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Pistons Interested In Al Horford?

January 22nd, 2016 at 8:42am CST by Chuck Myron

The Pistons might have interest in someone like Al Horford to offset a lack of leadership, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press hears (Twitter link). Brandon Jennings pointed to a leadership void after Thursday’s blowout loss to the Pelicans, saying that he and fellow point guard Reggie Jackson should give their teammates more direction, as Ellis writes in a full story. It’s unclear whether the Pistons are indeed eyeing the Hawks big man or if the idea would be to pursue him via trade or after his contract expires at season’s end. Horford is No. 5 in the latest Hoops Rumors 2016 Free Agent Power Rankings.

A free agent pitch would appear more likely than a trade, since the Hawks would no doubt be reluctant to break up a team that’s just two games behind second place in the Eastern Conference with a deal that sends out a player they reportedly view as a building block for now and the future. Horford is a longtime client of the Wasserman Media Group, the firm that was home to super agent Arn Tellem before he left this past summer to become vice chairman of Palace Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the Pistons. The former third overall pick dumped the Wasserman agency for Bill Duffy of BDA Sports after Tellem’s departure but quickly backtracked and rejoined Wasserman. Jason Glushon of Wasserman is Horford’s primary representative, according to RealGM.

The Pistons are reportedly keen on acquiring a power forward who would bump Ersan Ilyasova to the bench and plan to target Ryan Anderson and Donatas Motiejunas this summer. Horford, who turns 30 in June, has swung between power forward and center for much of his career. He’s added a 3-point shot to his game this season, nailing 32.6% of his 129 attempts. That’s a modest percentage, but the sudden addition of this component to Horford’s game (he’s taken more 3-pointers this year than his first eight seasons put together) makes him more of a fit for Stan Van Gundy‘s preferred one-in, four-out style.

Van Gundy clearly wasn’t pleased with his players after Thursday’s game, describing the performance as “deplorable” and saying the Pistons “look like a team that is firmly committed to trying to be mediocre,” as Ellis relays. Jennings pointed to the leadership role he assumed in the wake of Van Gundy’s decision to waive Josh Smith last season, Ellis notes, though that was when Jennings was the starting point guard, a job Jackson holds now.

“We’ll say things here and there, but mostly it’s just coach talking and it has to come from the players and we have to police ourselves,” Jennings said, according to Ellis. “Guys get into it, guys tell how they feel. We don’t have any of that. Maybe it needs to be done. Just let it out and let’s go on from there.”

The Pistons are 23-20, tied with the Heat for sixth place in the East. Detroit has only about $48MM in guaranteed salary committed against a projected $89MM cap for next season, but that doesn’t include $8MM in non-guaranteed salary for Ilyasova, whom the Pistons reportedly intend to keep, and a cap hold of about $8.180MM for Andre Drummond. That would give the Pistons roughly $64MM in commitments, not counting other, smaller cap holds, which would make it a tight squeeze to fit in Horford. He’s eligible for a projected $24.9MM maximum salary.

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Southeast Notes: Whiteside, Zeller, Horford

January 16th, 2016 at 12:17pm CST by Will Joseph

Hassan Whiteside is set to become a free agent this summer and he conceded he factors that in a bit when determining whether or not to play through certain injuries, Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post details in a Q&A with the Heat center. When asked if he weighs his upcoming free agency into his decision-making regarding the fine line between resting and playing through injuries, Whiteside told Lieser, “It has something to do with it, but I’m not really thinking about that too much. I’m just trying to think of now.” Whiteside is battling tendinitis in his right knee, but he has missed only two of the Heat’s 40 games this season.

Here’s more from around the Southeast Division:

  • Speaking of Whiteside, who is one of the league’s top big men, the 26-year-old said he will be looking to sign with a team that will give him the best opportunity to secure a championship, Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders relays. “I want to go to a team that’s about winning,” Whiteside said. “[A team] that has a good understanding of what it takes to win and a good city with a good fan base.”
  • Cody Zeller, on whom the Hornets exercised their 2016/17 rookie scale team option in November, has a decent shot to secure the role of Charlotte’s center of the future, Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer opines. Zeller is thriving as the team’s center because of his unusual quickness at the position, Fowler writes. Adding to the idea that Zeller will be the team’s center for the long haul, Fowler surmises that Al Jefferson, who is out with a knee injury and is set to be a free agent this summer, likely won’t be back with the team next season.
  • There will be shortage of teams to compete with for the services of Al Horford, a 2016 free agent, but the Hawks remain as good a bet as any to re-sign him because of their solid management structure and recent success, Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders writes.
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And-Ones: Rose, Lillard, Bazemore, Labissiere

