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Atlantic Notes: Fizdale, Thomas, Redick, Stevens

October 7th, 2018 at 3:59pm CST by JD Shaw

The Knicks have started their preseason on a high note, winning each of their three games under new head coach David Fizdale. Fizdale is known for his high energy, positive attitude and veteran mindset, with each of these habits quickly rubbing off on some of his players.

“Absolutely, heck yeah. I want to win everything,’’ Fizdale said after team’s victory over the Pelicans on Friday, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. “I want to win every game. These guys are building habits right now. And winning is a habit. Anytime we step on the court, if they decide to play checkers together, pool, ping-pong, I want them competing to win. We have to get that really rooted deeply into who we are.’’

Fizdale is well-respected across the league and has two NBA titles under his belt as an assistant with Miami. The Knicks hired him this past offseason as head coach, and he’s quickly made his mark on changing the overall culture of the organization.

Fizdale’s decision to bring in Hall of Famers Walt Frazier and Patrick Ewing to discuss what it means to play for the Knicks was praised this week, with the second-year head coach now focused on getting his team ready for the regular season.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Lance Thomas is working hard to maintain his status as the Knicks’ starting power forward, Berman writes in a separate story. “Lance is just … man is he a good leader,’’ Fizdale said. “He’s just a really good leader. Those guys respect him big time. When he speaks, the gym shuts down and everybody listens.”
J.J. Redick has provided some much-needed firepower off the bench for the Sixers, as detailed by NBA.com’s Brian Seltzer. Redick shot a perfect 10-of-10 against the Mavericks on Friday.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens offered strong words of support for assistant Jerome Allen this week, according to Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports. Allen pled guilty to accepting a $18K bribe from the parent of a prospective recruit when he coached for Pennsylvania in 2014.

Atlantic Notes: Rozier, Celtics, Powell, Redick

October 3rd, 2018 at 2:15pm CST by Luke Adams

With Kyrie Irving and Marcus Smart battling injuries down the stretch last season, Terry Rozier stepped into a starting role and showed why the Celtics used their first-round pick on him in 2015. Although Rozier will return to a bench role to start the 2018/19 season, Marcus Morris tells A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston that the 24-year-old is still “a starting point guard in this league.” Meanwhile, head coach Brad Stevens acknowledges that he’ll need to try to find Rozier as many minutes as possible (link via Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston).

As Stevens and the Celtics explore how best to use Rozier on the court, the franchise will also face a looming decision on him off the court, notes Shane Rhodes of Basketball Insiders. If he doesn’t sign a new extension by October 15, Rozier will be on track for restricted free agency in 2019, and he’s not a slam dunk to be re-signed, since Boston has already committed big money to Smart and will need to re-sign Irving too. Rhodes outlines the options the C’s will have with their young point guard, which include letting him walk, matching an offer sheet, or trading him.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

The Celtics have been a popular pick to win the Eastern Conference and challenge for an NBA title in 2018/19, but – based on his team’s preseason performances – Brad Stevens wants to pump the brakes on that hype. As Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston relays, Stevens said he “couldn’t be more unimpressed” with the C’s at the moment. “We’re not as good as advertised right now,” Stevens said after a Tuesday loss to Cleveland. “So at least we know that.”
Norman Powell has the sixth-highest cap hit on the Raptors‘ roster for the 2018/19 season, but he’ll be hard-pressed to crack the team’s rotation, writes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. In Smith’s view, Powell will have to recapture his 2016/17 form or “capitalize on the misfortune of others” in order to regain a significant role. Otherwise, he’ll likely remain a trade candidate.
Sarah Todd of The Philadelphia Inquirer examines the importance of veteran guard J.J. Redick on a young Sixers team. Redick inked another one-year deal with Philadelphia as a free agent this summer.

Lakers Notes: Ball, Redick, Zubac

September 15th, 2018 at 11:56am CST by marksuleymanov

Lonzo Ball‘s ability as a passer has never been questioned but his ability to shoot has been a concern ever since the 2017 NBA Draft. As Ball prepares for his sophomore campaign, it appears he has simplified the release on his jumper, Joe Morgan of Sporting News writes.

