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Southwest Notes: Withey, Cunningham, Green

January 13th, 2016 at 1:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Former 39th overall pick Jeff Withey is seeing significant minutes with the Jazz this season after a parting of ways with the Pelicans that cast him into uncertainty, as Ben Dowsett of Basketball Insiders details. Executives from other teams have speculated about whether the Pelicans dealt fairly with the center, who said GM Dell Demps told him during the playoffs that the team wanted him back, Dowsett reports. The team made a qualifying offer to him but withdrew it shortly before re-signing Alexis Ajinca, making Withey an unrestricted free agent and leaving him “really confused,” as he said to Dowsett. Withey ultimately landed with Utah on a partially guaranteed deal that last week became fully guaranteed for the rest of this season, and he’s pleased with his new surroudings.

“In New Orleans, it was a tough place for me, just because the coach [Monty Williams], he didn’t really give me a shot, you know what I mean?” Withey said to Dowsett. “Even if I was playing, if I screwed up one time or anything like that, he would just take me right out. Here, Coach [Quin Snyder], he’ll come to you … it’s just a different type of coaching. More player-friendly, for sure.”

Withey has one more year left on his deal, with a non-guaranteed minimum salary for next season. See more on the Pelicans and the rest of the Southwest Division:

Dante Cunningham is shooting more 3-pointers than ever this season, and while he’s making a passable 30% of them, it’s still not enough to give the Pelicans the spacing necessary to prevent double teams on Anthony Davis, as John Reid of The Times Picayune examines. New Orleans re-signed Cunningham in the offseason to a three-year deal worth nearly $8.935MM. Backup and fellow offseason signee Alonzo Gee is nailing just 27.3% of his 3-point looks, compounding the absence of Pondexter, as Justin Verrier of ESPN.com examines.
The Raptors were one of the teams that pursued Danny Green this summer, according to Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News. Given the four-year, $58MM deal that Toronto gave fellow wing player DeMarre Carroll, it seems Green was liable to end up with much more than the $40MM over four years he got from the Spurs, Harvey writes. However, unlike other places in the NBA, San Antonio affords him the comfort of knowing the team has a history of supporting him through slumps like the one he’s in now, as Harvey details.
Baron Davis, who’s set to play in the D-League, reportedly worked out for the Mavs recently, but coach Rick Carlisle laughed off the notion and owner Mark Cuban clarified that the team has an “open door” as far as its D-League affiliate goes but doesn’t harbor NBA-level interest in him. Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News relays Cuban’s comment.

Western Notes: Davis, McDaniels, Lawson

January 7th, 2016 at 10:24pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Anthony Davis‘ maximum salary extension kicks in next season, and the Pelicans will have five years to show the power forward that New Orleans can be a championship contender, though the organization doesn’t feel like it is “on the clock” with its star player, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes. “If you look at a situation like that where it is five years,” coach Alvin Gentry said when asked if he feels pressure regarding Davis, “and you’ve got five years to make something happen and keep a guy here — the one thing that [GM] Dell Demps and [team executive] Mickey Loomis have done is that they’ve taken Anthony and surrounded him with really good people, really good players. There is an opportunity for us. When we get everybody healthy, we feel like we can compete with everyone. There is time to get things right.”

Though the team has downplayed the notion that Ryan Anderson will be traded prior to February’s deadline, NBA executives believe that if New Orleans is to make any personnel moves this season it will involve the power forward, Deveney relays. “He is really the only one that has value if you’re a playoff team,” one NBA executive said of Anderson. “I wouldn’t say they’re shopping him, as far as I know, but I would say they’re listening [to offers].”

Here’s the latest from out West:

The NBA has suspended Rockets point guard Ty Lawson three games for the second of his two DUI arrests last year, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle relays. The league previously suspended Lawson for two games after he pleaded guilty to driving while impaired in Denver last January, and this latest suspension stems from a DUI arrest last June in Los Angeles.
The Timberwolves continue to suffer from a lack of outside shooting and youthful mistakes and interim coach Sam Mitchell has until the end of the season to turn around these deficiencies if he hopes to be named head coach on a permanent basis, writes Michael Rand of The Star Tribune. Mitchell needs to prove to team management that he is indeed the person best suited to develop the franchise’s young talent, Rand adds.
The Rockets have assigned swingman K.J. McDaniels to their D-League affiliate, Feigen notes (via Twitter). This will be McDaniels’ fourth trek to Rio Grande Valley on the season.

