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Northwest Notes: Leonard, Durant, Gallinari

March 25th, 2016 at 4:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

Meyers Leonard plans to re-sign with the Trail Blazers as a restricted free agent this summer, observes Jason Quick of Comcast Sports Northwest. Soon-to-be free agents more often than not say they intend to return to their incumbent teams, but Leonard also plans to rehabilitate his season-ending dislocated left shoulder with the Blazers medical staff, as Quick also points out. The injury is expected to keep him out six to eight months, which threatens his availability for the start of next season. The 2016/17 regular season begins in seven months. “It just hurts because I feel like I could help this team win,’’ Leonard said. “I feel like I can be a big piece of what we can do.” Quick examines the close bond Leonard feels with Damian Lillard, a fellow 2012 lottery pick who signed a five-year extension last summer, when Leonard bet on himself and turned down what Quick heard was a considerable extension offer. The scribe guesses that the big man will command a new contract in the neighborhood of $44MM over four years (Twitter link). See more from the Northwest Division:

University of Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie, a former teammate of Kevin Durant and a rumored candidate for the Thunder coaching vacancy that Billy Donovan filled last year, believes it’ll take a major effort for any team to pry Durant away from Oklahoma City in free agency this year, as Ollie tells Raul Barrigon of HoopsHype. Ollie describes Durant and Russell Westbrook as two of his best friends. “I know he’s going to make a decision with his heart,” Ollie said of Durant. “I know he’s gonna do that, choose the best situation for his family, the best position to win a championship. And OKC has a great team, I know he loves Russell Westbrook, I know he loves playing in front of the Thunder fans, so it’s going to take a team to do a great recruiting job to get him away from OKC.”
Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post thinks the Nuggets aren’t quite as opposed to the idea of trading Danilo Gallinari as they are with Emmanuel Mudiay and Nikola Jokic, but the team still envisions Gallinari as a driving force on a team with a legitimate shot at the playoffs next season, as Dempsey writes in a mailbag column.
The Thunder has assigned Josh Huestis to the D-League, the team announced. It’s the 14th time the team has sent the No. 29 pick from 2014 to the D-League this season.

Northwest Notes: Sampson, Augustin, Hood

March 24th, 2016 at 3:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

JaKarr Sampson is surprised about how easily he’s fit in with the Nuggets since joining the team last month, as Nicki Jhabvala and Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post relay. Sampson signed a two-year deal following a snafu that caused the Sixers to lose him, and he’s filled in as a starter for the injured Danilo Gallinari. Sampson is dealing with a strained right shoulder himself, but he played through it Wednesday, and his time in Denver has been smooth thus far. “The transition has been easy,” Sampson said. “My teammates have made it easy for me and coach [Michael Malone] has made it easy for me. So, it hasn’t been hard, the transition — new sets, new teammates. I love my teammates. We’ve got a great staff here. Everything has been easy for me.”

See more from Denver amid news from the Northwest Division:

D.J. Augustin, who says he’d love to re-sign with the Nuggets this summer, has made a strong impression in his brief time with Denver since coming over via trade last month, observes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. “D.J.’s our security blanket,” Malone said. “He’s won games for us. Put the ball into his hands in the fourth quarter and he steps up, makes shots, hits free throws and always makes the right play.”
Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey is excited about Rodney Hood‘s room for continued growth, notes Kareem Copeland of The Associated Press, and the team is proving wise for having selected him 23rd overall in 2014, Copeland argues. “What we saw was a guy that was somewhat sophisticated with the ball and with his reads,” Lindsey said. “It was relatively evident fairly quick that he’d be a nice fit for us. It’s to the kid’s credit that he’s gotten better since this time last year.”
The Thunder have focused too much on adding scoring punch around Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and not enough on finding role players, argues Christopher Reina of RealGM. That plus their reliance on traditional big men threatens to leave the franchise in a compromising position, unable to win a title despite the presence of two elite players, Reina writes.

Thunder Rumors: Durant, Donovan, Foye, Kanter

March 21st, 2016 at 9:29pm CST by Arthur Hill

Heading into free agency, Kevin Durant is asked about a lot of NBA destinations, but he offered a simple answer of “It’s home” when he got that question about Oklahoma City, relays Royce Young of ESPN.com. Whether or not that offers a clue of Durant’s free agency intentions, it’s clear he has developed an affection for the city where he has spent the last eight years of his NBA career. “I’ve always felt that this place meant so much to me,” Durant said. “It has a special place in my heart and my family’s heart as well.”