January 12th, 2016 at 12:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Derrick Rose has said in the past that he wants to play with the Bulls for the rest of his career, and while he raised eyebrows with his comments on media day that indicated he was looking forward to hitting free agency in 2017, he recently told Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com he still intends to stay put. The same is true for Damian Lillard, who said Friday that he plans to remain with the Trail Blazers until his playing days are over, calling his relationship with the organization “a hand-and-glove fit” for the way the Blazers have embraced him as a player and a person, as Jason Quick of CSNNW.com notes. Lillard is fresh off signing a five-year extension in the summer, so the matter of his free agency isn’t as pressing as Rose’s, though Lillard’s remarks are nonetheless soothing for Portland, given its history of star defections, Quick posits. See more from around the NBA:

  • Rose also told Friedell for the same piece that he doesn’t have any contact with Tom Thibodeau and doesn’t even think about his former coach, despite having had a “good relationship” with him, because he’s focused on adjusting to new Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg. He also spoke fondly of Jimmy Butler, despite reports of friction between the two, answering affirmatively when Friedell asked if Butler is the most talented teammate he’s ever had.
  • The Hawks unsurprisingly view 2016 free agent Al Horford as a building block for the long-term, writes Zach Lowe of ESPN.com, though he’s not the only player the team will have to pay if it wants to retain this summer. Estimates of the starting salary Kent Bazemore will be able to command on his next deal range from the mid-level, which tops out at $5.628MM, to $12MM, according to a dozen league executives to whom Lowe spoke.
  • The top three, including LSU combo forward Ben Simmons, are unchanged in the latest 2016 draft prospect rankings from Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider only), but Marquette big man Henry Ellenson is up to No. 4 from No. 6. Kentucky big man Skal Labissiere, who was Ford’s previous No. 4 and once a serious challenger for the No. 1 pick, has dropped to No. 10.
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Al Horford Returns To Wasserman Agency

December 18th, 2015 at 10:21am CST by Chuck Myron

10:21am: Horford has rehired Wasserman, the agency he dismissed to sign Duffy earlier this year, reports Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

9:56am: Soon-to-be free agent Al Horford has fired agent Bill Duffy of BDA Sports just months after hiring him, reports international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). Horford was one of a stream of players to leave the Wasserman Media Group following the departure of high-powered agent Arn Tellem for a job with the Pistons organization. It’s unclear whom the Hawks center will turn to for representation with his contract set to expire at the end of June.

Horford, who’ll be 30 years old next summer, has put up numbers remarkably similar to last year so far this season, averaging 15.2 points and 7.1 rebounds in 31.4 minutes per game. However, the Hawks haven’t been nearly as impressive as they were during their 60-win campaign a year ago, with Atlanta tied only for eighth place in the much-improved Eastern Conference with a record of 15-12.

The former University of Florida standout is No. 5 in our latest 2016 Free Agent Power Rankings. He’ll be eligible for a maximum salary of a projected $24.9MM next summer, when he’ll be a nine-year veteran.

Duffy remains a strong force with several other marquee clients, including reigning Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson, whose four-year extension worth more than $68.979MM kicked in this season.

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Southeast Notes: Oladipo, Horford, Hansbrough

November 30th, 2015 at 5:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

Victor Oladipo can’t be pleased with the Magic‘s decision to move him to the bench, despite the team-first comments he’s made to the media, posits Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. The former No. 2 overall pick who’ll become eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer is averaging 20.0 points per game in his three appearances as a reserve, and the team has gone 3-0 in those games, leading Schmitz to wonder if the move will be for the long term.

“We got to stick with what works,” coach Scott Skiles said. “[Oladipo] has been so good in that role. We’ll keep him out there until it doesn’t work.”

