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Northwest Notes: Kanter, Chandler, Hayward, NBA Draft

May 26th, 2017 at 9:39pm CST by marksuleymanov

Enes Kanter‘s current situation with Turkey makes the Thunder center a problematic asset to trade, Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman writes. Kanter returned to the United States earlier this week after he was detained in Romania following the revocation of his passport by his native country.

Kanter has been outspoken against Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and earlier today, it was announced that a warrant for his arrest was issued in his homeland. Kanter was accused of belonging to a “terror group” which could be related to his past support of Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen.

This is all part of Tramel’s point: Kanter — while not ideal for today’s style of play — is still a capable player who can help a team but his political issues make him a potential liability. The 6’11”, 245-pound Kanter posted serviceable totals of 14.3 PPG and 6.7 RPG in 72 games on a Thunder team that was led by possible 2016/17 NBA MVP Russell Westbrook.

Yet, an arrest warrant in a country considered a U.S. ally off the court and an unconventional skill set on the court could make Kanter a tough sell this offseason.

Here are additional notes around the Northwest Division:

Also from The Oklahoman, Brett Dawson examines the Thunder’s options as the NBA Draft approaches next month. Oklahoma City owns the No.21 overall pick in a deep draft class but will have several options; with Westbrook on board, Dawson says one direction team could go in is acquiring a talented veteran to pair with the Thunder superstar.
Jazz forward Gordon Hayward will have a big choice this offseason: re-sign with the Jazz or pursue his self-admitted goal of winning a championship elsewhere. As Kincade Upstill of Deseret News writes, Hayward has been a fixture of Utah’s success and a huge reason why the team reached the second round of the playoffs this season. His teammates, the team, and the fans want him to return — and the Jazz can offer him the most significant dollars. However, it will ultimately be up to Hayward where he wants to be next season.
Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler has parted ways with the Jay-Z-led Roc Nation and will be represented by Excel Sports moving forward, according to ESPN’s Chris Haynes (link via Twitter).
Trail Blazers reserve Pat Connaughton may be hanging up sneakers for cleats as the former fourth round pick in the 2014 MLB Draft could pursue a professional baseball career, Molly Blue of The Oregonian writes. Connaughton averaged 2.5 PPG as a backup point guard last season and if his NBA dream doesn’t show promise, he could change professions. The 24-year-old has been clocked at 90 mph on the diamond and the Orioles, the team that drafted him, would be happy to help him with the transition.

Turkey Issues Arrest Warrant For Enes Kanter

May 26th, 2017 at 5:27pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Enes Kanter has been accused of belonging to a “terror group” by Turkish officials and the country has issued an arrest warrant for the NBA big man, Yahoo News relays.

Kanter previously backed Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen via Twitter hoping the effort would help to oust President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey claims that Gulen ordered the movement, though he denies the claim.

The warrant was issued after an Istanbul prosecutor started an investigating whether or not Kanter belongs to “an armed terrorist organization.” The arrest warrant references Kanter’s alleged use of an encrypted messaging app, Bylock, which Turkey believes was created for Gulen supporters.

Kanter was detained in Romania last weekend after being informed that Turkey had canceled his passport. He has previously been critical of the country’s president, comparing him to Adolf Hitler. The center believes his passport’s status was a result of his criticism and he told U.S. reporters earlier in the week that he hoped to gain American citizenship.

Northwest Notes: Kanter, Favors, D-League

May 23rd, 2017 at 11:00pm CST by marksuleymanov

Thunder center Enes Kanter endured a scary situation over the weekend as he was detained in a Romanian airport after his passport was canceled by Turkey. Kanter has been outspoken against Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which has resulted in his family disowning him and swarms of death threats.

Speaking to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN at the National Basketball Players Association headquarters in Manhattan, Kanter recalled his troubling weekend experience. At this point, Kanter states that securing American citizenship is top priority.

“Right now I am country-less,” Kanter said. “I am open to adoption definitely. I am going to try to become an American citizen. I have a green card. We will see if they can speed up the process a little bit. It would definitely be nice. Right now my next move is becoming an American citizen.”

Youngmisuk detailed that Kanter’s journey from detainment in Romania to return to the United States required efforts from Homeland Security, Thunder lawyers, Kanter’s lawyers, the NBA and the NBAPA, and Oklahoma Senators Jim Inhofe and James Lankford. Now, Kanter’s sights are set on the 2017/18 NBA season, speeding up the process for his citizenship, and staying out of harms way under the Erdogan regime.

