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Knicks, David Lee Spoke About Potential Deal

March 30th, 2016 at 11:20am CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks and David Lee had talks about a would-be reunion while Lee was in the midst of a buyout with the Celtics earlier this season, as Lee said today to reporters, including Marc Berman of the New York Post and Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Twitter links). Lee instead wound up signing with the Mavericks on a deal that gave him more than $2MM for the rest of this season. The Knicks, who are limited to the prorated minimum salary, couldn’t have paid him that much. Still, the veteran big man is poised to become a free agent this summer, when he’ll ostensibly have another chance to join the Knicks, the team for which he played his first five NBA seasons.

Lee was one of the players in an apparent trade proposal involving Carmelo Anthony that would have sent Lee from the Celtics to the Knicks last month. The Celtics and Lee’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, cooperated to try to find a new home for the two-time All-Star, but the buyout path proved more lucrative than a trade would have been. Lee gave up just $458,575 in the buyout, much less than Dallas is paying him on his new contract.

The thought of returning to the Warriors has crossed Lee’s mind, but he was ineligible to sign with Golden State during the buyout period because the team traded him to Boston just this past summer. He’ll be able to rejoin the Warriors as soon as July if he wants, but he recently told Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com that he’d moved past any thought of returning to the Bay Area, and he’s spoken on multiple occasions about his contentment with Dallas.

The Mavs will have only Non-Bird rights on Lee, sharply limiting their ability to go over the cap to re-sign him, though Dallas, like the Knicks, will have the chance to open plenty of cap room in the summer ahead. The same isn’t true of the Warriors, who already have $73MM in guaranteed salary commitments with Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli headed for restricted free agency.

Pacific Notes: Bryant, Lee, Barnes

March 29th, 2016 at 5:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

One of the biggest decisions the Warriors will need to make this summer is whether or not to re-sign Harrison Barnes, who will be eligible to become a restricted free agent at season’s end. Teammate Andrew Bogut believes the combo forward has done more than enough to command a near-maximum salary this summer, Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle relays.

“We’re winning. A lot of guys are sacrificing numbers, minutes and roles on this team. That’s why we’re a great team,” Bogut told reporters. “Harrison has had great games, and he’s had bad games — just like everybody else on this roster. I don’t anticipate it affecting his contract situation and all of that. Someone is probably going to give him the max. Let’s be honest. Someone is going to give him close to the max. There’s always a small-market team that would love someone like Harrison as their No. 1 or No. 2 option. I don’t think it’s going to [have] any bearing on his financial future. I think people know that everyone on this team is more valuable than their contract says — just on the basis of what they’ve given up.” Barnes is averaging 11.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 30.4 minutes per contest on the campaign.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

David Lee would still be with the Warriors if the team hadn’t won the championship last year, he tells Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. “If we lose the Finals, then I find a way to try to stick around there,” Lee said. “But I feel like, we went from a 23-win team to a championship team in five years. It couldn’t have been a better ending, contributing to helping my team win a championship. It was a fitting ending for both parties. I wanted to play minutes going into a contract year, and there was really no way they could keep me. I think it worked out great for both sides.”
Lakers coach Byron Scott was unhappy with the defensive effort of his younger players against Rodney Hood, who scored 30 points against Los Angeles on Monday night, Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake City Tribune relays (via Twitter). The coach pointed to Kobe Bryant‘s willingness to take the assignment when his other players didn’t rise to the challenge, Falk adds. “Kobe wanted to take on the challenge,” Scott told reporters. “It’s a [expletive] shame our oldest player has to take the challenge. It says a lot about him, obviously. It’s what he has done all his life, but nobody else wanted to step up and take that challenge and that’s a shame that the oldest guy our team that is leaving this league in eight games was the one that had to kind of shut him down.“

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Southwest Notes: Lee, Dwight, Dirk, Davis

March 28th, 2016 at 10:51am CST by Chuck Myron

David Lee admits he thought about what it would be like to return to the Warriors, but NBA rules prevent him from going back to Golden State this season, and he’s content with the Mavericks, as Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group details. Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders recently cleared up some confusion regarding Lee’s contract with Dallas, which runs only until season’s end instead of covering next season with non-guaranteed salary. “In my opinion, I’m playing as good a ball as I’ve played in a number of years,” Lee said. “After really getting back into shape, I feel great out there. I think I have three, four years left, one more deal, then we’ll see from there.” Lee could return to the Warriors this summer if he wants to and Golden State is willing, though the same is true of Lee and the Mavs. See more from around the Southwest Division:

No teams see Dwight Howard as a plan A for free agency this summer, according to Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher (video link). Howard would prefer to re-sign with the Rockets, but he finds the prospect of a return to the Magic intriguing, as Bucher reported last week.
Dirk Nowitzki reiterated that the idea of playing 20 seasons in the NBA appeals to him in an appearance Sunday on ESPN Radio’s “NBA Insiders” show, echoing comments he made in December, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com relays. The 37-year-old who’s in his 18th season in the league addressed his future as it relates to the Mavericks last week.
The premature end of Anthony Davis‘ season and his lack of progress this year serve as reminders that it’s still uncertain whether he’ll fulfill his potential as a superstar, argues Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders. A five-year extension with the Pelicans will kick in for Davis next year, so questions about Davis inexorably become questions about New Orleans. Still, Davis said he’s played with a torn labrum in his shoulder for the past three seasons, so it’s fair to wonder if he’ll improve markedly when fully healthy.

Southwest Notes: Davis, Pondexter, Lee, Grizzlies

March 19th, 2016 at 6:28pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pelicans may decide to shut down Anthony Davis for the rest of the season, according to Jim Eichenhofer of NBA.com. The center/power forward hurt his left knee Friday when he collided with teammate Jrue Holiday and Portland’s C.J. McCollum. Davis is also dealing with a lingering shoulder problem. Coach Alvin Gentry said the Pelicans are waiting for more medical information before making a decision. “They’re going to talk to doctors this afternoon and we’ll know a lot more then … I just know that [his shoulder has been] bothering him,” Gentry said Saturday after practice. “We’re going to be on a conference call with doctors today. I think it’s something that’s kind of been there.”

New Orleans may decide not to take any chances with Davis’ health after he signed a maximum extension over the summer worth an estimated $145MM. The Pelicans expected to move up in the standings after reaching the playoffs last season, but they’re stuck in 12th place in the West at 25-43. They’re eight and a half games behind Dallas for the final playoff spot with 14 games remaining.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Pelicans small forward Quincy Pondexter, who has missed the entire season while recovering from knee surgery, vows to be ready by fall, Eichenhofer relays in the same story. “I guarantee I will be 100% by training camp,” Pondexter said, describing his status as “the beginning of a long rehab process, but it’s going really, really well so far.”
The Mavericks‘ David Lee, who faced the Warriors for the first time Friday since they traded him to Boston, is looking forward to next week’s trip to Golden State, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. That’s when Lee will receive the championship ring he earned with the Warriors last season. It wasn’t the path to a title that Lee wanted, as he fell out of the rotation during the season, but he doesn’t blame coach Steve Kerr for cutting his minutes. “Coach was always very up front and very fair to me last year,” Lee said. “And of course when he came to me and needed something in the playoffs, I was able to deliver.”
There will be a reunion of sorts tonight when the Grizzlies host the Clippers, according to Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times. The Memphis roster includes Matt Barnes, Lance Stephenson, Ryan Hollins and Alex Stepheson, all of whom spent time with the Clippers over the past three seasons.

Western Notes: Bass, Watson, Lee

March 19th, 2016 at 3:20pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Lakers big man Brandon Bass is unsure if he’ll exercise his player option worth $3,135MM for 2016/17, but he did note that he’s enjoyed acting as a mentor to the team’s younger players, relays Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Bass told Medina. “I’m a special type of player and person to be around this type of group. I think I can help develop these young guys. I want them to be successful. I would love to see them grow and would love it to be here. But you never know what happens.”

Coach Byron Scott was effusive in his praise for the veteran, telling Medina, “I love Brandon Bass. I love his work ethic. I love his professionalism. I love his attitude. I love that you know when you put him in the game, you know what you’re going to get.” The 30-year-old has made 60 appearances for the Lakers this season and is averaging 7.1 points and 4.3 rebounds in 20.1 minutes per outing.