Western Notes: Rondo, Gentry, Kerr

January 6th, 2016 at 9:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

One aspect of Alvin Gentry‘s coaching style that has endeared him to his players on the Pelicans is his willingness to hold all players equally accountable, including star power forward Anthony Davis, John Reid of The Times Picayune writes. ”That’s how you get credibility in this league as a coach,” point guard Norris Cole said. ”The top coaches are tough on everybody, including the star players. They always say, it starts at the top, coach is consistent. It doesn’t matter who you are; if he feels he needs to get on you, he will get on you. If you look at all the great coaches, they get on their star players before they get on anybody else. We respect coach and he’s consistent with what he’s trying to bring and what wants out of us.”

Davis welcomes Gentry’s input, even if it means the coach being hard on him, Reid notes. ”He gets on everybody coaches, players,” Davis said. ”He doesn’t care who it is because he wants all of us to be better. If that’s what it takes for us to be better then I’m down for it. Like I said, he got on me during Saturday’s game and I was totally fine. Perk [Kendrick Perkins] gets on me, I don’t care. I know that they have my best interests [in mind].”

Here’s the latest from out West:

Despite his strong individual numbers this season, point guard Rajon Rondo has not improved the Kings‘ offense, and the team has actually been statistically more efficient when the point guard is on the bench, Mika Honkasalo of HoopsHype writes in his analysis of the team. Sacramento has been outscored by 5.4 points per 100 possessions with Rondo on the floor, and the Kings have actually outscored teams by 1.5 points without Rondo, Honkasalo notes.
The Warriors still don’t know when Steve Kerr will be able to return to coaching the team and much still depends on how Kerr’s body responds to travel, Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group relays. “He’s trying,” GM Bob Myers said. “He wants to get back, but it’s just tough right now. He’s not able to do it, and we hope it will be soon. “So he’s kind of putting his toe in the water, getting on the road with the team to see how he can handle that, handle the travel and the up and downs of the road. If he can get through that OK, then we’ll see. But it’s tough for me. If you had him on right now, he’d probably tell you he doesn’t know [how soon he might be back]. So for me to say anything is just speculation.”

Southwest Rumors: Terry, Davis, Mavericks

December 29th, 2015 at 9:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Veteran Rockets point guard Jason Terry is baffled by his team’s mediocre season, according to Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle. Their outings late last week, when they upset the Spurs on Christmas night and then were defeated by the last-place Pelicans the following evening, provide a perfect backdrop to Terry’s befuddlement, Creech continues. “It’s a wake-up call to have a performance like we did against San Antonio and then come back and follow that up with a poor performance against a New Orleans team that has struggled all season,” Terry told Creech. “That was a big step backwards. We have to stop playing in these spurts. It is frustrating but it also makes me optimistic because I know what we are capable of doing.” Interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff sees Terry as part of the solution and plans to give him steady minutes after shuffling his point guard rotation, Fran Blinebury of NBA com reports. “I just feel like we need him on the floor,” Bickerstaff said. “There’s times where he needs the rest, obviously. But big moments in big games, he’s one of the guys that I trust the most.”

In other news around the Southwest Division:

Pelicans star power forward Anthony Davis is frustrated with his team’s spotty effort, Andrew Lopez of the New Orleans Times-Picayune writes. Davis vented to Lopez after the team’s loss to the Magic on Monday. “We just don’t play hard all the time,” he said. “That starts with our first unit coming out and setting the pace and setting the tone for the rest of the game and setting the tone for the guys that sub in, especially after halftime. That’s kind of been our thing this year. It starts with the first unit and it starts with me.”
Wesley Matthews and Chandler Parsons are rounding to form for the Mavericks after their extensive rehab from major injuries, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com reports. Matthews, who was signed to a four-year, $70M contract during the offseason while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, is averaging 15.2 points and making 41.2% of his 3-point attempts in December. Parsons, who underwent microfracture knee surgery, has averaged 14.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists the past three games after having his minutes restrictions lifted, MacMahon continues. “Both of these guys stated very clearly when their injuries happened that their goal was not only to be back, but to be back better than before,” coach Rick Carlisle told MacMahon and other media members. “To do that, it’s going to be a long-term proposition. … They’re both doing well. And they’ll do better and better and better as the season goes along.”
The Spurs assigned point guard Ray McCallum to their D-League affiliate in Austin, the team’s website announced. McCallum, who is averaging 1.6 points in 7.1 minutes in 13 appearances with San Antonio, has already appeared in five games with Austin.

