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Southwest Rumors: Mavs Trade Talk, Davis, Spurs

February 15th, 2016 at 7:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks are not looking to making a major move, which all but rules out a potential blockbuster scenario for James Harden or Dwight Howard, according to Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. It doesn’t make sense that the Rockets would deal one of their stars to an in-state team within their division, Sefko argues, plus the Mavs have few tradeable assets. Even if they manage to pull off such a deal, it would not push them past the Warriors or Spurs, so they’d be better off holding onto and developing young players like forwards Dwight Powell and Justin Anderson, Sefko continues. However, Dallas could make a smaller move for another shooter or an athletic big man, and the team would also be interested in bringing in either Kevin Martin or Joe Johnson if those veteran shooting guards reach buyout agreements with their respective clubs, Sefko adds. A closer look at some of the Mavs’ potential trade targets can be found here in a Morning News sidebar.

In other news around the Southwest Division:

  • The Pelicans will run any potential moves by their superstar Anthony Davis before pulling the trigger, Brett Dawson of The New Orleans Advocate writes. The All-Star power forward told Dawson that he will be asked for his input if New Orleans’ front office gets into any serious trade discussions.  “I trust our organization,” Davis said. “Whatever they decide to do, of course they’re going to make sure I’m involved with it. I don’t go out [and say], ‘Let’s do this; let’s do that.’ I try to let them handle that and they come to me, and we all sit down collectively and try to figure out what’s the best move.”
  • The Spurs have used their D-League affiliate in Austin as a means to develop several players in recent seasons, as Melissa Rohlin of the San Antonio Express-News examines. Point guards Ray McCallum and Cory Joseph, shooting guard Jonathon Simmons and small forward Kyle Anderson are examples of players who have improved their games via their D-League experiences under the tutelage of Austin coach Ken McDonald, Rohlin adds.
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Southwest Notes: Howard, Morey, Davis, Grizzlies

February 13th, 2016 at 5:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

Dwight Howard‘s risks have become greater than his potential reward, writes Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW. Sefko advises the Mavericks against pursuing Howard, whom they tried to get in free agency nearly three seasons ago. He notes that the league’s trend remains toward smaller and more athletic centers, and even among traditional big men, Howard is falling behind DeAndre Jordan and Andre Drummond. With the Rockets going through a disappointing season and Howard expected to opt out of his contract this summer, Houston’s front office has reportedly explored possible deals before next week’s deadline. Sefko notes that former teammate Chandler Parsons is likely to recruit Howard, but adds that Parsons can also opt out this summer, so his future in Dallas isn’t certain.

There’s more news from the Southwest Division:

  • The Rockets need to make a deal before the deadline to shake up their chemistry, argues Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. After reaching the Western Conference finals last season, Houston stumbled into this year’s All-Star break at 27-28 and in ninth place in the conference. “We’re generally an active team,” GM Daryl Morey said of the trade deadline. “I mean we won’t force anything. They’re not many windows where you get a chance to upgrade your team. We’ll have to look at it very closely.”
  • Pelicans center Anthony Davis doesn’t want to be one of those NBA stars who has a strong say in personnel moves, tweets Brett Dawson of The New Orleans Advocate. “I trust our organization,” Davis said. “Whatever they decide to do, of course they’re going to make sure I’m involved with it. I don’t go out [and say] ‘Let’s do this, let’s do that.’ I try to let them handle that and they come to me, and we all sit down collectively and try to figure out what’s the best move.”
  • Missing the playoffs, which is a possibility for the Grizzlies in the wake of Marc Gasol‘s injury, would also affect the organization on draft day, according to Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. Memphis sent this year’s first-round pick to Cleveland in 2013 along with Marreese Speights in a salary-shedding deal. Denver currently owns the rights to the pick, thanks to the Timofey Mozgov trade, but it’s protected for both the top five selections and spots 15-30. The Grizzlies would keep the pick if they make the playoffs but likely have to give it up if they fall short of the postseason.
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2016 NBA All-Star Game Reserves Announced

January 28th, 2016 at 6:14pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The NBA has officially announced the reserves for the 2016 All-Star game, which will be played at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Sunday, February 14th. The names of the reserves were first reported by Carron J. Phillips of The News Journal and confirmed by Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution (All four Twitter links). The starters for both conferences were announced last week, with Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard voted to tip off the exhibition in the West and LeBron James, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Kyle Lowry slated to represent the East.

While the starters are selected by the fans, reserves are chosen by the coaches in each conference, though they are not permitted to vote for players on their own team. Listed below are the reserves for the 2016 NBA All-Star game for each conference:

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

Who was the biggest surprise among the All-Star reserves announced tonight? Share your thoughts with a comment.

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2016 NBA All-Star Game Starters Announced

January 21st, 2016 at 6:52pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kobe Bryant led all vote-getters while Anthony Davis suffered a potentially costly snub as the league officially announced the starters for the 2016 All-Star game, which will be played at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Sunday, February 14th. The Lakers shooting guard collected a total of 1,891,614 votes, in this, his final season of a Hall-of-Fame career. A four-time All-Star MVP, Bryant holds All-Star Game records for the most points scored (280), most field goals made (115), and most steals (37, tied with the great Michael Jordan). Also named starters in the West were: Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard. LeBron James, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Kyle Lowry are the starters for the Eastern Conference.