Here’s the latest from out west:

Suns interim coach Earl Watson credits his time spent in the Spurs organization as a D-League assistant with preparing him for the challenge of leading Phoenix, Mike Sorensen of The Deseret News writes. Watson also offered thanks to San Antonio assistant GM Scott Layden, who provided him with his first coaching opportunity, Sorensen adds. “Coach Layden is why I ended up in San Antonio,” Watson said. “It’s amazing how people you meet along the way, how they give you opportunities later in life and it can turn out to be the greatest opportunity ever. If I don’t go to San Antonio with coach Layden I don’t know if I become a coach that quickly. I learned a lot in San Antonio from coach Layden bringing me in.”
David Lee appears rejuvenated now that he’s a member of the Mavs and is receiving regular playing time, Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group writes. The 32-year-old is averaging 11.9 points and 8.3 rebounds in 12 appearances for Dallas. Lee is under contract for next season, though his $2,502,805 is non-guaranteed.
The Trail Blazers have benefited from the presence of Gerald Henderson, who has not only added some scoring pop off the team’s bench but has also emerged as one of the team’s most vocal leaders, Jason Quick of CSNNW.com writes. “He is one of those guys when it really gets tough out there, he’s one of those guys you know you can count on,” point guard Damian Lillard said of Henderson. “When the game gets a little rough, the other team gets going a little bit and you are up against it, some guys get quiet. Some guys shy away from it. But he got louder in the huddle.’’ Henderson will become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.

Southwest Notes: Lee, Pachulia, McDaniels, West

March 16th, 2016 at 5:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

David Lee was excited about pairing up with Dirk Nowitzki even before he formally joined the Mavericks, according to Adi Joseph of The Sporting News. Dallas was Lee’s first choice after he agreed to a buyout with the Celtics, and he signed almost immediately after clearing waivers. Lee has provided a potent scoring punch off the bench, as the Mavericks’ points per 100 possessions are 4.1 higher with him on the court during his time with Dallas. “I saw the possibilities on paper, thought it’d be a great fit on both sides,” Lee said about deciding to join the Mavericks. “But you know, you’ve just got to make it [happen]. It’s still, until you go out there and play, you never know how you’re going to feel with the guys and how things are going to work. But I think it’s been a tremendous fit here, and I’m just excited — excited to be here and excited to give it everything I have for them this year.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Center Zaza Pachulia, who has played well since being acquired in a summer trade with the Bucks, is trying to be a professional about his recent demotion from the Mavericks‘ starting lineup, writes Tim MacMahon on ESPN Now. Pachulia had started the season’s first 61 games before coach Rick Carlisle adjusted the lineup Monday to try to stop a losing streak. “As a soldier, as a player, of course I had no problem with it, because we were losing and nobody was happy with the losing streak, including me,” Pachulia said. “… It’s not like I haven’t been in this situation. Yes, I have in previous years, but this year was going so different. I just wasn’t expecting that, but you have to be respectful and represent the right way, and that’s what I’m doing. I care about this team more than my personal stuff.” Pachulia is making $5.2MM this season in the final year of his contract.
Rockets swingman K.J. McDaniels has new representation, tweets Liz Mullen of the SportsBusiness Journal. He signed with ASM Sports and his new agents will be Andy Miller and Christian Dawkins.
David West is happy to be with the Spurs, even though he gave up about $11MM from the Pacers to sign in San Antonio, writes Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News. “Every moment, every play means something,” West said. “That’s what I wanted. Every game, every possession means the world to us.”

Western Notes: Carter, Harper, Lee

March 16th, 2016 at 2:43pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Swingman Vince Carter appreciates the freedom the Grizzlies have allowed him to express himself on the court and off, which is a big reason why he decided to sign with the team in 2014, David Aldridge of NBA.com writes. When asked what he looks for in an organization, Carter told Aldridge, “Like anything else, you just have to do your research. There’s a lot of guys in the league that I’ve played with that are now either young coaches or whatever. So you just have to do your research. We played year to year now. You see what’s going on. Now, I look for what fits right with my style. That’s kind of how I approach it. I think everybody’s approach is different, of course. For me, it’s just who will allow me to be me. I like to help the young guys do that. So I bring that to the table, and that’s what Coach has allowed me to do here, while still playing. One thing that I’ll never do is overstep my boundaries. I’m not trying to be the coach, be the voice. I’m just trying to make the game easier. As a player, you hear what the coaches say, but sometimes, when another teammate delivers it, it’s a little different. It makes sense, or hits home.”

