The swingman also used the time to study the game and players who excelled by the use of their brains not their athleticism, Grange adds. “I watched all these guy who were successful and weren’t even athletic and I asked myself: How were they successful when they weren’t the fastest on the court?” DeRozan told Grange. “You tried to figure out how they did it and apply that to your game, so I didn’t have to jump higher than the defender or be faster than the defender, but just be craftier, smarter and be more patient.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Knicks center Robin Lopez has become a more integral part of the team’s offense recently, something he credits to becoming more comfortable with his teammates as well as the addition of a hook shot to his game, Fred Kerber of The New York Post writes. “I think I have a better idea of where guys are on the floor and where my opportunities are going to present themselves,” said Lopez. “Guys, the team, coaching staff, they’re developing a confidence in me and that helps, that’s contagious.“
  • The Nets‘ offseason signings of Shane Larkin, Thomas Robinson, Wayne Ellington and Andrea Bargnani were considered low risk at the time, but with each underachieving this season their deals could hamper the franchise next season, NetsDaily opines. All four players possess player options for next season and if they all opt in it could impact the team’s free agent plans, NetsDaily notes.
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