Skiles has proven to have the right touch so far for the 9-8 Magic, Schmitz observes, nonetheless noting that the future for the team’s personnel isn’t in quite as sharp a focus as it was before the move. See more on the Magic amid the latest from the Southeast Division:

  • Al Horford, set for free agency at season’s end, finds it odd to be going up against former college coach Billy Donovan, whose Thunder visit the Hawks for a game tonight, notes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “He always encourages guys to work hard,” Horford said of Donovan. “He really pushes you beyond what you think you can accomplish. A lot of the time with his players, we get that we are on one level but he gets you to another level. That’s what he did with me at least. He gave me that confidence, that ability, for me to take that next step.”
  • Tyler Hansbrough is averaging a career-low 5.0 minutes per game and doesn’t figure to be much more than a bit player for the Hornets after signing a one-year, minimum-salary deal in the offseason, but the team will surely need him sooner or later, opines Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer. He and Al Jefferson are the only healthy Hornets players who play a physical style, Sorensen observes.
  • The Magic have assigned Devyn Marble to the D-League, the team announced. Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel first reported the move would take place (Twitter link). It’s the first time the 56th pick in the 2014 draft has gone down to the Erie Bayhawks this season, though he went on three D-League assignments last year.
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Al Horford Changes Agents As Free Agency Looms

October 19th, 2015 at 1:45pm CST by Chuck Myron

Al Horford has hired BDA Sports founder Bill Duffy as his agent with free agency looming next summer, dropping the Wasserman Media Group, reports Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (Twitter link). Horford had been with Arn Tellem at Wasserman before Tellem left for an executive position within the Pistons organization, and the Hawks big man had more recently been with Wasserman agents B.J. Armstrong and Jason Glushon. Horford’s contract is up at the end of the season, and he sits at No. 6 on the latest Hoops Rumors 2016 Free Agent Power Rankings.

Duffy represents Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Danny Green and Rajon Rondo, among NBA other clients. Green scored a new four-year, $40MM deal with the Spurs this summer. Duffy also signed Jahlil Okafor, this year’s No. 3 overall draft pick.

The defection of Horford is another loss for Wasserman, which saw LaMarcus Aldridge leave this summer, though he’d already signed for the max with the Spurs by the time he changed agents. Joe Johnson, a former teammate of Horford’s who’s also poised to hit free agency next summer, left Wasserman, too. Aldridge and Johnson signed with Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management.

Do you think Horford will sign a max deal next summer? Leave a comment to tell us.

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Southeast Rumors: Wizards, Lamb, Hawks

October 12th, 2015 at 8:37pm CST by Dana Gauruder

John Wall believes the Wizards will be able to play with a faster tempo now that aging small forward Paul Pierce has joined the Clippers, David Aldridge of NBA.com reports in his weekly column. The Wizards’ floor leader feels that with Otto Porter at that spot in place of Pierce, the club will be able to rely much more on its transition game. “We kind of wanted to be a halfcourt team because he couldn’t get up and down the floor,” Wall told Aldridge. “He’s not the young Paul any more. And he helped us out a lot in so many other ways, making big shots and being a leader. But now it’s going to be an opportunity to let Otto exhale, running the floor, being able to create off the dribble, him slashing to the basket, and just anybody that comes into that position.”  The Wizards were just 16th in pace last season but coach Randy Wittman wants more possessions, Aldridge adds. “If you have the ball, and you have an open shot, you’re shooting it,” Wittman said to Aldridge. “If you don’t, you’ve either got to pass, or dribble penetration. You can’t hold it and dribble and dribble.”

In other news around the Southeast Division:

  • Shooting guard Jeremy Lamb has the most upside among the Hornets’ offseason acquisitions, Ken Berger of CBS Sports opines. With Michael Kidd-Gilchrist likely out for the season, Lamb could be a starter on the wing alongside small forward Nicolas Batum. But Lamb either has to display an improved jump shot or develop his drive game and get to the paint in order to take full advantage of the opportunity, Berger continues. The Hornets’ front office tried to acquire Lamb long before he was finally made available by the Thunder, Berger adds. Lamb was dealt in June to Charlotte for Luke Ridnour and a protected second rounder.
  • The Hawks are experimenting with a big lineup of Tiago Splitter at center, Al Horford at power forward and Paul Millsap at small forward but the results have been mixed thus far,  Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. “Obviously, we have a lot of good big guys,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer told Vivlamore. “We are trying to figure out a way to play them together.” The Hawks were 28th in the NBA in rebounds last season and the big lineup could help improve that figure, Vivlamore adds.
  • The Magic have not found any superstars with their recent lottery picks but they could all contribute the team’s revival, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel reports.
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Mike Budenholzer on Horford, Scott, Personnel

September 26th, 2015 at 9:15pm CST by ChrisCrouse

President of basketball operations/coach Mike Budenholzer recently sat down with Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution to discuss the state of the Hawks.