Here’s more from out west:

The 39-year-old’s contract is partially guaranteed for 2016/17, the final one in his current deal, and despite his love for helping younger players develop, Carter doesn’t envision himself making the jump to the coaching ranks when his playing career is over, Aldridge adds in the same piece. “I think I’d rather do some broadcasting, to be honest with you,” Carter said. “I think that’s where my passion lies. I enjoy coaching. I enjoying Coach allowing me to coach, or [offer] words of wisdom. I don’t know if it’s coaching. Just helping, being another coach on the floor, or just off the bench, or anything. Sometimes it’s easy to translate and relay the message he’s trying to portray, or make. So I think I enjoy that part of it. But I think I want to do some broadcasting.“
David Lee signed with the Mavericks after agreeing to a buyout with Boston because he believed they were the best fit for him, a move that has paid off for both him and the team thus far, Adi Joseph of The Sporting News writes. “I saw the possibilities on paper, thought it’d be a great fit on both sides. But you know, you’ve just got to make it [happen],” Lee told Joseph. “It’s still, until you go out there and play, you never know how you’re going to feel with the guys and how things are going to work. But I think it’s been a tremendous fit here, and I’m just excited — excited to be here and excited to give it everything I have for them this year.”
Justin Harper has rejoined the Lakers‘ D-League affiliate after the Pistons elected not to ink him for the remainder of the season when his second 10-day contract with the team expired, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor tweets.

Mavs Notes: Jordan, Lee, Pachulia, Parsons

March 8th, 2016 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

DeAndre Jordan initially committed to Dallas in part because he sought a larger offensive role, and while he’s averaging as many field goal attempts this season as he did last year, Mavs coach Rick Carlisle believes the Clippers are getting him more involved than in years past, notes Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times. Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers agrees.

“He does have a pretty big offensive role and people don’t get that per se,” Rivers said. “I think everything in this day and time is the exact number of points, that’s all people look at instead of who creates offense.”

For what it’s worth, Jordan is averaging 12.4 points per game, a career high and nearly a point better than last season. He padded that average Monday, deepening the Mavs’ wounds, as we detail:

The Mavs have failed to deliver more than a mediocre cast around Dirk Nowitzki the past four years, and the Clippers, with erstwhile Mavs targets Jordan and Chris Paul, showcase the Mavs’ free agent failures, opines Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Jordan’s 23 points and 20 rebounds in L.A.’s win Monday at Dallas served as a painful reminder for Chandler Parsons, as MacMahon chronicles (ESPN Now link). “It’s frustrating,” Parsons said. “I still think he would have been much better here, but he’s having a good year and he’s on a very good team that’s going to make a run, so you can’t blame him for that. He didn’t do anything illegal, and he’s playing well.”
David Lee has made a strong impression so far in his stint with the Mavericks, but Carlisle is committed to keeping Zaza Pachulia as his starter at center, observes Reece Waddell of the Dallas Morning News. Pachulia, whom the Mavs acquired as a fallback option after Jordan flip–flopped, is headed to free agency this coming summer, while Lee has a non-guaranteed salary for next season worth $2,502,805, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.
Parsons is the best player on the Mavs right now as he heads toward free agency, contends Michael Pina of RealGM, who speculates on potential fits for the 27-year-old who looms as an intriguing plan B for teams that fall short in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes.

And-Ones: Oden, Sampson, Lee

March 1st, 2016 at 10:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Mavs power forward David Lee struggled to get into shape this season following the Warriors‘ NBA title run of last season and turned some heads when he said that he finally committed himself to getting fit when he fell out of the Celtics‘ rotation in preparation for joining another team, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com writes. Despite the negative implications of Lee’s remarks, Boston coach Brad Stevens isn’t upset with his former player, Forsberg notes. “I don’t know if that is semantics or how he meant to say it,” Stevens said. “I think the biggest thing that he was probably saying there was that, when you’re not playing, you have to find other ways to stay ready. And maybe I’m wrong. But I think that he certainly took [to his] diet, he worked out hard — he worked out hard enough that if he would have played, he would have been gassed in the games. Sometimes you can’t do that if you’re going to be playing 15 minutes per night. He was going two or three times hard per day during that stretch. So, no, I wasn’t frustrated by it. In fact it set a pretty good example for the other guys that weren’t playing.”

