Dennis Schröder

Hawks Links: Millsap, Nogueira, Schroder

The forgotten suitor in July's Dwight Howard sweepstakes, the Hawks didn't have a splashy offseason, but the team re-signed a couple of its own key contributors in Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver, and brought in players such as Paul Millsap and Elton Brand to replace outgoing free agents like Josh Smith. As the retooled Hawks look to return to the postseason for the seventh straight year, let's check in on a few items out of Atlanta….

  • Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld spoke to Teague, GM Danny Ferry, coach Mike Budenholzer, and Millsap himself about the Hawks' signing of the former Utah big man. Millsap is optimistic about the club's new pieces fitting together, as he tells Kennedy: "Because we have smart and intelligent guys, hopefully it won’t take that long [for the group to jell]. We’ve already been going through some things and we’re getting a feel for what we’re going to do. It’s been working out."
  • The Hawks and first-round pick Lucas Nogueira have filed the paperwork to remove Nogueira's cap hold from their books, reports Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com (via Twitter). As Deeks notes in a second tweet, that means Atlanta can't sign their 2013 first-rounder until next July, and it creates a little more cap flexibility for the team.
  • Lang Greene of HoopsWorld takes a look at Dennis Schroder, the Hawks' other first-round pick this past June, who projects to be a long-term piece in the club's backcourt.

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Eastern Notes: Bulls, Wizards, Hawks

K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune discusses the health of Derrick Rose and Joakim NoahLuol Deng's uncertain long-term future with the franchise, how Mike Dunleavy Jr. will look to mesh with the roster, and how Jimmy Butler will handle a move to starting shooting guard as five things to look at for the Bulls going into fall.  Here's more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:

  • Aggrey Sam of CSN Chicago (via Twitter) says that Chicago's official training camp roster is expected to be released tomorrow but doesn't expect Malcolm Thomas or Chris Wright to be on the list. 
  • Michael Lee of CSN Washington wonders if John Wall is ready to lead the Wizards to the playoffs, who will step up in the absence of Emeka Okafor, if Bradley Beal is primed for a breakout season, what to expect from Otto Porter, and the health of Nene as the team's top storylines heading into training camp. 
  • Hawks GM Danny Ferry wouldn't set a timeline for the return of Louis Williams (who is still recovering from reconstructive knee surgery), though he did say that the eighth-year guard has been playing one-on-one games and has had no restrictions in doing so. Ferry also appeared encouraged about what Dennis Schröder can contribute to the team now as a promising prospect and said that Lucas Nogueira and Mike Muscala still need to continue their development overseas (USA Today via the Associated Press). 
  • As Tom Layman of the Boston Herald points out, Celtics coach Brad Stevens will look toward Avery Bradley to be the team's floor general while they wait for the return of Rajon Rondo. In another piece, a handful of college coaches had positive comments for Stevens regarding how they believe he'll be able to transition to the NBA game (NBA.com via the Associated Press).
  • With Steve Mills in place as the Knicks' newest GM, Yannis Koutroupis of Hoopsworld thinks that it will be important for Mills to start forming a strong relationship with Carmelo Anthony now, especially with the possibility that he could become a free agent this upcoming summer. 
  • Since arriving in New York City, Anthony has been able to build his brand and explore plenty of business opportunities, writes Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report. From the sound of it, Zwerling doesn't think that Anthony will be leaving New York anytime soon, even with an opt-out clause at the end of the season. 
  • Ian Begley of ESPN New York examines the orange and blue's current situation at small forward. 
  • With the rest of the NBA's power elite growing tired of the Heat's dominance, Sam Amick of USA Today delves into why the 2013/14 season could be Miami's toughest campaign for a title yet. Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times notes that the Bulls are especially eager to put a halt to the Heat's reign as the NBA's top dog. 

