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Central Notes: Felder, James, Pistons, Williams

March 24th, 2017 at 9:49am CST by Milo Taibi

Kay Felder made an impact in his most recent D-League assignment; scoring 26 points in a match-up with the Maine Red Claws. The 5’9″ Felder raised eyebrows, however, with his decision to dunk at the conclusion of a 110-99 win, when the away team had already conceded the loss. NBA vet Jordan Mickey didn’t appreciate the gesture:

“I take pride in being a professional and not doing anything like that at the end of a game,” Mickey told Glenn Jordan of Amico Hoops. “No NBA team I know of would do that. I know the Celtics wouldn’t do it for sure and I doubt the Cavaliers would do something like that. Guys know better than to do stuff like that. It is what it is, I’ll keep that in the back of my mind if we happen to play these guys again.”

Still riding high from his 26-point showing, Felder praised the Cavs for giving him an opportunity to receive minutes with the Canton Charge.

“I think the Cavs are doing a great job of bringing me down, calling me up, letting me see what Kyrie (Irving) or LeBron (James) is doing and bringing it down here and helping these guys out as well,” Felder said. “It’s not just for me. I can also help these guys as well with what I see up there.”

More from around the Central…

  • Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon-Journal was critical of the Cavs‘ defensive effort in a loss to Denver on Wednesday. Ridenour understands that the 32-year-old James needs to conserve energy as the postseason approaches, but pointed out a second quarter sequence in which James stayed downcourt to protest a no-call. LeBron finished the game with a -30 rating, his second-worst plus-minus of the season.
  • The Pistons‘ late-season swoon has resulted from “a complicated mosaic of factors,” Rod Beard of The Detroit News writes. Specifically, Beard points out poor defense, inconsistencies at point guard, a lack of leadership, and slow starts to must-win games. “[Stan] Van Gundy does much of the talking but the leadership mantle needs to come from the locker room,” Beard writes. “After Wednesday’s loss, the players were saying all the right things about playing better in the last 10 games, but the next step is turning that talk into action — and more importantly, victories.”
  • Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com addressed Derrick Williams‘ recent lack of playing time in his latest mailbag. Despite a stellar plus-minus when Williams and James are each on the court, Tyronn Lue has gone with J.R. Smith and Kyle Korver over Williams in the second unit. Vardon points out that if Williams is getting minutes in the postseason, either Iman Shumpert or Richard Jefferson would have to be benched; that’s a move he doesn’t see Lue pulling off.
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Cavs Notes: Love, Smith, James, Williams, Lue

February 13th, 2017 at 7:32pm CST by Milo Taibi

The Cavaliers are concerned with Kevin Love‘s sore left knee and will pursue a second opinion, according to a report from Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. Love, who has been ruled out of Cleveland’s match-up with the Timberwolves on Tuesday, underwent an MRI on Sunday. Love missed a pair of games on January 30 and February 1 due to a back issue, but has otherwise produced well of late- averaging 21.4 points with 11.8 rebounds over his last five games.

“Always concerned when guys are going down,” coach Tyronn Lue said of Love’s ailment. “And we’re already limited as it is. Definitely concerned, but gotta see how he feels. Just, get evaluated tomorrow and see how he feels.”

More from Cleveland…

  • J.R. Smith could make an on-court return sooner than expected, according to Chris Haynes and Dave McMenamin of ESPN. While Smith is targeting a mid-March return to the lineup, his timeline could be expedited during the All-Star break. Even if Smith returns in three weeks, the 31-year-old will only have 16 games to prepare for the postseason.
  • A Cavs source told Dave McMenamin of ESPN that Derrick Williams has already done enough to earn a second 10-day contract. One of Williams’ biggest advocates has been LeBron James, who told Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com that he’d like to see Williams stick with the team. “We hope that this is a long-term thing,” James said. “He’s 25-years old. It doesn’t seem like it because we’ve been hearing his name for so long. But he’s 25, he hasn’t even gotten to his potential, to his prime yet. So hopefully this group, this locker room, myself, my leadership — just want to see him grow every day, and it’s a good place for him.”
  • Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com discussed Lue’s new lineup- LeBron James, Kyle Korver, Derrick Williams, Richard Jefferson, and Channing Frye. None of the players in this formation are under 6-foot-7, Fedor writes, while possessing athletic ability and above-average shooting. “Yeah, I did (like it),” Lue said. “And I got to figure out different ways to get LeBron the ball where we want to get it to when we’re running our other actions.” James echoed his coach’s sentiments. “It’s a fantastic lineup, so it worked well for us. We got up the floor, got stops, shared the ball, so it’s a pretty good lineup. It’s something that coach has in his back pocket if he wants to use it again.”
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Bogut Explains Decision To Join Mavs Over Rockets

