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Northwest Notes: Wolves, Arthur, Roberson, Butler

January 8th, 2018 at 10:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Salary-cap issues could sidetrack the Timberwolves’ rise in the Western Conference, as Nick Friedell of ESPN details. Referencing ESPN salary expert Bobby Marks, Friedell notes that the Timberwolves would be only $6MM under the projected $123MM luxury-tax line next season with four open roster spots if they kept the current roster together. That would hamstring their ability to bring in quality free agents. The tax implications only get worse in future years if, as expected, they offer Karl-Anthony Towns a rookie max extension and try to re-sign Jimmy Butler when he becomes a free agent in 2019.

In other news around the Northwest Division:

  • Forward Darrell Arthur has appeared in just five games this season for the Nuggets but he’s contributing as a leader, according to Christopher Dempsey of the team’s website. “What you have to love about him right now is he’s not playing, and he’s more than capable of helping us out,” coach Michael Malone told Dempsey. “But he’s a guy that right now from a numbers standpoint isn’t getting called on very often. He has not allowed that to detract from his leadership role and staying positive, staying engaged.” Arthur holds a $7.46MM player option on his contract for next season and his lack of playing time increases the possibility that he’ll stay put.
  • Shooting guard Andre Roberson has missed the last three Thunder games with a left knee injury and their defense is suffering without him, as Erik Horne of The Oklahoman explains. The Thunder’s defense has allowed 12 fewer points per 100 possessions with Roberson on the floor this season and he’s particularly adept on pick-and-roll coverage, Horne continues. “We 100 percent need the guy because of that reason,” center Steven Adams told Horne. “And it’s just the small things that just start snowballing. He makes that extra one step that’ll stop that player and that possession. He’ll just cut off that whole play.” Roberson is expected to miss at least two more games.
  • Butler has been primarily responsible for the Timberwolves’ improvement to playoff-level status, as Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer examines.
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Northwest Notes: Roberson, Aminu, J. Johnson, Craig

November 29th, 2017 at 10:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Thunder’s slow start reached a new low tonight with a loss in Orlando, leaving a team expected to be among the NBA’s best after trading for Paul George and Carmelo Anthony with an 8-12 record and a 2-9 mark on the road. Part of the problem, suggests Erik Horne of The Oklahoman, is that Andre Roberson is an awkward fit in the starting lineup.

The starters perform well in the first quarter with a net rating [point differential per 100 possessions] of 23.8, the fourth-best mark in the league. However, their third quarter rating drops to 88.5, worst among the 16 NBA lineups that have played at least 60 minutes as a unit. Roberson is a defensive specialist, but opponents don’t respect his outside shot, especially from 3-point range, where he is hitting just 27%. Horne notes that Jerami Grant and Raymond Felton have logged nearly three times as many fourth quarter minutes as Roberson.

“I don’t necessarily feel like he’s uncomfortable,” coach Billy Donovan said of Roberson. “I do feel, with him getting acclimated to a new team, I just think some of that stuff’s going to take time. I’m not making excuses for our team, just dealing with the reality.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

  • The Trail Blazers will welcome forward Al-Farouq Aminu back Thursday night after missing 13 games with a sprained right ankle, relays Casey Holdahl of NBA.com. Portland expected Aminu to return in two to three weeks after he suffered the injury in a November 1 game, but he wound up missing almost the entire month. “It felt good to be back out there with the guys,” Aminu said after today’s practice. “Being able to contribute is always a good thing.”
  • Joe Johnson is making progress with his wrist injury and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, according to a story on the Jazz website. Johnson, who has been diagnosed with tendon instability in his right wrist, had another meeting with a hand specialist Tuesday. The 17-year veteran has played just seven games this season.
  • After three years of playing overseas, Nuggets forward Torrey Craig got his first taste of NBA action Tuesday, writes Christopher Dempsey of NBA.com. The 26-year-old signed a two-way contract over the summer and was called up to Denver this week after averaging 25.7 points per game in the G League. “It wasn’t too many nerves,” he said. “I’ve been playing basketball for a long time. So, I’m well adjusted to the atmosphere, to the game of basketball.”
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Northwest Notes: Crawford, Barton, Huestis

October 29th, 2017 at 8:02pm CST by Austin Kent

It wouldn’t be much of a stretch for Timberwolves guard Jamal Crawford to be considered the best bench player of the past decade. In fact, Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune writes, the 37-year-old recently became the second player in the past 35 years to score 10,000 off the bench.