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Eastern Rumors: KG, Mo Williams, Hawks, Cavs

In his introductory press conference with the Nets today, Kevin Garnett admits he "absolutely" considered retirement this spring, and indicated that Paul Pierce's uncertain future with the Celtics was a major reason why. Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe has more from Garnett. Washburn rounds up Pierce's comments as well, and we'll take a look at the rest of the East:

  • The last we heard on Mo Williams was that he's prepared to take a discount to sign with a contender, and HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler reiterates that, tweeting that Williams is telling people he'll look to sign with the Heat if offers from other clubs don't improve.
  • The Hawks are mulling whether to sign 16th overall pick Lucas Nogueira this summer or let him play overseas this year, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution examines (subscription required).
  • Atlanta paid $550K to buy 15th pick Dennis Schröder out of his European deal, and a larger buyout would be probably be necessary for Nogueira, Vivlamore writes in the same piece. NBA clubs can only pay up to $575K in a buyout without money coming out of the player's check.
  • The Cavs are high on undrafted guard Matthew Dellavedova, and would like see him play for their D-League affiliate, tweets Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. The St. Mary's product is drawing offers from overseas that could complicate matters, Lloyd notes.
  • Foreign clubs are also showing interest in Chris Quinn, who's with the Cavs on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal. Quinn isn't likely to last long in Cleveland, and the Cavs may cut him soon to allow him to pursue other opportunities, according to Lloyd (Twitter link).
  • Talks between the Knicks and Bobby Brown are gathering steam, a source tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. The Creative Artists Agency client was among a group who worked out for the Knicks this week, though five other teams have interest, Zwerling says.
  • Toure Murry has also made a positive impression on the Knicks, Zwerling adds.

Hawks Sign Dennis Schröder

11:35am: Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution confirms (via Twitter) that the Hawks' rookie point guard will now be referred to by the name Dennis Schröder, rather than Schroeder.

10:45am: The Hawks have officially signed 17th overall pick Dennis Schroeder to a rookie-scale contract, the team announced today in a press release. As our salary chart for first-rounders shows, Schroeder should be in line for a 2013/14 salary worth about $1.62MM.

Although the news was expected, there are a couple of noteworthy details related to the team's press release. For one, a club's rookie signings are often announced simultaneously, so the fact that the Hawks announced Schroeder's deal and haven't said anything about 16th overall pick Lucas Nogueira may mean that the Brazilian big man isn't coming stateside this season — or it could simply mean that a separate announcement is coming at a later date.

Additionally, the Hawks spell Dennis' last name as Schröder in their release, which is the same way the point guard spells it on his Twitter account, where he announced his signing yesterday. We'll wait for confirmation on which spelling will be used for NBA purposes.

Ford’s Latest: Draft Rumors, Aldridge, Jazz, Pacers

ESPN.com's Chad Ford is staying busy as Thursday night nears, chatting with fans this afternoon and also publishing a new story with Marc Stein on the latest draft-related rumors and rumblings. Here are the highlights from both links:

  • Stein reported earlier today that the Cavaliers were offering the No. 19 pick to the Rockets for Thomas Robinson, but that pick may also be necessary to complete another deal, whether it's a Shawn Marion trade with the Mavericks or a bigger move. If the Cavs can't finalize another trade though, they'd try to acquire Robinson with that pick, according to Stein and Ford.
  • Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal is skeptical that the Cavs would really offer the 19th pick for Robinson, since the team didn't have much interest in him as of a couple weeks ago (Twitter link).
  • Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (Twitter link) is also hearing, like Stein and Ford, that the Cavaliers are still trying to figure out a way to make a "mega-deal." Even if the Cavs are interested in such a move, they'd have to find a willing partner, which has been tricky so far. Ford notes in his chat that the Cavs would likely have to include Tristan Thompson along with the No. 1 pick to pull off something big.
  • If the Rockets can make a Robinson trade with the Cavs or Bulls, they'd almost certainly use that first-round pick to draft-and-stash an international player, according to Ford and Stein. Sergey Karasev, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Lucas Nogueira, Dennis Schroeder, and Rudy Gobert are potential targets.
  • Ford wouldn't be shocked if the Bobcats traded down with the Wolves and used the No. 9 pick to draft Cody Zeller. Minnesota is attempting to trade into the top five.
  • Positional need likely won't be a major priority for the Kings, according to Ford, who adds that he thinks Sacramento's roster will be significantly overhauled by opening night of 2013/14.
  • Ford anticipates the Trail Blazers will "seriously listen" to LaMarcus Aldridge trade offers this summer.
  • If the Jazz want to move into the top 10 to take a top point guard, they'll probably have to make Alec Burks available, rather than just the Nos. 14 and 21 picks, says Ford.
  • The Pacers are trying to trade the No. 23 pick, and have been linked to both Robinson and Jimmer Fredette, according to Ford.