Southwest Notes: Davis, Smith, Howard

December 25th, 2015 at 8:59pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Anthony Davis would trigger the Derrick Rose rule for more lucrative salaries on the extension he signed with the Pelicans this past summer if he’s voted to start the All-Star Game, but so far, he’s only sixth among vote-getters for the three frontcourt positions in the Western Conference (Twitter link via Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports). Davis can also earn the higher salaries if he makes an All-NBA team or is named MVP this season.

Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry praised the effort given by Ish Smith, who was dealt to the Sixers on Thursday, and indicated that the point guard was expendable because of the team’s backcourt depth, John Reid of The Times Picayune relays. “He was great for us,” Gentry said. ”He did everything I asked for him to do. Obviously with Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday coming off restrictions as far as minutes and Norris Cole being healthy, there wasn’t a lot of time for him. This is a good thing for him, too. I think he will play a lot of minutes in Philly. He is a great kid and I think he is going to be in this league a long time.”
Dwight Howard hasn’t received his customary amount of shot attempts this season with the Rockets, which makes it difficult to judge if the center’s skills are beginning to diminish, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com writes. “The more confidence I have on the block, the better I’ll be,” Howard said. “Each day I just continue to work on getting reps, so when I get in the game, I can get to my spot and just finish.” The big man does say that he’s healthy and is trying to limit the distractions any talk regarding his potential free agency next summer may cause his teammates, Watkins adds. “Actually, the last couple of weeks I’ve been feeling really good,” Howard continued. “I’ve just been trying to stay free and not allowing any of the noise from the outside, the crazy rumors and all that stuff to affect who I am with my teammates and what we’re trying to accomplish. My body has felt great. I think when you stay stress-free, your body tends to follow.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Western Notes: Morris, Howard, Harden, Wolves

December 24th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The saga of trade candidate Markieff Morris in Phoenix took another turn Wednesday when Morris threw a towel in coach Jeff Hornacek‘s direction while verbally directing his anger at the coach during the fourth quarter of Phoenix’s loss to Denver, as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic details. Hornacek, who’d just taken Morris out of the game, tossed the towel back at Morris as he shared his own angry words with the power forward whom the Suns have reportedly had serious discussions about trading.

“He’s mad about not playing,” Hornacek said after the game, according to Coro. “I look at the stat sheet. He’s a minus-13 in 12 minutes. So there, I took him out. … He thinks he’s better than that. Show me.”

Hornacek said a discussion will take place among team officials about possible discipline for the towel-toss, which evoked memories of Robert Horry throwing a towel in coach Danny Ainge’s face during a game in 1997 when they were with the Suns. See more from the Western Conference:

Coach J.B. Bickerstaff met with Dwight Howard and James Harden about their leadership roles and how they can function together, and the two stars have begun to work more closely with each other in practice, observes Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle. Howard has on multiple occasions denied a report that he’s upset with playing a secondary role to Harden. “It’s been great,” Howard said of his practice work with Harden. “The thing we are trying to build on the most is chemistry between me and James. We have played together for two years, but the best way to build chemistry is to have those individual workouts together. That’s what we have done the last couple of weeks and we have gotten better at reading each other and the more we do it, the better we will become.”
Former Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien is an investor in Steve Kaplan’s bidding group for a 30% stake in the Timberwolves, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). Conflicting reports emerged in November about whether Levien was involved. The Kaplan group is reportedly progressing toward a deal that would see them eventually take over a controlling interest in the team.
Losing to the Suns last week prompted the Pelicans to hold a players-only meeting, Anthony Davis said Wednesday, according to John Reid of The Times Picayune. New Orleans has won both of its games since then. The team has gone 8-8 after an 1-11 start under new coach Alvin Gentry, who criticized the effort of the players after the Phoenix loss, as Reid points out.