Davis needed a starting nod to trigger the Derrick Rose rule, which would have given him a salary of a projected $24.9MM instead of $20.4MM next season. The difference would amount to $25.875MM over the life of his contract, based on those same projections. He could still invoke the rule if he earns an All-NBA nod or wins the MVP award in the spring.

The list of top vote recipients are listed below by Conference:

Eastern Conference

Frontcourt

  1. LeBron James (Cavs) 1,089,206
  2. Paul George (Pacers) 711,595
  3. Carmelo Anthony (Knicks) 567,348
  4. Pau Gasol (Bulls) 566,988
  5. Andre Drummond (Pistons) 515,296
  6. Kristaps Porzingis (Knicks) 473,579
  7. Chris Bosh (Heat) 351,420
  8. Kevin Love (Cavs) 332,685
  9. Hassan Whiteside (Heat) 301,362
  10. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks) 84,617
  11. Jonas Valanciunas (Raptors) 73,079
  12. Joakim Noah (Bulls) 48,509
  13. DeMarre Carroll (Raptors) 46,044
  14. Marcin Gortat (Wizards) 43,496
  15. Paul Millsap (Hawks) 41,654

Guards

  1. Dwyane Wade (Heat) 941,466
  2. Kyle Lowry (Raptors) 646,441
  3. Kyrie Irving (Cavs) 580,651
  4. Jimmy Butler (Bulls) 564,637
  5. DeMar DeRozan (Raptors) 444,868
  6. John Wall (Wizards) 368,686
  7. Derrick Rose (Bulls) 302,389
  8. Jeremy Lin (Hornets) 195,920
  9. Isaiah Thomas (Celtics) 153,64
  10. Reggie Jackson (Pistons) 76,688

Western Conference

Frontcourt

  1. Kobe Bryant (Lakers) 1,891,614
  2. Kevin Durant (Thunder) 980,787
  3. Kawhi Leonard (Spurs) 782,339
  4. Zaza Pachulia (Mavs) 768,112
  5. Draymond Green (Warriors) 726,616
  6. Blake Griffin (Clippers) 651,860
  7. Enes Kanter (Thunder) 534,499
  8. Tim Duncan (Spurs) 431,087
  9. Anthony Davis (Pelicans) 400,688
  10. DeMarcus Cousins (Kings) 364,270
  11. DeAndre Jordan (Clippers) 269,427
  12. LaMarcus Aldridge (Spurs) 268,003
  13. Dwight Howard (Rockets) 219,761
  14. Dirk Nowitzki (Mavs) 173,317
  15. Harrison Barnes (Warriors) 155,289

Guards

  1. Stephen Curry (Warriors) 1,604,325
  2. Russell Westbrook (Thunder) 772,009
  3. Chris Paul (Clippers) 624,334
  4. Klay Thompson (Warriors) 555,513
  5. James Harden (Rockets) 430,777
  6. Manu Ginobili (Spurs) 226,289
  7. Rajon Rondo (Kings) 200,518
  8. Tony Parker (Spurs) 195,472
  9. Andre Iguodala (Warriors) 181,142
  10. Damian Lillard (Blazers) 158,360
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Southwest Notes: Davis, Barnes, Perkins

January 14th, 2016 at 7:40pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Anthony Davis is still behind in voting for All-Star Game starters, as returns that the NBA released today show, so his chances of triggering higher salaries on the extension he signed this summer are fading. He’d need to make up a deficit of 173,877 votes that separates him from the final starting spot by the close of voting Monday to trigger the Derrick Rose rule, which would give Davis a salary of a projected $24.9MM instead of $20.4MM next season. The difference would amount to $25.875MM over the life of his contract, based on those same projections. He could still invoke the rule if he earns an All-NBA nod or wins the MVP award in the spring.

Here’s the latest from out of the Southwest Division:

  • Grizzlies small forward Matt Barnes isn’t optimistic that the appeal the NBPA filed on his behalf regarding the two-game suspension he received for an off-court incident involving Knicks coach Derek Fisher in October will bear fruit, Ian Begley of ESPN.com writes. “I appreciate the support I’ve got from not only my peers throughout the NBA but NFL and  from the entertainment world,” Barnes told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. “It means a lot that the NBPA has filed an appeal on my behalf, but I won’t hold my breath. I’ve never had so much as a tech rescinded. I highly doubt I’ll be reimbursed a dime of that suspension money!“
  • Kendrick Perkins, who signed with the Pelicans as a free agent this past offseason, is frustrated by the lack of effort exhibited by some of his teammates, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports relays. “It’s very disappointing. At the end of the day, this is not what I signed up for,” Perkins told Spears. “I signed up after I looked from the outside, coming in to a good young team that has been making strides in the right direction. We got real comfortable. We ain’t got long to make a push. At this point in time, we are all just searching to find the right lineups and who is going to come out and compete at a high level every night. That’s been our main problem before anything else. We just come out too many nights and don’t compete at the level we need in order to win. What really is the key to everything is our level of competitiveness.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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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:

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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.
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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.”
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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.
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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.

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