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Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Hernangomez, Knicks

February 5th, 2017 at 6:58pm CST by Austin Kent

The Sixers saw an unexpected glimpse of success last month but recent losses could help the team focus on their real goals, writes Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Injuries to Joel Embiid and Robert Covington have hamstrung a team that not long ago emerged as a surprisingly potent defensive presence, now any talk of them rallying for a playoff spot in the East has been silenced.

According to Cooney, the only presumed Sixers starters for the 2017/18 season are Embiid and 2016 first-overall pick Ben Simmons. That leaves questions at the other positions that will need answering before the end of the season.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

The idea that Carmelo Anthony will be swapped for Kevin Love may be unlikely, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, but it isn’t far-fetched. Zillgitt also points out that the Cavaliers and Knicks, serendipitously play each other on February 23, the day of the trade deadline.
The Anthony trade drama impacts more than just the veteran himself, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday — it’s affecting all the other Knicks on the roster. “The reason why we signed here is to try to make the playoffs, and we still have a great chance of doing that,” said Courtney Lee. “That’s the key now — getting in the playoffs. It doesn’t matter what the record is. As long as we get in there, it’s a new slate. So if we get there, I like our chances.”
Big man Willy Hernangomez has looked great off the bench for the Knicks of late but that doesn’t mean a promotion ahead of Joakim Noah on the depth chart is coming any time soon, writes Ian Begley of ESPN. Head coach Jeff Hornacek cites lineup chemistry as one of the biggest reasons why Hernangomez has thrived as he has and why the club is reluctant to tinker with his spot in the rotation.
It’s time for the Raptors to make a trade, writes Tom Ziller of SB Nation. The team boasts a plethora of prospects and a top-five general manager in the league. Those, Ziller speculates, could help the club get back into a position where it could seriously compete with Cleveland for the top spot in the East.

Cavaliers Notes: Varejao, Love, Anthony, Shumpert

February 5th, 2017 at 8:57am CST by Arthur Hill

Anderson Varejao was waived Friday by the Warriors, but he won’t be coming back to Cleveland, at least not for a while, writes Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. The long-time Cavalier was traded to Portland on February 18th of last season, and league rules prevent him from rejoining the Cavs for a full year. Also, Vardon expects someone to claim him 0ff waivers. The Timberwolves, Jazz, Nuggets, 76ers and Nets are all below the salary floor and could benefit from adding the rest of Varejao’s $1.55MM contract. In addition, the Cavaliers prefer to keep their open roster spot through the February 23rd trade deadline to provide flexibility. The 34-year-old Varejao spent his first 12 NBA seasons with Cleveland.

There’s more news this morning about the defending champs:

If Kevin Love was trying to impress Knicks president Phil Jackson Saturday night, his 23-point, 16-rebound performance should have done it, notes Anthony Rieber of Newsday. Jackson reportedly asked for Love in a possible deal for Carmelo Anthony. The Cleveland forward said after the game that he is trying to ignore trade talk. “I don’t think about it,” he told reporters. “I don’t really pay attention. I do look at my phone, but it’s not like that’s really crossing my mind or is on top of my mind at all.”
If the Cavs are pondering a Love-for-Anthony deal, their only consideration should be who gives them the best shot at defending their title, writes Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal. Both can score, but Anthony is a better playmaker and Love is a better rebounder. He adds that the teams discussed a similar deal last season.
The Superior Court in Fayette County, Ga., will hear motions next week to throw out elements of Iman Shumpert‘s DUI case from August, according to a separate piece from Vardon. His attorney wants the court to disregard Shumpert’s refusal to take a blood test and the result of his field test, saying they are designed to check for alcohol consumption, not marijuana, which Shumpert admitted to using before being pulled over. He could face a possible suspension, depending on the outcome of the case.

Kevin Love Expects To Be With Cavs ‘For A Long Time’

February 3rd, 2017 at 3:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Kevin Love‘s name has surfaced once again in trade rumors this season, but after the big man played a key role in helping the team secure a championship, the Cavaliers don’t appear too interested in moving him. For his part, Love told reporters on Friday that he expects to remain in Cleveland “for a long time” (Associated Press report via ESPN.com).

This year’s round of rumors involving Love has centered on the Knicks, with a report last week suggesting that Cleveland had rebuffed New York’s efforts to work out a swap involving Love and Carmelo Anthony.

“I predicted that,” Love said with a laugh when he was asked about the Knicks’ reported interest. “I said it doesn’t matter if I have an All-Star year or its one start or the other, it’s always going to be there, right?”

Although it doesn’t appear the Knicks have given up on the idea of landing Love, multiple sources tell Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com that the Cavs don’t have a whole lot of interest in Anthony, and that they have even less interest in trading Love for him. While acquiring Anthony isn’t totally out of the question for the Cavs, it’s “mostly” out of the question, per Vardon.