Crawford was no slouch as a starter back in the day – he averaged 20.6 points per game with the Knicks in 2007/08 – but it wasn’t until he slotted into a reserve role with the Hawks that he started winning. Now the veteran is looking to make an impact on the revamped Timberwolves.

“It’s an important role, it really is,” Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau said. “A lot of times you have guys who don’t get recognized in the boxscore, but it’s so important to winning. Setting screens, sprinting back in defensive transition. If a guys does that, it helps you win.”

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

  • Having made a point of being extra aggressive, Nuggets guard Will Barton has started off the 2017/18 campaign with a bang, Christopher Dempsey of Denver’s official site writes. Barton has averaged 15.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game so far this season.
  • A years long G League experiment has resulted in Josh Huestis carving out a modest role in the Thunder‘s rotation. The club will have until October 31 to decide if they like what they’ve seen enough to exercise the fourth year of his rookie contract, Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman writes.
  • A slow start to the season has cast doubt on Andre Roberson‘s role in the Thunder rotation, Erik Horne of The Oklahoman writes. While Roberson struggles, head coach Billy Donovan has experimented with various lineups.
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Thunder Notes: George, Roberson, Christon

July 14th, 2017 at 7:26pm CST by marksuleymanov

The arrival of Paul George has signaled a renewed intrigue around the Thunder organization. Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Russell Westbrook once again has a superstar partner as Oklahoma City chases an NBA title. The vacancy left by Kevin Durant has been filled temporarily but George teased being a permanent staple for the club.

As Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman writes, George spoke at his introductory presser about the possibility of remaining with the Thunder beyond the 2017/18 campaign if his first season goes smoothly.

“I could come here and love it, as I have been loving it here,” George said. “Both myself and Russell, if we love where we’re at and we feel we can do something special here, I’m open to it.”

George and his new teammate Westbrook could both hit free agency next season. The California native George is expected to pursue joining the Lakers at some point — despite claiming his interest is overstated — and the former UCLA product Westbrook could follow him there. However, George teasing another dynamic duo in Oklahoma City less than two years after Durant left the city for greener pastures may be a cruel tease of what may never occur.

Below are additional notes surrounding the Thunder:

  • While it was clear that George was on the trading block, he was surprised to see himself land with the Thunder, ESPN’s Royce Young writes.  While team’s such as the Cavaliers, Rockets, Lakers, and others were mentioned as possible destinations, George noted that joining Westbrook made the trade worthwhile.
  • In other George news, Young, in a separate piece for ESPN, and Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated, both wrote up compelling features on George’s first day in Oklahoma City.
  • After signing a three-year, $30MM with the Thunder, Andre Roberson is happy to be back with the team. While he possibly missed out on more money by signing an offer sheet elsewhere as a restricted free agent, Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman writes that Roberson realizes sacrifice comes with being in a special place.
  • The Thunder and Semaj Christon have agreed to move 2014 second round pick’s guarantee date back to the end of training camp, per Fred Katz of The Norman Transcript (via Twitter).
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Thunder Re-Sign Andre Roberson

July 14th, 2017 at 2:19pm CST by ChrisCrouse

JULY 14: The Thunder have officially re-signed Robinson, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 5: The Thunder and Andre Roberson have agreed on a three-year, $30MM deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reports (Twitter links). The scribe adds that Roberson preferred the three-year deal over a four-year contract.Andre Roberson vertical

The move will put the Thunder at roughly $125.1MM in team salary, ESPN’s Bobby Marks adds (ESPN Now link). Oklahoma City sits at $5.8MM over the luxury tax line, which will give the franchise a projected tax bill of approximately $8.9MM. The organization will have the entire 2017/18 to shed salary if it wants to avoid paying the tax.

