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Atlantic Notes: Thompson, Sixers, Prokhorov

March 1st, 2016 at 5:17pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Sixers currently possess an open roster spot and a clear need for depth at the wing positions, but the team is no immediate rush to add a player unless he is the right fit, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes. “That’s been discussed for a while,” coach Brett Brown responded when asked when the team would add another player. “I think the thing that’s everybody’s aware of, especially now, is things will start to shake out a little bit more than right after the All-Star break.” The coach also noted that the front office planned to exercise patience when sifting through the ranks of available players, Pompey adds. “When somebody comes up that makes sense, we will do it,” Brown said. “We’re always looking. I think the thing that most stands out is we don’t feel like we have to bring in somebody just to bring in somebody. There has to be some level of cleansing as to why we’re doing it.”

The coach noted that Philadelphia was looking at players regardless of position, but Brown did acknowledge that the team being thin in the backcourt after waiving JaKarr Sampson could factor into the decision-making process, Pompey writes. “The people that sort of study our roster can say accurately that that seems to be the most likely place you should go or would go, and it’s hard to argue that, especially without a body in JaKarr,” Brown said of the team’s backcourt needs.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Jason Thompson said that he chose to sign with the Raptors over his other suitors because he felt a level of comfort with the organization and because he was familiar with a number of the players on the roster, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca relays in a series of tweets. Coach Dwane Casey noted that Thompson isn’t expected to impact anyone’s minutes initially and referred to the veteran as an insurance policy, Lewenberg adds. Thompson is aware he may not see steady minutes in Toronto, something he appears fine with, telling Lewenberg, “I’m not trying to come in here and mess up a great thing. I just want to be apart of something and help, see how it goes.”
  • Toronto cleared a roster spot for Thompson through the release of Anthony Bennett, a player who was in a difficult situation with little playing time available for him, as GM Masai Ujiri acknowledged and as Lewenberg tweets. The GM said Bennett’s playing time took a hit because the Raptors performed better than expected this season, starting power forward Luis Scola in particular, Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun relays (on Twitter).
  • Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov’s personal net worth has taken a hit in recent years, going from an estimated $18 billion in 2011 down to $7.6 billion today, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com tweets. The reasons for Prokhorov’s dwindling finances include losses in the commodities market, Russian currency becoming devalued and U.S. restrictions on Russian-based businesses, NetsDaily notes (Twitter links).
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Raptors Ink Jason Thompson, Cut Anthony Bennett

March 1st, 2016 at 12:07pm CST by Chuck Myron

TUESDAY, 12:07pm: The moves are official, the Raptors announced via press release.

“We thank Anthony for his professionalism and for his service to our team and community,” Ujiri said. “We know he’s on his way to becoming an excellent NBA player but as we approach the end of the season Jason will provide us with a veteran presence that we need.”

MONDAY, 1:39pm: The Raptors are waiving Anthony Bennett to clear the way for a deal with Jason Thompson that covers the rest of the season, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The addition of Thompson helps fill a need at power forward for Toronto, but it’s nonetheless surprising to see the Raptors cut ties with Bennett, the former No. 1 overall pick whom GM Masai Ujiri had suggested would be with the team beyond this season in spite of his one-year contract. Bennett is on a minimum-salary deal, and the same will be true for Thompson, since that’s all Toronto can give. The full season salary for Bennett will stick on Toronto’s books unless another team claims him off waivers.

Thompson was also reportedly drawing the eye of the Heat in the wake of his release from the Warriors last week, a cut that came so that Golden State could sign Anderson Varejao. The Raptors reportedly had interest in trading for a handful of power forwards, including Ryan Anderson, Thaddeus Young, Kenneth Faried and Markieff Morris, but instead it appears they end up with Thompson, who started 63 games for the Kings last season but averaged just 6.4 minutes per contest with the Warriors.

Bennett, the NBA’s top pick in 2013, is hitting waivers for the second time in barely more than five months, after he and the Timberwolves reached a buyout agreement in late September. The Sixers and Blazers reportedly had interest at the time, but he wound up signing with the Raptors, his hometown team. The 22-year-old’s defense initially impressed coach Dwane Casey, but Bennett failed to convince Casey that he deserved more playing time, totaling just 84 minutes all season.

Who do you think is the bigger bust, Bennett or fellow former No. 1 pick Greg Oden? Leave a comment to have your say.