Here are additional notes from the Northwest division:

The Iowa Energy, an NBA D-League team, have scheduled a press conference for next Tuesday to announce itself as the official NBADL affiliate of the Timberwolves, according to D-League Digest (link via Twitter).
Jazz forward Derrick Favors has been a fixture in Utah since joining the team in the Deron Williams trade in 2011. Favors, 28, explained to Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune that he wants to stay with the Jazz but it may not be possible. The team will be invested in re-signing Gordon Hayward to a longterm contract, which could eat up most of the team’s salary.”Everyone knows I love Utah, and I love playing for the Jazz,” Favors said. “But I have to prepare myself this offseason to have a great year, whatever city I’m in.”

Draft Notes: Kanter, Bucks, Swanigan

May 22nd, 2017 at 10:26am CST by ChrisCrouse

Kerem Kanter has withdrawn from the draft, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com tweets. Kanter, who is the younger brother of NBA player Enes Kanter, graduated from Green Bay and will play for Xavier this year.

Here’s more on the upcoming draft:

The Bucks will work out six players today, according to the team’s website. Frank Mason III, T.J. Williams, Luke Fischer, Isaac Humphries, Amida Brimah and Kennedy Meeks will all participate in drills for Milwaukee.
St John’s Bashir Ahmed is expected to withdraw from the draft and return to the school, according to Jeff Borzello of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Ahmed scored 13.4 points per game in college last season.
Purdue’s Caleb Swanigan will work out for the Knicks on Wednesday, Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog tweets. Swanigan, like all prospects on the fence, has until this Wednesday to make a final decision on whether or not he’ll stay in the draft.

Enes Kanter To Return To United States Tomorrow

May 20th, 2017 at 3:09pm CST by marksuleymanov

3:09 pm: Enes Kanter provided an update to the situation (link via Twitter), indicating that he will hold a press conference tomorrow in New York City with “crazy stories” about what transpired.

2:30 pm: Enes Kanter has landed in London and he and his representatives are now figuring out the next steps, reports Royce Young of ESPN (link via Twitter). Young also reports that NBA sources say that the league helped facilitate getting Kanter to London.

1:24 pm: Romanian border police say that Enes Kanter has been released from custody and permitted to continue his travels, according to Benjamin Hoffman of The New York Times. The official said that Kanter is now on a plane headed for London. Kanter himself has yet to confirm that he has been released.

11:18 am: Thunder center Enes Kanter is celebrating his 25th birthday being detained in Romania after the Turkish embassy canceled his passport on Saturday morning, he said in a Twitter video.

Kanter, who has been an outspoken critic of Turkey’s regime, claimed that the decision to void his passport was politically motivated.

“The reason behind it is just, of course, my political views,” Kanter said in the video. “And the guy who did it is Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey.”

Kanter is currently in the midst of the Enes Kanter Light Foundation tour, which, in addition to Romania, included a visit to Indonesia. Kanter’s website states that the foundation’s objective is to create awareness and provide help to children “education, poverty alleviation and social harmony.” That positive message is the antithesis of Kanter’s view of president Erdogan.

“He’s attacked people in Washington. He’s a bad, bad man,” Kanter added. “He is a dictator, and he’s the Hitler of our century.”

Kanter dealt with issues stemming from his political views last year, when his family severed ties with him. Kanter’s father, Mehment, published a letter through Turkish media disowning his son.

“With a feeling of shame I apologize to our president and the Turkish people for having such a son,” the letter said (via Reuters).

In his own letter published on Twitter, Kanter addressed his family’s decision; a large part of their decisions stemmed from Kanter’s support of Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic leader and the face of the “Gulen Movement.”

“Today I lost my mother, father, brothers and sisters, my family and all my relatives,” Kanter wrote in the letter, which was translated to English. “My own father asked me to change my surname. My mother, who has given me life, disowned me. My brothers and sisters, with which we have grown together, ignore me.”

According to ESPN, the Thunder are going through the proper channels to resolve the situation. Kanter posted totals of 14.3 PPG and 6.7 APG in 72 games for Oklahoma City last season.

Southeast Notes: Kanter, Millsap, Bogdanovic, Magic

May 7th, 2017 at 3:24pm CST by marksuleymanov

The Thunder may look to free up cap space this summer to lure a superstar free agent to pair with possible 2017 MVP Russell Westbrook. Trading big man Enes Kanter could be one option, as he’s owed $17.9MM next season; however, the Heat would likely not be a trade partner, Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel says in his latest Ask Ira column.