Meanwhile, Love was indeed named an NBA All-Star for the fourth time overall and the first time since he became a Cavalier. The 28-year-old is averaging 19.9 PPG, 11.0 RPG, and 2.6 3PG in 41 games so far this season. Those marks are his best since his days with the Timberwolves.

Still, the Cavs won’t entirely rule out the possibility of moving Love, since the only truly untouchable player on their roster is LeBron James, says Vardon. But any Love deal would have to make the team better this season, and there aren’t many scenarios that fit that bill. Both the Cavs and Love himself view a deal this month as highly unlikely, sources tell Vardon.

Love, who has been sidelined this week due to a back injury, is expected to return to Cleveland’s lineup on Saturday.

Cavs Notes: Stephenson, LeBron, Wiggins, Love

February 1st, 2017 at 4:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers brought in several free agents for an audition today, with players like Kirk Hinrich, Mario Chalmers, Lance Stephenson, and Jordan Farmar earning a look from the team. Of the names on that list, Stephenson’s was one that immediately stood out, given his on-court history with LeBron James. The former Pacer faced James and the Heat in three consecutive postseasons, serving as an agitator and memorably blowing into LeBron’s ear during one playoff game. Nonetheless, the reigning Finals MVP tells ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that he’d have no problem with Stephenson joining the Cavs.

“I just want to win, man,” James said. “That’s all that matters to me. I got no personal problems with nobody.”

Here’s more out of Cleveland:

Asked about the four veteran free agents listed above, James pointed out that he has a history with all of them except for Farmar. “I got a history with all those guys except Jordan,” LeBron said, per McMenamin. “I got a history with Lance too, obviously. I got a history versus Kirk. I played him in a lot of playoff series. And I got a history with Rio [Chalmers]. … At the end of the day, Rio is recovering from his Achilles tear. I hope he’s been doing everything he needs to do just to get back on the floor. He loves to play the game. … I’m a supporter of what this franchise wants to do, no matter what it’s doing. But my focus right now is to get our guys playing championship-level basketball.”
As the Cavs struggled on the court in January, LeBron was as vocal as ever off the court, publicly airing his frustrations about Charles Barkley, Phil Jackson, and the Cavs’ roster in recent weeks. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst explains why James has been more agitated than usual as of late.
In a separate piece for ESPN.com, Windhorst explores whether Andrew Wiggins will ever make the Cavaliers regret the deal that sent the No. 1 pick to the Timberwolves in a package for Kevin Love. As Windhorst observes, the fact that the Cavs won a title with Love makes it unlikely that the team would ever want a mulligan on the move.
Speaking of Love, an MRI on his injured back revealed no structural damage, as Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal writes. He’ll miss tonight’s game, but the injury isn’t expect to sideline him for too long.
Earlier this afternoon, we heard that the Knicks haven’t given up their pursuit of Love, despite resistance from the Cavs.

Knicks Haven’t Given Up Pursuit Of Kevin Love

February 1st, 2017 at 3:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite the Cavaliers’ unwillingness to move Kevin Love in a deal involving Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks continue to pursue Love, league sources tell Ramona Shelburne and Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Shelburne and Stein first reported last week that Cleveland had rebuffed New York’s efforts to work out a swap involving Love and Anthony.

According to the ESPN duo, the Cavaliers do have some interest in Anthony, but would only be interested in such a deal if it didn’t mean surrendering Love. Without any of the Cavs’ Big Three in a trade, the team would likely have to include at least two players out of a group that includes Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, and Channing Frye in order to make the salaries work. That’s my speculation though — there’s no indication the two sides have specifically discussed those players.

As Stein and Shelburne report, the Knicks have been focused on engaging the Cavaliers, Clippers, and Celtics in trade talks, believing that Anthony would be willing to waive his no-trade clause to accept a move to one of those teams.

However, Cleveland and Los Angeles are both in tax territory, with the Cavs reluctant to add much more salary and the Clippers up against a hard cap, which will make it difficult to complete a deal with either team. Anthony’s 15% trade kicker further complicates trade discussions, as it would add approximately $9.6MM to his remaining salary.

Per ESPN’s report, many of New York’s recent discussions with the Clippers and Cavs have had to include a theoretical third or fourth team to create a plausible trade scenario. As for Boston, the Celtics don’t appear to have substantial interest in Anthony, and any talks with the Knicks so far are believed to be exploratory in nature.