There’s more out of Oklahoma City:

Billy Donovan has adjusted to the challenge of handling two superstars in his first NBA coaching job, writes Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Donovan had spent 21 years at the college level, and 19 at the University of Florida, before replacing Scott Brooks in Oklahoma City last summer. Donovan has the Thunder, who missed the playoffs in an injury-filled season a year ago, firmly in third place in the West with a 48-22 record. “I just think that there is sort of a down-to-earth part of him that allows him to come in and be excellent at inheriting a hell of a team,” Sixers coach Brett Brown said of Donovan. “That’s a hard job in different ways you look at it. Because it is so veteran and they have been used to success. I thought Scotty did a hell of a job with them, too. It’s not an easy job.”
Randy Foye, who was acquired from the Nuggets at the trade deadline, has helped rejuvenate the bench in Oklahoma City, according to Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. Foye is a streaky shooter, but he has helped by limiting turnovers and playing strong defense on the perimeter. Strong bench play has also come from center Enes Kanter, whom the Thunder kept last summer by matching a five-year, $70MM offer from Portland.
Still recovering from hip surgery, assistant coach Maurice Cheeks is expected to return to the Thunder bench for home games beginning this week, Slater tweets. Donovan hopes Cheeks can take on full-time duty by the start of next month.
The Thunder have assigned forward Mitch McGary to Oklahoma City Blue in the D-League. He has played 22 games with the Blue this season, averaging 15 points and 9.1 rebounds.

Northwest Notes: Durant, Jones, Mack

March 19th, 2016 at 2:05pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Thunder small forward Kevin Durant, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, understands that every comment he makes regarding other NBA cities will be magnified, but he doesn’t feel that he needs to censor his opinions, Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman writes. “I love being in Philly, too,” Durant said, addressing reaction to what he said this week about Boston. “If you ask me about a city, I like being there. I’m not going to say anything bad about it. That’s how I am. I’m not going to watch what I say. Because I know how I’m saying it and my intentions in saying it. People are going to pick and choose what they want to write and I can’t control that. But I can control what I say. And I’m not going to hold my tongue or answer things differently or walk on eggshells because I don’t want stuff written about me. I’m just gonna be who I am. Of course people are going to say stuff. I like playing in Boston, like the city, it’s a cool city, they ran with that one. But I know how it is. It’s all good.”

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

Timberwolves rookie point guard Tyus Jones has shown marked improvement in his 3-point shooting this season after numerous scouts had expressed concern over his shooting range during the predraft process last season, Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune writes. “I’m confident in myself, confident in my game and it’s something I’ve always prided myself on,” Jones responded when asked if his success has surprised him. “That’s something you have to focus on, especially running the second unit. You want to come in and be sure we’re efficient. That’s what I’m trying to do.” The 19-year-old has connected on 42.4% of his shots from beyond the arc on the year.
The acquisition of point guard Shelvin Mack has paid off for the Jazz, who have benefited from his consistency and leadership since he arrived from Atlanta, Jody Genessy of The Deseret News writes. “He is a smart player. That is one of the reasons that we traded for him,” coach Quin Snyder said. “I think it’s really a familiarity and comfort level. We know how much we need each other as a group and we’ve got good unselfish guys that support each other. They have probably made that easier for him and I think that he certainly understands that it can help the group and help him impact the group in a positive way.”

Atlantic Notes: Walton, Durant, Okafor

March 18th, 2016 at 12:51pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Knicks interim coach Kurt Rambis offered his praise for the job Luke Walton did with the Warriors while coach Steve Kerr was away from the team recovering from back surgery, Marc Berman of The New York Post relays. Rambis noted that while Walton didn’t need to change much in order for Golden State to remain successful, the team did embrace Walton’s unselfish style of play, Berman adds. “He just continued to perpetuate what was going on,’’ Rambis said of Walton. “It’s not like he changed anything. He continued to allow the team to play the way they’re playing and [have] been successful with. It’s difficult to coach any team, even a good team. You got to keep them motivated and challenged. Every team that plays Golden State, you’re going to see their best. It’s tough as defending champions to meet that challenge night in and night out. When you think of unselfish play and teamwork, they epitomize it.”