Western Notes: Mavericks, Clippers, Oberto

We've already mentioned the "draft and stash" philosophy earlier in the night, and that's what Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News thinks the Mavericks might do if they don't trade their 13th pick in this year's draft. He says they're eyeing German point guard Dennis Schroeder if they choose to keep the pick, which has been considered unlikely as they go for broke at another title with Dirk Nowitzki not getting any younger.

Nowitzki would help fellow German Schroeder mesh with the team, and the Mavs are looking for point guard help after Darren Collison failed to inspire a lot of confidence last season when the team missed the playoffs for the first time since the 1999/00 campaign. Schroeder can also be stashed if the Mavs don't feel he's ready to come in and play heavy minutes in the rotation.

Here's what else is happening around the Western Conference on the first Saturday night since the 2012/13 NBA season concluded. 

Draft Rumors: Jazz, McCollum, Bennett

The Jazz have a lot of question marks this summer, but with the 14th, 21st, and 46th picks in what many consider a wild card "down" draft, their chances of landing a quality starter with a high upside leaves a lot to be desired. 

Brad Rock of the Desert News writes about how rare it is to land anyone of merit with the 14th pick in the draft. Sure, there are exceptions, Rock mentions Tim Hardaway's selection by the Warriors with the 14th pick in 1989, but usually there's a dearth of talent in that position, with the pick being "unproductive at worst, respectable at best."

Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune reiterates what Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld wrote in his NBA AM piece: the Jazz will select a point guard, but there aren't a lot of options at their current picks. With few options for a point guard selected in their range, it's unlikely the Jazz will find a difference maker at point guard. When Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey was asked if he would be surprised if the draft came and went without the Jazz selecting a point guard, he said "Not at all."

But Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun said there's a lot of talent at point guard in the late first early second rounds, mentioning Dennis Schroeder, Myck Kabongo, Peyton Siva, Pierre Jackson, Isaiah Canaan, Nate Wolters, and Phil Pressey (Twitter). Here are a few more tidbits from the Jazz and the rest of the league with just five days before the 2013 draft. 

  • Gordon Monson of the Salt Lake Tribune believes the Jazz should move up if they're looking for a difference maker, largely mirroring what his colleague Oram wrote; the Jazz aren't going to land anything special, unless they luck out, if they stay put. 
  • ESPN.com's Chad Ford has a list of the 10 green room invites for ESPN's Thursday draft coverage: Nerlens Noel, Victor Oladipo, Otto Porter, Alex Len, Anthony Bennett, Ben McLemore, Trey Burke, Michael Carter-Williams, Cody ZellerC.J. McCollum.
  • The selections perfectly align with the top 10 in Ford's latest mock draft, but Ford mentions the NBA is likely to add some more green room attendees as we get closer to the big night, and even offers some guesses as to who else will be invited (Twitter). 
  • About one of those confirmed green room invites, John Rohde of the Oklahoman has a piece on how far McCollum has come since he was a middle school phenom in Oklahoma City.
  • Another green room invite, Bennett, visited the Bobcats today, but he couldn't work out, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Bennett is recovering from surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff on his left shoulder, but he'll be ready to play in August. 
  • Marcus Fuller of the St. Paul Pioneer Press ranks the Timberwolves' 24 years of draft picks–including Kevin Garnett, Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love–in the days preceding their 26th pick in this, their 25th draft anniversary.
  • As the draft approaches, Scott Agyness of Pacers.com writes that University of Kansas 7-footer Jeff Withey (represented by Darren Matsubara) participated in his last predraft workout with the Pacers today.