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Heat Eye Jordan Crawford, Jason Thompson, Others

February 24th, 2016 at 8:04am CST by Chuck Myron

The Heat have Jordan Crawford and Jason Thompson on a list of players they will consider next month when they’re eligible to sign someone for the rest of the season without crossing the luxury tax threshold, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Jackson also mentions Tony Wroten and Dorell Wright, whom the Heat have checked in on, as Jackson wrote last month. The list includes D-Leaguers and others likely to be available as well, Jackson adds.

Miami is down to 10 healthy players following the loss of Beno Udrih to season-ending foot surgery. Fellow backup point guard Tyler Johnson is already out at least two months with an injured shoulder and uncertainty surrounds Chris Bosh, who’s again dealing with a blood-clot problem. The Heat have two open roster spots, but they can’t add anyone to more than a 10-day contract before March 6th without leaping back into tax territory, which they escaped at the trade deadline. Any 10-day deal would push that date farther back into March.  Heat GM Andy Elisburg said Miami had no strict mandate to escape the luxury tax before the deadline, but team president Pat Riley, speaking to Couper Moorhead for the Heat’s website, stressed that avoiding the tax, and the repeat-offender penalties the Heat would have been subject to, was a high priority.

Crawford, outside of a preseason stint with the Bulls this past fall, hasn’t played in the NBA since 2013/14, when he started 35 games at point guard for the Celtics. He averaged an eye-popping 43.1 points in 37.9 minutes per game against relatively weak competition in China this year. The 27-year-old has mostly played at shooting guard during his NBA career, but he’d make more sense for the Heat than would Thompson, a power forward. The 29-year-old Thompson, who’s also drawing overseas interest, is scheduled to clear waivers today in the wake of his release from the Warriors. He started 63 games for the Kings in 2014/15 but averaged only 6.4 minutes per game across 28 appearances for Golden State this season.

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And-Ones: Bargnani, Draft, Leonard

February 23rd, 2016 at 11:04pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Andrea Bargnani has received a contract offer from the Greek club Olympiacos, Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops.net reports. The power forward is not eager to head overseas to finish out the season, Varlas notes, but the team will require a definitive answer from Bargnani prior to Wednesday’s Euroleague transfer deadline. Bargnani was recently waived by the Nets in an apparent buyout arrangement. Also on Olympiacos’ radar is former Warriors big man Jason Thompson, who was waived via the stretch provision by Golden State in order to clear a roster spot for the newly signed Anderson Varejao.

Here’s more from around the league:

  • Trail Blazers big man Meyers Leonard has had a tough season thus far dealing with injuries as well as a significantly reduced role for the team and he is trying to remain positive throughout it all, Joe Freeman of The Oregonian writes. “As a competitor, it’s a bit frustrating,” Leonard said. “I want to be out there. I want to help the team win. I’ve said it before and I truly believe this: I’m a starter, talent-wise. But sometimes you have to be willing to sacrifice for the team, which I am. That’s just the kind of guy I am. So I have to keep working hard. I have to keep being a good teammate.“
  • Heat executive Andy Elisburg noted that the front office was under no specific directive from ownership to get itself out of the luxury tax this trade deadline and stressed that the deals the team did make in no way compromised its playoff chances this season, Couper Moorhead of NBA.com relays. “There was never a mandate to get out of the tax,” Elisburg said. “We always look at the basketball and business benefits of every trade we make or choose not to make. Sometimes you make a trade to open up a roster spot.  Sometimes you don’t make a trade because you like the players you have more than the players you may be acquiring.  Once we determined that we did not have another trade to make, we chose to move forward with the opportunity to get under the tax.“
  • The Wasserman Media Group has officially renamed itself the Wasserman agency, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today relays (via Twitter).
  • A number of highly-touted freshman continue to fall in the latest 2016 mock draft from Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv notes. Kentucky center Skal Labissiere, UNLV big man Stephen Zimmerman and Kansas small forward Cheick Diallo are some of the players who have fallen out of the projected draft lottery picks since the college season began, Zagoria writes.
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And-Ones: Conley, Thompson, Dekker

February 22nd, 2016 at 11:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former Grizzlies and Nets coach Lionel Hollins said in a SiriusXM NBA Radio interview that Mike Conley will seek the best offer on the free-agent market, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News writes. Hollins doubts the Grizzlies point guard will accept a hometown discount to stay in Memphis, Bondy continues. The Knicks are among the teams expected to pursue Conley, the top guard on the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings. “You have the hammer in your hand and you have to wield it because you may never get it again,” Hollins said in the interview. “The reality is you have to do what’s best for your family and the future. And if somebody comes around and offers Michael $18MM and Memphis can’t match, I think you have to make those decisions from that perspective.”