October 28th, 2016 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Andrew Bogut wasn’t a free agent this summer, but he did have some agency when it came to deciding his new team. Multiple reports throughout the offseason indicated that the Warriors could have sent Bogut to a number of different teams in a salary-shedding trade to clear cap room for Kevin Durant. Golden State reportedly allowed the former first overall pick to pick his destination from a list of clubs that included the Mavericks, Rockets, and the Sixers, and Bogut chose Dallas.

According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com, Bogut viewed the Mavericks as the best fit for him, and wanted to land with a team he could potentially re-sign with in 2017. The veteran center cited culture, coaching, and his agent’s familiarity with the Mavs as reasons why Dallas made more sense than Houston, per MacMahon.

“I’m not saying Houston has a bad culture by any means, but my agent (David Bauman) has a familiarity here,” Bogut said. “I’ve known a lot of players that have been pretty happy here when they were here. Richard Jefferson was one of them. And then the city — I like the city, so it all made sense.

“Rick Carlisle is also one of the best coaches in the league,” Bogut continued. “He knows how to get the best out of his players. He’s very, very smart and makes great adjustments. He’s a guy you want to play for. Obviously, [Mike] D’Antoni is a pretty good coach, too, but probably not suited for my style of play. I would have probably had to drop about 20 pounds to play in his system. They play a tough system, get up and down the court.”

Bogut, who is in a contract year, said back in September that he would have asked for a buyout if he ended up with a team besides the Mavs. However, he clarified those comments today, walking them back slightly by saying a buyout would have been “an option” and not necessarily something he would have forced. As MacMahon details, Bogut also said he was referring to “a different team, not Houston,” when he talked about that option. The Sixers were likely the club in question.

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And-Ones: NBPA, Monroe, Murray

July 28th, 2016 at 10:26pm CST by Eddie Scarito

On Wednesday, the NBPA announced in an unprecedented move, that it will now fund health insurance for all retired players who accrued three or more years of service time in the NBA (h/t RealGM). This program will be the first of its kind among North American professional sports, the release noted. “The game has never been more popular, and all the players in our league today recognize that we’re only in this position because of the hard work and dedication of the men who came before us,” said Chris Paul. “It’s important that we take care of our entire extended NBA family, and I’m proud of my fellow players for taking this unprecedented step to ensure the health and well-being of our predecessors.”

Here’s more from around the league:

  • The Bucks are still looking to find a taker for Greg Monroe and it sounds like they’ve spoken to the Pelicans about him this offseason. “I think [the Bucks] got closer than maybe has been reported with New Orleans during either the draft or free agency,” ESPN’s Zach Lowe said during today’s episode of The Lowe Post podcast (54:25 mark for the relevant portion). “Monroe’s a New Orleans native,” ESPN’s Marc Stein added. “I think that’s where he wants to end up.” Neither Lowe nor Stein suggested that a deal between the Pelicans and Bucks is currently in the works, but Stein expects the big man to eventually be moved, and those two clubs also discussed Monroe prior to this year’s trade deadline.
  • Richard Jefferson‘s contract with the Cavaliers is for three years, not for two as was previously reported, notes Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). The veteran will earn $2.5MM in each of the first two seasons, with the final season worth a non-guaranteed $2.6MM, Pincus adds.
  • Add former NBA player Flip Murray to the list of veterans considering making a return to the league, as he told Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. “I would definitely bring a lot of veteran leadership because I know the game of basketball,” Murray said. “The way the game is now, I feel like I could fit perfectly in. I could be someone who comes off the bench and produces for the team. I’d also like to mentor the young guys and pass on some of the experiences and lessons I learned from playing against some of the guys I matched up against during my time. If I come in right now, I could bring a lot of veteran leadership and still be able to produce on the court.” The 36-year-old last appeared in the NBA during the regular season in 2009/10.
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Cavs Re-Sign Richard Jefferson