Winderman is asked if a potential Tyler Johnson-for-Kanter swap makes sense given both players’ lofty contracts. However, Johnson will make just $5.9MM next season, so a hypothetical swap would cut down Miami’s cap space from $37MM to $25MM next season. Also, the Heat will likely pursue new deals with James Johnson and Dion Waiters, and committing significant dollars to Kanter is not conducive to keeping that core intact.

While the allure of having Hassan Whiteside and Kanter manning the frontcourt sounds enticing, Winderman notes that neither man is an outside shooter, which would clog the paint for the Heat.

Here are additional tidbits of news from the Southeast:

A state of disarray surrounding the Hawks since 2013 has led to a flurry of roster-altering moves. Now, with Paul Millsap entering free agency, the team faces a major decision: dedicate significant dollars to re-sign a productive, but aging player or move on and construct a younger, more cost-effective team, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer writes. If Millsap departs, O’Connor notes that a frustrated and declining Dwight Howard would become the team’s primary option and recent history suggests he’s not suited for that role.
After two tough losses to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Wizards coach Scott Brooks decided to play Bojan Bogdanovic more in Game 3, yielding strong results, per J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic. The former Nets forward, who will be a free agent this summer, scored 19 points in 29 minutes in Washington’s Game 3 win, prompting Brooks to admit he made a mistake not playing the sharpshooter more often. “I guess I should have gone on Twitter a few games ago, right? He’s a good player. I made a mistake, I only played him eight minutes,” Brooks quipped. “The way the game was going, we were up, things were going good and we had a chance to win the game. He’s been in a lot of big games, he’s made a lot of big shots and he’s done that for us this year.”
Magic interim general manager Matt Lloyd has an unenviable task of rebuilding the Orlando franchise, replacing former GM Rob Hennigan and assistant GM Scott Perry, who were fired in mid-April. Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel examines Lloyd’s decorated journey in basketball, which has included working several jobs in college, befriending key cogs in the Bulls’ 1990s dynasty and earning trust among his peers. Now, he’s prepared to earn that same trust leading the Magic. “I have a responsibility to our staff,” Lloyd said to Robbins of his role as interim GM. “I know I have a responsibility to the coaches. I have a responsibility to the players. And I have a responsibility to the organization. So every day I have the job, I’m just going to do the job. And I’m not going to worry about trying to get the job.”

Thunder Notes: Kanter, Christon, Westbrook

May 2nd, 2017 at 10:26am CST by ChrisCrouse

The Thunder have approximately $110MM in guaranteed salaries on the books for the 2017/18 campaign and with an estimated $101MM salary cap, it’s unlikely the team makes a splash in free agency. Despite the lack of flexibility, GM Sam Presti will continue to function as an opportunist, as Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman relays.

“We’re not in a position where we’re going to be a cap space team, per se,” Presti said. “We’ll look at every opportunity that we can, but it’s not a matter of us necessarily extending offers to people. It’s basically people extending interest to us, you know what I’m saying, and then we can work from there.

“We’ll make every single phone call to every single team, and the players that everyone I think probably thinks about and fantasizes about. You know, if we can make those players be here, they would probably be here by now. Otherwise, we’re going to have to like kind of do our job and keep getting better and go from there.”

Here’s more from Oklahoma City:

Enes Kanter is “absolutely on the trade block,” Tramel writes in the same piece. It’s unclear whether Tramel has inside sources or he’s just reading the tea leaves. The Thunder have a surplus of big men and after Kanter played well this past season, he may hold the most trade value out of their frontcourt players.
Tramel adds that the Thunder are in the market for a backup point guard. Presti recently said that Semaj Christon did an “excellent job” behind Russell Westbrook.
Presti believes the team’s young core can grow from this year’s experiences, as Clint Brunt of the Associated Press passes along. “[The team] knows what it’s like to go through a playoff series where, you know, you’re losing the series on the margins. They know what it’s like to play with one another and understand each other’s tendencies. And I think that’s going to bode well for us,” Presti said.
Presti said the Thunder are hopeful Westbrook will sign a long-term extension this summer, as we passed along on Monday. The MVP Candidate is eligible for the Designated Player Extension, which could pay him an estimated $217MM over five seasons.

Thunder Notes: Roberson, Gibson, Collison, Kanter

April 26th, 2017 at 10:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Andre Roberson and Taj Gibson should both get plenty of interest in free agency, according to Ryan Aber and Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman. Both expressed a desire today to stay in Oklahoma City, but they won’t be easy for the Thunder to keep.