In other news around the league:

  • Jason Thompson‘s struggle to grasp the complexities of the Warriors’ schemes was a major factor why he was waived, according to Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN.com. Thompson lost his roster spot in favor of center Anderson Varejao, who was signed on Monday. The team needed more depth in the middle because of injury concerns, but Strauss also believes Thompson’s lack of an advanced feel for the game made him the odd man out.
  • The Rockets recalled rookie small forward Sam Dekker from the D-League’s Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the team tweets. Dekker, who underwent back surgery three months ago, made his season debut with the Vipers on Friday night, as Adam Johnson of the D-League Digest details. Dekker’s recall was simply to participate in a practice, as he will return to play a few more games with the Vipers, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports (Twitter link).
  • Center Tibor Pleiss was recalled by the Jazz from the D-League’s Idaho Stampede on Monday, according to the team’s website. Pleiss, a 7’3” center, has appeared in 12 games with the Jazz and 15 more for the Stampede this season.
  • Point guard Dwight Buycks will join the Thunder’s D-League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue, international journalist David Pick tweets. Buycks signed with Fujian Sturgeons in the Chinese Basketball Association in September and was among the league leaders in assists, Pick adds. Buycks played 14 games with the Raptors during the 2013/14 season and six more with the Lakers last season after signing a 10-day contract in April. He was also on the Lakers’ summer-league squad.
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Pacific Notes: Green, Varejao, Dawson

February 22nd, 2016 at 3:35pm CST by Chuck Myron

Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers reportedly plans to try to re-sign Jeff Green this summer, and he’s glad to be reunited with his former Celtics player for several reasons. Rivers was effusive in his praise of Green to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com, calling him one of the best NBA people ever (Twitter link), and he’s also a fan of what the combo forward can do on the court, as Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee details.

“I really wanted more length,” Rivers said of his goals going into the trade deadline, according to Jones. “When you look at the teams we have to beat, we need to get longer, more athletic, and we need to increase our shooting. And I think with Jeff we did all three of those things. … I thought of all the things that were offered, he was the best available for us.”

See more from the Pacific Division:
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Warriors Release Jason Thompson

February 22nd, 2016 at 10:09am CST by Will Joseph

MONDAY, 10:09am: The move is official, the team announced via press release.

SUNDAY, 9:00pm: The Warriors waived Jason Thompson to make room for Anderson Varejao, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The Warriors will use the stretch provision, Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group tweets. Thompson had $2.65MM guaranteed for 2016/17, but the Warriors can stretch $883,333 over the next three seasons, Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports points out via Twitter.

The Warriors acquired Thompson this past offseason in a trade from the Sixers. Thompson, whom the Kings had traded to the Sixers earlier in July, has had the worst season of his career, statistically speaking, so it is no surprise the Warriors are parting ways. A starter for most of his carer, Thompson has appeared in only 28 games and has made only one start.

It will be interesting to see if any team adds Thompson, 29, who has been in decline since the 2013/14 season. The Warriors reportedly reached an agreement with Varejao on Sunday. The Warriors had a need in the frontcourt with Festus Ezeli still out because of arthroscopic knee surgery and Andrew Bogut nursing an Achilles injury, but seemingly had no desire to play Thompson.

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Western Notes: Pachulia, Thunder, Thompson

January 10th, 2016 at 8:15pm CST by Will Joseph

Zaza Pachulia is producing the best season of his career in his first year with the Mavs and his intangibles have endeared him to his new teammates, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com relays. Pachulia responded well to a trade from the Bucks and he is a significant reason why the Mavs are one of the top teams in the conference, MacMahon adds.

“I know it’s surprising for a lot of people, but honestly, I feel like I was just born,” Pachulia said. “I don’t want to say anything bad about the places I’ve been, but this is the greatest situation I’ve been in during my career. Starting with the coaching staff and the players, the experienced players I have, the winning mentality … With my previous team, it was all about building. Rebuilding, starting from scratch. This is a different situation for me, where this team is all about the winning, all about the success. I think that’s part of the reason why my numbers are that way. I’m just thankful for the opportunity. I’m thankful for the situation I’m in right now.”