Anthony, who has a formal no-trade clause in his contract and has maintained that he prefers to stay with the Knicks, has conceded that he’d be willing to consider approving a deal if New York wants to rebuild. Still, he told reporters on Tuesday that he hasn’t given the Knicks any list of teams he’d approve. Anthony added that his family will be an important consideration if he’s presented with a possible trade opportunity, since he’s not eager to uproot his wife and son.

Cavaliers Notes: Thompson, Love, Griffin

January 30th, 2017 at 5:31pm CST by Milo Taibi

Now in the second year of a five-year, $82MM pact, Cleveland big man Tristan Thompson balked at criticisms that he hasn’t lived up to his contract. “I earned my money,” Thompson told Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “LeBron’s not my agent. I earned my money doing what I do; you can ask anyone around the league. I opened doors for other guys. It’s a business, and you get paid what the market value is for you. I got my money and opened up doors for other guys that play hard and do the little things.”

While Thompson certainly hasn’t been a hindrance to the 32-14 Cavs, his numbers aren’t what they were in 2012 and 2013. Thompson has averaged 7.5 points with 9.7 rebounds through 46 games while shooting a career-worst 49.3% from the free-throw line. For what it’s worth, Thompson still has LeBron James‘ stamp of approval. “He’s the one rim protector that we have, and we need him to continue to do that,” James said. “You know he’s going to clean glass, but when he’s active like that — trying to get shots blocked and things of that nature, it helps us a lot.”

Other goings-on in the ‘Land…

Kevin Love was removed from the second half of Cleveland’s 107-91 win over OKC on Sunday, and did not make the trip for tonight’s match-up with Dallas. Love, who suffered lower-back spasms in a 12-minute outing, will remain in Cleveland to undergo an MRI. “It’s nothing to play with,” James told Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “It’s a terrible feeling when your back is hurt. It just limits you more than anything. I know it’s very frustrating for him because he puts in a lot of work. He’s in the weight room all the time, and he’s doing his thing to keep his body in shape, then this is happening to him, so it’s very frustrating.”
Cleveland will use their “next man up” mentality without Love against the Mavericks tonight. “Guys have got to step up. This has been our mantra since we first all came together, ‘The Next Man Up,'” Thompson told Matthew Florjancic of WKYC. “We hope Kevin gets well, takes care of his body because we’re going to need him for the long haul. Whatever he has to do to get to 100 percent, that’s the most important thing because we need Kev for the long haul. Everyone wants to push it through, but if you’re hurt or you’re not well, get right because we’re going to need the big fella.” With Love sidelined, Channing Frye appears to be the most logical candidate to receive a bump in court time.
The Cavaliers were among the teams featured in Bobby Marks’ NBA trade guide on The Vertical. To their detriment, Cleveland has only $750K to offer in a trade, and just one second-round pick over the next four years. GM David Griffin has displayed an aggressive nature on the trade market, Marks notes, having completed three January trades since joining the team in 2014. Marks predicts Cleveland will swoop in to sign veterans bought out after the trade deadline.

Blazers Duo, Embiid Fail To Make All-Star Cut

January 26th, 2017 at 6:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley, the Blazers backcourt duo Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum and Jazz center Rudy Gobert were among the prominent players who failed to make the cut on the Western Conference All-Star reserve unit, which was unveiled on Thursday and relayed on the NBA’s Twitter feed. Joel Embiid, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony were some of the notable names who didn’t make the cut on the Eastern Conference squad. (Twitter links).

Russell Westbrook, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, DeMarcus Cousins, Marc Gasol, DeAndre Jordan and Gordon Hayward received the most votes by the conference’s coaches, who pick the reserves. Westbrook, of course, was the biggest snub among the All-Star starters as the fan voting, which counted for 50% toward the overall balloting, put him behind Stephen Curry and James Harden.

Paul George, Kevin Love, Kyle Lowry, Paul Millsap, Isaiah Thomas, Kemba Walker and John Wall were named the Eastern Conference’s All-Star reserves.

Did the coaches get it right or was there an obvious mistake on their part? Go to the comments section and weigh in.

Knicks’ Carmelo-For-Love Pitch Rebuffed By Cavs

January 25th, 2017 at 2:48pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks have made an effort to engage the Cavaliers in trade talks involving Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Love, according to Marc Stein and Chris Haynes of ESPN.com. However, according to Stein and Haynes, those efforts were rebuffed by the Cavs.

Anthony has been the subject of much trade speculation recently, despite the fact that he’s one of three players in the NBA with a formal no-trade clause included in his contract. Although the nine-time All-Star has been adamant that he prefers to stay with the Knicks, he has conceded that if the franchise engages in a rebuild and wants to move him, he’d have to consider waiving his no-trade clause.