Roberson has developed into one of the league’s better perimeter defenders during his four years with OKC. He was the best defender among all shooting guards last season, according to ESPN’s Real Defensive Plus/Minus, and he added the fifth-most value on the defensive end among all non-bigs, according to NBAMath.com.

Of course, as impressive as Roberson was on defense, he had virtually the opposite impact on the other end of the court, making just 24.5% of his three-pointers and 42.3% of his free throws in 2016/17. He also missed 18 of 21 free throws in the postseason. At age 25, Roberson still has room to develop, but it will be a challenge for the Thunder to turn him into a positive asset on the offensive side of the ball.

In addition to bringing back Roberson, the Thunder have also agreed to sign Patrick Patterson and will send Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis to Indiana in exchange for Paul George after the July moratorium ends.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Free Agent Notes: Waiters, Gallinari, Holiday

July 2nd, 2017 at 12:51pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With the Knicks, Bulls, and Kings all reportedly expressing interest in unrestricted free agent Dion Waiters, Heat president Pat Riley and coach Erik Spoelstra are headed out west to Los Angeles to meet with the guard, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald relays. The duo want to convey to Waiters that the team is still very interested in retaining his services, even though it is in no position to make a large lucrative offer until Gordon Hayward decides among offers from Miami, the Celtics, and the Jazz, Jackson notes.

On the second day of free agency, here’s the latest news and notes from around the league:

  • Last summer’s free agent spending frenzy has taken its toll on this year’s crop of players on the open market, ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (on Twitter). There are still approximately 100 players who are unsigned and cap space is quickly drying up around the league, the scribe adds.
  • The Clippers are set to meet with unrestricted free agent Danilo Gallinari this evening in Los Angeles, TNT’s David Aldridge reports (via Twitter). The Nuggets also remain a potential landing spot for the forward, though, Denver is currently “all in” on signing Paul Millsap, Aldridge adds.
  • The Knicks are among several teams that have contacted unrestricted free agent Justin Holiday and New York has strong interest in re-signing the guard, Ian Begley of ESPN.com relays (ESPN Now link). It was reported earlier today that the Bulls have a contract offer on the table for Holiday, so the Knicks will certainly have some competition for his services.
  • There is mutual interest between unrestricted free agent point guard Shelvin Mack and the Knicks, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake City Tribune relays (via Twitter). In 55 appearances for the Jazz last season, Mack averaged 7.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 21.9 minutes per outing. His slash line on the campaign was .446/.308/.688.
  • The Thunder appear to be committed to re-signing Andre Roberson, per a tweet from ESPN’s Royce Young. The scribe notes that it’s a “virtual lock” that Roberson will return to OKC in 2017/18.
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Free Agent Rumors: Iguodala, Noel, Roberson, Ingles

July 1st, 2017 at 9:32am CST by marksuleymanov

The Heat are one of three teams scheduled to meet with free agent Gordon Hayward, which could put several free agency plans on hold. For Miami free agent James Johnson, being patient is not a problem, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes.

“I’m a patient guy,” Johnson said to Jackson at a recent golf tournament. “They can take as long as they want. My mindset is winning. I think Hayward can help us win and I’m all for it. They brought me here for a reason and I know they’re going after Hayward for a reason and I think his statistics and his numbers that he [produces], he fits in the best here.”

Johnson, 30, developed into a solid two-way player last season, averaging 12.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and shot nearly 48% from the floor. However, if Miami does lure Hayward to South Beach, retaining both Johnson and Dion Waiters would be problematic from a financial standpoint. Stretching Josh McRoberts‘ salary and several other moves would have to be made to re-sign both players. However, Johnson has reiterated he does not mind waiting to see how the Heat’s plan develop.