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

  • Thunder second-year power forward Mitch McGary emerged late last season and despite capable offensive skills, he is having a hard time cracking the rotation this season, Anthony Slater of of The Oklahoman writes in an interesting profile. Injuries have played a part in limiting McGary’s playing time and statistics show that Oklahoma City is not efficient when McGary and Enes Kanter are on the floor together, Slater adds.
  • Warriors reserve center Jason Thompson, who spent his first seven season in the league with the Kings, still has fond memories of his old stomping grounds and he is glad Sacramento’s fans will have a new arena next season, Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle details.
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Western Notes: Matthews, Aminu, Thunder

November 8th, 2015 at 10:30pm CST by Will Joseph

Wesley Matthews, who signed a four-year, max deal with the Mavs in July, is able to do more on his surgically-repaired left leg and there is a distinct possibility he will play without a minutes restriction by the end of November, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes. Sefko cites a couple of key plays, including a dive the shooting guard made, in Saturday’s game as steps forward for Matthews, who is limited to around 30 minutes per game.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

  • Al-Farouq Aminu is blossoming into a consistent scorer after inking a four-year deal with the Blazers during the summer because he is being utilized in a variety of ways offensively, Mike Richman of The Oregonian details. While Aminu’s best skill remains his versatility on defense, as Richman adds, Aminu is pushing the ball in fast-breaks and is more involved in pick-and-rolls. “I always thought that he was a solid piece to every team that he had been on. But he never had the opportunity to be the offensive player that he is for us,” Blazers point guard Damian Lillard said. “And I don’t think it was ever needed from him to be what he is for us.”  
  • Not much has changed so far statistically for the Thunder under new coach Billy Donovan as the team still isn’t strong defensively, a scout explained to Sam Amick of USA Today Sports. Before Sunday’s game, the Thunder were allowing 108 points per game so far this season, which was 27th in the league.
  • Jason Thompson, formerly of the Kings, clarified the comment he made last month when he said the comparison between his old team and the Warriors (his current team) is night and day, telling Matt Kawahara of the Sacramento Bee he just meant Golden State is “established.” “I just meant that there wasn’t uncertainty of positions, there wasn’t uncertainty of the front office, and everyone got along,” Thompson said of the Warriors.
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Pacific Notes: Thompson, Cauley-Stein, Nance

October 15th, 2015 at 2:06pm CST by Chuck Myron
Jason Thompson sees the difference between the Kings and the Warriors as “kind of night and day,” notes Monte Poole of CSN Bay Area. The big man is starting his first NBA season with a team other than Sacramento thanks to a pair of trades that took him to Golden State by way of Philadelphia.
“You can tell it’s a first-class organization,” Thompson said of the Warriors. “No offense to Sac, but there was no stability in the seven years that I was there. You could just tell, from Day 1, when the trade went through, how differently things went on and off the court. Regardless of this being my eighth season, I’m trying to learn what it takes to win and be around that atmosphere. I’m kind of soaking up all of the information with a sponge. It’s not going to change overnight, but you can just tell things are sharper and things are going to be more crisp as preseason and as practices go.”
Thompson, a starter for most of his time with the Kings, said he’s OK with the uncertainty regarding his role, Poole adds. See more from the Pacific:
  • By contrast, Kings rookie Willie Cauley-Stein knows his role and is comfortable with being the team’s “junk man,” as he said to Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. Just how the career of this year’s No. 6 overall pick will turn out depends largely on whether he can rebound consistently, Voisin believes.
  • Larry Nance Jr. thinks the Lakers used this year’s No. 27 overall pick on him because of his jumping ability and his 6’9″, 230-pound frame, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. “I think I’m just something different. I’m someone that’s long, lanky, lean,” Nance said. “I want to run the floor and be as athletic as I can and really change the pace of the game when I come in. When you put me on the court, don’t worry about me, I’ll find my own stuff on offense.”
  • Lakers coach Byron Scott likes the poise he’s seen from Nance so far, but the power forward told Bresnahan for the same story that he still feels he’s only about 85-90% recovered from the torn right ACL he suffered in March 2014, even though he’s been medically cleared for almost a year.
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