In his first season, Ball shot 36% from the field and 30.5% from beyond the arc. Those numbers are going to need improvement as he prepares to play with LeBron James, a notorious playmaker who relies on outside shooters. There is reason to believe that Ball can be an effective shooter as he shot 55.1% from the floor and 42.1% from three-point range in his lone season at UCLA.

Based on videos of Ball in preseason workouts, it appears he has dropped the hitch in his release that had been a concern. With a simplified jumper, it should help Ball have a quicker — and hopefully more accurate — release.

Check out more Lakers notes below:

Speaking of reliable shooters, after LeBron James signed with the Lakers, the team reportedly intensified its pursuit of veteran sharpshooter J.J. Redick. Appearing on Zach Lowe’s The Lowe Post podcast (via USA Today), Redick said there was an opportunity to join the Lakers, but he also had offers from the Pacers and Suns. Redick ultimately re-signed with the Sixers.
Both Ivica Zubac and Svi Mykhailiuk are with their respective national teams as they both approach a berth in the 2019 FIBA World Cup, per NBA.com. Zubac is with the Croatian team while Mykhailiuk is with the Ukranian team

Central Rumors: Redick, Irving, Brown, Cavs

September 14th, 2018 at 3:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Sixers guard J.J. Redick nearly signed with the Pacers in free agency, he revealed during a podcast with ESPN’s Zach Lowe. Redick’s comment was tweeted by Scott Agness of The Athletic. Redick stayed with Philadelphia after the Sixers improved their one-year offer to $12.25MM but that was still less than the Pacers were willing to pay. “I wouldn’t have started but I felt like I fit what they needed,” Redick said. “I just envisioned playing two-man (game) with (Domantas) Sabonis.”

In other news around the Atlantic Division:

The Knicks’ desire to sign Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving could have a negative impact on the Bulls’ free agency plans next summer, according to an NBC Sports Chicago post. The Knicks have reportedly made Irving their No. 1 target in free agency and it’s been previously rumored that Irving and Jimmy Butler might join forces. If the Bulls wanted to bring back Butler after trading him away last summer, Irving’s potential interest in the Knicks could sidetrack that plan, the report adds.
One of the officers involved in the Sterling Brown arrest last January has been fired, according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story passed along by NBC Sports. The Bucks swingman filed a civil lawsuit against the Milwaukee police department after he was arrested and tasered for a parking violation. The officer was fired for violating social media policy and not for his conduct the night of Brown’s arrest, the city’s police chief told the Journal Sentinel.
The Cavaliers could be more interesting and successful without LeBron James than many people expect, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer opines. The development of first-round pick Collin Sexton, Ante Zizic and Cedi Osman will be intriguing to watch and GM Koby Altman will likely make more moves during the season to reshape the team’s future, Pluto continues. Trading J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson, who have seemed disinterested during the regular season during the James era, would move the process along, Pluto adds.

J.J. Redick Nearly Signed With Pacers

July 31st, 2018 at 10:03pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Sixers brought back J.J. Redick on a one-year, $12.5MM deal this offseason, though they almost lost him to an Eastern Conference rival.

“I almost signed with [the Pacers]. I was an hour away, two hours away. I was very close. I had a 5 p.m. deadline. Basically, it was 12:30, 1 o’clock in the afternoon when Philly changed the offer,” Redick said on his podcast (h/t Dan Feldman of NBC Sports).

Indiana wasn’t able to land Redick. The team then signed another sharpshooter in Tyreke Evans, whose deal runs for one year and $12MM.

Redick scored 17.1 points per game in his first season with the Sixers, knocking down 42.0% of his shots from behind the arc. He saw 30.2 minutes per contest in the regular season, but the Sixers upped his total to 34.2 during their 10 playoff games.

Stein’s Latest: Sixers, Warriors, Rockets, Nets

July 31st, 2018 at 6:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers’ much-anticipated offseason fell far short of expectations, Marc Stein of the New York Times opines in his latest newsletter (Sign-up link).