Roberson, a fourth-year guard, will be a restricted free agent, so OKC can match any offer he receives. He made less than $2.2MM this season, but figures to get a substantial raise after an outstanding defensive performance in the playoffs. Gibson will be unrestricted after making $8.95MM this year. He became a starter after a midseason trade with Chicago and was a key contributor in the postseason. Gibson had a “long talk” with GM Sam Presti and coach Billy Donovan about his desire to remain in OKC. “There’s gonna be teams out there, but you never know what’s gonna happen,” Gibson said. “Anything can happen. But I wanted to let Sam know I wanted to be here.”

There’s more news from the first day of the offseason in Oklahoma City:

Even though he saw little action this year, 36-year-old Nick Collison isn’t ready to retire, Aber and Dawson relay in the same story. He appeared in just 20 games during the regular season, averaging 6.4 minutes per night, and wasn’t used at all in the playoffs. Collison has been with the organization since entering the league in 2003, dating back to its days in Seattle. “I’ve got really good relationships with all the people here,” he said, “so I think it’ll be honest and fair and we’ll just — I think both sides just have to find the best thing, and we’ll figure it out.”
Rookie Domantas Sabonis will be part of the Thunder squad at this year’s summer league in Orlando and then will join the Lithuanian National Team, the authors add in the same piece. Rookie Alex Abrines won’t participate in summer league play and will spend the offseason playing for Spain.
Backup center Enes Kanter is trying to ignore trade rumors, tweets Fred Katz of The Norman Transcript. After averaging 21.3 minutes per night during the season, Kanter was limited to just 9.0 per game in the series with the Rockets. “It’s not in my hands,” he said. “… I’m at home. … I see this organization as my family.” Kanter still has another year left on his contract at nearly $17.9MM, then a player option worth more than $18.6MM for 2018/19.

Thunder Notes: Westbrook, Kanter, MVP

April 21st, 2017 at 7:48pm CST by Austin Kent

After an historic regular season, Russell Westbrook‘s magic hasn’t been quite enough to lead the Thunder to success against the Rockets but that doesn’t mean Billy Donovan‘s confidence in the star guard is wavering, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN details.

“I have an enormous amount of trust and confidence after being with Russell this season for 82 games and seeing the ways he’s closed out games and different things that he’s done,” the Thunder bench boss said.

Westbrook put up 14 missed shots in the fourth quarter of the Thunder’s Wednesday night loss, the highest recorded in the past 20 years, but his track record of success in the clutch is otherwise impressive.

Per Shelburne:

In the regular season, Westbrook’s 82 made field goals in clutch time (the last five minutes of a game, with the score within 5) were 18 more than any other player.

There’s more from the Thunder:

Though his defensive inefficiencies come to light when James Harden is on the court, the answer may not be as simple as trotting Enes Kanter out there when he’s on the bench, Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman writes. When Kanter is on the court and Harden is sitting, the Rockets have outscored the Thunder 48-31.
The NBA has fined Russell Westbrook $15K for using inappropriate language in a press conference, the league reports in a press release.
Though it’s one of the most heated MVP races in recent memory, four of five Hoops Rumors staffers selected Russell Westbrook as this year’s winner. “James Harden’s season was special, but Westbrook’s was historic,” Arthur Hill said.

And-Ones: Stackhouse, Porter Jr., EuroHoops

March 26th, 2017 at 8:14pm CST by Milo Taibi

Sam Fortier of The Ringer detailed Jerry Stackhouse‘s decision to coach in the D-League as opposed to working as an NBA assistant coach. Stackhouse, coaching Raptors 905, often works in front of small crowds with little fanfare, but the two-time All-Star doesn’t mind.

“Until I got this job this year, I hardly even knew the D-League existed,” Stackhouse said. “I’m a pro. I’m an NBA guy, and I’m not wasting time, you know? I get it when people don’t understand the D-League. It’s part of it. But I’m here to tell ’em it’s a gem. A hidden gem.”

Stackhouse explained the frustration of watching Jason Kidd and Derek Fisher seamlessly transition from their playing career to a head coaching job. After a stint as a TV analyst covering the Pistons, Stackhouse pursued a coaching job with the 37-11 Raptors 905.

“Seeing [Fisher and Kidd] get those head-coaching jobs, I was like, I know I’m — you hate to say better — but I know I’m damn as good as those guys when it comes to coaching,” Stackhouse said. “I wouldn’t have been ready [to be a head coach] in 2012–13, but Jason Kidd came in and my mind was like, ‘I have more of a pulse of this team than he could ever have. They respect me.’ I look at all of the other relationships you have to have to make it work, and the people you need to know in organizations. … It’s hard to get that.”