July 28th, 2016 at 12:46pm CST by Eddie Scarito

JULY 28, 12:46pm: The Cavaliers have officially re-signed Jefferson, the team announced today in a press release.Richard Jefferson vertical

“RJ’s versatility on the court and leadership off it were core parts of our identity and success last year,” GM David Griffin said in a statement. “In many respects, his impact was greater as the stakes got higher. His NBA Finals performance is a testament to his dedicated, steady approach and his presence in our locker room throughout the year and postseason cannot be overstated. We’re very thankful he decided to continue his career and we know that his teammates appreciate what he brings to this team at a very deep level.”

JULY 6, 10:12pm: The contract will be worth $5MM over two seasons, Chris Mannix of The Vertical tweets.

9:59pm: The Cavaliers and veteran Richard Jefferson have agreed to a deal that will see the player remain in Cleveland, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). It will be a two-year arrangement, according to the scribe, but the dollar amount is not yet known.

This certainly comes as a reversal for Jefferson, who told reporters that his career was done after the Cavs won the NBA Finals, adding that it was a “hell of a way to go out.” A few days later, the veteran forward admitted that his decision to retire was hardly set in stone, adding that his Cavaliers teammates were trying to talk him out of it, and that it was “still up for debate.”

Jefferson appeared in 74 games for Cleveland in 2015/16, averaging 5.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 17.9 minutes per contest. The small forward shot .458/.382/.667 from the field on the campaign.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Eastern Rumors: Butler, James, Jack, Wall

June 30th, 2016 at 10:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

In an appearance Wednesday on ESPN’s “The Jump,” Bulls guard Jimmy Butler said he expected his partnership with Derrick Rose to be broken up, relays Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. It happened last week when Rose was shipped to the Knicks in exchange for three players. “I can’t say that I was surprised, but I knew that it had to be one of us, to tell you the truth,” Butler said. “Obviously, I enjoyed playing with him. I came into the league when he was the MVP. I’ve got so much respect for the guy. I have no bad things to say about him and I wish him the best moving forward.” Butler, who was the focus of draft night trade rumors involving the Celtics and Timberwolves, said he’s not certain he will still be with Chicago when the season opens.

There’s more tonight from the Eastern Conference:

  • The NBA’s “over 36 rule” is behind LeBron James‘ decision to decline his player option, explains Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. James would be subject to that rule if he signs a two-year deal just as he did last summer with the intention of opting out after one season. For players who have turned 36, their final annual salary in a four- or five-year contract is counted proportionally against the team’s cap each season. The rule was adopted to discourage teams from giving long-term contracts to players who are unlikely to be in the league for the entirety of them. The rule prohibits James from accepting a five-year, $200MM contract from the Cavaliers after this offseason because the pro-rated part would put him above the maximum salary. However, Zillgitt points out that the rule could be amended if the players or the league opts out of the current collective bargaining agreement in December.
  • The Cavaliers aren’t concerned about losing their stars, but they have decisions to make on six free agents, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. Cleveland will have to determine how many years it wants to commit to J.R. Smith and whether it wants to outbid competitors to keep Matthew Dellavedova. Also, Richard Jefferson and James Jones have to decide if they want to play another season at the veterans minimum.
  • The Nets stretched the $500K in guaranteed salary owed to point guard Jarrett Jack when they waived him earlier today, tweets NetsDaily. The move will save the team $333,333 in cap space this offseason.
  • John Wall wants to see the Wizards adopt an aggressive attitude toward free agency, tweets Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post. “The organization’s got to be willing to step up to the plate and get what needs to be done, done,” Wall said.
  • The Pistons would like to add two more big men this offseason, writes Keith Langlois of NBA.com. Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said starting power forward Tobias Harris doesn’t really fit that description, and he wants to be sure the team isn’t short on size next year. “I think I wouldn’t be comfortable going with fewer than five, so we’ve got to go out and get two bigs – four, five, whatever,” Van Gundy said. “We need two bigger guys, even though Marcus [Morris] and Tobias will play there a lot. You just get into certain matchups.”
  • The performance of second-round pick Michael Gbinije in summer league will help determine the fate of Phil Pressey, Langlois writes in the same piece. Pressey is also on the Pistons‘ summer league roster, but his chances at winning a backup point guard spot for next season will decrease if Gbinije shows he can handle the position.
  • A stress fracture in his lower back will sideline Detroit’s Darrun Hilliard for the summer league and possibly longer, according to Rod Beard of The Detroit News. A 6’6″ reserve guard, Hilliard played in 38 games last summer and was projected to have a significant role on the Pistons‘ summer league team. “I just thought my back was tight and I just thought that I wasn’t stretching enough,” he said. “I was stretching and stretching and stretching, thinking it would get better and it never got better.”
  • Free agent swingman Evan Fournier said he wants to stay with the Magic, writes Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Fournier, whose role likely increased with last week’s trade of Victor Oladipo to the Thunder, said he isn’t sure if his agent lined up meetings with any other teams. “Obviously, our priority is the Magic,” Fournier said. “I’ve said it many times: I feel great here.”
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Richard Jefferson Expected To Continue Career

June 28th, 2016 at 10:42am CST by Luke Adams

Richard Jefferson has reconsidered his post-Finals retirement declaration, tweets Chris Mannix of The Vertical. According to Mannix, not only is Jefferson not retiring, but he’s now planning to play for two or three more seasons.

Jefferson’s retirement “announcement” came just minutes after Cleveland’s Game 7 win over Golden State, when he told reporters that his career was done, adding that it was a “hell of a way to go out.” A few days later, the veteran forward admitted that his decision to retire was hardly set in stone, adding that his Cavaliers teammates were trying to talk him out of it, and that it was “still up for debate.”

A Finals win with the Cavs would indeed have been a storybook ending for Jefferson, who turned 36 last Tuesday and hadn’t previously won a championship over the course of his 15-year NBA career. Still, he played a crucial role in Cleveland’s victory, playing key minutes in the postseason, including in the Finals. Coming off a season in which he appeared in 95 total regular-season and playoff games, Jefferson – a pending free agent – still looks to have something left in the tank.

While he inked a minimum-salary contract with the Cavaliers last year, Jefferson could very well receive larger offers this time around, with the salary cap set to increase by nearly $25MM per team. Of course, if his number one goal is to win a second title, he could also be happy settling for another minimum-salary deal for a contender. Either way, it appears Jefferson won’t be calling it a career quite yet after all.

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Richard Jefferson To Retire?

June 22nd, 2016 at 11:01am CST by Arthur Hill

WEDNESDAY, 11:01am: Jefferson has backtracked a little on his initial announcement, suggesting that he hasn’t totally finalized his decision to retire. As Kurt Helin of Pro Basketball Talk outlines, Jefferson discussed his decision on The Dan Patrick Show on Wednesday.

“No, it’s is not set in stone,” Jefferson said. “My teammates, ‘Bron and those guys, keep trying to talk me out of it. They say I’m crazy if I retire, so we’ll see. It’s still up for debate.”

SUNDAY, 10:49pm: Moments after winning his first NBA championship, Cavaliers forward Richard Jefferson said he plans to retire from the league, tweets Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun. “Hell of a way to go out,” the 15-year veteran said shortly after Cleveland prevailed in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

Jefferson, who will turn 36 on Tuesday, played in 74 games for the Cavs this season, mostly in a reserve role. He averaged 5.5 points and 1.7 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per night.

Jefferson started his career in the 2001/02 season with the New Jersey Nets. He also played for the Bucks, Spurs, Warriors, Jazz and Mavericks. He signed a one-year deal with the Cavaliers in August.