The entire piece is worth a read, but we’ll pass along a few highlights here:

On Al Horford not wanting to negotiate during season, so his impending free agency doesn’t become a distraction to the team:

“Al is the kind of player that we value, very much respect and want to continue to keep him and build with him. We respect how he’€™s handled these questions so far. As the season goes on, he’s such a professional and wants to put the team first and keep the focus there. That’s part of the reason he’s somebody you want to keep going forward.”

On Mike Scott, who faces up to 25 years in prison on a pair of felony drug charges:

“Mike has been in the gym every day working unbelievably hard. His focus and diligence has been great. He and I have had a lot of good conversations. It’s a legal process, so I can’€™t comment on any of that, but his mental focus and preparedness for the season is in a really good place.”

On the changes to the basketball operations department:

“We feel great about the group that we’€™ve added. It’s like we always said, everything is done in a collaborative way, a collaborative fashion. To bring in guys with different skills and different backgrounds and different perspectives, and all of them incredibly intelligent and all good people. They understand the kind of players we want to have and the kind of people we want to have in the organization and the culture we are building. I think it was a really, really good summer. Going forward, we are better staffed, better prepared, to operate in a more efficient, more eyes on people, more good people with good ideas. The more of that you have, the better chance you have of making good decisions on players, on all the different things that happen during the season or even during a day.”

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Southeast Notes: Kidd-Gilchrist, Horford, Deng

August 25th, 2015 at 10:07am CST by Chuck Myron

People around the league applaud what the Hornets are getting out of the extension deal Charlotte has reportedly struck with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe hears (All six Twitter links right here). The starting salary should be roughly in line with his cap hold for next summer, which would have been $12,662,808, so the Hornets aren’t truly compromising their cap flexibility, Lowe points out. The deal is not without its potential pitfalls, given his lack of outside shooting and elite ball-handling, so it will challenge the Hornets to surround him with others who can fill in the gaps, but it’s nonetheless a risk worth taking, given the work ethic of the former No. 2 overall pick. He’s capable of moving to power forward, giving him more versatility than Tony Allen, a player to whom Kidd-Gilchrist is often compared, Lowe adds. See more from around the Southeast Division:

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And-Ones: NBPA, Horford, Hawks

August 23rd, 2015 at 11:50am CST by ChrisCrouse

The National Basketball Player Association (NBPA) wants the money that teams receive from the government to construct new arenas to be included in the calculation of Basketball Related Income (BRI), Apratim Ghosh of USA Today writes. The Collective Bargaining Agreement calls for a roughly 50/50 split of all BRI between team owners and players, but the public funding owners receive is not currently included in that calculation.

“Under the CBA, we do not have a gross compensation system,” Executive Director of the NBPA Michele Roberts said. “The players’ 50% share is calculated net of a substantial amount of expenses and deductions. New and renovated arenas around the league have proven to be revenue drivers, profit centers and franchise-valuation boosters. That has been the case over the past few years in Orlando, Brooklyn and New York, to name a few. In some instances, owners receive arena revenues not included in BRI.”

Here’s more from around the league:

  • Hawks center Al Horford believes the Thunder’s roster offers his former coach, Billy Donovan, a great opportunity to succeed at he NBA level, as he tells Jeremy Woo of SI.com. “I think it’s gonna be a perfect fit. Obviously, so many talented players there, but just the way he wants to play, how he wants to get up and down the floor, that’s the perfect scenario with the type of players there,” Horford said. The Florida product will be a free agent after the 2015/16 season.
  • In the same interview, Horford touched upon the significance of re-signing teammate Paul Millsap in addition to some of the other offseason moves that Atlanta made. It was very important.I think that was the priority for us, to make sure we brought Paul back. Being able to add Tiago Splitter and Tim Hardaway, really was big. Unfortunately, we lost DeMarre [Carroll]; he’s such a great player, but it was the type of thing he couldn’t turn down, and it’s what’s best for him and his family,” the big man said. “I honestly thought there was a chance we’d be able to keep them both [ Carroll and Millsap]. But it just didn’t work out that way. I’m happy for DeMarre, but I’m happy for us, being able to keep Paul, he’s such an important part of what we do. Just his versatility. He makes the game easier for all of us.” 
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