Southwest Notes: Hayes, West, Davis

November 4th, 2015 at 10:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Veteran power forward David West sacrificed both money and playing time to join the Spurs as a free agent this past offseason, a move that was necessary to keep his competitive fire burning after 12 NBA seasons, Harvey Araton of The New York Times writes. “For me, in terms of basketball, I needed every night to mean something, in order to keep going,” West said. The player also acknowledged that the Pacers’ treatment of center Roy Hibbert played a part in his decision to leave Indiana, Araton adds. “It was a great environment, but I got to the point where I felt it was time to move in a different direction,” West said of his former team.

Here’s more from out of the Southwest Division:

Chuck Hayes, who was signed by the Rockets on Sunday, is thrilled to be back out on the court as a player after flirting with becoming an assistant coach, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes. “It was a good feeling to go out there in the second quarter,” said Hayes after his first game back. “I don’t know all the timing, the offensive rhythm yet. I consider myself a good defensive player. I figure that’s the best way I can dictate and put an imprint on the game is on the defensive end. The thing I did is talk to the guys, tell them where the screens are coming, be active, let my voice do the work for me.”
Anthony Davis isn’t thrilled with his play in new coach Alvin Gentry‘s up-tempo system, and the Pelicans‘ slow start to the season isn’t helping matters either, John Reid of The Times Picayune writes. ”I’m always frustrated; I just want to be the best I can be to help the team win,” Davis said. ”I feel I’m not doing it right now. All the frustration is on me. They’re giving me great opportunities and I can’t find a way to put the ball in the basket.”
As his career winds down, Spurs big man Tim Duncan has re-invented himself as a “glue guy,” and instead of looking to score, he must look to do “the little stuff” that impacts the game, Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News writes. “I’m just trying to figure that out,” Duncan said when asked to describe his role. “I’m not sure what it is yet. It’s a little different now, because we added some different players. We’re all just trying to figure it out.”

Southwest Notes: Ginobili, Dekker, Pelicans

October 20th, 2015 at 10:17pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Spurs veteran Manu Ginobili has been among the team’s most accurate shooters, making 12 of his 16 shots from the field overall and going 5 for 7 on 3-pointers in four preseason appearances, and entering tonight’s game he was the team’s No. 2 scorer, at 11.7 points per game, a level of play that is even surprising the 39-year-old shooting guard, Mike Monroe of The San Antonio Express-News writes. “I am shocked,” Ginobili said about his level of performance thus far. “To tell you the truth I wasn’t expecting this but I am feeling great; healthy; making shots. I’m playing relaxed. I am really enjoying the experience. That is what I wanted to achieve, this mental state. It’s way easier to do it in preseason when everything is more relaxed but we’ll see how it goes. So far, so good.”

Here’s the latest out of the Southwest:

Rockets first-rounder Sam Dekker has struggled with his shooting during the preseason, but the rookie feels that he is beginning to acclimate himself to the speed of the pro game, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. “As a rookie there is that little growth process,” Dekker said. “I don’t think I’m anywhere near as comfortable as I’m going to be. I’m learning every day and trying to learn from the best and ask as many questions as I can. I’m trying to pick up as much as I can so I can help this team and learn every day and keep growing and get more comfortable.”
The Pelicans need to find an effective power forward who can defend and score if the team wants to shift Anthony Davis to the center position, which is being considered under new coach Alvin Gentry, Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM writes. One target for next offseason who Tjarks suggests would be a good fit in New Orleans is current Rockets combo forward Terrence Jones, who will be eligible to become a restricted free agent at the end of the 2015/16 campaign. While Houston will most likely prefer to re-sign Jones, a substantial offer sheet proffered by the Pelicans could dissuade GM Daryl Morey from matching and bring Jones to New Orleans, Tjarks opines.
Team owner Mark Cuban believes that if the Mavericks‘ top players can remain healthy, Dallas will deploy a potent lineup and have an excellent shot to make the playoffs this season, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com relays. “We’re going to be fun,” Cuban said. “Our defense is going to be better, and we’re shooting the ball from three a lot more. And that’s with our young guys. Once the vets get in there, it will open things up more for them. … But we’ve got a lot of new, young guys that will be fun to watch. And then watching Dirk Nowitzki and Chandler Parsons and Wesley Matthews and Deron Williams, that’s going to be money right there. You know, that’s a [heck] of a top four.”