“I’m done. I’m done,” Jefferson told Michael Grange of Rogers Sportsnet. “I need a cigar.” (Twitter link).

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Eastern Notes: Lin, Novak, Mayo, Vasquez, Jefferson

April 18th, 2016 at 11:00am CST by Chuck Myron

Jeremy Lin was convinced he would sign with the Mavericks for the room exception this past summer, as he told Dan Feldman of ProBasketballTalk, but Dallas turned away when DeAndre Jordan reneged on his commitment to the Mavs, leading the point guard to turn to the Hornets instead. “Charlotte came out of nowhere,” Lin said. “Had I known it was going to go down the way it went down, I would’ve definitely planned things a little differently.” 

Lin enjoys his Hornets teammates, but no guarantee exists that he’ll be back with them next season, since he can opt out of his contract. No team gave a higher percentage of its minutes after the trade deadline to players who can hit free agency this summer, Feldman points out, but Charlotte has been successful because of an unusual bond between the players, as Feldman details. Al Jefferson conceded that he probably wouldn’t have accepted a reduced role during a contract year if he were younger but said he’s never been on a team quite like this one in Charlotte.

See more from the Eastern Conference:

  • Steve Novak wants to re-sign with the Bucks after a brief, injury-shortened time in Milwaukee this season, and coach Jason Kidd indicated that the feeling is mutual as the team seeks to improve its shooting, notes Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “Novak is a guy we thought was going to help in that [shooting] department,” Kidd said. “Hopefully we can re-sign him. We liked what he did briefly on the floor, but we also enjoyed what he did for us off the floor, even being hurt. That’s what a vet does. We would all love to have him back. That kind of threat is what we need as a team to have any kind of success.”
  • Gardner suggests in the same piece that the Bucks want to move on from O.J. Mayo and Greivis Vasquez but have better regard for Jerryd Bayless. All three will hit free agency in July.
  • Richard Jefferson‘s contribution in Game 1 was subtle but important and showed the value of his signing this past offseason for the Cavaliers, observe Michael Beaven 
and George Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal.
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Southwest Notes: Alexander, Gentry, Aldridge

April 16th, 2016 at 3:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

Rockets owner Leslie Alexander plans to be more active in the team’s offseason moves, according to Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. Alexander gave GM Daryl Morey a vote of confidence this week but said he will take a more hands-on role in overhauling a roster that produced a disappointing 41-41 record and the eighth seed in the West. “I think I will change a little bit,” Alexander said. “More scrutiny and what they’re doing. I was thinking about doing it anyway but after this season, definitely.” Among Houston’s decisions will be whether to retain interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who posted a 37-34 record after taking over for Kevin McHale in November. Alexander didn’t commit to keeping Bickerstaff, but did toss a compliment his way. “He’s got a winning record,” Alexander said, “which is good from where he started.”

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

  • Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry is hoping for a fresh start next season after a disastrous first year in New Orleans, writes Justin Verrier of ESPN.com. Gentry was hired to take the next step with the Pelicans after they claimed the final playoff spot in 2014/15, but the team was slowed by a long string of misfortune. New Orleans players ended the season with 351 games missed due to injuries and illness, the second-highest total in the past decade. Looking ahead, Gentry has a vision for the type of player he wants to acquire in the offseason. “I think we need that 6’7″ athletic guy that can also be somewhat of a facilitator,” he said. “As to names, I have no idea who that is, but I know that he’s out there. And so that would be obviously a priority for us.”
  • The Spurs became a better defensive team after trading Tiago Splitter and signing LaMarcus Aldridge, according to Matthew Tynan of RealGM. Splitter is considered the better defender, but Aldridge has more range and mobility, Tynan notes, which gives Tim Duncan the more natural role of rim protector.
  • Jae Crowder, who has emerged as a star in Boston, couldn’t wait to get out of Dallas, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Before being included in the 2014 trade that brought Rajon Rondo to the Mavericks, Crowder was frustrated by a lack of playing time, two trips to the D-League and Dallas’ signings of Al-Farouq Aminu, Chandler Parsons and Richard Jefferson.
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