While Rambis appears to be team president Phil Jackson‘s top choice to coach the Knicks next season, Walton is reportedly on the team’s short list of potential candidates. Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Pending unrestricted free agent Kevin Durant downplayed the warm reception he received Wednesday from Celtics fans, who were chanting for the small forward to sign with Boston this summer, Charles Curtis of USA Today relays. “I just didn’t think about it, to be honest,” Durant said. “I was more focused on the team. I was definitely looking forward to this today. So, it’s a lot that was going through my mind that was more important.” Prior to arriving in Boston, Durant noted that he enjoyed visiting the city and praised its family atmosphere.
With Jahlil Okafor‘s rookie season officially over due to injury, questions still remain as to whether or not he and Nerlens Noel can co-exist on the court. When asked to grade the duo, Sixers coach Brett Brown noted that the pairing wasn’t entirely successful, though they did show some improvement as the season wore on, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com relays. “With sometimes the excitement of [an] A, no doubt,” Brown said. “Sometimes the disappointment of [an] F. It’s not anybody’s fault. We all have talked about it and I believe everybody here understands how difficult [it is] taking two [centers] that are 20 and letting them figure out NBA transition defense and matchups and the punishments. And the plus-minus in our defense [with Okafor and Noel playing together] reflects that opinion. It was terrible. We went from terrible to poor over the course of time. We improved in that direction. At times it was good. So it was erratic.“

Spurs To Pursue Kevin Durant?

March 17th, 2016 at 12:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Spurs may have designs on pursing Kevin Durant this summer, a number of rival executives have informed Chris Mannix of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. The small forward is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and will arguably be the biggest available prize on the market. The Thunder, who hold the player’s Bird rights, are still the favorites to re-sign Durant, but the Warriors, Clippers and Wizards have all been mentioned as possible landing spots should he choose to leave Oklahoma City. It’s worth noting that Durant played his college ball in Texas, though he is originally from the Washington D.C. area, which could make the Wizards an appealing alternative.

Of course, expressing interest in a player and actually signing him are two different things. San Antonio currently has $70,429,409 in salary committed for 2016/17 against a projected cap in the range of $90MM-$95MM, which certainly presents a challenge in regard to inking Durant, whose maximum salary is projected at $24.9MM. The trio of LaMarcus Aldridge, Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker alone are set to earn a combined $52,658,381 million next season, Mannix notes. Further muddying the waters are Tim Duncan ($5,643,750) and Manu Ginobili ($2,940,630), who both possess player options. If one or both were to retire, it would help free up more cap room, though the pair could also opt out and seek more money to re-sign, which could scuttle any plans to add Durant, the Vertical scribe notes. San Antonio could also look to trade Danny Green, who is set to earn $10MM in 2016/17, and/or Boris Diaw, who is slated to make $7MM next season, the Vertical scribe speculates. Diaw’s deal is partially guaranteed for $3MM, but it will become fully guaranteed if he remains on the roster past June 30th.

There is also the matter of what position Durant would play if he were to join San Antonio. The Spurs already have a budding superstar in Leonard, who also plays small forward. Mannix cites the versatility of both players in speculating about a potential San Antonio lineup that includes Durant and Leonard. While both players would likely play alongside one another effectively, that would require Aldridge to move to center full-time, a position he hasn’t been too keen on playing in the past, Mannix notes.

One reason Durant may consider leaving the Thunder is the alleged discord between him and teammate Russell Westbrook, Mannix writes.. Durant insists things are fine between himself and his teammates, as he told Mannix. “Look, we like each other,” Durant said. “We like playing with each other. We like being around each other. Sometimes it comes down to basketball. Sometimes, X’s and O’s are the reason you lose games. It’s not always leadership issues or camaraderie issues; sometimes other teams just play better basketball than you. But we love each other.”