Stevens also acknowledged the difficult spot Lee was placed in with him not being in the team’s regular rotation, Forberg writes. “That was hard. That was really hard. And it was harder on [Lee] than anybody else, but we talked about it a lot,” Stevens said. “We didn’t have hardly any injuries with our bigs and we had a lot of bigs that, especially at the end of games, were going to be relatively the same position. And so it put a lot of guys on the bench. And it was different guys at different times. To his credit, when we eventually settled on playing others, he handled it really well. Kudos to him. I’m happy he’s doing well.”

Here’s more from around the league:

Former NBA top pick Greg Oden was released by the Jiangsu Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association recently, but he appreciates the opportunity that the club gave him, Joshua Bateman of USA Today writes. “It was a great opportunity for me to come and just play basketball, which I haven’t been able to do for awhile,” Oden said. “They got me playing. For me, that’s all I can say. I’ve had a lot of years where I actually just couldn’t play and this year I’m actually able to be out there on the court and play 25 minutes when I never thought I would see over 20 minutes in a game. And I’m playing three games a week. For me, that’s just something I didn’t even think I would ever be able to do.”
Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) has released his latest mock draft and his current top three players are Ben Simmons of LSU, Duke’s Brandon Ingram and Croatian big man Dragan Bender.
JaKarr Sampson‘s contract with the Nuggets doesn’t contain any guaranteed salary beyond this season, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reveals (Twitter link), resolving earlier reports that conflicted. It’s a two-year pact for the minimum salary.
Joe Johnson gave back exactly $3MM in his buyout from the Nets, reports Pincus relays (Twitter link).
Kris Humphries agreed to forfeit precisely $1MM as part of his buyout with the Suns, Pincus also notes (Twitter links)

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Atlantic Notes: Stoudemire, Sullinger, Lee

February 28th, 2016 at 9:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat’s Amar’e Stoudemire sounded like he had some harsh words for former teammate Carmelo Anthony and Knicks management before tonight’s game, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. Stoudemire spent four and a half seasons in New York before agreeing to a buyout last February. He didn’t mention Anthony by name but implied that ‘Melo was extremely jealous during the brief “Lin-sanity” period that turned Jeremy Lin into a star in 2012. “A lot of times you got to enjoy somebody else’s success,” Stoudemire said. “That wasn’t the case for us during that stretch. You got to enjoy that and let that player enjoy himself and cherish those moments. He was becoming a star and I didn’t think everyone was pleased with that.’’

Stoudemire also said not everybody was on board with the triangle offense that Phil Jackson instituted when he became team president in 2014. “I truly bought into it,’’ Stoudemire said. “Maybe three-quarters of the team thought it was great. But if you don’t have a full team that buys into a system, it’s never going to pan out.’’

There’s more tonight from the Atlantic Division:

Jared Sullinger may be making himself too expensive for the Celtics to keep with his recent rebounding spree, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com. Sullinger has posted double-doubles in five of his last seven games and has risen into the league’s top 10 in percentage of defensive rebounds collected. Sullinger will be a restricted free agent this summer, and while Boston would likely want to keep him for the $4.4MM qualifying offer, his price could rise much higher, Forsberg writes. One advantage the Celtics will have is Sullinger’s fondness for Boston. “When you play for the greatest franchise in the NBA and you see all those banners and all the fans, you don’t want to leave that place because it’s a special place in your heart,” Sullinger said recently. “It’s the first team I’ve played for in the NBA — hopefully it’ll be my last.”
Kelly Olynyk‘s talents made David Lee expendable in Boston, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Olynyk can play both center and power forward and he has 3-point range to stretch the floor. Lee agreed to a buyout with the Celtics and hit waivers February 19th.
The Raptors have recalled Bruno Caboclo from their D-League affiliate, the team announced via Twitter. Caboclo has appeared in three games with Toronto this season.