Philadelphia didn’t come close to signing either LeBron James or Paul George in the free agent market and couldn’t swing a deal with the Spurs for Kawhi Leonard, Stein continues. With Leonard landing in Toronto, the Sixers no longer have a clear path to the conference finals. They’re also still looking for a GM and the most consequential moves they made were re-signing J.J. Redick and dealing for Wilson Chandler, Stein adds.

We have more of Stein’s insights:

The Warriors were the biggest winners in the offseason. They not only stunned the NBA world by signing DeMarcus Cousins but they also made some underrated moves, such as locking up coach Steve Kerr to a long-term contract and signing serviceable forward Jonas Jerebko.
The Rockets’ offseason has been unfairly criticized. Re-signing Clint Capela to a team-friendly contract was a major coup and they should extract more production out of Carmelo Anthony than any other team in the league could.
The Nets will be active on the free agent market next summer but they won’t spend money simply because they’ll have a lot of cap space. Kyrie Irving will be a target if he declines his player option and becomes a free agent.

Central Rumors: Bulls, Redick, Pacers, Cavs, Hood

July 26th, 2018 at 2:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Before the Bulls signed Jabari Parker to a two-year, $40MM contract, they discussed using their salary cap room to accommodate a possible salary-dump deal with the Nuggets, sources tell ESPN’s Zach Lowe. Denver ultimately made that trade – which involved Kenneth Faried and Darrell Arthur – with the Nets instead of Chicago.

Lowe suggests that many rival executives would’ve preferred to do the deal the Nets did, acquiring a first- and second-round pick rather than adding another defensively challenged wing after having re-signed Zach LaVine. However, Lowe offers a counter, writing that many NBA teams and observers have been “guilty of fetishizing” those deals that see a team acquire a draft pick along with an unwanted contract. Sometimes, Lowe writes, it makes more sense to “chase talent” instead.

Here’s more from around the Central:

Zach LaVine spoke to Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com about his experience in restricted free agency and his enthusiasm for the Bulls‘ “offensive versatility.”
In an episode of The J.J. Redick Podcast, host – and Sixers guard – J.J. Redick admitted that he came close to a deal with the Pacers when he was a free agent earlier this month (link via Jordan Guskey of The Indianapolis Star). Redick ultimately re-signed with the Sixers on a one-year, $12.25MM deal, while Indiana completed a very similar contract with Tyreke Evans.
The Cavaliers are believed to be interested in signing Rodney Hood to a three-year contract, writes Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com. However, it’s not out of the question that Hood signs his qualifying offer with an eye on unrestricted free agency in 2019. Pluto also passes along some notes on Kevin Love‘s extension and Cleveland’s projected rotation in his latest Scribbles column.
Ed Stefanski has revamped the Pistons‘ front office in recent months, but he still wants to make one more hire, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com, who writes that the club is on the lookout for an executive who will oversee analytics and salary cap management.

Contract Details: Redick, Bertans, Clippers, O’Quinn

July 16th, 2018 at 1:35pm CST by Luke Adams

J.J. Redick‘s new deal with the Sixers gives him plenty of protection in the unlikely event that Philadelphia wants to trade him. Because he re-signed on a one-year deal and will have Early Bird rights at the end of it, he receives the ability to block any trade involving him during the 2018/19 league year, since he’d lose those Early Bird rights in the event that he’s moved.

On top of that, Redick has a 7.5% trade kicker in his new deal, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link), which would give him a bonus if the Sixers do trade him and he approves the deal. That bonus would be worth about $919K, since Redick’s new contract has a value of $12.25MM, per Pincus.

Here are a few more details on newly-signed contracts, courtesy of Pincus:

The Spurs‘ new two-year agreement with Davis Bertans has a base value of $7MM annually, but Bertans can also earn $250K in unlikely incentives per year (Twitter link). The deal can be worth up to $14.5MM in total.
The Clippers split their full mid-level exception right down the middle, with Luc Mbah a Moute and Mike Scott each receiving $4,320,500 (Twitter link). L.A. will be hard-capped this season as a result of using the full MLE.
Jarred Vanderbilt, the 41st overall pick in this year’s draft, got a three-year, minimum-salary contract from the Nuggets with two fully guaranteed seasons (Twitter link). The third year will be non-guaranteed until July 15, 2020.
Kyle O’Quinn received the Pacers‘ full room exception ($4.449MM) on his one-year contract (Twitter link).