[RELATED: Players who can veto trades]

The Cavaliers are viewed as one of the teams that would make Anthony seriously consider approving a trade, given his desire to win a title and his long-standing friendship with LeBron James. Anthony was asked today for his thoughts on James’ desire for the Cavs to add a “playmaker” and suggested that he and the reigning Finals MVP wouldn’t be opposed to the idea of playing on the same team at some point, though he doesn’t expect it to happen this year.

“You ask me a question: Do I think he would want me to play with him? Yes. I do think he would want me to play with him. I don’t think he wouldn’t,” Anthony said, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. “But I don’t know if that comment is about me. I don’t think I’m the only playmaker in the NBA.”

Of course, even if the Knicks and Anthony were on board with the idea of a trade to Cleveland, they’d need the Cavs to cooperate, and there’s no indication that the defending champs have any desire to part with Love, who played a major role in securing that title for the franchise.

While the former Wolves star hasn’t always been a perfect fit in Cleveland, Love is enjoying his best season as a Cavalier, with 20.5 PPG and 10.9 RPG to go along with a 37.4% rate on three-point attempts. Those are the best marks he has posted in each category since he was sent from Minnesota to Cleveland in 2014.

In addition to being unwilling to part with Love, the Cavs don’t appear overly interested in acquiring Anthony, who will turn 33 this spring and has one of the NBA’s largest cap hits. Carmelo’s deal, which currently pays him about $24.56MM this season and runs through 2018/19, would become even more expensive if he’s dealt, since it features a 15% trade kicker. Cleveland already has the league’s highest payroll ($127MM+) and projected tax bill ($27MM+), so the team figures to focus on less expensive targets.

Cavaliers Notes: James, Irving, Love, Trades

December 16th, 2016 at 10:15am CST by Arthur Hill

The new collective bargaining agreement will allow the Cavaliers to offer LeBron James a five-year worth about $209MM in 2018, writes Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal. The exact dollar amount won’t be known until the cap is set for 2018/19, but it would easily exceed the record $153MM contract that Mike Conley signed with the Grizzlies in July. It will be a nice raise for James, who will make nearly $31MM this season and more than $33MM next year, and it was made possible by the union’s insistence that the “age 36” rule, which limits contract length for older veterans, be changed to an “age 38” rule. Of course it’s not certain that James will decide to finish his career in Cleveland. He has talked about forming a team with his friends Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade, and 2018 may be his last chance to make that happen while they’re all still productive.

There’s more this morning out of Cleveland:

Kyrie Irving is the only member of the team’s Big Three who will be affected by the new designated veteran player exception, Lloyd notes in the same piece. The provision permits teams to offer six-year extensions to two players who are entering their eighth or ninth seasons in the NBA and who are signing their second max extensions. James is in his 14th season, and Kevin Love has already inked two long-term contracts. Both Irving and Love can both become free agents in 2019.
Grizzlies coach David Fizdale thinks that if James stays in the league when his playing days are over, it should be as an executive rather than a coach, relays Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. “He would kill somebody,” Fizdale said. “Perfection is like [his standard]. He wants perfection. I could see him actually owning his own team and doing something like that, but I think he would end up killing a player at some point because they wouldn’t live up to the expectations that he would set forth.”
The Cavaliers have expressed interest in Kings center Kosta Koufos in the past, but a trade with Sacramento doesn’t seem likely, Vardon states in a separate story. Koufos is now starting for the Kings and making $8MM, so he would be an expensive acquisition. Also, it would be hard to work him into the rotation with Tristan Thompson and Channing Frye forming an effective combination at center. Vardon says Willie Cauley-Stein might be more realistic, but would still cost too much for a player not likely to see many minutes come playoff time.

And-Ones: Gee, Douby, Favors, Love

November 16th, 2016 at 10:57pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Nuggets coach Mike Malone believes the addition of Alonzo Gee brings “defensive versatility”, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. “I’ve been a fan of him from afar for many years,” Malone said. The team signed Gee on Tuesday.

Here’s more from around the league:

Quincy Douby has signed in the D-League and will play for the Westchester Knicks, Chris Reichert of The Step Back reports (Twitter link).
Derrick Favors‘ MRI confirmed a bone contusion on his left knee and he won’t play for the Jazz in Thursday’s game, according to the team’s website. Utah didn’t provide a concrete timetable for Favors’ return.
Kevin Love has no regrets about signing his five-year contract with the Cavs, Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal writes. Love could have signed a one-year deal during the summer of 2015 and positioned himself to take advantage of this past summer’s exploding salary cap. Instead, Love chose security over taking a risk to maximize his earnings. “When it’s your time [to sign], it’s your time. You’ve got to figure it out,” Love said. “Maybe the shoulder had something to do with it, but you’ve got to think about risk adversity. How much risk do you want to take? Knowing I could be with this team, locking in for five years, it was an easy choice.”