Here are some other free agency rumors circulating around the NBA:

  • The Rockets‘ meeting with two-time NBA champion and free agent Andre Iguodala is scheduled for this morning, according to Chris Haynes of ESPN (via Twitter).
  • In a separate tweet, Haynes reports that the Knicks and Bucks have inquired on free agent swingman Ben McLemore.
  • Restricted free agent Nerlens Noel can speak to other teams, but appears very likely to remain in Dallas. It’s likely a matter of “how much and when” the Mavericks get a deal done with the swingman, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon (via Twitter).
  • With Paul George headed to Oklahoma City, the Thunder are more likely to retain restricted free agent Andre Roberson, according to ESPN’s Royce Young (via Twitter).
  • The Nets have secured a meeting with free agent Joe Ingles, sources tell Adam Joseph of 16WingsARing (via Twitter).
  • We heard on Friday night that the Cavaliers have interest in Zach Randolph. That interest is mutual, writes Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.
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Caldwell-Pope, Roberson Receive Qualifying Offers

June 26th, 2017 at 2:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Two more players will officially become restricted free agents when the new NBA league year begins on July 1. According to RealGM’s transactions log, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Andre Roberson have received qualifying offers from the Pistons and Thunder, respectively.

Caldwell-Pope, the eighth overall pick in the 2013 draft, is coming off a 2016/17 season in which he averaged 13.8 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 2.5 APG, with a shooting line of .399/.350/.832. The Pistons reportedly plan to be aggressive in matching any offer sheet for Caldwell-Pope, perhaps even going up to the max, if necessary.

As for Roberson, his offensive numbers have always been modest, and that didn’t change in 2016/17 — despite setting a new career high in scoring, he still only averaged 6.6 PPG. However, Roberson is one of the league’s best perimeter defenders, earning a spot on the NBA’s All-Defensive Second team earlier today.

Caldwell-Pope’s qualifying offer from the Pistons will be worth $4,958,374, while Roberson’s QO from Oklahoma City has increased to $4,588,840 after he met the starter criteria. As long as the Pistons and Thunder don’t withdraw those qualifying offers, they’ll retain the right of first refusal on their respective free agents, giving them the opportunity to match any offers.

Both Caldwell-Pope and Roberson will have the option of accepting those one-year qualifying offers, but they’re expected to receive much larger multiyear offers in free agency. Generally, the only reason a coveted RFA would sign his qualifying offer is in order to leave his current team as soon as possible — signing the QO would put a player on track to reach unrestricted free agency a year from now.

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Green, Gobert Headline 2016/17 NBA All-Defensive Teams

June 26th, 2017 at 12:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has announced its All-Defensive teams for the 2016/17 season, and Defensive Player of the Year finalists Draymond Green, Rudy Gobert, and Kawhi Leonard all earned a place on the First Team. Green led the way with 99 First Team votes, while Gobert received 97 votes for a spot on the First Team.

Here are the full rosters for the NBA’s All-Defensive teams:

First Team:

Second Team:

Avery Bradley (Celtics), Klay Thompson (Warriors), and John Wall (Wizards) were among the other players receiving votes who just missed out on an All-Defensive spot.

As Bobby Marks of The Vertical observes (via Twitter), Gobert’s cap hit for the 2017/18 season will now increase by $500K to $21.9MM based on his spot on the All-Defensive First Team.

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Southwest Notes: Roberson, Parker, Randolph

May 5th, 2017 at 5:21pm CST by Austin Kent

Unable to come to terms with the Thunder on a rookie extension last fall, Andre Roberson will look to test the market this offseason, Erik Horne of the Oklahoman writes.

It’s hard to put a finger on exactly what the defensive-minded two-guard is worth, and the extra year of research didn’t help as much as the two parties may have hoped when the Thunder decided to let the 25-year-old become a restricted free agent.

Roberson is among the league’s best perimeter defender but his offensive shortcomings are hard to ignore. That, of course, muddies the waters when it comes to figuring out what the Thunder will (or should) pay to retain him.

“I don’t think anybody takes for granted a defensive specialist. All the GMs, the coaches, I think they see the work, so I’m not worried about free agency. I guess you could say I’m letting it take care of itself,” the Thunder guard said.

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