The Thunder have their work cut out this season if they hope to overtake the Warriors and Spurs in the West, a challenge Durant told Mannix he embraces. “I think I’m playing a little more free than I used to,” Durant relayed. “I used to put a lot of pressure on myself. I’d think, ‘Maybe I’m not being a good enough leader. Maybe I should change my personality.’ I was always thinking ‘What if I change this?’ ‘What if I change that?’ instead of just going out and being me. I’ve just been about playing the game at the level I like playing at and playing with the level of joy I like playing with.”

How would Durant look in a Spurs uniform next season? Sound off in the comments section with your thoughts and opinions.

Atlantic Notes: Durant, Vaulet, Roberts

March 16th, 2016 at 4:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics, who are among many teams dreaming of signing Kevin Durant this summer, would have taken the Texas product first overall in the 2007 draft if the pingpong balls had bounced their way, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com. Instead, Portland landed the top pick and selected Ohio State center Greg Oden, with Durant falling to the Thunder at No. 2. “I was in the draft room, and they would have taken Durant,” said Austin Ainge, son of Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge. “I did have some inside information there.” Team co-owner Wyc Grousbeck has verified that claim, according to Forsberg.

Boston may be able to make its pitch to Durant more appealing by acquiring another high-level talent first. Forsberg suggested the Celtics may pursue Hawks free agent center/power forward Al Horford, who is also headed toward free agency and whom they reportedly targeted prior to last month’s trade deadline. Boston will have about $34MM in guaranteed salary for next season if it elects not to hang on to Amir Johnson and Jonas Jerebko. If the salary cap tops $90MM, as some estimates have suggested, the Celtics could have enough room for two elite free agents.

There’s more on the Atlantic Division:

Durant, who will face the Celtics in Boston tonight for the first time since 2012, had plenty of good things to say about the city, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. “I like the city a lot,” Durant told reporters this morning. “It’s cold, but they love sports here. It’s a family atmosphere I feel when I walk around the city, so yeah, I like it a lot.”
The Nets are hoping they might have “the next Manu Ginobili” in second-round pick Juan Pablo Vaulet, according to NetsDaily. Playing in Argentina, Vaulet missed 19 games with an early-season stress fracture in his ankle, but he is starting to show why Brooklyn and other observers were so high on him during the draft. That includes new Nets GM Sean Marks, who was watching Vaulet closely when he was still with the Spurs’ front office.
The Raptors‘ D-League affiliate has announced that Ronald Roberts Jr. will miss the rest of the season with a right knee injury, tweets Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor. Three NBA teams had considered signing Roberts to a 10-day contract before the injury, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo (Twitter link).

Eastern Notes: Anthony, Lawson, Carter-Williams

March 7th, 2016 at 6:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Carmelo Anthony vows to recruit high-profile free agents to New York this summer and believes Kings point guard Rajon Rondo would make an ideal fit for the Knicks’ triangle offense, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports. Anthony was kept out of meetings regarding free agents last summer but the All-Star small forward wants to play an integral role in getting better pieces around him, Berman continues. “I don’t have a choice but to go out there and do my job and try to get people to come here, so they can see it from my perspective rather than everybody else’s perspective,” Anthony told Berman and other members of the New York media. Rondo has expressed skepticism about his ability to run the triangle, according to Berman, but Anthony will try to convince him otherwise. “I think he’d be perfect in a system like this,” Anthony said. “A system like this fits a guy like that. To have the ball in their hands and be able to run the offense, I think it fits well. I don’t know who’s telling him he don’t fit.” Thunder small forward Kevin Durant, the biggest free agent on this year’s market, does not consider the Knicks as a destination, a source told Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.

In other developments around the Eastern Conference:

Ty Lawson‘s relationships with Pacers star forward Paul George and point guard George Hill, along with the team’s uptempo style, convinced him to sign with Indiana following his buyout agreement with the Rockets, according to Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star. Pacers coach Frank Vogel views the remainder of the regular season as an audition for the veteran point guard, both for this season and his impending free agency, Taylor adds in a tweet. Vogel spoke with Lawson’s former Nuggets coach and ex-Pacers assistant Brian Shaw before the signing and that helped sway Vogel that Lawson deserved a clean slate, Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star reports (Twitter links here).
Bucks point guard Michael Carter-Williams tried to play through his hip injury but it reached the point where it needed to be addressed, Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press tweets. A source told Krawczynski that Carter-Williams felt discomfort since late December and doctors finally determined that season-ending surgery was required, he added in a separate tweet.
The Celtics recalled rookie shooting guard R.J. Hunter from the D-League’s Maine Red Claws, the team tweets. The late first-round pick has appeared in 28 games with Boston this season.