Rockets Weighing Offer For Thomas Robinson

The Rockets have been offered a first-round pick in next week's draft in exchange for Thomas Robinson, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Houston is evaluating a "fistful" of international players the team could take with that pick and stash overseas to avoid the cap hit that would come with signing a first-rounder, Stein also reports, naming Giannis Antetokounmpo, Rudy Gobert, Sergey Karasev, Lucas Nogueira and Dennis Schroeder as the targets (Twitter links).

Robinson is a key figure in Houston's pursuit of the cap space necessary to sign marquee free agents, like Dwight Howard and Chris Paul. Robinson is due $3,526,440 next season, but as the No. 5 pick in last year's draft, he holds value as a trade asset in spite of his limited playing time this past year, which he split between the Rockets and Kings. The Rockets are attempting to clear enough room under next year's projected $58.5MM salary cap for a max offer to either Howard or Paul, which would require around $20MM worth of space, depending on which one they sign. If they're able to sign either Howard or Paul, Houston would reportedly have interest in using a sign-and-trade to acquire the other.

Stein doesn't identify which team is offering the pick, though the Mavs, Timberwolves and Blazers are said to be shopping their first-round selections. The Mavericks probably wouldn't be the team willing to take on Robinson, since they, too, want to clear cap space for a big-ticket free agent. Dallas is apparently deep in talks with the Cavs about taking Shawn Marion in return for the 13th pick, so perhaps Cleveland is the team involved with the Rockets as well, though that's just my speculation.

Western Notes: Suns, Mavericks, Jazz

A well-deserved congratulations to the Heat for winning the NBA Championship as well as the Spurs for putting up a hard fought series. As we wrap up one of the more memorable Finals matchups in recent history, here are some of tonight's news and notes out of the Western Conference:

  • Paul Coro of AZ Central says that Suns GM Ryan McDonough could use one of his three draft picks on an international player under contract and keep him overseas for more seasoning before bringing him over. Coro adds that if Phoenix doesn't select a center with their fifth overall pick, it could certainly be a targeted position with their 30th. 
  • Given their draft history, Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW thinks that the Mavericks will either trade this year's pick or draft an international player with the intent of keeping him overseas as to not take up any of this summer's salary cap space. If they do keep the pick, Sefko thinks that they'll look at either Michael Carter-Williams or Dennis Schroeder. In a separate piece, Sefko boldly predicts that the Mavs will wind up with Dwight Howard this offseason.
  • Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin is excited to have Jerry Sloan involved with the franchise again, writes Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune
  • Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times thinks that the Clippers going after Doc Rivers at the expense of a first round pick is a no-brainer.

Ford’s Latest: Len, Oladipo, McLemore, Schroeder

Chad Ford's latest big board at ESPN.com sees Alex Len leap into the top five after being ranked at ninth in Ford's previous update. According to Ford, of the two injured big men near the top of draft boards, Len is viewed as being more polished offensively and having more upside than Nerlens Noel. Len is in the discussion for the Cavaliers' No. 1 pick, and is also drawing serious interest from the Bobcats, Suns, and Pelicans, says Ford. Here's more from the ESPN.com draft expert:

  • Victor Oladipo has moved into the Cavs' conversation for first overall, along with Noel, Len, and Otto Porter, according to Ford.
  • Porter will work out for the Cavs, Magic, and Wizards in the coming days, and that's it. It seems he's confident he won't slip out of the top three — if he does, there's "no way" he gets past the Pelicans at No. 6, says Ford.
  • Virtually every team near the top of the draft is still considering Ben McLemore, but during a workout with the Suns, he declined to compete against Oladipo and Shabazz Muhammad, which didn't sit well with some evaluators. "He needs to compete," said a GM whose team has a lottery pick. "Or it's only going to reinforce our biggest fears about him. There is no consensus in this draft. He's got to come and earn it."
  • The Kings may prefer Michael Carter-Williams to Trey Burke, if they draft a point guard.
  • Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had a "terrific" workout with the Timberwolves, and could be the team's sleeper at No. 9 overall, says Ford.
  • Dennis Schroeder's stock may have been negatively affected by his workouts. "He looked frustrated," said a scout for one team that worked out Schroeder. "His body language wasn't great. He's a very good talent and I wouldn't read too much into the workout, but it didn't really help him."
  • The Knicks are "especially high" on Tony Mitchell, according to Ford.