And-Ones: Cavs, Davis, Aldridge, Kobe, Teodosic

October 20th, 2015 at 9:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The Cavaliers are the pick to win it all and LeBron James is the favorite for MVP in the league’s annual GM survey, as John Schuhmann of NBA.com presents. More than half the executives who responded favor the Cavs, while the Warriors garnered only 17.9% of the vote, the third-lowest percentage for a defending champ in the 13-year history of the GM survey. Still, neither of last year’s Finals teams has Anthony Davis, whom a whopping 86.2% of respondents selected as the player they’d most want to build their teams around.

LaMarcus Aldridge drew 79.3% of the vote for the offseason acquisition who’ll make the greatest impact, and the Spurs garnered the same percentage for the team that had the best offseason, unsurprisingly. See more on Aldridge’s decision amid the latest from around the NBA:

Aldridge thought he would re-sign with the Trail Blazers when he put off thumb surgery last season, and he thinks the Blazers did all they could to keep him, but the lure of playing closer to his home in Texas proved too great when the time came for a decision, as he told Chris Mannix of SI.com. Aldridge said to Mannix that the idea that he left Portland because he couldn’t get along with Damian Lillard was overblown, and that while he and Lillard mutually acknowledged that they could have communicated better with each other, they don’t have a poor relationship. “But I never had an issue playing with him or anything like that or with him being the face or them promoting him or anything like that,” Aldridge said in part. “If I had an issue like that then why go to the Spurs? They don’t promote anybody.”
Kobe Bryant‘s presence was one of the best parts of meeting with the Lakers this summer, Aldridge insisted to Mannix for the same piece, striking back at the notion that he didn’t want to play with the Lakers star.
The GM poll also shows 28-year-old shooting guard Milos Teodosic, who plays for CSKA Moscow but whose NBA rights aren’t tied to any team, as the second-best international player outside the NBA aside from Sixers draft-and-stash prospect Dario Saric. Plus, more GMs want to see revamped lottery odds than any other rules change.

Southwest Notes: Butler, Ajinca, Green

October 5th, 2015 at 4:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Spurs weren’t the only NBA team interested in Rasual Butler when he signed with San Antonio last month, as a Western Conference suitor lurked, but the 36-year-old finds there’s “no place better to be than here,” reports Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News. Butler’s contract is non-guaranteed, but he has a line on a regular season roster spot, according to coach/executive Gregg Popovich, as Young notes.

“He’s a seasoned pro in a sense that he knows himself, he knows what role he can play,” Popovich said. “He’s at a stage in his career where he just wants to be a part of something that’s just positive and good. He obviously can shoot the basketball. If he couldn’t shoot, we wouldn’t be talking to him. You got to have a skill to play. For all those reasons, he’s somebody that’s got a great shot to make our team.”

The Spurs have 13 fully guaranteed contracts, seemingly leaving two available spots on the opening night roster. See more on the Spurs amid the latest from the Southwest Division:

Pelicans backup center Alexis Ajinca will miss the next four to six weeks because of a right hamstring strain, the team announced. New Orleans committed a four-year, $19.5MM deal to Ajinca this past summer, and the team is without any other natural center to play behind Omer Asik, with the possible exception of Anthony Davis. The injury could bode well for power forward Jeff Adrien, the only big man without a fully guaranteed salary on the Pelicans.
Jeff Green says he was frustrated with the lack of a consistent role with the Grizzlies following the midseason trade that took him to Memphis, but he’s optimistic about this year, and coach Dave Joerger is expecting a breakout season, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal details. Green is set for free agency this coming summer after picking up his $9.2MM player option this past June. “It was tough to not be in one role. One day I’d start, one day I’d come off the bench. I was playing the 3 and the 4. It was tough,” Green said. “It’s hard to do. There’s only a few players that can really do that. I’m thankful to be in that position to be able to do that. But when you come onto a team halfway through the year, having to do that is tough because you never get a grasp of what you really need to do for the team. This year, I have an open mind. It doesn’t matter what position I play, I’m going to give it my all.”
Cory Joseph started for the Spurs most of December last year and wound up seeing only 22 total minutes during the postseason. A similarly occasional place in Sacramento’s rotation has trade acquisition Ray McCallum willing to embrace the same stop-and-start playing time with the Spurs, as Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News chronicles. Joseph snagged a four-year, $30MM deal with the Raptors this past summer, and McCallum is due for restricted free agency at season’s end.