L.A. Rumors: Jordan, Mbah a Moute, Durant

March 6th, 2016 at 7:19pm CST by Arthur Hill

After being the focus of the biggest free agent controversy in years, DeAndre Jordan tells Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe that he’s happy with how it turned out. Jordan initially committed to the Mavericks before changing his mind a few days later and signing a four-year deal to stay with the Clippers. The eighth-year center hasn’t gotten everything he asked for in free agency, but he’s content to be with a contender and in familiar territory. Jordan had hoped for a larger role in the offense and wanted a coach who would call more plays for him. But his offensive numbers are fairly similar to last season’s at 12.3 points and 6.5 shots per game.

“There is still more things that I want to do to better my game,” Jordan said. “But on certain teams, everybody has a role to help that team be successful. I know what mine is with this team. … I found my niche, I found something that I’m good at and want to be great at. But I don’t want to be labeled as [just a shot blocker and defender], I want to continue to get better all around. But for this team to be great, that’s what I’ve got to be.”

There’s more basketball news out of L.A.:

Several changes, including the addition of Luc Mbah a Moute, have helped the Clippers build a defense that ranks among the league’s best, according to Rowan Kavner of NBA.com. Mbah a Moute, who signed with L.A. in September, has sparked a remarkable turnaround after a slow start in November and December. The Clippers surrendered 97.2 points per 100 possessions in their last 15 games, the best performance in the NBA over that stretch.
Clippers coach Doc Rivers seems unlikely to pursue anyone on the buyout market, according to Dan Woike of The Orange County Register. “Overall, guys getting bought out aren’t guys that necessarily are going to change the destiny of your franchise,” Rivers said.
Despite being among a handful of teams that can afford two maximum-salaried free agents, the Lakers are a long shot to land Kevin Durant, writes Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Three straight losing seasons have taken some glamour away from the franchise, and Pincus said leaving a contender in Oklahoma City to play with L.A.’s young core would represent a gamble for Durant. Although, if the Lakers do get Durant, they may trade some of the youngsters to build a veteran team around him.

Thunder Notes: Mohammed, Payne, Cheeks, Durant

March 5th, 2016 at 6:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

After veteran center Nazr Mohammed opted to come out of “semi-retirement” and sign with the Thunder, he explained his decision in a post on Sportsblog.com. The 37-year-old hasn’t played in the NBA this season. His last action was with the Bulls in 2014/15, when he appeared in 23 games. Mohammed said he was considering full retirement before Oklahoma City GM Sam Presti called with an offer. “As a young player, your only desire is to be in the NBA,” Mohammed said. “As you get older, your desire is to play for certain organizations with certain circumstances, making it a little tougher to find the right fit. Mine was a combination of all of the above. Most of the teams that I had interest in didn’t need my services, and I didn’t have the desire to go just anywhere. And some teams just didn’t want me.” The 18-year vet was a member of the Thunder team that reached the NBA Finals in 2011/12.

There’s more out of Oklahoma City:

The Thunder’s trade at the deadline that brought Randy Foye from Denver has sharply reduced the playing time of rookie Cameron Payne, writes Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. Even though Payne is a point guard and Foye is more of a shooting guard, Payne has fallen victim to coach Billy Donovan‘s new substitution pattern that sees Kevin Durant take most of the ball-handling responsibilities when Russell Westbrook is resting.
The Thunder hoped to have assistant coach Maurice Cheeks, who is recovering from hip surgery, back at practice today, but it will be some time before he can be part of games, Slater tweets. “Standing up and down during games, is that good for his hip?” Donovan said. “I’m not sure what the doctor will tell him.”
Durant’s best strategy in free agency may be to follow the example LeBron James set, according to Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders. Beer argues that Durant should maximize his earnings by signing a two-year contract with the ability to opt out in the summer of 2017. By then, the cap is expected to rise and Durant will be a 10-year veteran, which significantly increases the amount he can earn. Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors examined the issue in depth last month.