Sixers Re-Sign J.J. Redick

July 6th, 2018 at 5:18pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 6th, 5:18pm: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

JULY 2ND, 11:12 am: Free agent sharpshooter J.J. Redick has agreed to return to the Sixers, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). According to Wojnarowski, Redick will sign a one-year deal in the $12-13MM range.

It will be the second consecutive one-year contract for Redick. In 2017, he received a $23MM deal from the Sixers, who had more cap room than they knew what to do with. This time around, with cap space at a premium around the NBA, the 12-year veteran will accept a more modest salary, albeit one still well above the mid-level.

[RELATED: 2018 NBA Free Agent Tracker]

In his first season with the Sixers, Redick – who celebrated his 34th birthday last month – provided exactly the sort of reliable outside shooting the team had hoped for, averaging 2.8 three-pointers per game a rate of 42.0%. In 70 games (all starts), he averaged 17.1 PPG, 3.0 APG, and 2.5 RPG.

With the 76ers out of the running for top free agents like LeBron James and Paul George, it made sense to shift their focus to Redick, whose new deal will eat into their available cap space, assuming the Sixers don’t remain an over-the-cap team.

Taking into account Redick’s new contract, the Sixers project to have about $14MM in cap room, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). Marks also notes that the shooting guard will have the ability to veto any trades involving him during the 2018/19 league year.

The Sixers could further increase their cap flexibility by trading or stretching Jerryd Bayless, who is on an expiring deal worth just over $8.5MM. We heard on Sunday that the 76ers and Bayless were considering a buyout agreement.

Even after re-signing Redick, the Sixers figure to explore the free agent market in an effort to add more shooting. The team has already lost three-point marksmen Ersan Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli since free agency opened on Saturday night.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Sixers Notes: Fultz, Redick, McConnell, Free Agents

June 30th, 2018 at 8:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

Sixers guard Markelle Fultz will skip summer league to keep working on the mechanics of his shot that were disrupted during his rookie year, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The team wants Fultz to continue his work with shooting coach Drew Hanlen in Los Angeles.

Fultz was limited to 17 games during his rookie season because of a combination of injuries and shooting problems. He played the first four games before suffering a shoulder injury that stretched into a 68-game absence as he tried to recover the form he had in college. He returned for the final 10 games, then had a limited role in the playoffs.

Hanlen said Fultz is making progress with his shot, and coach Brett Brown believes he will benefit more from the drills than by playing summer league games.

“I think there’s a timeline of that where you are going to start doing some things skill-wise and handle and play,” Brown said. “But I think when you look at what’s most important, what thing needs the most work, it’s that. I don’t really want to pivot out of that if we think it’s going to hurt a very elementary way we are going about reclaiming his shot.”

There’s more from Philadelphia:

If the Sixers are able to land an elite free agent, it will probably signal the end of J.J. Redick‘s time in Philadelphia, notes Derek Bodner of The Athletic. To sign LeBron James or Paul George to a maximum contract, the team would have to renounce its $27.6MM cap hold for Redick, along with a $13.2MM hold for Amir Johnson. The Sixers would still have the room mid-level exception to offer Redick, but that would be well below his market value. If they retain their cap space, the Sixers can re-sign Redick for 120% of last year’s salary, which amounts to roughly $27.6MM.
If Philadelphia strikes out with the top free agents, some of their money could be used to renegotiate and extend T.J. McConnell‘s contract, Bodner adds in the same story. The move would reduce his cap hit in future seasons, just as it did with Robert Covington, but it wouldn’t have the same impact because McConnell’s deal is much smaller.
Mike O’Connor of The Athletic examines some second-tier free agents who could help the Sixers if they miss out on their top targets. Along with Will Barton, who is now expected to re-sign in Denver, O’Connor names Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Avery Bradley, Rodney Hood, Wayne Ellington, Trevor Ariza and Tyreke Evans.